If you have come across Eagnas stringing machines, you may have been bewildered by the number of models and the claims made about them. Eagnas machines are made in Taiwan by Lily Lee and are sold in the USA by Maxline. The owners of these two companies are brothers. Before deciding on the purchase of a stringing machine, consider the following:

1. Cheap knock offs.

Most Eagnas machines are low quality knock offs of other brands. Every respected brand of stringing machine has a distinctive look and color scheme. You should not assume that Eagnas machines are the same as the more expensive originals they copy. Eagnas copies the look of reputable machines without bothering to copy their quality.

2. Copying what they criticize!

Maxline is obsessed with criticizing the Silent Partner e.Stringer. According to Maxline, everything about the e.Stringer tensioner is terrible. But if Maxline really believes this, why did Eagnas develop a copy of the e.Stringer (see picture below)? This copy cannot be sold in the USA because the e.Stringer is patented. Is Maxline's criticism credible? You be the judge!

3. De-listed by the USRSA.

The United States Racquet Stringers Association (USRSA) is an organization dedicated to supporting professional and private racquet stringers with educational and resource materials that include a monthly magazine (RacquetTech). Every year, the USRSA publishes a machine selection guide that covers all stringing machines sold in the USA. The behavior of Maxline has been so unprofessional and objectionable that in 2003 the USRSA stopped listing Eagnas machines (see picture below).

Note: RacquetTech merged with another publication in 2004 and is now called Racquet Sports Industry. Eagnas is not listed there either!

4. Claims that cannot be trusted.

The claims made about Eagnas machines cannot be trusted. For a clear illustration of an incorrect claim made about an electronic machine manufacturer by Lily Lee, watch this video. Maxline claims that the white machine shown in the video provides constant pull!

5. Bad reputation for quality and service.

The Internet has been filled with negative posts about Maxline and about Eagnas. In one case a customer wrote: "Do yourself a favor; don't buy Eagnas." This customer goes on to say that the machine "pulled random numbers anywhere from –10lbs to +6lbs from the reference tension." Maxline would not respect the warranty even though the machine had been purchased only a month earlier. The customer had to dispute the charge with his credit card company to get his money back.

Here is another example from a Maxline customer who wrote Silent Partner for help: "I bought a Flex 740 stringing machine from Eagnas a year ago. It was, in retrospect, a big mistake! Approximately four months ago my stringing machine broke down, I send an Email to Maxline with the graphic description of the broken parts. The representative asked me to send him the broken part, which I did. I called him to make sure he got the broken parts and he confirmed receiving them. Since then I am still waiting for the fixed part. The answers I get are:

• Don’t pressure us!

• Wait awhile!

• We are looking into it!

• We sent you the fixed parts!

• The problem is in the Post office!

• Send me again the description of the broken parts!

• Give me time!

I don’t know what to do. I don’t have money for a legal demand! Plus they hold the broken parts! But I do have all the correspondence! Can I buy the parts from you? Please advise. I am stuck with a bad stringing machine!"

6. Garbage in, Garbage Out.

A Maxline customer posted the following on the Internet on January 8, 2007. Upon calling Maxline about a problem with his Flex 865S, he was told "...you want garbage, we give you garbage... garbage in, garbage out... Happy New Year" Click.

7. Conclusion.

Instead of focusing on selling quality stringing machines and providing good customer service, Maxline focuses on saying bad things about the companies that do. Silent Partner has a very different approach to doing business. Our stringing machines are well built and offer excellent value. We offer a 30-day satisfaction warranty with no questions asked and quick refund if a customer decides to return a machine. We also honour our long-term warranty and have acquired an oustanding reputation for our products and customer service.

If you are in the market for a stringing machine, here is our advice: Do yourself a favor and deal with reputable companies.