~~~~~ The 90 Sq. In. Club ~~~~~

This is a club for all users of 90 sq. in. racquets to hang out. We may be a dying breed but I think there may be still enough of us that prefer the feel and control of a 90 sq. in. Midsize racquet. We can discuss string set-ups, customizations, comparative playtests, why you like your 90, how your 90 compares to bigger racquets, what works and what doesn't work, your ideal racquet, etc.

Examples of 90's include the: Wilson K90, nSix-One Tour 90, PS Tour 90; Dunlop Aerogel 100, MW200 90, HM 100; Yonex RDX 500 Mid, RDS 001 Mid, SRD 90; Head PC600, i.Prestige Mid, LM Prestige Mid, FXP Prestige Mid (yes, they are marked 93 sq. in. but they are actually closer to 90 sq. in.); Vantage 90; Dunlop Revelation Pro 90; and I'm sure many others that I have not listed.

OK, have fun!

(BTW, I currently use the Asian nCode nSix-One Tour 90.)

how about those mid at 93 sq inch, like those from head, volkl..?

k90 - just starting to groove into playing with it, going down from a 100sqin

Do you let power playing topspin punks in?

J

K90 user! Ashaway kevlar crossfire II, 16 gauge.

Currently experimenting with Luxilon on Mains and Gosen crosses. I have also been using the Asian version. Interested in knowing if anyone has leaded this frame up, and how it has changed the playing characteristics of the frame.

Both are great frames.

bagung said:

how about those mid at 93 sq inch, like those from head, volkl..?

Click to expand...

Did you not see my list above? Head Mids are actually closer to 90 sq. in. so they are included. The Volkl DNX 10 Mid is really 93 sq. in., and may be even bigger as it plays more like a MP.

J011yroger said:

Do you let power playing topspin punks in?

J

Click to expand...

Sure. Style of play doesn't matter.

For this club, only size matters! LOL

I am a 3.0 player with a 100 sq in Babolat. So last night I was hitting with a guy's son demoing some racquets. The father is a 4.5 player who plays with a 90 incher. He let me borrow it. OH MAN, that was nuts I could hit OK for a while and loved the control but I am nowhere ready for that.

I served with it twice. The first one went into the bottom of the net and the second one went over the right fence.

Hats off to you guys. Mebbe in a few years:sad:

ox

BTW--I asked for his A game for a few hits. After he ran me all over the court (while he just sorta stood there) he would smoke some balls by me. His serves almost knocked my racquet out of my hand and i had to jump out of the way of his body serve so not to get hurt. Yep it was ugly. :sad:

I did walk away with a new knowledge of the game and a humbled ego. oh well.

drakulie said:

K90 user! Ashaway kevlar crossfire II, 16 gauge.

Currently experimenting with Luxilon on Mains and Gosen crosses. I have also been using the Asian version. Interested in knowing if anyone has leaded this frame up, and how it has changed the playing characteristics of the frame.

Both are great frames.

Click to expand...

Lux mains and NRG2 crosses play pretty nicely. I actually prefer the NRG2 crosses to VS. Give it a shot, should last you a little while at least, since you hit very flat.

J

i'm a n90 user, after switching to big banger mains and natural crosses i won't let any other string touch my racket

J011yroger said:

Lux mains and NRG2 crosses play pretty nicely. I actually prefer the NRG2 crosses to VS. Give it a shot, should last you a little while at least, since you hit very flat.

J

Click to expand...

Jo11yroger, what are NRG2 strings?? I'm lost.

Thanks in advance.

drakulie said:

Jo11yroger, what are NRG2 strings?? I'm lost.

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

Tecnifibre. I think the X-One Biphase is the upgraded version of these strings. Probably pretty soft and playable.

I'll enjoy following this thread, maybe I'll learn a thing or two.

drakulie said:

Jo11yroger, what are NRG2 strings?? I'm lost.

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpageACTFUSA-NRG16.html

J

I use the POG mid and really like the control. I use regular syn guts like PSG original and Gosen OG Sheep Micro. If I want to pay a little more I use Prince Sweet Perfection.

BreakPoint said:

This is a club for all users of 90 sq. in. racquets to hang out. We may be a dying breed but I think there may be still enough of us that prefer the feel and control of a 90 sq. in. Midsize racquet. We can discuss string set-ups, customizations, comparative playtests, why you like your 90, how your 90 compares to bigger racquets, what works and what doesn't work, your ideal racquet, etc.

Examples of 90's include the: Wilson K90, nSix-One Tour 90, PS Tour 90; Dunlop Aerogel 100, MW200 90, HM 100; Yonex RDX 500 Mid, RDS 001 Mid; Head PC600, i.Prestige Mid, LM Prestige Mid, FXP Prestige Mid (yes, they are marked 93 sq. in. but they are actually closer to 90 sq. in.); Vantage 90; Cayman TNT-90; and I'm sure many others that I have not listed.

OK, have fun!

(BTW, I currently use the Asian nCode nSix-One Tour 90.)

Click to expand...

I'm a 90/98 square inch player, and still in the deciding phase, lol.

I've been straying from the 90 square inch frames, and haven't actually realized until recently how much directional control I've lost in using Midplus frames. The bigger head def. needs a stiffer string or higher tension to compensate for the loss of a smaller sweetspot.

But in the end, if I wanted to stay with the Midplus frames and if the equipment is well adjusted, I'd have a bigger hitting area for a mishit, and I would think that that would help save me from shanking those few balls that can find their way into killing my timing/jamming my strokes.

i have a pc600 and a prince tricomp 90

couch, jo11yroger>>> thanks. I'll try them out.

I definitely enjoy the feel and play of the Lux mains, and gosen crosses. However, compared to the ashaway, I am finding the Lux mains lose their tension quickly. Especially, immediatley after stringing.

I guess I cant join...my racquet is 93sqin

drakulie said:

couch, jo11yroger>>> thanks. I'll try them out.

I definitely enjoy the feel and play of the Lux mains, and gosen crosses. However, compared to the ashaway, I am finding the Lux mains lose their tension quickly. Especially, immediatley after stringing.

Click to expand...

I let mine sit for 3 days before I play them. I never play a racquet fresh off the machine. Once they settle, then they can chill out in your bag for a good while with very little change in playability.

As far as playing time, with the lux you get very little before it goes dead and is the worst string ever.

Not really an issue with me as I can break most hybrids within an hour, and full jobs or gut blends within 2.

But if I have said it once I have said it a thousand times, Lux is for people who like to restring, or don't care how their racquet plays.

ALU is godly for the first hour, ok for the 2nd and if it doesn't break in 2 hours it is the worst string on the planet.

J

nickb said:

I guess I cant join...my racquet is 93sqin

Click to expand...

You mean this weeks racquet

You have to admit that you miss the sting you get from the stiffer racquets. And you know the Volkies don't serve like your wilsons did.

There must be something better out there. :evil:

J

J011yroger said:

...And you know the Volkies don't serve like your wilsons did.
There must be something better out there. :evil:

J

Click to expand...

JR - my T10V Mid doesn't know that. it serves bombs. must be defective.

drakulie said:

couch, jo11yroger>>> thanks. I'll try them out.

I definitely enjoy the feel and play of the Lux mains, and gosen crosses. However, compared to the ashaway, I am finding the Lux mains lose their tension quickly. Especially, immediatley after stringing.

Click to expand...

I think it's just a different feel (Lux and Kevlar). I used to use Kevlar (Pro Blend) for years and just a couple years ago switched to poly.

I loved that boardy feel of kevlar and it was pretty hard for me to switch but I think the poly (SPPP) gives me just a little more feel and power and still allows me to keep the ball in the court. I think if you give it a chance you'll really like poly, given you use a good one that maintains tension. I think poly, compared to kevlar, has a lot of the same characteristics but it may allow you some more power.

It seems like a lot of the newer polys go through three stages: 1. Lose a little tension initially. 2. Lock into a tension and slowly lose tension but it's not that noticeable. 3. Just become dead and unplayable.

Let me know if you have any questions regarding the polys out there. I've tried a lot of them over the last couple years.

bad_call said:

JR - my T10V Mid doesn't know that. it serves bombs. must be defective.

Click to expand...

Might be a paintjob!

Have you ever served a box beam wilson?

J

BP, I'm sorry I just realized I shouldn't be posting; I play with a 100 sq. in. racquet. If I hit with a 90 sq. in. tomorrow can I post every now and then?

couch said:

BP, I'm sorry I just realized I shouldn't be posting; I play with a 100 sq. in. racquet. If I hit with a 90 sq. in. tomorrow can I post every now and then?

Click to expand...

INFIDEL SPY!

Guards....Sieze him!

Oh, wait. . . its just couch.

Confiscate the intruder's racquets and let him go with a warning not to be seen with a non 90" racquet in these lands again.

J

J011yroger said:

You mean this weeks racquet

You have to admit that you miss the sting you get from the stiffer racquets. And you know the Volkies don't serve like your wilsons did.

There must be something better out there. :evil:

J

Click to expand...

I dony miss my wilsons one bit!

But I could just buy 1 k90 so I can join this thread...

I need to stick with something...the volkl is the one!


Nick

J011yroger said:

INFIDEL SPY!

Guards....Sieze him!

Oh, wait. . . its just couch.

Confiscate the intruder's racquets and let him go with a warning not to be seen with a non 90" racquet in these lands again.

J

Click to expand...

LOL. That's pretty good.

And better yet J011yroger, I use a Volkl 100 sq. in. racquet. But don't worry your guys' trade secrets are safe with me. I'll even sign a non-disclosure if I need to.

I do have three old wood racquets, does that count? And no, they're not Woodies.

nickb said:

I guess I cant join...my racquet is 93sqin

Click to expand...

Well, you could have if you hadn't kept switching racquets. LOL

couch said:

BP, I'm sorry I just realized I shouldn't be posting; I play with a 100 sq. in. racquet. If I hit with a 90 sq. in. tomorrow can I post every now and then?

Click to expand...

Only if you promise to hit with a 90 now and then. LOL

couch said:

I think it's just a different feel (Lux and Kevlar). I used to use Kevlar (Pro Blend) for years and just a couple years ago switched to poly.

I loved that boardy feel of kevlar and it was pretty hard for me to switch but I think the poly (SPPP) gives me just a little more feel and power and still allows me to keep the ball in the court. I think if you give it a chance you'll really like poly, given you use a good one that maintains tension. I think poly, compared to kevlar, has a lot of the same characteristics but it may allow you some more power.

It seems like a lot of the newer polys go through three stages: 1. Lose a little tension initially. 2. Lock into a tension and slowly lose tension but it's not that noticeable. 3. Just become dead and unplayable.

Let me know if you have any questions regarding the polys out there. I've tried a lot of them over the last couple years.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I am really enjoying the Lux. Definitely feels like it gives more pop, and added spin. Like you, I love a boardy feel, which is why I love the kevlar. I think the Lux also have a boardy feel, but a bit more springy?? (not too much). especially since I string them so tight.

Perhaps they are slipping on my clamps when I string them?? I'm going to have to make sure this isn't the cause. The last two string jobs I did, they lost a lot of tension after I took them off the machine.

What other poly combo would you recommend? Remember, I string very tight.



Joy11roger, I like hitting with a freshly strung frame. I do however agree, that they go dead fairly quick, and also retain their tension for a while after the initial tension loss.

J011yroger said:

Might be a paintjob!

Have you ever served a box beam wilson?

J

Click to expand...

oh yeah. still have the ps85 which i played with for mucho years. and have the JK Prostaff woodie...but they are both smaller than 90. :-(

the ps85 served great (duh...everyone knows that) but i like the t10v mid better.

count me in. LM Prestige mid =]

drakulie said:

Yeah, I am really enjoying the Lux. Definitely feels like it gives more pop, and added spin. Like you, I love a boardy feel, which is why I love the kevlar. I think the Lux also have a boardy feel, but a bit more springy?? (not too much). especially since I string them so tight.

Perhaps they are slipping on my clamps when I string them?? I'm going to have to make sure this isn't the cause. The last two string jobs I did, they lost a lot of tension after I took them off the machine.

What other poly combo would you recommend? Remember, I string very tight.



Joy11roger, I like hitting with a freshly strung frame. I do however agree, that they go dead fairly quick, and also retain their tension for a while after the initial tension loss.

Click to expand...

First of all, what "type" of stringer do you use? If you don't have a constant pull machine that may be part of the problem, not sure. I don't know the exact properties (stretch-wise) between kevlar and poly. I didn't have my stringer when I used kevlar. Poly doesn't stretch a whole lot on the machine but it does some, again, not sure about Kevlar so I'm kinda guessing here. I use a Laserfibre stringer so it's constant pull and stretches the poly until I clamp off. Some people talk about pre-stretching poly before stringing but I've never done this.

I'm not sure what type of tension loss I experience after I string my poly. I guess "it is what it is" and I'm used to it. Poly can sometimes be pretty tricky to find the right tension. I would also string it at the same tension you've been stringing your kevlar. Don't go down 10% since you're used to a stiff string to start with.

The two polys that I probably have the most play with and would recommend are Laserfibre Kryptonite, which is the same thing as Signum Pro Poly Plasma, and Pro Hurricane Tour. They both seem to hold their tension really well for polys and that's the most important thing to me in a poly as I don't want the ball to start flying.

I use Laserfibre's Superblend hybrid which is Kryptonite/SPPP in the mains and Ruffcut in the crosses. The Ruffcut is a pretty stiff string that is textured so it stiffens up the stringbed a little bit. Kryptonite/SPPP is supposed to be a softer poly for what it's worth.

I've also used the Pro Hurricane Tour combined with a simple cross of PSG w/dfx. You may like this combo a little better as I think it's the closest thing to Pro Blend I've used. The PHT and PSG w/dfx seems to offer a stiffer stringbed than the Kryptonite/SPPP and ruffcut. I haven't really used PSG w/dfx with my Kryptonite/SPPP though.

If you want a stiffer stringbed when using poly I would try the PSG w/dfx in the crosses since it has the kevlar weaved in. There are so many combos when it comes to hybriding though it can get a little crazy. If you are used to using Gosen you may experiment with that in the crosses so you get a better feel for how each poly feels. You change both mains and crosses it may be harder to settle on something.

Oh yeah, Lux Alu Power does seem awesome in the beginning but it loses "something" after a few hours of play. Not sure what that "something" is but you can definitely feel it. Lux also seems more powerful than PHT and Kryptonite/SPPP and that alone is why I haven't used it too much. The Kryptonite and Ruffcut seem to be the perfect combo for me in my Tour 8s and that's pretty much the only thing I use. I am experimenting with PHT and PSG w/dfx in a Babolat Aero Storm I have though. That combo in this racquet reminds me of the good ole' days of my POG and Pro Blend strung at 75 lbs. Ahhhh, those were the days.

BreakPoint said:

Only if you promise to hit with a 90 now and then. LOL

Click to expand...

I promise, I promise. You can't see my fingers crossed behind my back can you? Okay, good.

POG mid & K90, both with Nat'l gut 15L .... long live the MID...

I have 6 i Prestige mids and two FXP Prestige mids....will that get me in the club? Just how does a guy get a number to joing this club and put in their sig, BP?????

And by the way, my Prince O3 Tour mids are going in the trash. Total junk!

I'm in.

K90 is my weapon of choice.

The only drawback to using a 90" head is hearing, "damn that's small!" when I whip out my stick

Tour 90 here. Also N90, K90 and Yonex SRD Tour 90, MP-Tour 1 90.

2 Wilson K Six One Tour 90s
-341 grams 31.5cm balance
-336 grams 32.5cm balance (2nd racket is lighter due to poor Wilson QC Standards)

Luxilon ALU Power 16L mains/Gamma Live Wire XP 16 crosses

Tension between 53-58 depending on how high or low i want it.

BP and others,

Were the Prince CTS 90s (e.g., Lightning, Precision, Graduate) really 90 sq ins?

And how about the Spectrum Comp 90 and Graphite Pro 90?

Keifers said:

BP and others,

Were the Prince CTS 90s (e.g., Lightning, Precision, Graduate) really 90 sq ins?

And how about the Spectrum Comp 90 and Graphite Pro 90?

Click to expand...

Hi Keifers,

Sorry, I've never played with any of those racquets before so I don't know.

Hopefully, some others here will be able to answer.

saram said:

I have 6 i Prestige mids and two FXP Prestige mids....will that get me in the club? Just how does a guy get a number to joing this club and put in their sig, BP?????

Click to expand...

Sure, the Head Mids count because they are really 90 sq. in. (or close to it) and not 93 sq. in. as they are marketed to be.

As far as getting a number for the club, just count how many people have posted that they play with a 90 before you did and then add one.

lioneldude said:

2 Wilson K Six One Tour 90s
-341 grams 31.5cm balance
-336 grams 32.5cm balance (2nd racket is lighter due to poor Wilson QC Standards)

Luxilon ALU Power 16L mains/Gamma Live Wire XP 16 crosses

Tension between 53-58 depending on how high or low i want it.

Click to expand...

If those are US spec k90's then surely those are unstrung specs, because the k90's start off around 340+ unstrung.

I do use a 90 in the 001, but if that wasn't around, I would play with something larger.

let me in BP!
loving my RDX and n6.1 mids!

add me up!!
Asian K90 love it like no other!!
though i wish i had the money to buy natural guts.

I started to love mids last year, using the Rdx 500. A part from the aesthetics (the smaller head looks better, I think: it's nicier to hold a spoon than a shovel), I love the control and in general, the feedback they offer about the game

[Setting: BP's 90 SQin Lounge. All mid users hanging out]

[Door bursts open]

[Alafter with 2 Nblade OS strap across his back and wielding Nblade OS in either hands come running through the lounge]

"OS! OS! OS! OS! OS! OS! OS! OS! OS! OS RULEZ! OS KICKS ***! OS FOR THE PEOPLE!"

[Alafter runs out the back door]

OS RULZ.

I've always thought that a Mid racquet would be to hard to play for me... but I found a brand new Muscle Weave 200G 90 in a Babolat shop and ordered it... now I am in love with Mids I'll never go back to bigger headsize racquets (at least not until I get old and wrinkled )...

A MW 200G 90 user here... soon a RDX 500 Mid owner (I ordered one for comparison, also only one because the shop only had one )

BTW: Since this Thread was created let's do a list of the dying out 90 sq.inch race