Yonex Ezone Tour 98
- Thread starter 5point5
- Start date
mikeeeee
Professional
So basically they released the Ezone 98 330 and called it the Tour? Brilliant! Instead of dropping the price on the Ezone, they can just market this as new and keep the full price through the holidays.
But seriously, I'm a racquetaholic like most of you and even I'm thinking "Why wouldn't I just add weight to my current Ezone and save $230?"
But seriously, I'm a racquetaholic like most of you and even I'm thinking "Why wouldn't I just add weight to my current Ezone and save $230?"
brewcrew
Rookie
So I got it in from my Canadian order today and got it strung up. Raining today, so I’ll test drive it tomorrow.
For those interested in the weights:
Out of box unstrung: 311g
No grip: 299g
With Wilson leather grip: 323g
Strung with Leather grip & Yonex PTP Spin 1.25: 341g
My DR 98+ w/ the exact same setup comes in at 340g.
For those interested in the weights:
Out of box unstrung: 311g
No grip: 299g
With Wilson leather grip: 323g
Strung with Leather grip & Yonex PTP Spin 1.25: 341g
My DR 98+ w/ the exact same setup comes in at 340g.
parasailing
Legend
Can't wait for the reviews to come in. Waiting for my demo to come next week and looking forward to seeing if this will feel the same as a DR 98+ but in standard length which would be a great racquet to put in my bag.
Played with the demo from Tennis Only (AUS) last night for an hour and a half, it was strung with Poly Tour Pro 1.25 and lucky it wasn't dead, probably since it just got released. Man it felt nice, smooth, stable with 'correct' topspin
and power.
I don't mind the balance that much as I play with a blade 98 v7 16x19. I've owned a Dr98 and I must say the ezone tour reminds me of it alot in terms of stiffness and stability. I am so tempted to switch to it from my blade for easier help on pop and spin and now I'm wondering how a weighted up ezone 2020 would feel in comparison. I do understand people's concern with the whippiness of the racket but I do believe it's a bit exaggerated if you have full strokes.
and power.
I don't mind the balance that much as I play with a blade 98 v7 16x19. I've owned a Dr98 and I must say the ezone tour reminds me of it alot in terms of stiffness and stability. I am so tempted to switch to it from my blade for easier help on pop and spin and now I'm wondering how a weighted up ezone 2020 would feel in comparison. I do understand people's concern with the whippiness of the racket but I do believe it's a bit exaggerated if you have full strokes.
Notorious_Junkballer
Hall of Fame
The 98 Tour seems to be more flexy than the ordinary 98. So it's not only the weight that differs.
mscream
Professional
That for me was the problem with the EZONE 98 - it is firm and does not flex like a DR98 for example
gutfeeling
Hall of Fame
Hoping for a low 140s or lower vibration frequency on the tour...
Villain
Professional
Hoping for 130 something myself.
Notorious_Junkballer
Hall of Fame
Ezone 98 (2020) has an RA of 64 and the Tour version 62 (same as DR98) according to TW. Don't know how noticeable the difference is but many people have said that the Tour indeed feels more flexy.
XFactorer
Hall of Fame
Can't wait! Have a demo coming tomorrow!
baowow
Rookie
went to TW retail store today and this beautiful racquet was screaming at me to buy it...I did. Burnt a whole in my wallet.
Unstrung specs was very close to advertised. 313.5 grams with 31.7 cm balance. So, good QC. Strung it up with my usual setup hyper G hybrid with syn-gut. Strung weight with overgrip and rubber band is 335 grams/32.5 bal. Can hit with it yet since it's raining. Will check back when I get to hit with it.
Unstrung specs was very close to advertised. 313.5 grams with 31.7 cm balance. So, good QC. Strung it up with my usual setup hyper G hybrid with syn-gut. Strung weight with overgrip and rubber band is 335 grams/32.5 bal. Can hit with it yet since it's raining. Will check back when I get to hit with it.
XFactorer
Hall of Fame
....treat yo'self!
baowow
Rookie
Disclaimer...I'm responsible for you going out buying this racquet.
BUY IT!...LOL!
This is the best racquet I have hit with in stock form that does not weight 340 grams or more in a very long time.
Nice feel with a uniform flex through out. Plenty of power, spin, and control for me. I'm making the switch.
List of racquets im comparing to that I have and play extensively with are:
Beast 98 (modified) my main stick until today
Blade 98 v7
Vcore 98
Ti-80
Gravity pro
Extreme pro 2018 (can't control this one)
Textreme 100p 2015
Head pro 2.0
c-had
Rookie
I've been playing the 2015 Textreme 100P for the past 4 years (plus leather grip and a little weight at 12), and am very intrigued by the new Ezone 98 Tour. I'm curious how you would compare the two racquets.
How did this play against your blade in your opinion and the vcore 98?
baowow
Rookie
The blade I have is 18x20 by the way and I really like it as well. I do have 4 grams total at 10 and 2 with total weight of 337 on the blade. I like the yonex just a bit more because ball feels better with same stability off the shelf, and a little more pop.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Nice comparison. Sounds like yonex did the right thing and made the necessary changes to the ezone.
baowow
Rookie
I use a similar setup as you on my 100p. Total strung weight on mine is 340 grams. The yonex doesn't feel as flexible even though on paper is the same RA. Yonex is more stable with a little more power without customization. I'm getting older so more stability and power with 5 grams less is very welcoming.
The reviews have been out for ages. The reliable ones anyway.
The TW reviews and those by that Nerd guy are more like product promotional videos.
ryoma_sama
New User
I like tennisnerd and tennis spin too, mostly because they have regular uploads. I wish there were more tennis youtubers...
mscream
Professional
I will hopefully get a demo soon and able to come up with a more detailed comparison - have been playing with the DR98 since it came on the market. The EZONE 98 was definitely too far away from the DR98 for my liking.
Maverick13
Semi-Pro
Does anyone else think 4 points hl doesn’t make much sense on a 330 sw racquet? What’s the justification there?
Villain
Professional
I see your point but it seems to work for all those players hitting with Blades.
Wall Ball Wizard
Rookie
Been digging the My Tennis HQ guys.. apparently one of the guys is Naomi Osaka's hitting partner.
Maverick13
Semi-Pro
For sure, but blades don’t have nearly as high a static weight. Which is why I was kinda confused.
Villain
Professional
True, but that’s because a Blade is more polarized.
2nd Serve Ace
Hall of Fame
Many ezone fans get rid of that sorry stock grip and go heavier.
mikeeeee
Professional
This. Putting leather on my DR was the best thing possible. It’s the reason I replaced the grip on every racquet I have
gutfeeling
Hall of Fame
A 330 sw racquet has enough mass in the hoop to be stable. If it has a 4 HL balance that means it does not have much weight in the handle, assuming the strung static weight is light (below 330 grams strung). The lower static weight is conducive to racquet head speed. If you consider the fact that any swing has multiple pivot points (torso, shoulder, elbow, wrist) then the conventional balance measurement does not matter as much. Try adding 0.5 oz to the handle of a 330 sw Blade. Most people will tell you that it does not swing as easily as stock. I tend to agree and I prefer light racquets with high sw. Not everyone's cup of tea though.
ryoma_sama
New User
what leather grips do you guys prefer?
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mikeeeee
Professional
Wilson makes a nice one. It’s lighter than a fairway even with its adhesive backing that FW doesn’t have. Ive used a lot and those two are my favorite
tennisislife4622
Rookie
Wanted to share my $.02 now that I have had three solid hitting sessions with the tour strung with YPTP at 53 lbs. (Im a 5.0-5.5 NTRP and low 11 UTR). This racket has a lot of plow and I must say has very good feel, 2HBH feels very stable and solid, however I still haven't completely figured out the FH side... Serves and volleys are outstanding as well. I think I am encountering issues on the FH side due to the 4 pts HL balance and high swingweight. For an ezone, this racket does have a noticeably lower launch angle but that doesnt seem to be an issue. I have noticed that sometimes its difficult to get the ball down on attacking FH's, while the string bed feels predictable the ball seems to sail on me quite a bit. Now I am considering slapping a leather grip on it to change the balance has anybody tried this and was the static weight still manageable? IMO would not recommend this racket unless you are at least a 4.5 NTRP or up, very good addition to the line just wondering if the balance is what the issue is or if I need to play with it for longer....
gutfeeling
Hall of Fame
Which gauge of YPTP?
mscream
Professional
@tennisislife4622 Did you try out a different string in that racquet by any chance? The low launch angle and sailing you describe sounds a lot like YPTP at > 50 lbs IME.
Bartelby
Bionic Poster
If you don't have a flattish forehand, then a higher swingweight than normal would be a problem.
The weight at the top doesn't just disappear with a leather grip, so the difference could be less than hoped for.
The weight at the top doesn't just disappear with a leather grip, so the difference could be less than hoped for.
tennisislife4622
Rookie
Wilson blade v7 16x19, I also had a brief stint with the pure strike 16x19 gen 3
tennisislife4622
Rookie
1.25 mm , would that be 16 gauge or 16L?
mikeeeee
Professional
This is a good point. Leather grip and 17g strings will make it more of a players frame spec without adding too much weight. Should bring it around 6pt HL, maybe 7?
I’m curious what the balance was after you put on the leather grip? Please let us know your thoughts once you’ve hit with it.
QUOTE="brewcrew, post: 14529890, member: 773853"]
So I got it in from my Canadian order today and got it strung up. Raining today, so I’ll test drive it tomorrow.
For those interested in the weights:
Out of box unstrung: 311g
No grip: 299g
With Wilson leather grip: 323g
Strung with Leather grip & Yonex PTP Spin 1.25: 341g
My DR 98+ w/ the exact same setup comes in at 340g.
[/QUOTE]
QUOTE="brewcrew, post: 14529890, member: 773853"]
So I got it in from my Canadian order today and got it strung up. Raining today, so I’ll test drive it tomorrow.
For those interested in the weights:
Out of box unstrung: 311g
No grip: 299g
With Wilson leather grip: 323g
Strung with Leather grip & Yonex PTP Spin 1.25: 341g
My DR 98+ w/ the exact same setup comes in at 340g.
[/QUOTE]
D
Deleted member 766578
Guest
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Corey Klein
Rookie
I have demos for the Ezone Tour 98, TF40 315, Pure Aero VS, Pure Strike 18x20. I currently play with a VCore 97 330g with a wilson shock shield base grip, it's 12.6oz total. It's 9 points headlight.
First impressions are that I loved the Ezone and TF40 due to the similar weight. The Ezone Tour is more maneuverable and similarly solid to the my VCore pro. It's really exactly what I have been looking for in terms of a racquet in between the DR98 and my VCore pro 330g. A touch more power than the vcore, lighter and more maneuverable.
I do not notice this 4 points headlight difference compared to my VCore. If I had to tailweight this Ezone to the current specs of my VCore to make 7 to 10 points headlight, it would really defeat the purpose by making it just as tiresome to use. I use a forehand grip in between semiwestern and full western and I really pummeled the ball with better topspin than I got on my normal racquet. 2 handed backhand and slice were solid.
I'll keep playing these demos for another week, don't sleep on the TF40 315, it's also outstanding. The pure strike and pure aero vs are fine for babolats, not for me. The VS is unique, it's the first babolat since the 2014 pure control tour to actually have feel.
First impressions are that I loved the Ezone and TF40 due to the similar weight. The Ezone Tour is more maneuverable and similarly solid to the my VCore pro. It's really exactly what I have been looking for in terms of a racquet in between the DR98 and my VCore pro 330g. A touch more power than the vcore, lighter and more maneuverable.
I do not notice this 4 points headlight difference compared to my VCore. If I had to tailweight this Ezone to the current specs of my VCore to make 7 to 10 points headlight, it would really defeat the purpose by making it just as tiresome to use. I use a forehand grip in between semiwestern and full western and I really pummeled the ball with better topspin than I got on my normal racquet. 2 handed backhand and slice were solid.
I'll keep playing these demos for another week, don't sleep on the TF40 315, it's also outstanding. The pure strike and pure aero vs are fine for babolats, not for me. The VS is unique, it's the first babolat since the 2014 pure control tour to actually have feel.
gutfeeling
Hall of Fame
1.25 is 16L for Yonex. I have a similar issue with PTP 1.25. The 1.20 (17) plays better for me in terms of launch angle and general playability. I have only played yellow. I have read black and blue play slightly different.
The problem with that is you easily end up with a racquet close to 350g fully kitted out...
