Gamma Tour 320X initial review

[sstchur]

Originally Posted by Canadian Kid

Than but I'm stocked up with 4 already and I just switched to Donnay anyway.

No worries. Which Donnay did you switch to? Some of those sticks really look sweet! I just wish they weren't so darn expensive. I won't even demo one b/c I know I'm not willing to pay their prices.

[Canadian Kid]

Originally Posted by sstchur

No worries. Which Donnay did you switch to? Some of those sticks really look sweet! I just wish they weren't so darn expensive. I won't even demo one b/c I know I'm not willing to pay their prices.

I got the Donnay white. The thing about Donnay is that is can have the same exact measurements of any racquet but its just thinner and therefore you can swing faster. Basically it takes whatever racquet youare using and makes it better.

The donnay are a staggering 15 milimetrs thin......but they are as stable as any thick racquet because its the only racquet thats not hollow.

My Donnay is exactly the same weight and balance as my Gamma but its way thinner. It took no time for me to adjust. Its faster and more maneuverable than the Gamma.

The racquets are worth it because you basically never have to switch racquets again. for example I wante to see what the Donnay Orange was like. so I simply added the butt caps and slide in weights that come with the racquet and presto changeo......I turned my Donnay white into the Donnay orange.

[Shift]

Originally Posted by Canadian Kid

I got the Donnay white. The thing about Donnay is that is can have the same exact measurements of any racquet but its just thinner and therefore you can swing faster. Basically it takes whatever racquet youare using and makes it better.

The donnay are a staggering 15 milimetrs thin......but they are as stable as any thick racquet because its the only racquet thats not hollow.

My Donnay is exactly the same weight and balance as my Gamma but its way thinner. It took no time for me to adjust. Its faster and more maneuverable than the Gamma.

The racquets are worth it because you basically never have to switch racquets again. for example I wante to see what the Donnay Orange was like. so I simply added the butt caps and slide in weights that come with the racquet and presto changeo......I turned my Donnay white into the Donnay orange.

Also exactly the way I felt. I picked one of the Donnays based only on Specs, TW Reviews, Customer reviews, and the awesome feedback fron TT forum members. I went with the X-Red 99, which is a big switch from my APDGT. The customization is also a great idea. Overall, a racquet that greatly improved my game.

[sstchur]

Played with the 320X again this morning.

This time I had about 8g of lead under the grip + the overgrip, bringing the total to about 13 or 14g of additional weight (over stock form) in the handle.

Groundstrokes felt nice. My backhand felt great with this racquet. I don't know what it is, but my backhand is definitely very solid with this racquet.

I did feel that I lacked a little stability though, so I'm considering adding a little more weight.

I'm considering 10 and 2, but I'm also considering adding weight to the throat as well, just to bring the static weight up a bit and get more plow through.

As for my shoulder. It hurts about as much as it ever has. But the jury is still out on whether or not that is the racquet's fault.

It's been a long time since my shoulder has hurt this much, but there have been occasions when it hurt like this playing with my Fischers too. So I'm not quite ready to blame in on the racquet.

Bummer though, b/c it's difficult to demo the thing when I have so much shoulder pain hindering my serve and forehand.

[crazyups]

Originally Posted by sstchur

Played with the 320X again this morning.

This time I had about 8g of lead under the grip + the overgrip, bringing the total to about 13 or 14g of additional weight (over stock form) in the handle.

Groundstrokes felt nice. My backhand felt great with this racquet. I don't know what it is, but my backhand is definitely very solid with this racquet.

I did feel that I lacked a little stability though, so I'm considering adding a little more weight.

I'm considering 10 and 2, but I'm also considering adding weight to the throat as well, just to bring the static weight up a bit and get more plow through.

As for my shoulder. It hurts about as much as it ever has. But the jury is still out on whether or not that is the racquet's fault.

It's been a long time since my shoulder has hurt this much, but there have been occasions when it hurt like this playing with my Fischers too. So I'm not quite ready to blame in on the racquet.

Bummer though, b/c it's difficult to demo the thing when I have so much shoulder pain hindering my serve and forehand.

You need to wait for the pain to go away or subside before you test again. I used to use the m-pro #1 but it was not powerful enough and I don't like the thick beam. Now I use it when I hit with my 11 year old daughter or for feeding balls. Adding weight at 9 and 3 will give plow through and won't raise the sweet zone which I think is a bit high already. Not adding weight to the throat is better for spin as it will be more polarized that way.

[sstchur]

Chronic shoulder pain has been an ongoing issue for me that I don't think is ever going to go away. I've taken time off before -- enough time that I had no pain at all. But as soon as I go back to tennis, the pain comes back.

PT has never really helped either. It seems that all I can do is try to space out how often I play and choose equipment that is more forgiving.

I can't help but notice though, that while shoulder pain is not surprising for me (regardless of racquet), it feels particularly painful after 2 outings with the 320X. It hasn't felt this bad in quite a long time (and I had been playing roughly 2 times a week w/ the Fischers before this).

I may give some lead at 10/2 a try.

[sstchur]

Played with the 320X again tonight. I also had a demo of the Prince Exo3 Tour which I compared it too.

I liked the Gamma better this outing, but that may be in part b/c the grip size on the Prince was too small for me and it bothered me. Also the Prince was strung with some poly, and I hate polys.

The Gamma still impresses me in a lot of ways. I wish I had I still had a T-7 to compare the 320X to. I keep remembering a certain feel that the T-7 had, but maybe I'm remembering something that never was (that happens sometimes) :-/

I'm tempted to pick up a T-7 again just so I can compare it to the 320X.

Every time I do a racquet search with the TW racquet finder, the T-7 keeps coming up again and again and again based on my search criteria:

Max head size: 100
Max stiffness: 60
Max beam width: 20

In reality, I think I would like less stiffness than 60, but I usually put that in just to get a few more results returned.

I would actually like something a touch thinner than 20 as well, but again, not much comes up if I go below 20.

I'm cheap too and don't want to take out a small loan to buy a new racquet.

I nearly bought a couple of the TW Donnay Pro One Int'ls a year ago when TW still had them. I demo'd it and really really like it. Had an awesome thud/thwack feel on every hit. But I didn't buy any b/c I heard the grommets on these were notorious for breaking and that TW was going to be discontinuing them soon.

I think I'm too cheap for the new Donnays.

Maybe I will put some lead at 3 and 9 on the Gamma and see if I get more "thud" out of it. I need more thud. MORE THUD!

[crazyups]

Originally Posted by sstchur

Played with the 320X again tonight. I also had a demo of the Prince Exo3 Tour which I compared it too.

I liked the Gamma better this outing, but that may be in part b/c the grip size on the Prince was too small for me and it bothered me. Also the Prince was strung with some poly, and I hate polys.

The Gamma still impresses me in a lot of ways. I wish I had I still had a T-7 to compare the 320X to. I keep remembering a certain feel that the T-7 had, but maybe I'm remembering something that never was (that happens sometimes) :-/

I'm tempted to pick up a T-7 again just so I can compare it to the 320X.

Every time I do a racquet search with the TW racquet finder, the T-7 keeps coming up again and again and again based on my search criteria:

Max head size: 100
Max stiffness: 60
Max beam width: 20

In reality, I think I would like less stiffness than 60, but I usually put that in just to get a few more results returned.

I would actually like something a touch thinner than 20 as well, but again, not much comes up if I go below 20.

I'm cheap too and don't want to take out a small loan to buy a new racquet.

I nearly bought a couple of the TW Donnay Pro One Int'ls a year ago when TW still had them. I demo'd it and really really like it. Had an awesome thud/thwack feel on every hit. But I didn't buy any b/c I heard the grommets on these were notorious for breaking and that TW was going to be discontinuing them soon.

I think I'm too cheap for the new Donnays.

Maybe I will put some lead at 3 and 9 on the Gamma and see if I get more "thud" out of it. I need more thud. MORE THUD!

You might want to try dunlop bio 200 lite. TW says 21 mm beam but most sources say 20 mm including dunlop. I've been looking at what people say about the lite and may test it.

[sstchur]

Originally Posted by crazyups

You might want to try dunlop bio 200 lite. TW says 21 mm beam but most sources say 20 mm including dunlop. I've been looking at what people say about the lite and may test it.

Funny you should say that. I had, from a local shop, a Dunlop Bio 200 in my bag, but completely forgot about it and never tested it. I had to return it today

[sstchur]

Well the Gamma Tour 320X experiment was fun, but it is officially over.

I don't know if it's just that I'm used to the Fischers and have better timing, or what, but it's undeniable that I just play better -- much better -- with them than with the Gamma.

Back to the Fischers for me. Look for a cheap Gamma Tour 320X in the FS section fairly soon.

[ChadW]

I know this is an old review, so I'm resurrecting it here.

This racquet is on closeout now, and I can't help but think it's well worth the $70/stick. Are there better technologies in the newer Gammas that are worth paying for?

I'm currently hitting with a Head Youtek Speed MP 16x19, and think this would be an improvement in the control/feel category.

The Tour 330X is also out there, is it better?

Gamma heads, what do you think?

[ced]

Originally Posted by ChadW

I know this is an old review, so I'm resurrecting it here.

This racquet is on closeout now, and I can't help but think it's well worth the $70/stick. Are there better technologies in the newer Gammas that are worth paying for?

I'm currently hitting with a Head Youtek Speed MP 16x19, and think this would be an improvement in the control/feel category.

The Tour 330X is also out there, is it better?

Gamma heads, what do you think?

The 330X is the better racquet ...... I've just ordered one and picked up several T7's a week or so ago .....These two Gamma offerings are as good as anything on the market, if you've got decent strokes...... I've been away from Gamma for three or so years, but IMO, except for the Kneissl Black Star they beat anything else I've used in that period.

[sstchur]

Originally Posted by ced

The 330X is the better racquet ...... I've just ordered one and picked up several T7's a week or so ago .....These two Gamma offerings are as good as anything on the market, if you've got decent strokes...... I've been away from Gamma for three or so years, but IMO, except for the Kneissl Black Star they beat anything else I've used in that period.

And I'm back to (and have been for a while) the Gamma T-7. Love this stick. Great feel, very controlled. As good as any other racquet I've tried.

Actually very very similar to the ProKennex 5G (which I also own and hit very well with).

I think Gamma produces very good stuff. QC is great too.