Dunlop CX 200+? and extended length questions.

[Sardines]

Ah well, then I guess you were at the mercy of Dunlop QC and TO's courtesy.

All the CX range are marketed as control frames, so I wouldn't expect them to be powerhouses.

I asked for the specs but they said they were too busy with the Black Friday sale. Tennis Only doesnt offer a matching service so I didnt pay for it but I did ask them to match the racquets and they said they would try. If they did then I'm guessing these are the closest specs out of the 5 racquets left in grip size 2. I know my Dunlop bio200s didnt have the best QC (the butt piece was cracked when I got it), but I guess Dunlop Srixon isnt much better.

Still in my 20s but even compared to my Vcore Pro 97, it felt underpowered. Maybe it was the 95 inch headsize, maybe it was the strings or the dense crosses, I dont know.

 

[GN-001]

Yeah but I think the extended length can give me abit more leverage which could translate to a little more power while keeping that control oriented feel like a Vcore Pro. They feel similar in the hand. Hopefully it works out.

For sure I'm only going to be restringing this racquet with 18g crosses. those middle crosses are looking very dense.

 

[Sardines]

Well good luck. It's that Powergrid system that made me drop this racquet as a contender. I hope you fare better than I did.

Yeah but I think the extended length can give me abit more leverage which could translate to a little more power while keeping that control oriented feel like a Vcore Pro. They feel similar in the hand. Hopefully it works out. I think I've said it a few times, but I felt the CX200+ as powerful as any of the 98+ racquets I've tried when swinging out! It certainly has the largest sweet spot.

For sure I'm only going to be restringing this racquet with 18g crosses. those middle crosses are looking very dense.

Surely, VW was fined worldwide? Or are you saying VW Oz didn't compensate owners directly?

Welcome to the Land of Oz: Babolat GT buyback - nope; Volkswagen diesel-gate compensation - nope; COVID - nope (for the time being, until the govt. screws it up again.)

 

[GN-001]

Just had a hit with the Cx 200 + in stock form, strung with Yonex PTF. Played 2 sets of doubles against 4.5s and all my strokes were off at the start because I had to get use to the extended length. Double faulted my first service game and couldnt return a single serve at the start.

Once I found my range, I think I hit like 10 aces in two sets and many unreturned! I really cant believe that half an inch can actually make that much of a difference. At 5'8 I usually dont smack flat serves and when I do I usually dont get them in consistently but this extended length has changed that. The ball seems to explode off the racquet.

Besides the serve though, the rest of my game suffered. My one handed backhand took afew games to feel ok again but couldnt do anything with the forehand. I was shanking most of the balls on the forehand, especially on returns. At net it also felt less nimble and if I dont get it in position fast enough, I usually lose the point.

Overall I dont think it's a bad racquet, but I think it will take some getting use to. I normally have my racquets at 9pt HL and this is 6pt so I will have to add some lead and try again. If I cant get my forehand working I might have to drop this as my forehand is generally my best shot.

 

[McLovin]

I really cant believe that half an inch can actually make that much of a difference. At 5'8 I usually dont smack flat serves and when I do I usually dont get them in consistently but this extended length has changed that.

Yes, it does help that much. Being 5' 9", I've used '+' racquets for over 20 years. I briefly went back to standard length in the late 00s as they were becoming hard to find, and really felt my serve suffered.

Besides the serve though, the rest of my game suffered. My one handed backhand took afew games to feel ok again but couldnt do anything with the forehand. I was shanking most of the balls on the forehand, especially on returns. At net it also felt less nimble and if I dont get it in position fast enough, I usually lose the point.

It will take a while to adjust your contact point and swing speed. With a 2-handed backhand its a little easier to adjust IMO, but forehands take a little work, and volleys take the longest. But, once you do, you'll really appreciate the added reach & leverage.

Some subscribe to the 'choking up' on the handle at net, but that just adds more moving parts to my game, and that's the last thing I need. My 4.5 40+ doubles partner is 6' 3", uses the Pure Aero + (2016), and has some of the best hands at net, and he doesn't choke up on the handle.

Overall I dont think it's a bad racquet, but I think it will take some getting use to. I normally have my racquets at 9pt HL and this is 6pt so I will have to add some lead and try again. If I cant get my forehand working I might have to drop this as my forehand is generally my best shot.

Try replacing the base grip w/ a leather grip. That will add ~ 8-10g, but will also bring the balance point back to where you prefer it. That's what I did w/ my CX 200+.

 

[mtommer]

They got sold out really fast, good thing I snag one on another site lol.

Indeed. All the sites but one were sold out of the CX 200 Tour and that one site recently had them at $99 for a day or two. I snagged my ten and have been happy as can be!

 

[GN-001]

Yes, it does help that much. Being 5' 9", I've used '+' racquets for over 20 years. I briefly went back to standard length in the late 00s as they were becoming hard to find, and really felt my serve suffered.

It will take a while to adjust your contact point and swing speed. With a 2-handed backhand its a little easier to adjust IMO, but forehands take a little work, and volleys take the longest. But, once you do, you'll really appreciate the added reach & leverage.

Some subscribe to the 'choking up' on the handle at net, but that just adds more moving parts to my game, and that's the last thing I need. My 4.5 40+ doubles partner is 6' 3", uses the Pure Aero + (2016), and has some of the best hands at net, and he doesn't choke up on the handle.

Try replacing the base grip w/ a leather grip. That will add ~ 8-10g, but will also bring the balance point back to where you prefer it. That's what I did w/ my CX 200+.

Good advice. I havent changed to a leather grip but just added a few grams under the stock grip for now and I see some improvement. Volleys and forehand now a little bit easier although I still feel abit jammed from time to time when the ball is coming right at me fast. Will tinker with it abit more and see how it goes.

Indeed. All the sites but one were sold out of the CX 200 Tour and that one site recently had them at $99 for a day or two. I snagged my ten and have been happy as can be!

Wow you bought 10!? tour or plus?

 

[warney]

My one handed backhand took afew games to feel ok again but couldnt do anything with the forehand. I was shanking most of the balls on the forehand, especially on returns.

This happens to me when I go from 27.5 to 27. It's a matter of adjustment ( I started my extended journey with APD+ so it was easier), but once you are used to 27.5 going to 27 will always have you searching for that serve!

 

[mtommer]

Wow you bought 10!? tour or plus?

The Tour, 18x20

 

[warney]

I should not have got into this thread. Seeing that $99 price (Still available in some places, but not on TW) was too hard to resist and so I ordered 2. I have been playing with these for last 3 weeks alongside Pure Strike. Both my racquets it felt little dead towards the top and hence I added 2 grams of lead at 12. I am currently playing with gut-poly @58/53.

I have used PK Q+5X Pro for last 2 years and was very happy and settled with that one. Shoulder injury (outside of tennis) sent me looking for racquet slightly easier to swing and I have been using gen3 Babolat Pure Strike 16*19 extended to 27.25 for few months.

CX 200+ fits in between these 2 racquets for me. It does not have knockout power, stability of PK but it's close. It little easier to swing than PK but not as much as my Strikes.

Serves: I may be hitting bigger flat serves with CX 200+ than with PK as I can get more racquet head speed with this. Kick serves are also very good.

Serve Returns: This does not have rock solid stability of PK and launch angle being higher, returns against hard serves can be floaty. Slice returns are landing little short. But when I am able to take a good swing on return I most often win that point. I think returns could get better with more time.

Groundstrokes: Very good but not ideal. I prefer the control of uniform 16*20 stringbed of PK. CX 200+ stringbed is very dense (like 18*20) in center and opens up little too much for my liking outside of center. I do not trust CX 200+ completely on groundstrokes. I lose control of the ball sometimes when trying to hit close to the lines or while changing direction of the shots. I am not sure if full bed of poly and/or more time will get me some more control.
Lobs and drop shots are really good (equal to PK). I suck at those with Pure Strike.
My hitting partner who plays with RF confirmed that CX 200+ hits a heavy ball. He prefers me playing with strike as it's easier ball for him to handle.

Volley: Good, but PK does it better.

Comfort : I have only used full bed of synthetic gut (first string job) and gut-poly so far and no comfort issues. But both Pure strike and PK provide me better comfort with gut-poly. I found this racquet strings little tight (i.e. stringbed feel firmer than both PK and Strike with gut-poly at same tension). I will likely go down 3 pounds in next stringing.

Feel : Better than PK and Strike, no questions.

Maneuverability: better than PK and I really have no issues here with CX 200+.

Odd thing: WTF is with Dunlop buttcap! It's shorter than other brands and is missing a portion where buttcap tapers down to that thin portion on the handle. It just made for uncomfortable fit in my palm. I replaced one of my racquet's buttcap with Babolat's and it feels much better now.

Overall very good extended length racquet!

 

[Sardines]

I prefer the control of uniform 16*20 stringbed of PK. CX 200+ stringbed is very dense (like 18*20) in center and opens up little too much for my liking outside of center. I do not trust CX 200+ completely on groundstrokes. I lose control of the ball sometimes when trying to hit close to the lines or while changing direction of the shots. I am not sure if full bed of poly and/or more time will get me some more control.

It's not likely you will find changing string to be the panacea you're seeking. It's difficult to have a stringbed that creates less predictable behavior in how the ball leaves the strings. It means every shot can't be aimed at 6" over the net and dipping, and target areas have to be bigger, to compensate for the larger difference in launch angle and pace even.

 

[2ndServe]

I should not have got into this thread. Seeing that $99 price (Still available in some places, but not on TW) was too hard to resist and so I ordered 2. I have been playing with these for last 3 weeks alongside Pure Strike. Both my racquets it felt little dead towards the top and hence I added 2 grams of lead at 12. I am currently playing with gut-poly @58/53.

I have used PK Q+5X Pro for last 2 years and was very happy and settled with that one. Shoulder injury (outside of tennis) sent me looking for racquet slightly easier to swing and I have been using gen3 Babolat Pure Strike 16*19 extended to 27.25 for few months.

CX 200+ fits in between these 2 racquets for me. It does not have knockout power, stability of PK but it's close. It little easier to swing than PK but not as much as my Strikes.

Serves: I may be hitting bigger flat serves with CX 200+ than with PK as I can get more racquet head speed with this. Kick serves are also very good.

Serve Returns: This does not have rock solid stability of PK and launch angle being higher, returns against hard serves can be floaty. Slice returns are landing little short. But when I am able to take a good swing on return I most often win that point. I think returns could get better with more time.

Groundstrokes: Very good but not ideal. I prefer the control of uniform 16*20 stringbed of PK. CX 200+ stringbed is very dense (like 18*20) in center and opens up little too much for my liking outside of center. I do not trust CX 200+ completely on groundstrokes. I lose control of the ball sometimes when trying to hit close to the lines or while changing direction of the shots. I am not sure if full bed of poly and/or more time will get me some more control.
Lobs and drop shots are really good (equal to PK). I suck at those with Pure Strike.
My hitting partner who plays with RF confirmed that CX 200+ hits a heavy ball. He prefers me playing with strike as it's easier ball for him to handle.

Volley: Good, but PK does it better.

Comfort : I have only used full bed of synthetic gut (first string job) and gut-poly so far and no comfort issues. But both Pure strike and PK provide me better comfort with gut-poly. I found this racquet strings little tight (i.e. stringbed feel firmer than both PK and Strike with gut-poly at same tension). I will likely go down 3 pounds in next stringing.

Feel : Better than PK and Strike, no questions.

Maneuverability: better than PK and I really have no issues here with CX 200+.

Odd thing: WTF is with Dunlop buttcap! It's shorter than other brands and is missing a portion where buttcap tapers down to that thin portion on the handle. It just made for uncomfortable fit in my palm. I replaced one of my racquet's buttcap with Babolat's and it feels much better now.

Overall very good extended length racquet!

Thanks for the comparison. So from this I gather the PK is better?

 

[briancheng]

For me, while I liked lead at 12 o'clock, lead at 3/9 really worked with the racquet (improved stability, plow and consistency of response). Your mileage may vary of course!

Also, I found that I could string the CX200 Plus with poly at low tension (in the 40s) without sacrificing too much control, while also noticeably increasing arm comfort. Currently using Hyper G Soft at 48lbs which has been very comfortable, even while I recover from a bout with tennis elbow.

I should not have got into this thread. Seeing that $99 price (Still available in some places, but not on TW) was too hard to resist and so I ordered 2. I have been playing with these for last 3 weeks alongside Pure Strike. Both my racquets it felt little dead towards the top and hence I added 2 grams of lead at 12. I am currently playing with gut-poly @58/53.

I have used PK Q+5X Pro for last 2 years and was very happy and settled with that one. Shoulder injury (outside of tennis) sent me looking for racquet slightly easier to swing and I have been using gen3 Babolat Pure Strike 16*19 extended to 27.25 for few months.

CX 200+ fits in between these 2 racquets for me. It does not have knockout power, stability of PK but it's close. It little easier to swing than PK but not as much as my Strikes.

Serves: I may be hitting bigger flat serves with CX 200+ than with PK as I can get more racquet head speed with this. Kick serves are also very good.

Serve Returns: This does not have rock solid stability of PK and launch angle being higher, returns against hard serves can be floaty. Slice returns are landing little short. But when I am able to take a good swing on return I most often win that point. I think returns could get better with more time.

Groundstrokes: Very good but not ideal. I prefer the control of uniform 16*20 stringbed of PK. CX 200+ stringbed is very dense (like 18*20) in center and opens up little too much for my liking outside of center. I do not trust CX 200+ completely on groundstrokes. I lose control of the ball sometimes when trying to hit close to the lines or while changing direction of the shots. I am not sure if full bed of poly and/or more time will get me some more control.
Lobs and drop shots are really good (equal to PK). I suck at those with Pure Strike.
My hitting partner who plays with RF confirmed that CX 200+ hits a heavy ball. He prefers me playing with strike as it's easier ball for him to handle.

Volley: Good, but PK does it better.

Comfort : I have only used full bed of synthetic gut (first string job) and gut-poly so far and no comfort issues. But both Pure strike and PK provide me better comfort with gut-poly. I found this racquet strings little tight (i.e. stringbed feel firmer than both PK and Strike with gut-poly at same tension). I will likely go down 3 pounds in next stringing.

Feel : Better than PK and Strike, no questions.

Maneuverability: better than PK and I really have no issues here with CX 200+.

Odd thing: WTF is with Dunlop buttcap! It's shorter than other brands and is missing a portion where buttcap tapers down to that thin portion on the handle. It just made for uncomfortable fit in my palm. I replaced one of my racquet's buttcap with Babolat's and it feels much better now.

Overall very good extended length racquet!

 

[warney]

For me, while I liked lead at 12 o'clock, lead at 3/9 really worked with the racquet (improved stability, plow and consistency of response). Your mileage may vary of course!

Also, I found that I could string the CX200 Plus with poly at low tension (in the 40s) without sacrificing too much control, while also noticeably increasing arm comfort. Currently using Hyper G Soft at 48lbs which has been very comfortable, even while I recover from a bout with tennis elbow.

My brother from another mother! I was thinking of changing lead on one of my CX to 3/9 or 10/2 and stringing it with BK black knight @42. Will test that setup next week.

 

[warney]

Thanks for the comparison. So from this I gather the PK is better?

Yes. But it feels much heavier to swing.

 

[Sardines]

My brother from another mother! I was thinking of changing lead on one of my CX to 3/9 or 10/2 and stringing it with BK black knight @42. Will test that setup next week.

Just remember that the twist weight on the CX200+ is pretty high already, so you will lose some maneuverability with weight at the sides. Compromises in everything.

 

[pico]

Would extending a CX 200 result in something close to a CX 200 +?