New Donnay X-Series - My Thoughts

[Ashley D]

Can anyone tell me anything about the X-Dual Silverlite Extended? Just bought a couple cos I like the specs. Thinking I'll add the customised weight: 10gms buttcap, 3gms 12 o'clock. I've read all there is to read on the entire internet about this stick (which isn't much).

EDIT: Just got my 2 x Sliverlite Ext. Put the 10g buttcaps on as well as 3g at 12 o'clock. Feels nice to swing, but it's not strung yet. Now I've just gotta get my knees in good enough shape to hit!!!!

[pjonesy]

Originally Posted by anubis

Thanks. I'm trying to stay away from stiffer frames, so that's why I chose the Gold. I like the low swing weight so that I can really whip it around to generate spin. Not too concerned about power though. I actually found the 2013 APD to be rather low powered. If I slowed down my swing enough, the ball really didn't travel very far or fast.

Ok guys. I've been away, testing the Gold dual core 99 vs Blue X 99 vs Platinum X 94 vs DC Platinum 94 and 99.

To begin with, I thought that i wanted a super stable, fairly flexible 11.5 to 12.5 oz racquet with a high swingweight. But, with a torn labrum in right shoulder, a heavy racquet with a high swingweight tugged at the joint when i took a full swing serving.

I put the 5g butt cap weight in the blue 99 and plat 94. It made it more head light and gave me more whip through contact point on serve. These 2 racquets are the most dynamic in my opinion. With a clean stroke, these are nasty. Great power, spin, defense and precision. However, my stroke needs more work. I'm inconsistent right now and am not ready for these racquets. I need something a little more forgiving.

The Gold 99 has been covered and I would agree with most of the comments. It is very consistent, reliable and smooth. I want something more dynamic. But if you hit medium pace shots and are looking for the ability to hit a consistent ball with depth and control, this will get the job done all day long.

I am now playing with the DC Platinum 94. It has a perfect swingweight, while being very maneuverable from all areas of the court. It's heavy, but I can hit just about any ball late and still catch up to it with this racquet. I did replace the grip with a Dunlop leather grip, with no slide weights or butt cap weights. The DC Plat 99 is a little more forgiving, but I prefer the 94, based on the fact that it forces me to drive through the ball. I have an extreme full western grip and my forehand can get wild at times. The DC Platinum 94 forces me to have better technique on my groundstrokes and it pays off. I am using a full bed of Tourna Quasi gut 16g at 56 lbs.

[Ashley D]

Hi Jonesy. Have you played with the Silverlite Ext? I have two sitting here but can't play with them until my knees recover.

[coolblue123]

Originally Posted by Ashley D

Hi Jonesy. Have you played with the Silverlite Ext? I have two sitting here but can't play with them until my knees recover.

I just got one off of cl. I put .5 oz on the handle in .4 on 5 &7. will play this wkd. swings nice. in a way, reminds me of the PK ki5x.

I haven't played with an ultra thin beam b4. I hope it won't twist against the hard hitters.

[Ashley D]

I'd be interested to hear what you think CoolBlue. I've added 10g to the buttcap and 3g at 12. Swings pretty nicely.

[coolblue123]

just came back hitting with the silver lite ext.

it had msv red hex on there around 53lb. initial hit is pretty good. its really a very good control stick. I was really impressed how much control I had for being an extended. I couldn't generate as much spin as compared to my bb NYC but after all it is a control stick.
shanked a couple of balls initially due to the length but even then very comfy.
what really I noticed is serving, dtl, CC, sliders, a lot more pace and accuracy. only thing I can't do are kickers, back is killing me today.
I will prob cut out the strings and put on a high gauge multi with a low tension and see if I can generate more pace.
don't think I will switch over from my moded stick now but great to satisfy my curiosity of donnay sticks. for such a thin beam, it is extremely stable! very impressed.

[Ashley D]

Originally Posted by coolblue123

just came back hitting with the silver lite ext.

it had msv red hex on there around 53lb. initial hit is pretty good. its really a very good control stick. I was really impressed how much control I had for being an extended. I couldn't generate as much spin as compared to my bb NYC but after all it is a control stick.
shanked a couple of balls initially due to the length but even then very comfy.
what really I noticed is serving, dtl, CC, sliders, a lot more pace and accuracy. only thing I can't do are kickers, back is killing me today.
I will prob cut out the strings and put on a high gauge multi with a low tension and see if I can generate more pace.
don't think I will switch over from my moded stick now but great to satisfy my curiosity of donnay sticks. for such a thin beam, it is extremely stable! very impressed.

Thanks for the update CoolBlue. Good to know you found it pretty stable, because it is light. I'll be putting a hybrid of Big Hitter Blue Rough 17g mains and Klip Kicker 17g crosses at about 52 I reckon. Do you have a 2hb? I've got a 1hb so wondering how extended length will go. Also, the stiffness rating is 66. Did it feel like that? Or softer?

[coolblue123]

Originally Posted by Ashley D

Thanks for the update CoolBlue. Good to know you found it pretty stable, because it is light. I'll be putting a hybrid of Big Hitter Blue Rough 17g mains and Klip Kicker 17g crosses at about 52 I reckon. Do you have a 2hb? I've got a 1hb so wondering how extended length will go. Also, the stiffness rating is 66. Did it feel like that? Or softer?

np, I have a 2hb. didn't feel the stiffness at all. its really comfy. I think bcz I put lead on the 4/6, it felt a little slower. I am thinking cutting them msv, and putting some multi in there and see what happens. trying to draw more power. too bad I love my bb's so much else would try to make this work out.

did I mention the serve off this stick is wicked?

[Ashley D]

Originally Posted by coolblue123

np, I have a 2hb. didn't feel the stiffness at all. its really comfy. I think bcz I put lead on the 4/6, it felt a little slower. I am thinking cutting them msv, and putting some multi in there and see what happens. trying to draw more power. too bad I love my bb's so much else would try to make this work out.

did I mention the serve off this stick is wicked?

Looking forward to a bigger serve! I'm only 5 foot 9, so hoping extra reach wil help a bit. And coming from Rebel 95, so hopefully low power won't be a shock. Although I also have 2 x BB delta core pros and they are awesome for spin.

[pjonesy]

Originally Posted by Ashley D

Hi Jonesy. Have you played with the Silverlite Ext? I have two sitting here but can't play with them until my knees recover.

No, I sure haven't tried the Silverlite Ext. I know its very light. I'm short as well and would be willing to demo it.

What experience with or opinions do you guys have on the X-P Dual, X-Dual Pro and X-P Dual Tour?

[Double_Bagel]

Hi guys,

Perhaps you can help me with my dilemma. The Donnays sound amazing. Got a Donnay rep in HK who can provide me with some Donnay sticks (the older X-line that they still have a few left of) as I live in Japan and there are no dealers here. Sadly, that also means no demos.

I'm torn between the blue, black and red lines. The red 99 sounds like an interesting stick for a spin/attacking game, or even playing around as a doubles stick (and its light enough to be customized either way).

Out of the 94's, probably the black is striking me as the best (somewhat more forgiving than the blue 94 - and given its a "buy before I try" perhaps it's good I err on the side of caution!). That leaves the blue 99 as the final option...yet both the blue 99 and black 99 seems to come with great praise.

So if I was to pick up a red 99, a blue 99 and a black 94, would that be a good mix of racquets in terms of differing spec/feel/performance?

If that's overkill and it's best to choose just one or two Donnay x-series, which would they be?

[Double_Bagel]

Or would a blue 94 + black 99 be best? I really want to pick up one of the 94's and a 99 but it'd be silly to pick up both in the same color/model line right?

[pjonesy]

Originally Posted by Double_Bagel

Or would a blue 94 + black 99 be best? I really want to pick up one of the 94's and a 99 but it'd be silly to pick up both in the same color/model line right?

Well, as you can see on this thread, there are quite a few people(including me) who have had problems deciding on a Donnay model. I've already shared my experiences throughout this thread, but I will give u a quick rundown of my thoughts. I don't think it would be silly to use 2 different models, with different head sizes. However, I don't think many people would
encourage it.

The Blue 99 is the most stable racquet I've hit. A beast off the ground. It fit perfectly with my long, fast forehand stroke. I really felt I could outhit just about anybody on the forehand side, while still being able to hit with fantastic spin when needed. I had to take the ball early to get the most out of it. Catch it late and balls fly. Technique is still very important with this racquet. Phenomenal on returns and solid at the net. Flat and topspin backhands were amazing.

My only issues are as follows;
Didn't help my serve much, but its more about my serve technique than the racquet. I have a torn labrum and I have to protect it. I hit a 1hbh and the Blue 99 is steady, but i didn't find it as maneuverable on that side. Slice was harder to control.

The good certainly outweighs the bad, regarding the the Blue 99.

[Double_Bagel]

Thanks Pjonesy. The blue 99 definitely seems to be the most popular...with good reason from the sounds of it.

Perhaps that, and the black 94 (two very different racquets), could be a good pair to buy, sight unseen. Keep the favorite and on-sell the other. Is it hard to sell a used Donnay?

The other wildcard is the Red 99 but it seems to have really mixed reports.

[Readers]

Originally Posted by Double_Bagel

Thanks Pjonesy. The blue 99 definitely seems to be the most popular...with good reason from the sounds of it.

Perhaps that, and the black 94 (two very different racquets), could be a good pair to buy, sight unseen. Keep the favorite and on-sell the other. Is it hard to sell a used Donnay?

The other wildcard is the Red 99 but it seems to have really mixed reports.

I think spec wise, the blue 99 is closer to black 94 and vice versa

[pjonesy]

Originally Posted by Readers

I think spec wise, the blue 99 is closer to black 94 and vice versa

I was wondering about that, considering the specs. I did not demo the Black 94. I did demo the Blue 94 and it seemed more sluggish and less stable than the Blue 99. I did demo the Black 99. It is a nice racquet, but I felt it was a predictable low power player's racquet. You get out exactly what you put into it. The Blue 99 gave my forehand and returns more power and control. Which is exactly what I needed.

[pjonesy]

Originally Posted by Double_Bagel

Thanks Pjonesy. The blue 99 definitely seems to be the most popular...with good reason from the sounds of it.

Perhaps that, and the black 94 (two very different racquets), could be a good pair to buy, sight unseen. Keep the favorite and on-sell the other. Is it hard to sell a used Donnay?

The other wildcard is the Red 99 but it seems to have really mixed reports.

I did use the Red 94 for a while. Although it had more power than the Black 99, I would generally put it in the 'predictable, consistent player's racquet' category. Nothing special and it didn't stand out in any way. Although it is easier for me to serve with a 94 inch head.