Any other racquet I should waste my money on in the hope that it’s the one?

Anton · Sep 22, 2021

MasterZeb said:
That then arises the issue of the racquet being too heavy for me, which im trying to move away from.

There is a happy medium and stock Blade 98 is on the skimpy and unstable side as far as I'm concerned.

One other thing I would mention is proportional stringing, where less stable areas of the stringbed get strung at lowered tension, while center can have higher tension, so overall you get more even and stable response all around right off the stringer.

hurworld · Sep 22, 2021

MasterZeb said:

How about giving up one cross string and go 18x19, then?

Med-stick looks good. 18x19, 305g static weight.

BPlain · Sep 22, 2021

Mark-Touch said:
I took notes on most of the demo's I tried.

Pro Kennex Kinetic Pro 5G 339 g - No (missing feel)

Haven't played with the 5G but finding plenty of feel, control, and more power expected from a thin beam, flexible, HL frame in the PK Q+Tour. I have both the 300g and 315g but prefer the 300g. With two OG, dampener, and 3g in the handle, my 300g specs out at 335g all-in. I'm able to play a full bed of BK 1.23 at 50 lbs without any elbow pain.

I wish 21 year old me knew about PK instead of stubbornly gritting through the pain and sticking with my Hyper ProStaff 6.1s. My elbow would have appreciated an earlier switch too!

MasterZeb · Sep 23, 2021

hurworld said:
How about giving up one cross string and go 18x19, then?

Med-stick looks good. 18x19, 305g static weight.

Never tried it so defo open to the string pattern. But the racquet ra seems too high for me to even think about playing I reckon

MasterZeb · Sep 23, 2021

Anton said:
There is a happy medium and stock Blade 98 is on the skimpy and unstable side as far as I'm concerned.

One other thing I would mention is proportional stringing, where less stable areas of the stringbed get strung at lowered tension, while center can have higher tension, so overall you get more even and stable response all around right off the stringer.

For me the blade has enough weight and doesn’t need anymore. Proportional stringing sounds interesting though. Haven’t even considered it at all. Agassi used to to it didn’t he? Didn’t even know if my stringer knows how to do it.

ZZdark · Sep 24, 2021

Take some joint supplements drink milk and get some calcium in your body. You shouldn't have that much pain unless it's overuse, bad technique, or a vitamin deficiency.

Donnay Pro One Intl 95 is buttery smooth and cheap on **** if you can find it.

Pro kennex redondo too I hear is good. You need something around 11.5-12 oz RA stiffness less than 60. Find a racket that's 16/19 with a 58 ra and you should be good. Stay away from 18/20 because all denser string patterns do is make the stringbed harder.

ZZdark · Sep 24, 2021

Once you find a more flexible racket maybe the Clash 98 or so also comes to mind experiment with adding some lead tape. Extra tape in the hoop and counter weight it will give you more mass to plow the ball and prevent some of the jarring feel from lighter rackets that get pushed around.

Rosstour · Sep 24, 2021

ZZdark said:
Once you find a more flexible racket maybe the Clash 98 or so also comes to mind experiment with adding some lead tape. Extra tape in the hoop and counter weight it will give you more mass to plow the ball and prevent some of the jarring feel from lighter rackets that get pushed around.

Lead poisoning is a thing. I can't do that to myself, my kid, or my stringer. Not even a little bit.

Try tungsten tape or something else. I can't believe we are still doing lead tape on racquets we handle with our hands when we are getting rid of it in so many other places.

rrepp · Sep 24, 2021

Go see a good orthopedic surgeon who specializes in the shoulder. He or she will be able to pinpoint your injury and get u the treatment required to fix you up. The longer you go on with this injury the more chance it will become a chronic issue, much more difficult to fix. In addition the longer you go without treatment the more damage you will be doing to surrounding/connecting parts of your body. do some thing about your pain asap. you run the risk of a tendon or rotator cuff tear, resulting in the need for surgery, which will put your tennis on hold for a very long time.

Anton · Sep 24, 2021

MasterZeb said:
For me the blade has enough weight and doesn’t need anymore. Proportional stringing sounds interesting though. Haven’t even considered it at all. Agassi used to to it didn’t he? Didn’t even know if my stringer knows how to do it.

It's a bit of an art.

How I would string stock 16x19 Blade on constant pull machine: RS Lyon or MaxPower 17g Poly (M: 48,48,48,47,46,45,44,43 X: 38, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 47, 47,46.5 ,46 ,45.5 ,45 ,44.5 ,44, 43.5 ,43, 43)

In case you are wondering, lower cross tensions are dropping off less to make up for increasing friction towards the end of the stringjob.

Karma Tennis · Sep 26, 2021

Rosstour said:
Try tungsten tape or something else. I can't believe we are still doing lead tape on racquets we handle with our hands when we are getting rid of it in so many other places.

While you make a valid point, lead tape can be easily handled using latex gloves. The lead tape strips can then be encased in strips of electrical tape prior to applying it to the racquet.

BTW, tungsten is also toxic and potentially carcinogenic. So it is not 100% safe either. I would adopt the same approace to tungsten tape as I would with lead tape. Handle it using latex gloves and encase it in strips of electric tape prior to application.

Rosstour · Sep 26, 2021

Karma Tennis said:
While you make a valid point, lead tape can be easily handled using latex gloves. The lead tape strips can then be encased in strips of electrical tape prior to applying it to the racquet.

BTW, tungsten is also toxic and potentially carcinogenic. So it is not 100% safe either. I would adopt the same approace to tungsten tape as I would with lead tape. Handle it using latex gloves and encase it in strips of electric tape prior to application.

Didn't know that, thanks!

MasterZeb · Sep 28, 2021

rrepp said:
Go see a good orthopedic surgeon who specializes in the shoulder. He or she will be able to pinpoint your injury and get u the treatment required to fix you up. The longer you go on with this injury the more chance it will become a chronic issue, much more difficult to fix. In addition the longer you go without treatment the more damage you will be doing to surrounding/connecting parts of your body. do some thing about your pain asap. you run the risk of a tendon or rotator cuff tear, resulting in the need for surgery, which will put your tennis on hold for a very long time.

Looked around at options. Got an appointment through the NHS for December. Privately I’m looking at £600 which is far too much for me at my stage.

veelium · Sep 28, 2021

Have you tried how you feel with natural gut? Touch tonic isn't too pricey, lasts forever and is very comfortable.
Nothing beats the comfort of a full set of gut but even as a hybrid it's very arm-friendly in general.

Tennissee · Sep 28, 2021

Okay, this is inexpensive, but could be good.
Go back in time and get yourself some very soft Yonex R-22 or the likes. Put some synthetic gut, not poly, in it at 45 lbs or even less. It’s spin friendly, it’s arm friendly, it’s precise, and, most importantly, it serves huge. You can get an R-22 for less than $30 shipped. Not going to set you back much there. Give it a try.

MasterZeb · Sep 28, 2021

veelium said:
Have you tried how you feel with natural gut? Touch tonic isn't too pricey, lasts forever and is very comfortable.
Nothing beats the comfort of a full set of gut but even as a hybrid it's very arm-friendly in general.

Haven’t. Purely for the fact that I play in humid/drizzling conditions sometimes.

Tennissee · Sep 28, 2021

MasterZeb said:
Haven’t. Purely for the fact that I play in humid/drizzling conditions sometimes.

In that kind of climate, you might try Ashaway Kevlar in mains. Some people will scream no, but at low tension, like 40 lbs or less, and in a soft frame, like RA < 60, the string will feel mute and plush and very comfy.

Any other racquet I should waste my money on in the hope that it’s the one?

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