Awl usage for shared holes

My thoughts are as follows:

I have always used a string hook right from the start. What I like about the hook is that if you use it properly there is no way that you damage the string. Strings are fibres and fibres should always be loaded in tensile direction which is what happens when you use the hook. If you are careful then you should not be scratching the racket frame. I also never felt that I am distorting the frame (I measured) and I have after 500+ racket jobs never had a broken frame.

Even though I have never used an awl to conquer shared holes my worry would be that even with a very blunt awl I might poke the string and thereby weaken it. Since I would be poking the string (fibre) perpendicular to its strong direction (so its weakest direction) this is something I would not be willing to risk.

So long as I don’t get complaints that can be traced back to the hook I don’t see any reason to change to something else. On a side note I don’t think you are saving time by poking instead of using the hook.

As to stripping the string: I just angle to about 45°. Going for anything thinner is time consuming and not consistent enough for my liking. What I have also observed is that for some strings (aerobite/aerosonic) you can get a lot of string twisting if you don’t move the string a bit when pulling through a shared grommet (another reason for the hook).