Is anyone actually playing TW Donnay OS?

M

markwillplay

Hall of Fame
for all the review posts and questions, I have done a search and can't really tell that anyone is really commenting on playing matches with this stick. Is it just TW hype or are some of these being bought and played with? I would love to hear a review from someone who is not on staff and plays with this stick.:-?
 
Bolt

Bolt

Semi-Pro
For kicks I've played around a few times with Samster's TW Donnay OS strung with Legend at a little over mid tension. So far I'd say that the TW review is a pretty accurate representation of the frame's performance characteristics. In fact if I were pressed to write a review, I'd link you to the TW review. ;)

For what it's worth, I calculated the strung specs of the frame with overgrip and dampener as follows: 353g, 8pts HL, 318 SW.
 
M

markwillplay

Hall of Fame
did it have that buttery plow through that the POG OS's do? Specs show it a little stiffer than my POG's (my 4 stripes have been tested and are 61 stiff).
 
Bolt

Bolt

Semi-Pro
markwillplay said:
did it have that buttery plow through that the POG OS's do? Specs show it a little stiffer than my POG's (my 4 stripes have been tested and are 61 stiff).
Click to expand...

Having never played the POG OS I cannot comment on a comparison. I think to get the same "plow through" you'd need to add lead to the head of the Donnay. The Donnay is very comfortable with nice cupping in the sweet spot but I imagine it would feel closer to the POG OS with a little higher swingweight.
 
J

jayserinos99

Hall of Fame
I had this racquet a while back. I wish I had spent a little more time with it; I felt it was a slightly easier swinging POG OS...for comparison purposes however the POG OS I had was the older 1 stripe POG. My Donnays were strung with Bab Hurricane Tour in the low 50s tension and I felt I could really connect with the ball. Never had an issue with plow with the Donnay. I noticed I could get a tad more spin on my 2hbh with the setup I had but all in all I just felt like not switching at the time. Looking back, I would have gone with a 16G natural gut hybrid with 16G Isospeed Control crosses with a low to mid 50s tension and see how that would have played.
 
K

kv581

Semi-Pro
Any thoughts on the quality of the headguard/grommets on the Donnay? There have been a few posts that suggested these grommets may not withstand the rigors of multiple string jobs.
 
Bolt

Bolt

Semi-Pro
kv581 said:
Any thoughts on the quality of the headguard/grommets on the Donnay? There have been a few posts that suggested these grommets may not withstand the rigors of multiple string jobs.
Click to expand...

I would not count on them withstanding the rigors of multiple string jobs.
 
J

jayserinos99

Hall of Fame
Just curious, the Donnay and POG OS are basically clones of each other...has anyone lined up the drill patterns of each frame and are they drilled the same? If so, it may be a better alternative to getting the Donnay grommets..
 
S

samster

Hall of Fame
I would say the way Bolt played with the Donnay...is pretty much consistent with TW's assessment of the frame.
 
H

Hedges

Guest
As stock, it swings lighter / easier than the POGOS (new tour version). I'll be adding a little lead to the hoop and maybe a leather grip to fit my preferences. It's a nice playing racket with great control for an oversize.
 
M

markwillplay

Hall of Fame
wow, I have never really noticed the Avery stick (M5 I believe) but it sure does look like an easier swinging POG to me. Not trying to hijack my own thread but that may be a stick worth looking into. Honestly my POGs swing lighter than the Donnay TW mp and are more headlight. I am familiar with the single stripe one and they are much heavier )or the one I had was). These 4 stripes are really nice. I like them and will keep them but I would like to find a new stick that is comparable and if it swings just a tad lighter and is just as stable then...boom, I would probably get it.
 
BlUe 182 BanAna

BlUe 182 BanAna

Banned
can anyone help me.... i just bought babolat aero blast oversize [ well, two days ago.] and i was wondering, what does that mean? i bought the racket because i felt my friends one and i was needing a new racket anyway, i really liked the smart grip and everything. and then i saw one for $99 in amazon and i begged my dad to buy it and he did and latter on i noticed that it said "oversize". doesn't + usually mean for a bit bigger size of a racket. like nadal's racket is something something +, not oversize. [ if you wanna see it's called Babolat aero blast oversize on amazon.com ]

thanks /|\
 
M

markwillplay

Hall of Fame
thanks El Guapo, that clears my mind on that one. I will probably just use my POGs and eventually go to a smaller head. The POGs are safe but I know there is a smaller head out there that feels good that I can serve a bit better with. Everything is a comp. I hit a bit with the Donnay MP tonight for fun and to my suprose really liked it...although...swingweight of 320 is absolute bull. I am going to have it measured on a machine jhust so I can post here. there is no doubt that this stick is only 6 pts headlight but the weight really is in the hoop. No way it is 320...no way.
 
Bolt

Bolt

Semi-Pro
markwillplay said:
thanks El Guapo, that clears my mind on that one. I will probably just use my POGs and eventually go to a smaller head. The POGs are safe but I know there is a smaller head out there that feels good that I can serve a bit better with. Everything is a comp. I hit a bit with the Donnay MP tonight for fun and to my suprose really liked it...although...swingweight of 320 is absolute bull. I am going to have it measured on a machine jhust so I can post here. there is no doubt that this stick is only 6 pts headlight but the weight really is in the hoop. No way it is 320...no way.
Click to expand...

Samster's TW Pro 1 Intl had the following specs strung with VS gut, no overgrip, no dampener: 341g, 6pts HL, 331 swingweight. Let us know what your frame measures on the machine.
 
M

markwillplay

Hall of Fame
aaahhh haaaa! I knew it. Seems I can always feel it when it's approaching the 330 range for some reason. I bet mine is every bit of it.
 
S

samster

Hall of Fame
Bolt said:
For what it's worth, I calculated the strung specs of the frame with overgrip and dampener as follows: 353g, 8pts HL, 318 SW.
Click to expand...

Bolt said:
Samster's TW Pro 1 Intl had the following specs strung with VS gut, no overgrip, no dampener: 341g, 6pts HL, 331 swingweight. Let us know what your frame measures on the machine.
Click to expand...

Interesting...so it is possible to add weight to the racket and actually LOWER the SW.
 
B

bluetrain4

G.O.A.T.
For anyone who wants an easier swinging and slightly more flexible version of the current POG OS, more like the earlier versions of the POG OS (though not as good), the Donnay OS is the way to go.

Ignore the flex ratings (64 Donnay, 63 POG). The Donnay feels more flexilble than the current POG.
 
Last edited:
K

kv581

Semi-Pro
jayserinos99 said:
Just curious, the Donnay and POG OS are basically clones of each other...has anyone lined up the drill patterns of each frame and are they drilled the same? If so, it may be a better alternative to getting the Donnay grommets..
Click to expand...

I'm also curious about this given how fragile the Donnay grommets reportedly are. Anyone has both side-by-side?
 
N

NicolasH

Rookie
I played this racket for two seasons, first the orange/grey one and then the grey/blue/red one. Mind you this was back when the rackets first came out.
I came off the Wilson Pro Staff (St. Vincent) and I've since gone back to the same Wilson.

Overall I think it's a decent copy of the Prince Graphite 110 perhaps a bit softer. All the Donnays were strung with Kevlar (Prince Pro Blend) mains and Natural Gut crosses at 66 to 68 lbs. (I was playing mainly on red clay at the time).

I'm afraid to say that one of the reasons I switched to the Donnay was because I got them for free (which is not a good reason to switch rackets) - So lesson learned.
The stock frames were way too light for me so I had a ton of lead on them, I think we added about an ounce of weight overall and made the racket head heavy.

I went through about 8 frames in the first season (the orange racket) and 4 frames in the 2nd season (the grey/red/blue one). Every racket had stress fractures, starting at the throat and under the grommets (where the lowest cross string is) and all the way up to 3 and 9 o'clock.
I had 4 rackets in the rotation at all times so I think that breaking 12 frames in two seasons is a bit excessive. I didn't break a single racket in anger, every frame went back to Donnay in Belgium and 'analyzed in the lab' (yeah right), word came back that you should string the cross strings 4 lbs lower than the mains (take that for whatever it's worth).


Donnay had 3 pj's for the Pro One, first yellow/blue then orange/grey and then grey/red/blue but they were all the same frame.

I don't know if the TW version is made in Belgium, at the time Donnay rackets were still made in Belgium.

Cheers,
n.
 
B

big ted

Legend
the tw versions are made in china, not belgium. the string pattern in the china ones are more open and theyre lighter then the older ones. these are not exact replicas of the belgian originals , the new manufacturer took the original design and "modernized" it
 
G

garbage

Rookie
bluetrain4 said:
For anyone who wants an easier swinging and slightly more flexible version of the current POG OS, more like the earlier versions of the POG OS, the Donnay OS is the way to go.

Ignore the flex ratings (64 Donnay, 63 POG). The Donnay feels more flexilble than the current POG.
Click to expand...

What that guy just said. I'll add that it's a nice racquet and I did play matches with it for a short while. Decided in the end that I needed more manouverability, something not characteristic of OS racquets.
 
C

classic tennis

Semi-Pro
big ted said:
the tw versions are made in china, not belgium. the string pattern in the china ones are more open and theyre lighter then the older ones. these are not exact replicas of the belgian originals , the new manufacturer took the original design and "modernized" it
Click to expand...

You mean made it a lot cheaper! you cannot compare the two frames the only thing that's the same is the name on the side.
 
P

Peter Szucs

Semi-Pro
markwillplay said:
thanks El Guapo, that clears my mind on that one. I will probably just use my POGs and eventually go to a smaller head. The POGs are safe but I know there is a smaller head out there that feels good that I can serve a bit better with. Everything is a comp. I hit a bit with the Donnay MP tonight for fun and to my suprose really liked it...although...swingweight of 320 is absolute bull. I am going to have it measured on a machine jhust so I can post here. there is no doubt that this stick is only 6 pts headlight but the weight really is in the hoop. No way it is 320...no way.
Click to expand...

just got the TW pro one OS... swingweight feels to be around 325-330, its a tad easier to swing and move than the POG OS 4 stripe version. i will try it out today and if anyone is interested i give some feedback on how it plays.
 
CGMemphis

CGMemphis

Rookie
I used to hit with the old Belgium Donnay Pro Ones, both the yellow and blue and the Orange and Grey. I have the new TW one as well, just a hair stiffer than the old ones, but still flexible.

Hit some singles with a gentleman last night who had one of the Averys and it looks almost identical to the old POGs and thats why he had it. He had bout 4 or 5 old school POGs in his bag and one or two of the Averys. He was striking solid with it and told me he loved the feel of it.

I have since bumped myself to the Aeropro Drive, love the stiffness.

Donnay had 3 pj's for the Pro One, first yellow/blue then orange/grey and then grey/red/blue but they were all the same frame.
Click to expand...

This is not true. NOt being rude,but the frame thickness and design varied from the Yellow and Blue to the Orange/Gray model. The O/G release in the very early 90's from Belgium was more than cosmetic. They changed the overall beam thickness and beam build. It got slimmer and no more taper around the edges. Slighter lighter as well. A tad more flex. The grey/red/blue version was a pj of the O/G version, same mold.

For rating, in my opinion of playing with these racquets, I would rate them like this from stiffest to more flexbile.

Original Donnay Blue/Yellow Belgium Pro One
TW Orange/Grey Pro One
Original Belgium Orange/Grey Pro One
 
P

Peter Szucs

Semi-Pro
markwillplay said:
I am interested.
Click to expand...

Its definitely easier to move than the POG 4 stripe in play.
Its flexier than the POG despite the TW numbers show the other way around. Power level is lower, spin and control is about the same (spin: the edge is to the POG, control: the edge is to the Donnay since string pattern is a little denser in the sweetspot on the donnay)
Very stable flexible feel on contact, comfort is first class. PJ is brave.
Thats all after the first hit.
 
N

NicolasH

Rookie
CGMemphis said:
I used to hit with the old Belgium Donnay Pro Ones, both the yellow and blue and the Orange and Grey. I have the new TW one as well, just a hair stiffer than the old ones, but still flexible.

Hit some singles with a gentleman last night who had one of the Averys and it looks almost identical to the old POGs and thats why he had it. He had bout 4 or 5 old school POGs in his bag and one or two of the Averys. He was striking solid with it and told me he loved the feel of it.

I have since bumped myself to the Aeropro Drive, love the stiffness.



This is not true. NOt being rude,but the frame thickness and design varied from the Yellow and Blue to the Orange/Gray model. The O/G release in the very early 90's from Belgium was more than cosmetic. They changed the overall beam thickness and beam build. It got slimmer and no more taper around the edges. Slighter lighter as well. A tad more flex. The grey/red/blue version was a pj of the O/G version, same mold.

For rating, in my opinion of playing with these racquets, I would rate them like this from stiffest to more flexbile.

Original Donnay Blue/Yellow Belgium Pro One
TW Orange/Grey Pro One
Original Belgium Orange/Grey Pro One
Click to expand...


Sorry, I wasn't taking the early retail version into account. The early retail versions had a bulge on the butt cap and no Donnay logo on the butt cap.
The frame was more rounded, this also resulted in a nicer paintjob.
The string bed was closer than on the Limited Versions (Agassi's racket)
The racket came with a full head bumper guard.

The Pro One Ltd. Edition (Agassi's racket) was more square, stiffer frame and had a regular butt cap. This edition also came with a thinner head bumper guard, basically just a grommet strip that went all around.

So in total there were actually 6 Pro One's:

Pro One yellow/blue (butt cap had a bulge, rounded off frame - softest one). Made in Belgium.

Pro One orange/grey (butt cap had a bulge - rounded off frame - softest one)
Made in Belgium.

Pro One Ltd. Edition yellow/blue (regular butt cap, more rectangular frame, the first Agassi racket, stiffer than the retail versions) Made in Belgium.

Pro One Ltd. Edition orange/grey (Agassi's 2nd Donnay) Made in Belgium.

Pro One Ltd. Edition grey/blue/red (Agassi's 3rd Donnay) Made in Belgium.

TW Pro One, Made in China (I don't have any knowledge about this racket)

Cheers,
n.

Cheers,
n.
 
P

Peter Szucs

Semi-Pro
markwillplay said:
easier to swing? How about serves?
Click to expand...

Yes, definitely easier to swing than my 4 stripes or the new POG OS (the one TW is selling currently). i only did a 1 hour hitting with a coach, groundstrokes and volleys only so i can not comment on the serve yet, but i generally serve well with almost every frame that has an open pattern so i have no reason to worry. btw i hit mybe 20 overheads at the end of the session and it felt great.
 
M

markwillplay

Hall of Fame
I just played with it in the finals of a tournament. I lost in the crazy 10 pt tiebreak but I enjoyed playing with the stick. served well for me. I have moved to a little smaller head but if I was to go back, I owuld probably string it with a poly hybrid to cut down the tramp effedct just a bit.
 
M

markwillplay

Hall of Fame
38....4.0

I like smalelr heads for volleys...a little better direction control really. I also serve better with a bit smaller head for same reason. Probably in my head but I have played some of my very best serve and volley tennis with my old max200G. I am using head prestige pro sticks right now. I have kept the Donnay's becasue I I like to have an oversize in the bag. The Donnay's are nice for oversize sticks.
 
timokabo

timokabo

Rookie
i have been playing regularly with the donnay os for the last couple of weeks. my only problem is that it is extremely under powered for os frame.surpriseinly the control is insane its like a 107 ps 85 .i can fix that though since im thinking of stringing in 35-45 tension range. also on a side note the wilson stamina thye put in it is the worst string ive ever used.
 
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