Pacific X Force Pro No 1 "252" Review

[zalive]

I did...I could not play it Stock...
I went with Baghdatis setup and it plays awesome but you lose maneuverability and serving was much harder than say stock dr98 (I prefer head lights for serving)

Went with kafelnikof setup for a while too and it was lacking plow of baggy setup.

Than went with sort of combo setup where it was about 353g 32cm bal and it was good almost perfect but it's too demanding I the long run.
Yesterday I hit with tc95 and 252 and finish the match with dr98
Tc95 I won 6-2
Second set I started with tc95 switched to 252 both heavy around 350gr frames and I was toast...frames just tired me out I almost lost 6-0 but eventually lost second 6-2

I switched to dr98 in the 3rd I almost golden setted the guy 6-0.

If your body can stand newer racquets by my estimates I play with 40% less effort. Sure tc95 feel awesome but stats don't lie.

Tc95 did play softer than modified 252 btw but by a hair

I played with almost these specs setup (added about 1.5 gram to 3+9 o'clock after):
347 gr
SW 345 (estimated/calculated)
33.5 cm balance

I already gave details about customized mass distribution. Forgot to mention that used light basic grip (12 grams) - really helps playability not to use too heavy grip. I could make balance more HL by additional tailweighting (I'll probably do that), but it was ok even at these specs.

Just calculated MgR/I for these specs, and in fact it's 21.0. I didn't specially target perfect value, it's coincidentally, but I did look to increase MgR/I by putting 14 grams of lead at 7''. And racquet feels fast to swing with.
True that you lose some maneuverability whenever your SW or TW is higher, but it's the mass distribution that decides how much you lose.

It's paying attention to MgR/I that made my racquets more playable. Won't make you tired because you don't have to fight to even out head speed through swing by pushing RHS you need.

It's whatever you add to 12 o'clock what especially slows down the racquet speed. Say, if I wanted to add another 3 grams to 12 o'clock, MgR/I goes down to 20.86; if I then add 3 grams at 7'', which is a perfect place to compensate, MgR/I goes to 20.91; notice that it didn't return to 21, even if I used same mass at near perfect spot on racquet (if I put it on throat it gets to 20.92).

I use Novak's approach, lead all around the hoop from 9 to 3 o'clock, this helps make the sweet spot widest possible, but also this distribution doesn't lower MgR/I as much as it would lower it if I put it mostly at 12 o'clock. So 14 grams of lead at 7'' was enough.

 

[zalive]

I have not customized 252 yet as the stock itself is playing good so far. I used to play with 360g+ racquets, but not anymore as the clock is only moving forward

Have you tried Cream string in full bed? That string is intriguing because of its low stiffness rating.

Well, mere mortals like me need some lead... ok I might play well with some less, but currently experimenting a bit with what feels the best and does the best job on court. And somehow I always come to hitting weight of 170 grams and SW in 340-350 range, with static weight typically around 355 grams.

Cream is interesting. If you ever played with Yonex PTP I can easily compare two. Yonex itself is among spin strings in the world of round profile strings, while Cream is slickier than YPTP. It's also much more elastic, and retains easily its elasticity (better longevity), while Yonex loses it relatively quickly. It's livelier than YPTP which has certain kind of soft dead feel. But at 25 kg tension (and higher I guess, didn't try) it starts to lose its power - if you like control this is rhe tension to look for. It holds tension very well over time - no quick drop of tension but rather slowly drops its tension over time, gaining on feel of elasticity and of power. Interesting is that this string has lot of power strung at 24 kg while having much control at 25 kg, at least for the first 10 hours of hitting. Doesn't go stiff easily. Produces higher launch angle due to slickness. All together, interesting string to try. I'm trying hybrids eith YPTP currently because I actually like YPTP but it degrades quickly in a full bed. Hybrid performs at the middle ground, lowers launch angle a bit, retains Cream's elasticity, is more comfortavle than full bed of YPTP. I hope it lasts for a long time, too.

 

[zalive]

Waited for the next session with it to be sure, even though I fairly was: my customization made a hot spot in the upper hoop where groundstrokes are typically hit. Made some inconsistency. Might be because I overdid with lead at 10+2 o'clock - two layers are obviously too much. So I removed one and instead put those 3 grams at 8+10 o'clock. Twist weight won't change, swing weight drops for about 3 units and hopefully hot spot settles down. Bounce says it's better, but is it enough I can see only at the court.

On the other hand, this racquet is really sweet and seductive, I really enjoyed hitting with it today!

 

[ae1222]

I just sent my Pacific Pro 1 in to Roman to get modified (I play with 27.5" frames). I will compare it with my Baghdatis pro stocks once I get some court time with both...

 

[McLovin]

I just sent my Pacific Pro 1 in to Roman to get modified (I play with 27.5" frames).

Curious...what does something like that cost? And do they keep the same grip shape? I presume the hairpin is replaced, removing the Pacific pallet system in the process?

I used to play w/ 27.5" frames, but gave up on them a few years back once manufacturers started limiting them (for the most part) to the thicker, lighter, more powerful frames. But I have a few older ones lying around and have thought about extending them just for the fun of it.

 

[Automatix]

Curious...what does something like that cost? And do they keep the same grip shape? I presume the hairpin is replaced, removing the Pacific pallet system in the process?

A hairpin is the racquet without pallets/foam handle etc. so it is not replaced.

As for prices, Ring&Roll charges 50Euro for a new foam grip if it isn't extended. An extended one costs 70 Euro.

 

[McLovin]

A hairpin is the racquet without pallets/foam handle etc. so it is not replaced.

Sorry, my bad on terminology. I thought 'hairpin' referred to the grip portion w/o the molded grip around it (or in Pacific's case, w/o the removable pallet). Well, I learned something new today.

€70? So that's what....$372? I'm not good at currency conversion...

 

[ae1222]

Depends on how they do it. For frames that their pallets fit it is only about $40. They put the pallets on and then inject the extension area with foam. For other frames they mold the whole handle, that is around $100. But I can pick any grip size and shape, I really like the Wilson shape and grip size 2.5.

 

[Automatix]

€70? So that's what....$372? I'm not good at currency conversion...

More like 80USDs (Euro is around 1.1USDs).

 

[McLovin]

More like 80USDs (Euro is around 1.1USDs).

Yeah, I know. I was poking fun at us Americans who rarely think about currency in anything other than USD because, in case you didn't know, we're the center of the universe (<- read the last part with heavy sarcasm).

 

[joohan]

Yeah, I know. I was poking fun at us Americans who rarely think about currency in anything other than USD because, in case you didn't know, we're the center of the universe (<- read the last part with heavy sarcasm).

Thanks to Angell thread at least Americans started to think in british pounds but, alas, thanks to british Brexit the difference between pound and dollar is not that significant anymore.

 

[zalive]

Waited for the next session with it to be sure, even though I fairly was: my customization made a hot spot in the upper hoop where groundstrokes are typically hit. Made some inconsistency. Might be because I overdid with lead at 10+2 o'clock - two layers are obviously too much. So I removed one and instead put those 3 grams at 8+10 o'clock. Twist weight won't change, swing weight drops for about 3 units and hopefully hot spot settles down. Bounce says it's better, but is it enough I can see only at the court.

On the other hand, this racquet is really sweet and seductive, I really enjoyed hitting with it today!

Just to confirm: customization change did the trick! Hot spot disappeared, everyhting that was good stayed good. All in all current customization can use some minor fine tuning as I'm concerned, but I don't feel so far I need to change anything with this setup. Just got another keeper

 

[zalive]

Pip on my grommet (at 6 o'clock) already broke! While its first string job is still on...really?! Ok I really didn't pay much for my Lite, but nevertheless, this should never happen...

 

[gutfeeling]

I bought two used 252s bxt non-lite version (black and orange) from Tennis warehouse recently. One even had a full bed of vs natty gut which looked almost new. Anyway, I think all assessments in this thread are accurate. Very comfortable and plush, plays well for me with 6 grams of lead under bumper spread from 10 to 2 and an over grip. Comes out to around 330 grams strung with guts mains and poly crosses, about 6 points HL. Prob around 330 SW. Handle is rectangular but not as much as Head TK82. This stick is very polarized, so I think I will add a little weight above the handle to make it swing "better," since I appreciate frames with mass in the throat to a certain extent. I think a good comparison to the 252 would be the IG radical pro 16x19 but the 252 is plusher and has a bigger sweet spot imo. Zero tolerance seems legit as these frames are only 1-2 grams apart and not from same batch as told from serial number on hologram.

 

[Hop]

Dose anyone knows if the new paintjob black+lime Pacific X Force Pro No. 1 is the same in terms of playing characteristics as the old one black+orange?

 

[nohandedbackhand]

Dose anyone knows if the new paintjob black+lime Pacific X Force Pro No. 1 is the same in terms of playing characteristics as the old one black+orange?

I think I remember our resident Pacific expert here saying it was an improvement - more plush

 

[michael valek]

yes that was me but i am not an expert, it felt softer to me......

 

[joohan]

Dose anyone knows if the new paintjob black+lime Pacific X Force Pro No. 1 is the same in terms of playing characteristics as the old one black+orange?

It has the same geometry so should not be far off the old one, if at all (more likely). Doesn't have the SiC layup, basalt instead if I'm correct, so it probably doesn't feel as brittle...which might be a good thing all things considered.

I've actually given up on chasing old Fischers and will go for a #252 Pacific once I'm in need of a new frame.

 

[michael valek]

Hit me up for some blacked out ones