thejuice
09-15-2006, 09:59 AM
Hello fellow TWers, I have been courting with the idea of getting an O3 Hybrid Tour or DNX 9 to see how they stack up to my beloved Redondo. Since the O3 HT isn't out yet, I decided to demo (about a 30 minute session per racquet with a 4.5 level player) the DNX 9, DNX 10 Mid, and the O3 Mid. All I was able to do was hit groudstrokes and volleys so I can't compare these racquets to the Redondo when it comes to serves.
DNX 9:
Because of the buzz on this board I couldn't wait to try this one so I decided to hit with it first. I can say that there wasn't much I liked about it. Maybe it's just me but this frame was hard to like on groundstrokes. I hit some really nice 1HBH but they were mixed in with some strokes that would fall in the service box. It felt way too underpowered to be a lighter stick. Some lead would be great with this stick. It was a really good stick on volleys but nothing that made me say WOW. Overall it was okay but nothing I see myself buying.
DNX 9 vs. Redondo MP = Redondo easily takes this one.
DNX 10 Mid:
I had previously hit with the Midplus and, like the DNX 9, thought that it was okay but there wasn't anything that made me say wow. The Mid is a totally different animal. I really like the Mid on groundies as well as volleys. You can immediately feel its static weight when you first pick it up but it swings much lighter and really hits heavy balls without much effort. Everything was deep in the court (and very much so in play). Topspin was easy for me to generate even though it has an 18x20 pattern. I even thought it was really nice on volleys as well. It isn't as maneuverable as the Redondo but it wasn't hard to work with it either. All around great stick.
DNX 10 Mid vs. RedondoMP = Redondo, but by a small margin
O3 Tour Mid:
I actually used to own a couple of O3 Tour MPs and was expecting to get a similar feel out of the Mid. Again, like the DNX 10, I was wrong. Prince went back and made a much better frame with the O3 Mid. It hit deep balls like the DNX 10 Mid (not quite as heavy though) and also has a great swingweight. I thought the feel was the best of the three I demoed as I knew exactly what the ball was going to do. Mishits still went in the right direction of the intended shot and with some pace. It was definitely not as powerful as the Midplus, which is a great thing. It didn't volley as well as the Volkls but it wasn't a slouch by any means. I think this stick was made for baseliners that come to the net every once in a while.
O3 Tour Mid vs. Redondo MP = Redondo
So, what I came up in my hour and a half of hitting was that I think I have one of the best frames available today. I don't regret owning three Redondos and I think I may even try a couple of Redondo Mids. I think that would be the only frame that would compete with the Mid+.
DNX 9:
Because of the buzz on this board I couldn't wait to try this one so I decided to hit with it first. I can say that there wasn't much I liked about it. Maybe it's just me but this frame was hard to like on groundstrokes. I hit some really nice 1HBH but they were mixed in with some strokes that would fall in the service box. It felt way too underpowered to be a lighter stick. Some lead would be great with this stick. It was a really good stick on volleys but nothing that made me say WOW. Overall it was okay but nothing I see myself buying.
DNX 9 vs. Redondo MP = Redondo easily takes this one.
DNX 10 Mid:
I had previously hit with the Midplus and, like the DNX 9, thought that it was okay but there wasn't anything that made me say wow. The Mid is a totally different animal. I really like the Mid on groundies as well as volleys. You can immediately feel its static weight when you first pick it up but it swings much lighter and really hits heavy balls without much effort. Everything was deep in the court (and very much so in play). Topspin was easy for me to generate even though it has an 18x20 pattern. I even thought it was really nice on volleys as well. It isn't as maneuverable as the Redondo but it wasn't hard to work with it either. All around great stick.
DNX 10 Mid vs. RedondoMP = Redondo, but by a small margin
O3 Tour Mid:
I actually used to own a couple of O3 Tour MPs and was expecting to get a similar feel out of the Mid. Again, like the DNX 10, I was wrong. Prince went back and made a much better frame with the O3 Mid. It hit deep balls like the DNX 10 Mid (not quite as heavy though) and also has a great swingweight. I thought the feel was the best of the three I demoed as I knew exactly what the ball was going to do. Mishits still went in the right direction of the intended shot and with some pace. It was definitely not as powerful as the Midplus, which is a great thing. It didn't volley as well as the Volkls but it wasn't a slouch by any means. I think this stick was made for baseliners that come to the net every once in a while.
O3 Tour Mid vs. Redondo MP = Redondo
So, what I came up in my hour and a half of hitting was that I think I have one of the best frames available today. I don't regret owning three Redondos and I think I may even try a couple of Redondo Mids. I think that would be the only frame that would compete with the Mid+.