n8dawg6
Legend
yeppp, thats the dadgum truth ...
Diary of a Racketaholic
- Thread starter Ross K
- Start date
Capulin Zurdo
Hall of Fame
Nabbed an AeroPro Drive Cortex Plus, couldn't resist. Cannot wait to hit with it today! I'm going to VAMOS VAMOS VAMOS.
Capulin Zurdo
Hall of Fame
This APDC+ is killer, VAMOS
Capulin Zurdo
Hall of Fame
Just having it there makes me want to watch highlights of Nadal
SpinToWin
Talk Tennis Guru
My elbow hurts just thinking about it lol.
n8dawg6
Legend
whats it strung with?This APDC+ is killer, VAMOS
Capulin Zurdo
Hall of Fame
SpinToWin
Talk Tennis Guru
The absolute madman lol
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
Picked up a phantom pro 93p and also acquired the Yonex vcore pro 97 305 by way of trade.
Phantom pro 93p: great frame
Vcore pro 97 310: WOW! This frame does everything so well! I figured with the low advertised swingweight, I’d be reaching for lead to beef it up but no lead needed. With a 16x19 string pattern, I figured I would be wanting more control, but I was hitting my spots the same way I do with my modded Ultra Tour. I was getting sharper cc angles with no loss of penetration. Super maneuverable, easy to whip, generates a ton of spin, solid and stable at the net. Feel is solid and comfortable. Loving this Yonex offering!
Phantom pro 93p: great frame
Vcore pro 97 310: WOW! This frame does everything so well! I figured with the low advertised swingweight, I’d be reaching for lead to beef it up but no lead needed. With a 16x19 string pattern, I figured I would be wanting more control, but I was hitting my spots the same way I do with my modded Ultra Tour. I was getting sharper cc angles with no loss of penetration. Super maneuverable, easy to whip, generates a ton of spin, solid and stable at the net. Feel is solid and comfortable. Loving this Yonex offering!
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Capulin Zurdo
Hall of Fame
What is it with Babolat racquets' addictive feel?! Couldn't help but nab another Pure Drive Roddick GT. I'll have it strung with Pro Hurricane Tour.
GoldenGriffs
New User
I just sold this same racquet (near mint) on eVay for $55. It was posted on the FS thread here and not one response. Great racquet, feels more head heavy than the current pure aero. I used this back in 2007.This APDC+ is killer, VAMOS
Not sure how you do it but Hurricane Tour felt SO harsh, only played couple hours with it and had to cut it out, not worth the pain in my arm
Capulin Zurdo
Hall of Fame
Yeah mine feels a bit beefier than the PA, but I do find more spin with the PA. Still, both fun sticks o play with.
Well, I am a madman
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
Racquet redux: Prince Classic Graphite 100 standard length
Of all the excellent racquets that Prince has manufactured over the years, the std length PCG100 is arguably one of the all time bests. Restrung mine with green Prince Tour XP 16g and took it out on Sunday night. It just does everything right. Great stability on volleys due to the extra torsional stability offered by the crossbar. The thin beam makes it easy to attain fast rhs. Open string pattern means restringing often but the amount of spin it can generate is silly. Excellent comfort with that familiar old school feel. The swingweight is low allowing for ample room for lead customization to the hoop which yields good results without any slowing the frame down too much.
What a classic!
Of all the excellent racquets that Prince has manufactured over the years, the std length PCG100 is arguably one of the all time bests. Restrung mine with green Prince Tour XP 16g and took it out on Sunday night. It just does everything right. Great stability on volleys due to the extra torsional stability offered by the crossbar. The thin beam makes it easy to attain fast rhs. Open string pattern means restringing often but the amount of spin it can generate is silly. Excellent comfort with that familiar old school feel. The swingweight is low allowing for ample room for lead customization to the hoop which yields good results without any slowing the frame down too much.
What a classic!
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Power Player
Bionic Poster
Are you done with the Yonex Vcore 310, or what’s going on with that one?
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
The vcp 97 310 is the one. I can put away angled short balls more reliably and consistently with it. Compared to the Ultra Tour, it hits a more penetrating ball in stock form. While I love the feel and control of the Ultra Tour, it lacked penetration when the static weight and swing weight was lower. I could get the sharp angles though. Then when I increased the amount of lead to get more penetration, the ease of which I could hit the sharp angles disappeared. I don’t have to compromise with the VCP 97 310. I’ll always bring out a classic to mess around with when I go hit with my friends, but the VCP 97 is my match stick.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
You play it stock? I think for me it would just be too light, as whenever I use lighter frames I start craving the feel and plow of something around 340 grams, no matter what. Also the low swingweight probably need to be pumped up. That said, the same issues came with the stock Yonex 98 that I believe you have and you know I love, so I was curious how that weighting worked for you.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
Right now I’m playing it stock and it plays better in every way imaginable than my modded Ultra Tour. More spin, more penetration, sharper angles, same quality slices, equal control, better volleys, equal on serves. The only things that the Ultra Tour is “better” for me is in the subjective buttery feel department. The beauty of the vcp 97 310 for me is exactly the low weight. This gives me plenty of room to add lead for more stability if it becomes necessary. So far, surprisingly, I haven’t found the need to beef it up. I honestly thought I would need to.
I still have the vcore xi98 which I still think is a very good stick but for me, the vcp 97 310 is better in every way. If I were to make comparisons, I find the vcore 98 to be closer to a pure drive while the vcp is closer to the Ultra Tour/Prestige MPs.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Thats pretty high praise, wow. The Prestige MP’s are killer, the Yonex feels the same as the redhead? I am guessing the 97 has similar pop. And it sounds like for some reason it plays with bigger SW than as listed. Makes it a little tricky to customize. I read how people tried leather, and it bugged their hand, so it sounds like you’d have to add some lead strips on the pallet. The customization piece is always painful.
After the P93, nothing has grabbed my interest to try out. It’s been over a year, I would think that something would pop up but the only frames that seem interest me are yours or the Vcore 95, mainly because I love Yonex frames.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
I honestly couldn’t believe how great it plays. My friend @bruinduke offered it in a trade and I was actually a bit hesitant because I didn’t know anything about the frame. I have been playing with the Ultra Tour for about 2 years now and generally haven’t been paying attention to any of the recently released racquet. He actually thought it might be a good match for me.
I now have 2 VCP 97 310s.
The one I got from bruinduke had a TW leather grip + OG. That’s the only thing different from the stock frame. I haven’t tinkered with it at all. Just strung it up 2x now with cyclone 1.25/vpro 1.23 @ 50/48 and 1x with Solinco outlast 1.25 @ 50/48. Both string setups play great in the frame. Cyclone/vpro go dead pretty quickly though (~5hrs). Outlast is outlasting the volkl setup. Pun intended.
I got my 2nd one from my other friend, @John Kawasaki. It is bone stock. I laced it up with Prince Tour xp 1.30/4g 1.25 attempting to get longer life out of the strings. So far it is has been. Plays really well, too. I can’t tell much difference in the way the 2 sticks swing and the first one is a little bit more HL due to the leather grip.
No lead anywhere. My hitting partners all tell me that the ball has more power, penetration and spin than with the Ultra Tour. They have also noticed that they can’t leave the ball short in the court anymore cuz I can step in and angle my shot for a sharp angled put away which is something I was doing with the Ultra Tour, but the angle wasn’t anywhere near as sharp and they could catch up to the ball sometimes. Not the case anymore with the vcp 97. One of my partners is a 5.0. He offered the same feedback even though he beats me very handily when we play points and we’ve hit a lot so he knows my strokes well.
I’ve been experimenting with the 93p and it is fantastic from the baseline but on the short ball, I have trouble accelerating the 12+ oz weight quickly enough to get the sharp angle and tend to hit long more often as well on the said short ball.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
I honestly couldn’t believe how great it plays. My friend @bruinduke offered it in a trade and I was actually a bit hesitant because I didn’t know anything about the frame. I have been playing with the Ultra Tour for about 2 years now and generally haven’t been paying attention to any of the recently released racquet. He actually thought it might be a good match for me.
I now have 2 VCP 97 310s.
The one I got from bruinduke had a TW leather grip + OG. That’s the only thing different from the stock frame. I haven’t tinkered with it at all. Just strung it up 2x now with cyclone 1.25/vpro 1.23 @ 50/48 and 1x with Solinco outlast 1.25 @ 50/48. Both string setups play great in the frame. Cyclone/vpro go dead pretty quickly though (~5hrs). Outlast is outlasting the volkl setup. Pun intended.
I got my 2nd one from my other friend, @John Kawasaki. It is bone stock. I laced it up with Prince Tour xp 1.30/4g 1.25 attempting to get longer life out of the strings. So far it is has been. Plays really well, too. I can’t tell much difference in the way the 2 sticks swing and the first one is a little bit more HL due to the leather grip.
No lead anywhere. My hitting partners all tell me that the ball has more power, penetration and spin than with the Ultra Tour. They have also noticed that they can’t leave the ball short in the court anymore cuz I can step in and angle my shot for a sharp angled put away which is something I was doing with the Ultra Tour, but the angle wasn’t anywhere near as sharp and they could catch up to the ball sometimes. Not the case anymore with the vcp 97. One of my partners is a 5.0. He offered the same feedback even though he beats me very handily when we play points and we’ve hit a lot so he knows my strokes well.
I’ve been experimenting with the 93p and it is fantastic from the baseline but on the short ball, I have trouble accelerating the 12+ oz weight quickly enough to get the sharp angle and tend to hit long more often as well on the said short ball.
Nice, I think if I grabbed a Yonex frame it would be the 330 version. The Tour G is one of my all time favorites, it was just so throat heavy. I also see that you consider the P93 to be too heavy, and for me it’s fine. Since the 330 Vcore is lighter, I probably would prefer it with that weight.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
The p93 is great at net and from the baseline. It’s in the transition game that I run into problems. Where I run into trouble is stepping in and putting away short balls. Also if I need to do the quick flick/brush up (banana shot) on a low ball that lands short, I can’t generate enough rhs to get the ball to drop back in. dealing with half volleys taken in the forecourt while on the move aren’t as easy and natural either.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Ahh, ok. Yeah I can generate that whipped spin rather easy with the P93 but I have played that kind of game my whole life. My biggest issue (with any frame) is remembering the golden rule of approaching - the closer to the net you are, the thinner you want to hit.
Of course, I don’t look to put away short balls unless they are still waist height when get there. I look to flick them into a corner and expect the ball to come back one more time. Regardless, I hit pretty thin to keep the angle aggressive but still keep a safe margin. took me a long time to not F that up and wail the crap out of the ball instead (which usually was an error).
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
On the low short balls to the deuce side, I’m trying to brush/flick them deep dtl to the baseline corner on the opponent’s side. I can do this very consistently with the vcp but the ball goes long with the 93p because I can’t get the rhs high enough to bring the ball down quickly enough.
I have the opposite problem for short balls - the high ones. I have no problem hitting thin on the low short balls (years of table tennis), but on high short balls I tend to hit into net (change grip to overly Western) or hit it just long (not finishing lower). I really need to remind myself not to go for winners on high short balls.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
After some thought. I realized that the “classic frame” has been fulfilled already for me in the P93. If I wanted to throw a YY back in the bag, I may as well go with my epic xi98, so I strung it up.
This AM I got a call back when asking about the 330 - a brand new black P/J Vcore 98 was available if I wanted to grab it. I’ll take that as a sign. Looks insanely awesome in person if you are into the blacked out look and it is dead on at 305 out of the box, so it will be easy to add a little lead to and get going. The Vcore 98s are the ultimate modern control frame, but Yonex seems to have lost their way with the last 2 versions. I keep hearing the new version is a must try if I liked the Vcore xi version, and I absolutely did. In my mind it is a modern 6.1 95 that is a lot faster through the air, so this will be fun. I want to see if it still has the legendary slice and control even with the 16x19 pattern.
This AM I got a call back when asking about the 330 - a brand new black P/J Vcore 98 was available if I wanted to grab it. I’ll take that as a sign. Looks insanely awesome in person if you are into the blacked out look and it is dead on at 305 out of the box, so it will be easy to add a little lead to and get going. The Vcore 98s are the ultimate modern control frame, but Yonex seems to have lost their way with the last 2 versions. I keep hearing the new version is a must try if I liked the Vcore xi version, and I absolutely did. In my mind it is a modern 6.1 95 that is a lot faster through the air, so this will be fun. I want to see if it still has the legendary slice and control even with the 16x19 pattern.
n8dawg6
Legend
yessss ... its back
n8dawg6
Legend
oh yeah i was also gonna say i had the shiny SV98. it hit a nice ball but the feel was awful. not sure how to explain it. word around the campfire is that the new ones are betterer.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
I think it probably is as, I tried the SV95 and hated it. This reminds me a bit of my xi98. I hadn’t played in a few weeks due to travel so I strung this thing up with RS at 47#s and leaded it up a little to 340 with everything on it. The thing is that I have been playing with a 350 gram P93 now for so long that when I started hitting with the YY, it felt light. My FHs were floating a bit and my backhand felt super weird. I was all out of it.
So I went back to the P93 just to get back to normal. I was hitting with an ex college player who had a really nice forehand, but was traveling a lot too and had not played in a while, but I was getting fed a lot of nice heavy, linear forehands. I got synced back up with the P93 after a little time. The weight of the P93 makes it really easy for me to hit my backhand for some reason, so I was able to dial that back in. After a little bit I was playing nice and consistent tennis again, so I went back to the Yonex and it was much easier to get a feel for the frame and start hitting out a little.
This frame is so effortless to use that it almost throws me off. It has a lot of power on tap but I realized I was hitting through the ball a lot more with the p93, so I just needed to adjust a little there. I started figuring out the backhand as well and was able to hit low slice off the backhand...yessss. Two things I was worried about with the new 16x19 was that the ball would float, and the sweet driving trajectory you get from the 16x20s would be gone. Luckily that is not the case.
Still need to log some time with this thing when I get the chance. The 93 feels so comfortable to me that any change is weird right now. But I definitely was able to appreciate this frame and can provide more details after more time. It’s not harsh or brassy. It has that Yonex muted feel. The connection to the ball feel is not there like the P93, but in fairness i dont think anything really brings that level of touch.
I finally started lining up my backhands and it was nice. You can drive the ball easily and point and shoot to both sides. Really fun frame, but Ill need to mess with it more to give more details. I will say that these “player’s tweeners” are super sweet for the all court game, or just good old baseline bashing.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
good stuff...the old PP is back! some normalcy has returned to the Diary!
Power Player
Bionic Poster
good stuff...the old PP is back! some normalcy has returned to the Diary!
LOL well, not sure about that. This was my first frame purchase in 14 months..but, I definitely wanted to mess with some Yonexes. I guess I was inspired as I had breakfast next to Tiafoe a few weeks ago and he was rocking some YY gear.
Nothing else grabs me except the 98 I got and your 310 97. I need to figure out which one fits me better and to see if it can unseat my P93. The 98 has loads of power and I have a history with it, but I am not sure if I can string it as low as I prefer yet. I need more hours with it. Current thoughts are it’s super rad but I don’t always feel confident about what the ball does off the stringbed like I am with the Phantom.
The 310, I would hope would have some pop to it even though I know it’s a thinner beam. I’d lead it a little - 5 grams at the top and grip, get it to 340 and that’s about where I’d want to play it. It’s just too jarring to go from a 350 gram P93 to a sub 340 gram racquet right now.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
like i said, the Diary is excited for your return!
completely get where you're coming from, bro. i was pretty happy with my leaded up Ultra Tour. Hadn't holicked anything new in like 2 years. Lucked into a Clash via winning a raffle. Great stick but it was more an experimental frame. Turns out it's a great frame to feed balls to a couple of guys i'm currently coaching. very comfy on the arm. Then by chance, my friend offered to trade me the VCP 97 310. I fully expected i would hit with it and it would be forgotten.
well, so much for that!
Power Player
Bionic Poster
like i said, the Diary is excited for your return!
completely get where you're coming from, bro. i was pretty happy with my leaded up Ultra Tour. Hadn't holicked anything new in like 2 years. Lucked into a Clash via winning a raffle. Great stick but it was more an experimental frame. Turns out it's a great frame to feed balls to a couple of guys i'm currently coaching. very comfy on the arm. Then by chance, my friend offered to trade me the VCP 97 310. I fully expected i would hit with it and it would be forgotten.
Yeah, what are your thoughts on the 310, did you do a review of it anywhere? I am mainly curious what the power level is like. Is it a frame that is truly old school and encourages plowing through like the P93 or does it lend itself to a little more brushing? To be specific, does it have some pop like the redhead GPMP or is it more of a of a classic frame that requires you to do all the work?
I only ask because if it is the latter, I am happy with the P93 there. What I basically would want is to try something in between the P93 and the Vcore 98. That way I can just play with them all and have 3 somewhat similar frames that I can figure out over time. I finally am looking like I will be able to get a regular schedule of tennis going again, instead of picking up matches in between travel, so this is a nice time to bring 3 frames out and let the results guide me. Plus I feel like Yonex is really, really killing it right now with these player’s tweeners.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
I did a write up in the VCP thread.
It’s got more power than the Ultra Tour. I was concerned the control wouldn’t be there since I’ve moved onto tight 18/20s but it’s truly the best of all worlds for me. Power, spin, and control. feel is very acceptable, too. I’m set again...
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Sweet. Ill track one down and then play them out over the next few weeks. I was going to go with a 330, but 350 grams in a 97 versus 350 in a 93 is not the same thing, at least for me.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Just wrap the OG a few more times at the bottom or build it with a little tape. I got used to them over time and never think about it anymore. The Prince grip is the goat for me, but some say the flare bugged their hands. So who knows anymore..lol.
I just compared the prince and Yonex. Seems like the YY handles are just a little bigger so the flare seems less pronounced than the prince which has a skinner handle. The buttcap size is not dramatically different.
Anyway, stop being so picky dude and embrace Japan.
You know you would drink a Mich ultra if I threw you one. Lol.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
I just get used to the different grips over time. Hated the rectangular shape of the head pallets when I first tried them. After playing the prestige mp for a year, I wasn’t even thinking about it anymore. Switched to wilson and now Yonex. Last Sunday, I grabbed my mg prestige mp to hit with and i didn’t even think about the shape of the grip.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
Ha! i thought i posted a review, but i never did. Lol.
just a quickie comparison...
Ultra Tour (leaded up) vs VCP 97 310 (stock)
Power: VCP > UT
Topspin: VCP hits a higher trajectory ball with more spin due to the 16x19 pattern
Slice: VCP = UT i hit the slice pretty well with both frames
Control: VCP = UT while the control is "equal", the control they each offer is a little different; directional left right control is exceptional with the UT as is hitting groundstrokes that i intend to land deep near the baseline. the depth control isn't as good on short balls that i want to putaway with a sharp angle working w/ a short court. The VCP's directional left right control is very good but not as precise as the UT but the depth control on deep and short balls is exceptional.
Groundstrokes: VCP > UT by virtue of its ability to generate more power and penetration
Volleys: VCP > UT by virtue of more stability
Serves: VCP = UT the UT serves very well because it feels so great. the UT flex seems to carve the ball more on slice serves, but the VCP delivers more pop. Placement and intent are equal.
Transistion game: VCP > UT
Feel: VCP < UT the UT feels like a classic player's stick. while the feel of the VCP is fine, it's just not as good as the UT.
n8dawg6
Legend
i agree, i think its the size ... theyre just bigger. (TWSS goes without saying)Just wrap the OG a few more times at the bottom or build it with a little tape. I got used to them over time and never think about it anymore. The Prince grip is the goat for me, but some say the flare bugged their hands. So who knows anymore..lol.
I just compared the prince and Yonex. Seems like the YY handles are just a little bigger so the flare seems less pronounced than the prince which has a skinner handle. The buttcap size is not dramatically different.
Anyway, stop being so picky dude and embrace Japan.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Nice. I have no idea how the UT plays as I only tried it once for a little bit. But I will take your word for it!
n8dawg6
Legend
P.S. ive also been spotted drinking whiteclaw ...Just wrap the OG a few more times at the bottom or build it with a little tape. I got used to them over time and never think about it anymore. The Prince grip is the goat for me, but some say the flare bugged their hands. So who knows anymore..lol.
I just compared the prince and Yonex. Seems like the YY handles are just a little bigger so the flare seems less pronounced than the prince which has a skinner handle. The buttcap size is not dramatically different.
Anyway, stop being so picky dude and embrace Japan.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
It takes some time and effort to get the UT set up right and naturally that’s going to be different for each player. For me, the UT is an easier to use Prestige MP.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Ok. The graphene MP has some nice pop to it, so that is a nice comp. I’ll try and track one down. Not many Vcore 97’s in Miami, but plenty of the 98s, 95s..etc.
JOSHL
Hall of Fame
Dude WhiteClaw is the best.
n8dawg6
Legend
it aint half bad ...
Power Player
Bionic Poster
I found a 310, so the comparison can start this weekend. I don’t have time to string it up though so I’m getting it strung with Max Power rough 17 by a stringer in a bit. That’s the closest thing I can figure that somewhat matches RS Lyon. Not sure what you string experts think on that, but it should give me a pretty fair comparison.
Considering I am pretty sure I strung up the Vcore 98 7-8 pounds too loose for what it needs, things are off to a slightly shaky start..haha.
Considering I am pretty sure I strung up the Vcore 98 7-8 pounds too loose for what it needs, things are off to a slightly shaky start..haha.
