Yonex Vcore Pro 97
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alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
They're pretty similar on paper but play different in reality. I came from playing the Graphene Prestige MP and you'll notice the fun zone (sweet spot) in the yonexes are much lower. It'll take a little adjustment as the Prestige Mid is more forgiving higher up.
Bruto Maccaroni
New User
Done!
Mains: Babolat Tonic @52
Crosses: Kirschbaum Pro Line II 1.25 @47
Very curious to try it out and see how it plays.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/GdovfDwFodm7c6Zs7
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alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
Measured my 310s fresh strung today w/ Yonex grap 330.9g and 331.9g. Not baaaaad.
I just played with it a little before a match (as the warm up) and it the weight feels exactly the same as my prestige mid. It does seem to have allot more power, so i struggled with keeping the ball in.
CosmosMpower
Hall of Fame
Hit a 330 today and it felt really sluggish. My Angels are 330g unstrung as well but feel much more maneuverable. The yonex felt like swinging a 2x4
Man i had this racquet for like 4 month and it took a while for me to realize how sluggish it really is. I sold them bought a Dunlop aerogel 4d 200 with the exact same specs as my yonex and the difference qas incredible. It swing faster and it feel much more stable.
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alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
The prestige has historically been a scalpel. There’s no better frame for knowing your shots. Give it some time. I find the pro 97s to be a tad more maneuverable
alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
Are you referring to flared, or enlarged?
Enlarged meaning flared. Semi-enlarged meaning enlarged but not flared.
alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
That's what I figured. Yonex special. Pain to rip the groms out when you have to replace em
You’re telling me they do it just to make life difficult for us?
alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
Hmgraphite1
Hall of Fame
I noticed the flare wasn't a wide hole so tied off on another, the wider hole, so the flare not needed. To me it was a design error.
Just has another look and I think you’re right. Strange.
I could not find any customer reviews on the 310 that mention vibrations. But there are four reviews on the 330 that mention vibrations. One of those reviews says that the 330 has almost no vibrations. The other three say that the 330 has "weird vibrations" or an "awful vibration/buzz". In addition, I've seen a few posts in this thread where users say that it has little to no vibrations.
The customer review from Danny on the 330 is interesting: "It has an awful vibration/buzz to it and if you play without a dampener like I do the vibration goes down the handle to your hand. I popped the butt cap off and the trap door leads to nowhere. It is solid wood so I can't see what's inside the handle. This leads me to believe the handle is hollow, whereas the Duel G comes standard with some sort of foam filling. My best guess is that is why the thing is so buzzy."
I also noticed a lot vibration/buzz with my 310, but not just high up on the string bed; hitting anywhere in the string bed with my hand produces the vibration/buzz, and the vibrations do travel down the handle to my hand, as Danny observed. However, when I place a rubber band dampener on the strings, the vibration/buzzing in the string bed disappears, and the vibrations in the handle also disappear. I always play with a dampener, so it's not a problem for me on the court, but this issue still irks me.
I have observed similar vibrations/buzzing in one of my other rackets (not Yonex), but not as bad as my 310. In addition, I have observed that the vibrations/buzzing does not seem to be model-specific. I have two of the same model, but only one of them produces annoying vibrations/buzzing. This may explain why some people say the 330 produces almost no vibrations, whereas other people (the majority, apparently) say that it produces significant unwanted vibrations. Maybe some people are receiving nice Vcore Pros and others are receiving vibrating/buzzy ones. I like to learn more about this issue. Can anyone else chime in with their observations?
Finally, like Danny, I noticed that the trap door leads to nowhere. On my 310, there is a thin layer of the pallet material (off-white colour) covering the two openings inside the handle. I removed the thin layer of pallet material covering one of the handle openings, and underneath it is a dark (but semi-transparent) and thin sheet of plastic that seals the handle opening. Based on my observations looking through the thin sheet of plastic and pushing on it gently, I appears to me that the handle is indeed hollow, as Danny suspected. Can anyone confirm? In any case, I don't think that hollow handles alone cause unwanted vibrations/buzzing, as my other rackets have hollow handles and, as I said above, only one of them produces unwanted vibrations/buzzing.
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alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
I have 2 of each and don't notice any "vibrations" in the conventional sense, certainly not going down to the handle by hitting it with my hand. If you hit high enough in the hoop or catch the frame, you'll definitely feel it but on anything even remotely centered, nada. If you're experiencing this type of vibrations just by tapping your hand, I'd contact yonex.
In my case there’s not much point in contacting Yonex as I purchased the racket overseas.
Hmgraphite1
Hall of Fame
You over water when you bought it? Its made over seas.
alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
Yonex is Yonex is Yonex, I'd still reach out to them about it. One of yonex's strengths is quality control and I'm sure they'll stand by their product provided you haven't modified it in any significant way.
I was already told by my local distributor that I would have to send it back to the shop overseas. So I don’t think it’s worth the cost and hassle.
alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
See above... "I'd still reach out to them about it."
Tennisist
Professional
In my experience, I encountered two sources of vibrations ( not in yonex ) :
1) improperly attached buttcap or a trap door
-- this creates a substantial buzz ( that you may describe as travelling to your hand ). I had this on brand-new racquets straight from the factory.
2) some string combinations
-- when poly is involved, and especially in a hybrid, some strings produce a very unpleasant buzz. The dampener takes care of it. It usually develops not right away, but a day or two after stringing. Never had it with full bed synthetic gut. Maybe the low tensions that I typically use for poly -- 35-41 lbs -- has something to do with it. Some polys are perfectly quiet for me throughout their lifetime. The buzz from the strings is not something that reaches the handle. It is just an annoying sound at impact.
1) improperly attached buttcap or a trap door
-- this creates a substantial buzz ( that you may describe as travelling to your hand ). I had this on brand-new racquets straight from the factory.
2) some string combinations
-- when poly is involved, and especially in a hybrid, some strings produce a very unpleasant buzz. The dampener takes care of it. It usually develops not right away, but a day or two after stringing. Never had it with full bed synthetic gut. Maybe the low tensions that I typically use for poly -- 35-41 lbs -- has something to do with it. Some polys are perfectly quiet for me throughout their lifetime. The buzz from the strings is not something that reaches the handle. It is just an annoying sound at impact.
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Do you mean Yonex in Japan? On the Yonex website, the Contact page is just a list of distributors in different countries.
alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
http://www.yonexusa.com/company/yonex-distributors/america/
Gasp. A wild url appears. Quick. Get the googleball for best capture rate.
Karma Tennis
Legend
OK. We had some SV95s at one point. They were all similar spec in stock form.
When stung with stiff Poly string at mid tension, one of them did exhibit a buzzing vibration on certain shots.
But once I applied my usual customisation - putting Blu Tac inside the handle - the vibration disappeared for good!
So if the buzzing is bothering you, try adding a little Blu Tack inside the handle and see if that fixes it! (We usually put about 10g into the handle but you might find that a couple of grams will help without changing the balance too much.)
When stung with stiff Poly string at mid tension, one of them did exhibit a buzzing vibration on certain shots.
But once I applied my usual customisation - putting Blu Tac inside the handle - the vibration disappeared for good!
So if the buzzing is bothering you, try adding a little Blu Tack inside the handle and see if that fixes it! (We usually put about 10g into the handle but you might find that a couple of grams will help without changing the balance too much.)
EasternRocks
Hall of Fame
Played higher level tennis tonight so I felt like I really got a good sense of how my 310, slightly leaded up frames play on the run and in clean indoor hard court conditions.
I was finding extremely amazing point and shoot control, probably the best I've ever felt in a frame. Especially for it being 16x19, I was able to get any shot to where it needed to go and it just felt super buttery off the racquet.
I was playing with 2 string set-ups, giving me two different results off impact but the frame held up okay with the heavy ball that I was hitting against.
The racquet is indeed missing some power and I hesitate to add much lead to the tip because at its current 3 grams at 3/9, the swingweight is already close to my threshold of mid 320's. Spin is also a bit lacking, as sometimes when recovering out wide, I found some challenges getting the height and depth on the shot.
I find volleying with the frame amazing. Just super maneuverable and it's again, point and shoot.
I did not get to really serve with the frame, but there is 100% no free-power. It's all you when it comes to that. Great control though in the few I hit at 50% pace.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with the investment of buying these frames without demo. They play super well for me, but it isn't obviously the perfect racquet. I did feel like I was pushed around a bit, the racquet might need someone who has a bit more skill than me from a technical standpoint. I also think the person who is 6 ft 5 in and has a massive game regardless of what frame they pick up, would love this frame.
I do have high hopes on the VC98 which I have 1 of already. I'll see if I can get it to work for me, but the 305g does scare me a little.
I was finding extremely amazing point and shoot control, probably the best I've ever felt in a frame. Especially for it being 16x19, I was able to get any shot to where it needed to go and it just felt super buttery off the racquet.
I was playing with 2 string set-ups, giving me two different results off impact but the frame held up okay with the heavy ball that I was hitting against.
The racquet is indeed missing some power and I hesitate to add much lead to the tip because at its current 3 grams at 3/9, the swingweight is already close to my threshold of mid 320's. Spin is also a bit lacking, as sometimes when recovering out wide, I found some challenges getting the height and depth on the shot.
I find volleying with the frame amazing. Just super maneuverable and it's again, point and shoot.
I did not get to really serve with the frame, but there is 100% no free-power. It's all you when it comes to that. Great control though in the few I hit at 50% pace.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with the investment of buying these frames without demo. They play super well for me, but it isn't obviously the perfect racquet. I did feel like I was pushed around a bit, the racquet might need someone who has a bit more skill than me from a technical standpoint. I also think the person who is 6 ft 5 in and has a massive game regardless of what frame they pick up, would love this frame.
I do have high hopes on the VC98 which I have 1 of already. I'll see if I can get it to work for me, but the 305g does scare me a little.
EasternRocks
Hall of Fame
Got off court and impression is that the VC98 is stiffer and has more modern player qualities, which should come to no one’s surprise.
Lower power, smaller sweetspot, better command of the ball with the 310.
Against a heavy hitter, the VC98 is easier to play with as you just get more juice. Hitting and playing baseline points is a bit more fun with the VC98 because you can take advantage of the more forgiving frame.
I haven’t dialed in string set up yet for either frame, will be tinkering some more. Early advantage to the VCP for the more consistent output, but will say that PTP@46 was not a great string for my VC98.
Keep in mind I’m playing heavier than stock version racquets. 315 unstrung.
EasternRocks
Hall of Fame
Reviving this thread for my own feedback on playing the VCORE Pro 97 310 some more.
Man, this racquet gives you such little free power/spin!
I've played all different types of string in it, added lead at 3/9 to give it more plowthrough and stability, and it still feels like I don't have enough mass behind the ball to really get the ball up and off the court to bother people. Mind you, specs are at 330 strung, 32.3 balance, 327 swingweight. With most other racquets, this would be a solid player's racquet frame. This unfortunately is too old school and is a racquet that I cannot switch to even when I love the feel and the level of point and shoot control.
I won't give up 100% and will restring the frame with Strike 1.20 at #49 to see if the thinner string helps me out a little bit with this essentially old school graphite stick.
Man, this racquet gives you such little free power/spin!
I've played all different types of string in it, added lead at 3/9 to give it more plowthrough and stability, and it still feels like I don't have enough mass behind the ball to really get the ball up and off the court to bother people. Mind you, specs are at 330 strung, 32.3 balance, 327 swingweight. With most other racquets, this would be a solid player's racquet frame. This unfortunately is too old school and is a racquet that I cannot switch to even when I love the feel and the level of point and shoot control.
I won't give up 100% and will restring the frame with Strike 1.20 at #49 to see if the thinner string helps me out a little bit with this essentially old school graphite stick.
I suggest you string it low like in the low 40s. I find it plays really well. I use low powered strings in it like the poly tour spin. It's not gonna blow my opponents away but I can still be quite aggressive with it.
EasternRocks
Hall of Fame
Thanks for the suggestion, but I have strung it with Poly Tour Pro at 43 and it still doesn't feel like I'm pushing anyone around the court, which just makes me have to run all around the court really relying on my defensive shots.
I tried adding lead to the tip and 10/2 to get a racquet that is more polarized, but at 318g unstrung and a 328 swingweight, I found the racquet to be too cumbersome to play.
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
Once you've added the weight in the head, have you matched with weight 7" from butt cap? If not, try that.
Mine VC97 310 with Leather grip and overgrip, plus 3G at 3 & 9, strung with Alu Power Rough mains/52 and Gut cross/50 comes in at 344 strung. The more I play with this racquet the more I realize just how much of an active wrist you need to play with it. You definitely need to have a full swing and active wrist for this racquet.
EasternRocks
Hall of Fame
Yes, they've been counterbalanced.
EasternRocks
Hall of Fame
You sort of honestly need a wrist that's as flexible as Frances Tiafoe to really get the potential of this frame. I too currently have something like 4g at 3 & 9. My total comes out to 339 strung.
I had the most success playing with the frame with Poly Tour Strike 17 at #49, so I will probably give that a shot again before I bury this frame and buy more VCORE 98's.
EasternRocks
Hall of Fame
I've been eyeing the VCORE 98 as well...
Great racquet for sure. I'm still trying to dial it in string set up and swingweight wise, but it's just one solid racquet.
alidisperanza
Hall of Fame
Take about 15 mins of hitting fed forehands and focus on hitting a little bit lower in the stringbed than you normally would. You'll be pleasantly surprised at what you find.
Generally I had the same impression though, you really have to work to produce a quality ball.
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What grip size did you do this mod on?
Does it work for all grip sizes?
Has anyone else here done this butt cap mod (replacing original Yonex butt cap with Wilson non-Pro Staff Sony Sensor butt cap)? If so, what were the results?
I’m asking because a guy from my local store compared the two butt caps side by side and told me that they are different sizes/shapes.
kimguroo
Legend
I always change my buttcap to one size smaller grip size.
I normally use 4 1/4 but I prefer 4 1/8 grip size for Yonex.
Unfortunately Yonex Regna only offers 4 1/4 and 4 3/8 so I replaced original 4 1/4 to 4 1/8 buttcaps.
It takes a little effort but Replacement of buttcap is not hard for me.
I normally use 4 1/4 but I prefer 4 1/8 grip size for Yonex.
Unfortunately Yonex Regna only offers 4 1/4 and 4 3/8 so I replaced original 4 1/4 to 4 1/8 buttcaps.
It takes a little effort but Replacement of buttcap is not hard for me.
EasternRocks
Hall of Fame
No definitely, if I hit the ball square in the right spot, I hit clean and get the best quality ball I can possibly hit. I get accuracy, decent amount of pace, and adequate spin. It's just that this sweetspot is too small and coupled with the 20 mm beam, it just doesn't match up against people that are swinging modern player frames. I feel like I'm at a disadvantage just using an "old school" type frame. The 310 even with my lead experiments, both on the tip and the sides have not given me a racquet that allows me to step to the line and feel like I can outduel a guy who can hit heavy from the baseline and move me side to side.
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
I respectfully disagree... as would many of the top ATP Pros... past and present. I think the key part of your statement is "...poor technique" and, I don't believe we need to embrace elbow issues. It is my belief that good technique (as well as proper fitness and conditioning), will solve all of the issues being brought up.
Stan Wawrinka (even though he plays with the VCore 95D) doesn't seem to have problems with the speed of his shots, his weight of shot would be immense, to say the least, and his racquet is neither light nor thick beamed (although the stiffness I am not certain of - in comparison to a retail 95D).
Karma Tennis
Legend
IME, a lot of possible elbow issues that may arise from using light stiff tennis racquets can be mitigated by taking measures to prevent impact and post impact vibration shock from reaching the arm. This can be done by stuffing the inside of the racquet handle with shock absorbing material like silicon or Blu-Tack.
Thanks. But I’m asking specifically about replacing the original Yonex butt cap on the Vcore Pro 97 with the Wilson non-Pro Staff Sony Sensor butt cap.
After restringing my 310, the excessive vibration and buzzing has disappeared. Will continue to monitor as tension drops.
