Diary of a Racketaholic

[Devilito]

Originally Posted by Power Player

I bet you will switch before me. Seriously...I like these sticks a lot.

haha yeah? maybe. Outdoor season is starting and today was my first day out. Indoor is so fast and precise and the 85 are ideal. Now the conditions feel so erratic with the sun and wind and considerably slower. Maybe time to pick up something more forgiving? lol

[cheers]

Devilito,
Why not go back to TF320? Looked like you were crushing the ball with it.

Ross K,
I think I know why you don't like the TF320's feel. The silicone in the handle takes away a bit of the feel you are accustomed to. I put some in the handle of my YTPP to compensate for removal of the leather grip (just 7-8g) and it got more tinny and muted. I took the bluetack (silicone alternative) out of the PSTGT handle and a bit of the feel came right back as well. So you may want to stay away from certain sticks that have silicone in the handle, or use bluetack (the effects are less severe than silicone IMO).

Also, I must have spoken too soon with my love of the YTPP and ended up eating my words. Long story short, I sold them, went back to PSTGT until I figure out my next move and then ended up stringing up the Black Magic 17 at 51# in my TF320 and I'm back in the saddle with the TFights. Serves and spin are huge with that stick over the YTPP/PSTGT for me. I may go down to 48# since it seems to be ok with full poly and low tensions as in nothing's really flying on me.

Anyone try low sub-50 tensions in the TF320's?

[retlod]

Originally Posted by Ross K

One post likened it to a softer feeling PD and said it was very spinny and powerful. Maybe a bit like the TF 320 in performance...

Re the IG 16x19, I'm trying to get hold of one in a trade or some such...

A PD and an EXO3 Tour feel nothing alike. Nothing. A stiff PD will launch the ball off the stringbed in an instant. Because there's little dwell time, there's little feel. The EXO3 Tour, OTOH, is so flexible that even with tight poly the ball stays on the string bed for what seems like an eternity. It's like the frame (not the strings) has a trampoline effect. The spin is good, but not Babolat good, and the power is there, but it's not tweener powerful. The flex is an acquired taste. If you hit with one, it'll feel unlike anything you've ever hit with. I prefer the older Ozone Tours--they're not quite as flexy. IMO, the Speeds would be less of a system shock if you're coming from APDs, YTPPs, and TFs.

[Ross K]

ret,

Hmm, maybe these newer Exo's wouldn't be my cup of tequilla then. I quite like stiff these days and am not into that very soft feel I've admittedly previously liked in various frames... never did hit with Ozones but know the Ozxone Tour was highly rated by some.


cheers,

Re TF V02 320, I'll probably give it one further string job, just because, in theory, it should be an excellent fit for me. As you refer to though, the feel hasn't been to my liking, plus I can't quite seem to get the kind of ball I like (has the spin factor but there's a slight lack of depth, unlike the APD, which has both.) Additionally, it isn't so 'addictive' a hit as something like the APD, or a PDR, or whatever, probably because I can't quite locate the same easy, deep groundie. All that said though, it's quite close to my APDs, and is the kind of frame that I'd use for doubles (though I'm not a regular dubs player), or if I was hitting with my old coach, or indeed playing/coaching with kids, which I do fairly frequently... I've alternated between a small amount of lead @ 12, and then also I've had lead @ 10 and 2. I think 50 is as low as I've gone (w/Black Code, if I'm not mistake.) Loads of power of course. Truthfully though, I have never been entirely happy with this frame with any string/set up (inc. my fave string, Tour Bite, and BHBR). I suspect for me, it could be more about modding it up somewhat more skillfully, as opposed to tension issues. Then again, maybe, like I seem to have discovered with the Pres Pros, it's just not right for me?

R

[retlod]

Originally Posted by Ross K

never did hit with Ozones but know the Ozone Tour was highly rated by some.

I'm collecting them and buy one more every time the TW price drops.

[ryushen21]

I'm still waiting to see if I'm going to luck my way into a X-Black 94. Trying to sweeten the deal a little for the posters here on the board. Will post more as my search continues.

On another note, I've seen the light that the rest of you have seen re poly at low tensions. My BC has lost as much tension as it is going to (I reckon that it is around the low 50's upper 40's range presently) and I was hitting some of the heaviest and cleanest shots ever with it. It was just ridiculously easy. I am very much looking forward to a fresh stringing at 52 lbs and seeing how good that is.

[Power Player]

Im going to put full poly in my PC600 at 46#s. You can really go low with the tension in a small head. I'd strongly suggest you don't go higher than 50#s..with low tensions you kind of want to dive in off the deep end instead of slowly inching into the water.

[ryushen21]

Going to 52 from having played at 60 for so long is a pretty big drop. I think it will also give me a really good idea of whether I want to go lower or stay at that level.

[Power Player]

I went from 62#s to 43#s...seriously..it was wild..you can do it man..trust me.

48#s full poly in the prestige is a very sexy experience. The Donnays are meant for 50#s and under as well...keep that in mind if you get one and it is strung up tight.

[el sergento]

...Update on my Prestige grudge match...

For about two months now I've been playing with both the YTK Prestige PMP and PPro and a very clear winner has emerged and it's the ...................

..........Drum roll.............

The Prestige Pro hands down. Moving outdoors means harsher conditions and having to adapt to the elements and bad bounces.

As such, spin and power come to the forefront and the Pro is just spinnier and more powerful and will get you out of tight spot with flying colors.

Also, when the ball gets up high I can crush it down with ease, something the MP could not do. At the end of the day, there's just no substitute for twistweight and plow.

I think I hit gold with my currents setup.

With OG, 346 grams, 323 SW (3g's at 1.5&10.5), 7 pts hl

I'm actually kind of disappointed because I love tinkering with my racquets and other than restringing, there's just nothing to do anymore on my PPro (for now).

Ross, did you ever lead up your PPro finally?

Cheers

[Fed Kennedy]

How is that 88 treating you serge?

[JGads]

Originally Posted by Power Player

I went from 62#s to 43#s...seriously..it was wild..you can do it man..trust me.

48#s full poly in the prestige is a very sexy experience. The Donnays are meant for 50#s and under as well...keep that in mind if you get one and it is strung up tight.

Donnays at 50 and under? Man, the only way I could keep the easy power of the Dark Red at bay was to go high 50s. But I think the Black is less powerful.

Have you played around at all with the buttcaps? The slides don't really do anything, in my opinion, but the buttcaps really can do funky things with the balance. I know you're probably doing the smart thing by keeping the Prestige-like weight and balance and probably not messing, but man, when I put the 10g cap into my dark red, it was BOMBS. AWAY. on serve. Still miss the ease of those aces and service winners with the DR in hand.

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by el sergento

...Update on my Prestige grudge match...

For about two months now I've been playing with both the YTK Prestige PMP and PPro and a very clear winner has emerged and it's the ...................

..........Drum roll.............

The Prestige Pro hands down. Moving outdoors means harsher conditions and having to adapt to the elements and bad bounces.

As such, spin and power come to the forefront and the Pro is just spinnier and more powerful and will get you out of tight spot with flying colors.

Also, when the ball gets up high I can crush it down with ease, something the MP could not do. At the end of the day, there's just no substitute for twistweight and plow.

I think I hit gold with my currents setup.

With OG, 346 grams, 323 SW (3g's at 1.5&10.5), 7 pts hl

I'm actually kind of disappointed because I love tinkering with my racquets and other than restringing, there's just nothing to do anymore on my PPro (for now).

Ross, did you ever lead up your PPro finally?

Cheers

Hey el,

Yes, I posted about this last week. To recap, I appreciated the way it kind of 'launched' and oomphed up the ball, especially with the 2hbh. However, I was left feeling I'm just quite not where I want to be with this frame, and actually fast tiring of the constant tinkering with mods/strings/tensions, etc.

TBH, I sense I could be approaching the end of the road with the PP. It's probably a tad out of my league anyhow. Plus, for all it's touch, solidness, build quality, all court performance, etc, I'm now leaning back towards the other frame I've been kind of playing on/off with for over a year - the APD. Just a slightly better match up for me generally, I think.

Thanks for your help though el (I thought those mods were pretty artful, if that's the word?)... and I absolutely do consider it a brilliant frame; I just think, as I said in that post last week... "the evidence is mounting" and the jury has kind of spoken.

ATB

R

[Fed Kennedy]

^^^I think I was on that jury. I sentenced mine to hard labor somewhere in New England. Lol. I still have an mp that I need to get as far away from me as possible. Bleh.

I won in straight sets with the 88 today. I'm going to kamikaze into the finals with a fresh stringjob and test the collective wisdom of TT.

[JGads]

Originally Posted by Fed Kennedy

^^^I think I was on that jury. I sentenced mine to hard labor somewhere in New England. Lol. I still have an mp that I need to get as far away from me as possible. Bleh.

I won in straight sets with the 88 today. I'm going to kamikaze into the finals with a fresh stringjob and test the collective wisdom of TT.

Wait - this was a warmup, not the actual guy you were sweating/talking about having lost to previously, correct? In any event, give 'em hell.

[el sergento]

Originally Posted by Fed Kennedy

How is that 88 treating you serge?

Love it. Removed the leather (blasphemy I know) and replaced it with a synthetic and counterweighted in the bottom. Kept the same weight but went up a balance point hl.

Its become my bully frame. I use it to beat up on weaker opponents who insist on feeding me backhands that I pancake dtl for winners all day long.

Against tougher opposition that can get high on my BH, I need the bigger stick.

Also, my usual poly setup goes dead in half the time in the 88.

[Power Player]

Originally Posted by JGads

Donnays at 50 and under? Man, the only way I could keep the easy power of the Dark Red at bay was to go high 50s. But I think the Black is less powerful.

Have you played around at all with the buttcaps? The slides don't really do anything, in my opinion, but the buttcaps really can do funky things with the balance. I know you're probably doing the smart thing by keeping the Prestige-like weight and balance and probably not messing, but man, when I put the 10g cap into my dark red, it was BOMBS. AWAY. on serve. Still miss the ease of those aces and service winners with the DR in hand.

Gads, what kind of string were you using? I have another Black coming with the buttcaps, so I know I will add the 5 gram for sure. This racquet swings so light that it kind of freaks me out sometimes. I have it at 12ozs and it feels like 13 when you pick it up, but it swings like it is 11.5. It is completely nuts how that works.

It got so humid last night that my tourna was soaked within an hour, and I had to grab my PC600 for a bit (this is why I always buy 2 sticks..the FL humidity..you get one grip wet and grab another stick while the 1st dries, rinse and repeat). Seemless transition, went to it like there was nothing changed in terms of timing. As for more differences, here is what I noticed :

1. the prestige does not allow me to hit certain shots as easily. Mainly, the "oh sh*t, I have to stay open stance and topspin the crap out of this shot to have a chance at getting it back in and not destroyed for a winner".

2. The Pc600 has less power. Not a huge revelation, but the pc600 I have is in the mid 40s with a multi and is easily controallble without too much spin needed. You can still crush shots with the prestige, but I am more focused

3. The Donnay is a drop shot machine. The touch I can put on this ball is what can give me a more dynamic game. I can bash people back off the baseline and then dropshot them. I like that combo. I have always used dropshots to draw in a player and set up a passing shot, and that is a pretty easy play to setup with this racquet. the Prestige is not as good for this, but it can be done..just not as easily.

4. The prestige prefers a flatter swing path. Hitting with aggressive low to high top is not a great idea with the prestige, while the donnay will not only give you pace and depth, but also allows you to hit a flat ball too if you want. I like to vary it up, and I just have to watch myself and not get too wristy with my shots.

5. Both are awesome for full poly in the 40s. You can not go wrong with either if you like full poly and value your health in the process.

6. The balance of the prestige is perfection. You can not mess with a good thing..I love the balance on the prestige so much. For some reason it just makes you swing properly. The great thing is that I can easily match the balance with the 5 gram buttcap on the donnay.

7. Feel of the donnay is actually growing on me. A sweetspot flatter hit is pluuuush and loud. A topspin brush shot is disarmingly quiet but it comes off the stringbed hot and kicks hard and off into the side of a righty. I can't get that type of action with the prestige. trajectory of the prestige is lower, while the Donnay is higher but I can hit deep with both sticks. Deep with the Donnay is like I am wondering if the shots going to drop in for me, but hey almost always do. People who have never played me before have trouble adjusting to it unless they are stronger players who know how to deal with heavy spin, and then it becomes a pleasureable experience for both of us because the rallies are long and we are both hitting hard.

Hopefully this detail helps people out who can not demo the donnays because they are so unique that it is real tough to compare them to anything. If I had a complaint, it is that the bumpers probably need head tape. I will most likely have to get some for the top..I don't think that really affects the weight or balance by much but I could be wrong.

Besides that, I am pretty happy to be out of demoing racquets even though I really enjoyed my run with the prestige. I think you have to hit a competitive point where you realize that there is no perfect stick and it is time to pick what will win you matches. The most matches I won was with the Babolat apdc. I will never go back to that racquet because it had no feel, was super stiff, had a thick beam, everyone used it, and it was hard to string under 50#s, and was too powerful. It still was a beast stick and I appreciate what can be done with it, but I came up in the thin beam era and associate thick beams with the wilson hammer no matter how many times I try and get past it. The donnay hits like a lower powered apdc, but has touch and feel, serves better and is a solid racquet. I am not really honeymooning with this racquet after all the info I have shared. Honeymoning to me is where you can not wait to play with the stick, it feels perfect, your shotmaking is sex and you feel like a god. This is more of a nice relaxed feeling of where I made my decision and realize that nothing is perfect, but this racquet is best for my style of play.

I have some solinco tourbite coming, and I think that, the b5e or the Black Magic will end up working for me just fine.

This was my racqeutaholuic rambling. Hopefully it makes some kind of sense since I typed it on and off all morning.

[Ross K]

^ Perfect sense.

[PED]

Fed, I'm almost out of my Tour bite reel and am "interviewing" new candidates.

Could you compare Tour bite to Hyperion and also to Barb Wire if you've tried it as well.

TB is still the one to beat for me. I tried Typhoon over the last 2 days and EPIC FAIL in the apd for me. Loved it in the YTPP but not up in here.

thanks

[Power Player]

wow..this tour bite sounds like the best string ever..lol..I hear it is like lux but lasts a lot longer. I wish I could rave about the Outlast, but it is just ok. Definitley a nice string for a racquet that you won't be stringing all the time. I plan to throw it in my PC600 because it will be great in that, but won't be my go to string in the Donnays.