Diary of a Racketaholic

[Power Player]

I saw Mikeler switched to a racquet that is easier on his joints. The PK Kinetic Pro 7g.

Thing is supposed to be great on your arm and hits big. Anybody ever use it here?

[ryushen21]

I think that the Platinum 94 may in fact be the GROAT.

This morning was just too good. All the swing characteristics were there but it just felt so much better having the leather grip gave me a better feel in my hand. I was really gripping and ripping today. It was also nice not having to worry about the weight strips moving having been replaced by lead. It actually covered the same amount of head space so there wasn't any kind of sluggishness.

The Tornado had a perfect response now that it is strung even across the whole bed. The added tightness gives a it more control but is still very nice on the arm.

This maybe the best setup I have ever played.

[JGads]

Originally Posted by Power Player

I saw Mikeler switched to a racquet that is easier on his joints. The PK Kinetic Pro 7g.

Thing is supposed to be great on your arm and hits big. Anybody ever use it here?

I tried it once and loved it. Huge serves and two-handed backhands, fantastic feel. Got jammed a bit on the forehand with the extra length, though; I always wondered if it could be something I'd get used to and corral, but never had it in me to go for that long test to find out. Hits very solid, driving balls through the court.

Because the 7G felt so great and hit a very solid ball (racquet is stiff while being very comfy and you feel very connected to the ball), I've always wanted to try the standard length 5G but the only way to do so is to buy.

So yeah, one of the better options out there, in my opinion, even if it's very under the radar. Same story for just about all of Pro Kennex, I guess.

Oh, and the 'beads' within the frame that rattle around - a little weird and annoying when casually wielding the frame, but I don't remember being bothered by it during play. On the plus side, you can join a Mariachi band and use the racquet instead of maracas.

[JGads]

Originally Posted by ryushen21

I think that the Platinum 94 may in fact be the GROAT.

This morning was just too good. All the swing characteristics were there but it just felt so much better having the leather grip gave me a better feel in my hand. I was really gripping and ripping today. It was also nice not having to worry about the weight strips moving having been replaced by lead. It actually covered the same amount of head space so there wasn't any kind of sluggishness.

The Tornado had a perfect response now that it is strung even across the whole bed. The added tightness gives a it more control but is still very nice on the arm.

This maybe the best setup I have ever played.

So, Tornado at 52, full bed? Will drop off my 94 later today or tomorrow for the Tornado treatment.

[Alzer]

Originally Posted by Ross K

el sergento,
Trust me, against this 5 level player, I was made to feel every gram.
R

Trust me, I know exactly what you mean. When playing better players I always feel like I'm late on the ball, and I, like you, thought I have to remove the lead so I can get my racket there quicker. And I did. Then I go back to playing the "normal" bunch and I find that I cant get that pace and 'put away' plow on the ball and so the lead goes back on.

Now I've been using the 15grams at 12 and 6 on the butt cap I know I have to prepare better, be quick and generally concentrate more. All these things are essential to good tennis - and right now I'm playing pretty good.

I found the TGK without lead more demanding too, had to take big swipes at the ball.

[ryushen21]

JGads...52 seems to be just right for me. I will say that I am still getting settled with the frame though and will eventually be lowering the tension. After some more time, I'm thinking 48 lbs. should be about perfect.

[Fed Kennedy]

I had a great week with some babs out here. Seriously considering going that route...The only thing is that my groundies are garbage. But my serves and volleys are super good. APD slice and approach is out of this world.

I tried the PDR standard and the APDGT (aka the Lovitz).
I like the APD better around the court but the PDR serving is sort of incredible. I could pop my first serve flat out wide with crazy consistency. Again though my groundies were just awful. I play a lot of doubles though so it's doesn't show as much.

I must contemplate this further.

[Power Player]

Originally Posted by JGads

I tried it once and loved it. Huge serves and two-handed backhands, fantastic feel. Got jammed a bit on the forehand with the extra length, though; I always wondered if it could be something I'd get used to and corral, but never had it in me to go for that long test to find out. Hits very solid, driving balls through the court.

Because the 7G felt so great and hit a very solid ball (racquet is stiff while being very comfy and you feel very connected to the ball), I've always wanted to try the standard length 5G but the only way to do so is to buy.

So yeah, one of the better options out there, in my opinion, even if it's very under the radar. Same story for just about all of Pro Kennex, I guess.

Oh, and the 'beads' within the frame that rattle around - a little weird and annoying when casually wielding the frame, but I don't remember being bothered by it during play. On the plus side, you can join a Mariachi band and use the racquet instead of maracas.

hahaha..thats awesome. Just need to know some good PK options in case I get more wrist flair up. I havent been able to play yet due to weather.

I know Mikeler plays a ton of tennis, and has good tatse in sticks, so I was interested when I saw his post. It sucks when you get hurt, you start thinking different about racquets..strings..etc.

[JGads]

Originally Posted by Power Player

hahaha..thats awesome. Just need to know some good PK options in case I get more wrist flair up. I havent been able to play yet due to weather.

I know Mikeler plays a ton of tennis, and has good tatse in sticks, so I was interested when I saw his post. It sucks when you get hurt, you start thinking different about racquets..strings..etc.

Yeah, to be frank, may have liked the 7G more than the Ace 98, but it's been so long. To me the Ace Mid is still on the top level, though, as far as PK goes. But the 7G could easily be a frame I revisit someday, and if I ever got offered that or a 5G in a trade, I'd probably bite to experiment. The feel was fantastic.

But good news is, I've personally had no flare ups with elbow or anything else from playing with the Plat 94, so to me, at least so far, it seems like a safe stick in spite of some of those scary findings from some others.

[Ross K]

Gentlemen,

I, too, have only ever heard highly positive comments re the PK Kinnetic Pro 7G and that series.

Tornado eh?... do post up your thoughts on this. I liked it a lot previously but was a bit underwhelmed when I tried it again in my Pres Pro last week. It was a tad stiffer than I recalled it being, though maybe that's the frame? I don't know, it was good, but, I don't know, unyielding somehow. Like a few woman I used to know... Do post your views on this string though... and btw, I'm looking again at the similarish Hyperion in my PP as I really liked this string previously. Am I going to be underwhelmed again, I wonder?


Fed,

Wait until you get what many perceive to be the greatest thing about the APD sorted out, in other words, your groundstrokes! You'll be in business then for sure. Have you gone down the lead route yet? I actually always found the APDs devilishly hard to mod just right. That said, I'd ended up with 6g in butt and about 3g @ 12 a month or so ago and that kind of felt just about right with full poly strung low.


Alzer,

Trust me, I know exactly what you mean. When playing better players I always feel like I'm late on the ball, and I, like you, thought I have to remove the lead so I can get my racket there quicker. And I did. Then I go back to playing the "normal" bunch and I find that I cant get that pace and 'put away' plow on the ball and so the lead goes back on.

Now I've been using the 15grams at 12 and 6 on the butt cap I know I have to prepare better, be quick and generally concentrate more. All these things are essential to good tennis - and right now I'm playing pretty good.

I found the TGK without lead more demanding too, had to take big swipes at the ball.

Ha, exactly! It seems we have had the same thoughts and experiences here... although I presently cannot imagine 15g @ 12! I've found 4g too much - LOL! Anyhow, that aside, it does have such a superb solidness, and thumping, clean way of hitting and speed in coming through the ball (minus too much lead @ 12), I suppose you just have to, as George Michael used to be prone to exclaiming prior to nodding out drugged out of his mind behind the wheel of a car - have faith!


R

[ryushen21]

Re the Tornado bit...

I can see where you might not have liked it in the PPro retail. It does have that slightly stiffer RA and Tornado is a stiffer string. That's already a very crispy frame and adding that string might not have been the best move. I'm working through this whole lower tension adjustment but I have the feeling that upper 40s range is just about perfect for this string. In terms of performance and durability, it's one of the best that I have played with.

However, you mention the Hyperion. I recall when these strings first came out that people were talking about the Hyperion/Tornado hybrid and raving about it. I posted in the strings section asking about it but got no responses. I think that this could be the key for you as, IIRC, hyperion was slightly softer. So you get all the benefits of tornado with the softened hyperion feel.

[TennisMD]

Originally Posted by Fed Kennedy

I had a great week with some babs out here. Seriously considering going that route...The only thing is that my groundies are garbage. But my serves and volleys are super good. APD slice and approach is out of this world.

I tried the PDR standard and the APDGT (aka the Lovitz).
I like the APD better around the court but the PDR serving is sort of incredible. I could pop my first serve flat out wide with crazy consistency. Again though my groundies were just awful. I play a lot of doubles though so it's doesn't show as much.

I must contemplate this further.

So Fed I think we have a similar game like the player power rkts and serve sets up the game, also playing more dubs now. So I know you were a Head Youtex Extreme Pro user, Your thoughts on this rkt vs the ones you just recently demoed ie. the PDR standard and AP and were both these the non GT versions.

[el sergento]

Originally Posted by Ross K

el sergento,

Re TGK specs query:

I've done some digging around because I've been a bit in the dark myself TBH.

Well, all I can really say is... and this is from other peoples experiences too... they are weighted from 249-253, with a balance around 379 mm, but thats the hair pin without lead and sillicone. I think its without the grommets and pallets too. A few others have affirmed they got theirs with the same specs as retail and yet it swings different, a slightly heavier SW. One thing I certainly agree on is the flex seems a bit softer on the TGK than retail PP - one TT member had his on an RDC machine and it said 63 RA (retail of course being in the 66 RA region.)

Re my TGK PP, I intend to remove the lead. Yesterday I ended up taking off all the lead on my retail PP @ 12 and I enjoyed spending a day with it really grooving and working my stroking my strokes. Two days ago, I got annihilated by an excellent player and among the lessons I took from my thrashing was I'm simply playing these frames with too much lead on the tip. So, I've had it with a static weight of 344g and a balance of 32.3cm (this does include overgrip and strung with poly) for months. My retail was at a very similar weight/balance minus a gram or 2 less @ 12. However, I think because the starting point for the frames are very different even though the static weight and swing weight are pretty similar, the weight distribution is a bit different. Furthermore, the silicone in the handle makes it feel different. More muted. The layup is different. The stringbed somehow feels/performs more uniformly. Etc. So, I don't know... could you say only the mould is the same?

Annnnyhow, as I said, I'm now looking at no lead on the retail PP and I intend to do similar with the TGK. I may add it back in future, but we'll see. I learnt this week that despite the additional 'hurt' you can get with lead @ 12, for me, it's simply not worth the extra weight. Trust me, against this 5 level player, I was made to feel every gram.

Sorry if some of that's that slightly confusing, el (I'm not a natural when it comes to specs geekery), and there does seem to be some conflicting opinions and indeed a general lack of definite checkable facts or data re these TGKs.

R

Ross, you're a real pal, thanks for digging up that info.

The TGK PP is the only frame that could reignite my R-holism. Just the thought of having so much freedom to experiment is intoxicating.

Regarding lead removal on the retail PP, I actually find that without the lead at the hoop that I'm hitting closer to the natural sweet spot of the racquet, closer to the center of the frame. As a result, despite the reduction in SW, I'm getting more power because the PP's dense string pattern causes some power drop towards the top of the hoop.



Another reason to love NXT, you know exactly where you're hitting the ball.

[Murray_fan1]

OK so the combination of my recent poor play with my current sticks and my curiosity have got the best of me once again. Gone are my PB 10 mid, Donnay X-Blue ( new home with JGads) and TFight 325 and in are Volkl Organix 10 295, Head Speed IG 315 16x19, Head Youtek Extreme IG MP, Prince EXO3 Tour 100 18x20.

My hope is that these new racquets are easier to wield when practice/regular play is not happening as much as I would like.


Reviews to follow!!

[Fed Kennedy]

Originally Posted by TennisMD

So Fed I think we have a similar game like the player power rkts and serve sets up the game, also playing more dubs now. So I know you were a Head Youtex Extreme Pro user, Your thoughts on this rkt vs the ones you just recently demoed ie. the PDR standard and AP and were both these the non GT versions.

Hola MD, I've been a bit schizo lately and I think I know why...summers here and I'm getting to hit with so many good players but there's two radically different groups.

On one hand there's the 14-15 year old juniors that want to play singles...on the other there's a group of 4.5 dubs guys who are about ten years older than me (I'm 33).

So...when I play singles I'm the slowest guy out there hitting the biggest ball and when I play dubs I'm the fastest guy hitting the weakest ball.

The juniors love being fed topspin and they like to move laterally. I need my heavy wilson to smother their topspin and hit through them. The tweener is just useless and I end up in a footrace with a teenage jackrabbit.

The old guys hate being fed topspin and hate moving laterally. Love the tweeners for opening up the court with high bounces and mooning to their one handers...

As you can see I'm kind of torn...

Re: your yt extreme pro question: (BTW did you see ljubicic's returns against Murray??? He hit a 100 mph+ 1hbh block return winner...ssssick)

I've been trying the aero gt and the pdr gt standard. Neither one has the super solid feel of the yt extreme pro, but they are both more forgiving.
The extreme is comparable to the roddick, but I think the extreme vibrates less and is a little more demanding. The extreme is better for flattening out winners. The Roddick is easier to serve with. I was holding serve the other day with this frame in like 40 seconds flat. Makes the game so much easier.

As you probably know the extreme is an unreal rac on returns. Volleys also super crisp. What I like about the babs is they seem a little more aerodynamic, a little bit more manueverable. Small difference but it's there.

The gripshape. I hate the head gripshape. I tape mine up so it doesn't bother me, but then again I pick up a wilson and I feel like I'm shaking hands with God...The bab is much closer to wilson.

The grommets. The woofer thing is just weird. You gotta adjust. Extreme much more direct feeling on contact. But the woof I think is what is jet propelling these serves...

All of this brings me to the APDgt (jon lovitz signature model)...this one has a little more feel than the Roddick and was sublime in improvisational dubs situations. It's too light but just a little. Banging from the backcourt was an exercise in fluff balls. PED and Ross have some ideas how to mod it up. I think just a tad more beef would be nice. Maybe just a leather grip and a gram or two.

Strangely, I loved this rafa stick for S and V. It served almost as well as the roddick, but the approaches and volleys felt much better. I also hit the greatest shot of my life with this thing this week and I cant stop thinking about it...It was like a parallel to the net 1 hander cc that kicked straight into the side fence...woooo!

In summary, I think the Roddick is kind of a better serving but less feel/power/touch than the extreme. Also the Roddick is stiff in a way that kind of microwaves the arm.

The APDgt is secretly a great all court stick but it's weak in stock form...it needs a little weight but I'm not sure how to do it...could be an endless modding disaster, whereas the extreme is almost GOAT in stock form. Remember Ljubo grew up using PDs so these racs are pretty similar.

[Devilito]

Originally Posted by Fed Kennedy

The APDgt is secretly a great all court stick but it's weak in stock form...it needs a little weight but I'm not sure how to do it...could be an endless modding disaster, whereas the extreme is almost GOAT in stock form. Remember Ljubo grew up using PDs so these racs are pretty similar.

Get the APD or the Extreme they’re both good racquets. They both share a similar characteristic. They’re big, light and stiff. They play amazing with a low tension soft poly. This balances out the stiffness of the frame, helps ball pocketing and makes up for the lighter weight. Hits a nice heavy shot. On the other hand you have the option of leading it up, adding a leather grip and upping the tension on your strings. Either way you have versatility in both frames. Ljub used the PD then him and Youzhny both switched to the actual Extreme so you know they’re both solid frames and you can’t go wrong picking one or the other.

[JGads]

Randoms:

Fed, pretty spot on with what I thought about the APD from trying it out way back. I always thought the serves were great, better than advertised. Also remember being able to drop shot with amazing precision, which surprised me as well. Btw, you were all over the PST GT and still talk about it in a goaty way -- what in particular made you not go with it yourself?

Oh, and small side note: that 100 mph return winner from Ljub was unbelievable. I was really sad that that match didn't end up going into a fifth set, because it would have been a dandy: Ljub's smarts/experience vs Murray's physicality.

On this end, two freshly strung Donnays are now ready to dance. You wanna see two gorgeous looking frames? Slap a black Wilson Pro Hybrid grip onto the Donnay Plat and put in a Tornado stringjob, yikes. Did the same grip switch with the Blue but strung it up with the BHBR MurrayFan kindly included in our trade.

Will put the Donnays up to a big task tomorrow night: hitting with a 5.0/maybe-even-5.5 guy. I'll probably get wiped off the court, but at least my frames will look good.

[Ross K]

Fed, others,

Re the Extreme frames...



1.) Which exact Extreme version did/do Ljub ^ and Youz actually use?
2.) Which is the best iteration in your view or in general estimation? You know, MG, YT, IG, etc.

TIA,

R

[Fed Kennedy]

Good question Ross, I think he uses extreme tgk something something (prostock) with gut mains and poly crosses.

Did you see the ljubo/murray match. Lubo hit some of the biggest shots I have ever seen!

Of extremes I've played the YT was much better than the IG.

Gads...I like the pstgt very much, very nice touch and power from the frame. I might go back to it...it's perfect middle ground between PD and 6.1

[ManuGinobili]

Originally Posted by JGads

Yeah, to be frank, may have liked the 7G more than the Ace 98, but it's been so long. To me the Ace Mid is still on the top level, though, as far as PK goes. But the 7G could easily be a frame I revisit someday, and if I ever got offered that or a 5G in a trade, I'd probably bite to experiment. The feel was fantastic.

But good news is, I've personally had no flare ups with elbow or anything else from playing with the Plat 94, so to me, at least so far, it seems like a safe stick in spite of some of those scary findings from some others.

I bough the BA98 in order to be able to keep playing with a ECU tendinitis-ed wrist... yes stupid of me to gamble ... but it totally worked! My wrist is almost 100% now, can play with 350g tgk or hit around with APD with no problem. This stick is serious heaven for your wrist. On top of that, prestige like control in a very swingable package.

However you can probably figure out the minus of a control stick with no heft... your game has to be based around precision because your shots will lose the bite and penetration. That's why I took a really close look at the 7g and would've bought one had it not been for an expired credit card LOL.
So just a little ramble for your consideration...