Going cold turkey

[pvaudio]

I have around 20 racquets. 9 and 7 are of the same type, then 2 and 2. 18 are dunlop, 2 are the Head IG Prestige Pros I use now

[pug]

Originally Posted by parasailing

Buying tennis racquets and trying new ones is all part of the fun especially considering it's one of the cheaper addictions.

Tennis is good for your fitness and it beats other sports like OP mentioned. It's a rather harmless addiction and one that rewards you with a lifetime of fun.

Very well said! It is part of the game that I love and I don't intend to quit trying out new racquets. Why? For 5% more consistency or to save a few bucks? When they pay me to use a certain racquet I will stop.

[niremetal]

Originally Posted by parasailing

Buying tennis racquets and trying new ones is all part of the fun especially considering it's one of the cheaper addictions.

Tennis is good for your fitness and it beats other sports like OP mentioned. It's a rather harmless addiction and one that rewards you with a lifetime of fun.

If you consider $100+ racquets a cheap addiction, I'd like to know what you consider expensive .

Racquets are an awful lot like cars. The second you drive a car off the lot, it loses 20% of its value. Same the moment you string and hit with a racquet for the first time. As I've discovered when I tried to re-sell my "demo" frames (which I usually bought in "slightly used" condition).

I agree that tennis itself is an expensive and harmless (indeed, beneficial) addiction. But continuously buying and trying new racquets? Neither cheap nor harmless (as my wonky strokes will attest).

[parasailing]

Originally Posted by niremetal

If you consider $100+ racquets a cheap addiction, I'd like to know what you consider expensive .

Some things that I can think of include drugs, gambling, and alcohol addiction which are destructive and cost way more than $100+ racquets. Even if you were to lose $20 or $30 bucks per racquet, it's still a drop in bucket compared to those vices. Cars also would be another thing that has a much steeper depreciation cost.

For me, trying new racquets doesn't really mess with my strokes much since I will either like the new racquet I purchase or stick with what works for me. I currently use a PSTGT and have demoed and purchased over 40 racquets in the past 2 years.

[pug]

Originally Posted by niremetal

If you consider $100+ racquets a cheap addiction, I'd like to know what you consider expensive .

Racquets are an awful lot like cars. The second you drive a car off the lot, it loses 20% of its value. Same the moment you string and hit with a racquet for the first time. As I've discovered when I tried to re-sell my "demo" frames (which I usually bought in "slightly used" condition).

I agree that tennis itself is an expensive and harmless (indeed, beneficial) addiction. But continuously buying and trying new racquets? Neither cheap nor harmless (as my wonky strokes will attest).

How many people here drop $5 for a coffee every day and $10 for lunch also? That is $50 to $100 or more each week. I make my own coffee and lunch. Leaves plenty left over to play with tennis racquets.

[oragne lovre]

Originally Posted by parasailing

Some things that I can think of include drugs, gambling, and alcohol addiction which are destructive and cost way more than $100+ racquets. Even if you were to lose $20 or $30 bucks per racquet, it's still a drop in bucket compared to those vices. Cars also would be another thing that has a much steeper depreciation cost.

I second it. There are tangible and intangible costs. Addiction to drugs, gambling, alcohol has intangible cost which is unquantifiable damage to mental and physical health. Addiction to racquets, if translated to addiction to the sport, is conversely beneficial to addicts' health: Tennis helps players learn how to stay mentally focused and physically fit. As a result, I don't mind losing some tangible dollars to gain intangible health benefit.

In terms of cars, not only do they have much steeper decpreciation, they also entail insurance cost. I've so far never heard of required racquet insurance.

[niremetal]

Originally Posted by oragne lovre

I second it. There are tangible and intangible costs. Addiction to drugs, gambling, alcohol has intangible cost which is unquantifiable damage to mental and physical health. Addiction to racquets, if translated to addiction to the sport, is conversely beneficial to addicts' health: Tennis helps players learn how to stay mentally focused and physically fit. As a result, I don't mind losing some tangible dollars to gain intangible health benefit.

In terms of cars, not only do they have much steeper decpreciation, they also entail insurance cost. I've so far never heard of required racquet insurance.

Uh...you won't get any argument from me that drug/alcohol/gambling addictions are worse than racquets and more costly. But the fact that something else is more expensive (and unhealthy to boot) doesn't change the fact that racquets are still damned expensive.

[0d1n]

Originally Posted by niremetal

Uh...you won't get any argument from me that drug/alcohol/gambling addictions are worse than racquets and more costly. But the fact that something else is more expensive (and unhealthy to boot) doesn't change the fact that racquets are still damned expensive.

Of course it doesn't. Logical fallacies are lovely.
You are saying that trying out racquets all the time is very expensive when comparing it to sticking with one racquet model that suits you, buying a few of those and playing with them for years.
Others are introducing other (disaster) scenarios into the debate. Things like, yes...but when compared to being a heroin addict, you still come off cheaper. Well...duh...really??

That's like going to your boss and asking for a bigger paycheck since your productivity has grown, the company profit has grown and you've taken on more responsibility lately and him saying...but wait...you are very well payed compared to the cleaning lady, and you have a great life compared to the homeless...you should be happy with your current paycheck .
It may all be very true, but it's totally unrelated to you asking for a raise for very practical and well founded reasons .

[oragne lovre]

Originally Posted by 0d1n

Of course it doesn't. Logical fallacies are lovely.
You are saying that trying out racquets all the time is very expensive when comparing it to sticking with one racquet model that suits you, buying a few of those and playing with them for years.
Others are introducing other (disaster) scenarios into the debate. Things like, yes...but when compared to being a heroin addict, you still come off cheaper. Well...duh...really??

That's like going to your boss and asking for a bigger paycheck since your productivity has grown, the company profit has grown and you've taken on more responsibility lately and him saying...but wait...you are very well payed compared to the cleaning lady, and you have a great life compared to the homeless...you should be happy with your current paycheck .
It may all be very true, but it's totally unrelated to you asking for a raise for very practical and well founded reasons .

Perception of value is relative; a $100 racquet is expensive to those who are not addictive to tennis but the same racquet is not that expensive to those who love tinkering with their toys. Level of income can also be a factor; a $100 racquet is an expensive item to those who make, say, $30,000 a year but it is not to those who make $300,000 a year.

Addiction and passion are two faces of the same coin. Addiction is unhealthy if it causes dysfunction in one's life, i.e. deteriorating work performance, ruined marriage, etc. Addiction becomes a passion if it incentivizes, fuels, and propels one to perform better in one's career and fitness. Of course, many addicts like to rationalize their addiction and believe that their passion is healthy

Posters who join this debate love tennis racquets. It's impossible to tell if they are addicts or enthusiasts. They are, however, well-meaning and feel for the OP. I would also go cold turkey the moment my colleagues, friends, or wife say that I look and behave like an addict

[canadad]

I was feeling slightly ashamed of my racquet addiction before, but I got over it. Life is short, if you want to try a racquet, try it and have fun. Here is a link to a thread that is similar:
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=438332

[cork_screw]

You got a serious problem. Sell all your racquets and just use one racquet that you play well in matches. Don't worry what racquet you rally best with. I had a stick that I didn't maintain a long rally with, but some reason I won a bunch of matches with it. This is some type of weird addiction. You're a hoarder. Stop it.

[Dreamcastin]

Originally Posted by matchmaker

I can speak for the bike parts, as I also practice cycling. Good wheels: from 300 to 1200 buck; new component group: around 800, etc.

To summarize, every little part on your bike costs about the same as or more than a tennis racquet.

Buying and selling used frames is much cheaper. I personally have to do that whenever I wanna test something because there is no demoing available where I live. But I find that the wait until you get the racquet, the times you try it out and give it a fair chance, then trying to sell it off to buy another one,... all of that causes such a delay that the losses over time are not very big.

One thing I have learnt is to buy one used racquet at a time. Sometimes you get so enthusiastic when you read reviews here you immediately wanna buy two or three. That is really not a good idea. Even if you seem to like a racquet, it is better to wait until you buy some backups. Often by the time you buy the backups, you've finally discovered that the racquet, although you initially liked it, is not really the best for you.

and if you spent a thousand buying performance items for your car, you likely bought one thing that needs a few thousand dollars worth of parts to function "right" or benefit you. I literally had to stop going to my favorite forum because my bank account could no longer support me. My other main hobbies tennis and video games feel very cheap to me and I try to focus on those.

[gamerx52986]

Originally Posted by Dreamcastin

and if you spent a thousand buying performance items for your car, you likely bought one thing that needs a few thousand dollars worth of parts to function "right" or benefit you. I literally had to stop going to my favorite forum because my bank account could no longer support me. My other main hobbies tennis and video games feel very cheap to me and I try to focus on those.

Tennis and video games are my main hobbies and I think I spend about the same on both equally. Granted games are $60 but I spent $300 on my gaming headset then $170 on my custom controller so paying about $175-$200 for a racquet doesnt bother me.