Oversize racket recommendation for a recreational intermediate player

D

dilshan

Rookie
I am turning 40 this year and currently playing with a leaded up vcore 95 2021 (4g at 3 and 9 and 2g at 12). string setup is wilson nxt mains 52 lbs and technifibre ice code on crosses 50 lbs. to give some background, i am an intermediate rec player (not really interested in competition play). I play mostly once a week for 3 hours and switch between playing singles and doubles.

Whilst i love the control of the vcore 95, i'm finding it hard to get power behind my strokes and certain hits are off center and jarring my arm. I wear a forearm brand/brace as well, since i am having tennis elbow.

I was contemplating switching to an oversize, mainly for the forgiving nature and free power of the racket. I know I will not have the same control i have with the 95, but it is a sacrifice for me being able to play tennis comfortably in the long term.

Having said this, these are the options I can demo at the moment:

- Dunlop CX 200 OS

- Dunlop SX 600

- Head Gravity Team (the new version of Gravity S)

- Wilson Blade 104 V2

- Wilson Clash 108 V2

I am liking the below rackets but unfortunately, I cannot demo them and would have to be a blind buy:

- Prince Warrior 107

- Pro Kennex Blace Ace 105

- Yonex Astrel 105

- Yonex Astrel 115

- Yonex ezone 105

I'm wondering if I should bite the bullet and go for a blind buy or demo the models i can demo and make a decision.

Would also appreciate forum member feedback on the mentioned rackets.

Thank you in advance!
 
Purestriker

Purestriker

Legend
dilshan said:
I am turning 40 this year and currently playing with a leaded up vcore 95 2021 (4g at 3 and 9 and 2g at 12). string setup is wilson nxt mains 52 lbs and technifibre ice code on crosses 50 lbs. to give some background, i am an intermediate rec player (not really interested in competition play). I play mostly once a week for 3 hours and switch between playing singles and doubles.

Whilst i love the control of the vcore 95, i'm finding it hard to get power behind my strokes and certain hits are off center and jarring my arm. I wear a forearm brand/brace as well, since i am having tennis elbow.

I was contemplating switching to an oversize, mainly for the forgiving nature and free power of the racket. I know I will not have the same control i have with the 95, but it is a sacrifice for me being able to play tennis comfortably in the long term.

Having said this, these are the options I can demo at the moment:

- Dunlop CX 200 OS

- Dunlop SX 600

- Head Gravity Team (the new version of Gravity S)

- Wilson Blade 104 V2

- Wilson Clash 108 V2

I am liking the below rackets but unfortunately, I cannot demo them and would have to be a blind buy:

- Prince Warrior 107

- Pro Kennex Blace Ace 105

- Yonex Astrel 105

- Yonex Astrel 115

- Yonex ezone 105

I'm wondering if I should bite the bullet and go for a blind buy or demo the models i can demo and make a decision.

Would also appreciate forum member feedback on the mentioned rackets.

Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...
The Dunlop CX 200 OS is an underrated racket. I really enjoyed it and almost went that direction. You should demo the Yonex Zone 100, plenty of power (way more than that 95 you have) and it really does everything (serve's,volley's and groundstrokes) very well.
 
C

ChanterRacquet

Professional
The CX 200 OS *might* have a denser string pattern than your 95 from the crosses, so might be the closest match. Also a great racquet! Basically a player's racquet with a little extra oomph. Lots of spin from the wide mains too.
 
J

jimmy8

Legend
If you're wealthy blind buys are ok. You can always sell them for a loss, actually sometimes you can buy used and then break even.

I recommend just demoing, then picking from those rackets. Not just because blind buys can get expensive, but I think your demo list contains the better rackets.

The cx200 os is a great choice because it will still have the control you like, maybe not at the level you want, but closer than the other demos.

My second recommendation is blade 104 - good all around racket.
 
D

dilshan

Rookie
Purestriker said:
The Dunlop CX 200 OS is an underrated racket. I really enjoyed it and almost went that direction. You should demo the Yonex Zone 100, plenty of power (way more than that 95 you have) and it really does everything (serve's,volley's and groundstrokes) very well.
Click to expand...
Thanks @Purestriker . I played with a 2020 ezone 100 before and it was way too stiff (RA 70), but the poly strings may have contributed to that was well. I see the new ezone 100 has lower RA so might be good to give it a try
 
D

dilshan

Rookie
jimmy8 said:
If you're wealthy blind buys are ok. You can always sell them for a loss, actually sometimes you can buy used and then break even.

I recommend just demoing, then picking from those rackets. Not just because blind buys can get expensive, but I think your demo list contains the better rackets.

The cx200 os is a great choice because it will still have the control you like, maybe not at the level you want, but closer than the other demos.

My second recommendation is blade 104 - good all around racket.
Click to expand...
The extended length of the blade gives the indication that it might be harsh on the arm but I'm planning to give it a go
 
Dartagnan64

Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
The Phantom 107G is a beautiful OS frame IMO. Super comfortable, great forgiveness, good balance between spin and control. Not overpowered compared to a lot of OS frames. I've been using it pretty much as my frame of choice for a couple years now.
 
S

Steve Huff

G.O.A.T.
While I'm a big fan of Pro Kennex, the Black Ace 105 may not give you the increase in power you're looking for. The Dunlop SX 600 will most likely be too hard on your arm. Hope you know the 1st thing is to get rid of the poly in your crosses. I've read good things about the Dunlop CX 200 OS.
 
C

ChanterRacquet

Professional
Steve Huff said:
The Dunlop SX 600 will most likely be too hard on your arm.
Click to expand...
Of the newest yellow versions, the SX 600 actually has the lowest RA at 60 with the 300 Lite 2nd lowest at 62/63, which is why I bought a Lite and just weighted it up with lead and leather. Never got around to the 600 (you think I would given I regularly play the CX OS). Nice thing about the CX OS is you don’t necessarily need to add any weight. I’ll have to grab a 600 at some point, ya get an extra 1/4” too.

Out serving today, the 300 Lite was up there with most comfortable, edged out by the Black Ace 300 (which I find quite powerful, at least with fullbed NRG), so both are now my most powerful frames followed by the CX OS, I would figure. auxEMP, VPro 97, CX 98, GravMP, just a tad behind.
 
M

mcs1970

Hall of Fame
I have a Gamma Rzr 117. Nothing bad to stay about the stick. For such a light racquet, It doesn’t have the usual hollow feeling that comes with racquets so light. I play against some really fast servers and hard hitters.

The problem is the lack of control and unpredictability forces you to change your strokes. So know the trade offs and if you really want to go that way.

I have no intentions of selling that racquet and still take it out for the occasional practice, but I have gone back to my PB 10 mids for matches and never been happier.
 
T

Trip

Hall of Fame
@dilshan - The VC95 is a tough starting point on which to base your judgement of forgiveness; it's noticeably less forgiving than most 97-98's, to say nothing of 100"+. So if most, or all, of your recent court has been spent with the VC95 exclusively, then I could see how you might be inclined to think you'd need to jump straight to an oversize to get the amount of error tolerance you're looking for. But there could very well be at least one or two 100" frames that would give you a better mix of control, versus most OS sticks (Dunlop CX 200 OS notwithstanding -- that's a great stick). From Head: Gravity MP (also the Tour if you're in Europe) and Speed MP -- all with flexes in the low 60's. From Wilson: Blade 100 (which I believe has about a 62RA flex) and Clash 98 v2 and 100 v2 (60RA and 57RA).
 
D

dilshan

Rookie
Trip said:
@dilshan - The VC95 is a tough starting point on which to base your judgement of forgiveness; it's noticeably less forgiving than most 97-98's, to say nothing of 100"+. So if most, or all, of your recent court has been spent with the VC95 exclusively, then I could see how you might be inclined to think you'd need to jump straight to an oversize to get the amount of error tolerance you're looking for. But there could very well be at least one or two 100" frames that would give you a better mix of control, versus most OS sticks (Dunlop CX 200 OS notwithstanding -- that's a great stick). From Head: Gravity MP (also the Tour if you're in Europe) and Speed MP -- all with flexes in the low 60's. From Wilson: Blade 100 (which I believe has about a 62RA flex) and Clash 98 v2 and 100 v2 (60RA and 57RA).
Click to expand...
Thank you @Trip . Maybe going for an oversize might be too extreme. I'll add a 100 sq inch into my demo list to see how it compares with the rest
 
S

Steve Huff

G.O.A.T.
ChanterRacquet said:
Of the newest yellow versions, the SX 600 actually has the lowest RA at 60 with the 300 Lite 2nd lowest at 62/63, which is why I bought a Lite and just weighted it up with lead and leather. Never got around to the 600 (you think I would given I regularly play the CX OS). Nice thing about the CX OS is you don’t necessarily need to add any weight. I’ll have to grab a 600 at some point, ya get an extra 1/4” too.

Out serving today, the 300 Lite was up there with most comfortable, edged out by the Black Ace 300 (which I find quite powerful, at least with fullbed NRG), so both are now my most powerful frames followed by the CX OS, I would figure. auxEMP, VPro 97, CX 98, GravMP, just a tad behind.
Click to expand...
That's good to know. Usually with dunlop, the higher the number, the stiffer the racket.
 
Y

Yurifi

New User
so it just happens I demoed two of the rackets from the list side by side in July. Wilson Blade 104 v8 and Head Gravity Team. will just copy over my response from other debate on this forum, hope it's okay. bottom line. both rackets were great, none of the two didn't feel like 104" racket. both were strung with Signum Pro Hyperion, Blade at 25/24kg, Head at 24/23kg.

best description would be - same, but completely different. a lot of similarities, but quite a different two rackets. there were times when I loved Head and times where I loved Wilson. Gravity Team definitely feels softer, has more flex, a smidge less power ... due to softer feeling it gave you feeling that it's way more comfortable. on the other hand Blade felt stiffer, but still very comfortable. where I found differences were:
- service with blade is much easier, due to the racket being longer
- those higher balls were easier to hit with Gravity, lower groundies with Blade
- felt I got more spin out of Blade than Gravity, but my partner on the other side said, there was not much difference in ball
- Gravity was better for one handed backhand, Blade was terrific on two handed backhand

but - I had some "hand gremlins" myself in the past two months (had broken elbow, not tennis elbow) and was looking for something comfortable, but then realised I just had to give my elbow time to get up to strength. now I am playing with Wilson ProStaff RF97 and old Wilson Ceramic FP Ultra 95, yesterday I got back Yonex Ezone 100 - why am I telling you this - because as I was testing the Yonex yesterday (got it restrung, put in Signum Pro Tornado) I realised, that even though Yonex is 100", PS97 has bigger sweetspot. sometimes I get a feeling, that even old Wilson Ceramic FP with 95" has bigger sweetspot than Yonex ... and even though PS97 has RA68 and Yonex RA67, PS97 feels less stiff ... the same goes for Blade and Gravity Team. close RA value, but Blade feels much much firmer (far from being stiff though). so it also depends on the design of the frame, how it plays and feels ...
 
M

Mten

New User
I went down this line for a while and ended up realising nobody made what I was looking for, so I designed and got my own made! No name yet. It's 115" headsize but mainly wide rather than long in the head. 21mm beam and 20x21 string pattern to control the width. It plays well!
Frankenstein2-1152x1536.jpg
 
D

dilshan

Rookie
Mten said:
I went down this line for a while and ended up realising nobody made what I was looking for, so I designed and got my own made! No name yet. It's 115" headsize but mainly wide rather than long in the head. 21mm beam and 20x21 string pattern to control the width. It plays well!
Frankenstein2-1152x1536.jpg
Click to expand...
Wow! How much did that set you back?
 
M

Mten

New User
Not too bad, I got 10 for £1500. I had to do all the CAD design for it. They also came undrilled with no grommets. So I had to design and drill the string pattern, then use individual replacement grommets all around. I'm going to get some testing done and if popular I may try and crowdfund some if I get interest
 
K

kkm

Hall of Fame
dilshan said:
I am turning 40 this year and currently playing with a leaded up vcore 95 2021 (4g at 3 and 9 and 2g at 12). string setup is wilson nxt mains 52 lbs and technifibre ice code on crosses 50 lbs. to give some background, i am an intermediate rec player (not really interested in competition play). I play mostly once a week for 3 hours and switch between playing singles and doubles.

Whilst i love the control of the vcore 95, i'm finding it hard to get power behind my strokes and certain hits are off center and jarring my arm. I wear a forearm brand/brace as well, since i am having tennis elbow.

I was contemplating switching to an oversize, mainly for the forgiving nature and free power of the racket. I know I will not have the same control i have with the 95, but it is a sacrifice for me being able to play tennis comfortably in the long term.

Having said this, these are the options I can demo at the moment:

- Dunlop CX 200 OS

- Dunlop SX 600

- Head Gravity Team (the new version of Gravity S)

- Wilson Blade 104 V2

- Wilson Clash 108 V2

I am liking the below rackets but unfortunately, I cannot demo them and would have to be a blind buy:

- Prince Warrior 107

- Pro Kennex Blace Ace 105

- Yonex Astrel 105

- Yonex Astrel 115

- Yonex ezone 105

I'm wondering if I should bite the bullet and go for a blind buy or demo the models i can demo and make a decision.

Would also appreciate forum member feedback on the mentioned rackets.

Thank you in advance!
Click to expand...
My regular play going back a while was mostly with midplus racquets, 95 and 93, a couple 90s and an 89. I only got around to trying 98s and 100s last year. If you’ve been playing with a 95, IMHO you should try some 98s and 100s before you try anything over 100. You could be surprised by the difference going from 95 to 98-100. I’m still very comfortable with the smaller midplus racquets, but I like the 98s and 100s and now usually use them. My switch is partly because I figure if there’s almost nothing smaller than 98 in production (sure there’s the Wilson Pro Staff 97, and the Yonex VCore Pro 97 - but what difference is 1 square inch - and I don’t like those two frames, and it’s nothing to do with the head size), I may as well change with the times. In general 98s and 100s are forgiving and give you free power.

Demo some of these:
Babolat Pure Strike 100

Head Speed MP

Wilson Blade 100

Wilson Clash 98

Wilson Shift 99

Yonex EZone 98

Yonex VCore Pro 100

As far as your string setup with NXT mains and ice code crosses, I don‘t know how often you restring, but I think you should try a full bed of Gosen Sidewinder, a stretchy mono (IIRC it’s got polyolefin in it). I would try Sidewinder at the same reference tension first before maybe making any changes, because it’s very different from most monos.
Or, try ice code in the mains and NXT in the crosses. I don’t know what everyone else feels, but I’ve found gut or multifilament mains and poly crosses to feel dead compared to poly mains and gut or multifilament crosses.
IMHO your string setup might be having more of an effect than your frame, on what you’re feeling. Still, try some 98-100s before you try anything over 100.
 
D

dilshan

Rookie
kkm said:
My regular play going back a while was mostly with midplus racquets, 95 and 93, a couple 90s and an 89. I only got around to trying 98s and 100s last year. If you’ve been playing with a 95, IMHO you should try some 98s and 100s before you try anything over 100. You could be surprised by the difference going from 95 to 98-100. I’m still very comfortable with the smaller midplus racquets, but I like the 98s and 100s and now usually use them. My switch is partly because I figure if there’s almost nothing smaller than 98 in production (sure there’s the Wilson Pro Staff 97, and the Yonex VCore Pro 97 - but what difference is 1 square inch - and I don’t like those two frames, and it’s nothing to do with the head size), I may as well change with the times. In general 98s and 100s are forgiving and give you free power.

Demo some of these:
Babolat Pure Strike 100

Head Speed MP

Wilson Blade 100

Wilson Clash 98

Wilson Shift 99

Yonex EZone 98

Yonex VCore Pro 100

As far as your string setup with NXT mains and ice code crosses, I don‘t know how often you restring, but I think you should try a full bed of Gosen Sidewinder, a stretchy mono (IIRC it’s got polyolefin in it). I would try Sidewinder at the same reference tension first before maybe making any changes, because it’s very different from most monos.
Or, try ice code in the mains and NXT in the crosses. I don’t know what everyone else feels, but I’ve found gut or multifilament mains and poly crosses to feel dead compared to poly mains and gut or multifilament crosses.
IMHO your string setup might be having more of an effect than your frame, on what you’re feeling. Still, try some 98-100s before you try anything over 100.
Click to expand...
Thank you @kkm for the detailed analysis. The only downsides with the vcore 95 is the off center hit jarring the arm and the lack of power but my precision, control, spin, and serve has improved. As you suggested, I was contemplating the Wilson Clash 100, together with the Dunlop SX600, and Head gravity team as the first set of demos.

I don't break strings that often, but as you suggested I might go with a full bed of mono or multi on my next restring
 
T

TennisCJC

Legend
volkl v1 EVO looks good. HL, moderate stiffness, good SW and 102" head. V1 has been around for decades and is comfortable and a good all court racket for a wide range of players.
 
Dartagnan64

Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
dilshan said:
I was contemplating switching to an oversize, mainly for the forgiving nature and free power of the racket. I know I will not have the same control i have with the 95, but it is a sacrifice for me being able to play tennis comfortably in the long term.
Click to expand...

I think the only advantage of OS rackets compared to their midplus counterparts is the forgiveness. You can get power and arm friendliness in a 98-100 sq in frame. But the 105-110 frames provide a lot of forgiveness for fast paced doubles and aging vision. You have to decide what is lacking most in your game.

I generally advise aging rec players to go for comfort first. The best ability in any sport is availability. So for most arms, that would be a RA sub 64 for mid plus and sub 70 for OS combined with a string change from full poly to a hybrid or full multi/gut/synthetic gut. Get your free power from the strings. Of course then you'll need some control which can come from a dense pattern or thin beam.

If I had to make a perfect middle age rec player racket form scratch, it would have a narrow beam, 107 sq in, 18x20 pattern, RA 68, SW 320, 8 points HL. I'd string it with gut/cream at 50lbs and be a happy man.
 
S

stephenpinkus

Rookie
My recommendations - Volkl V1VCell OS or MP. The OS plays like a mid, easy on arm. I use the MP, head not too much smaller than the OS (102 vs 110) , and the MP is 27 inches, the OS longer. Volkl racquets are string sensitive- i string at 52 with multi. Absolutely no vibrations. People also like the V4 and V3, the V1 and V1 EVO.
 
S

sharif

Rookie
stephenpinkus said:
My recommendations - Volkl V1VCell OS or MP. The OS plays like a mid, easy on arm. I use the MP, head not too much smaller than the OS (102 vs 110) , and the MP is 27 inches, the OS longer. Volkl racquets are string sensitive- i string at 52 with multi. Absolutely no vibrations. People also like the V4 and V3, the V1 and V1 EVO.
Click to expand...
This is good to know b/c I'm a doubles player dealing with TE; I have the Volkl 102 head arriving today to demo.. I'm coming out of an OS Head power Instinct 110
 
D

dilshan

Rookie
Dartagnan64 said:
I think the only advantage of OS rackets compared to their midplus counterparts is the forgiveness. You can get power and arm friendliness in a 98-100 sq in frame. But the 105-110 frames provide a lot of forgiveness for fast paced doubles and aging vision. You have to decide what is lacking most in your game.

I generally advise aging rec players to go for comfort first. The best ability in any sport is availability. So for most arms, that would be a RA sub 64 for mid plus and sub 70 for OS combined with a string change from full poly to a hybrid or full multi/gut/synthetic gut. Get your free power from the strings. Of course then you'll need some control which can come from a dense pattern or thin beam.

If I had to make a perfect middle age rec player racket form scratch, it would have a narrow beam, 107 sq in, 18x20 pattern, RA 68, SW 320, 8 points HL. I'd string it with gut/cream at 50lbs and be a happy man.
Click to expand...
This sounds like a modded Prince 107G
 
kevonian

kevonian

Rookie
Mten said:
I went down this line for a while and ended up realising nobody made what I was looking for, so I designed and got my own made! No name yet. It's 115" headsize but mainly wide rather than long in the head. 21mm beam and 20x21 string pattern to control the width. It plays well!
Frankenstein2-1152x1536.jpg
Click to expand...
How much string is needed to string that?
 
S

Steve Huff

G.O.A.T.
The only thing about the VCell OS is its length. A longer racket is harder on the arm. A longer racket gets more spin and power because of the leverage. You swing your hand, and the further from that axis, the faster it will be moving. Likewise, when the ball hits the racket, it applies more leverage to your arm. Just something to be aware of. The MP would probably be great.
 
KC!

KC!

Hall of Fame
It is a big jump from a 95 with a relatively small sweet spot to an oversized. I would hit the Ezone 98 that has a large sweet spot or the Ezone 100 that has massive sweet spot.
 
Dartagnan64

Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
dilshan said:
This sounds like a modded Prince 107G
Click to expand...

Yes I've put some lead in the handle in my 107G to make it a bit more HL. But I'd have made the racket with a denser string bed. I compensate by using 15L strings. But if Prince chose to make a 107G with 18x20, I'd be there in a second.
 
Grafil Injection

Grafil Injection

Hall of Fame
'Turning 40', so you have 40+ years of tennis remaining to improve your play! Forget a new racket, and get some lessons, or get a small framed classic and work on your contact consistency. I recommend a Max IMF series or a Head Edge series stick. Your V-Core 95 will seem huge afterwards.
 
D

dilshan

Rookie
To give you all an update, given the limited racket availability for demo in Australia, I ordered the following demos, which are arriving next week. Hopefully, I will be able to transition to one of them for use as my racket of choice for singles and doubles:

- Head Gravity Team
- Dunlop CX 200 OS
- Wilson Clash 108 V2
 
S

sharif

Rookie
Steve Huff said:
The only thing about the VCell OS is its length. A longer racket is harder on the arm. A longer racket gets more spin and power because of the leverage. You swing your hand, and the further from that axis, the faster it will be moving. Likewise, when the ball hits the racket, it applies more leverage to your arm. Just something to be aware of. The MP would probably be great.
Click to expand...
this is good to know as I currently have TE & am using a Head oversized instinct power 110...
 
tele

tele

Professional
dilshan said:
To give you all an update, given the limited racket availability for demo in Australia, I ordered the following demos, which are arriving next week. Hopefully, I will be able to transition to one of them for use as my racket of choice for singles and doubles:

- Head Gravity Team
- Dunlop CX 200 OS
- Wilson Clash 108 V2
Click to expand...
hope one of them works out!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
Help selecting an intermediate player racket Wilson, Prince or Yonex?
Replies
14
Views
4K
P8ntballa
P
M
Should I try an oversize racket?
Replies
9
Views
879
netman
netman
M
Racquet for a female beginner/intermediate
Replies
17
Views
1K
GPB
G
R
New racket for recreational player
Replies
12
Views
868
Ray Mercer
R
G
Help to buy Yonex racket!!!
Replies
23
Views
2K
GEGD
G
Top