Donnay Pro One 97 users club

[RollTrackTake]

Originally Posted by Kal-El 34

one of my new babies

ill post some more pics tomorrow to show the differences between this and a retail p1 18x20

knights of Columbus! what is this rare beast you have corralled?
Is this one of the James Blake's personal stock you've obtained?

Not to derail but I've had this (pics below) for quite some time. Still not quite sure what it is.
The beam is slightly thinner than the Pro 1. Head size is slightly larger. maybe 102. I was thinking it was an X-P Dual Tour prototype. the plastic piece in the throat is weird. not sure what it is. any thoughts?

[Kal-El 34]

Originally Posted by RollTrackTake

knights of Columbus! what is this rare beast you have corralled?
Is this one of the James Blake's personal stock you've obtained?

Not to derail but I've had this (pics below) for quite some time. Still not quite sure what it is.
The beam is slightly thinner than the Pro 1. Head size is slightly larger. maybe 102. I was thinking it was an X-P Dual Tour prototype. the plastic piece in the throat is weird. not sure what it is. any thoughts?

i believe blake plays a 16x19, where as this is an 18x20. i can't give all the details on the frame, but I have 2 of them. Considerably heavier than the retail pro one, and the feel is amazing. Grommets seem a little higher quality, and the headguard on the top is longer than the retail version as well. The paint on the frame is also glossy "like" a head prestige, so the foil lettering and things should not chip off as easily. I am waiting to see if this holds true, but really enjoyed hitting with it yesterday.

your frame in the pictures does look like the x-p dual prototypes. They were considering putting the D shape in the throat for a short time before realizing it would be a mistake. It was supposed to be a gimmick dampener. Very happy they didn't end up putting it into production.

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by ChicagoJack

Hi Jack, Yeah man, that $30.00 smakeroos kinda stings. But here's some things to consider.

1. If you ever put lead at 3:00 and 9:00 you better plan on leaving it there forever, because when you remove it, the silver metallic paint located there is likely to come off with it. You wont have that issue with the slides however, because they fit into the outside of the bumpers / grommets.

2. Because they are solid core, you wont be able to put silicone in the pallet. That means you have to put your tailweight on the outside, under the grip. Anytime you do that, you've got the be strategic about altering the grip size too much. +10 buttcap is a big help with that issue, because 10 grams of lead is 40 inches of tape. That can get problematic very quickly if you are finicky about grip feel. To get to -12 points I use the +10 buttcap, and another 10-15 grams of lead right on the outside of buttcap, that gives me the flared, hockey stick feel that I like, without altering the core grip size. Stock balance is about -4.5 points. Iv'e found that tail weighting to -8 is pretty awesome, but right around -12 the stick is right in my golden zone.


Like you I was interested in obtaining the lightest, and most headlight frames. I have found that TW only carries 2-3 at most of each grip size. You might luck out, because getting just 1-2 frames in your spec range is going to be a whole lot easier than finding 3-4 in the specs you like. Of course try TW first, but if all else fails you might try ordering directly. I was able to get a set of 6 of the extremely rare 65ra, and all are under spec for mass and balance. Had to wait three months for them to roll off the line, but I got em. By the way, welcome back.

- The Other Jack

thanks for all the info Jack. Not a problem about ruining the silver lettering...I have no desire to add any weight to the hoop. I wonder if there's anything we can do with a new racquet to protect that delicate lettering? How about some clear nail polish or some other way to seal it?

Where do you buy the weight kits from anyway? Directly from Donnay?
I would like to try the 5g one first?

Anyway I am loving the Pro 1 today. I played 2 great sets of singles today against a much better player and he barely beat me 5-7, 5-7 and I was up 5-2 in the 1st and 3-0 in the 2nd. Gotta stop letting up when I get the lead!
But the Pro 1 performed great.

[JackB1]

does anyone have a 5g buttcap they want to sell me? I don't need the entire customization kit.

[RollTrackTake]

Originally Posted by Kal-El 34

i believe blake plays a 16x19, where as this is an 18x20. i can't give all the details on the frame, but I have 2 of them. Considerably heavier than the retail pro one, and the feel is amazing. Grommets seem a little higher quality, and the headguard on the top is longer than the retail version as well. The paint on the frame is also glossy "like" a head prestige, so the foil lettering and things should not chip off as easily. I am waiting to see if this holds true, but really enjoyed hitting with it yesterday.

Blake is an 18x20 guy. The only reason I thought it could be his is because it has a retail Pro 1 97 PJ. It could have come from a Philip Petzschner stash or some other Donnay endorsers pro stock whom they want pushing the Pro 1. I'm guessing if you were to weigh it that would help solve the mystery.
TT poster Miami Tiburon seems to always have inside knowledge concerning Donnay.

btw. this thread has pics of the James Blake's 'Donnay' (or Dunlop PJ) stick from a few seasons back
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showt...=385554&page=2

[mimo]

i have a couple 16 x 19 pro ones and i'm gonna string them with 17g cyclone. what tension do you guys recommend for this type of string?

[Kal-El 34]

Originally Posted by RollTrackTake

Blake is an 18x20 guy. The only reason I thought it could be his is because it has a retail Pro 1 97 PJ. It could have come from a Philip Petzschner stash or some other Donnay endorsers pro stock whom they want pushing the Pro 1. I'm guessing if you were to weigh it that would help solve the mystery.
TT poster Miami Tiburon seems to always have inside knowledge concerning Donnay.

btw. this thread has pics of the James Blake's 'Donnay' (or Dunlop PJ) stick from a few seasons back
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showt...=385554&page=2

Its definitely from their pro stock stash. Im not sure exactly who's but im trying to figure it out. If blake uses an 18x20 it very likely could be his. I will post more as i get some more.info

[vsbabolat]

Originally Posted by Kal-El 34

one of my new babies

ill post some more pics tomorrow to show the differences between this and a retail p1 18x20

Blake does use 18x20 and what you have there is a Dunlop 300 Tour mold.

[mrmo1115]

^ VS. So the Pro One has the mold of the 300 Tour 4D Dunlop?

[vsbabolat]

Originally Posted by mrmo1115

^ VS. So the Pro One has the mold of the 300 Tour 4D Dunlop?

No. The "Donnay" that Blake uses does. What Donnay sells at retail does not.

[TheLambsheadrep]

Originally Posted by vsbabolat

No. The "Donnay" that Blake uses does.

As well as the X-Dual Pros, correct VS?

[Kal-El 34]

Originally Posted by TheLambsheadrep

As well as the X-Dual Pros, correct VS?

The dual pros are the same mold as the p1. This one is definitely different. Ever so slightly longer, headsize slightly different, and weight/balance totally different. It is xenecore blasted though, at least through the grip

Guess ill just have to saw it in half and find out

[Kal-El 34]

as promised... some more pictures, next to a retail pro one 18x20

[Kal-El 34]

[RollTrackTake]

Originally Posted by Kal-El 34

Those pics really highlight the difference between the retail and the pro stock.

[Kal-El 34]

the feel of the pro stock is so much different as well. it feels unlike anything i've hit from donnay really, in a good way though. even more stability. i do feel it is stiffer than the retail pro one too. the sticker on mine says 66 and i would say that's about right, whereas the retail to me feels more like low 60's

[RollTrackTake]

Originally Posted by Kal-El 34

the feel of the pro stock is so much different as well. it feels unlike anything i've hit from donnay really, in a good way though. even more stability. i do feel it is stiffer than the retail pro one too. the sticker on mine says 66 and i would say that's about right, whereas the retail to me feels more like low 60's

Interesting stuff. Considering they (Donnay) don't have a lot of current pro players using their racquets it probably makes your find really rare.

[TheLambsheadrep]

Originally Posted by Kal-El 34

The dual pros are the same mold as the p1. This one is definitely different. Ever so slightly longer, headsize slightly different, and weight/balance totally different. It is xenecore blasted though, at least through the grip

Guess ill just have to saw it in half and find out

That's right, I half forgot and half wanted the answer to be yes haha.

I def see the slight difference, too. The P1/XDP has a more symmetrical oval shape going on, where the pro stock looks more like my TF335 (ever so slightly wider at the top). The XDP head shape is close to my TF335, and the TF335 is close to my Dunlop 4D 300 Tour (even though theyre from the same mold...can there be head shape variance among different racquets (in this case, racquet brands) from the same mold?)

[Kal-El 34]

Originally Posted by RollTrackTake

Interesting stuff. Considering they (Donnay) don't have a lot of current pro players using their racquets it probably makes your find really rare.

Not a find at all

[ChicagoJack]

Originally Posted by JackB1

thanks for all the info Jack. Not a problem about ruining the silver lettering...I have no desire to add any weight to the hoop. I wonder if there's anything we can do with a new racquet to protect that delicate lettering? How about some clear nail polish or some other way to seal it?

1. Yeah sure, no problemo, happy to help. I've tried clear nail polish. It's effective, but up close you can kinda see brush marks. I've purchased 3 dif kinds of spray on clear lacquer... matte, semi gloss, and hi gloss, hoping that might get a more pro look. I'll experiment with these but, it needs to be applied in a narrow temperature range, and given that I'm doing this in my garage I will have to wait till spring, way too cold in Chicago right now.

Originally Posted by JackB1

I'll try adding some lead to the butt of my Pro 1. Not sure I want to pay $30 for the weight kit? Wouldn't 10g of lead at the butt do the same?. Or I could tape 2 nickels inside the buttcap (they weigh 5 g's ea)

2. Adding nickels to the inside of the buttcap is a not a good idea. You will be adding length to your frame, and even minor changes in length result in huge increases in SW. I think that's the exact opposite of what you are trying to achieve. However, if you could figure out a way to add them to the outside of the cap at the very end, that would work.

3. If all you want to do is add a bit of tail weight you don't need the weight kit. The +10 butt cap is only required in my case because anything over 15-20 grams of lead right on the buttcap is just too flared. So I need the +10 to get to the +25 that I like. I've found (see pics) that 5-20 grams of 1/4 inch lead tape wrapped around the buttcap has the added bonus of providing a nice flared feel. (The racquet in the pics shows 15 grams) I've since figured out that three rows will create fewer wrinkles than a sprial, looks a bit cleaner, but once the grip is on there, that gets smoothed out either way.

4. Many of the pros pay P1 or RPNY for custom caps, and Gasquet's grip is one where you can see the flare quite prominently. Mine is no where near that extreme, but I've figured out why Gasquet likes the flare. It gives you more leverage right where the flare pushes into the heel of the palm. The BH side is where most people draw the line at max SW, not the FH side. That added leverage makes it a lot easier to control the racquet thru the backhand stroke. It's been a big help for me.

So with the lead tape option, you get the flare, much more flexibility with weight, plus it's much cheaper too. Feel free to ask if you have any follow up.

[..] Pics Below









- Jack