rayallen333
06-01-2008, 06:04 PM
Hi, I am 17, a varsity 1st doubles player (about high 3.5?). I just demoed the APDC, strung with unknown yellow poly at unknown tension. Normally play with LM Radical OS or 03 tour MP. I played with my friend, who is about 4.0, #3 in his hs (1800 people) and plays USTA. This is my take (using jdeloach's style) and comparisons for help:
Design:
Personally the 03 tour mid/mid+ has the sweetest paint job and feels the greatest. Thin beam, glossy paint, very metallic construction -> love it. APDC...ehhh, feels plasticy, paint job too busy, very average.
4/10
Comfort:
Poly strings, quite stiff frame, not the greatest comfort racquet in the world. On the other hand, I lifted and played 2 hrs of tennis and as of right now my elbow feels fine. Racquet plays with decent stability, better than the 03 mid+ (very unstable for me) but worse than the LM Radical OS (quite stable for its weight). Definitely playable for the majority of players.
7/10
Groundstrokes:
This is where the racquet shines. Spin is absolutely amazing, giving me the best lobs ever. My friend comes up to net and I just throw the ball up there and force him to run back. At sub 5.0 tennis, moonballing with this racquet is just unfair. The racquet had much better depth and directional control than either my O3 tour or my LM radical. On the other hand, if I hit the ball early (quite low swingweight) or too late, I sprayed the ball. Aggressive cuts are promptly rewarded with heavy top spin. The racquet is MUCH more powerful than either the 03 tour or the LM radical, but the power is quite controllable. I never managed to hit flat with this racquet, but that may change as I play with it more. Overall, this was the most fun I've ever had playing tennis. I never hit that many winners and I had very few balls go into the net (Most errors went into the doubles alley or about 3 inches out). I hit a few great slices but missed quite a lot of drop shots. Feel wasn't too great.
Pros: Amazing spin, great control for tweener, great angles.
Cons: I can't flatten shots, shots seem not very heavy/powerful for my hitting partner, no feel
9.5/10
Volley:
Waaayyy too powerful. Sprayed mannnyy volleys. I thought the o3 sucked at volleys, but at least the ball stayed in. With this racquet, everything went too far, too high. Definitely not a doubles racquet. Whereas the LM radical was quite amazing at net with power, control, and muted thud feel, the ball seemed to go wherever it wanted to go and I could never feel where the ball was going. It might be just because I havn't gotten used to it, but I don't think I will ever be very comfortable volleying.
6/10
Serves:
Simply hit or miss. I loved the 03 tour for serving, the LM Radical was okay, this one was a notch below the LM Radical. I can hit my 2nd kick serve with confidence, but when I go for it, I tended to spray balls. Maybe another cession would help but so far no luck. I can hit with a lot of spin or a nice flat shot, but neither landed in consistently. I do believe a few more hours will solve the problem, but I doubt I'll get the same results as my 03 tour.
7/10
Returns:
Can block or take big cuts. Decent stability, good depth, overall not bad. When I mess up and hit too early or late, I sprayed a few, but that is entirely my fault.
8.5/10
Final Thoughts:
I had a blast playing with this racquet and generally got great results. I lost 7-6 to my partner who can normally beat me 6-2ish. I was much more consistent and hit a better winner/error ratio. 2 double faults in the set but only 1 ace. If someone can find a racquet with the same addictive spin/power but with better feel, comfort, or volleys, I will be set for life.
By the way, I normally hate poly but I may have just seen the light because of this racquet.
Design:
Personally the 03 tour mid/mid+ has the sweetest paint job and feels the greatest. Thin beam, glossy paint, very metallic construction -> love it. APDC...ehhh, feels plasticy, paint job too busy, very average.
4/10
Comfort:
Poly strings, quite stiff frame, not the greatest comfort racquet in the world. On the other hand, I lifted and played 2 hrs of tennis and as of right now my elbow feels fine. Racquet plays with decent stability, better than the 03 mid+ (very unstable for me) but worse than the LM Radical OS (quite stable for its weight). Definitely playable for the majority of players.
7/10
Groundstrokes:
This is where the racquet shines. Spin is absolutely amazing, giving me the best lobs ever. My friend comes up to net and I just throw the ball up there and force him to run back. At sub 5.0 tennis, moonballing with this racquet is just unfair. The racquet had much better depth and directional control than either my O3 tour or my LM radical. On the other hand, if I hit the ball early (quite low swingweight) or too late, I sprayed the ball. Aggressive cuts are promptly rewarded with heavy top spin. The racquet is MUCH more powerful than either the 03 tour or the LM radical, but the power is quite controllable. I never managed to hit flat with this racquet, but that may change as I play with it more. Overall, this was the most fun I've ever had playing tennis. I never hit that many winners and I had very few balls go into the net (Most errors went into the doubles alley or about 3 inches out). I hit a few great slices but missed quite a lot of drop shots. Feel wasn't too great.
Pros: Amazing spin, great control for tweener, great angles.
Cons: I can't flatten shots, shots seem not very heavy/powerful for my hitting partner, no feel
9.5/10
Volley:
Waaayyy too powerful. Sprayed mannnyy volleys. I thought the o3 sucked at volleys, but at least the ball stayed in. With this racquet, everything went too far, too high. Definitely not a doubles racquet. Whereas the LM radical was quite amazing at net with power, control, and muted thud feel, the ball seemed to go wherever it wanted to go and I could never feel where the ball was going. It might be just because I havn't gotten used to it, but I don't think I will ever be very comfortable volleying.
6/10
Serves:
Simply hit or miss. I loved the 03 tour for serving, the LM Radical was okay, this one was a notch below the LM Radical. I can hit my 2nd kick serve with confidence, but when I go for it, I tended to spray balls. Maybe another cession would help but so far no luck. I can hit with a lot of spin or a nice flat shot, but neither landed in consistently. I do believe a few more hours will solve the problem, but I doubt I'll get the same results as my 03 tour.
7/10
Returns:
Can block or take big cuts. Decent stability, good depth, overall not bad. When I mess up and hit too early or late, I sprayed a few, but that is entirely my fault.
8.5/10
Final Thoughts:
I had a blast playing with this racquet and generally got great results. I lost 7-6 to my partner who can normally beat me 6-2ish. I was much more consistent and hit a better winner/error ratio. 2 double faults in the set but only 1 ace. If someone can find a racquet with the same addictive spin/power but with better feel, comfort, or volleys, I will be set for life.
By the way, I normally hate poly but I may have just seen the light because of this racquet.