ryushen21
Legend
Pretty...
Yup. It’s not a power stick. It’s a control & ball placement stick with loads of yummy, yummy feel. Swinging it is always delightful.Just did 30 mins of girlfriend hitting. Which basically means low paced balls sprayed in all directions.
That said, I can tell that the pop is not the same as the Blade, but at the same time I may be able to hit bigger shots with even more confidence.
Ill have a lot more data tomorrow and over the weekend.
Strung in the low 40s??? That’s my tension range for this stick. Dude, we might just be brothers from a different mother!
IMO, feel just don’t get any better than this from a retail frame.
Yup. It’s not a power stick. It’s a control & ball placement stick with loads of yummy, yummy feel. Swinging it is always delightful.
Me likey cyclone 1.25/v pro 1.23 at 45/43.I like Cyclone 18 at 44#
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
I used to string it up at 49/47. Now I string it at ~45/43. Magical...I can get down with that. The tension is also a bit high right now, it's still at 50#s. When it drops to 45# I think the magic will really begin.
Me likey cyclone 1.25/v pro 1.23 at 45/43.
Volkl strings are under appreciated! Great value. Very good performance at a low price!VPro is under appreciated [emoji2]
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Volkl strings are under appreciated! Great value. Very good performance at a low price!
I used to string it up at 49/47. Now I string it at ~45/43. Magical...
Surprisingly it seems they aren't as cheap for our friends in Europe, only here in US. A reel of Cyclone 17 is $129.99 here compared to $159.99 of Hyper-G reel (just a random string reel I took as an example). In Europe (TWE) it costs $163.50 for a reel of Cyclone 17 and a reel of Hyper-G 17 is $151.88. Compared to so many other strings, Volkl Cyclone is more expensive in Europe. We certainly are getting good prices!Volkl strings are under appreciated! Great value. Very good performance at a low price!
Ok, I got 2 hours of hitting in today with my coach and used the UT 80% of the time. Thoughts so far:
I agree with what a lot of people said about it in the long and epic UT thread. It is not a Blade, but the way I set it up, it's not much different. The main difference is the pop off of the string bed is less so there is an adjustment there. That affected my confidence with the racquet since Im new to it still. Tough to explain but after using the Blades for 12 months, I know exactly what is happening when I hit the ball and I have no hesitation. With the UT I had hesitation, but that is to be expected. The main point is that I could not switch between the 2 frames with no adjustment, but is also not worlds apart. Regardless, due to lower confidence with the new frame I lost my matches today. That's not the end of the world though because the points were quality, the sets were close, plus there was other good stuff.
- The tension dropped to 44 after todays session. I could tell once it happened because I started playing better towards the end.
- My coach said I was coming around on the ball earlier. He thought I played well with the frame and didn't think it was a downgrade.
- What people say about the sweet spot, I agree with. When you hit the sweet spot, the power level is substantial. I had FHs where he just said "woah" and there was nothing he could really do because he didnt expect the ball back so fast.
- My backhand was better. more consistent and I had a little more confidence on that side - very interesting.
- The power level is not bad at all. Its a little less plow than my Blades, but I don't think this frame needs a ton of weight to play well at all. I'm thinking 333/333 type weight is perfect. I hate not having an RDC but I think I may add 2 more grams in the head and they will probably go at 3 and 9. I have really good racquet head speed now and the frame just feels a tough faster than I prefer. For now I am staying where im at. Only difference is I will string my 2nd one up with Tour Sniper to see how that plays in it.
- There is something addictive about this racquet. I put it down for a bit, but when it came to playing points I just stuck with it even when I was struggling a bit.
- This frame rewards dropping under the ball and ripping it so much. Basically proper hitting. I noticed a few slightly bad habits I had with the Blade where I was not getting under the ball enough and still hitting shots I did not deserve. The UT can help with grooving a consistent stroke, which is good.
This could be a very long war between the 3 frames. They are all awesome. At first I thought the UT was too different off the stringbed and I would not be able to adjust, but now that the tension has dropped and I hit so many balls with it, I am starting to see a lot of positives. What I love a lot is this racquet has that great Head feel, but is not anemic and difficult to use. The sweetspot is not huge but its not small, so hitting it constantly does not take elite hands, you just need to have good fundamentals. It is also one of the more powerful sweetspots I can remember.
Definitely a special frame but probably not for the noob or the player who doesn't move their feet.
Nicely done. Pretty much exactly what I expected.Ok, I got 2 hours of hitting in today with my coach and used the UT 80% of the time. Thoughts so far:
I agree with what a lot of people said about it in the long and epic UT thread. It is not a Blade, but the way I set it up, it's not much different. The main difference is the pop off of the string bed is less so there is an adjustment there. That affected my confidence with the racquet since Im new to it still. Tough to explain but after using the Blades for 12 months, I know exactly what is happening when I hit the ball and I have no hesitation. With the UT I had hesitation, but that is to be expected. The main point is that I could not switch between the 2 frames with no adjustment, but is also not worlds apart. Regardless, due to lower confidence with the new frame I lost my matches today. That's not the end of the world though because the points were quality, the sets were close, plus there was other good stuff.
- The tension dropped to 44 after todays session. I could tell once it happened because I started playing better towards the end.
- My coach said I was coming around on the ball earlier. He thought I played well with the frame and didn't think it was a downgrade.
- What people say about the sweet spot, I agree with. When you hit the sweet spot, the power level is substantial. I had FHs where he just said "woah" and there was nothing he could really do because he didnt expect the ball back so fast.
- My backhand was better. more consistent and I had a little more confidence on that side - very interesting.
- The power level is not bad at all. Its a little less plow than my Blades, but I don't think this frame needs a ton of weight to play well at all. I'm thinking 333/333 type weight is perfect. I hate not having an RDC but I think I may add 2 more grams in the head and they will probably go at 3 and 9. I have really good racquet head speed now and the frame just feels a tough faster than I prefer. For now I am staying where im at. Only difference is I will string my 2nd one up with Tour Sniper to see how that plays in it.
- There is something addictive about this racquet. I put it down for a bit, but when it came to playing points I just stuck with it even when I was struggling a bit.
- This frame rewards dropping under the ball and ripping it so much. Basically proper hitting. I noticed a few slightly bad habits I had with the Blade where I was not getting under the ball enough and still hitting shots I did not deserve. The UT can help with grooving a consistent stroke, which is good.
This could be a very long war between the 3 frames. They are all awesome. At first I thought the UT was too different off the stringbed and I would not be able to adjust, but now that the tension has dropped and I hit so many balls with it, I am starting to see a lot of positives. What I love a lot is this racquet has that great Head feel, but is not anemic and difficult to use. The sweetspot is not huge but its not small, so hitting it constantly does not take elite hands, you just need to have good fundamentals. It is also one of the more powerful sweetspots I can remember.
Definitely a special frame but probably not for the noob or the player who doesn't move their feet.
Agree with all the sentiments about the UT, I happened to take mine out this morning to try out a setup with low tension and thin strings at 40lbs and I was actually getting as much spin and launch angle as my Pure Strike 100 but in my experience nothing quite plays like a Babolat in terms of the extra pop you get for how much you put into your swing. Also love holding the UT at the throat with my off hand, I could never get used to touching the black matte material from the recent Wilsons... I just know the perfect setup is out there for the UT, just need to find it
I find the UT feels best strung a bit lower than other 18x20 frames, due the the slightly higher density in the sweet spot.Yeah I went a little high since its the first string job on a new frame. Ill probably drop it to 46#s next time.
BTW, besides the blocked hole on the 2nd cross (awl opens the hole just fine now that I know about it), for some reason this was the fastest 18x20 I have strung. I actually thought I had skipped a string on the crosses.
Great and honest playtest.Yes the pop is the adjustment you have to account for. Some players have to have a lot. I don't need a lot, but I like a little so the Blade is awesome.
That said, there are also advantages to having less pop as well. Touch shots and accuracy go up higher. Your errors may go down and you may hit with more of a confident and full swing under pressure, which is good.
The reason frames like the older prestiges are so damn hard is that they have smaller sweetspots and the static weight is already 12 ounces. The SW is usually too low for my tastes and the balance too HL so I personally have inconsistent swings.
The thing about the UT that I like is I can beef up the SW to where I want and keep the static weight down. That can really make up for the lack of pop. At least thats what I believe can happen. It will take some time to see how it plays out, but thats really half the fun.
Great and honest playtest.
so my two cents. and bare in mind. .i know you only use poly like me.
i think the UT is meant for at a minimum gut mains. to soften the hit and give a little more pop.
that in itself is counter to what you play with .. so on that merit alone. UT your fired
I’ve tried gut mains in the UT. It works great. How well? I now have 4 sets of luxilon gut 1.30 and 7 sets of babolat touch and tonic + 1.30.Hmm not so sure I agree. I think poly in the mid 40s gives a lot of spin and control. I don't see any issues with it.
That said, I am sure gut in this frame would be sublime. It's just a pretty big adjustment for me to do that, I played with Gut poly in the past.
I’ve tried gut mains in the UT. It works great. How well? I now have 4 sets of luxilon gut 1.30 and 7 sets of babolat touch and tonic + 1.30.
48-50# for gut mains. 45 for round poly cross.what tension did you like?
Ok, I got 2 hours of hitting in today with my coach and used the UT 80% of the time. Thoughts so far:
I agree with what a lot of people said about it in the long and epic UT thread. It is not a Blade, but the way I set it up, it's not much different. The main difference is the pop off of the string bed is less so there is an adjustment there. That affected my confidence with the racquet since Im new to it still. Tough to explain but after using the Blades for 12 months, I know exactly what is happening when I hit the ball and I have no hesitation. With the UT I had hesitation, but that is to be expected. The main point is that I could not switch between the 2 frames with no adjustment, but is also not worlds apart. Regardless, due to lower confidence with the new frame I lost my matches today. That's not the end of the world though because the points were quality, the sets were close, plus there was other good stuff.
- The tension dropped to 44 after todays session. I could tell once it happened because I started playing better towards the end.
- My coach said I was coming around on the ball earlier. He thought I played well with the frame and didn't think it was a downgrade.
- What people say about the sweet spot, I agree with. When you hit the sweet spot, the power level is substantial. I had FHs where he just said "woah" and there was nothing he could really do because he didnt expect the ball back so fast.
- My backhand was better. more consistent and I had a little more confidence on that side - very interesting.
- The power level is not bad at all. Its a little less plow than my Blades, but I don't think this frame needs a ton of weight to play well at all. I'm thinking 333/333 type weight is perfect. I hate not having an RDC but I think I may add 2 more grams in the head and they will probably go at 3 and 9. I have really good racquet head speed now and the frame just feels a tough faster than I prefer. For now I am staying where im at. Only difference is I will string my 2nd one up with Tour Sniper to see how that plays in it.
- There is something addictive about this racquet. I put it down for a bit, but when it came to playing points I just stuck with it even when I was struggling a bit.
- This frame rewards dropping under the ball and ripping it so much. Basically proper hitting. I noticed a few slightly bad habits I had with the Blade where I was not getting under the ball enough and still hitting shots I did not deserve. The UT can help with grooving a consistent stroke, which is good.
This could be a very long war between the 3 frames. They are all awesome. At first I thought the UT was too different off the stringbed and I would not be able to adjust, but now that the tension has dropped and I hit so many balls with it, I am starting to see a lot of positives. What I love a lot is this racquet has that great Head feel, but is not anemic and difficult to use. The sweetspot is not huge but its not small, so hitting it constantly does not take elite hands, you just need to have good fundamentals. It is also one of the more powerful sweetspots I can remember.
Definitely a special frame but probably not for the noob or the player who doesn't move their feet.
Gut mains actually lasts 3-4x longer than poly mains.Full poly at lower tensions is when I really started playing much better in USTA. I personally cant go back from that, but I get the (very expensive) appeal.
Gut mains actually lasts 3-4x longer than poly mains.
Forgot about the humidity you deal with over there.true but they snap for me fairly fast. The humidity here does not help.
48-50# for gut mains. 45 for round poly cross.
Not for me. I string full poly in the UT at 45/43 so 48-50/45 for gut/poly is pretty similar in response.Isn’t that hard to control with gut that low? Or is the control of the UT just that good? Asking cuz I’ve never strung gut that low but want to try gut/poly with this frame
Not for me. I string full poly in the UT at 45/43 so 48-50/45 for gut/poly is pretty similar in response.
Rs Lyon 1.25 works great as a cross with gut mains for me. Revolve and 4g work well, too. Volkl v-pro is good but doesn’t hold tension as well.What crosses do you like with it? I was thinking either trying Revolve or 4G with it first but I could use some ideas lol
Forgot about the humidity you deal with over there.
Absolutely fantastic write up, PP. Agree totally on practically all points/observations. Will be great to read how you get on with it going further. It's great that you're committing to testing the frame for a little while rather than one or two hits in a demo because then you'll truly know it. And know whether it's right for you.
Thanks my man. And yeah, when I hit with this thing I thought about some of the reviews of "I hit with this for 10 minutes and didn't like it" and laughed. This is a frame that you clearly have to dial in a little bit, but its not that hard. If I had a racquet measuring machine I really would be a happy man. Balance and SW - I feel more and more like I need to track one down at some point. They are just so darn expensive. Its why I never enjoyed customizing frames that much.
That said, the Ultra for me is pretty straight forward. Add lead to the head until it swings how I want. Apparently there is a guy in the top 50 who plays these things at stock weight - which is pretty wild. And he uses the UT with the retail layup.
The people who melted down about it not having the same layup as Monfils were the best. This frame has a better layup then the majority of racquets out there. At a certain point you just need to go on the court and hit the damn ball.
To me, this takes the Head Prestige, Dunlop 200 and Blade and smushes them all together into a really awesome frame that actually works for modern tennis.
So yeah - totally agree that this will be more of a journey than a 2 week demo for me. I think the advantage is since I have been using the Blade for quite a while and am very happy with how it plays and weighs, I now have a baseline for measuring the UT's performance. In the past, it was sell one frame get a new one, hope that works, rinse and repeat. My Blades arent going anywhere so that really makes things a bit easier to sort out.
Good stuff. Indeed you're in the sweet spot - just playing 'King of the Hill' with your frame of choice vs one other challenger, and that challenger has the same grip shape and closed pattern and name on the throat. So yeah, you'll see what's ultimately best, or if they can coexist in the same bag. That's a good spot to be in, things won't get too frenetic in the mind. Are you stringing multiples up at once to try different setups with each other or just the one test frame and keeping the others new for sale/exchange purposes? Guessing the latter.
Who's the top 50 player playing it stock?
Agree about the dream of a SW/balance machine to take the guessing game out of things. Also about this: "This frame has a better layup then the majority of racquets out there. At a certain point you just need to go on the court and hit the damn ball."
Damn straight it has a better layup and feel than just about anything you can get in the retail shops. Pre injury, I had mine extended by .25 inches, but am presently wishing I had one that was just standard length for easier wielding. Even still I'm gonna take my Ultra Tours to the wall this next week, on account of this surge in TT popularity. Making me reminisce about how satisfying the feel of the stringbed is alone. Pure butter. Old Head-ish butter. Hoping I can one day get back to the kind of form where I could actually play this stick as my main and not long for some training wheels as I do now.
Also: sneaky how gorgeous the frame is. You just don't really see navy(ish) as a frame color, and combined with the Carolina blue sides and throat lettering, it's honestly one of my favorite paintjobs out there. I dig the newer paintjob, too.
Lol!Had a dream that @Power Player sent me an email saying he preferred the Blade but wanted to keep two Ultras in the bag, and offered to sell me the third for $6.74. Why that figure I have no idea but I think this board is getting to me.
Twilight zone moment: @Power Player actually sent me a PM saying he preferred the Blades but wanted to keep 2 UTs in the bag and offered to send me the 3rd for only the cost of shipping. I replied telling him to offer it to you instead. I think the $6.74 is to cover the extra hassle of filling out international customs forms to get it to you.Had a dream that @Power Player sent me an email saying he preferred the Blade but wanted to keep two Ultras in the bag, and offered to sell me the third for $6.74. Why that figure I have no idea but I think this board is getting to me.
My final UT showed up and is less than a gram off from the first two. Extreme luck.
Ok. Jgad’s dream just got really weird.Ill trade you a UT for a swingweight machine! lol.
Some dude on FB is claiming that Wilson has plans to release their H19 and H22 pro stock frames to the public. Anyone have more info? And yes I believe pretty much everything I read on FB.
Interesting. Do you have the links to this information?Some dude on FB is claiming that Wilson has plans to release their H19 and H22 pro stock frames to the public. Anyone have more info? And yes I believe pretty much everything I read on FB.