New Donnay X-Series - My Thoughts

[Racketdesign]

Originally Posted by Kal-El 34

another thing i really like about these racquets are the serial number system. i copied this off the website, but I really think this is a great system.

Donnay™ Serial Number System
Donnay™ is the only tennis racquet manufacturer to use a serial numbering system to identify every racquet. Using this system you can place an order with us, giving us your current racquets serial number, and receive an exact duplicate of your current racquet down to the gram and millimeter. This is only capable with Donnay's strict quality control standards.

that way... 6 month down the road when you want another one, you can still get the exact same one you are hitting with

They arent the only company doing this... and they certainly arent the first ! I will have to drop them an email

[Kal-El 34]

Originally Posted by Racketdesign

They arent the only company doing this... and they certainly arent the first ! I will have to drop them an email

i don't think they are to offer matching racquet, but i think the serial number system is pretty unique no? i see you have a vantage logo as your avatar and im not sure how they go about their business. but i know the bigger name companies don't do it like that (wilson, head, babolat)

[Racketdesign]

Every Vantage custom racquet has a unique serial number which is saved against player information and completed racquet spec, and any special requests made at the time of order.

[10ACE]

Originally Posted by Kal-El 34

possibly. even with the synthetic grip, couldn't you just add weight in the handle and get a similar weight? In my write ups you can see, even though I've had the synthetic, I've almost always been using the 5g cap in the handle as well. i REALLY like the blue 99. it doesn't feel that much bigger really. same great feel as the 94, big sweet spot, and the pop that i felt was lacking in the 94... GREAT stick, my write up on it will be coming soon

I suppose one could- with all my demos, unfortunately, I have yet to test the weighted butt caps- I am a user of a leather grip on my racquet regardless, just like the feel.

[WinNCash]

I've not played much so you can take this for what it's worth, but I demo'd the X-Yellow recently and preferred it to the other racquets I have tried. I would like to think I have a bit better ball sense and technique than the average beginner because of the other racquet sports I have played, but that may just be me being hopeful!

I felt like the racquet helped me get some confidence hitting through the ball on my forehand, and consequently I was able to produce more spin to keep it in the court more often. I had never hit a backhand slice before but I tried a few with some success (success criteria being that they didn't hit the net and stayed in the court), sort of hard for me to compare to other racquets since I haven't hit that shot but it didn't feel forced to me. My one handed topspin backhand actually had some topspin. Haha. But it's my better shot and it felt good.

I didn't notice a lot of vibration and I didn't play with the dampener either (I don't really like them.) I thought the yellow color was very very bright but kind of took a liking to it after a while. It's quite the contrast with the shiny silver.

Overall the racquet reminded me of one of my old racquetball racquets, an Ektelon with a thinner beam and a good, solid, basic feel. I want to try the Orange or Red just to see if I want a bit more weight or not. But it does come with the extra weights so I'm not sure that really matters all that much.

For the level I'm at, I think its good if I can pick how much power I put on the ball, and this racquet allowed me to do that.

[shell]

Thanks for writing up these reviews Kal-El! I've been very curious about this line, and I look forward to the rest of your reviews.

[Kal-El 34]

Originally Posted by WinNCash

I've not played much so you can take this for what it's worth, but I demo'd the X-Yellow recently and preferred it to the other racquets I have tried. I would like to think I have a bit better ball sense and technique than the average beginner because of the other racquet sports I have played, but that may just be me being hopeful!

I felt like the racquet helped me get some confidence hitting through the ball on my forehand, and consequently I was able to produce more spin to keep it in the court more often. I had never hit a backhand slice before but I tried a few with some success (success criteria being that they didn't hit the net and stayed in the court), sort of hard for me to compare to other racquets since I haven't hit that shot but it didn't feel forced to me. My one handed topspin backhand actually had some topspin. Haha. But it's my better shot and it felt good.

I didn't notice a lot of vibration and I didn't play with the dampener either (I don't really like them.) I thought the yellow color was very very bright but kind of took a liking to it after a while. It's quite the contrast with the shiny silver.

Overall the racquet reminded me of one of my old racquetball racquets, an Ektelon with a thinner beam and a good, solid, basic feel. I want to try the Orange or Red just to see if I want a bit more weight or not. But it does come with the extra weights so I'm not sure that really matters all that much.

For the level I'm at, I think its good if I can pick how much power I put on the ball, and this racquet allowed me to do that.

you hit it right on the money here. i really think the yellow, white, orange, and even red 99 are great racquets for juniors. The light weight of the yellow, matched with how easy it is to swing, spin potential and feel I believe makes it pretty superior to other racquets in its category. it again, is a little pricier than the other frames close to it, but the feel and control compared to the others is way better.

[Torres]

Nice touch with the text color matching the racquet. Bravo!

[Torres]

Originally Posted by Kal-El 34

Donnay™ Serial Number System
Donnay™ is the only tennis racquet manufacturer to use a serial numbering system to identify every racquet. Using this system you can place an order with us, giving us your current racquets serial number, and receive an exact duplicate of your current racquet down to the gram and millimeter. This is only capable with Donnay's strict quality control standards.

that way... 6 month down the road when you want another one, you can still get the exact same one you are hitting with

I agree its a good system, but it will be interesting to see just how reliable that would be, because they would have to measure, weight and balance exactly every single racquet coming off the production line.

I would like to know exactly how it works. For example, do they have a database and in the event you want an exact racquet, what do they do? Punch in the serial number and it finds another racquet with the exact weight and balance, and then they pull it off the rack in their warehouse to send to you? Operationally, its going to take a fair amount of resources to run that sort of system.

[Kal-El 34]

Donnay X-Black 94 Review

this is another one of the most impressive offerings from the new donnay line. The cosmetics are among the best I've ever seen on a frame. The black and smoke color really make this look like an elegant, yet dangerous weapon. This frame is like the younger, stronger, more easy going version of its blue 94 brother.

GROUNDSTROKS 8.5/10

Again I was instantly attracted to the 18x20 string pattern of the black 94. The racquet is a bit heavier, but swings lighter in my opinion as it feels more headlight. It also was a bit less demanding than the blue 94, but offered a little less pinpoint control. However, the control was still better than just about anything else out there. I was getting a little more pop off the ball with the black 94 and i was the blue, which was nice. I usually like a bit stiffer racquet, but this one felt pretty much right on the money to me. I could really take big cuts at my forehand. The control was very nice, and I was getting a nice blend of power / spin / depth. This racquet felt very good. It also impressed me on my backhand side. I enjoyed hitting slice the most, as the flexibility of the frame gave it a nice soft feel, without being mushy like i thought the x-dark red 94 was. My two handed backhand was coming off the strings hot, with good pace and action when I wanted to really go for it. Defensive balls were also no problem with this. The weight of the racquet may be a bit much for some, but if you can handle it, it can be a big help. You don't have to go all out, just let the weight of the racquet do its thing. Smooth half swings were landing deep in the court with pretty good pace. I felt very comfortable swinging the x-black around. I've knicknamed this the dark knight

VOLLEYS 9.5/10

Another area where this racquet stood out to me was at the net. The more headlight balance made this frame very easy to move around at the net given its weight. However, the benefit to it being heavy was the fact that it felt EXTREMELY solid when striking the ball on volleys. Ive got to say I've never been so confident in my net game as I have been since hitting with these racquets. I could dial up great power when I wanted to just nail one, and the flexibility of the frame was great when I wanted some touch. There was no vibration on off center shots. In fact, if you don't feel like you're hitting the sweetspot on these racquets, you probably are hitting the frame because the sweetspot is very big for a 94 sq. in. racquet. Of all the 94's, this and the blue 94 performed the best for me. I think the stiffness of the blue provided me with a little more control at the net. However this one felt really good too. It's all a matter of preference here... so which one do you go for??


SERVE 9/10

Serving with this racquet is a real treat. Hitting a serve with this is about as close as I'll ever get to striking someone down with an excalibur type sword. I felt like a beat swinging this thing around haha. Power was there, a little more so than I felt with the other 94s I think. The 18x20 allowed me to really go after my flat serve, and I was noticing a little more pop than I was with the blue 94. I was getting that same very heavy spin on my kick and slice that I mentioned enjoying with other previous 94 in this line. The weight did not feel like an issue to me here either. In fact, I felt like I could be a bit more fluid with my motion, and really just let the racquet do the work. I did not feel like I had to put a massive swing on the ball to get the power I was looking for. I thought the weight would be an issue in serving during long matches. But I have had a couple days where I've played 5 or 6 sets and have had no should problem or anything whatsoever. Very nice.

OVERALL 9/10

Overall I like this racquet in every aspect of critique. Cosmetically it is amazing and it plays very nice as well. The power and spin is great on the groundstrokes, while maintaining a very comfortable feel. It felt very nice on volleys, providing the right blend of punch and touch. Serving was monsterous, and another area where this frame is great. It is heavy, but if you can handle the weight, it will reward you in big ways

[Kal-El 34]

Originally Posted by Racketdesign

Every Vantage custom racquet has a unique serial number which is saved against player information and completed racquet spec, and any special requests made at the time of order.

at some point i would love to try out a vantage and see how it stacks up. the company has always intrigued me

[Kal-El 34]

Originally Posted by Torres

I agree its a good system, but it will be interesting to see just how reliable that would be, because they would have to measure, weight and balance exactly every single racquet coming off the production line.

I would like to know exactly how it works. For example, do they have a database and in the event you want an exact racquet, what do they do? Punch in the serial number and it finds another racquet with the exact weight and balance, and then they pull it off the rack in their warehouse to send to you? Operationally, its going to take a fair amount of resources to run that sort of system.

yea time will tell on this one really. i am meeting with someone from the company tomorrow and will ask them about this

[db379]

Originally Posted by Racketdesign

They arent the only company doing this... and they certainly arent the first ! I will have to drop them an email

Hey Racquetdesign,
I'm still waiting for the demo racquets you promised to send me a long while ago... Does it still hold?

(sorry for hijacking the thread Kal... won't do it again ) BTW, nice write up on these beauties! You said the X blue 94 was the stiffest of the bunch. How stiff is it, and where does it flex?

[Frankauc]

cant wait to read your review of the x-orange

really nice thread man

thx

[morten]

would you say the blue 94 swings heavier than the black 94? i want the lightest swinging of the two...

[JGads]

Interesting reviews. I demoed a lot of these frames and the Dark Red actually felt better/not as mushy as the rest of the frames. Loved the playtest enough to buy one but have since struggled to find that zone I had during my month of playtesting it. The Dark Red really calls for a stiff/crisp feeling poly I think. The weighted buttcaps are a dynamite feature that I hope other companies will emulate moving forward.

[OldButGame]

Originally Posted by JGads

Interesting reviews. I demoed a lot of these frames and the Dark Red actually felt better/not as mushy as the rest of the frames. Loved the playtest enough to buy one but have since struggled to find that zone I had during my month of playtesting it. The Dark Red really calls for a stiff/crisp feeling poly I think. The weighted buttcaps are a dynamite feature that I hope other companies will emulate moving forward.

Jgads,...if i can ask??..did You pay 249$ ??
that price kinda scares me,....

[JGads]

Originally Posted by OldButGame

Jgads,...if i can ask??..did You pay 249$ ??
that price kinda scares me,....

Nope, I got an outstanding deal from a rep that was so good, I bought two frames, thinking then that I'd be switching permanently to this one. I don't want to say specifically what the deal was out of respect to TW, but it was dynamite. So I have the one frame I've been toying with and another that's still unwrapped, and at some point they might be going up in the For Sale section but I can't bring myself to do that just yet because there are elements to these frames (the maneuverability, the easy pop on serve, the hot butter slices) that are just so splendid that I haven't fully given up on the frame yet, even if the Black Ace Mid is now the primary apple of my eye.

[backatcha]

Hey Kal-El: I am very interested in your thoughts regarding the Black 99 and Blue 99. After you have reviewed each of these models, please take the time to compare the characteristics. I have been told in another thread that they play very similarly with the only significance being the extra power (SW) of the Blue. You seemed to like the Black 94 a little more than the Blue 94 because of its additional forgiveness and extra power... it will be interesting to see if this holds true for the Blue 99 vs the Black 99.

BTW next week I will be demoing the Donnay line (Black 99, Blue 99, Red 99, Black 94, Blue 94 and Dark Red 94) and look forward to the play test.

PS: In your previous reviews, you do not make much mention of the possible weight customizations and the particular effect on the playability. Did you have any good, bad or other experiences with the weights?

[Kal-El 34]

Originally Posted by backatcha

Hey Kal-El: I am very interested in your thoughts regarding the Black 99 and Blue 99. After you have reviewed each of these models, please take the time to compare the characteristics. I have been told in another thread that they play very similarly with the only significance being the extra power (SW) of the Blue. You seemed to like the Black 94 a little more than the Blue 94 because of its additional forgiveness and extra power... it will be interesting to see if this holds true for the Blue 99 vs the Black 99.

BTW next week I will be demoing the Donnay line (Black 99, Blue 99, Red 99, Black 94, Blue 94 and Dark Red 94) and look forward to the play test.

PS: In your previous reviews, you do not make much mention of the possible weight customizations and the particular effect on the playability. Did you have any good, bad or other experiences with the weights?

i did tinker around more with the lighter frames in the batch. the black, blue, and red 94+ were all pretty heavy stock. i did however, try the different caps and was generally more pleased with the 5g one in. I actually liked all 3 of the aforementioned frames with no strips in the top. i played around with different settings, but didn't think any of them needed more weight in the head. obviously, this may be different for others depending on their preference.

i will talk more about customizing the frames when i get into the red 99 and orange 99, and did tinker around a little with the black and blue 99 as well but i did have some nice results with the kits on the red 99 and the orange 99 the most