Donnay racquets, anyone used them?

[Disneos]

Originally Posted by ChicagoJack

Hi Disneos -

Yeah cool. I live in Chicago burbs , and I know from humid ha ha. I stayed away from Gut/Poly for a very long time, out of a fear that it wouldn't last long, or be too expensive. Turns out I was really, really wrong.

2 Frames with TF X1 Biphase = ($17.00 x 2) = $34.00
2 Frames with Babolat Tonic + Polyfibre HiTec = (33+9) = $42.00

I snap X1 at about 6 or so hours of singles. I've never snapped my gut mains, but will restring my whole bed at around 24 hours on a gut/poly setup. So for 8 bucks more, I have something that lasts 4 times longer. And that's just looking at the cost benefits, not even mentioning how much better it plays.

Not trying talk you into something that will take you backwards in terms of arm safety, but there is quite a range in poly stiffness, anywhere from 160's - mid 300's lbs per sq. in. I'm 95% recovered from my 1st ever case of TE, and found that Gut with a soft poly works for me. I have a list of the softer polys in the string section here

Jack

Have you ever used weiscannon dual reality hybrid? Was looking at it an it got some great reviews and seems a lot more affordable, idk just the price tag of buying gut even in hybrid bugs me, if te weiscannon isn't good that what would you say is the best hybrid you can think of for comfort and control without being too low on power?

[kaiser]

Originally Posted by Mister drool

and how about the gold 99? anyone can give some light has to what other frame its plays close too?

I'm also very interested in the Gold 99 thinking that it may qualify as a zippier and more forgiving alternative to my current 4D200 Tours. Anyone?

[Pneumated1]

Originally Posted by Mister drool

and how about the gold 99? anyone can give some light has to what other frame its plays close too? . . . the buttery feeling of the kennex... how does the gold99 compares?

I hit modified Becker Londons and demoed the Gold 99 today. The transition was seamless, and I mean to the point that I had a hard time going back to my own frame. I find that it sits somewhere between my London and a C-10 Pro. The weight is in the handle, throat, and low in the shoulders. The hoop is flexible, forgiving, and loaded with feel. I got a lot of bite off the stringbed, and while I wouldn't call it crisp, control is at a premium. And the grip shape is absolutely perfect----a touch more square than Dunlop.

You mention a buttery feel . . . spread a little Gold 99, and your tennis palate will thank you. I can't imagine a frame that would work better for me, personally, and I don't think that I'd customize it hardly at all, and that's rare for me. I might be sold.

Originally Posted by kaiser

I'm also very interested in the Gold 99 thinking that it may qualify as a zippier and more forgiving alternative to my current 4D200 Tours. Anyone?

I find it more forgiving than even my Londons. The frame just glides through the air. Donnay, imo, has created the perfect balance of specs here in this frame. It may not bludgeon the ball like your Tours, but with the flex, feel, maneuverability, stability, and even forgiveness of the frame, you can work the ball at will, whatever the situation may call for. This frame's a sleeper, and I can only conclude that that is the case because old-school, flexy frames are not in demand.

[Disneos]

Been looking at kirschbaun pro line II and head RIP strings as alternatives to mutlis, can anyone give feedback ont hear strings and do you think they'd work well in a hybrid together if so which mains which crosses for any of these racquets?

[Hi I'm Ray]

Gold 99 - Comfort and feel of a VERY flexible and soft players racket (kind of rubbery IMO) with the power, forgiveness, and huge sweet spot of a tweener. I'm used to higher weight & SW frames but this one felt a little slow to bring around for some reason on groundstrokes. The balance/weight distribution during the swing & feel on contact are not for me, but if you like super flexible and soft feeling frames, this one is for you! It actually felt great on serves, it swung easy, had great feel on contact, good power & spin. Strung with Babolat PHT mains / Addiction crosses.

[ChicagoJack]

Originally Posted by Disneos

Have you ever used weiscannon dual reality hybrid? Was looking at it an it got some great reviews and seems a lot more affordable, idk just the price tag of buying gut even in hybrid bugs me, if te weiscannon isn't good that what would you say is the best hybrid you can think of for comfort and control without being too low on power?

Originally Posted by Disneos

Been looking at kirschbaun pro line II and head RIP strings as alternatives to mutlis, can anyone give feedback ont hear strings and do you think they'd work well in a hybrid together if so which mains which crosses for any of these racquets?

Hi Disneos,

Yeah cool, I understand. As this is the racquets section, in a general thread about Donnay frames, I hesitate to get into a deep discussion about string choices. But I will say quickly a few things:

1. The price difference btwn a decent Gut/Poly that will last you 20+ hours and a premium multi that will last you less than 10 hours is 4 bucks. Gut/Poly is waaay cheaper in the long run. Full gut would actually be cheaper for me than X1 Bi phase. I snap X1 in 6 hours, but can get 20-30 out of full gut.

2. Kirschbaum pro line II in 18g ranks #20 softest poly out of 239. Pro line II in the 17g ranks # 68. Those digits indicate being fairly comfy as far as full poly goes, but I'd stay clear of any full bed of poly if you have TE. That's just not going to work. Head Rip Control is an odd bird. Very unique string for sure. The gummy outer coating has it feeling very damp, muted, muffled. Though there are better choices for TE at 180 lb in... it's not bad stiffness wise, and is fairly durable. RC would be work much better for TE than Pro line II, yet neither would be as arm friendly as full gut.
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/lear...r/reporter.php

3. Yeah man, WC Dual reality has good reviews, but its designed to work as poly mains with a syngut cross. For TE I reco should staying away from poly mains, as the mains account for most qualities of the stringbed.

4. We've learned a whole bunch more about string in the last four years, than we have in the last 100 years. It's a deep subject that could fill many chapters in a book. But the biggest discovery has the importance of low interstring friction for spin production. It has been observed that additional spin is imparted to the ball when the strings slide and snap back as the ball is exiting the string bed. There is one particular string combination that is the most slippery. That combination is Gut mains / poly crosses. we dont know why exactly that is... but the most plausible explanation is that the natural oils in the gut act as a lubricant as the mains slide across. Oddly though, when you reverse the set up, and go with poly mains, and gut crosses, that combo has the highest inter -string friction of any setups tested. You can find many research articles about this in the TW university if you ever need some good bed time reading material. Puts me right to sleep Ha ha.
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/lear...nter/index.php
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/lear...ngmovement.php
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/lear...ementPart2.php
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/lear...llfriction.php

5. Regarding your request for a quick hybrid suggestion, I'm really loving Gut mains with one of the softest polys on the market, Polyfibre Hitec 18. It plays like buttah. Much more comfy than than the ever popular Gut / MSV Co- Focus, and offers a bit more touch and control imo. WC Mosquito bite 18 and the soft new Yonex Poly are my demo list for soft poly X's.

6. As you are a fellow TE sufferer, you might want to give a look to the stiffness ratings of any string you are considering giving a demo. I don't always agree with the digits, but more often than not the numbers make sense overall.
http://www.racquetsportsindustry.com...ctor_2012.html

Hope this helps!

Jack

[pauliewa]

Yeah donnays are sweet. I used the x blue 99 for a good while and it's a fantastic all around stick, with a unique comfortable, muted feel. Strung it with sppp 1.18 at 48-50, or bhb7 at 52ish iirc. Quality, cheap polys. Only reason I don't still use it is because I'm a racquetholic!

Buddy of mine has the pro one. Also a fine stick...

[zapvor]

Originally Posted by pauliewa

Yeah donnays are sweet. I used the x blue 99 for a good while and it's a fantastic all around stick, with a unique comfortable, muted feel. Strung it with sppp 1.18 at 48-50, or bhb7 at 52ish iirc. Quality, cheap polys. Only reason I don't still use it is because I'm a racquetholic!

Buddy of mine has the pro one. Also a fine stick...

what are you using now

[pauliewa]

Leaded up ps six.one 95s. But I just started stringing and because of this thread want to rekindle something with the x blue 99s. I mean the paint job alone...

[Flash]

Originally Posted by Disneos

Been looking at kirschbaun pro line II and head RIP strings as alternatives to mutlis, can anyone give feedback ont hear strings and do you think they'd work well in a hybrid together if so which mains which crosses for any of these racquets?

Disneos,

I used Proline II 17 gauge as hybrid with gut and multi with both the Pro One and XP-Dual, and they did mot last more than a few hours, which for me is untypical. I do not know why, but since that I have used TB 17 and Signum Pro Firestorm as crosses with gut mains, and had no problems with durability or my arm/elbow.

I have not been counting the hours before restringing, but when I start to lose some feel, I will change to a fresh set.

Of course, all of this depends on how we hit etc. But I agree with Jack that it is worth trying at least.

[Mister drool]

Originally Posted by Pneumated1

I hit modified Becker Londons and demoed the Gold 99 today... The weight is in the handle, throat, and low in the shoulders... and while I wouldn't call it crisp, control is at a premium. And the grip shape is absolutely perfect----a touch more square than Dunlop.

You mention a buttery feel . . . spread a little Gold 99, and your tennis palate will thank you. I can't imagine a frame that would work better for me, personally, and I don't think that I'd customize it hardly at all, and that's rare for me. I might be sold... The frame just glides through the air.... It may not bludgeon the ball like your Tours, ... This frame's a sleeper, and I can only conclude that that is the case because old-school, flexy frames are not in demand.

wow... your writting is almost an art form.
I'm not kidding, you have a very smooth writting style, specially in the descpition department.

Im realy tempted to get this frame for me... but i can only buy it from tennis warehouse europe (i live in portugal) and at the moment they ask for 205 euro... which is a bit more than i can pay for right now... i have played with a head youtek ig speed 16x19 of a friend and liked that one too... good plow, stability is ok (compared to k90 and redondo mid) super spin effect (100 sq inch and open string pattern VS mid size and 18x20 of the redondo got to me).. the works, it is a very good racquet as well, and right now, much cheaper (134 €) than the donnay....
can they both be compared?

[Disneos]

Originally Posted by Mister drool

and how about the gold 99? anyone can give some light has to what other frame its plays close too?

I'm in the market for a bigger head frame than my redondos mid, and have been looking closely to the gold 99, head youtek ig speed 16x19, and the prince tour 16x18... cant tell which one could be a better fit, i have only tried the head, and it was ok, i liked it. It was a cannon of a raqcquet compared to the redondos, plow was fine, has the swingwheight is in the 320 for both racquets, but of course i felt the stiffness of the head compared to the buttery feeling of the kennex... how does the gold99 compares?

Originally Posted by ChicagoJack

Hi Disneos,

Yeah cool, I understand. As this is the racquets section, in a general thread about Donnay frames, I hesitate to get into a deep discussion about string choices. But I will say quickly a few things:

1. The price difference btwn a decent Gut/Poly that will last you 20+ hours and a premium multi that will last you less than 10 hours is 4 bucks. Gut/Poly is waaay cheaper in the long run. Full gut would actually be cheaper for me than X1 Bi phase. I snap X1 in 6 hours, but can get 20-30 out of full gut.

2. Kirschbaum pro line II in 18g ranks #20 softest poly out of 239. Pro line II in the 17g ranks # 68. Those digits indicate being fairly comfy as far as full poly goes, but I'd stay clear of any full bed of poly if you have TE. That's just not going to work. Head Rip Control is an odd bird. Very unique string for sure. The gummy outer coating has it feeling very damp, muted, muffled. Though there are better choices for TE at 180 lb in... it's not bad stiffness wise, and is fairly durable. RC would be work much better for TE than Pro line II, yet neither would be as arm friendly as full gut.
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/lear...r/reporter.php

3. Yeah man, WC Dual reality has good reviews, but its designed to work as poly mains with a syngut cross. For TE I reco should staying away from poly mains, as the mains account for most qualities of the stringbed.

4. We've learned a whole bunch more about string in the last four years, than we have in the last 100 years. It's a deep subject that could fill many chapters in a book. But the biggest discovery has the importance of low interstring friction for spin production. It has been observed that additional spin is imparted to the ball when the strings slide and snap back as the ball is exiting the string bed. There is one particular string combination that is the most slippery. That combination is Gut mains / poly crosses. we dont know why exactly that is... but the most plausible explanation is that the natural oils in the gut act as a lubricant as the mains slide across. Oddly though, when you reverse the set up, and go with poly mains, and gut crosses, that combo has the highest inter -string friction of any setups tested. You can find many research articles about this in the TW university if you ever need some good bed time reading material. Puts me right to sleep Ha ha.
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/lear...nter/index.php
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/lear...ngmovement.php
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/lear...ementPart2.php
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/lear...llfriction.php

5. Regarding your request for a quick hybrid suggestion, I'm really loving Gut mains with one of the softest polys on the market, Polyfibre Hitec 18. It plays like buttah. Much more comfy than than the ever popular Gut / MSV Co- Focus, and offers a bit more touch and control imo. WC Mosquito bite 18 and the soft new Yonex Poly are my demo list for soft poly X's.

6. As you are a fellow TE sufferer, you might want to give a look to the stiffness ratings of any string you are considering giving a demo. I don't always agree with the digits, but more often than not the numbers make sense overall.
http://www.racquetsportsindustry.com...ctor_2012.html

Hope this helps!

Jack

One last string question, have you ever used klip legend your black natural gut? And if so what do you think of it?

[ChicagoJack]

Originally Posted by Disneos

One last string question, have you ever used klip legend your black natural gut? And if so what do you think of it?

Maybe its just bad luck, but ive tried two sets of klip gut, and both ended with premature snapping after just a few hours of play. The strings broke way out at the edges near the grommets so you could chalk it up to unfortunate mis-hits... but since switching to Babolat gut I've had no problems at all. Tonic is the cheapest Babolat gut, and the 15L is pretty durable. I've never snapped that stuff, just restring at 25 hours or so just to get a fresh set of poly xs in there. Because I rarely play gut in a full bed, its really tough for me to sense any difference among tonic and vs team. I have the black gut just because I have a buddy who is a rep and he was able to get that for me at a great price. I can for sure feel difs with changing out poly xs, but cant sense much dif with switching out gut mains.

Happy holidays

Jack

[zapvor]

Originally Posted by pauliewa

Leaded up ps six.one 95s. But I just started stringing and because of this thread want to rekindle something with the x blue 99s. I mean the paint job alone...

oh cool. the 6.1 95s are tough to play with too

[pauliewa]

Alright this has me dumbfounded. I was going through my x blue 99s in the closet and there's a replacement frame sent from Donnay that is a 16x19 pattern. (One of the frames had cracked on a shank and they sent me a lightly used one as a replacement, though I never put it in rotation). Did they switch from 16x20 to 16x19 toward the end of production? Do I have any chance of having it re-replaced?

(Sorry for slight hijack)

[mrc]

I hit with the Donnay Gold 99 and initially I loved it..still do I guess..However, I just could never get the plow I needed on the BH that I got with Prestige Pro's...Also, could never get the pace on serve as I did with HPPro..Feel is incredible though

[zapvor]

Originally Posted by pauliewa

Alright this has me dumbfounded. I was going through my x blue 99s in the closet and there's a replacement frame sent from Donnay that is a 16x19 pattern. (One of the frames had cracked on a shank and they sent me a lightly used one as a replacement, though I never put it in rotation). Did they switch from 16x20 to 16x19 toward the end of production? Do I have any chance of having it re-replaced?

(Sorry for slight hijack)

thats interesting. i would call them up and see

[pauliewa]

Originally Posted by zapvor

thats interesting. i would call them up and see

Spoke to a helpful guy who told me he'd never heard of the x blue 99 in a 16x19. He put me on hold and checked stock and found zero x blue 99s. He was nice enough to offer a replacement of one of their news frames, but just then he told me someone had found one! They're shipping it out to me on my word that I send back the mystery prototype. Good people over there at Donnay.

Taking this as a sign I'm supposed to move back in time to these awesome frames.

[v-verb]

Originally Posted by pauliewa

Spoke to a helpful guy who told me he'd never heard of the x blue 99 in a 16x19. He put me on hold and checked stock and found zero x blue 99s. He was nice enough to offer a replacement of one of their news frames, but just then he told me someone had found one! They're shipping it out to me on my word that I send back the mystery prototype. Good people over there at Donnay.

Taking this as a sign I'm supposed to move back in time to these awesome frames.

Did you get your replacement frame?

[mrc]

totally agree..the Gold 99 is so sweet. I use it stock form and cant imagine a racquet with a bigger sweet spot and all that feel you get. Great combo.