Best Control + Comfort Racquet

S

souledge

Semi-Pro
A brief history of my racquets:
Head LM Radical OS - Control Racquet
Head YT IG Extreme 2.0 Pro - Power + Spin
Wilson Steam 99S - Spin

I would consider the Radical a very control oriented racquet, whereas the other two are more power or spin racquets. I'm looking for advice as to what's currently out or released in the past that would satisfy the following order of preference:

1. Control
2. Comfort
3. Spin
4. Power

I'm looking for a racquet that places the ball where I want it and is mostly comfortable on the arm.

Any suggestions?
 
MikeHitsHard93

MikeHitsHard93

Hall of Fame
I haven't hit with mine yet, but the mg radical mp is said to have all of those traits in the order that you have them in. I'll probably be playing tomorrow night, so I'll let you know how they feel with a full bed of poly.
 
S

SandVolley

New User
This is very easy. Volkl power bridge 10. Only Dunlop 200 and yonex v tour 89 and prince eo3 come close. But the pb10 is the softest on the arm with a control that matches a stiff racket like the federer pro staff or the old pro staff 85. I'm speaking as someone that did weeks of research on this same subject.
 
S

Say Chi Sin Lo

G.O.A.T.
SandVolley said:
This is very easy. Volkl power bridge 10. Only Dunlop 200 and yonex v tour 89 and prince eo3 come close. But the pb10 is the softest on the arm with a control that matches a stiff racket like the federer pro staff or the old pro staff 85. I'm speaking as someone that did weeks of research on this same subject.
Click to expand...

Let's see some data then.
 
S

SandVolley

New User
Say Chi Sin Lo said:
Let's see some data then.
Click to expand...

Wilson BLX Pro Staff 90 is 12.6 oz, 65 stiffness, and 8 points headlight. Its pattern is 16X19. Its swing weight is 327.

Yonex v89 is 12.1 oz, 64 stiffness, 8 points headlight. Its pattern is 16X20. Its swing weight is 335.

Volkl PB 10 is 12.1 oz, 59 stiffness, TEN points headlight. Pattern is 16X19. Its swing weight is 320.

As you can see, the Volkl is the softest, the most head light, and the lightest swing weight.

Best of all the Volkl is 93 sq. in, compared to 89 and 90. I do understand that the Wilson and the Yonex "FEEL" bigger, but so does the Volkl. It feels like a 95.

Finally, you can also compare the ratings by the TW reviewers. The three rackets with the highest overall ratings by the TW hitters are the BLX 90, the Yonex v89, and the Volkl PB 10.

There really aren't any other rackets that enter this conversation. You could throw in the Dunlop 200 and the Prince Exo Tour. I don't include them in the conversation because the Dunlop is low on power and the Exo Tour has a dense string pattern, which is going to inhibit spin.

One caveat, however, for the original poster. He is coming from a Steam 99S. That means he likes spin. As such he may want to consider the Prince with the 14X18 string pattern.
 
tmc5005

tmc5005

Rookie
I would consider any of these racquets:

Babolat New Pure Storm-LTD GT (95)
DUNLOP Biomimetic Max 200G
Dunlop Biomimetic 200 (95)
HEAD-Youtek-IG-Prestige-MP
Prince EXO3 Rebel (95)
Prince EXO3 Tour (100) 16 x 18
Volkl Power Bridge-10 Mid
Volkl Organix 10 325G
Wilson Prostaff Six.One BLX
Yonex Vcore 95D
 
Last edited:
S&V Specialist

S&V Specialist

Rookie
The original ProKennex Copper Ace (not the second 90-ish head size version, but the 85-ish head size) fits your wants perfectly and is cheap.
 
Sander001

Sander001

Hall of Fame
BLX Tour 90 is pretty comfortable if you can handle some weight. It filters vibration very well. And it's extremely control orientated, good spin and it's got some surprising power on tap.
SJSA said:
sound like looking for organix 10 mid
Click to expand...
I know the quality control is all over the place with this one so maybe I got a bad example, but I'm not finding this racquet very comfortable at all.
 
S

souledge

Semi-Pro
SandVolley said:
Wilson BLX Pro Staff 90 is 12.6 oz, 65 stiffness, and 8 points headlight. Its pattern is 16X19. Its swing weight is 327.

Yonex v89 is 12.1 oz, 64 stiffness, 8 points headlight. Its pattern is 16X20. Its swing weight is 335.

Volkl PB 10 is 12.1 oz, 59 stiffness, TEN points headlight. Pattern is 16X19. Its swing weight is 320.

As you can see, the Volkl is the softest, the most head light, and the lightest swing weight.

Best of all the Volkl is 93 sq. in, compared to 89 and 90. I do understand that the Wilson and the Yonex "FEEL" bigger, but so does the Volkl. It feels like a 95.

Finally, you can also compare the ratings by the TW reviewers. The three rackets with the highest overall ratings by the TW hitters are the BLX 90, the Yonex v89, and the Volkl PB 10.

There really aren't any other rackets that enter this conversation. You could throw in the Dunlop 200 and the Prince Exo Tour. I don't include them in the conversation because the Dunlop is low on power and the Exo Tour has a dense string pattern, which is going to inhibit spin.

One caveat, however, for the original poster. He is coming from a Steam 99S. That means he likes spin. As such he may want to consider the Prince with the 14X18 string pattern.
Click to expand...

I wanted to move away from a super spinny racquet for this one.

Which Prince are you referring to when you say the 14 x 18, the POG Mid? EXO3 Tour 16x18?

I'd like to stay away from Head Radicals and Wilson Fed Pro Staff.

I've gotten some good replies so far, seems like Volkl Powerbridge 10 Mid is very interesting.

What's the difference between the Powerbridge 10 Mid and the Organix 10 Mid?
 
prjacobs

prjacobs

Hall of Fame
Can you tell us your level of play? The Volkl PB mid is a pretty ambitious jump from what you've been using. As are all of the other mid frames... But, demo them. They're all worth a try.
 
SJSA

SJSA

Professional
Sander001 said:
BLX Tour 90 is pretty comfortable if you can handle some weight. It filters vibration very well. And it's extremely control orientated, good spin and it's got some surprising power on tap.
I know the quality control is all over the place with this one so maybe I got a bad example, but I'm not finding this racquet very comfortable at all.
Click to expand...

Volkl X10 is one of comfortable rackets. Check its stiffness and TW review.
Your strings might cause uncomfortable.
 
F

ffrpg

Professional
Babolat Pure Storm Tour GT
Babolat Pure Storm LTD GT
Boris Becker London (Both mid and midplus)
Wilson Blade 104 (K-Factor, BLX, 2013)
 
B

brokenRPM

Rookie
souledge said:
A brief history of my racquets:
Head LM Radical OS - Control Racquet
Head YT IG Extreme 2.0 Pro - Power + Spin
Wilson Steam 99S - Spin

I would consider the Radical a very control oriented racquet, whereas the other two are more power or spin racquets. I'm looking for advice as to what's currently out or released in the past that would satisfy the following order of preference:

1. Control
2. Comfort
3. Spin
4. Power

I'm looking for a racquet that places the ball where I want it and is mostly comfortable on the arm.

Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

How many burpees can you do? If you can't do more than 50 in one go, then it's not a racket issue.
 
coolblue123

coolblue123

Hall of Fame
+1 on the BB London. Other Notables:
POG, Bab PST, Pacific X Force Pro, Yonex VCore 98 (i haven't tried the xi vcore 98's yet, but heard many good things about it)
 
F

fuzz nation

G.O.A.T.
Since there's lots of Volkl chatter going on, I'll also recommend a look at their C10 Pro 98. I'm 47 and I've been using this racquet for several years now. I hit a one-handed backhand, my game has evolved from serve & volley into all-courter, and this frame has been unbeatable for me both in terms of comfort and control without giving away the performance that I want. It's soft, but not a dead fish.

I went away from the Wilson 6.1 Classics - too stiff and "hot" for me to enjoy around the baseline - but I still get lots of solid performance around the net with my C10's. As long as you're aware of their hoop flex and mild degree of "tip dead" behavior, they can be supremely comfortable. I keep a very busy schedule of coaching, playing, and teaching and like to string my Volkls with 17 or sometimes 16 ga. syn. gut at 63-64 lbs. No pain - no problems.

The Organix 10 or PB 10 could be just what you need, but based on what you seem to be looking for in a new racquet, it sounds as though the C10 could fit your description really well.
 
S

souledge

Semi-Pro
I play at a 3.5 - 4.0 level, SW FH and 2HBH.

I like to play heavy balls into the corners for winners or for a weak reply where I usually finish the point off at the net. My main racquets will usually be strung with poly or gut / poly, I'm looking for a racquet where I can leave strung with Natural Gut for awhile to serve as a backup racquet.

The racquet should be comfortable and lower powered to offset the power from the Natural Gut.

Looking at reviews and opinions, seems like the Volkl PB 10 Mid would do well for my needs.
 
Fintft

Fintft

G.O.A.T.
A

acura9927

Semi-Pro
Dunlop Bio 200 and 200 Tour. I wonder if the new 200 line from Dunlop has been changed cause that old Dunlop feel is in those 2 racquets 100 percent.
 
S

souledge

Semi-Pro
Fintft said:
Wilson Six.One 95 BLX Amplifeel (2012), preferably with natural gut, VS Team 17 at 57 mains/55 crosses LBs.

Strung Weight: 12.2oz / 345.86g Balance: 10 pts HL Swingweight: 324 Stiffness: 66

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Wilson_BLX_SixOne_95_16x18/descpageRCWILSON-WSO95O.html

I've switched to the latest model, due to lower SW from the original BLX:

Strung Weight: 12.2oz / 346.71g Balance: 8 pts HL Swingweight: 338 Stiffness: 67

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpageRCWILSON-6195BX.html
Click to expand...

The Volkl's are sub 60 stiffness.

acura9927 said:
Dunlop Bio 200 and 200 Tour. I wonder if the new 200 line from Dunlop has been changed cause that old Dunlop feel is in those 2 racquets 100 percent.
Click to expand...

Are you referring to the Biomimetic? Would be nicer if it was 16 x 18/19 and sub 60 stiffness.
 
Last edited:
royroy85

royroy85

Rookie
At your level give the Rebel 98 a try, when you a bonafide 4.5, go for the Rebel 95. Not as good as the first generation but it fits your bill well
 
R

RetroSpin

Hall of Fame
souledge said:
The Volkl's are sub 60 stiffness.



Are you referring to the Biomimetic? Would be nicer if it was 16 x 18/19 and sub 60 stiffness.
Click to expand...


The Bio 200 is definitely not a stiff feeling racquet. The 18x20 stringbed seemed to produce plenty of spin for me. I'm beginning to think we make too much of the difference between 18x20 and 16x19.
 
ls206

ls206

Hall of Fame
^ weird, I've just been reading through a load of "open vs closed" threads. I think the main difference with a 18x20 is the lower launch angle and more consistent response of the string bed.
 
db10s

db10s

Hall of Fame
Good luck getting any pt 280/630s in good condition on a budget.

Dunlop Bio Max 200G. It plays softer than the stiffness suggests.
 
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