kinsella
03-01-2004, 08:19 PM
To demo the Tour 95 (“T95”), I strung it with Bow 16L mains and Gosen 16 Crosses at 60#. From the TW review, I decided to skip the off-the-shelf weight and bring the racquet up to the 12 oz. class. I weighted it to match my ROKs – 7.5 oz split between 3 and 9 and 6g on the handle, close to the butt. Total wt 344g, 7 pts HL, after the lead and an H2Overgrip and a string dampener (Sampras "O"). After one trial set up this way, I split the head weight between 2/10 and 4/8. This produced a smoother, more predictable frame and cured my impression of too much flex in the upper hoop. Weighted either way, it was a seamless transition from my ROKs as far as weight and balance were concerned.
The T95 reminded me very much of a PS 6.0 (95) with more flex and less charm. I was told my groundies had more zip, but what stood out to me were stiffer volleys that applied pressure just from their pace. Serving was OK, but I thought I would see more spin on kick serves.
Compared to any other PS (except the ZONE and ROK), it played significantly more flexible. It had plenty of power, similar to the PS 6.0(95) or HPS6, but not as much as the HPS 6.1. I never got to the point, it seemed to have comparable control. The Zone’s flex is more whippy than the T95. The ROK measures out to be more flexible, but it felt stiffer than the T95. Compared to the ROK, the T95 had more power, a little more spin potential, less control and no magic. As with most racquets with this much flex, the head torques noticeably, but not as much with the perimeter weighting.
I compared it to a Dunlop 300G and felt that Dunlop had a much better frame in a similar weight and head size. The Dunlop’s string bed was more consistent, allowing for better control after a brief adjustment to the frame. Compared to the T95, the Dunlop’s head felt smaller, even though it is a little bigger (98).
The T95 never clicked for me – it was an effort to customize it into something I would be really interested in. It played much larger than a 95 head to me and I did not care for that. The sweet spot had surprising power when absolutely bulls-eyed. This made it a little hard to predict the depth of shots, because outside of dead center, there was sharp drop, then power falls off smoothly. That first step, however, is a doozy, giving me an impression the stick was quirky.
No doubt there are players who will find charm in the aspects that were irritating to me. The pop on groundies and volleys made me re-evaluate the MP-1 90 in my closet. The Diablo mid is next, along with the butt-ugly, but lovable Estusa PBB.
The T95 reminded me very much of a PS 6.0 (95) with more flex and less charm. I was told my groundies had more zip, but what stood out to me were stiffer volleys that applied pressure just from their pace. Serving was OK, but I thought I would see more spin on kick serves.
Compared to any other PS (except the ZONE and ROK), it played significantly more flexible. It had plenty of power, similar to the PS 6.0(95) or HPS6, but not as much as the HPS 6.1. I never got to the point, it seemed to have comparable control. The Zone’s flex is more whippy than the T95. The ROK measures out to be more flexible, but it felt stiffer than the T95. Compared to the ROK, the T95 had more power, a little more spin potential, less control and no magic. As with most racquets with this much flex, the head torques noticeably, but not as much with the perimeter weighting.
I compared it to a Dunlop 300G and felt that Dunlop had a much better frame in a similar weight and head size. The Dunlop’s string bed was more consistent, allowing for better control after a brief adjustment to the frame. Compared to the T95, the Dunlop’s head felt smaller, even though it is a little bigger (98).
The T95 never clicked for me – it was an effort to customize it into something I would be really interested in. It played much larger than a 95 head to me and I did not care for that. The sweet spot had surprising power when absolutely bulls-eyed. This made it a little hard to predict the depth of shots, because outside of dead center, there was sharp drop, then power falls off smoothly. That first step, however, is a doozy, giving me an impression the stick was quirky.
No doubt there are players who will find charm in the aspects that were irritating to me. The pop on groundies and volleys made me re-evaluate the MP-1 90 in my closet. The Diablo mid is next, along with the butt-ugly, but lovable Estusa PBB.