SBS refers to a string bed's resistance to deflection. Subject to the SAME force, a string bed with relatively high stiffness will deflect less than a string bed of lower stiffness.

• SBS is objective and measurable. Tension is subjective. For the exact same requested tension, the resulting actual tension and SBS will vary significantly from one stringer to the next, depending on stringing machine type, calibration, technique etc. Having said that, given the same requested tension, string, racket and machine, a competent stringer will produce nearly identical SBS’s all day long.

• Know exactly when to restring. Actual tension decreases with every ball impact. Moreover, strings begin losing tension as soon as they are tensioned! This is particularly true of polyester strings. Although polyester is extremely popular and offers superior performance in many respects, its tendency to lose tension faster than other string materials is well known. In an effort to avoid playing with loose strings, almost all serious players using polyester cut their strings out prior to breakage in favor of a restring. Unfortunately, lacking an objective SBS measurement, the decision of when to restring is based on a guess. This invariably leads to wasted money and effort on premature restrings or, in the case of waiting too long, compromised performance.

• Verify tension replication. Whether you are a stringer or player, you have probably wished for some way to reliably authenticate the actual tension of a restring. As a player, have you ever thought to yourself, “It’s the same stringer, string type and requested tension but this restring doesn’t feel like the last!”? As a stringer, you’ve probably had clients demand free restrings because they think the tension is different than last time. The Tracket, a repeatable and precise SBS meter, eliminates these confusions and unwinnable arguments. Accurate SBS measurements prevent wasted time and resources by verifying tension replication.

• Adapt easily and confidently to different stringers. Are you a traveling tournament player forced to continually rely on unfamiliar stringers? Have you ever switched stringers and found it challenging to achieve your preferred actual tension? Reliable SBS measurements are the gold standard for assessing actual tension. Using the Tracket SBS meter, you will be able to quickly and confidently home in on the ideal requested tension needed to achieve your preferred actual tension.

For small string bed deflections, actual tension 100% determines SBS. For large string bed deflections, actual tension heavily influences SBS. The Golden Set Tracket measures SBS via small string bed deflections (0.015 inch to 0.040 inch). As such, the Tracket effectively isolates and precisely assesses actual tension.

Inevitably, as you become more familiar with the SBS concept, it becomes apparent that SBS is actually the only reason we care about tension. Truthfully, all a player really wants is a particular string bed stiffness (SBS). How this is achieved, actual tension, may be important, but it is not actually the end goal. A particular SBS is the true objective.

So why are we so fixated on tension? Probably because, before the Tracket, there did not exist a readily available, repeatable and reliable means of measuring SBS. The Tracket directly measures what players really care about, SBS.

Put another way, the relationship between tension and SBS is one of cause and effect. Actual tension is the cause, while SBS is the effect that we should actually care about. Analogously, despite nuclear fusion being the cause of sunshine, most humans are rightfully more concerned with the sun continuing to shine than they are with the science of nuclear fusion.

Initially, the lightweight Pedestal is latched onto the string bed. The probe, projecting from the bottom of the Pedestal, extends through the string bed and maintains contact with the surface below. The gauge is zeroed (by rotating the gauge dial face).

The Tracket Collar, once placed onto the Pedestal, applies a precise force (5.00 lbf / 2.27 kg) on and perpendicular to the string bed. The string bed deflection, resulting from the Collar's weight, presses the probe into the Pedestal by an equal amount. Due to the probe's relative movement, the gauge displays a measurement reading that corresponds precisely to the amount by which the string bed deflected.

To be clear, the deflection shown in the graphic above is exaggerated for demonstration purposes. The Tracket actually deflects the string bed less than the diameter of a tennis string. For tennis rackets, string bed deflection measured by the Tracket typically ranges between 15 and 40 thousandths of an inch. The diameter of a 16 gauge tennis string measures about 50 thousandths of an inch.

The above graph shows the relationship between Tracket deflection readings and string bed stiffness (SBS). For example, suppose you perform a Tracket measurement on your racket and the deflection reading is 25.0. Referring to the graph, 25.0 equals 200 lbf/inch SBS. In other words, for the present state of your racket's string bed, 200 lbf is required per inch of deflection.

The graph shows a reading range from 15.0 to 40.0 which corresponds to 125 to 325 lbf/inch SBS. This range encompasses typical tennis racket readings. It would be highly unusual for a player to string their racket tight enough to yield an SBS greater than 325 lbf/inch. Similarly, most players would consider a racket with an SBS of 125 lbf/inch to be unplayable.

Of course you do not need to refer to a graph every time you take a Tracket measurement. As a player, you will quickly learn the reading ranges that you find acceptable.

To assist you with this, the Tracket Cloud allows you to easily record measurements using your smart-phone or computer. To access the Tracket Cloud, login to your Golden Set account then click on 'Tracket Cloud' from the main menu. To get started, you will need to add a few pieces of information such as a racket, stringer and string type. Once this is done, you can start recording Tracket measurements and restrings. The Tracket Cloud provides analysis tools to help you interpret and make decisions based on your recorded data.

• Step 1: Secure racket frame onto Tracket base.

• Step 2: Latch the Tracket gauge pedestal onto the string bed.

• Step 3: Zero the Tracket gauge.

• Step 4: Place Tracket collar onto gauge pedestal.

• Step 5: Observe deflection reading.

• Step 6: Record reading to Tracket Cloud.

The Tracket Cloud allows you to easily record measurements using your smart-phone or computer. To access the Tracket Cloud, login to your Golden Set account then click on 'Tracket Cloud' from the main menu. To get started, you will need to add a few pieces of information such as a racket, stringer and string type. Once this is done, you can start recording Tracket measurements and restrings. The Tracket Cloud provides analysis tools to help you interpret and make decisions based on your recorded data.

Full Operation Manual (pdf)

Golden Set warrants, to the original purchaser, that the Golden Set Tracket SBS Meter purchased is free from defects in materials and/or workmanship for a period of twelve (12) months from the date of original purchase. This warranty does not apply to any damage or defect caused by negligence, abuse, misuse, unauthorized alteration, shipping, handling, or part wear and tear as a result of normal use.