Funtec
The absolute best beach line system on the market and the standard used at most international events around the world. The key to the Funtec line system is the unique corner piece which allows for each line to be easily adjusted in length while keeping the overlapping layers of webbing as flat as possible. The original plastic corner pieces can break over time so it is worth keeping spares on hand. However the new stainless steel corner pieces don’t break and also have a different way to thread the webbing making them even flatter than before. Funtec lines also come with bungee cord attached to the strong wooden anchor plates for each corner allowing the lines to be pulled tight for a perfect court. (correct measuring and installation required of course!). The only negative is that cloth tape is needed to keep the ends of the webbing in place and this tape needs to be replaced from time to time as it wears, especially with rakes scraping over them during matches with court rakers.
Homemade Funtec style. Shipping Funtec lines from Germany to other parts of the world outside Europe can be expensive so an alternative option can be to source the webbing locally (50m roll perfect for 1 court). Buy the 4 corner pieces from Funtec, buy 8mm bungee cord from a local hardware store or rope shop and cut your own anchor plates from treated 18mm plywood. When cutting the webbing and bungee always seal the end with a lighter or cut with a hot knife.
Senoh
Senoh beach lines are not up to competition standards and should not be used as such. The main reason being that the anchor plates are connected with rope not bungee meaning it's impossible to keep the lines fully taut over the course of a single game, let alone a full tournament. Every time the line is pulled or moved by players, line judges, court rakers etc. the rope will loosen slightly and will then stay loose rather than stretching and compresses again like with the bungee. A loose line does not then stay in position to mark the court correctly. A 2nd flaw is the thickness of the webbing in the overlaps on the corners where they attach velcro to connect the extra length to the top layer. This creates an uneven surface which can make a difference to the ball touching the line or not. A less significant issue but still an issue are the anchor plates of which there are 2 per corner and they are rubber discs which don’t hold as well as a wooden plate. One could replace the anchors and rope with bungee and wood which would significantly improve the Senoh lines leaving the line thickness with the velcro as the only issue. The only positive with these Senoh lines is that the velcro system is quicker to adjust and cloth tape isn't needed to keep the ends of the webbing in place.
