Looking for a players' 100 or 98. Advice appreciated.

I am most comfortable with mids, but have experimented with the Dunlop Bio 200 Plus (oldest son claimed them) and the Head Graphene Extreme Pro (youngest son claimed them). Of those two, the best was the Extreme, though I never really warmed up to it on serve. It seemed a little distant on the serve and I never really liked the feel. All other strokes were fine. Why do I want something bigger than 95? I'm older, slower, and they offer that little bit of forgiveness that I am starting to find necessary. ;-)

My racquet background, racquets I have played and enjoyed (and still have): Dunlop M-Fil 200, Dunlop 4D100, Becker London Tour, Wilson Six.One 16x18 (the last iteration). I am, and have been, looking for something a little larger and more forgiving, with a reasonable launch angle that won't turn into a rocket launcher when I flatten things out. I tend to hit quite fast flat shots with my one handed backhand, and too much power is not wanted. I serve the best with the Six.One and the 4D100, if that helps those who know those racquets.

Playing: OHBH that's pretty flat and topspin forehand. I do like to play all court and mix in S&V. A 4.0 right now because my nerve damage in my feet has me less mobile.

Any suggestions? I have been perusing last year's racquets, and from what I am seeing, the Graphene Touch Speed Pro, the V-Sense 10 325, and the Beast 98 (normal grommet version) are on my web shopping list. My plan, as always, is to buy at least a pair, matched by TW. Thanks in advance for any useful advice.
 

1HBHfanatic

Legend
here are my favorites!, hope this helps to muddy the racquet waters and bring you to a demo summer, haaa
Wilson. ps.97 (not the rf)
head.radical.mp (98)
Wilson.clash.98
head.gravity.pro (100)
yonex.vcore.95(red) I have and fun, but I think the 98 would be easier to use..
head.grap.360.extreme.pro is a nice racquet also

all these require a bit of modification to the handle (1'-2' of 1/2"lead tape), to make them head-light (close to 10pts HL), and they shine with the 1HBH for me
 

Anton

Legend
Although not known for low launch, some agressive flat hitters I know love RF97. Michele from TW uses it also. Worth a demo IMO.

For less power and more comfort Wilson Ultra Tour with some lead is a very premium ride.

New HEAD Graphene 360+ Gravity Pro looks to put HEAD back in the game too, with nicer feel than before.
 
I would recommend prince tt100 310... very good all arounder.

On a separate note, I don't know if you saw it but beasts are massively discounted now that new ones are coming out...

I did see that the Beasts are discounted, and based on the reviews and specs, the 98 is more up my alley. TT100 310 looks like quite the frame from the review, though.
 

ChaelAZ

G.O.A.T.
2015 Blade 98, 16x19. Very customizable for weight and balance with a good blend of available power and control. Arm friendly and comfortable.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

fuzz nation

G.O.A.T.
I'm a Volkl fan with a small collection of C10's and a pair of Organix 10 325g's on hand. I didn't much like the O10's in their stock layout, but they absolutely came to life for me once I added a little weight to the heads and handles.

TW had the newer V-Sense 10 325g on sale, so I grabbed a pair of those thinking that they'd replace my O10's if those started breaking down. Initially I tried to lead up one of my VS 10's to more or less match it up with my O10's, but that didn't work. It's seeming to have a mildly different personality than the O10's aside from the spec sheet, but I don't mean this in a bad way.

My O10's are weighted up to 12.7 oz. with about 11 pts. HL balance and I really love them like that. Oh, and my C10's don't need extra weight on the hoop, but I added some to their handles for enough HL balance to be comfortable for me. But strangely enough, I'm preferring my VS 10's in their stock layout of around 12.0 oz. with string and an overgrip.

I do NOT like the lighter options in the racquet world and I've mildly injured myself once or twice trying to get along with more of a "tweener". But so far I seem to be really liking the VS 10's without any additions. I definitely prefer the mildly larger 98" head of this frame over the 95" Six. One 95 in its different versions. I'm much more receptive to a 98" frame with a relatively narrow beam width compared with a 100" frame with a rather wide beam.

In general terms, I absolutely recommend looking over the different "10-series" Volkls available to you. I've never sampled their V-Sense 10 Mid, but that's a 96" rig that looks like something that would compete with the Six.One 95. I also haven't sampled the newest V-Feel line, but that 320g VF 10 could be nice. The V-Sense 10 Tour looks like a honey of a frame with the exception of being at least a half-ounce underweight for me, but a pack of lead tape only costs a couple bucks.
 
I'm a Volkl fan with a small collection of C10's and a pair of Organix 10 325g's on hand. I didn't much like the O10's in their stock layout, but they absolutely came to life for me once I added a little weight to the heads and handles.

TW had the newer V-Sense 10 325g on sale, so I grabbed a pair of those thinking that they'd replace my O10's if those started breaking down. Initially I tried to lead up one of my VS 10's to more or less match it up with my O10's, but that didn't work. It's seeming to have a mildly different personality than the O10's aside from the spec sheet, but I don't mean this in a bad way.

My O10's are weighted up to 12.7 oz. with about 11 pts. HL balance and I really love them like that. Oh, and my C10's don't need extra weight on the hoop, but I added some to their handles for enough HL balance to be comfortable for me. But strangely enough, I'm preferring my VS 10's in their stock layout of around 12.0 oz. with string and an overgrip.

I do NOT like the lighter options in the racquet world and I've mildly injured myself once or twice trying to get along with more of a "tweener". But so far I seem to be really liking the VS 10's without any additions. I definitely prefer the mildly larger 98" head of this frame over the 95" Six. One 95 in its different versions. I'm much more receptive to a 98" frame with a relatively narrow beam width compared with a 100" frame with a rather wide beam.

In general terms, I absolutely recommend looking over the different "10-series" Volkls available to you. I've never sampled their V-Sense 10 Mid, but that's a 96" rig that looks like something that would compete with the Six.One 95. I also haven't sampled the newest V-Feel line, but that 320g VF 10 could be nice. The V-Sense 10 Tour looks like a honey of a frame with the exception of being at least a half-ounce underweight for me, but a pack of lead tape only costs a couple bucks.

I admit, given the fact that I tend to play well with the London Tours, that I am leaning towards the V-Sense 10 325 or the C10 Pro. Sounds like I'm not going to go wrong with either.
 

time_fly

Hall of Fame
I admit, given the fact that I tend to play well with the London Tours, that I am leaning towards the V-Sense 10 325 or the C10 Pro. Sounds like I'm not going to go wrong with either.

I played the VS-10 325g regularly for quite a while. I put some lead on them to add plow-through but found myself getting fatigued in long singles matches, so I ultimately switched to a lighter frame. Once I had the lead on there they didn't feel right without it, but I would recommend trying to adjust to them at stock weight first, since they get heavy fast with extra weight. Aside from the fatigue issue -- which mostly affected my serve -- I loved how they felt and played.
 

fuzz nation

G.O.A.T.
I admit, given the fact that I tend to play well with the London Tours, that I am leaning towards the V-Sense 10 325 or the C10 Pro. Sounds like I'm not going to go wrong with either.

If you get a C10 for yourself, I'd say be ready to try a couple different sting setups to find something that's right for you. A few of our pals here have also found this frame to be a little string sensitive. I usually love a snug bed of 17 ga. syn. gut - my arm won't tolerate poly - but right now I'm liking the C10's strung with a 16 ga. syn. gut. The heavier gauge installed between 58 and 60 lbs. seems to give me a little more consistent response at this time of year. Lighter gauges can turn soft more quickly in the heat. The 17 ga. syn. gut can stay crisp for me as long as temps don't run into the mid 80's and above.

My VS 10's are currently strung with cheap-o 16 ga. Forten Nylon that's a sort of lemonade yellow color - rather spiffy against the dark grey and semi-fluorescent yellow racquet - and tensioned at 59 lbs. It's playing softer than I expected based on my experiments with that string a couple years ago. Next experiments will have one strung with my favorite 16 ga. Tecnifibre syn. gut and the other one set up with a full bed of 17 ga. Gosen OGSM.

Good times...
 
If you get a C10 for yourself, I'd say be ready to try a couple different sting setups to find something that's right for you. A few of our pals here have also found this frame to be a little string sensitive. I usually love a snug bed of 17 ga. syn. gut - my arm won't tolerate poly - but right now I'm liking the C10's strung with a 16 ga. syn. gut. The heavier gauge installed between 58 and 60 lbs. seems to give me a little more consistent response at this time of year. Lighter gauges can turn soft more quickly in the heat. The 17 ga. syn. gut can stay crisp for me as long as temps don't run into the mid 80's and above.

My VS 10's are currently strung with cheap-o 16 ga. Forten Nylon that's a sort of lemonade yellow color - rather spiffy against the dark grey and semi-fluorescent yellow racquet - and tensioned at 59 lbs. It's playing softer than I expected based on my experiments with that string a couple years ago. Next experiments will have one strung with my favorite 16 ga. Tecnifibre syn. gut and the other one set up with a full bed of 17 ga. Gosen OGSM.

Good times...

I normally play full poly or a hybrid in 17 ga. Thankfully, I string my own, so I can tinker. It sounds like the deader the poly, the better it will work in the C10.
 

flanker2000fr

Hall of Fame
The Beast 98 is likely to be too powerful, seeing what you're after.

Sticking with Prince, I would recommend the Phantom Pro 100P. You might need to add a bit of weight at 12 to increase power on serve, but for the rest it pretty much fits the description of what you are looking for.
 

flanker2000fr

Hall of Fame
PS: for the PP100P 16x18, given the head size and open pattern, you might have to go to a 16L gauge to keep a decent lifespan to your string. If going full poly, 46 to 48 lbs in a 16L should do the trick nicely in this frame.
 

mhkeuns

Hall of Fame
I have the C10 Pro, and I can honestly say this racket feels like a classic frame that offers lots of power and nice control. It probably is a great 98” frame for a former mid users to switch to.

That said...,

The weight and balance is not different than the midsize frames and probably won’t provide the free power and spin as well as more powerful tweeners. I really do like the new Pure Aero and 2018 Pure Drive. For being a flat hitter, I’d think a frame like Pure Drive will offer you more spin, power and control you gain from the added spin. It really is a nice racket and fun to hit with, especially serving big bombs. You should demo it if you can.

Also, there are many posts on how nice the new Graphene 360 Extreme MP plays. Perhaps, that might be a good one to demo, too.
 
Wow. There must really be no love for the Graphene Touch Speed Pro. No one even mentioned it. Is the line that bad? Hoping someone will chime in.
 

hurworld

Hall of Fame
Wow. There must really be no love for the Graphene Touch Speed Pro. No one even mentioned it. Is the line that bad? Hoping someone will chime in.
The Graphene, Graphene XT and Graphene Touch lines were generally perceived as stiff and lacking in feel in these boards. Personally I have only ever hit with the Graphene Touch Radical Pro from the entire Graphene (including XT and Touch) and I thought it was powerful and alright.

As others have pointed out, there are many better alternatives in the market.
 
Update to this thread. I am convinced, given my restricted mobility, that I need a racquet with easier mobility to make up for what will forever be my declining footwork. So, after considering this for the past several weeks, and looking through TWU, which is a great resource for things like sweet spot size and plow and spin, I am gravitating toward racquets like the Tecnifibre XTC 305 / TF 40 305 and the Volkl V-Sense 10 Tour. They are an ounce (that's like 8%) lighter than my current racquets with the same swingweight, and the reviews all seem to tout mobility while maintaining the kind of stability I'm used to.

In the short term, while I debate this with myself, I have replaced the rather heavy Volkl leather grips I had on my Wilson Six.One 16x18s with Head Hydrosorb Pros - having the effect of making the racquet more swingable and back more to its original spec. Both of the racquets I mentioned above have the same size "sweet zone" according to TWU, and I am inclined to value the numbers more than the subjective reviews - though reviews of the Tec and Volkl were both quite positive.

Still looking for bigger, more forgiving. Just narrowing my thoughts to racquets that I would not have considered before. I have plenty of headlight racquets toward the heavier end of the spectrum. We shall see where I land. At the moment, it is definitely toward lighter frames that feel heavier without actually being so... ;-)
 
Alright. I pulled the trigger and ordered a pair of TFight 305 XTCs. Here's to hoping that Tecnifibre's QC is up to scratch, because they were the only two TW had in stock. Very excited. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.
 

n8dawg6

Legend
Alright. I pulled the trigger and ordered a pair of TFight 305 XTCs. Here's to hoping that Tecnifibre's QC is up to scratch, because they were the only two TW had in stock. Very excited. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.
guess im a little late to the party, but the touch speed pros are $99 each right now. they are good frames, i just found them underpowered with full poly. i turned 40 this year and also thinking about going 100 sq in+ unfortunately ...
 

1HBHfanatic

Legend
guess im a little late to the party, but the touch speed pros are $99 each right now. they are good frames, i just found them underpowered with full poly. i turned 40 this year and also thinking about going 100 sq in+ unfortunately ...
check out the:
head.extreme.PRO
head.speed.MP
head.gravity.PRO

all very good stable options, and with extra power, imo/ime
 
guess im a little late to the party, but the touch speed pros are $99 each right now. they are good frames, i just found them underpowered with full poly. i turned 40 this year and also thinking about going 100 sq in+ unfortunately ...

I debated it, but just decided to try a different weight/balance makeup, having never played for any extended period of time with something balanced like the Tecnifibres I ordered. I suspect it may take some getting used to, but then again, given the familiar swingweight, it may not. I will try to post results and comparisons to my current sticks when I get a chance to play with the new sticks.
 

n8dawg6

Legend
check out the:
head.extreme.PRO
head.speed.MP
head.gravity.PRO

all very good stable options, and with extra power, imo/ime
curious about the gravity. have used the extreme. its a great frame, just not for me. have a looooong history w the speed MP, haha
 
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