Diary of a Racketaholic

[JGads]

Originally Posted by Power Player

Gads, how solid does that pro staff feel? I sure wish the wilson QC was better..it truly sucks.

It feels incredibly solid when serving and volleying. But on groundstrokes you HAVE to hit through the ball or it will be short. I usually end up with the meatier sticks like my PKs that stand up to heavy fire more easily, or block back the ball with less work -- like, that ball at your feet near the baseline when you're on D, I can easily do that easy half-volley pickup and the frame does most of the work in sending a ball back deep enough to keep me in it... That's a weak part of the Wilson, for sure - you can't just put the frame there, you have to swing through it on all strokes.

[Power Player]

Sounds a little more demanding than the 200 maybe by a hair but that stick will stay on my short list if i ever go smaller.

Random thought...somedays i seriously wish i could be a rep for a racquet company. Wondering how people get that job.

[Meaghan]

My third series 10 arrived this morning, the x10 325, very interesting......grip 4, so I took grip off added two og's and my buttcap flare mod and it feels great. Like the reports say its quick off the strings ala 6.1 or Vcore, the hoop is stiffer and is very stable but it still retains that volkl cushioned softness, no vibration thro my hand even with no proper grip on. Feels good even tho there are no mods @ 340g and 5pts hl, very interesting.....will try it out like this and also buy some pallets and put my full mod set up on too. Hoop is a tad bigger than the c10 too....

Ross have you ever tried this racket out??... this has got the c10 refinement married with the pop and stiffness of a vcore or 6.1, Im expecting its got that added point and shoot punch that you would be looking for.

[rlau]

I really loved the X10 325 on volleys, so solid, stable and crisp.

[Ross K]

^^^ Never have, no, Rich. Sounds intriguing. What head-size is it exactly? I just seem to fare best with 100" (even if I'm sometimes reluctant to admit this).

[Hi I'm Ray]

Originally Posted by Ross K

RHs,

The Ezone Xi 100...

Since it was pointed out to me recently (cheers Fed) and I've read up on reviews/posts, seen the TT vid, etc, got to say it's another frame that really sounds right up my street, very appealing to me... easy big thumping power, consistent depth, nice spin, maneuverability, comfortable, etc.

Basically, any further feedback and thoughts appreciated (including how it compares to the 100S, and thoughts on that squarish head-shape).

Personal opinion of the Xi100 is that it is closer to the APDGT, and the 100s is closer to the PD. Xi100 is a little softer feeling with less pop than the stiffer 100s, much like the way the APD compares to the PD. 100s provided that extra heavy spin and hit bigger serves for me. The Xi100 felt more solid, dampened, and muted than the 100s, 100s just felt hollow and tinny for me, even when leaded up. Don't get me wrong, I really like the 100s and its still at the top of my list, I just really don't like the feel. I have 2 Yonex frames that I've had for years so I am very used to the Isometric head shape, however the Xi100 felt a little too square, and a bit clunky & heavy in the head, much like the BB DC Pro.

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by Hi I'm Ray

Personal opinion of the Xi100 is that it is closer to the APDGT, and the 100s is closer to the PD. Xi100 is a little softer feeling with less pop than the stiffer 100s, much like the way the APD compares to the PD. 100s provided that extra heavy spin and hit bigger serves for me. The Xi100 felt more solid, dampened, and muted than the 100s, 100s just felt hollow and tinny for me, even when leaded up. Don't get me wrong, I really like the 100s and its still at the top of my list, I just really don't like the feel. I have 2 Yonex frames that I've had for years so I am very used to the Isometric head shape, however the Xi100 felt a little too square, and a bit clunky & heavy in the head, much like the BB DC Pro.

Ray, wow, thanks, that was exactly the info I needed. Really really insightful and helpful.

As it stands right now, the frames I most want to look at are the Formula 100 and the VC 100S. And although a bit dubious re harshness, the Juice 100 still appeals. Of course, what with that thread and all, there's a few other racs preying on my my mind, but, yes, F100, VC100 and perhaps Juice 100.

But!... just to muddy the waters, I'm looking at an old PD Team this week (back from stringers today) to see how I get on with it (had a brief hit last week and was surprised and pleased with it all round) - my thinking being that if I were to like it and be fine with the stiffness, this could prompt into investigating the 2012 Black PD... despite some flaws, IIRC this frame serves bombs! (Got to say, if I were to move away from the APD/O, the frame taking its place would have to provide a tad more serve pop.)

[Murray_fan1]

Originally Posted by Power Player

Interesting mini debate i have going on as i finally go to hit today after a week.

I have been getting easier and easier power lately since my fitness and footwork has improved and have been craving more control.

Finding that the polybreak is a rather powerful string..the black magic is not as powerful but has that control. I am really going back and forth as i was hitting extremely precise and heavy shots with the BM that I have about 3-4 hours on (strung it up 2 weeks ago).

BM is strung at 42/40 and plays like it is strung much tighter. I am going to string the polybreak at 45 and see if that does anything.

These are both such great strings for the price. It is a tough decision..may have to get some more BM and just figure it out.

I know there has been a Black Magic revival lately on the boards, but I feel like it really is one of the best polys out there with polybreak. That pocketing feel really does it for me...of course polybreak has incredible comfort and crispness as well...decisions..

Agree with you about the Black Magic. Just a great all around string that's only weakness IMO is that it dies rather fast. If you have only one stick or are not a home stringer I can see where this might be a problem but let's be honest here most of us holics don't have this problem. Cost is decent so I don't feel too guilty cutting it out if it doesn't break before the magic 6hr mark. The Outlast is about due to be cut out soon and I think I will string it up again with some BM to use as my string that all others shall be judged against.

Strung up my other Prestige Pro with some Scorpion 1.22. Another string that seems to have a little break in period before it settles in. Once settled it has that nice crisp response with some usable pop, but seems to be missing the feel and spin potential of the BM. Tension maintenance seems pretty decent with only a 8.5% drop in tension (1.5hr of drilling) if my racquet tune app is correct.

[klementine79]

PP... if you really want a dead string with zilch power, the pre-stretched kirschbaum polys are some of the deadest I've ever played, specifically the pro-line evo. I could see these feeling great at 40lbs and providing some pop but anything above 50 and they are THE most control oriented string I've ever hit. Very minimal tension loss.

Ross... let us know which tweener will make the final cut. A softish, 100sq.in. tweener has always aroused my interest.

And me... well... I went a while without playing much but now that my wife is preparing herself for the USTPA practice exam to become a certified teacher, I find myself more and more on the courts as of late.

You'd think I'd have it made... at least that's what I thought when I married her A partner for life.. on/off the court. Reality is we're at different levels. She's been playing since she was 5/6 y.o. and I need another 20years to catch up at the rate I'm going (too much time at work and not enough on court). We just get on each other's nerves and fight the whole time while playing. She usually barks out.. 'You're not getting low enough.... move forward'... and I'm usually yelling... 'I came out here to have some fun.. not pick balls up.. so stop hitting out-wide winners at like 160kmh.,let me warm up with a nice rally'.

Now I think I can understand why relatives (as we're related by marriage) choose not coach/train together. Just too emotionally involved at times.

Problem is, the excess court and in general time spent on tennis related activities and working out as of late, has me looking at frames... again!!!.. and re-thinking some choices I've made when I did not play as often as I find myself paying nowadays.

Time to fall back into a confused state of racquetholic madness.

[smirker]

A softish, 100sq.in. tweener has always aroused my interest.

Me too. Currently with the Yonex Xi 100 and PD 2012. Both nice but I suspect there could be a better option out there. My picks would be the Pacific X-feel Tour (pretty unique specs for a tweener) and the PK Ki5 295 (Euro version but the Q5 295 would be close). If you have easy access to a demo I would be interested to have your thoughts. Demoing is a PITA in the UK.

[klementine79]

^Can honestly say I've never hit with any PK sticks. Did buy a used demo of the X-feelTour from TW awhile back, returned it for a refund within two days.

The RadicalMP (any iteration) feels like a PD compared to the x-feelTour. A strange stick. The flex combined with the weight, a 100sq.in. face, 16x19 pattern and basalt just makes it feel tamer than a nuetered kitty.

I've always wanted to stick to the RadOs, just too clumsy on-serve for me.

Know what you mean about demo'ng abroad (in UK and Europe), you'd have an easier time trying to convince the world you're Freddie Mercury's love child than acquiring a demo.

The Ez-Xi100 huh.... interesting frame as well. But 27mm tappered?... Is it noticeable on serve? The thickness?

[JGads]

Originally Posted by klementine79

PP... if you really want a dead string with zilch power, the pre-stretched kirschbaum polys are some of the deadest I've ever played, specifically the pro-line evo. I could see these feeling great at 40lbs and providing some pop but anything above 50 and they are THE most control oriented string I've ever hit. Very minimal tension loss.

Ross... let us know which tweener will make the final cut. A softish, 100sq.in. tweener has always aroused my interest.

And me... well... I went a while without playing much but now that my wife is preparing herself for the USTPA practice exam to become a certified teacher, I find myself more and more on the courts as of late.

You'd think I'd have it made... at least that's what I thought when I married her A partner for life.. on/off the court. Reality is we're at different levels. She's been playing since she was 5/6 y.o. and I need another 20years to catch up at the rate I'm going (too much time at work and not enough on court). We just get on each other's nerves and fight the whole time while playing. She usually barks out.. 'You're not getting low enough.... move forward'... and I'm usually yelling... 'I came out here to have some fun.. not pick balls up.. so stop hitting out-wide winners at like 160kmh.,let me warm up with a nice rally'.

Now I think I can understand why relatives (as we're related by marriage) choose not coach/train together. Just too emotionally involved at times.

Problem is, the excess court and in general time spent on tennis related activities and working out as of late, has me looking at frames... again!!!.. and re-thinking some choices I've made when I did not play as often as I find myself paying nowadays.

Time to fall back into a confused state of racquetholic madness.

Welcome back.

[Ross K]

So RHs,

A few weeks I embarked on a little side-experiment designed potentially to see if the PD 2012 might just provide one or two things I feel are missing with my APDOs. But what I did was I got an old PD Team (the one before the Cortex version - see the young Andy pic below) just to reacquaint myself with generally how these things play, thinking being if I really liked it, I could then maybe get hold of the way more pricey Black Drive (name copyright of Power Player ) with some degree of assurance. Anyhow, freshly strung with Toalson Cyberblade and Xcel @ 50/54 lbs, with my usual weight in the b/cap and up at 12, this is how it went...



Slightly odd to report this but if anything it lacked a bit of oomph off the b-line. Shots I'm used to blasting out to the b-line, to my consternation, were coughing short too often. Worse, the feel off the string-bed was what I'd call stiff/dead. For some reason, I found more acute pop playing off the angles (nailed a couple of beauties on the BH side.) And I certainly found it on serve (get to that later). But for my staple b-line spinny thing, the PD wasn't doing it for me. Now whilst the relative (relative to the APD) spin and arching trajectory was anticipated in advance to be less, I was surprised by the lack of consistent deep heavy b-line peppering capacity or whatever.

A lot of which I have a strong suspicion is to do with the strings set up... Cyberblade I remembered as being a decent softer Lux impersonation, and Xcel I was eager to try as an esteemed string (I normally use Nvy as a cross string.) Well, all I can say is I wasn't a fan... no grip and purchase, so-so feel/spin, in and out power, limp... TBH, I kept wondering about my old fave - TB, and thinking how nice this might be in the PD. Maybe performance will change significantly? Maybe I went in with the wrong tensions and should have gone lower?

Re how it swings, again I was surprised. I thought it would be very like the APD, but I found it swung more nimbly and got to the ball quicker. Generally I found it a tad more maneuverable. Could the Aero beam have something to do with that perception? As I say though, seems to me the PD is faster to the ball. Okay, it's no C10 Pro or Prestige mid, but I felt I was teeing off into the ball with good fluency and rhythm.

In the solidness stakes, APD/O wins hands down.

Ditto in terms of feel, APD noticeably softer and richer (though strings need to be factored in). Worth saying the PD didn't feel horribly stiff and harsh, but I wouldn't want to go too much at all over the 70 RA level.

RE serve though (and here's a major reason I checked it out to begin with), this thing just dishes up bullets... bullets and body shots... hard, flat bullets, and kickers that fly off into the body. For someone who lacks in serve pop naturally a bit, I have to come clean, the PD is just a wonderful serve frame.

Plenty for me to think about there then as what I anticipate as being a busy racketaholicing winter for me starts - LOL.

[mikeler]

JGads,

Take care of my 2 "babies" that I mailed you today.

[JGads]

Originally Posted by mikeler

JGads,

Take care of my 2 "babies" that I mailed you today.

Of course. It will be an honor to swing the "Mikelers." Mik 1 and Mik 2, I'll call them for now.

[mad dog1]

Originally Posted by JGads

Of course. It will be an honor to swing the "Mikelers." Mik 1 and Mik 2, I'll call them for now.

that means no more errant and careless swings in frustration at the windscreen!

[JGads]

Originally Posted by mad dog1

that means no more errant and careless swings in frustration at the windscreen!

Indeed.

Lesson. Learned.

That windscreen had it coming, though.

[mad dog1]

Originally Posted by JGads

Indeed.

Lesson. Learned.

That windscreen had it coming, though.

no abuse can be doled out even when mik 1 or mik 2 misbehave. and we all know if and when we play poorly, it's the equipment's fault and not the player.

poor windscreen. innocently fastened to the fence, yet still getting blamed and punished for something completely out of its control.

[Power Player]

Ross welcome to the dark side. Hope you enjoy it..its a fun ride.

I hit with an orginal volkl v1 tonight. Thing was freaking light. I think i hit 3 balls with it and put it down. Feel is ok, but i went running back to my yy.the plushness is so addictive and the black magic in it just adds to to sublime feel.

I think my bm is pretty dead, but i got to hit with a young, ex college player tonight for a bit..pure pleasure. We had many long rallies.i counted past 30 balls on some. It was one of those super enjoyable hitting sessions that comes around now and then. I am so much more into matchplay but hitting like that is so good for grooving the strokes.

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by Power Player

Ross welcome to the dark side. Hope you enjoy it..its a fun ride.

Well, let's see how I'm liking this older PD first. I'm also paying close attention to what my arm is telling me soreness-wise. Anyhow, I'm guessing the PD Team and 2012 PD share enough traits for me to get a good idea.

I'll say at this stage though, despite some undoubted cons, the PD does seem to address two of my slight quibbles re the APD, namely it provides more serve heat (and I really enjoyed this aspect yesterday), and it swung a bit easier and faster, I felt my maneuverability was slightly better.

On the down-side, it doesn't keep up with the APD/O in terms of basic b-line blasting (or not of the high trajectory, spinny, arching variety), somehow APD/O appears more effortlessly oomphy from the backcourt! The APD/O is nicer feel and flex-wise. Seems more solid slightly (PD did seem a tad weaker somehow).

And on a note of vanity, a negative for me re any possible prolonged usage of the PD would be the prospect of looking like every other Joe Shmoe out there with their PDs... on the the adjoining 2 courts next to us yesterday, there were other 2 PD users. Irrelevant ultimately, I know, but at least when you wield an APD Original, it's a bit more, er... original.