Gamma Tour 320X initial review

[sstchur]

Normal setup:
Fischer Pro One 98
M:54,X:51 (lock-out) with any soft multi

Typical playing style:
3.5 - 4.0 baseline basher who loves to go for too much and hit the amazing sharp angle winner. Hard flat first serve. Descent kick-serve.

Reason for demoing Tour 320X:
1. Had success in the past with Gamma frames (especially T-7, as it was on the lighter side but has plenty of flex and a fairly thin beam)
2. Wanting to try something a little lighter than the Fischer to see if it might take some stress of my shoulder.

Never had elbow problems, but been having fairly sharp shoulder pain for about a year, which I've kept manageable by simply spacing out how often I play.

The Gamma Tour 320X looks pretty sweet in specs:
98 sq in (check)
Pure graphite (check)
16x19 (check)
Flex: TW says 67, Gamma's website says "firm" (nervous about this aspect)
~11.4oz strung (normally I'd call this light, but that's one of things I wanted to test out, so check)

I was hopeful that a slightly lighter frame might have less stress on my shoulder, but at the same time I was worried about the stiffness rating (if it is accurate, which I'm not sure it is).

I strung up the Gamma Tour 320X with Mantis Comfort 16 at M: 54, X: 51. It definitely did feel soft and even in the "stiff" 320X offered the nice muted feel that I liked.

The first thing I did when I got on court w/ the racquet was hit a serve. I must have hit the sweet spot dead on on my first swing because it sure felt SOLID. But one swing is no way to judge a racquet, obviously.

Spent the rest of the time mostly doing drills involving volleys and overheads with 3 other guys. Also a bit of an offense/defense drill where I spent some time at the baseline trying to hit passes.

I was impressed over an over again with the solid feel of the 320X. I felt like I was able to find the sweetspot more often than with my Fischer. I also felt that balls that came at me with heavy topspin I was able to answer with equal power and topspin (something I often struggled to do with the Fischer).

The maneuverability of the 320X was also nice. It's almost a full ounce lighter than my Fischers and I noticed.

As for my shoulder, well it hurt last night after I was done playing, perhaps more than it ever has, which is sad.

However, this was mostly a drills session and it did involve a lot of overheads. And overheads/serve are generally the biggest contributors to my shoulder discomfort, so there is a reasonably good chance that I'd have had equal pain had I used the Fischer (but I'm not certain about that).

It's too early to know if I'll make the switch, but the Gamma has a lot of things going for it.

1. A bit lighter makes it a little easier to swing.
2. Sweetspot was easier to find
3. Access to spin was a bit better than w/ the Fischer
4. Really like the 20mm straight beam
5. These racquets (all the Gamma tour racquets actually) can be gotten pretty cheaply, which is nice, b/c a switch doesn't mean breaking the bank.

All that said, if, after several more outings my shoulder pain seems worse, I may have to reconsider.

Comments, questions welcome.
-Stchur

[eman resu]

Nice review. If you get to play some more days with it, let me know how the shoulder pain evolved!

[sstchur]

Originally Posted by eman resu

Nice review. If you get to play some more days with it, let me know how the shoulder pain evolved!

I'll be playing again Monday morning and possibly Tuesday evening. I will report back.

[Canadian Kid]

Ive been using it for years. Great stick.....almost the same specs as the dunlop Mcenroe....but a bit lighter so you can play around with it.

great paintjob as well. One of the best sticks I have ever played with .

[sstchur]

Originally Posted by Canadian Kid

Ive been using it for years. Great stick.....almost the same specs as the dunlop Mcenroe....but a bit lighter so you can play around with it.

great paintjob as well. One of the best sticks I have ever played with .

Oh, good to find another person who has been using this. Can you let us know your setup? Strings/tension? Any lead? Where have you places it? What is your total racquet weight after customization?

What type of game do you play? Have you ever had any arm discomfort with this frame?

[Canadian Kid]

Originally Posted by sstchur

Oh, good to find another person who has been using this. Can you let us know your setup? Strings/tension? Any lead? Where have you places it? What is your total racquet weight after customization?

What type of game do you play? Have you ever had any arm discomfort with this frame?

Well I used to play with the dunlop Mcenroe and when it became discontinued I wanted a racquet that was similar.

Im not a big tech person so I dont know exactly where to describe where the lead is......its not the tip but I would say it starts at the 10:00 & 2:00 positions.

It plays like the Mcenroe just swings faster......but I just switched racquets after playing with the 320 for years......

The Gamma played like the Mcenroe just faster and better.....well the Donnay plays like the Gamma just faster and better.

The Gamma was thinner than the Mcenrroe but the Donnay is thinner than all racquets at 15 mm!!! Its the same weight as the gamma & mcenroe but swings faster than both!!!!

So now I have a new problem....I bought like three of the white Donnays and guess what??? They just came out with a new freaking line of racquets!!!! Its literally been only a few weeks!!! I am so freaking ****ed.....but thats it...Im done!!!!! Im not switching and playetesting again!

(my gamma set up was Gamma Zo True 18 guage.....most incredible string i ever played with but now discontinued.....switched to plain babolat hurricane 18 guage in white).

[sstchur]

Originally Posted by Canadian Kid

Well I used to play with the dunlop Mcenroe and when it became discontinued I wanted a racquet that was similar.

Im not a big tech person so I dont know exactly where to describe where the lead is......its not the tip but I would say it starts at the 10:00 & 2:00 positions.

It plays like the Mcenroe just swings faster......but I just switched racquets after playing with the 320 for years......

The Gamma played like the Mcenroe just faster and better.....well the Donnay plays like the Gamma just faster and better.

The Gamma was thinner than the Mcenrroe but the Donnay is thinner than all racquets at 15 mm!!! Its the same weight as the gamma & mcenroe but swings faster than both!!!!

So now I have a new problem....I bought like three of the white Donnays and guess what??? They just came out with a new freaking line of racquets!!!! Its literally been only a few weeks!!! I am so freaking ****ed.....but thats it...Im done!!!!! Im not switching and playetesting again!

(my gamma set up was Gamma Zo True 18 guage.....most incredible string i ever played with but now discontinued.....switched to plain babolat hurricane 18 guage in white).

Are you gonna be selling your 320Xs? What's your grip size?

[Canadian Kid]

Originally Posted by sstchur

Are you gonna be selling your 320Xs? What's your grip size?

hmmmmm.....no because I still like them a LOT. Ya never know I may go back. Incredible racquet....best kept secret in tennis.

[crazyups]

I've also been using the 320x about 2 years and it's happening. I'm about 4.0. I have lead at 3 and 9, using poly and overgrip. Weight is 12 ounces and 7 points head light. This stick feels more like 96 or 97 headsize which I like. I was also using the maxply mcenroe. This is better. Sweetspot is a bit high so if I get careless it goes in the net but I agree that this racquet is one of the best kept secrets.

[sstchur]

Originally Posted by crazyups

I've also been using the 320x about 2 years and it's happening. I'm about 4.0. I have lead at 3 and 9, using poly and overgrip. Weight is 12 ounces and 7 points head light. This stick feels more like 96 or 97 headsize which I like. I was also using the maxply mcenroe. This is better. Sweetspot is a bit high so if I get careless it goes in the net but I agree that this racquet is one of the best kept secrets.

Hey crazyups, thanks for the info.

Did you counter balance in the handle to keep it 7pts head light? If I am not mistaken, it is 7pt HL stock, right? So if you add lead to 3 and 9, was it only about 6g or so (roughly what an overgrip weights, so that, I suppose, could be the counter balance).

It's too bad more people don't give Gamma frames a try. They don't have a big name in racquets, but they make good quality, no-nonsense, no-gimmicks, pure-graphite sticks.

[crazyups]

Yes, I put a leather grip on and overgrip.

[crazyups]

By the way, these racquets are incredibly strong because even though I play best with them, I have thrown them hard on numerous occasions and they have not broken yet. People ask me what they are made of.

[sstchur]

Originally Posted by crazyups

Yes, I put a leather grip on and overgrip.

Ok, I see. I was considering putting some lead tape under the grip and then partly countering it at 3 and 9.

I like how leather grips allow you to feel the bevels, but they are brutal on my hands, so I usually stick with the Gamma Hi-Tech.

[sstchur]

Originally Posted by crazyups

By the way, these racquets are incredibly strong because even though I play best with them, I have thrown them hard on numerous occasions and they have not broken yet. People ask me what they are made of.

Interesting. As far as I know, they are just pure graphite.

Do you know of any others that play with Gamma frames? I'm the only one I've ever seen with one at my local club.

[crazyups]

I haven't seen anyone with a gamma, except maybe some old guys with big bubba or something that looks like it. Gamma is not available in most stores it seems. I picked mine because there were no racquets with the specs of the 320x. A firm midplus, 16 mains, not to heavy so that it is customizable, thin beam and a hoop that is not too wide like most midplus sticks.

[sstchur]

Originally Posted by crazyups

I haven't seen anyone with a gamma, except maybe some old guys with big bubba or something that looks like it. Gamma is not available in most stores it seems. I picked mine because there were no racquets with the specs of the 320x. A firm midplus, 16 mains, not to heavy so that it is customizable, thin beam and a hoop that is not too wide like most midplus sticks.

Agreed. The specs really appealed to me as well. I had the opportunity for one new at a great price, so I figured it was worth grabbing to demo it for a few weeks.

[Canadian Kid]

Originally Posted by sstchur

Agreed. The specs really appealed to me as well. I had the opportunity for one new at a great price, so I figured it was worth grabbing to demo it for a few weeks.

Thats one thing that sucks. the price is pretty high....although I was able to get mine for 99 bucks. I searched the internet and TW was forced to try and beat the price.

They never gave me that deal again though and Ive been waiting for years for the price to drop!!

[sstchur]

Originally Posted by Canadian Kid

Thats one thing that sucks. the price is pretty high....although I was able to get mine for 99 bucks. I searched the internet and TW was forced to try and beat the price.

They never gave me that deal again though and Ive been waiting for years for the price to drop!!

I actually have a source if you are interested. Email me: sstchur@yahoo.com

[sstchur]

I've added about 8g of lead to the handle, so that, plus the overgip brings the total additional weight in the handle to about 13 or 14g. By my calculation, this should make the racquet right about 9 or 10pts head light.

I haven't added any weight in the hoop yet. I'm going to give this a try and see how it feels.

Back when I used the T-7, I had success with this exact setup: 8g of lead in the handle, none in the hoop.

Will report back next time I am able to get some court time with it, which will be either Sunday afternoon or Monday morning.

[Canadian Kid]

Originally Posted by sstchur

I actually have a source if you are interested. Email me: sstchur@yahoo.com

Than but I'm stocked up with 4 already and I just switched to Donnay anyway.