Fischer Elliptics

[Colpo]

Originally Posted by retrowagen

Oh yeah, Mark Dickson with the Völkl. It was weird; presumably almost as though some guy in a trenchcoat, hat, and Wayfarers met him an alley somewhere, saying in a mysterious foreign accent, "Heer, Buddy: take zees tenees racquets!" I wonder what the real backstory on that sponsorship was (although, IIRC, Völkl Tennis USA was HQ'ed in North Carolina in the mid-80's...)

Well then, that just might explain alot. And the Servo Soft's buttery feel and slingin' shot response may have also played a role in Dickson's preference. It does confound, though. Dickson, if I recall, was an off-brand maven, the #3 man on Jockey's tenniswear totem pole, and the only Saucony sponsoree that the company outfitted with a white-on-white shoe (do the math, yuk-yuk-yuk). I guess one advantage of the web is that you could probably locate Dickson today and just ask him via an e-mail. And while we're at it, one could ask him about his extraordinarily drawn-out pre-serve ball-bouncing routine. Will supplement as work allows, Dicksonophiles... .

[NicoMK]

Originally Posted by rony67

Sorry, I know this is an Elliptic-thread. But I just wanted to share to you Fischer-interested TT-members this photo of my Vac Pro 90, directly from a Pro stated above. I usually play my classic racquets, but I just cannot make myself unwrap this plastic handle, I don't know why... It's a hefty thing, lead under grommets, lead under handle.

Waow !! What a beauty… ! Lucky guy to own this one
Thanks for sharing… !

[treblings]

Originally Posted by NicoMK

Waow !! What a beauty… ! Lucky guy to own this one
Thanks for sharing… !

yeah...thanks for sharing...i´m envious would that be jan gunnarson?
could you put the frame on a scale to weigh it?

[retrowagen]

Wow, well Jan Gunnarson's Vacuum Pro 90 isn't an Elliptic ... but it's really really lovely. Thanks for sharing, Rony; you have made all of us jealous!

[Kevin T]

Originally Posted by Colpo

Man, those were the days! Charly Steeb with an autograph frame! Hoo-rah! Different times! Would you now go buy a J.I. Chela autograph? Steeb had a nifty ranking and did some special things at the Davis Cup level, but auto frames back then were akin to playoff-advancement guarantees from Patrick Ewing...let's call it commonplace.

Re: the USSR and Volkl, I might have been initially under the impression that Volkl was a Soviet brand. I recall they'd equip the Soviets from "tip to grip" -- shoes, clothes, racquets of course. When Chesnokov came out of nowhere to knock off Wilander at the '86 French, I craved his game, with his racquet a close second; some odd-looking, deep-red and white midplus with a plastic throatpiece and a virtual monoshaft. Exotic! Not readily available! And to think that years earlier, the American southerner Mark Dickson played Volkl -- just did not compute.

I thought the same thing, RE Volkl being Eastern European/Soviet. Too funny. Red racquets for the red army. I believe Chesnokov was the first pro I saw with a Volkl (was just getting into pro tennis at that time).

Charlie Steeb/Stich v Agassi/Courier Davis Cup '91 is a fond high school tennis memory.

[Captain Haddock]

All the Elliptics I have tried feel virtually the same, I assume because of that tapered design. The grey/lavender Elliptic Comp (Kevlar/Graphite) has a very slightly softer flex that the version with SIC ceramics, maybe. Even the Elliptic Fun, which was a cheaper model, feels very close to the rest of the bunch.

Colpo, wasn't Chesnokov's frame an actual monoshaft? I recall that he only had 2 frames for the tournament and had to beg for a few more as he advanced into the draw. He switched to a Prestige 600 later in his career (at least for the Davis Cup match where Sampras cramped after match point).

I bought a few Twin Tecs from Colpo several years ago, but found them much stiffer than the Elliptics, which remain my favorite frames ever produced by Fischer.

[retrowagen]

Originally Posted by Captain Haddock

All the Elliptics I have tried feel virtually the same, I assume because of that tapered design. The grey/lavender Elliptic Comp (Kevlar/Graphite) has a very slightly softer flex that the version with SIC ceramics, maybe. Even the Elliptic Fun, which was a cheaper model, feels very close to the rest of the bunch.

My assessment too. The Elliptic Comps with ceramic fiber (Silicon Carbide or SiC in Fischer-speak) in the layup seem not to dampen higher-frequency vibration as well as the Kevlar-enhanced models (yet still dampen quite well, so well in fact that I never feel the need to use auxiliary string-bed dampeners), hence feel minutely stiffer. The Vacuum Elliptic Pro (Graphite/Kevlar with the unique molded-in Vestoran bumper guard, like the concurrent Vacuum Twin Tec models' bumpers, but not a core material as used in the Twin Tecs) was reported to be quite a bit stiffer than the other Elliptics. The Elliptic Fun has perhaps one of the oddest model names in history for a tennis racquet (and how can you not love it with such a funky name?!), but I really like how it plays... crisp but also very "warm," and quite arm-friendly for a racquet of its nature.

Originally Posted by Captain Haddock

Colpo, wasn't Chesnokov's frame an actual monoshaft? I recall that he only had 2 frames for the tournament and had to beg for a few more as he advanced into the draw. He switched to a Prestige 600 later in his career (at least for the Davis Cup match where Sampras cramped after match point).

I do believe Chesnokov was using the "Competition Ace" at the time (left racquet on this page from 80s-tennis.com):

Originally Posted by Captain Haddock

I bought a few Twin Tecs from Colpo several years ago, but found them much stiffer than the Elliptics, which remain my favorite frames ever produced by Fischer.

They are quite a bit stiffer (and heavier too, in stock form) than the Elliptics. Also seem to cut through the air a little slower. IMHO, the Vacuum Twin Tec and Twin Tec Pro seemed like Fischer's answer to the Yamaha Secret 10 and Secret 04, respectively.

[Snaab]

Not to derail this thread, but the picture of the white Volkl Servo-Soft S on the bottom brings back lots of good memories. My first of many Volkls, and one of my favorites. Not many places sold Volkl rackets in the mid 80s, but I was fortunate enough to run across a shop in Milwaukee that sold Volkl skis that also carried a few of their rackets as well. An extremely flexible heavy club by today's standards.

[made_in_austria]

fischer vacuum pro elliptic 98

http://www.flickr.com/photos/made_in...ream/lightbox/

[classic tennis]

Originally Posted by made_in_austria

fischer vacuum pro elliptic 98

http://www.flickr.com/photos/made_in...ream/lightbox/

Not the same animal , this was made in China by YMA.

[retrowagen]

...And a different mould than my favourite, tapered beam Elliptic models.

[classic tennis]

Originally Posted by retrowagen

...And a different mould than my favourite, tapered beam Elliptic models.

No VT either

[Goly]

My friend plays with black Fischer Vacuum Elliptic Mid Plus(mentioned by Love50). It's 100% boron graphite and has got eight mains going through its bridge. It has got unique grip(butt cap), I haven't seen anything like that earlier. It's 21mm constant beam.

I took some pictures yesterday:
#1


#2


#3


#4

[Goly]

#5


#6

[classic tennis]

The above is a made in China racquet and not the same animal in any way as the made in Reid frames, the construction, shape and playing dynamics are polar opposites.

[retrowagen]

Originally Posted by classic tennis

The above is a made in China racquet and not the same animal in any way as the made in Reid frames, the construction, shape and playing dynamics are polar opposites.

Yes, it's easy to spot the Elliptics made in Ried im Innkreis (Austria): they have three pairs of mains going through the bridge, not four (the later Chinese-made), and the Austrian ones are tapered beam frames (21mm at top, 25mm at grip). All are 98 square inch (630 cm2) heads, with 16x20 pattern.

The Austrian Elliptic mold was unique. Sort of a reverse concept of the similarly sized, similarly drilled, but reverse tapered beam (thicker at the top, thinner above the grip) mold of the Vacuum Pro / Vacuum Technic Pro 98 / original Pro No. 1.

[retrowagen]

Mr. 'classic tennis,' would you mind contacting me sometime? I have a couple of questions for you, if you have the time. Thank you! retrowagen <at> yahoo <dot> com

[classic tennis]

Originally Posted by retrowagen

Mr. 'classic tennis,' would you mind contacting me sometime? I have a couple of questions for you, if you have the time. Thank you! retrowagen <at> yahoo <dot> com

done........

[retrowagen]

Originally Posted by classic tennis

done........

Oh dear, I think I may have deleted that email, didn't recognize it at the time...

[latershow]

Originally Posted by retrowagen

Yes, it's easy to spot the Elliptics made in Ried im Innkreis (Austria): they have three pairs of mains going through the bridge, not four (the later Chinese-made), and the Austrian ones are tapered beam frames (21mm at top, 25mm at grip). All are 98 square inch (630 cm2) heads, with 16x20 pattern.

Are you sure the early Elliptics were Austrian-made? I have three as mentioned above (graphite, kevlar, and ceramic) and all mine say "Designed in Austria" on the side of the throat. All have three pairs of mains through the bridge. The grommet on all my Elliptics is a flouro green colour (only in the bridge).

Do you know who Nicole Durr is, by any chance? Did she work for the Fischer Ski division mainly? Her name pops up on all my Elliptics, "Nicole Durr design".