Diary of a Racketaholic

[Power Player]

Oh yeah for sure. I love a nice feel to a stick, even though strings really help there. I am going to try and grab a demo. Between the pure drive, the pure storm and the roddick, i will settle in. The roddick has stuck out a lot, but i wonder if the power could go against me some matches.

The pure storm just has the feel of a classic stick with more power. It also felt amazing with a full poly bed.

The pure drive will be driven tonight with a proper string setup. What i liked is that you can let the racquet do the work for you. I also hit deep shots within 1 foot of the baseline on a constant basis.

This also was the case with pure storm, but the ball felt heavier coming off the strings. I am wondering if the grip change of western to almost eastern has allowed me to work less harder and wield a little more weight than before. It is very easy to regress into wristing shots with the pure drive gt at times, and i can not be doing that. But i really do need more time to dial the racquet in.

I don't know what you guys think, but the pure storm tour reminds me of a less demanding, and more powerful Dunlop 200.

[OldButGame]

Originally Posted by Power Player

Well the demoing is just torture. The pd is very very light to me, and i was sending over some sitters. I switched my grip more eastern and then could hit easy winners. I also noticed that i was very consistent in rallying with it. I just put hurricane tour in it tonight after hitting, so the string job did not do it justice,and i need more time with it. I like the racquet so far, but i need to demo it against the roddick extended again.

My partner also had a pure storm tour gt strung with hurricane pro. I was very impressed with the feel of that racquet. It felt like a more powerful prestige pro the way it was setup. I am not sure how easy it is to hit with when it gets super hot here in the summer, but it felt great. I also am trying to figure out the ideal power level for me in a racquet. I do not like low powered sticks, but there are some fine lines too.

The pd did impress too though, and i need to spend more time with it. I am pretty strong so i am a little torn on now heavy i should go. Kind of a pain, but it's just a few racquets so hopefully it will sort itself out .

I thought this was interesting, checked the specs and see what You mean, somewhat close to the BB11, and that feels a little heavy until you're really ready for it. I wasn't till late in the season last season, and i get what You mean about the heat.. That just seems be so draining when it gets really hot (yeah, it sometimes does in Minnesota) and a heavier stick with more weight to the head compounds it a lot. (I really gotta get working out!!).

[Power Player]

Well, the PSTgt demo I got was great. I served with it and the Pure Drive. The pure drive hits some wicked serves, but the PST got me almost the same pace. It was strung with toalson 66 at 59#s and still felt great. Probably one of the best feeling racquets I have hit with. Extremely solid.

It specs out very closely to the tfight, so it makes sense that I would like it. It seems like I can swing out when I need to. Also, the grip is my favorite. Smaller, and feels like a Wilson. It makes it easy to find my grips, since i have recently switched them a little. Powerwise, it is a lot more then the Dunlop 300 Tour, and a little less then the Tfight. I feel like I could string full poly in it at around 52-54#s and it would be perfect.

Still working with the Pure Drive, but I think it may end up being too light. I just really gravitate to sticks right around 11.8-12ozs. the Pure Drive Roddick is still very impressive, but I am questioning if I need all that power still..that's probably the debate. What I noticed is that since I switched grips, I have been controlling my wrist better. With the PSTGT, I could make solid contact with a strong wrist. The PD is so light to me, that I cheat and whip it around more with my wrist sometimes. It is just tougher to keep it in the slot.

Regardless, the PSTGT is incredible. IMO, it is better then the YTPP because it hits the ball so heavy due to how they balanced it. I appreciated the YTPP feel, but I think the PSTGT's is even more plush and hits a heavier ball.

I switched between the Tfight and PSTGT, and they could both be in my bag for a while without much of an issue due to their similar weight and balance.

[Fed Kennedy]

Hey power player, always enjoy your posts,
Have you ever tried/considered the aerostorm series?

[Ross K]

PP,



One interesting thing I think from when I was checking the PSTGT+/PSTGT (though I hit only once or twice with the standard), is the rave reviews from ex PC Swirley users... basically, a lot of ppl reckon the GT version is the closest iteration to the old, legendary gen1/gen2/Swirley Pure Controls that the likes of Gonzo and other pros still favor... to me this actually indicates a few negatives as well as positives, as I'm presently favoring lighter, more whippy, as opposed to tank-like... all relative though really, and we are talking quite small margins and individual preferences and leanings when it comes to all these frames.


Everyone,

Racketaholic update!

Shall be playing with my APD this morning newly strung with Mantis Power @ 52s. Look forward to seeing how this string compares with Sol/Tour Bite, which is kind of what I settled on with my APD. (I'm also wondering if the Mantis is a good choice for my PD+ and TF Vo2 320, the frames I also want to check out shortly.) Also, if my new, 'special' YTPP is available later, I'll also give this a little whirl too this morning (shall go into details re this frame later.)


Happy New Year racketaholics of the world!... let us all raise our frames as one and hit like demons on this special day!







R.

[PED]

Nice feedback on the pstgt. I played with the non GT version for a long time back in 07 and 08. Really nice stick but as Ross described above, I find it a bit tank like.

I always found it great for hitting a steady heavy ball(especially on the 2hbh) but it never possessed that next gear when you wanted to put one away. Yes, it can hit winners but I always preferred the mg and yt pp's over it.

Also, strung with an og and dampener, the pstgt usually weighs in around 350g and that gets a bit too heavy for me in the heat of the summer. Anything over 345g and I turn into a pumpkin

I also agree with you that the regular pd is just too light however, I think they would respond nicely to some lead in the buttcap and under the bumper. I gave some thought to buying a used one and trying that out but my apd's are working too well. I'm using my last set of "stray" string, unique blue hitter rough and it's really nice.

[pyrokid]

Have any of you considered the PSL over the PST?

I really preferred the PSL.

[Power Player]

Originally Posted by Fed Kennedy

Hey power player, always enjoy your posts,
Have you ever tried/considered the aerostorm series?

Thanks! I hit with an aerstorm tour in the past when it was red. I found it to have a different feel and be more sluggish then I was expecting. The feel was not my thing to be honest, but the specs are right in my zone.

Originally Posted by Ross K

PP,



One interesting thing I think from when I was checking the PSTGT+/PSTGT (though I hit only once or twice with the standard), is the rave reviews from ex PC Swirley users... basically, a lot of ppl reckon the GT version is the closest iteration to the old, legendary gen1/gen2/Swirley Pure Controls that the likes of Gonzo and other pros still favor... to me this actually indicates a few negatives as well as positives, as I'm presently favoring lighter, more whippy, as opposed to tank-like... all relative though really, and we are talking quite small margins and individual preferences and leanings
R.

Yes, i think the Tfight is going to be a good demo for you then. The gt version of the pure storm tour swings pretty easy though. I was surprised that even when switching from the pdgt back to it, that no timing was lost.

Originally Posted by PED

Nice feedback on the pstgt. I played with the non GT version for a long time back in 07 and 08. Really nice stick but as Ross described above, I find it a bit tank like.

I always found it great for hitting a steady heavy ball(especially on the 2hbh) but it never possessed that next gear when you wanted to put one away. Yes, it can hit winners but I always preferred the mg and yt pp's over it.

Also, strung with an og and dampener, the pstgt usually weighs in around 350g and that gets a bit too heavy for me in the heat of the summer. Anything over 345g and I turn into a pumpkin

I also agree with you that the regular pd is just too light however, I think they would respond nicely to some lead in the buttcap and under the bumper. I
gave some thought to buying a used one and trying that out but my apd's are
working too well. I'm using my last set of "stray" string, unique blue hitter
rough and it's really nice.

Interesting thing on the gt is that it is lighter then that. The strung weight of my demo is right at 11.8, with no og or dampener.

It also has that put away power that you are describing. I think the gt version is more powerful and a little stiffer. I found it to hit a heavier ball than the ytpp. This was also a concern of mine until I hit with one simply because my hitting partner handed it to me. Next day i got the demo, and so far i am very impressed.

Originally Posted by pyrokid

Have any of you considered the PSL over the PST?

I really preferred the PSL.

Yes, I actually prefer the balance and weight of the pst. It provides more power for me then the ltd, which i hit with last year.

Hitting with the pst made me feel like i had finally gotten a pro stock racquet. It felt that good and still had power. It is also very loud, which i like.

[PED]

Originally Posted by pyrokid

Have any of you considered the PSL over the PST?

I really preferred the PSL.

I owned a psl gt for awhile and it's probably the best feeling stick I've ever owned but for me, it took too much effort on every shot.

The pslgt did not deal with mistakes well at all and it's nice to have something that's a bit more forgiving. I wish I were perfect on every shot but unfortunately I'm not

Ideally, I would love the pst with a bit of a different weight distribution. Great stick though and I think they really improved it with the gt version-the hoop feels much firmer and the power is up nicely.

[Power Player]

Yeah, it is the endless debate for me of player stick versus tweener. I seem to gravitate towards the "easier" players sticks..the Tfight or Roddick Pure Drive for example. The PSTGT seems to fit in this category as well, but I need to spend more time with it before I say that for sure. It does not seem nearly as demanding as my old Dunlops did.

I think there is a nice medium for me of power and control and this racquet may have hit it. My only issue with the PDR is that I tend to hit long and do not have the control on every stroke. I also am a little wary of how many people claim it kills your arm.

The thing that got me in this little racquet search in the first place was simply that the Tfight is a poly only stick. There is nothing else that is going to do it justice. And once I come to the point where I am getting a 3rd racquet, I always think about it before committing to the same one. I'd rather have 2 sets of 2 sticks that battle maybe over a 6 month period.

The PSTGT feels great with multis and polys. It is fairly stiff, but for me arm friendly. Also easy to swing and not powerless. These factors have all made me take a strong look at this stick. I also like that I can string poly at around 54#s like I prefer, which almost always gives me a ton of power and spin. The Roddick simply needs higher tension poly. They both club the ball. The PST feels like it is absoultley smashing the ball, and they are coming off the frame very very heavy. I also love thin beams..i can make do with the big ones just fine, but thin beams are so nice. Finally, once again, the grip shape is far better then the apdc and pds for me. Those feel a lot bigger, and if you put the skin feel on them, you can lose the flair of the butt end. The PSTGT comes with the skin feel, and the shape of the handle is making it super easy for me to find my grips without thinking. I can get used to most grips, but the little things like this are nice. To get even more picky, the string pattern of 16x20 puts a very very nice trajectory on the ball that is more driving then the open patterns of the PD, apdc, and Tfight, but less flat then an 18x20. It is like they made for guys like me that appreciate both patterns, and can't make a damn decision on a racquet.

And by the way, I have been a big fan of the Big Hitter and Genesis strings, but I just bought 3 packs of Pro Hurricane 17 gauge. All you Bab guys should try it if you have not. It just matches up perfectly with the frames. Really great string with a nice feel that kind of reminds me a little of Scorpion.

[pyrokid]

Originally Posted by Power Player

Yes, I actually prefer the balance and weight of the pst. It provides more power for me then the ltd, which i hit with last year.

Hitting with the pst made me feel like i had finally gotten a pro stock racquet. It felt that good and still had power. It is also very loud, which i like.

Interesting, I thought that with a little lead at the 2 and 10 it played very nicely. It was probably the only racquet I've used where the lack in power was more than made up for with touch.

Originally Posted by PED

I owned a psl gt for awhile and it's probably the best feeling stick I've ever owned but for me, it took too much effort on every shot.

The pslgt did not deal with mistakes well at all and it's nice to have something that's a bit more forgiving. I wish I were perfect on every shot but unfortunately I'm not

Ideally, I would love the pst with a bit of a different weight distribution. Great stick though and I think they really improved it with the gt version-the hoop feels much firmer and the power is up nicely.

I started to flatten out my shots a lot more when I used it to get more power. You could smack some really nice flat shots really consistently enough to basically tee off on almost every ball.

But yeah, I ended up switching back because I realized I don't play a flat control game where I come to the net a lot.
Baseline is my home.

Might have to try the new PST then. I only tried the non-gt PSL and PST.

[Power Player]

I almost wish everyone here would try the new PSTGT just for the heck of it. It would be fun to see everyone's opinion, since we all seem to be somewhat similar on describing frames. I am wondering if I am insane, or if the racquet really has the pro stock characteristics that I feel it does (plush, solid but has power).

For example, by most accounts on this board, the Dunlop 300T was a pro stock mold, but the layup is not the same and it was less powerful and comfy then Berdychs PJ.

[klementine79]

Originally Posted by Ross K

Happy New Year racketaholics of the world!... let us all raise our frames as one and hit like demons on this special day!







R.

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to all the Racquetholics and TTr's!!!!!!!

It's over an hour into 2011 here in Greece ..... my New Year's resolution for 2011???? Quit my job... get a divorce.... and PLAY MORE TENNIS!!!!!!!

-Sending out my regards to all of you and your families.

[Ross K]

PP, PED, others,

Re the PSTGT...

Firstly, can we please categorically confirm the strung weight with dampener, og, etc - I'm confused with conflicting data I've read.

Secondly... "Shakes head"... I'm far too susceptible and easily influenced ... entirely prompted by Power Player's recent posts on the PSTGT, I decided to throw mine in with my APD yesterday for my first session in a few weeks, and I ended up playing a set with each... and just to clarify, I have a lot of experience with the PSTGT+ (a frame I liked a lot and was seriously considering), but very little experience with the standard PSTGT (when I hit with it before I thought it still excellent, although wasn't for me for reasons expressed in above posts), and I should say, I played the original, first PST (best pj imo btw) for about 6 months a few years back now.

Anyhow, here are my revised thoughts and feedback, though keep in mind I only played 1 set ( 1 set each with each racket)...

Pros:
Good responsiveness and way better touch than the APD (found it responds great from the b-line, and for coming in a bit and more all court and off the cuff aspects, it's very handy)...
Good thumping power level (yes, pretty similar to my APD Original - which is ball-park what I favor these days - approx. mid+ 60's RA)...
Precision, control and accuracy notably better than APD (eg, one outstanding feature I noticed: I could really nail and place passing shots)...
Not so sluggish at all I thought (go figure!... one of my bigger issues from before really didn't seem such a factor, and I even thought it was possibly more whippy and maneuverable than the APD)...
I've always liked/preferred head sizes in the 95-98" bracket...

Cons:
Soft, flexy, sometimes 'pockety' string-bed feel (many consider this a great attribute, however, I can't always quite tell what's happening - as is common with softer beds/flexs imo. Lately I've reverted to preferring a slightly stiffer feel)...
1st serves (unlike with the APD, I had consistent problems overhitting 1st flats - I found it frustrating and couldn't get the hang of it... whenever I went for the flat bomber - and, yes, I tried putting top on - it sailed)...
General b-line bashing (I have more authority and can play with a bigger/spinnier pound-the-b-line-game with the APD than the PST)...
2hbh (mine is just a bit better with the APD - I think it's just the tad more forgiving head-size or whatever)...

To sum up, I won both sets with both frames - the first, a bit more convincingly with the APD - but that's totally to be expected due to being more familiar with it. My feeling afterwards though was I pretty impressed - and a bit surprised - by how much I like the PSTGT. It has better all court qualities, better precision. Is similar in maneuverabiity and not so sluggish as I feared. I, too, like the grip shape (g3 user here)... but is the APD a slightly better fit though?... hmmm...

"Deep sigh"... is this another frame I have to now look at more closely?!


R.

[Power Player]

Ross,

Sorry to do that to you . but great review.

I really love the PSTGT..It feels so insanely solid and comfortable. I'll put it like this, I lost 2 sets today with it and am still buying one.

It is great from baseline for me. I have gone from western to semi, and it is excellent for that grip. I did make some mistakes, because I am still going western sometimes by habit and that was biting me in the butt, but I am doing that with every racquet.

Serve was a little tough for me also, but when I practiced with it and the PD, I could dial up about the same power with both, so I know it will just take time.

It just gives me options with stringing also. I hate multis because I can't control the ball like I want, but I can use them in the PST and it still feels solid and good. I will play full poly, but if I need to go to a softer string one day, I won't have to switch sticks.

[Recon]

I bought 2 pstgt + recently, coming from prestige mid and k90's, in short...its the s**t. Big serves, Lots of spin, can hit a flatter ball as well, (love the 16x20, lets you do WHATEVER to the ball). Took some adjustment time to get used to the longer length, especially on serves and one hand backhands, but as soon as you get used to the initial 'drag' it becomes beastly. On defense its a beast!! Playing with the prestige mid and k90's I had to always be on offense and I did not rely on that small head to put me back in the point if I was down.

With the pstgt+ running forehands? whip it around my head like rafa, backhands? no problem, extra length lets me flick topspin or slice balls I wouldn't have gotten back with a standard racquet (trust me that little half inch really makes a difference...initially I thought that it was too small to make a diff, WRONG.) And im back in the point, ready to transition nicely with a big inside out forehand, follow that up to the net and let the nice feel (unlike other babolats) to take care of that floater, pick it off for a volley and smile. I found that I had to use vibration dampener on it to tame a bit of the power, ever since then...heavenly. So powerplayer, keep using it, its a SWEET stick, probably the only stick I feel that lets you hit BIG, in Control, and gives an all court game a babolat boost! just ask your boy sampras lol!

I can't count on my hand how many times I've looked down at the racquet and said to my self.."wtf". To me, thats a good sign, I will say this, its VERY string sensitive, atleast for me it is. But babolat hurricane tour should work out fine, a soft spinny string like that will excel in this stick, good luck, I just ordered kevlar and cyberflash (poormans j011yrig) and will leave my comment on how it works when it arrives on monday-tuesday.

I've tried the babolat puredrive roddick, love the weight, the feel is WAY better than the regular puredrive, but I could not deal with that power, whenever I really wanted to let one fly, in my mind I would always hesistate because of fear of launching that ball into the back of the bubble. Great stick though, I was playing well with it, I won't lie, just that little hesitation in my game I did not like. I tried the nadal one, Aeropro Drive GT, one word from me :: SUCKS!!! Has no feel, something about the throat messes up the onehanded backhand feel, and I cant serve for BEANS with that stick, that throat messes it up BIG time, serving a flat bomb with that stick was a challenge in itself. The red babolat, is the way to go.

Another tip, if you play with leather grips, try one on it, like you when I first started tennis I was in western territory, when I got better I changed to semi western, I stayed there for a long time, and somehow now I've progressively changed to an eastern unconsciously (just found out like a week ago..) either way no problem, love the grip, if you slap a leather on it, it makes the racquet feel like its cutting some serious air, it really swings on its own. Now I just have to figure out how to get mines matched in NYC, for a decent price, anyone knows a shop with quality people, hit me up, leave it here. thanks.

[Power Player]

I pretty much think you nailed it for me too..nicely done.

You really can do anything with the 16x20..I am starting to learn that. It's pretty great.

Also this racquet is good for serving, but excellent for returning serve.

Being set up for the skin feel grip is just a sweet bonus.

[Ross K]

Recon,

Excellent post above ^... I agree with a lot of what you say about the PSTGT+ (and it's this and not the standard size I know far better), and like the way you said it

For me, the hit I had a few days ago has made me want to restring it and look at it again because, although I suspect it isn't quite what I'm after (just prefer the APD fractionally more as it suits my more one-dimensional game ), there's very little for me to find issue with. I find I'm pretty natural with it, and find it easy to adjust to and play well with (more so than the YTPP, for example).

BTW, Have to say I don't agree about the APD. I serve notably better and with more control and consistency. The PSTGT has a lot more power imo than it's credited for, and I certainly notice that on serves (1st serves especially.) Also, I personally now find that mushy stringbed feel makes serving harder to gauge and generally isn't quite my cup of tea. All personal taste obviously. I actually was really into very soft flex's myself until a year ago.

R.

[Power Player]

I hit again today with the pstgt, this time won my sets and know this will be the stick I purchase. I could hit as hard as with the PD roddick, but I could also hit topspin lobs, very penetrating slices, and returns felt very solid.

This racquet is suited to every style of play. I did not have to drive the ball with a horizontal swing as much as with the roddick, and could hit very heavy topspin forehands that still had a heavy kick and low trajectory. Once I figured out the swingpath, I was done. I just sliced off my backhand and set up my forehand, then rushed the net.

We played 3 hours and I wanted more. I could have gone 2 more hours with this thing. Not because it changed my game, but because it is so versatile that I felt comfortable hitting every shot. Flatter or heavy spin..not really a problem. Touch volleys at the net felt perfect, and drop shots were ridiculous. That is the one thing about power racquets that I missed. I had trouble hitting topspin lobs, and I had trouble getting drop shots to roll before the service box. With the PSTGT, not only could I easily dial up serious power, but I also had touch. A rare combo in my experience.

I feel like you could hit 1 handed or 2, flat or heavy top, and still be comfortable with this racquet, it is that versatile.

The addictive feel and crack of this racquet is also great..it really beats out even the PT630 for me in that department, but everyone is different. The reason, I like it better is because the SW is higher and it really feels like a club, even though it is easy to swing.

[pyrokid]

Rrraaargh.
Yall're gonna make me demo this after all, eh?

Also, I had a little change of setup today too.
I had added a decent amount of weight to the tip of my radicals. First 3 grams, but then another 7.
I liked it because of the ease of hitting a really heavy ball. But today I took off 7 grams, and wow. After adjusting for the need for extra swing speed I could do everything better. I hit winners from everywhere because I was confident in my aiming, served super, and volleyed well. I was able to actually play smart tennis! I completely killed someone who I usually have close ones with. Let's hope it's the setup and not a fluke, haha.
God the ability to place the ball was great.