Softest Players Frame Available

[tennisnut123]

Currently Using a 2013 Blade 98 16x19, wanted to know of some opinions of some softer frames that are anywhere between 95-100 sq inches, hopefully thinner beams and between 11.2-12 oz strung.

Thanks!

[anubis]

I think the Prince EXO3 tour 100 is in the low 50's for flexibility. that's pretty soft.

[SELFMADESOUL]

Some current models to check out:

Volkl C10 pro and PB 10 mid/midplus
Prince Tour 100
Head Rad Pro

If you are willingly to go back a few years you can't get any better than the PT630/280 for a soft/flexy racquet - I love those frames.

[APG]

Also the BB London Tour at 55 (flex) and a bargain. It is a 93 mid though. The new Volkl mid is stiffer but feels soft in the hand with the handle system. It is a really nice stick.

[tennisnut123]

Really interested in the pt630/280, are there common names for these? are they now just different forms of the prestige?

[realplayer]

without any doubt: Vantage Bastcore 20!!!

[SELFMADESOUL]

Originally Posted by tennisnut123

Really interested in the pt630/280, are there common names for these? are they now just different forms of the prestige?

Check out this thread for all you ever wanted to know about the PT630/280 http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=167959

[El Zed]

Originally Posted by SELFMADESOUL

Check out this thread for all you ever wanted to know about the PT630/280 http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=167959

Hey, Softmadesoul, apologies if I'm incorrect - but I was keeping an eye on that old Trek Font PT630 on the bay, and it appears that you may have picked it up. If so, how is it?

[Tennisspieler]

I would definitely try the Pacific X Feel Tour.

I recently demoed that racquet. Huge sweetspot, easy access to spin, good power, excellent control. However, what I liked most, was the plush, buttery feeling, it felt like a natural extension of the arm.

I have played with many modern frames thus far, and while I have always liked the easy power and spin I am getting from these sticks, I am reluctant to get used to their somewhat muted feel, or the total lack of feel. Also, power is sometimes difficult to tame, I need to add lots of topspin and shorten my swing, which is unpleasantly distracting me from my game, especially in tight match situations.

Not so with the X Feel Tour! I could literally “feel” the ball on the stringbed, and easily place the ball exactly where I wanted to. More than other racquets, the X Feel Tour enabled me to send my opponents left-to-right from one corner of the court to the other. The great directional control was fun and gave me a lot of confidence while hitting. Also, I felt that I couldn’t hit long no matter how hard I hit. With a big swing, the Pacific hit a very nice flat shot that bullets across the court.

I think the X Feel Tour is a very interesting frame since it stands out due to its flex. It may be tempting to compare it with the Prince EXO3 Tour 100, but I find the Pacific X Feel Tour much more stable, controllable and definitely more powerful. It rather hits like the stiffer 100 sq. inch tweener racquets from Babolat, Head, Wilson (Pure Drives, Aero Pro Drives, Extremes, Speeds, Juices, etc.), but with more flex, more controllable power and a way better feel.

P.S:: Soon there will be a new 2013 version with improved Basalt materials called "Pacific BX2 X Feel Tour". In Europe this model is already available and I guess it will soon be released in the United States as well.

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by anubis

I think the Prince EXO3 tour 100 is in the low 50's for flexibility. that's pretty soft.

This frame has been a dream on my arm. Here is a thread devoted to it:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=399113

[SELFMADESOUL]

Originally Posted by El Zed

Hey, Softmadesoul, apologies if I'm incorrect - but I was keeping an eye on that old Trek Font PT630 on the bay, and it appears that you may have picked it up. If so, how is it?

Yes, I did pick it up - threw on a CAP and a Finest Calfskin grip and she's a beaut! My favorite of the different versions so I'm looking to stock up Can't go wrong with any of the PT630/280s though some are just more flexy than others.

[El Zed]

Originally Posted by SELFMADESOUL

Yes, I did pick it up - threw on a CAP and a Finest Calfskin grip and she's a beaut! My favorite of the different versions so I'm looking to stock up Can't go wrong with any of the PT630/280s though some are just more flexy than others.

Very nice! That was literally the only Trek font I've seen on there for the last 6 months or so.

[jack crack]

Try the prince rebel 98.
Specs that are very similar to the blade - weight, balance. Just much softer. I just made that switch to get a softer frame too. It was the most natural racket switch I ever did.

[BreakPoint]

The TW version of the Donnay Pro One International 95 is a very soft player's frame. You may still be able to find them used.

[LeeD]

MicroGel are mid 50's and either a 95 or 104 in sizing.

[Boredsurfer]

Pro Kennex Laver Type C 18 x 20 - best feel of any racket I have ever used. Buttery soft, no shock, no vibes, - infact, when strung in the low 50's I have actually hit it and hardly felt the ball at all - a "ghost" swing if you will (and not because it's muted but because the strike is so perfect).

Plus best, "POCK" sound ever

[rafafan20]

has to be volkl pb 10 mid

[Fearsome Forehand]

You could try a wood racket.

F200 Carbons are very flexy but probably in the 85 to 90 inch range. A lot of the older rackets have noticeable flex even more so than the mid 1990's PT280/630 which seems stiff compared to some older rackets. The marketing trend has been towards lighter, stiffer frames for some time now even with the players rackets. Most seem too stiff and too light to me and lack feel.

[BreakPoint]

Originally Posted by Fearsome Forehand

You could try a wood racket.

F200 Carbons are very flexy but probably in the 85 to 90 inch range. A lot of the older rackets have noticeable flex even more so than the mid 1990's PT280/630 which seems stiff compared to some older rackets. The marketing trend has been towards lighter, stiffer frames for some time now even with the players rackets. Most seem too stiff and too light to me and lack feel.

That's exactly right! I remember back in the mid-90's I had been using a Dunlop Max 200G for many years when I decided to buy a couple of Head PT280's without demoing because they were on sale. When I went and actually played with them, I couldn't believe how stiff and light and tinny the racquet felt compared to my Max 200G's. I hated it! I immediately returned the unused one and sold the other one the next day.

[Tennisspieler]

Originally Posted by Fearsome Forehand

You could try a wood racket.

F200 Carbons are very flexy but probably in the 85 to 90 inch range. A lot of the older rackets have noticeable flex even more so than the mid 1990's PT280/630 which seems stiff compared to some older rackets. The marketing trend has been towards lighter, stiffer frames for some time now even with the players rackets. Most seem too stiff and too light to me and lack feel.

I actually used the Rossignol F200 Carbon and loved the plush, buttery feel as well as the innovative open 16/17 string pattern. The Pacific X Feel Tour is the first modern racquet I hit with that has a similar silky smooth feel. Best thing is, despite the flex and lively feel, the X Feel Tour surprisingly is as powerful as other (but stiffer and more muted feeling) modern frames.