The Official 18x20 String Pattern Club

ae695

Rookie
+1

Dear Sir:

Would you please count me in the club? I am a proud owner and hitter of 3 Head Ti Radicals since 1999.

Regards from Spain
 

0d1n

Hall of Fame
Count me in too! I just bought 2 Babolat Pure Storm Ltd Tours. I also have a Prokennex Redondo Mid that I like to use at times.
I used to wield two Vantage 95 racquets with 16x19 patterns and I've had no problem adjusting and generating spin with the new Babolat racquets

What specs were the Vantage frames and why did you prefer the Babolats ?? I assume you did since you changed.
 
What specs were the Vantage frames and why did you prefer the Babolats ?? I assume you did since you changed.

My vantages were 320g 10 pts headlight (unstrung), 27.5" 63ra, 16x19

I prefer the Babolats because it has a lower swingweight while still having a similar plush feeling like the vantages. I was actually going to purchase an 18x20 Vantage, but I got a good deal on the Babolats. I don't really miss the extra half an inch in length
 

0d1n

Hall of Fame
My vantages were 320g 10 pts headlight (unstrung), 27.5" 63ra, 16x19

I prefer the Babolats because it has a lower swingweight while still having a similar plush feeling like the vantages. I was actually going to purchase an 18x20 Vantage, but I got a good deal on the Babolats. I don't really miss the extra half an inch in length

Understood. Well the SW is most definitely lower if you go back to 27 inches for the Vantages...1/2 inch will add significant sw.
I think you can cut off that "extra length" yourself...but obviously you will then have to play with weight and balance a bit after that.
 
Understood. Well the SW is most definitely lower if you go back to 27 inches for the Vantages...1/2 inch will add significant sw.
I think you can cut off that "extra length" yourself...but obviously you will then have to play with weight and balance a bit after that.

I actually sent one of my racquets back to vantage to cut the 1/2 inch off. I enjoyed playing with that vantage racquet despite not tinkering with the weight and balance.
I've been meaning to add some silicone inside the handle or try the TW method of adding compressed cotton, fishing weights and hot glue inside the handle, but I could never go through with it.
 

OldButGame

Hall of Fame
Some of the 18x20 pattern frames I own:

Redondo Mid
Redondo Midplus
DNX 10 MP
Becker 11 MP
LM Radical MP
FP Radical MP
MG Radical MP
Samster,..
When i get my Redondo(MP) this Spring,...We'll have a lotta sticks in common !!!
icon14.gif


(Bundey count me in with my,....ummmmmm,...BB11 i guess,...for now,...:))
 

Bundey

Professional
Okay all new members, I updated the master list on the first page and your names are on it.

We are up to 216 members... holy crap ahah. Is this the biggest club on these forums?
 
I'd like to join. Recently switched from 16x19 to 18x20 and the consistency off the string bed is so much better.

Dunlop bio 200 with gamma asterisks spin @62
 
Time to update this again! I'm coming in with my 30€ Pro's Pro Art of Wars as my main racquets and a Max 200G for when I'm on top of my game!
 

OldButGame

Hall of Fame
I Just looked at the 'master list' at the start of the thread!!!!!!!!
...DID YOU SEE HOW MANY LIQUID METAL RADICALS THERE ARE????!!!!!:shock:
 

Spin-A-Lot

Rookie
I'd like to join pls :)

I play with an:
i.Prestige Mid (preferred)
i.Prestige Midplus

I have a couple of open string patterned racquets (Dunlop AG300 16x18 and a Speed Pro) but I always end up going back to the 2 above...
 

SoBad

G.O.A.T.
I thought I was already here, but if not kindly add me to your roster - tfight320 18x20. Thank you!:D
 

Irakli

Rookie
Count me in! :)

2 Head Radical: Liquidmetal and Microgel.
Those are some fine sticks (espacially when you mod 'em).

Irakli
 
I move Martina Navratilova gets an ironic, honorary membership in this sub-club.

When TTC listed Nole's frame, to the 18 by 20 part, she added, 'whatever that means'.

Legendary player leaning on Bosworth for all her racquet tech-nicality....this was something someone more 'out of touch' might say on air.
 
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I'll just say that I don't use the Dunlop unless I wake up feeling great. The PP's are my everyday sticks, similar to a midplus Prestige if you will. And yes, they are 18x20. So if you want, you can write "generic Head Prestige MP clone" on me :p
 

Bundey

Professional
Okay, just updated the list.... but I have about 2 characters left on my first page... Luckily my friend was the second post and I know his password so I can just continue it there!
 

Sintherius

Semi-Pro
18 people with the Prestige Mid... and only TWO with the YOUTEK Prestige Mid... shows this racket is not for the weak, but it is an incredible line nonetheless :D
 

Larrysümmers

Hall of Fame
18 people with the Prestige Mid... and only TWO with the YOUTEK Prestige Mid... shows this racket is not for the weak, but it is an incredible line nonetheless :D

what do you mean, how does it differ? ive only tried the flexpoint and microgel prestige mid, i never even tried youtek
 

el sergento

Hall of Fame
Alright, playtest pretty much complete with the Plat 99

Ok boys, been enjoying some great weather lately and the tennis has been a plenty.

Got a total of 4 good sessions with the Plat 99. I won't count the first because a hybrid setup really didn't work for me, however, I then restrang with B5E at 50/52#'s and that really brought the frame to life.

I also have to add that the weight issue that bugged me at first got resolved, turns out it was a grip issue. The grip on the Donnays seems to be rather small. So the smaller grip made the racquet feel heavier. I solved this by adding 2 OG's

Pros:

Power:

I don't really have much to add. The stick is indeed special. I mean, I never hit so many winners in my life. It's just so powerful that many of my setup shots ended up being cold winners, and I only played on clay.

I don't usually hit that many winners, I'm more of an 80% power, force the error kind of guy. So the 99 brought me great joy in that I didn't have to hit those extra 2-3 shots.

Depth:

Depth is automatic really. It's such a powerful frame that a good stroke will yield better than average depth.

The weight and power does force you to play big. There's no *****footing around with the 99. You either swing hard and fast or the ball lands long, and I'm talking feet, not inches.

Serves:

Again, it serves bombs. Goes through the air super fast and just crushes the ball. Control isn't cheap though, and just like off the ground, you have to go for your shots, control is directly related to RHS; if the swing slows down, you'll have no control of the ball.

Cons:

Comfort:

I have shoulder issues. The 99 did nothing to help. Yes, it's comfortable for a 70 RA stick, BUT, it's still a 70 RA stick. The power isn't free, and it comes largely from the stiffness of the frame. Let's just say that framing a shot hurts.

In fact, I actually lost feeling to the tip of my index finger after a prolonged session with this racquet. Now, this could also be due to the full bed of poly (I've been using a hybrid for years) but a hybrid really didn't work for me. If I wanted to tame the power, full poly at low tensions was the only solution.

Feel:

It's a crisp feeling stick for sure, and hard hit shots feel great off the SS. However, it's much harder to get a feel for touch shots. This could be due to the low tension of the poly, but in situations where the strings do most of the work, the frame didn't send much feedback.

Control:

The power of this frame really reduces control IMO. By that I mean that the frame somewhat forces you to play hard all of the time. Any attempt to vary the speed of the swing was a bit of a gamble.

I don't know if I'm making myself clear. Lets's just say that control when swiniging out was fantastic. I knew that if I swung hard, the ball would do as I pleased. However, if I wanted to place a ball, instead of hitting it hard, the stringbed became erratic. I found it hard to vary the speed of my swings.

As a result, I found myself avoiding any touch shots. Slices where hard and deep, but again, it was hard to hit a soft floater or a short angled slice. In the end, my game really did turn into hard B-Line bashing.

This could be due to how fast the racquet goes through the air. Once the swing has started, there's no slowing it down. On clay, last second adjustments are often necessary due to crap bounces. And the Plat 99 made it hard to put the brakes on a swing to adjust to a different swing path.

Overall / final thoughts:

This really is a special stick. It's not like anything I've ever hit with. Power is something to behold. The put away power is second to none. Without any exaggeration, this puts a KPS 88 so shame.

So if you have a predominantly B-Line game, and your body doesn't mind a stiff frame and a full bed of poly, this thing is for you. However, if you have a tender shoulder, elbow or wrist, I would stay away, far, far away.

Also, despite what some have noted, I found almost no resemblance to a Prestige. The mark of the Prestige, IMO, is outstanding control at the expense of power in a crisp yet soft, comfortable and forgiving package.

The mark of the Plat 99 was outstanding power, at the expense of control and comfort. Spin is very good, and the kick you get is phenomenal when you swing hard, however, it's harder to vary your swing speed and play with different spins, especially off the backhand.

In the end, I think it was just too much racquet for me. Also, the power doesn't help as much on clay. In fact, going for too much too early usually gets you in trouble. Yes, I hit many a cold winner, but I also fed my opponents plenty of pace that they gladly threw back at me.
 
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