Ultimate racquet of choice - tournament players and/or coaches

tomkowy said:

That got me hyped! What do you mean by "closest"? 16x20 Liquidmetal Radical MP would be a dream!

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Its been ages since I last used that frame but Everything about Diadem Elevate Tour reminded me of LM Radical. Feel, performance. I used to have Radical MP but added weight to the handle so final specs were more or less the same as Elevate Tour.
From my memory LM Radical was rock solid with suprisingly good spin potential for its string pattern. Light but stable. Great control with power on top if needed. No fancy things going on to „mute” the feel so it was very connected but also a bit on a stiffer side for me. Was using 2x overgrips on it and that helped (like Djokovic ha!)

galapagos said:

Slightly weird specs. But Who knows. I had so many angells… its crazy. One thing i learned is they are very „spec oriented” frames. I found my specs with angell but had some with higher SW, lower SW , lower mass, higher mass, lower balance and everything within the same model !!! Difference between them were night and day…

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I've never played with an extended racquet before, so I wanted to try one out but consequently I dropped the weight. I'm also experimenting with more open string patterns, hence both 16x19.

Sadly both arrived to my parents' place in London one day after I left, so will have to wait until I get back for Christmas to pick them up and try them out.

galapagos said:

Its been ages since I last used that frame but Everything about Diadem Elevate Tour reminded me of LM Radical. Feel, performance. I used to have Radical MP but added weight to the handle so final specs were more or less the same as Elevate Tour.
From my memory LM Radical was rock solid with suprisingly good spin potential for its string pattern. Light but stable. Great control with power on top if needed. No fancy things going on to „mute” the feel so it was very connected but also a bit on a stiffer side for me. Was using 2x overgrips on it and that helped (like Djokovic ha!)

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I've used LM Rad MP yesterday and you remember it very well I have it leaded up to ~333 SW, 32.7 balance, 337 grams overall. Fast through the air, feels light for its specs. Solid, great directional control, good power (at least compared to frames like Ultra Tour, Prestige MP, Gravity Pro). The feel is very direct. I wouldn't call it stiff, not soft either. New Head Extreme Tour feels similar on impact to me, but a bit more muted.
The only thing that made me leave LM Rad MP was not enough spin, especially for second serves, and quite small sweetspot. If Diadem solves these issues while retaining directional control, then it would be fantastic.

One of my students is looking for a new racquet. I will give him today:
1.Tecnifibre RS305 (without my mods)
2.Angell TC95 320g/310mm balance
3.Tecnifibre Iga Swiatek,
4.Diadem Elevate,
5.Diadem Elevate Tour
6.Head Gravity Tour

WITHOUT saying him what to expect from each racquet and WITHOUT telling him the specs.....

If I could I would throw in Head Speed Pro and Tecnifibre TFight 315 RS... Babolat Pure Aero VS sounds like could be his choice as well. Maybe TF40 305...

He has rather short backswing, fast preparation, lvl around 3.5-4.0... so I wouldn't go above 310g... BUT sometimes player adapt amazingly to heavier frames and start to make their loop more fluid.

Obviously TC95 will be too demanding but that's also a weight test if he could handle Speed Pro or RS315 and if he likes heavier yet headlight feel...

Played this afternoon with my beloved rs305
Perfect at net, perfect on returns, perfect in the back of the court, good touch too...
Dont understand why more people do not use it
Stock specs with full bed red code @ 22/21 kgs

Boubi said:

Dont understand why more people do not use it

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There are so many good frames from manufacturers aside from Wilson, Head, Babolat, and Yonex, but I see most of the people playing with frames from one of these 4 brands.

Any plans to add Prince to the lineup?

taydbear7 said:

Any plans to add Prince to the lineup?

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The phantoms 100x 18x20, 97p/100p,
Tour 100p/100
Synergy 98
Prince has a bunch of solid frames in its lineup.Unfortunately, they suffer due to the lack of big players endorsing them.

Piince Textreme Tour 95 (2015 version) is a must try for any Angell TC95 users. Such a great feeling and solid racquet.

To me the Phanthom line was kind of meee compared to the Tour line.

POGOS or POG107 is also a racquet to try.

I am working on some prince racquets. Trying to understand their line. TW rated very high one of their sticks but dont remember know which…

galapagos said:

I am working on some prince racquets. Trying to understand their line. TW rated very high one of their sticks but dont remember know which…

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I believe Twa has sometimes an American ''reflex''

galapagos said:

One of my students is looking for a new racquet. I will give him today:
1.Tecnifibre RS305 (without my mods)
2.Angell TC95 320g/310mm balance
3.Tecnifibre Iga Swiatek,
4.Diadem Elevate,
5.Diadem Elevate Tour
6.Head Gravity Tour

WITHOUT saying him what to expect from each racquet and WITHOUT telling him the specs.....

If I could I would throw in Head Speed Pro and Tecnifibre TFight 315 RS... Babolat Pure Aero VS sounds like could be his choice as well. Maybe TF40 305...

He has rather short backswing, fast preparation, lvl around 3.5-4.0... so I wouldn't go above 310g... BUT sometimes player adapt amazingly to heavier frames and start to make their loop more fluid.

Obviously TC95 will be too demanding but that's also a weight test if he could handle Speed Pro or RS315 and if he likes heavier yet headlight feel...

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His favourites were Angell TC 95 and Tecnifibre Iga ha! But it looks like he also prefered 16x19 patterns overall.

galapagos said:

I am working on some prince racquets. Trying to understand their line. TW rated very high one of their sticks but dont remember know which…

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Review of the TT95 from a member here:


The bigger brother TT100P


I played borh, and still have them, before going to the Angell TC line. @galapagos could be interesting for you to try. I played the 2015 versions.

galapagos said:

I am working on some prince racquets. Trying to understand their line. TW rated very high one of their sticks but dont remember know which…

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I am sure you will like the 100P if you can get your hands on one.

I like the Prince lineup. I demo the 97p, 95, 100 310 (I think that’s what they’re call) and really like the 95 and 310. They are my second favorite line after Yonex.

bersimon said:

I am sure you will like the 100P if you can get your hands on one.

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100P is a no-nonsense racquet. in this day of overly-muted frames, it has a good raw feel to it

Gee said:

I predict that you'll eventuelly like the standard EFS even more than the tour version.

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Any updates @galapagos ?

StanAO14 said:

Any updates @galapagos ?

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Still playing with it…probably will drop a review this weekend or maybe slightly later as i need to think about it.

So far i can say that i like it more than the tour version just like @Gee predicted. On casual drills it’s amazing. For point play i might need a bit more mass or adjust the string combination. We will see!

gravity tour is back to the owner, also a very hot stick

probably few more days needed as I customized this cool little guy specs now with OG and dampener - 345g , balance around 32cm strung. Are we in a prestige territory? (lead just around the handle). Moves really fast. Faster than my TC95 which is around 3 grams heavier.

Goal? Slightly heavier ball without decreasing (that much) maneuverability. I loved how the racquet felt in my hands in stock form and during the loop. But noticed that many players were more comfortable with my shoots even if they were fast.

galapagos said:

Also excited ! Let’s not forget Verdasco used to play with 16x19 Tecnifibre frame. I hope they can take something out of that design and mix it with their TF40 DNA.

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Who is this other guy in the forum that tested the 'new' TF40 ? did he wrote any comments ? Thanks.

ClaudTT said:

Who is this other guy in the forum that tested the 'new' TF40 ? did he wrote any comments ? Thanks.

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I believe it was @DJTaurus

galapagos said:

I believe it was @DJTaurus

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Yeap, Thanks. Now, you also liked better than the TF40 v1 apparently IS improved overall. Less sweetspot but more power, in between RS300 and TF40 on the flex side. Right?

DIADEM ELEVATE FS 98, 305g, 32cm balance, 64 ra, 16x20 pattern, 21.5 mm flat beam

Now this will stay in my bag!



how does it perform?
first - the racquet in stock form is enough stable for my game. Maybe because of the foam inside? Maybe because of the 21.5m beam ? I don't know but compared to Yonex Vcore Pro 97 (previous editions) and Yonex Vcore 95 it's night and day. It is also slightly more stable than Head Gravity Tour (review to come).

The biggest comparable, competitive racquet in that weight range would be Wilson Blade which is more stable but definitely harder to accelerate. I would estimate the SW to be at around 315-324 - similar to Yonex frames or Prestige line. Gravity Tour is slightly faster. Could be QC of course...

It's a perfect cross between Prestige MP 360+ (heavy but easy to accelerate) and Wilson Blade V7 (light but harder to accelerate). The weight distribution is almost perfect. It just clicked with me and my technique. I don't remember when was the last time I felt so much connected to the specs. Very smooth and easy!

Performance is closer to Prestige line with some hints of Blade. "easier Prestige in performance" and "easier Blade in maneuverability"

FEEL:

Slightly improved compared to Elevate Tour. They are still very similar and maybe on some certain shots like volleys I felt the biggest difference. Compared to Prestige 360+ MP or Gravity Tour or Tecnifibre RS305 or Blade v7 16x19 or Angell TC95 16x19 it's still slightly stiffer. SLIGHTLY. Maybe because most of them are also heavier so they have bigger mass (or SW) to take the vibrations and Gravity Tour is 100". Interesting fact that my student couldn't feel too much difference between regular and Tour Elevate. Not only feel but also how heavy they are. Sounds a bit silly but they are really close even in maneuverability department (you can feel the difference more on serves only)

PACKED with performance:

Do you remember when I said Gravity Pro has very bad performance per weight ratio (to be precise-how heavy the racquet feels and how much it gives in return) ? Head Speed Pro 360+ is a king here but Elevate is a smaller brother with better maneuverability, thinner beam and that special "connection" Every gram is doing it's job.

That could be an interesting fight Elevate customized to Speed Pro specs (including RA and SW). I actually think Elevate would blew Speed Pro out of the water ! Unfortunately stock specs make it impossible to customize it that way. WE WANT EVELATE TOUR with Speed Pro specs (310g/315mm balance 62ra, beam design of elevate, foam filled, 326-330 SW). thank you- racquet of destruction is ready, real tesseract !!!

What was wrong?

I noticed that despite my special connection and ability to hit fast shots they were lacking some "mass".
I mean - I noticed that my students and sparing partners are more comfortable with the incoming ball. There is a difference between "fast" and "heavy".

it became clear that I should try to find a solution.

BUT the racquet is stable enough for my game, I love how the racquet moves so adding mass to head makes little sense to me...

So decided to just add more mass to the handle (+/- 320g/310mm balance) - at the very bottom. So I have heavier frame overall with slightly higher SW but actually very maneuverable balance setup.

Did it work? Hmm...yes and no. I noticed few things:
-it maybe feels even faster than before, I indeed solved the problem with ball heaviness without sacrificing maneuverability. Forehand groundstrokes and serves improved.
-but my backhand is not so smooth as before - lost the feeling of "throwing" my arms into the ball's direction (Blade is the king here). - sounds like too small SW or I moved the balance too low.

at this point I will keep playing with it and try to adapt. Another serious session tonight so we will see!
possible further customizations:
1. move the weight from the bottom to the top of the handle ?
2. distribute the weight along the handle ?
3. concentrate even more mass at the bottom BUT remove some grams and add what's left at 3&9 ?
4. concentrate even more mass at the bottom, less grams AND what's left add to the bridge/6 o'clock ?
5. Ignore lead. It's poisonous. Just lower the tension or use more powerful strings?


Overall I rate it at 7.5 / 10 . Paintjob looks great and the control oriented performance with that "special connection" is what I am usually looking for in the racquet !
Waiting for the updated Elevate Tour
I think regular Evelate is as good as it is and doesn't have to be improved. Perfect platform racquet that can be used in stock or customized version.

rest of the racquets (click)
say hello on IG ! @dandan.tennis

Thanks, couple of questions: 1) how big or small is the feel difference between the the tour (67) and non-tour (64)? @Gee thinks it is quite noticeable, but based on your review it is pretty small? When it is indeed pretty small - does it make more sense to just order the tour with a soft string like Yonex poly tour pro? You then don’t have to customize…just thinking out loud.. 2) how open is the string pattern? It seems pretty open, almost angell 16/19 like and the highest cross string doesn’t do much it seems. Tennisnerd had some flyers when I remember correctly.. (or too less control) 3) how high is the twistweight? Considering the foam filling and your comparison with the angell 97 it must be pretty high? But on the other hand is seems quite manouvrable considering your story? I have a one handed and don’t like too much twistweight (eg TF40 315 or speed pro)… thanks man!

Nice review

Apart from stiffness, I believe there is a difference in mass distribution between FS98 and FS98 Tour. The 305 version has 320 balance, the 315 version has 315 balance. And the difference in swingweight is not that big. This means 305 version has more polarized weight distribution. @galapagos, when you added more weight to the buttcap, it got even more polarized. Polarized frames may feel better on forehand for some, but for 2hbh less polazired frames usually work better. Also less polarized usually means lower SW but easier timing.

I don't like polarized frames, because the racket "turns around itself" easier. It results in more power and the racket feels easier to move but the timing gets harder. If you like this "easy timing" and easy throwing at 2hbh from Prestige MP and (probably, looking at specs) Diadem 98 Tour, Head Extreme Tour is also kind of similar. It's not that stable in stock form but it's really easy to get the timing right. Also Head Graphene Touch Speed MP was a depolarized frame, easy to play despite lower SW and smaller sweetspot (because of lower weight and SW). The new Yonex VCore Pro 97 is also quite depolarized, stable and quite powerful despite 310g stock weight.

tomkowy said:

Nice review

Apart from stiffness, I believe there is a difference in mass distribution between FS98 and FS98 Tour. The 305 version has 320 balance, the 315 version has 315 balance. And the difference in swingweight is not that big. This means 305 version has more polarized weight distribution. @galapagos, when you added more weight to the buttcap, it got even more polarized. Polarized frames may feel better on forehand for some, but for 2hbh less polazired frames usually work better. Also less polarized usually means lower SW but easier timing.

I don't like polarized frames, because the racket "turns around itself" easier. It results in more power and the racket feels easier to move but the timing gets harder. If you like this "easy timing" and easy throwing at 2hbh from Prestige MP and (probably, looking at specs) Diadem 98 Tour, Head Extreme Tour is also kind of similar. It's not that stable in stock form but it's really easy to get the timing right. Also Head Graphene Touch Speed MP was a depolarized frame, easy to play despite lower SW and smaller sweetspot (because of lower weight and SW). The new Yonex VCore Pro 97 is also quite depolarized, stable and quite powerful despite 310g stock weight.

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Prestige is very similar in that regards (throwing experience on backhand). Today I am taking Prestige and customized Elevate to the courts, same strings. Let's see...

My golden racquets for JUST backhand are Wilson Blade 18x20 and Head Speed Pro 360+, then maybe Gravity Pro. I think it's mainly up to how heavy the frame feels in my hands + tighter string pattern. I'm not sure where are they landing on polarized/depolarized scale. For sure very high twist weight and rather high SW.

Extreme Tour feels like a toy compared. Even worse on my backhand. Too easy to swing but on forehand it's a joy (still I would customize it)

StanAO14 said:

Thanks, couple of questions: 1) how big or small is the feel difference between the the tour (67) and non-tour (64)? @Gee thinks it is quite noticeable, but based on your review it is pretty small? When it is indeed pretty small - does it make more sense to just order the tour with a soft string like Yonex poly tour pro? You then don’t have to customize…just thinking out loud.. 2) how open is the string pattern? It seems pretty open, almost angell 16/19 like and the highest cross string doesn’t do much it seems. Tennisnerd had some flyers when I remember correctly.. (or too less control) 3) how high is the twistweight? Considering the foam filling and your comparison with the angell 97 it must be pretty high? But on the other hand is seems quite manouvrable considering your story? I have a one handed and don’t like too much twistweight (eg TF40 315 or speed pro)… thanks man!

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the difference in forgiveness (if that's what you are asking) is very small or most likely none. I prefer the regular because I was getting pretty much SAME results with very similar maneuverability between them but the regular has better feel and more comfort. I wouldn't choose Tour only for the specs. I would choose Tour if I liked stiffer feel which some can explain as "direct", "raw". Many people enjoy playing with leather grips. Tour feels like with leather grip while it has PU grip (small exaggeration). "Double" leather feel can be too much for some and that's where regular elevate is most likely better and there are guys like me who enjoy softer racquets so I pretty much hate leather grips and stiffer racquets

String spacing is ok to me. Tighter than Angell in my opinion since I can play with 1.25 gauge in Diadems while in Angells it's almost impossible lol.

tennisnerd reviews are cool but he often changes both strings and the racquets which can lead to mumbo jumbo results xd Elevates are control oriented frames in my opinion and should be an easy transition from blades or prestige racquets.

twistweight lower than blade or speed pro becasue otherwise my backhand would be better. In my opinion Angells don't have high twist weight either. But they have higher SW usually that's why people can find them demanding. Also Diadem out of all foam filled racquets felt the least "foam filled". I wouldnt pick TF40 315 for a one handed guy either !
Elevate regular should be better in my opinion in stock and if you want more "juice" you can add mass to the handle just like I did.


Elevate would be hanging on the wall next to Blades and Prestiges and perhaps all Yonex Vcore 95 users should try it.

StanAO14 said:

Thanks, couple of questions: 1) how big or small is the feel difference between the the tour (67) and non-tour (64)? @Gee thinks it is quite noticeable, but based on your review it is pretty small? When it is indeed pretty small - does it make more sense to just order the tour with a soft string like Yonex poly tour pro? You then don’t have to customize…just thinking out loud.. 2) how open is the string pattern? It seems pretty open, almost angell 16/19 like and the highest cross string doesn’t do much it seems. Tennisnerd had some flyers when I remember correctly.. (or too less control) 3) how high is the twistweight? Considering the foam filling and your comparison with the angell 97 it must be pretty high? But on the other hand is seems quite manouvrable considering your story? I have a one handed and don’t like too much twistweight (eg TF40 315 or speed pro)… thanks man!

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I am not sure but maybe the real RA values my demos of the Elevate and Tour were farther from each other (or maybe the frames of @galapagos were closer to each other) due to quality tolerance. Besides the Tour had a very low SW 317 strung as well. Even after customizing it didn't feel satisfying enough to me. I guess I'm too much used to frames with lower RA values like TC95 63RA and Wilson UT.

The Tour even felt stiffer to me than the TC97 18m I have played with more than a year.

When I finally customized my own 2 Elevates (to 346 grams 32cm balance ca 330 SW) the power of my serves were comparable with my TC95 16m. I also think they feel like they have a similar RA value.

And yes,... I agree the mains are pretty open similar like the Angell TC95 16m.

StanAO14 said:

Thanks, couple of questions: 1) how big or small is the feel difference between the the tour (67) and non-tour (64)? @Gee thinks it is quite noticeable, but based on your review it is pretty small? When it is indeed pretty small - does it make more sense to just order the tour with a soft string like Yonex poly tour pro? You then don’t have to customize…just thinking out loud.. 2) how open is the string pattern? It seems pretty open, almost angell 16/19 like and the highest cross string doesn’t do much it seems. Tennisnerd had some flyers when I remember correctly.. (or too less control) 3) how high is the twistweight? Considering the foam filling and your comparison with the angell 97 it must be pretty high? But on the other hand is seems quite manouvrable considering your story? I have a one handed and don’t like too much twistweight (eg TF40 315 or speed pro)… thanks man!

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My experience with the Elevate Tour is that the ball flies a bit too much. But I also hit relatively flat (Eastern grip) compared to most 20-something year old players.

For context, I feel significantly more control with the Prince Phantom 97p, which is 16x18 but has 8 mains and a thinner beam.

This is all subjective btw, so my experience is not the gospel.

galapagos said:

DIADEM ELEVATE FS 98, 305g, 32cm balance, 64 ra, 16x20 pattern, 21.5 mm flat beam

Now this will stay in my bag!

how does it perform?
first - the racquet in stock form is enough stable for my game. Maybe because of the foam inside? Maybe because of the 21.5m beam ? I don't know but compared to Yonex Vcore Pro 97 (previous editions) and Yonex Vcore 95 it's night and day. It is also slightly more stable than Head Gravity Tour (review to come).

The biggest comparable, competitive racquet in that weight range would be Wilson Blade which is more stable but definitely harder to accelerate. I would estimate the SW to be at around 315-324 - similar to Yonex frames or Prestige line. Gravity Tour is slightly faster. Could be QC of course...

It's a perfect cross between Prestige MP 360+ (heavy but easy to accelerate) and Wilson Blade V7 (light but harder to accelerate). The weight distribution is almost perfect. It just clicked with me and my technique. I don't remember when was the last time I felt so much connected to the specs. Very smooth and easy!

Performance is closer to Prestige line with some hints of Blade. "easier Prestige in performance" and "easier Blade in maneuverability"

FEEL:

Slightly improved compared to Elevate Tour. They are still very similar and maybe on some certain shots like volleys I felt the biggest difference. Compared to Prestige 360+ MP or Gravity Tour or Tecnifibre RS305 or Blade v7 16x19 or Angell TC95 16x19 it's still slightly stiffer. SLIGHTLY. Maybe because most of them are also heavier so they have bigger mass (or SW) to take the vibrations and Gravity Tour is 100". Interesting fact that my student couldn't feel too much difference between regular and Tour Elevate. Not only feel but also how heavy they are. Sounds a bit silly but they are really close even in maneuverability department (you can feel the difference more on serves only)

PACKED with performance:

Do you remember when I said Gravity Pro has very bad performance per weight ratio (to be precise-how heavy the racquet feels and how much it gives in return) ? Head Speed Pro 360+ is a king here but Elevate is a smaller brother with better maneuverability, thinner beam and that special "connection" Every gram is doing it's job.

That could be an interesting fight Elevate customized to Speed Pro specs (including RA and SW). I actually think Elevate would blew Speed Pro out of the water ! Unfortunately stock specs make it impossible to customize it that way. WE WANT EVELATE TOUR with Speed Pro specs (310g/315mm balance 62ra, beam design of elevate, foam filled, 326-330 SW). thank you- racquet of destruction is ready, real tesseract !!!

What was wrong?

I noticed that despite my special connection and ability to hit fast shots they were lacking some "mass".
I mean - I noticed that my students and sparing partners are more comfortable with the incoming ball. There is a difference between "fast" and "heavy".

it became clear that I should try to find a solution.

BUT the racquet is stable enough for my game, I love how the racquet moves so adding mass to head makes little sense to me...

So decided to just add more mass to the handle (+/- 320g/310mm balance) - at the very bottom. So I have heavier frame overall with slightly higher SW but actually very maneuverable balance setup.

Did it work? Hmm...yes and no. I noticed few things:
-it maybe feels even faster than before, I indeed solved the problem with ball heaviness without sacrificing maneuverability. Forehand groundstrokes and serves improved.
-but my backhand is not so smooth as before - lost the feeling of "throwing" my arms into the ball's direction (Blade is the king here). - sounds like too small SW or I moved the balance too low.

at this point I will keep playing with it and try to adapt. Another serious session tonight so we will see!
possible further customizations:
1. move the weight from the bottom to the top of the handle ?
2. distribute the weight along the handle ?
3. concentrate even more mass at the bottom BUT remove some grams and add what's left at 3&9 ?
4. concentrate even more mass at the bottom, less grams AND what's left add to the bridge/6 o'clock ?
5. Ignore lead. It's poisonous. Just lower the tension or use more powerful strings?

Overall I rate it at 7.5 / 10 . Paintjob looks great and the control oriented performance with that "special connection" is what I am usually looking for in the racquet !
Waiting for the updated Elevate Tour
I think regular Evelate is as good as it is and doesn't have to be improved. Perfect platform racquet that can be used in stock or customized version.

rest of the racquets (click)

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Thanks for your great long awaited review and glad you like it!

However I would like they'll lower the balance a bit to 31cm (unstrung) with an update. Or like you already said it is a bit weird why they made the Tour version stiffer than the standard one while they better should be the other way around.

First I suggested that I was to able to fix that by replacing with a leather grip but my EFS had the hybrid pu/leather grip that weighs the same as leather. So In order to lower the balance I needed to add more weight. I also screwed a few screws into the foam after a tip from another TT member. Besides this I put 4 grams of lead at 10 and 2 (for similar serve power as the TC95 16m).

Gee said:

I am not sure but maybe the real RA values my demos of the Elevate and Tour were farther from each other (or maybe the frames of @galapagos were closer to each other) due to quality tolerance. Besides the Tour had a very low SW 317 strung as well. Even after customizing it didn't feel satisfying enough to me. I guess I'm too much used to frames with lower RA values like TC95 63RA and Wilson UT.

The Tour even felt stiffer to me than the TC97 18m I have played with more than a year.

When I finally customized my own 2 Elevates (to 346 grams 32cm balance ca 330 SW) the power of my serves were comparable with my TC95 16m. I also think they feel like they have a similar RA value.

And yes,... I agree the mains are pretty open similar like the Angell TC95 16m.

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Maybe as open but 20 crosses are holding the mains back a little so at least my experience is that its less „explosive”.
I still need to try different strings in it to be fully aware of whats going on.

galapagos said:

DIADEM ELEVATE FS 98, 305g, 32cm balance, 64 ra, 16x20 pattern, 21.5 mm flat beam

Now this will stay in my bag!

how does it perform?
first - the racquet in stock form is enough stable for my game. Maybe because of the foam inside? Maybe because of the 21.5m beam ? I don't know but compared to Yonex Vcore Pro 97 (previous editions) and Yonex Vcore 95 it's night and day. It is also slightly more stable than Head Gravity Tour (review to come).

The biggest comparable, competitive racquet in that weight range would be Wilson Blade which is more stable but definitely harder to accelerate. I would estimate the SW to be at around 315-324 - similar to Yonex frames or Prestige line. Gravity Tour is slightly faster. Could be QC of course...

It's a perfect cross between Prestige MP 360+ (heavy but easy to accelerate) and Wilson Blade V7 (light but harder to accelerate). The weight distribution is almost perfect. It just clicked with me and my technique. I don't remember when was the last time I felt so much connected to the specs. Very smooth and easy!

Performance is closer to Prestige line with some hints of Blade. "easier Prestige in performance" and "easier Blade in maneuverability"

FEEL:

Slightly improved compared to Elevate Tour. They are still very similar and maybe on some certain shots like volleys I felt the biggest difference. Compared to Prestige 360+ MP or Gravity Tour or Tecnifibre RS305 or Blade v7 16x19 or Angell TC95 16x19 it's still slightly stiffer. SLIGHTLY. Maybe because most of them are also heavier so they have bigger mass (or SW) to take the vibrations and Gravity Tour is 100". Interesting fact that my student couldn't feel too much difference between regular and Tour Elevate. Not only feel but also how heavy they are. Sounds a bit silly but they are really close even in maneuverability department (you can feel the difference more on serves only)

PACKED with performance:

Do you remember when I said Gravity Pro has very bad performance per weight ratio (to be precise-how heavy the racquet feels and how much it gives in return) ? Head Speed Pro 360+ is a king here but Elevate is a smaller brother with better maneuverability, thinner beam and that special "connection" Every gram is doing it's job.

That could be an interesting fight Elevate customized to Speed Pro specs (including RA and SW). I actually think Elevate would blew Speed Pro out of the water ! Unfortunately stock specs make it impossible to customize it that way. WE WANT EVELATE TOUR with Speed Pro specs (310g/315mm balance 62ra, beam design of elevate, foam filled, 326-330 SW). thank you- racquet of destruction is ready, real tesseract !!!

What was wrong?

I noticed that despite my special connection and ability to hit fast shots they were lacking some "mass".
I mean - I noticed that my students and sparing partners are more comfortable with the incoming ball. There is a difference between "fast" and "heavy".

it became clear that I should try to find a solution.

BUT the racquet is stable enough for my game, I love how the racquet moves so adding mass to head makes little sense to me...

So decided to just add more mass to the handle (+/- 320g/310mm balance) - at the very bottom. So I have heavier frame overall with slightly higher SW but actually very maneuverable balance setup.

Did it work? Hmm...yes and no. I noticed few things:
-it maybe feels even faster than before, I indeed solved the problem with ball heaviness without sacrificing maneuverability. Forehand groundstrokes and serves improved.
-but my backhand is not so smooth as before - lost the feeling of "throwing" my arms into the ball's direction (Blade is the king here). - sounds like too small SW or I moved the balance too low.

at this point I will keep playing with it and try to adapt. Another serious session tonight so we will see!
possible further customizations:
1. move the weight from the bottom to the top of the handle ?
2. distribute the weight along the handle ?
3. concentrate even more mass at the bottom BUT remove some grams and add what's left at 3&9 ?
4. concentrate even more mass at the bottom, less grams AND what's left add to the bridge/6 o'clock ?
5. Ignore lead. It's poisonous. Just lower the tension or use more powerful strings?

Overall I rate it at 7.5 / 10 . Paintjob looks great and the control oriented performance with that "special connection" is what I am usually looking for in the racquet !
Waiting for the updated Elevate Tour
I think regular Evelate is as good as it is and doesn't have to be improved. Perfect platform racquet that can be used in stock or customized version.

rest of the racquets (click)

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Not better than RS305 thus ?

galapagos said:

I noticed that despite my special connection and ability to hit fast shots they were lacking some "mass".

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Yeah what is that? I noticed the same thing. Just lack of weight?

Booger said:

Yeah what is that? I noticed the same thing. Just lack of weight?

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Maybe as we grow older our tennis shots are not that heavy anymore... ???

ClaudTT said:

Maybe as we grow older our tennis shots are not that heavy anymore... ???

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Oh no. Time to get a Weed 135.

Booger said:

Oh no. Time to get a Weed 135.

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And the reality is that for most middle aged rec players we'll never have the .....

tomkowy said:

Nice review

Apart from stiffness, I believe there is a difference in mass distribution between FS98 and FS98 Tour. The 305 version has 320 balance, the 315 version has 315 balance. And the difference in swingweight is not that big. This means 305 version has more polarized weight distribution. @galapagos, when you added more weight to the buttcap, it got even more polarized. Polarized frames may feel better on forehand for some, but for 2hbh less polazired frames usually work better. Also less polarized usually means lower SW but easier timing.

I don't like polarized frames, because the racket "turns around itself" easier. It results in more power and the racket feels easier to move but the timing gets harder. If you like this "easy timing" and easy throwing at 2hbh from Prestige MP and (probably, looking at specs) Diadem 98 Tour, Head Extreme Tour is also kind of similar. It's not that stable in stock form but it's really easy to get the timing right. Also Head Graphene Touch Speed MP was a depolarized frame, easy to play despite lower SW and smaller sweetspot (because of lower weight and SW). The new Yonex VCore Pro 97 is also quite depolarized, stable and quite powerful despite 310g stock weight.

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This is a really good point about timing and polarisation and it makes perfect sense with the changes I made to my TF40 this week. I shifted tail weight from right at the bottom of the handle to spread out on the two thinner edges of the (TF rectangular) handle, on the lower half right underneath where my hand would be. So just shifting the lead up away from the pole a little bit, and this frame suddenly clicked into gear for me. I think I prefer (need) easier timing over greater power.

Booger said:

Yeah what is that? I noticed the same thing. Just lack of weight?

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Or swing weight.

Boubi said:

Not better than RS305 thus ?

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Maybe…too early to say. RS305 could have thinner beam. It annoys me a bit but the feel is super comfy and its most control oriented frame in my bag right now. To the point where i would prefer more power on serves.

Btw i Just came from the courts and the tension dropped really hard. To the point where i will probably have to restring it OR…remove some lead? Strung it at 24kg. Played for 2 weeks I think ? Maybe slightly more ? It felt very powerful and i switched to tc95 16m. First thing i noticed was different grip size. Diadem is biggger. I also appreciated more forgiveness from Diadem. I didnt have to worry that match.. well @Gee it started to grow on me
When the tension dropped it felt more similar to my other foam filled collections in terms of comfort. Diadem is a real deal and happy to see them now in Europe

One trend is the new 2022 Babolat PStrike VS coming up. Another one worth trying.
The trend is flex below 64-65 unstrung, 60-61 strung.

Verdasco used a major bullit elite painted to look like a tec and then tec released it as the 315ltd. They havent made anything like it since. Doubt it happens again, honestly.

@galapagos , hello, of all the rackets you've tested so far what would be your top 3 in order?

Power Player said:

Verdasco used a major bullit elite painted to look like a tec and then tec released it as the 315ltd. They havent made anything like it since. Doubt it happens again, honestly.

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I tried Major in the past (my coach had one) but it wasnt Verdasco’s model. However I admit that the frame was very good.

wasnt 315ltd unstable in stock form ?

ClaudTT said:

One trend is the new 2022 Babolat PStrike VS coming up. Another one worth trying.
The trend is flex below 64-65 unstrang, 60-61 strung.

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Looks great but the SW is 310 I think ? Lol

galapagos said:

Looks great but the SW is 310 I think ? Lol

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Unstrung SW 300 I believe.. so ~330kcm^2 strung. HH frame on 97 head, weight ~332 strung. Beam 21.5mm.

galapagos said:

I tried Major in the past (my coach had one) but it wasnt Verdasco’s model. However I admit that the frame was very good.

wasnt 315ltd unstable in stock form ?

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Yeah its a bit of a platform frame. Needs some lead on it. It was basically a legit pro stock frame that Tec released. I still have mine and I remember when Verdasco was still using his and someone took a shot of it on the stringing machine. It was the same frame, you can tell by the awkwardly long main tie offs.

galapagos said:

Looks great but the SW is 310 I think ? Lol

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Another frame that just needs a little lead. Same with the Dunlop Cx 200 Tour. These frames would all be weak without lead, but the good news is they don't need a ton either. My dunlop swings at 328 and weighs 335 with an OG and 7 grams of lead.

Same exact mods should work on the new Babo, which I may try out when its released.

Power Player said:

Yeah its a bit of a platform frame. Needs some lead on it. It was basically a legit pro stock frame that Tec released. I still have mine and I remember when Verdasco was still using his and someone took a shot of it on the stringing machine. It was the same frame, you can tell by the awkwardly long main tie offs.

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But they released many versions (year cycles) of the ltd righ? Some were better than the others or basicly same thing? I came across ltd legacy and there is a guy on my courts with one (but 18x20 pattern)

Power Player said:

Another frame that just needs a little lead. Same with the Dunlop Cx 200 Tour. These frames would all be weak without lead, but the good news is they don't need a ton either. My dunlop swings at 328 and weighs 335 with an OG and 7 grams of lead.

Same exact mods should work on the new Babo, which I may try out when its released.

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I agree Dunlop CX 200 tour is amazing in feel department. My sparing partner was using it but he couldnt customize it to his needs (always something lacking) and 95” is slightly demanding. He switched to prestige which is pretty much ready from the start. Dunlop has even better feel imo and many here will find it offensive haha. But overall i choose prestige mp over dunlop cx200. I hate adding lead to the head of the racquet. Shouldnt be my job to improve the design and search for stability in the racquet.

galapagos said:

But they released many versions (year cycles) of the ltd righ? Some were better than the others or basicly same thing? I came across ltd legacy and there is a guy on my courts with one (but 18x20 pattern)

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I still kept mine (5 and love them) and tried the XTC ltd 16 and 18 mains. The original is better IMO. But I got to say that the RS is a powerful frame with generous sweetspot AND the TF40 has its advantages for all courters Full swing.
So I am waiting for the 'new' TF40 and we will see if it is the goldilocks that am looking for.