themitchmann
Hall of Fame
I'm still curious. Not trying to attack you.
The exo tour has a mental disorder...
- Thread starter mxmx
- Start date
I'm still curious. Not trying to attack you.
mxmx
Hall of Fame
I dunno....when i tried the exo red, it was very disappointing - did not suit me at all at the time....was totally unexpected. Felt way different (in a bad way) to either the speedport black, 03 blue or exo tour(prince rackets ive had). It felt very heavy and way too powerful and head heavy. With a heavy racket, I would not want it to be head heavy as well. It may be that this persons racket was customised too much if at all...oh and his grip was too thin, which may have emphasised the head heaviness to me....I would probably recommend this racket to less mobile people who needs power.
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mxmx
Hall of Fame
fair enough....but it would be safe to say that unlike may other rackets, the exo tour is very original in how it plays....VERY unique...If only it had better first serve characteristics...would still be my main rackets...I agree with your comment on the exo red being more suited to senior players than the tour...even on specs.
mikeler
Moderator
It is a very unique frame no question. Funny, my first serve has been pretty good with it. The problems I'm having are all on the forehand side but that is mostly due to a wrist problem I'm dealing with.
Don't forget about the 10 times a year when you can't hit the side of a barn.
0d1n
Hall of Fame
It is a very unique frame no question. Funny, my first serve has been pretty good with it. The problems I'm having are all on the forehand side but that is mostly due to a wrist problem I'm dealing with.
Don't forget about the 10 times a year when you can't hit the side of a barn.
Yeh, on those days the best thing you can do is go back to sleep
.
mxmx
Hall of Fame
It is a very unique frame no question. Funny, my first serve has been pretty good with it. The problems I'm having are all on the forehand side but that is mostly due to a wrist problem I'm dealing with.
Don't forget about the 10 times a year when you can't hit the side of a barn.
To me the racket struggles dealing with power from the players side. Your injured wrist aside:
I have had problems on the forehand with this racket and changed my stroke to be more up and over - ie, a emphasis on forward upward spin helps with control. Try to limit flatter strokes if possible. Less around the body, more forward, upward and over if you get what I mean.
On the first serve (flat), I don't believe there are real answers other than lead especially at 12 - in my opinion, this should counter the flex on contact
mikeler
Moderator
I'm down at 50 pounds right now with full multifilament jobs. Anything higher and I just don't get enough pop on my shots. I'm starting to get a little more confident hitting flat shots on my forehand. I've got a tendency to pull off my forehand which I need to stop doing.
themitchmann
Hall of Fame
To be fair, it's not really built for hitting flat shots. The design of the frame lends itself to more spin.
mikeler
Moderator
Which string pattern do you use?
themitchmann
Hall of Fame
I use the Rebel 95 (and tend to hit flatter).
mikeler
Moderator
Guess I should have read your signature!
mxmx
Hall of Fame
I have always been afraid to go lower than 55 on ANY racket. But I think i need to reconsider this. When strings loses tension, how much do they lose on average? Anyone? I have often found, i play best when my strings are on their way out (probably lost most tension and has more string sliding movement?)
I can't stop speaking about the tour and feel I have to say it again:
The exo tour is a great racket overall...except for one thing basically: the flat serve. It is so bad on the flat serve, that it basically counters everything good about it. Its a huge pity....Once one has adjusted technique to suit this racket, it is awesome on groundstrokes and volleys. I just think no amount of technique makes this the easiest/ideal racket to serve flat serves with.
rlau
Hall of Fame
Perhaps you should consider adapting your game to your frame and stop fussing about this.... :?
Put some variety in your serve and make your kicker/slice serve a weapon instead of trying to score direct points with flat heaters...?
Broly4
Rookie
I have to disagree, at least if we talk about the 18x20, with some lead in the hoop. Awesome for flat serves, its forgiveness allows you to increase your 1st serve percentage, and due to its flex, your elbow doesn't suffer, which is a factor to take into account.
mxmx
Hall of Fame
I did...and eventually enough was enough and I got different rackets - instant improvement on the flat serve. Just making discussion.
sansaephanh
Professional
What a player can do with a stick and how they construct points should not even be mentioned in this thread. Different strokes for different folks. Some people swear certain things for certain sticks while others find the complete opposite. I believe strings and tensions are a bigger factors in feel and should be made clear before making assumptions about any player's game.
A big flat is just as important for variety as any other serve is in an arsenal. It's unfair to tell him to change his style. Why? because he's missing a part of his game that he feels he needs to complete his preferred style of play. I'd hate it if i lost one of my favorite weapons for a few that I was doing fine with before.
A big flat is just as important for variety as any other serve is in an arsenal. It's unfair to tell him to change his style. Why? because he's missing a part of his game that he feels he needs to complete his preferred style of play. I'd hate it if i lost one of my favorite weapons for a few that I was doing fine with before.
mikeler
Moderator
I never went down below 60 until I started playing with Discho Microfibre in my Pro Kennex 7Gs. I tried it at 60#, then 57#, then 54# and finally at 50#. For that frame, 54# was the sweet spot. So I started at 54# in the Exo Tour and my serve was not very good. Going down to 50# has really added some nice zip to my serve, especially on...wait for it...wait for it...FLAT SERVES! I don't seem to experience a loss of control on ground strokes either. This frame is SO flexible, it really lends itself to lower string tensions which in turn is better on the arm.
What strings are you using? If you have poly in the mid 50s or above you would have to be pretty strong to hit a decent flat serve.
rlau
Hall of Fame
Well, if it bugged him he could just try a different frame to see if that worked any better for his game. And he did. So, everybody's happy and there's little point in keeping posting things like "hey, racquet A is not very good at this or that stroke". Whatever. There's no single racquet that does everything well. There's no holy grail. I think everybody knows that by now. I'm not saying there's no joy in trying out different frames, but that's another topic.
mxmx
Hall of Fame
If you are interested in seeing me serve with this racket, go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv0D5q90XFQ&feature=youtu.be
The strings are kevlar
Sometimes with the tour, it almost feels like your hitting flat balls. Lead helps no question. But its tiring. So essentially I'm maybe not fit enough for the racket lol.
I agree that its by far better suited to lower string tensions. On this racket, i did not like the pro hurricanes as much (although my tension may have been too high) as the ashaway crossfire kevlar kind. Due to the open pattern, the racket is rather heavy on strings, but with the kevlar, i could go for it more without worrying about breakage. Currently my strings are on the way out on the tours and they play best when theyre like that. But now they are my backup frames...
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maxpotapov
Hall of Fame
It certainly has to do with how and where the frame flexes depending on the angle of attack. I have some old Prince Shark with tapered beam. Super rigid in the hoop and quite flexy at the throat. Perfect for flat serve, but not much for anything else, as ball tends to slide off the stringbed on spin shots. EXO3 Tour hoop cups the ball much better on angled imact, but probably absorbs too much energy when hit squarely in or above the sweetspot.
mxmx
Hall of Fame
you seem to totally understand what I'm talking about. I totally agree. A racket at angle will not flex as much as it would head on, and with a very flexible racket such as the tour, its even more exaggerated.
mikeler
Moderator
If/when I try poly in the frame, I'll start at 40 pounds. I don't think Kevlar would be a good choice for this racket. No wonder you are having problems generating power.
mxmx
Hall of Fame
I had full poly on this (although not lower than 55) - did not last long nor did it feel great. With the kevlar (when its broken in & added lead) it felt much better than the poly.
I did not really struggle generating power on any other shot than the flat serve.
The only thing that helped me on the flat serve, was not really strings, but lead.
Lead "seems" to aborb the flex (maybe plow through?)
I could generate powerful kick serves. Just the flat serve was problematic.
SELFMADESOUL
New User
I had good results in the 18x20 with gut hybrids- like vs and rpm at lower tensions. Gets you that extra power and spin- I also liked Prince Beast in the racquet again at low tensions.
vantageboy
Rookie
u have a very lively arm which is great--keep your arm and head up longer and u will get the desired response u want.
SantiagoMVC
New User
It's true that the tour is an exigent racket, I'm coming back from a two months rest and have to tame it back, but when you get comfy with it pay rewards. I agree that the most problematic shot could be the flat service, but with the 18x20 and a some lead it's problem solved
