Ramon
02-11-2012, 10:18 AM
I recently had the opportunity to demo 5 racquets to replace my Babolat APDGT. I loved my APDGT but it was too harsh on my arm. It has been suggested that if I hit the sweetspot every time, it wouldn't be a problem (great advice, right?!).
Here are the racquets I tried. All of them were strung with full synthetic gut.
Pro Kennex Ki 5 PSE - Definitely not for the meek. The specs say 12.9 oz strung, but when I put it on the scale it was closer to 13.1 oz. The Ki 5 was about 11.8 oz on the same scale (true to specs). The PSE is about 0.6 oz heavier than my old PS 6.1 classic. If that's not bad enough, I didn't like the hard leather grip, so I added an overgrip that increased the weight to 13.5 oz. Not surprisingly, the PSE is extremely stable with excellent plow. The power level is similar to my APDGT and returns are even more solid. I like the feel, and it's very comfortable. The problem is the heft makes it hard to maneuver. I played 2 long, competitive sets with it to see if I could get used to it. I never did get to where I could generate the kind of racquet head speed I get with my APDGT. I thought I was pretty strong, but this is really more of a stick for Hulk Hogan than for me.
Pro Kennex Ki 5 - Very easy transition from my APDGT. Not as stable as the PSE version but much easier to maneuver. The power level is in between the APDGT and PS. Some of my reflex shots were landing short because of the lower power, but I know I can adjust to it. Volleys are good too. It's not quite as solid as the APDGT but comes close. I especially liked both the PK models on serve. The comfort makes it so I can put more into my serves than before. This was a very welcome surprise. Overall, this was my favorite demo but I still wanted a little more stability. Maybe lead tape will help.
Prince EXO3 Tour 100 16x18 - This was the most comfortable racquet of the bunch. I really wanted to like it because of the comfort, but in the end, I concluded it would be too much of an adjustment for me. The power curve is very different from my APDGT. At net it is underpowered, but when I take a full swing from the baseline I sometimes see balls launching and I have to hit with excess topspin to keep it in. This racquet is a spin monster. My topspin serves tended to curve into the net because of the excess spin. When I made adjustments to it, I liked the extra kick. My friend's 18x20 version with full poly was an easier adjustment for me. These racquets have a muted feel, so feedback is minimal.
Pacific X Force Pro 16x20 - This racquet had the best feel out of all of them. Groundstokes were accurate and volleys were solid. It is a forgiving control-oriented racquet with enough liveliness that it doesn't feel dead. Like the Ki 5, I think it can appeal to a lot of players. Compared to the Ki 5, the X Force Pro had better control and feel, but the Ki 5 had more spin and a little more power. I would give a slight edge to the X Force Pro on off-center hits. For me the tiebreaker was the serve. I can serve harder with the Ki 5, and I'd like the serve to be a bigger part of my game like it was when I was younger.
Volkyl Organix 10 325g - This was the most control-oriented racquet of the bunch. I would also place it 2nd in comfort to the EXO3 Tour 100. It was quite forgiving for being a player's stick. My only problem with it was the power level was too low for my liking. All shots including groundstrokes, volleys, and serves were either landing short or required additional effort on my part. Still, I think this would be a great racquet for someone who wants to supply his own power and spin.
There you have it. The winner? None of them! I'm ordering the Pro Kennex Ki 5X. The swingweight will fall in between the Ki 5 and Ki 5 PSE, and I think the extra length will help my serve even more. Lead tape might also help to add stability. It's not the first time I bought I racquet that I didn't demo. I liked the feel of the Aero Storm and the power of the Pure Drive, but I couldn't demo the APDGT, so I bought it anyway and got what I wanted (except for the harshness on the arm).
BTW, if you never demoed a racquet from TW before but can't find everything you like in your area, give TW a try. It's quick, convenient, and very reasonable.
Here are the racquets I tried. All of them were strung with full synthetic gut.
Pro Kennex Ki 5 PSE - Definitely not for the meek. The specs say 12.9 oz strung, but when I put it on the scale it was closer to 13.1 oz. The Ki 5 was about 11.8 oz on the same scale (true to specs). The PSE is about 0.6 oz heavier than my old PS 6.1 classic. If that's not bad enough, I didn't like the hard leather grip, so I added an overgrip that increased the weight to 13.5 oz. Not surprisingly, the PSE is extremely stable with excellent plow. The power level is similar to my APDGT and returns are even more solid. I like the feel, and it's very comfortable. The problem is the heft makes it hard to maneuver. I played 2 long, competitive sets with it to see if I could get used to it. I never did get to where I could generate the kind of racquet head speed I get with my APDGT. I thought I was pretty strong, but this is really more of a stick for Hulk Hogan than for me.
Pro Kennex Ki 5 - Very easy transition from my APDGT. Not as stable as the PSE version but much easier to maneuver. The power level is in between the APDGT and PS. Some of my reflex shots were landing short because of the lower power, but I know I can adjust to it. Volleys are good too. It's not quite as solid as the APDGT but comes close. I especially liked both the PK models on serve. The comfort makes it so I can put more into my serves than before. This was a very welcome surprise. Overall, this was my favorite demo but I still wanted a little more stability. Maybe lead tape will help.
Prince EXO3 Tour 100 16x18 - This was the most comfortable racquet of the bunch. I really wanted to like it because of the comfort, but in the end, I concluded it would be too much of an adjustment for me. The power curve is very different from my APDGT. At net it is underpowered, but when I take a full swing from the baseline I sometimes see balls launching and I have to hit with excess topspin to keep it in. This racquet is a spin monster. My topspin serves tended to curve into the net because of the excess spin. When I made adjustments to it, I liked the extra kick. My friend's 18x20 version with full poly was an easier adjustment for me. These racquets have a muted feel, so feedback is minimal.
Pacific X Force Pro 16x20 - This racquet had the best feel out of all of them. Groundstokes were accurate and volleys were solid. It is a forgiving control-oriented racquet with enough liveliness that it doesn't feel dead. Like the Ki 5, I think it can appeal to a lot of players. Compared to the Ki 5, the X Force Pro had better control and feel, but the Ki 5 had more spin and a little more power. I would give a slight edge to the X Force Pro on off-center hits. For me the tiebreaker was the serve. I can serve harder with the Ki 5, and I'd like the serve to be a bigger part of my game like it was when I was younger.
Volkyl Organix 10 325g - This was the most control-oriented racquet of the bunch. I would also place it 2nd in comfort to the EXO3 Tour 100. It was quite forgiving for being a player's stick. My only problem with it was the power level was too low for my liking. All shots including groundstrokes, volleys, and serves were either landing short or required additional effort on my part. Still, I think this would be a great racquet for someone who wants to supply his own power and spin.
There you have it. The winner? None of them! I'm ordering the Pro Kennex Ki 5X. The swingweight will fall in between the Ki 5 and Ki 5 PSE, and I think the extra length will help my serve even more. Lead tape might also help to add stability. It's not the first time I bought I racquet that I didn't demo. I liked the feel of the Aero Storm and the power of the Pure Drive, but I couldn't demo the APDGT, so I bought it anyway and got what I wanted (except for the harshness on the arm).
BTW, if you never demoed a racquet from TW before but can't find everything you like in your area, give TW a try. It's quick, convenient, and very reasonable.