The Cult of PT57

El_Yotamo · Mar 8, 2018

movdqa said:
The tgt293.2s don't need lead at 3/9 - twistweight is already decent. That's a huge difference between the YTs and the IGs. I guess I'd have to see on the PT57as though - no experience whatsoever with customizing them. But I'd guess that getting a 360 SW setup would already be fairly optimized and I could add just a little lead tape to get them comfortable for me.

I think that I spent about $3,500 on racquets one year and then stopped and asked myself what I was doing. It's nice to settle down with something for a long time. I still have the other pro stocks gathering dust. Another common thing with pro stock buyers.

Yeah I think that'll be me very soon. I like having a variety of different twistweights to use each one in different scenarios, hence the possible lead at 3 and 9. I think twistweight is pretty high on PT57As anyways, my Radical Tour Bumblebee measured at 15 kgcm^2 at 350 kgcm^2 swingweight.

vsbabolat · Mar 10, 2018

I wish I could get the PT57A in the spiderman paint job.

movdqa · Mar 10, 2018

vsbabolat said:
I wish I could get the PT57A in the spiderman paint job.

I'd guess that you could do it with your many talents. There are lots of services out there too.

Should I bother trying these frames when I'm happy with the 293.2s?

vsbabolat · Mar 10, 2018

movdqa said:
I'd guess that you could do it with your many talents. There are lots of services out there too.

Should I bother trying these frames when I'm happy with the 293.2s?

You could buy one and see whats its all about. Have you ever hit with the Prestige Classic?

movdqa · Mar 10, 2018

vsbabolat said:
You could buy one and see whats its all about. Have you ever hit with the Prestige Classic?

Never hit with the PC. I'd buy at least two because I'd hate to try to get another if I loved it.

There are four at 27.7 inches which I'd consider almost perfect for $599 Euros each. But I won't be able to hit tennis balls until late summer so I'd have a lot of time to prepare them. I could also look for cheaper models but they're hard to find in XL.

vsbabolat · Mar 10, 2018

movdqa said:
Never hit with the PC. I'd buy at least two because I'd hate to try to get another if I loved it.

There are four at 27.7 inches which I'd consider almost perfect for $599 Euros each. But I won't be able to hit tennis balls until late summer so I'd have a lot of time to prepare them. I could also look for cheaper models but they're hard to find in XL.

That is pricey! Why can't you play until late summer?

movdqa · Mar 10, 2018

vsbabolat said:
That is pricey! Why can't you play until late summer?

Major illness. A couple of surgeries in my future and some amount of recovery time. I may try to hit a few balls in two or three weeks if I can do it safely.

vsbabolat · Mar 10, 2018

movdqa said:
Major illness. A couple of surgeries in my future and some amount of recovery time. I may try to hit a few balls in two or three weeks if I can do it safely.

Good Luck! I hope all goes well for you and you have a speedy recovery!

Phantasm · Mar 12, 2018

movdqa said:
Fair is what a willing buyer and a willing seller agree upon.

They have the advantage of being US-based which is a bit more convenient than buying from Europe and dealing with currency issues.

If you're buying PT57s and talking price, then you might not be able to afford the lifestyle.

I thought they were based in Europe, not the US... are we thinking of 2 different sellers?

rafa_prestige89 · Mar 12, 2018

Phantasm said:
I thought they were based in Europe, not the US... are we thinking of 2 different sellers?

The guy from Prostock tennis is based in Netherlands, not in US...is there a similar store in US?

movdqa · Mar 12, 2018

My mistake. I thought that there was a big US-based seller with a similar handle.

The request for payment in Euros would suggest a European seller.

richardc-s · Mar 13, 2018

So I have been looking at these sticks for a little while and I fancy finding out what the fuss is all about!

Has anyone got an 'idiots' guide for what to look out for on the big auction site? Or is it as simple as searching for Head PT57A and picking one I like the look/spec of? I appreciate they are all different specs and I should pick one that's in my ballpark, but are there any types/things to avoid? The prices seem to vary hugely, why is that?

movdqa · Mar 13, 2018

richardc-s said:
So I have been looking at these sticks for a little while and I fancy finding out what the fuss is all about!

Has anyone got an 'idiots' guide for what to look out for on the big auction site? Or is it as simple as searching for Head PT57A and picking one I like the look/spec of? I appreciate they are all different specs and I should pick one that's in my ballpark, but are there any types/things to avoid? The prices seem to vary hugely, why is that?

Price varies likely due to condition.

richardc-s · Mar 13, 2018

movdqa said:
Price varies likely due to condition.

Ok thanks for the quick reply.

After a quick look I have found a Bumblebee and a Zebra. Will the only difference in them be the paintjob, weight and balance?

movdqa · Mar 13, 2018

richardc-s said:
Ok thanks for the quick reply.

After a quick look I have found a Bumblebee and a Zebra. Will the only difference in them be the paintjob, weight and balance?

Sometimes length, pallets, custom molded grip, string pattern.

richardc-s · Mar 13, 2018

movdqa said:
Sometimes length, pallets, custom molded grip, string pattern.

Uuuugh! This is why I asked the question lol.

Thanks for your help, I'll keep looking.

PT630Wannabe · Mar 13, 2018

richardc-s said:
Ok thanks for the quick reply.

After a quick look I have found a Bumblebee and a Zebra. Will the only difference in them be the paintjob, weight and balance?

Zebra and Bumblebee have different layup and construction. Z is Twin Tube and Bee is Graphite and Twaron.

richardc-s · Mar 13, 2018

PT630Wannabe said:
Zebra and Bumblebee have different layup and construction. Z is Twin Tube and Bee is Graphite and Twaron.

Ok thanks. Will the Zebra be a good first purchase to venture into the PT57 world? Or would I be better off trying something else for my first time?

PT630Wannabe · Mar 13, 2018

richardc-s said:
Ok thanks. Will the Zebra be a good first purchase to venture into the PT57 world? Or would I be better off trying something else for my first time?

Personal taste I guess. I'm partial to the Twaron stuff ie: Bumblebee and Pro Tour 630. But the Zebra snd Candycane Radicals have their devotees and are really amazing racquets too.

richardc-s · Mar 13, 2018

PT630Wannabe said:
Personal taste I guess. I'm partial to the Twaron stuff ie: Bumblebee and Pro Tour 630. But the Zebra snd Candycane Radicals have their devotees and are really amazing racquets too.

Fair enough, thanks for your input.

I think I'm going to pull the trigger on the Zebra. Cap it, leather grip and happy days

I'm assuming a gut/poly hybrid will work well in a stick like this? I used to use a PS85 (reissue) and found I liked that best with gut/poly.

PT630Wannabe · Mar 13, 2018

I love gut mains/poly crosses in my Bee. I have another strung with a full bed of Cream and it’s nice but not the same at all.

richardc-s · Mar 14, 2018

Sounds good to me, I'll go with gut mains and poly crosses

I have just ordered the Zebra, should turn up early next week. I'll try it as it comes to start with, then add caps, leather and new strings to see the difference.

No pressure to the people in this thread, but the way it's been built up I am expecting the holy grail of rackets.....

PT630Wannabe · Mar 14, 2018

To "Bee" honest, I can't imagine capping any of my Rad Tour Bees. They are hefty already and have very good stability.

El_Yotamo · Mar 14, 2018

PT630Wannabe said:
To "Bee" honest, I can't imagine capping any of my Rad Tour Bees. They are hefty already and have very good stability.

Believe me it's worth a try...

PT630Wannabe · Mar 14, 2018

El_Yotamo said:
Believe me it's worth a try...

I have some sets of LM Prestige MP caps on hand if I ever decide to try it. But I'm already quite happy with how they play. Ain't broke...don't fix...

cdik · Mar 14, 2018

richardc-s said:
Sounds good to me, I'll go with gut mains and poly crosses

I have just ordered the Zebra, should turn up early next week. I'll try it as it comes to start with, then add caps, leather and new strings to see the difference.

No pressure to the people in this thread, but the way it's been built up I am expecting the holy grail of rackets.....

With CAP and leather + og it will be about 375-380 grams with huge s/w and lose a lot of maneuverability. It'll be able to kill the ball, but...It'll be very difficult to use in a long match and have moderate performance. I've tryed mine with leather and regular grommets: it's head light with high s/w and weight about 370. Then I've move bumper to lower the s/w, and Zebra become too head light. Final decision - without bumper and with syntetic grip - 348 gr and 320 mm b/p - optimal specs for me. And I can use it for 2 hours match without any issues.

richardc-s · Mar 14, 2018

cdik said:
With CAP and leather + og it will be about 375-380 grams with huge s/w and lose a lot of maneuverability. It'll be able to kill the ball, but...It'll be very difficult to use in a long match and have moderate performance. I've tryed mine with leather and regular grommets: it's head light with high s/w and weight about 370. Then I've move bumper to lower the s/w, and Zebra become too head light. Final decision - without bumper and with syntetic grip - 348 gr and 320 mm b/p - optimal specs for me. And I can use it for 2 hours match without any issues.

Good point, it's certainly worth considering.

I love the look of CAPS so want to use them, but maybe the leather grip can go. But then it could be too head heavy... I don't know! I'll try it out in standard spec and go from there

Phantasm · Mar 14, 2018

I put YT grommets in my Zebra since they're lighter than the original grommets, so I have room to play with lead and add accordingly.

My Zebra is XL so that played a part in decided to make the base racquet a bit lighter and customize with lead since I already have extra weight and SW from the extra length.

Paulo Braz · Mar 14, 2018

Which model you currently sell that is closest to the Head Pro Tour 280/630? It can be from Head itself or another brand.

BounceHitBounceHit · Mar 14, 2018

movdqa said:
I dabbled with it and tennis racquets are a cheap way to dabble with some quasi-luxury goods. There are people that buy these things on the cheap and even make some money out of trading. More power to those folks as they help create a market.

I've been frugal for most of my life but a recent and current incident has told me that you don't live forever and saving up a fortune is good for your heirs but that it's okay to enjoy life a little too [I get a lot of enjoyment from work].

For me, watches provide health and fitness data which I consider important. They also provide notifications and the weather when I don't have my phone with me. United Healthcare is offering a program with up to $1,000 back to the user per year for meeting daily fitness goals and they're using Apple Watches as the tracking device. Yeah, I'd use a free AW for tracking though I'd do my running on my Garmin 630.

I'm well aware of Warren Buffet, and that he mainly lives in the home that he got from his mother when she passed away. He does own a bunch of other homes too which doesn't make the press. I'm a shareholder of Berkshire A and B shares and would like to attend the annual meeting in Nebraska one of these days. It isn't going to be this year but maybe next year. I haven't hit a tennis ball in over four months and acquiring more racquets is pretty low on my priority list but I hope to be back on the courts by July or August and then it will take some time to get my conditioning back.

Hope you are ok buddy.....

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BounceHitBounceHit · Mar 14, 2018

PT630Wannabe said:
Personal taste I guess. I'm partial to the Twaron stuff ie: Bumblebee and Pro Tour 630. But the Zebra snd Candycane Radicals have their devotees and are really amazing racquets too.

The Zebra is absolutely terrific.

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BounceHitBounceHit · Mar 14, 2018

richardc-s said:
Fair enough, thanks for your input.

I think I'm going to pull the trigger on the Zebra. Cap it, leather grip and happy days

I'm assuming a gut/poly hybrid will work well in a stick like this? I used to use a PS85 (reissue) and found I liked that best with gut/poly.

Cyclone 18 gauge @ 44#

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

BounceHitBounceHit · Mar 14, 2018

PT630Wannabe said:
To "Bee" honest, I can't imagine capping any of my Rad Tour Bees. They are hefty already and have very good stability.

Agreed

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Classic-TXP-IG MID · Mar 14, 2018

richardc-s said:
Good point, it's certainly worth considering.

I love the look of CAPS so want to use them, but maybe the leather grip can go. But then it could be too head heavy... I don't know! I'll try it out in standard spec and go from there

I too would recommend trying it in standard spec first... if anything, a leather grip may help as it will make it more HL and maybe easier to swing. I initially tried the Zebra with the CAPS and it was too heavy and too much SW... just didn't feel right... almost made me sell the racquet as I thought... What are all these people talking about... great feel and amazing racquet etc. Luckily I had two and so on the other racquet I just replaced the strings and played it as standard... For me, it was like night and day... racquet felt great, the feel was amazing... I then added a leather grip (as it was still a bit heavy on serve after several hours)... now it is one of my favorite racquets...

Be patient and experiment to find your perfect setup... it will be worth it...

cdik · Mar 15, 2018

No, I didn't use it. It's estimates. Mine with leather grip and o/g with standart grommets was 372, and it was too much for me. Yes, it's HL - about 305 or 310 mm b/p but still with its stock high s/w. It's fun to have some practice session for 20-30 min, but nothing alse. And I've removed bumper and leather grip to get manageble for me weight and s/w. And Zebra become perfect - right specs and fantastic feel.

MRfStop · Mar 16, 2018

In honor of Tommy Haas’ retirement

H22 fan · Mar 16, 2018

movdqa said:
I looked around and I guess that you were talking about those 4 XL PT57as for $600 Euros a piece. They look very nice and I really like the length and they look ready for adding lead (pretty light setup as advertised).

He bought them with less than 400€ each on SF and is trying to sell them with, at least, 50% interest. Good business... If you want to buy nice frames check first SF...

movdqa · Mar 16, 2018

H22 fan said:
He bought them with less than 400€ each on SF and is trying to sell them with, at least, 50% interest. Good business... If you want to buy nice frames check first SF...

I've bought all of my pro stocks off of SF. But it's a hit and miss thing.

H22 fan · Mar 16, 2018

movdqa said:
I've bought all of my pro stocks off of SF. But it's a hit and miss thing.

Me too, but I did not have any problem...

richardc-s · Mar 16, 2018

H22 fan said:
He bought them with less than 400€ each on SF and is trying to sell them with, at least, 50% interest. Good business... If you want to buy nice frames check first SF...

What's SF?

H22 fan · Mar 16, 2018

The so called string’s site, but is famous for its private sales... more than anything.

richardc-s · Mar 16, 2018

Oh yes of course, thanks.

mrravioli · Mar 16, 2018

Does a pro stock old Head in Graphene has the little bumps in the throat?

H22 fan · Mar 17, 2018

mrravioli said:
Does a pro stock old Head in Graphene has the little bumps in the throat?

Yes, they have, even the famous pt 57 has...

Jouke · Mar 22, 2018

I just strung my newly aquired PT57A and am taking it out for a hit tonight. Specs with OG: 355 Grams, 31,5 balance. Strung at 21/20 Kg. Really really excited! I havent got a clue what I can expect. Normally I play the Tc95 63Ra 18x20 340 grams with OG, 31,7 Balance and swingweight of about 340 grams.

Classic-TXP-IG MID · Mar 22, 2018

Jouke said:
I just strung my newly aquired PT57A and am taking it out for a hit tonight. Specs with OG: 355 Grams, 31,5 balance. Strung at 21/20 Kg. Really really excited! I havent got a clue what I can expect. Normally I play the Tc95 63Ra 18x20 340 grams with OG, 31,7 Balance and swingweight of about 340 grams.

Let us know your thoughts... very exciting

Paulo Braz · Mar 22, 2018

Jouke said:
I just strung my newly aquired PT57A and am taking it out for a hit tonight. Specs with OG: 355 Grams, 31,5 balance. Strung at 21/20 Kg. Really really excited! I havent got a clue what I can expect. Normally I play the Tc95 63Ra 18x20 340 grams with OG, 31,7 Balance and swingweight of about 340 grams.

If possible, compare PT57A to TC95. Thank you

richardc-s · Mar 22, 2018

My Zebra turned up a few days ago and I had a hit with it today. It had some old synthetic gut strings but it played really well, I can understand why people rate it so highly. It's a very plush feeling racket yet still provides good power.

Only problem is I don't like the paintjob. That'll soon be sorted though....

It had an old Babolat butcap on it so I have a new Head one ready to go. I also have a Fairway leather grip and CAP grommets ready to fit. I'll also be stringing it with gut mains and Alu Power crosses.

I weighed the standard grommets and the CAPS, standard grommets weigh 24g and the CAPS weigh 29g. The standard grip weighed 15g and the leather is 32g, although it'll probably be a bit less when fitted and trimmed. It'll be roughly 20g heavier when I'm done with it, so it should hit like a tank

When it's all done in a few days I'll update this thread with the final pics, weight, balance and swingweight.

Jouke · Mar 22, 2018

Paulo Braz said:
If possible, compare PT57A to TC95. Thank you

About my PT57A:

Paulo Braz · Mar 22, 2018

Jouke said:
About my PT57A:

Hahaha

Enviado de meu MI 6 usando Tapatalk

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