Review the craziest racquets you own

[Autodidactic player]

Originally Posted by VOLLEY KING

Damn you.

Ok I'm going to get medieval on you now.

I'm getting my mad raqs and my natural racquet.

I just am downloading an iPhone app that will hopefully allow me to post pics.

Do you have those ?

Got um!

[VOLLEY KING]

Ok fawk you. OMG!!!!

Hmmmmm......I'm getting desperate now because I pretty much shot my load .

How about a MITT I have one of those as well.


Oh almost forgot I have the Mcgergor with the crazy stringing system . I believe it is also octagon shaped !!!! Do you have that ???

[Autodidactic player]

Originally Posted by VOLLEY KING

You are the Federer of crazy racquets.

What the hell is that "intertennis twin"?????

When did that come out??

Can you talk a little about it?

The Twin was patented in 1976 and came out a few years later. It didn't sell very well because it's truly an awful frame! Crazy flexible and damn near impossible to string. Pick up Siegfried Kuebler's "Book of Tennis Rackets," (very expensive but worth it) the Intertennis Twin is shown on page 216.

[Autodidactic player]

Originally Posted by VOLLEY KING

Ok fawk you. OMG!!!!

Hmmmmm......I'm getting desperate now because I pretty much shot my load .

How about a MITT I have one of those as well.


Oh almost forgot I have the Mcgergor with the crazy stringing system . I believe it is also octagon shaped !!!! Do you have that ???

I've got the MacGregor:



and I never found any of the Mitt rackets that unusual. I prefer rackets that are a bit odder like the Erge:

[VOLLEY KING]

True mitt not that an unusual.....but it I the only racquet ever made with moving parts.....any way just give me a bone.

The reason I have not posted pics is because for the past half hour I have been trying to figure out how to do it with the iPhone.

I've given up . Now I will try with the computer.

How about the Vortex??? You can beat it of course with a Hi ten !

[VOLLEY KING]

HOLY CRAP!!!! I did it ....it only took me an hour...but I fina;lly figured out how to post a pic.

It was what I had handy....here is my Vortex es 100.

The stringing has a really wide pattern like the old hit tens...i think its 14 x 16 or something. The frame looks normal but its not......the throat is placed in such a way to give more stability...but i dont quite understand it.

This company first made the tennis wand or something.

[Hitman99]

Originally Posted by VOLLEY KING

HOLY CRAP!!!! I did it ....it only took me an hour...but I fina;lly figured out how to post a pic.

It was what I had handy....here is my Vortex es 100.

The stringing has a really wide pattern like the old hit tens...i think its 14 x 16 or something. The frame looks normal but its not......the throat is placed in such a way to give more stability...but i dont quite understand it.

This company first made the tennis wand or something.

Wonder Wand.

[VOLLEY KING]

Originally Posted by Hitman99

Wonder Wand.

Yeah that's it .

I never got my hands on one of those or even seen One.

[VOLLEY KING]

Pictured below is my Mitt tennis racquet. I turned it on its side because that's where it's different . The racquet has these little silver plastic things ....I'm not sure you can see them. Anyway the strings go over them it they cause the strings to move or "rock".....similar to the old Wilson rollers.

Mitt claims to be the only racquet with moving parts.....but then the rollers tried the same thing in a different way .

It allows for a real comfy feeling and I think puts a bit more spin on te ball.

[Autodidactic player]

Originally Posted by VOLLEY KING

...

How about the Vortex??? You can beat it of course with a Hi ten !

I wanted to wait until I could dig up my Kennex Micro-System racket because I thought it would make an excellent contrast. Here ya go - the widest and narrowest stringing patterns in one photo.

[VOLLEY KING]

Oh man !!!!!!!!!

You are freakinh amazing.

I bought the Vortex because I couldn't get the snauwert . I had to settle.

You have got to tell us what it's like hitting with it.......and I would pay you a lot of money for the racquet......I'm serious. A LOT!

Let me know and I will make you a very generous offer.

Did I mention that I hate you . .

Completely jealous .

[ricki]

Originally Posted by Autodidactic player

I wanted to wait until I could dig up my Kennex Micro-System racket because I thought it would make an excellent contrast. Here ya go - the widest and narrowest stringing patterns in one photo.

arghh these 2 sticks are my dream to have in my tiny collection

[blipblop]

God some crazy rackets in here lol.

Has anyone ever seen a racket that has the plane of the hoop/stringbed, at an angle respective to the plane of the handle?

Like a spatula:


I've always been interested in how the angle could help you get disguise and spin. You could also hit the ball wayyyy in front or behind of yourself. I'm thinking like a 5-35 degree inclination. 45 degrees and up would be too crazy.

[VOLLEY KING]

The natural racquet actually has that angle.

Its weird. When serving you have to aim for the fences. lol.

[Autodidactic player]

Originally Posted by VOLLEY KING

...
You have got to tell us what it's like hitting with it ...

The Hi-Ten is new old stock so, sadly, I've elected not to hit with it. I have, however, hit with the Pro Kennex. Like the Hi-Ten, it is advertised to provide more spin and greater control. The Pro Kennex theory suggests that by contacting the ball with more string surface you could achieve more spin. Snauwaert, of course, argued that just the opposite was true. From my perspective all the Pro Kennex did was reduce power. The string surface feels very, very firm! I noticed no appreciable difference in spin or control when compared to an old Kennex Copper Ace I had laying around.

P.S. I've always wanted to take the Pro Kennex to a stringer during "specials week" and ask that it be strung with some really stiff poly string for the sale price.

[blipblop]

Originally Posted by VOLLEY KING

The natural racquet actually has that angle.

Its weird. When serving you have to aim for the fences. lol.

Oh yea you are right! But I'd totally cut off one of the handles.

[VOLLEY KING]

Originally Posted by blipblop

Oh yea you are right! But I'd totally cut off one of the handles.

Wouldn't work . Its actually still at the same angle. Lol.

Here's a pic of my natural racquet.....I don't know if it shows but the racquet is at a huge angle like the spatula:

[Autodidactic player]

Originally Posted by TheOneHander

... As you can see, the center two mains appear to go through one grommet-something only a stringer on drugs would do.

Actually this stringing technique was quite popular for years from the early part of the last century through the 1970's. Here is an example from Lacoste:

[VOLLEY KING]

Amazing .

It's almost like spaghetti stringing except the string are not bound together.

Would that be legal today?

[Autodidactic player]

Originally Posted by VOLLEY KING

Amazing .

It's almost like spaghetti stringing except the string are not bound together.

Would that be legal today?

This stringing pattern is in no way like spaghetti stringing. The main feature of spaghetti stringing that makes it illegal is that the strings are not "alternately interlaced" which allows them to move (float) much more easily across the string surface. If your spaghetti racket was strung in the original method, you'll notice that two sets of main strings are used - one above and one below the crosses and that tubing is used where the strings cross with twine used to hold the strings together and limit movement. This quality makes it much easier to put tremendous (Nadal-like) spin on the ball. The point of the twine used to tie the strings together and the tubing used between the strings is to stop the strings from breaking every few shots as they saw back and forth across each other. Here is the modern rule governing stringing:

The hitting surface, defined as the main area of the stringing pattern bordered by the points of entry of the strings into the frame or points of contact of the strings with the frame, whichever is the smaller, shall be flat and consist of a pattern of crossed strings connected to a frame and alternately interlaced or bonded where they cross. The stringing pattern must be generally uniform and, in particular, not less dense in the center than in any other area. The racket shall be designed and strung such that the playing characteristics are identical on both faces. The racket shall be free of attached objects, protrusions and devices other than those utilized solely and specifically to limit or prevent wear and tear or vibration or, for the frame only, to distribute weight. These objects, protrusions and devices must be reasonable in size and placement for such purposes.

... and here is the original article from the "Stringers Assistant" notifying stringers that spaghetti stringing ("Double Stringing" in the official parlance of the day) was banned: