All problems solved with racket

[sureshs]

That is right, all my tennis problems were solved this week. Forehand, backhand, serves, jamming balls - all are solved.

I decided to get rid of my addiction to the feel of the PS 85, and searched for a true pro spec frame on the TW racket finder. By that I mean a frame close to SW 350 in stock form. Apart from some very light but huge headed grandpa frames, and a couple with very high stiffness or extended length, it basically boiled down to the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Tour. TW lists the strung SW as 345, another site as 350. This is close to Fed and Nadal specs of 350-355.

I played with the demo this week and all problems are solved. All the hard work put in with the PS 85 bore fruit. The frame was comfortable, powerful and absolutely stable - not one iota of discomfort.

I have ordered two of these. I think Dunlop may replace this with the F 2.0 Tour which will have a much lower SW.

It was also an eye opening experience for me that there is hardly any frame with a pro SW.

Try it out. Every shot is easier and nothing can faze you. It reminds me of table tennis, where for about a 100 bucks, you can get a pro paddle with pro rubbers, and then the only thing that separates you from the pros is skill. Contrast that with the $10 paddles in the sports store, which definitely hurts your game even at the lowest level. Now it seems to me that pro SW is that thing in tennis which really separates the worthwhile frames from the riff-raff.

[isilra]

What kind of forehand do you have ? I mean you are using the ATP style pronation-supination-pronation route or just go for the oldschool lay the wrist back and go for it style ? I'm asking because i'm still wondering what kind of racquet specs would be suitable for my game.

[KineticChain]

Just wait until next week... you'll get used to the new racquet and be right where you were before

[TheCheese]

Originally Posted by KineticChain

Just wait until next week... you'll get used to the new racquet and be right where you were before

Seriously. Although, I'm sure it's a bit easier than playing with an 85.

[slowfox]

There's also the Pro Kennex Ionic Ki 5 PSE. 345 swingweight.

[luvforty]

sureshs, can we see it in action, that would be awesome!

[boramiNYC]

Welcome to Dunlop. I'm a happy 100 user. yes the PS85 feels quite flimsy, despite the heft, in comparison to the new offerings. not stiff enough at the critical parts of the frame. you are not that naive are you if you think it will solve all the problems...enjoy the honeymoon.

[claub]

I agree with what you said 100% and I hope it's not just a honeymoon period.

Would be nice to see you in action.

[nyc]

how are your volleys?

[arche3]

Yeah suresh prop up your cell phone and take some vids.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by slowfox

There's also the Pro Kennex Ionic Ki 5 PSE. 345 swingweight.

That is right. I didn't go for it because it was 100 sq in and 9 pts HL and heavier. That is about as HL as my PS 85. I think today's baseline centric game does not favor such head light frames. Fed and Nadal are in the 3 to 6 pts HL range.

The other reason was that there is a guy in the club who has been using the Dunlop, and I never realized it. He offered to sell it to me, but changed his mind. He plays singles with it and uses another frame for doubles.

But I am sure the PK is a great choice also.

It is strange that the "Fed" racket is so popular among some fans, but its stock form has no closeness to what Fed uses in terms of SW.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by boramiNYC

Welcome to Dunlop. I'm a happy 100 user. yes the PS85 feels quite flimsy, despite the heft, in comparison to the new offerings. not stiff enough at the critical parts of the frame. you are not that naive are you if you think it will solve all the problems...enjoy the honeymoon.

I think the 100 series is history.

And yes this has already solved all my problems

Now only the real problems remain.

[dman72]

Originally Posted by sureshs

That is right, all my tennis problems were solved this week. Forehand, backhand, serves, jamming balls - all are solved.

I decided to get rid of my addiction to the feel of the PS 85, and searched for a true pro spec frame on the TW racket finder. By that I mean a frame close to SW 350 in stock form. Apart from some very light but huge headed grandpa frames, and a couple with very high stiffness or extended length, it basically boiled down to the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Tour. TW lists the strung SW as 345, another site as 350. This is close to Fed and Nadal specs of 350-355.

I played with the demo this week and all problems are solved. All the hard work put in with the PS 85 bore fruit. The frame was comfortable, powerful and absolutely stable - not one iota of discomfort.

I have ordered two of these. I think Dunlop may replace this with the F 2.0 Tour which will have a much lower SW.

It was also an eye opening experience for me that there is hardly any frame with a pro SW.

Try it out. Every shot is easier and nothing can faze you. It reminds me of table tennis, where for about a 100 bucks, you can get a pro paddle with pro rubbers, and then the only thing that separates you from the pros is skill. Contrast that with the $10 paddles in the sports store, which definitely hurts your game even at the lowest level. Now it seems to me that pro SW is that thing in tennis which really separates the worthwhile frames from the riff-raff.

You could have achieved that swingweight and had many more racquets to choose from by buying a $20 reel of lead tape.

Note that many pros frames are not at that swingweight off the shelf. Take a look at the thread in the pros equipment thread by Fabfed who has "Noles" racquet...Djokovic use a ton of lead tape to achieve his SW.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by dman72

You could have achieved that swingweight and had many more racquets to choose from by buying a $20 reel of lead tape.

Note that many pros frames are not at that swingweight off the shelf. Take a look at the thread in the pros equipment thread by Fabfed who has "Noles" racquet...Djokovic use a ton of lead tape to achieve his SW.

Lead placement requires lot of expertise and fine tuning. If I can get a high SW stock, why not go for it?

Pros have to do it because they may have no option from their sponsors. Right now it is only the Dunlop 200 Tour and the PK PSE. How many are sponsored by these companies?

Soon there will be only one because the Dunlop F 2.0 Tour is going to have a lower SW.

Also, the low RA of Dunlop makes for a very arm-friendly frame.

[luvforty]

Originally Posted by sureshs

Lead placement requires lot of expertise and fine tuning.

step 1 - peel the sticky off
step 2 - apply lead tape to racket
step 3 - weigh racket
step 4 - become a real tennis player

[dman72]

Originally Posted by sureshs

Lead placement requires lot of expertise and fine tuning. If I can get a high SW stock, why not go for it?

Pros have to do it because they may have no option from their sponsors. Right now it is only the Dunlop 200 Tour and the PK PSE. How many are sponsored by these companies?

Soon there will be only one because the Dunlop F 2.0 Tour is going to have a lower SW.

Also, the low RA of Dunlop makes for a very arm-friendly frame.

Pros do it because they stick with the frame they started playing with, for the most part. As they get stronger and face heavier shots, they boost their swingweight. Djokovic again as an example is basically using a 10+ year old radical mold with a stock swingweight probably in the low 300's that he's got juiced up over 360 with lead all around the hoop.

It does not take a lot of expertise...maybe some fine tuning but it's pretty easy to do since the stuff can be put on a peeled off during a hitting session. The only question is whether to add it at 3/9, 10/12, 12, or all around the top of the hoop.

I guess if you just don't want to bother then you have maybe 2 frames available stock, but you're skipping over a ton of quality racquets that could easily be at that spec.

[luvforty]

seriously thought - lead tape is a necessity not a choice... if you buy 2 or more copies, chances are almost zero for them to match in weight balance and sw.

[Relinquis]

I'm pretty surprised that there are so few heavy (SW) stock racquets.

Maybe I should get the dunlop* before they stop making them, just to have the option.


* Wasn't the previous model even a bit heavier?

[Power Player]

Great racquet and probably not tough to use coming from a Ps85.

I have my Blades leaded up to 340 SW and I love how they play. It takes time though. I do not add lead unless my racquet starts to feel like it is swinging light. I went from 333 to 340.

[luvforty]

like i said before, rackets are made to be leaded, because it's much easier to add weight than to reduce.

for most people, stock is probably too light.