A brief playtesting review thread

[Doubles]

Hey y'all, I just got a few demo racquets to try, as I might be switching sticks soon. None of these sticks are exactly brand new, in fact, most have been review extensively, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to give my input as well.

In addition to hitting with my IG Prestige Pro, I'll be reviewing the Yonex Tour 97 330, the Tour G 330, and the Tecnifibre 315 ltd. 16 mains. First review should be up later today after I hit.

 

[Doubles]

Hey y'all. I'm terrible with time management, hence why it's taken me an extra day to write this, but anyway, I've gotten a chance to have two solid hitting sessions with each of these racquets, and while I'm still going to give them more time before I necessarily decide to make a switch, right now it's looking as though nothing can compare to my Prestige Pro.

This probably isn't a fair assessment, given that I've been using my Prestige's for two and a half years, and I've given these other three racquets less than four hours of court time total, but, there are times when you just know without a doubt that a racquet isn't for you.

For a brief background on me:
I'm somewhere between a 4.0 and 4.5. Depending on the matchup, I can straight set a computer rated 4.5, or I can get my *** handed to me. Against 4.0 players I normally win. But, if I'm not playing my best, or if they're playing exceptionally well, I can't say they wouldn't beat me.

I'm 21, reasonably fit from working out and running. I'm 5'11" 170 lbs. I hit a semi-western forehand, and a one handed, flat backhand, though I often slice as well. I'm incredibly comfortable at the net, and for a long time, volleys were my favorite shot to hit. My strength is in my serve. Though I can bomb it (relative to amateur tennis standards) my preferred method of serving is implementing heavy spin to give my opponent trouble on returns.

Now onto the initial review:

Yonex Tour 97 330: I wanted to like this frame, and when I hit the ball perfectly, I did. However, this stick is a behemoth, and even my weighty Prestige Pro feels light in comparison. As a result, volleys felt awesome, as did groundstrokes...though they were inconsistent. Furthermore, serving felt off. I simply haven't been able to adjust to the extra mass, and I can't put as much spin on my serves. Part of that could be from the dead Poly Tour Pro strings in the racquet.

Yonex Tour G 330: Like the Tour 97, this thing is just too club-like. When everything was timed up, I could obliterate the ball, but that wasn't often, as I struggled to adjust to the weight. Furthermore, the power level of this racquet was seemingly through the roof. I don't know if that has to do with the dead strings (once again, Poly Tour Pro) but more than anything it's the Indian, not the arrow, and I'm just not capable of handling this stick.

Tecnifibre T-Fight 315 ltd. 16: I've hit with this racquet the least so there isn't much I can say so far. It feels similar to my Prestige Pro though, which is nice in some ways, but at the same time, there isn't much of a reason for me to switch to a racquet that feels the same as mine already do, when I could just buy more Prestige Pro's for cheaper.

These reviews are probably lacking, but there will be more to come for at least the Tecnifibre within the next week for those of you that are interested.

 

[smirker]

Good reviews Doubles. Do you use your PP's for er... Doubles? Looks like a decent stick for an all court game. Play a lot of doubles so need a decent volley frame.

 

[Soul_Evisceration]

Very good reviews.

I'm intrigued about your review for the VCore Tour G 330 and Tecnifibre Ltd 16 since I will demo those racquets + RF97 next weekend.

I like hefty frames myself.

So the Vcore Tour G 330 felt too hefty? Did you try to put a thinner leather grip and see the changes?

For the Tecnfibre Ltd 16, did you lead up to your IG Prestige Pro specs?

Was the feel more or less the same thing?

 

[EasternRocks]

No interest in the 310 versions of both 97's?

 

[Doubles]

No interest in the 310 versions of both 97's?

Some, but honestly I like heavier frames. Just not the 330's lol. This experience has been interesting for sure, I normally don't demo too many racquets. Sure, I like to hit with my friends sticks once in a while, but I've not spent too much time hitting with racquets with the intent of actually switching sticks. What I've noticed here is that with my ups and downs, I love my Prestige's. They're such fantastic sticks that just have a feel that works for me.

 

[SpinToWin]

Some, but honestly I like heavier frames. Just not the 330's lol. This experience has been interesting for sure, I normally don't demo too many racquets. Sure, I like to hit with my friends sticks once in a while, but I've not spent too much time hitting with racquets with the intent of actually switching sticks. What I've noticed here is that with my ups and downs, I love my Prestige's. They're such fantastic sticks that just have a feel that works for me.

I recommend trying a modded up Pro Staff 95, it's a blast!

 

[Doubles]

Good reviews Doubles. Do you use your PP's for er... Doubles? Looks like a decent stick for an all court game. Play a lot of doubles so need a decent volley frame.

I play a mix of both. But, for my college's club team I'm one of the "starting" doubles players, if you want to call it that. The Prestige Pro is a hefty stick that can be unforgiving at times, but you can really put some hurting on the ball if you're all timed up. The racquet has enough mass to stick volleys, but you need to do the work, the Prestige won't help you much. That's part of why I love it so much.

 

[Doubles]

I recommend trying a modded up Pro Staff 95, it's a blast!

I've thought about it, but Wilson racquets are so stiff in my experience. I don't think my arm could handle that. Furthermore, their quality control leaves something to be desired...

 

[SpinToWin]

I've thought about it, but Wilson racquets are so stiff in my experience. I don't think my arm could handle that. Furthermore, their quality control leaves something to be desired...

The Pro Staff 95 is a thin beamed flexy dream mate! It's more comfortable than the Prestige Pro and I used both for a while.

 

[Doubles]

The Pro Staff 95 is a thin beamed flexy dream mate! It's more comfortable than the Prestige Pro and I used both for a while.

Interesting. How is the quality control? Standard for most Wilson racquets?

 

[SpinToWin]

Interesting. How is the quality control? Standard for most Wilson racquets?

Quality control is not great just like with any modern racquet. However, it's not as bad as people make it out to be, especially if you order from TW and use their matching service (highly recommended).

You can check out my customization thread to see how I made it work out for me. In that form it offered more forgiveness and spin than the Prestige Pro, but with a similar power level and level of control. The added spin however made it easier to use.

 

[smirker]

I play a mix of both. But, for my college's club team I'm one of the "starting" doubles players, if you want to call it that. The Prestige Pro is a hefty stick that can be unforgiving at times, but you can really put some hurting on the ball if you're all timed up. The racquet has enough mass to stick volleys, but you need to do the work, the Prestige won't help you much. That's part of why I love it so much.

Thanks. Think it might be a bit out of my comfort zone. Have been transitioning away from heavy players frames towards lighter, more modern sticks such as the Yonex 98d I am playing with currently. Just don't posses the athleticism and reaction time needed to get the feet and racket in place at the right time. Nearly double your age! A lighter more maneuverable stick suits my skill set better. I still play at a decent level but have to accept that at my age I won't get any better and heavy players sticks will hinder rather than help. Still have a Pro Six One BLX 90 in the bag for hitting with when the mood takes me.

 

[Doubles]

For those still interested, I'll be hitting with the Tec later tonight. I can't guarantee anything with the Yonex's as they simply aren't for me, but I figure that I'll give the 315 a chance during match play tonight and report on how it goes.

 

[Soul_Evisceration]

For those still interested, I'll be hitting with the Tec later tonight. I can't guarantee anything with the Yonex's as they simply aren't for me, but I figure that I'll give the 315 a chance during match play tonight and report on how it goes.

There's something about Yonex racquets that just turns me off.

#1 Paint chips easily off the frames after a few shanks.
#2 Only with Yonex frames I've managed to break strings and destroyed a racquet that got bent in half after hitting a powerful shot (RDIS 100MP was bent in a 45 degree angle after a hard forehand being struck).

It just comes off as a cheap racquet IMO. However I'm still interested in the Yonex VCore Tour G 330.

Some people says it's even more sluggish than the RF97 which is a big surprise considering the RF97 is 15 grams heavier.

So are you sticking with the IG Prestige Pro in the end or thinking of switching to a different frame?

 

[Doubles]

There's something about Yonex racquets that just turns me off.

#1 Paint chips easily off the frames after a few shanks.
#2 Only with Yonex frames I've managed to break strings and destroyed a racquet that got bent in half after hitting a powerful shot (RDIS 100MP was bent in a 45 degree angle after a hard forehand being struck).

It just comes off as a cheap racquet IMO. However I'm still interested in the Yonex VCore Tour G 330.

Some people says it's even more sluggish than the RF97 which is a big surprise considering the RF97 is 15 grams heavier.

So are you sticking with the IG Prestige Pro in the end or thinking of switching to a different frame?

Sticking with the Prestige Pro. Nothing else feels good to me.

 

[Doubles]

Very interesting experience with the Tec last night. I'll post a review when I have more time.

 

[smirker]

There's something about Yonex racquets that just turns me off.

#1 Paint chips easily off the frames after a few shanks.
#2 Only with Yonex frames I've managed to break strings and destroyed a racquet that got bent in half after hitting a powerful shot (RDIS 100MP was bent in a 45 degree angle after a hard forehand being struck).

It just comes off as a cheap racquet IMO. However I'm still interested in the Yonex VCore Tour G 330.

Some people says it's even more sluggish than the RF97 which is a big surprise considering the RF97 is 15 grams heavier.

So are you sticking with the IG Prestige Pro in the end or thinking of switching to a different frame?

Sorry, calling bs on point 2. How does a racquet fold on a forehand? Just not going to happen. Plenty of pros play Yonex and you dont see their racquets imploding on impact! I would wager that they hit harder than you.The frame must have been cracked badly before you hit the shot which means you damaged it in some way. User error, not the racquet. Yonex are famed for their quality. Perhaps you got a fake?

 

[Doubles]

So last night I hit with the Tec 315 ltd. 16 mains for a solid two set match. I lost, and that was by no means the fault of the racquet. When I was on, it felt solid, produced a heavy ball, and had a feel quite similar to my Prestige, with just a tad more flex to it. The downside, is that the sweetspot is minuscule to say the least. If I was off by even a fraction of a second on my swing, the stringbed produced an unforgiving feel, and I didn't have much confidence in terms of the strength of my shot in this regard.

Furthermore, the lack of mass at the top of the frame made volleys feel uncomfortable in comparison to my Prestige. If I added a bit of weight, maybe 2-4 grams at 12 o'clock, it would help I'm sure.

Serving was fine with this stick, once I adjust to the weight I can serve well with just about anything, honestly. This felt like a solid serving frame.

The tl;dr of this, is that Tec made as sweet frame here. Feels incredibly similar to my Prestige, which is awesome, it just has a bit more flexible feel, and a slight lack of mass in comparison. As a result, the power level is much lower. With that said, lead can definitely make up for this.

I won't be switching to this frame, at least not right now, because it's almost an exact copy of what I have, it's just that the tiny differences within them make me feel uncomfortable when it comes to serious play.

I can play with almost any stick, without problems really, but I'm trying to elevate my game more and more every time I play (I want to be a legitimate, open level player capable of winning rounds consistently in tournaments) and part of that requires me to stick with one racquet to eliminate all variables.