Head Youtek Prestige Pro and silicon

pistolTY · 08-19-2012, 10:36 AM

Has anyone added silicone to the handles of your prestige pro's? I have the chance to buy a couple second hand but remembered hitting briefly with them a year back and noticing the -quite well documented - stiff feel.
To those who have added silicone, to what extent did it soften up the racket?

pistolTY · 08-19-2012, 12:52 PM

bump 10 char

ChicagoJack · 08-19-2012, 01:22 PM

Hi Pistol,

I've not added silicone to that specific model, but I've added silicone to nearly every frame I have played with. This difference is noticeable, but minimal. IMO you get more vib reduction by switching out leather grips for a gel based grip like Wilson ShockSheild.

Having said that, all the little things do add up. Silicone in the palette, lower tensions, softer string, a gel based grip, and a prince silencer dampener are at the top of the list for of things that might get you into a good comfort zone.

-Jack

sundaypunch · 08-19-2012, 01:41 PM

If you are looking for a softer feel, the IG is noticeably softer than the Youtek.

tball · 08-19-2012, 07:55 PM

I added silicone, put some padding under the pallets -- to correct the grip shape to Wilson, and put on a regular synthetic grip -- and the feel has improved. Not night and day ( the racquet is still stiff ), but not jarring anymore. Playable now.

pistolTY · 08-20-2012, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChicagoJack

Hi Pistol,

I've not added silicone to that specific model, but I've added silicone to nearly every frame I have played with. This difference is noticeable, but minimal. IMO you get more vib reduction by switching out leather grips for a gel based grip like Wilson ShockSheild.

Having said that, all the little things do add up. Silicone in the palette, lower tensions, softer string, a gel based grip, and a prince silencer dampener are at the top of the list for of things that might get you into a good comfort zone.

-Jack

Thanks to everyone who replied. Jack, are you in Chicago? I'm from the UK but am going to be in chicago for the ryder cup in 6 weeks. How about a game?

gramdacious · 08-20-2012, 01:11 PM

I have put silicone in my YTPP and the feel is muted, not sure I would say softer. The added weight is minimal and it definitely helps with off-center hits. It certainly isn't going to add any flex to the frame though. Personally I love the feel with silicone in the prestige pro.

UCSF2012 · 08-20-2012, 01:15 PM

I've added silicone to my Prestige Pro IG.

It depends on how much silicone you add. I have a 1 hander, so I added silicone to the full length of 1 hand, which is about 3 inches of silicone. The effect is a deadened feel, much more so than BLX graphite. The racket is still physicially stiff, but your hands don't feel it as much. (The IG version is so incredibly stiff that even with silicone, I still feel some shock. With all my Wilson rackets, silicone completely deadens it, and I feel nothing.)

If you have a 2 hander, you have to decide how much silicone to add. 7 inches of silicone is a bit much (heavy). If you add 3 inches, your forehand will be deadened, while your backhand will feel SOME shock to your 2nd hand.

In summary, you control how much you feel by how deep/much to put silicone.

ChicagoJack · 08-20-2012, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pistolTY

Thanks to everyone who replied. Jack, are you in Chicago? I'm from the UK but am going to be in chicago for the ryder cup in 6 weeks. How about a game?

Heck yeah! Sounds awesome. I still work in the city, but the misses and I moved out to the burbs a few years back. Just shoot me yer info and we'll work it out somehow.

chicagojack.tennis @ comcast dot net

-Jack

ChicagoJack · 08-20-2012, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tball

I added silicone, put some padding under the pallets -- to correct the grip shape to Wilson, and put on a regular synthetic grip -- and the feel has improved. Not night and day ( the racquet is still stiff ), but not jarring anymore. Playable now.

Hi Tball,

I've read your comments on the subject in another thread. Where did you get your sorbothane sheets and how thick did you order them?

Thanks!

Jack

tball · 09-18-2012, 07:48 AM

I found sorbothane sheets in 1mm thickness on *bay. In my earlier experiments, I added complete stips on wide bevels of the hairpin. But it turned out too heavy. Sorbothane is dense. With Prestige, I could not afford to add that much weight, so I cut strips of 5mm wide, and added them only along the edges of the hairpin, leaving a wide gap in the middle.
Then pallets on top. 1mm thick sorbothane spreads #3 head pallets apart so that they neatly fit into a Wilson #4 buttcap. This is what I was after.

Next time, I will probably make the padding even lighter by not laying down continuous lines, but fragmented ones, like this:
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _

or maybe will try a lighter racquet such as Prestige S.

maxpotapov · 09-18-2012, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UCSF2012

The IG version is so incredibly stiff that even with silicone, I still feel some shock.

Quite discouraging to hear that about IG technology, which everybody praises for "softening" the impact

08-19-2012, 10:36 AM	#1
pistolTY New User Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 41	Head Youtek Prestige Pro and silicon Has anyone added silicone to the handles of your prestige pro's? I have the chance to buy a couple second hand but remembered hitting briefly with them a year back and noticing the -quite well documented - stiff feel. To those who have added silicone, to what extent did it soften up the racket?

08-20-2012, 01:11 PM	#7
gramdacious Rookie Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: SoCal Posts: 261	I have put silicone in my YTPP and the feel is muted, not sure I would say softer. The added weight is minimal and it definitely helps with off-center hits. It certainly isn't going to add any flex to the frame though. Personally I love the feel with silicone in the prestige pro. __________________ Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 95, Head Prestige Pro

09-18-2012, 07:48 AM	#11
tball Semi-Pro Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 693	I found sorbothane sheets in 1mm thickness on bay. In my earlier experiments, I added complete stips on wide bevels of the hairpin. But it turned out too heavy. Sorbothane is dense. With Prestige, I could not afford to add that much weight, so I cut strips of 5mm wide, and added them only along the edges of the hairpin, leaving a wide gap in the middle. Then pallets on top. 1mm thick sorbothane spreads #3 head pallets apart so that they neatly fit into a Wilson #4 buttcap. This is what I was after. Next time, I will probably make the padding even lighter by not laying down continuous lines, but fragmented ones, like this: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ or maybe will try a lighter racquet such as Prestige S. Last edited by tball : 09-18-2012 at 07:52 AM.*

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