12 Demos Later - New Racquet has been Purchased!!!

TripleB

TripleB

Hall of Fame
13 Demos Later - New Racquet has been Purchased!!!

Over the past couple of months I've demoed numerous racquets in hopes of finding a cross between my old POG mid (great spin potential and perfect power) and my current LiquidMetal Radical Midplus (fantastic control, lighter weight, great maneuverability, and solid feel). During those months I've demoed 12 racquets. Here are my 2 sentence thoughts on each:

Babolat Pure Storm: This racquet offered much better than average stability and the sweetspot seemed huge. When playing with this racquet however there seemed to be a 'disconnected' feel between the head and the stringbed which seemed to give me poor control and make me wonder where the ball actually contacted the strings.

Yonex RDiS 200 Lite: There was great power and spin to be had with this racquet which gave me fantastic control in singles and doubles. The problem I had with this racquet was that there didn't seem to be very much stability so it got pushed around the court very easily, which was noticeable most when returning hard first serves.

Dunlop 4D 300 Tour: This racquet is an amazing racquet because, in a light package, it gives you pinpoint control, a fantastic flexy feel, whipable balance, and truly incredible touch at the net. The two things that kept this racquet out of my bag are the lack of spin potential and there wasn't quite enough power for me.

Wilson BLX Six-One Tour: An extremely solid racquet from everywhere on the court and very fun to play with for a set. But over a two set match it was just too much racquet for me.

Wilson KBlade 98: The KBlade 98 is an awesome racquet that offers great plowthrough ( for a lighter racquet), superior control, fantastic spin (especially for a 18x20 ) , perfect power on groundstrokes and serves, and better than average maneuverability. I loved this racquet except for the fact that every time I played with it my elbow ached for days (and is still tender)

Head YouTek Prestige Pro: The maneuverability and touch with this racquet is outstanding. Other than that I didn't find much I liked about this racquet because of the lack of spin and inconsistent power I got with it.

Volkl C10 Pro: I really liked the look and feel of this racquet and the specs lined up perfectly with what I was looking for in a new racquet. I'm not sure why but I could never really find the sweetspot with this racquet, it lacked a little spin (for me), and I couldn't find consistent depth on my shots.

Wilson BLX Six-One 16x18: This racquet has amazing spin potential (loved watching my opponents eyes when groundstrokes hit), pretty good maneuverability, spot on control and above average power. I liked this racquet and probably 10 years ago could play with this racquet but now I prefer a bit lighter racquet to use.

Volkl DNX 10 Mid: This racquet had a very solid feel. The demoed weighed in at 13 gram over the specs show at T-W and it was only 5 points headlight so in my opinion the PowerBridge 10 Mid is a much better choice of the two.

Volkl PowerBridge 10 Mid: Almost as solid as the BLX 6-1 Tour with much better maneuverability, tremendous control, pop on the serve, and was a lot of fun to play with. I wasn't able to whip my forehand quickly enough to have success going crosscourt so I decided against this one.

Dunlop 4D 300: I had a fun time with this racquet because of the great maneuverability, excellent topspin, heavy slice, and put away power. It lacked stability in the upper head area so I added some lead tape but it still wasn't stable enough for me to warrant a purchase.

Boris Becker Delta Core London: This racquet had the Volkl flex which led to fantastic stability (for such a light racquet), power level, control, and I had decent success with it. The 16x19 string pattern on this one is very tight so I wasn't able to get the topspin I needed with it to play my type of game.

Prince Ozone Tour: This racquet offers the best combination of all the positive aspects of the racquets mentioned above. Amazing spin potential (best of any of the racquets), huge feeling sweetspot which leads to a solid feel from all over the racquet face, perfect power potential on groundstrokes/serves/volleys, excellent touch at net (never thought I'd say that about an 'O' racquet), easy whipability (crosscourt forehand deep into the opponents court may become my new favorite shot), many many many options on the return of serve, easy on the arm, incredible control (especially depth control...an area I've struggled with lately). This is my new racquet of choice.

I purchased three Prince Ozone Tour racquets over the weekend (from T-W of course). One with soft grommets strung with WeissCannon TurboTwist mains and Forten Sweet crosses. One with soft grommets strung with WeissCannon Scorpion mains and Gosen OG Sheep Micro crosses. One with hard grommets strung with WeissCannon Scorpion mains and Gosen OG Sheep Micro crosses.

I also ordered a set of Mantis Comfort poly and Solinco Outlast poly to try in case I don’t like the feel of either of the WeissCannon strings.

Thank you for your patients over the past several months and your help in narrowing down my demo choices.

I am through with demoing racquets for a loooooooooooooong time (easy to say when you don't have any money to order any more) and will be sticking with the Prince Ozone Tour!!!

TripleB
 
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bayoozen33

bayoozen33

Rookie
How many times have you switched your main racket in your life? Not trying to be a smart a**, but seriously just curious.
 
JackB1

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
I played the Ozone Tour for a while and it's a good all around choice. One of few racquets with a lot of power in a flexy racquet. Only thing I didn't like about it was it's very thin beam which lead to a little instability at times for me.
 
BC1

BC1

Professional
BBB,
Congratulations on your choice. I'm sure it's a relief! I've read many great reviews about the Ozone Tour - enjoy it!
 
G

Gemini

Hall of Fame
TripleB said:
Over the past couple of months I've demoed numerous racquets in hopes of finding a cross between my old POG mid (great spin potential and perfect power) and my current LiquidMetal Radical Midplus (fantastic control, lighter weight, great maneuverability, and solid feel). During those months I've demoed 12 racquets. Here are my 2 sentence thoughts on each:

Babolat Pure Storm: This racquet offered much better than average stability and the sweetspot seemed huge. When playing with this racquet however there seemed to be a 'disconnected' feel between the head and the stringbed which seemed to give me poor control and make me wonder where the ball actually contacted the strings.

Yonex RDiS 200 Lite: There was great power and spin to be had with this racquet which gave me fantastic control in singles and doubles. The problem I had with this racquet was that there didn't seem to be very much stability so it got pushed around the court very easily, which was noticeable most when returning hard first serves.

Dunlop 4D 300 Tour: This racquet is an amazing racquet because, in a light package, it gives you pinpoint control, a fantastic flexy feel, whipable balance, and truly incredible touch at the net. The two things that kept this racquet out of my bag are the lack of spin potential and there wasn't quite enough power for me.

Wilson BLX Six-One Tour: An extremely solid racquet from everywhere on the court and very fun to play with for a set. But over a two set match it was just too much racquet for me.

Wilson KBlade 98: The KBlade 98 is an awesome racquet that offers great plowthrough ( for a lighter racquet), superior control, fantastic spin (especially for a 16x18 ) , perfect power on groundstrokes and serves, and better than average maneuverability. I loved this racquet except for the fact that every time I played with it my elbow ached for days (and is still tender)

Head YouTek Prestige Pro: The maneuverability and touch with this racquet is outstanding. Other than that I didn't find much I liked about this racquet because of the lack of spin and inconsistent power I got with it.

Wilson BLX Six-One 16x18: This racquet has amazing spin potential (loved watching my opponents eyes when groundstrokes hit), pretty good maneuverability, spot on control and above average power. I liked this racquet and probably 10 years ago could play with this racquet but now I prefer a bit lighter racquet to use.

Volkl DNX 10 Mid: This racquet had a very solid feel. The demoed weighed in at 13 gram over the specs show at T-W and it was only 5 points headlight so in my opinion the PowerBridge 10 Mid is a much better choice of the two.

Volkl PowerBridge 10 Mid: Almost as solid as the BLX 6-1 Tour with much better maneuverability, tremendous control, pop on the serve, and was a lot of fun to play with. I wasn't able to whip my forehand quickly enough to have success going crosscourt so I decided against this one.

Dunlop 4D 300: I had a fun time with this racquet because of the great maneuverability, excellent topspin, heavy slice, and put away power. It lacked stability in the upper head area so I added some lead tape but it still wasn't stable enough for me to warrant a purchase.

Boris Becker Delta Core London: This racquet had the Volkl flex which led to fantastic stability (for such a light racquet), power level, control, and I had decent success with it. The 16x19 string pattern on this one is very tight so I wasn't able to get the topspin I needed with it to play my type of game.

Prince Ozone Tour: This racquet offers the best combination of all the positive aspects of the racquets mentioned above. Amazing spin potential (best of any of the racquets), huge feeling sweetspot which leads to a solid feel from all over the racquet face, perfect power potential on groundstrokes/serves/volleys, excellent touch at net (never thought I'd say that about an 'O' racquet), easy whipability (crosscourt forehand deep into the opponents court may become my new favorite shot), many many many options on the return of serve, easy on the arm, incredible control (especially depth control...an area I've struggled with lately). This is my new racquet of choice.

I purchased three Prince Ozone Tour racquets over the weekend (from T-W of course). One with soft grommets strung with WeissCannon TurboTwist mains and Forten Sweet crosses. One with soft grommets strung with WeissCannon Scorpion mains and Gosen OG Sheep Micro crosses. One with hard grommets strung with WeissCannon Scorpion mains and Gosen OG Sheep Micro crosses.

I also ordered a set of Mantis Comfort poly and Solinco Outlast poly to try in case I don’t like the feel of either of the WeissCannon strings.

Thank you for your patients over the past several months and your help in narrowing down my demo choices.

I am through with demoing racquets for a loooooooooooooong time (easy to say when you don't have any money to order any more) and will be sticking with the Prince Ozone Tour!!!

TripleB
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TripleB,

I don't remember but were you a former Fischer Pro No. 1 user some time ago? I ask because if you were then it might be worth looking at the Ozone Tour more closely since I'm a former Pro No. 1 user.
 
D

Deleted member 25923

Guest
Great! Btw, what didn't you like about the C10 pro? Was the weight an issue?
 
TripleB

TripleB

Hall of Fame
GameSetMatch said:
Your font choice is harder to read. Can you reformat your post? :)
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Sorry about that.

bayoozen33 said:
How many times have you switched your main racket in your life? Not trying to be a smart a**, but seriously just curious.
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In 38 years of playing tennis, truly switching my main racquet, not including string changes, not taking into account all of the demos, I would guesstimate about 17.5 times.

JackB1 said:
I played the Ozone Tour for a while and it's a good all around choice. One of few racquets with a lot of power in a flexy racquet. Only thing I didn't like about it was it's very thin beam which lead to a little instability at times for me.
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The thin beam (17mm to 23mm) was one of the main things I was looking for in a racquet. Luckily so far I haven't found much instability with this racquet. Of course it may have been the racquets I was comparing it to at the time or it may have been the high quality Prince Synthetic Gut strings in the demo :)

BC1 said:
BBB,
Congratulations on your choice. I'm sure it's a relief! I've read many great reviews about the Ozone Tour - enjoy it!
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A GREAT relief!! Now I'm looking forward to picking the hard/soft grommets, adjusting the tension, and then playing some amazing tennis!!!

JackB1 said:
BTW, the Gamma Supreme orange overgrips look great on the Ozone Tour.
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I love the Gamma Supreme Orange overgrips. I used to use them on my Gamma T-7 racquets. They look awesome and hold their tack extremely well. The Ozone Tour grip runs a bit small so I ordered 4 5/8" grips and plan to use a thinner overgrip - either the Gamma Derma/Smart overgrip or my new favorite Gosen Perforated overgrip (doesn't start out as tacky as either of the Gamma but the tack remains consistent). If those are too thin I'm still holding onto 1 orange Supreme overgrip in my closet. Thanks for the advice.

Gemini said:
TripleB,

I don't remember but were you a former Fischer Pro No. 1 user some time ago? I ask because if you were then it might be worth looking at the Ozone Tour more closely since I'm a former Pro No. 1 user.
Click to expand...

I bought the Fischer MPro Number 1 105 when they were on closeout. The balance (not very headlight, not sure what the specs say but mine felt only about 2 points headlight which led to a high swingweight). Compared to the 105, in my opinion the Ozone Tour offers better maneuverability, lighter weight, between spin, and more power.

Mansewerz said:
Great! Btw, what didn't you like about the C10 pro? Was the weight an issue?
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Sorry, I left that one out in my initial post...I went back and added it in. The weight wasn't really an issue...I can't explain it but I just couldn't find the sweetspot.

TripleB
 
g4driver

g4driver

Legend
JackB1 said:
BTW, the Gamma Supreme orange overgrips look great on the Ozone Tour.
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And they also look pretty catchy on my Dunlop 300s.:wink: Yes, the Gamma Supreme in bright orange grows on you.

Sure you can use white or black on a Dunlop 300 or 300 Tour, but the orange is like a trainwreck on my 300s. People look and stare, and when they realize you're not color blind, they realize your just a bit outside the lines.

Why match when you can clash? :)
 
hoosierbr

hoosierbr

Hall of Fame
I think I'll be switching to the KBlade 98 after my own racquet search. Down to that and the Babolat Pure Drive GT. Demoed the Pure Storm but a bit underpowered and not enough spin on my serve.

Congrats on your choice. I hope you'll be very happy together. :)
 
CzechM8

CzechM8

Rookie
Congrats on the choice. It's interesting to see someone whose experience with various models of racquets reflects mine so exactly.

I think I've brought my frames to perfection by putting on a leather grip. Not only did it help me feel the bevels better (which was why I put the leather there in the first place) but it also made the racquet more HL and even more fun in the spin department.

And the best thing is the arm friendliness of the stick. I can play two hours a day for two weeks in a row, with a full poly job, and have no elbow/shoulder trouble at all.
 
R

Rainalkar

Rookie
Anyone had experience playing with these?

Pacific Raptor
Babolat AeroPro Team GT
Babolat Pure Drive Lite
Yonex S-Fit 1 Lite
Yonex S-Fit 3

What I'm looking for is:
-A very maneuverable racket (Wilson k6.1 Team is something I'm talking about)
-Has decent power (much more than the above Wilson, perhaps a bit more than the Fischer Pro Tour). I prefer for this reason rackets around 300g (I'm a 65kg male, probably a 4.0)
-Has plenty of spin potential (MUCH more then the Wilson, I prefer because of this reason a more open stringbed)
-Has to be very arm friendly (Wilson is great here)
-Has to be rather stable (Wilson was poor here, Fischer rather good)

Ofcourse I realize that some conditions partially exclude others, but you get the picture. I had in mind the rackets above, let me know what you think.
 
Hidious

Hidious

Professional
Hello TripleB,

What a great racquet quest that was, i enjoyed it from the start. I may have tried only 2 or 3 racquets out of the ones you mention but i like how your findings relate to mine, especially about the 300 Tour.

Three questions:
-How different does soft vs hard grommet feel? Have you demoed both?
-Why didn't you try the AG 200? Is it out of your weight range?
-Are you a math teacher?

Thanks :)
 
TripleB

TripleB

Hall of Fame
Hidious said:
Three questions:
-How different does soft vs hard grommet feel? Have you demoed both?
-Why didn't you try the AG 200? Is it out of your weight range?
-Are you a math teacher?

Thanks :)
Click to expand...

- I haven't tried the hard grommets yet...I'm told that it makes the racquet play a bit more 'crisp'. I'm looking forward to trying the hard grommets to see which I prefer. That's why I ordered the exact same string job (Scorpion mains/Gosen crosses) at the exact same tension in two of the racquets - 1 with the soft grommets and 1 with the hard grommets.
- The fact that it had a 18x20 string pattern in a 95 sq in racquet, was afraid it wouldn't give me quite enough spin.
- Yes, 7th grade.

You're welcome.

TripleB
 
cork_screw

cork_screw

Hall of Fame
Thin beams don't result in instability. The Pro Staff 85 and the KPS88 are a few of the stablist racquets and they also have the thinnest beams. Same goes with the RDS 001 Mid

JackB1 said:
I played the Ozone Tour for a while and it's a good all around choice. One of few racquets with a lot of power in a flexy racquet. Only thing I didn't like about it was it's very thin beam which lead to a little instability at times for me.
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N

NLBwell

Legend
Thanks for the info BBB. Interesting that, of the rackets on your list I have tried, I'm in general agreement with your quick reviews except of the Ozone Tour which I hated.
Why did you make the string choices you did?
Let us know how you like them, please. I'd be interested to know (and I'm sure others will be too).
 
N

new_tennis_player

Banned
Congratulations.

I'm really surprised Prince doesn't have a larger market share than it does. In the tennis classes I've taken, I'd say Wilson takes about 90% of the market.

W is like the McDonald's of tennis rackets: popular, easy to find, but it may leave one with a bad aftertaste.
 
TripleB

TripleB

Hall of Fame
NLBwell said:
Thanks for the info BBB. Interesting that, of the rackets on your list I have tried, I'm in general agreement with your quick reviews except of the Ozone Tour which I hated.
Why did you make the string choices you did?
Let us know how you like them, please. I'd be interested to know (and I'm sure others will be too).
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To be honest the Prince Ozone Tour wasn't a racquet I was going to demo. When I was ordering my last set of demos T-W didn't have a demo of the Prince Ozone Tour available and I've never met an 'O' racquet that I liked.

It took about a week for the last four demos I ordered to get in. Around day five I decided to change one of my demos to the Prince Ozone Tour since T-W got a demo in and the Ozone Tour fell right into the perfect weight, balance, and width that I was looking for in a racquet. So the Ozone Tour was almost a racquet I didn't demo. Crazy how things work out.

I went with the Scorpion because I've tried that string in the past and really liked the feel, spin, and touch I got out of it. Although the Ozone Tour wasn't near as 'mushy' as I was expecting, I'm thinking the Scorpion mains will add a bit more of a 'crisp' feel to the racquet (looking for a bit more crisp feel on the serve). I've always loved Gosen as a cross.

I've also tried TurboTwist in the past as well and loved it to so since I ordered three racquets I would give it a shot in one. I put Forten Sweet in the crosses because I've heard great things about this cheap string.

I went with a poly/co-poly string because I use heavy spin and with the Ozone Tour's open string pattern I wanted to make sure I put something in it that will last.

I'll let you know how things turn out. Racquets won't be in for a week or so...UPS ground. Order was over the 12 pound max for free 2 day shipping :(.

TripleB
 
JackB1

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
cork_screw said:
Thin beams don't result in instability. The Pro Staff 85 and the KPS88 are a few of the stablist racquets and they also have the thinnest beams. Same goes with the RDS 001 Mid
Click to expand...

I would think the weight of the beams has more to do with stability, but for whatever reason, I found the Ozone Tour a bit unstable on off center hits.
 
TripleB

TripleB

Hall of Fame
ChipNCharge said:
What else did you get that would result in a 12+ lb package??
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Well, I'm not actually sure if it was the weight or the size of the box everything had to go in (both make an order inelligible for free 2 day shipping). I think I also ordered about 5 sets of strings, 9 packages of overgrip, and grommets. I had a tennis bag in there as well but removed it...so that may have put it over the limit and then when it was removed it may have not shown up as a reduction in weight :confused:

TripleB
 
pug

pug

Semi-Pro
TripleB,

Congratulations on finding a new partner. I have enjoyed reading all your posts on demos, thanks for taking the time to post them.

It seems that every time I run the racquet finder at TW, the Ozone Tour comes up. I may have to give it a test drive just to see if it needs to be in my bag.
 
TripleB

TripleB

Hall of Fame
pug said:
TripleB,

Congratulations on finding a new partner. I have enjoyed reading all your posts on demos, thanks for taking the time to post them.

It seems that every time I run the racquet finder at TW, the Ozone Tour comes up. I may have to give it a test drive just to see if it needs to be in my bag.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I truly appreciate your response.

Yea, me too. I avoided it for the longest time because other than the O3 White I playtested, I really hadn't found an O3 racquet that I liked the feel of...most felt too 'mushy' compared to what I was used to.

Best of luck!

Heads Up: Last week I emailed TW and asked if they would be getting more Prince Ozone Tour 4 1/2" grips in (because I was trying to decide between the 4 1/2 and the 4 5/8" and they said that the racquet was discontinued and they wouldn't be getting in any more 4 1/2" grips. Although when I checked earlier today they had two...so I'm not sure how they got more in. Just FYI.

TripleB
 
BC1

BC1

Professional
I wonder if Prince has a "new" Ozone Tour in the works? Or if they are discontinuing the line for good?
 
D

Deleted member 25923

Guest
Rabbit said:
You actually sound convinced this time... ;)

Man, you paid $179/ea for discontinued frames? WOW.....
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Rabbit, why is it that whenever I switch frames, you switch again. I found you and I have similar frame preferences. When I went to AG100, you go to C10 pros. I go to c10 pros, you go to XForce Pro
 
D

Dreamwalker

New User
Congrats on your choice ... I very much enjoyed reading your reviews.

One question regarding your experience with the 4D 300 vs. 4D 300 Tour: You mentioned that the Tour didn't have enough power and the non-tour had putaway power. Was the difference fairly significant?
 
TripleB

TripleB

Hall of Fame
Rabbit said:
You actually sound convinced this time... ;)

Man, you paid $179/ea for discontinued frames? WOW.....
Click to expand...

After playing with the demo last night I'm even more convinced. Such a solid feel, heavy spin, great maneuverability, incredible angles, etc, etc, etc.

$179? Maybe..........but probably not ;-)

Dreamwalker said:
Congrats on your choice ... I very much enjoyed reading your reviews.

One question regarding your experience with the 4D 300 vs. 4D 300 Tour: You mentioned that the Tour didn't have enough power and the non-tour had putaway power. Was the difference fairly significant?
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Thank you...I appreciate the comment.

Yes, I would say it was pretty significant, both on groundstrokes and serves. Both had good put away power at the net but everywhere else it was quite a big difference.

TripleB
 
Shangri La

Shangri La

Hall of Fame
Could have easily had TW re-do the order and split into two - there you have your free 2day shipping.

I know what a relief it is to finally settle down. Good luck.
 
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TripleB

TripleB

Hall of Fame
Shangri La said:
Could have easily had TW re-do the order and split into two - there you have your free 2day shipping.

I know what a relief it is to finally settle down. Good luck.
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Yea, I thought about that after I found out I was going to have to pay $5.95...but I had added/removed 5 or 6 different items from the order so I didn't want to irritate T-W Customer Service any more (especially over $6). Plus it will do my body (and my marriage) good to take the week off from tennis...'blessing in disguise' so to speak.

Thanks...it's a great relief!!!

TripleB
 
JackB1

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
TripleB said:
After playing with the demo last night I'm even more convinced. Such a solid feel, heavy spin, great maneuverability, incredible angles, etc, etc, etc.

$179? Maybe..........but probably not ;-)



Thank you...I appreciate the comment.

Yes, I would say it was pretty significant, both on groundstrokes and serves. Both had good put away power at the net but everywhere else it was quite a big difference.

TripleB
Click to expand...

A weighted up 300 Tour strung low tension has PLENTY of put away power.
 
TripleB

TripleB

Hall of Fame
JackB1 said:
A weighted up 300 Tour strung low tension has PLENTY of put away power.
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I agree...however the lack of spin (compared to the Ozone Tour as well as the 16x19 300) made it difficult to play with this racquet. But I loved A LOT of things about the Tour!!!

Fed Kennedy said:
Hey triple b, in your quest, did you ever try the ozone pro tour (davydenko) model?
Click to expand...

No, never have. Sorry.

TripleB
 
S

smirker

Hall of Fame
Got my hands on an Ozone Tour tonight and have got to say it was very nice.

Enough power but not too much, plenty of spin and great for volleying.

Serve suffered a bit compared to my regular sticks. Nothing a little lead tape won't cure:) Think Iwould add leather grip also. Mate selling it second hand so may well buy it.

Can you confirm something on the specs? It all adds up except SW. On the frame it states the SW being 295 which I assume is unstrung as this is how they list the static weight on the frame also.

TW has the SW (strung) at 321. Can strings really add 26 SW points or is someone out with their measurements?

The frame I have is Prince Ozone Tour with a 3 above the O but definitely not the O3 Tour. 100" 27" long 310mm balance (unstrung) 10.9 oz (unstrung) and 295 SW 16m 18x.

I am in the UK so is it possible EU specs are different?

Good racquet, hope you enjoy them when they finally arrive.
 
TripleB

TripleB

Hall of Fame
smirker said:
Serve suffered a bit compared to my regular sticks. Nothing a little lead tape won't cure:) Think Iwould add leather grip also. Mate selling it second hand so may well buy it.

Can you confirm something on the specs? It all adds up except SW. On the frame it states the SW being 295 which I assume is unstrung as this is how they list the static weight on the frame also.

TW has the SW (strung) at 321. Can strings really add 26 SW points or is someone out with their measurements?

The frame I have is Prince Ozone Tour with a 3 above the O but definitely not the O3 Tour. 100" 27" long 310mm balance (unstrung) 10.9 oz (unstrung) and 295 SW 16m 18x.

I am in the UK so is it possible EU specs are different?

Good racquet, hope you enjoy them when they finally arrive.
Click to expand...

The first time out with this racquet my serve suffered as well. I think it was the fact that contact didn't feel as crisp as the other racquets I was trying. Second night it came around and has gotten better ever since. Kick serves are incredible.

Not sure about the specs. The demo I had weighed 323 grams strung. Swingweight felt like it was around the 315-320 mark. Not sure how much swingweight strings add...a lot of people here know a lot more about swingweight than I do.

The Prince Ozone Tour racquets I ordered already have a leather grip.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

TripleB
 
hrstrat57

hrstrat57

Hall of Fame
Good luck with the new sticks......

As we all know a real player needs at least 3 frames to feel complete:)

Looking forward to hear more regarding the way forward!

Congrats on the completion of your quest.

My quest only requires the score of one more i prestige mp with a 4 1/2 grip, glossy finish must be mint and cheap.

Wish me luck!
 
S

smirker

Hall of Fame
TripleB said:
The first time out with this racquet my serve suffered as well. I think it was the fact that contact didn't feel as crisp as the other racquets I was trying. Second night it came around and has gotten better ever since. Kick serves are incredible.

Not sure about the specs. The demo I had weighed 323 grams strung. Swingweight felt like it was around the 315-320 mark. Not sure how much swingweight strings add...a lot of people here know a lot more about swingweight than I do.

The Prince Ozone Tour racquets I ordered already have a leather grip.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

TripleB
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No Problem. Thanks for the tip on serve. I am just used to serving with heavier sticks and letting them plow through the ball. Agree that second serves were more succesful with plenty of action on the ball. Will have to add some lead and see how we go from there. Will add leather too as I prefer the feel. Looked on the Prince site and I definitely have the right frame.

Anyone care to comment on the amount of SW a set of strings adds?
 
G

GTI

New User
Hi TripleB, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I have played with Kblade98 several months now and agree with you. Very good power and control with it. But one big problem...it's been hurting my arm. Due to that I'm thinking to switch. I'm also hoping to find some more stability at net and little bit more spin (although kblade98 spin is good for 18x20).

How do you compare swingweight, stability and powerlevel between kblade98 and Ozone tour?
 
TripleB

TripleB

Hall of Fame
GTI said:
Hi TripleB, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

How do you compare swingweight, stability and powerlevel between kblade98 and Ozone tour?
Click to expand...

You're welcome!

Swingweight: the Ozone Tour swings easier than the KBlade 98. My KBlade 98 demo was 3 points headlight while the Ozone Tour was about 6.5 points headlight. In my opinion the Ozone has a swingweight (not sure what the specs say) about 8 to 10 points less...much easier to whip the Ozone Tour around on groundstrokes and it's also quicker at the net.

Stability: tough call on this one...I would say they are equal but for different reasons. The balance of the KBlade makes it feel very stable while the 'O' rings in the Ozone Tour makes the sweetspot of the Prince feel huge. I like the fact that the Prince is as stable as the KBlade but still gives that great maneuverability.

Power Level: in my opinion the Ozone Tour has more power as well as more consistent power. I noticed a drop off in power (away from the sweetspot) more with the KBlade than I did with the Ozone Tour. The Ozone Tour's power level is very uniform (ie: a huge sweetspot) with no noticeable 'dead' spots on the racquet face. The KBlade still has a good amount of power though but I felt its power came from the plowthrough of the racquet.

Hope some of this helps.

TripleB
 
pug

pug

Semi-Pro
TripleB said:
You're welcome!

Swingweight: the Ozone Tour swings easier than the KBlade 98. My KBlade 98 demo was 3 points headlight while the Ozone Tour was about 6.5 points headlight. In my opinion the Ozone has a swingweight (not sure what the specs say) about 8 to 10 points less...much easier to whip the Ozone Tour around on groundstrokes and it's also quicker at the net.

Stability: tough call on this one...I would say they are equal but for different reasons. The balance of the KBlade makes it feel very stable while the 'O' rings in the Ozone Tour makes the sweetspot of the Prince feel huge. I like the fact that the Prince is as stable as the KBlade but still gives that great maneuverability.

Power Level: in my opinion the Ozone Tour has more power as well as more consistent power. I noticed a drop off in power (away from the sweetspot) more with the KBlade than I did with the Ozone Tour. The Ozone Tour's power level is very uniform (ie: a huge sweetspot) with no noticeable 'dead' spots on the racquet face. The KBlade still has a good amount of power though but I felt its power came from the plowthrough of the racquet.

Hope some of this helps.

TripleB
Click to expand...

TripleB,

You are really making this racquet sound like a winner. It seems like this one was not really on your radar, but just showed up by devine intervention. I am really curious to give it a hit.
 
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