Diary of a Racketaholic

JGads said:

That backhand was ridiculous. Just stupid.

I love 3 grams at 12, I do it to a lot of my sticks, actually. To me I always notice more of a difference with lead at 12 than putting lead at 3 and 9.

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Try 8g..................

I agree with your above post JG, too much cr@p written by kids or just people who know no better. We have a court at the AO that is very slow and hard to hit thro so you are always gonna have more UE's than winners when you have two super humanoid stamina bustin blokes on either side of the net. Great game, just different than other great games. Looking forward to the season, the French is gonna be great, Nole should of beat Fed last year but its balanced by the US open I suppose. I also remember Murray doing very well against Nadal on clay and should of beat Nole in Rome I think so with him in the same ball bustin bracket as the other two and with Lendl behind him Im not discounting him on the clay of RG......

Well the Organix 10 demo is currently being used by someone else at the moment. To my excitement though, I was able to get my hands on a BLX 95 demo instead. Going to give it a crack tomorrow for a few hours.

You've talked it up Ross. High expectations

Ok boys enough with the stiffer end of the soft poly spectrum, now for a few plusher polys, what do you think I should go for next.....

Pacific Poly Power Pro Black 1.25
Volkl Cyclone 1.20
w/c B5E 1.24
w/c Scorpion 1.28

(Discho Iontec, Solinco TB, Solinco Revolution, BHBR, BHSR, Alu, PP Blackout, PP Hexaspin, a few softer PP polys can all wait)

Ross, what was your set up and which racket did you use when you said that Cyclone felt mushy??

Ill be honest, I may just skip the demo stuff and work on my game..we will see. But I do have a really awesome string setup in the Wilson and it is playing fantastic. I am not sure another stick in the mix would be a good idea right now.

Power Player said:

Ill be honest, I may just skip the demo stuff and work on my game..we will see. But I do have a really awesome string setup in the Wilson and it is playing fantastic. I am not sure another stick in the mix would be a good idea right now.

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You were in the latest Wilson playtest right? How did your playtest frame compare to the current BLX model in terms of feel? I'm trying to decide if I want to stash money away for a matched set of the new 6.1 models or save the cash if I can be happy with the current ones.

ryushen21 said:

You were in the latest Wilson playtest right? How did your playtest frame compare to the current BLX model in terms of feel? I'm trying to decide if I want to stash money away for a matched set of the new 6.1 models or save the cash if I can be happy with the current ones.

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not much difference as i recall.

ryushen21 said:

You were in the latest Wilson playtest right? How did your playtest frame compare to the current BLX model in terms of feel? I'm trying to decide if I want to stash money away for a matched set of the new 6.1 models or save the cash if I can be happy with the current ones.

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In terms of feel, I would agree with BadCall. You could easily stay with the current models.

If you are going 18x20 and dont break strings a lot..plus love higher tension...try the gut/poly..man it is nice. You could use Pacific gut and Cofocus crosses so the string job would not be super expensive. I also am using string savers. I will keep everyone posted on how long the setup lasts. It is really good on the arm.

I am also going to compare tour bite mains/nvy crosses as well. At this point I will pick a setup and stay with it for a while. I have not been playing that well because I am trying too many strings and tensions.

But gut in a wilson is super super goaty.

Update, I saw the yonex Ivanovic racquet in the store went I went to grab some balls/string. It looks super goaty..real nice PJ..crushes the Vcore PJs. I may grab a demo. Basically saw every stick out and am not really interested in anything, but having never used yonex, I may give it a run for the good of the thread. Had the prestige Mid demo in my hand, but I am not really interested anymore..I had a nice little run with those sticks, but they are not really going to make me better.

Also curious how big the yonny hits. It has a narrow throat and then gets pretty wide in the head. Basically reminds me of an EXO tour specwise, except I would guess that it would be more powerful. If it hits as big as a blx 95 than it could be a hit..the power rating is higher, but I am not sure how it can hit so big considering it is lighter and the SW is also about the same as the Wilson.

Power Player said:

Update, I saw the yonex Ivanovic racquet in the store went I went to grab some balls/string. It looks super goaty..real nice PJ..crushes the Vcore PJs. I may grab a demo. Basically saw every stick out and am not really interested in anything, but having never used yonex, I may give it a run for the good of the thread. Had the prestige Mid demo in my hand, but I am not really interested anymore..I had a nice little run with those sticks, but they are not really going to make me better.

Also curious how big the yonny hits. It has a narrow throat and then gets pretty wide in the head. Basically reminds me of an EXO tour specwise, except I would guess that it would be more powerful. If it hits as big as a blx 95 than it could be a hit..the power rating is higher, but I am not sure how it can hit so big considering it is lighter and the SW is also about the same as the Wilson.

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I have an older, heavier navratilova stick that has an 18 mm beam and a 30 cm mid hoop and I can tell you it hits as big as anything I've tried esp off the ground.

Power Player said:

In terms of feel, I would agree with BadCall. You could easily stay with the current models.

If you are going 18x20 and dont break strings a lot..plus love higher tension...try the gut/poly..man it is nice. You could use Pacific gut and Cofocus crosses so the string job would not be super expensive. I also am using string savers. I will keep everyone posted on how long the setup lasts. It is really good on the arm.

I am also going to compare tour bite mains/nvy crosses as well. At this point I will pick a setup and stay with it for a while. I have not been playing that well because I am trying too many strings and tensions.

But gut in a wilson is super super goaty.

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I used the Gut/Poly setup back in my Babolat days. It was the only way that I could get some comfort out of my old AST frames. I'm stringing up the BLX and the PSL with SP Tornado 17 and will have some more hitting time this week. I'm going to give the BLX a whole day/session to itself since the PSL got the same treatment.

I'm going to check the balance on the BLX once it's strung and will more than likely add a few grams at 10 and 2 to get it closer to my butter zone.

Had the last couple of hours before I cut out my Pro's Pro Hexaspin Twist 1.25

Its had about 6hrs now and is still as good as fresh. Excellent all round, singles match today, the spin I was getting was up there with the best and some more, crosscourt fh were bombing down onto the line when at first Im thinking Ive misjudged my shot. The one negative I have is that it slightly pops bh slices but I got accustomed to it and it became less of a problem. On the other hand fh crooscourt angles are a joy.
I can be cuter with this string than TB and its a better fit in my Melbourne.
Lots of spin and some great pop make for a superb string, the feel is crisp but touch shots are soft enough to give decent feel. I recommend this string and at the price its well worth a demo.

I'd play the BLX stock for a while. It's a lot of stick in stock form and truly does not need any lead.

My arm has been giving some issues lately, which is why I went gut for a bit. The reason i decided to grab the yonny is raw curiosity and also curious if the Wilson stiffness is bugging me or maybe I am just a little late sometimes on my swings. Anyway, my point is that you want to keep that wilson stock for a bit and make sure you are hitting the ball out in front everytime, or that lead, plus the stiffness could come back to haunt you.

Or possibly I irritated my arm weigthlifting as well. I can never count that out, because weights plus tennis is a very fine line.

The other possibility (and one I think is the case) is the full poly in the wilson is fantastic, but maybe a little too harsh for my arm.

Due to cost, frequency of restringing and overall comfort, I think I am going to take a step back from the full poly and hybrid again for a while. It just saves me money and makes more sense as well. I also can keep the tension pretty low in the Wilson, so that is a major plus. NVY is very low powered.

This also enables me to come back to the wonderful tourbite, and not have to use a full pack everytime I string up a stick.

Meaghan said:

I have an older, heavier navratilova stick that has an 18 mm beam and a 30 cm mid hoop and I can tell you it hits as big as anything I've tried esp off the ground.

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Nice, I have never really hit with a yonex, except an Rdis a few years back. It didn't really wow me that much, but it's the only brand I have not really given a run with.

The Exi 98 sounds like their Wilson 6.1 or Pure Storm Tour in some ways.

Regardless, tonight I use the wonderful BLX with gut mains. Life could be a lot worse..lol.

Power Player said:

Nice, I have never really hit with a yonex, except an Rdis a few years back. It didn't really wow me that much, but it's the only brand I have not really given a run with.

The Exi 98 sounds like their Wilson 6.1 or Pure Storm Tour in some ways.

Regardless, tonight I use the wonderful BLX with gut mains. Life could be a lot worse..lol.

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Vcore 95 much more substantial than the xi98. I hit the 98 it is a very comfort oriented stick, but the boom is not there at 11.5 oz.

The 95 is more of the 6.1 alternative. Also the rdis200 is more comfy than both.

Nice I did not see that you hit the xi98. What are your strokes like? I ask because I like to roll over the ball as much as I can, and the BLX lets me do that even though I do frame shots sometimes. The Vcore 95 that I saw today seemed much more like a stick to drive the ball with...a prestige if you will. The 6.1 to me is like a crazy hybrid of a prestige and a babolat. It drives the ball, but also is extremely spin friendly, which is a rare and unique combo in my experience.

I guess I will find out soon, but if you have a fast swing and load up the ball with top, wouldn't the xi98 make more sense than the vcores? I also do want to try the more comfortable option, since I know my favorite stiff racquet. It's the 6.1.

Power Player said:

Nice I did not see that you hit the xi98. What are your strokes like? I ask because I like to roll over the ball as much as I can, and the BLX lets me do that even though I do frame shots sometimes. The Vcore 95 that I saw today seemed much more like a stick to drive the ball with...a prestige if you will. The 6.1 to me is like a crazy hybrid of a prestige and a babolat. It drives the ball, but also is extremely spin friendly, which is a rare and unique combo in my experience.

I guess I will find out soon, but if you have a fast swing and load up the ball with top, wouldn't the xi98 make more sense than the vcores? I also do want to try the more comfortable option, since I know my favorite stiff racquet. It's the 6.1.

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Yes you are correct sir. D for drive. I have 1hbh and have been spending more and more court time with the ps85. Sooo, I am hitting with less and less top these days. I think my recent heavy drill time with the ps85 is predisposing me to the smaller head.
You may really enjoy the xi98 off the bh Wing, the headshape is unique with a lot of headroom at 2 and 10.
I dedicated last week to yonex demoing. Tried a ton of them but focused in on the 95 and 98 vcore. Both pretty sweet. 98 with leather and some lead could be a monster. 95 just had the sweet players stick feel.
Side note the woz stick had incredible feel and control for a 100si light racquet. Total chick stick but an amazingly well made rac. I dont have the game to reap the benefits, but I was impressed.

Nice..yes I too saw the Woz and was curious. I have the topspin game for sticks like that. Was it way too light? It definitely screams "chic stick" when I held it..lol. I also don't like 100s..they almost seem too big. 95 is my favorite headsize, but 98 is doable.

The xi98 does not seem like a girl's racquet at all, but indeed 2 of the hottest girls in tennis play it (or the PJ at least).

When I demo a stick I look to see if it helps my backhand and serve. That is why I use the 6.1, because my serve got way better than with the Prince.

Power Player said:

Nice..yes I too saw the Woz and was curious. I have the topspin game for sticks like that. Was it way too light? It definitely screams "chic stick" when I held it..lol. I also don't like 100s..they almost seem too big. 95 is my favorite headsize, but 98 is doable.

The xi98 does not seem like a girl's racquet at all, but indeed 2 of the hottest girls in tennis play it (or the PJ at least).

When I demo a stick I look to see if it helps my backhand and serve. That is why I use the 6.1, because my serve got way better than with the Prince.

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I thought the woz was light but not way too light. Really suprised by the smooth feel and connection to the ball. Dont really need the weight if you are gonna take big toppy cuts at the ball all the time. Weirdly the 98d felt like it needed weight moreso than the 100 even though it is heavier. Good sticks but a far cry from the battering ram of a 6.1.
If serve is the thing, 6.1 is just a class unto itself when it comes to pace.

Many ways to skin a cat, I've been outhit by skinny chicks using stock yonnies, all comes down to finding that groove with the swing.

Sounds like Fed went Yonex rogue on us and barely even mentioned anything. Come on, man. Share! By the way, Fed, you ever still use the 88 these days? Saw one getting restrung at a shop last week and almost wanted to bow down before it, for the paintjob and pancaking of that thing is pure goat. I remember having one of the most fun hitting sessions of my life with that bad boy. I always said I wanted to get one of those for my collection as another 'goat fun frame' and lament missing out when they went on clearance.

Fed Kennedy said:

I thought the woz was light but not way too light. Really suprised by the smooth feel and connection to the ball. Dont really need the weight if you are gonna take big toppy cuts at the ball all the time. Weirdly the 98d felt like it needed weight moreso than the 100 even though it is heavier. Good sticks but a far cry from the battering ram of a 6.1.
If serve is the thing, 6.1 is just a class unto itself when it comes to pace.

Many ways to skin a cat, I've been outhit by skinny chicks using stock yonnies, all comes down to finding that groove with the swing.

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This is a dream of mine.

Gads I am hunting used vcores as we speak. AO viewing and the death of my mac have affected the quality and detail of my posts apologies.
I need the 88 close to me at all times. I just cant help but try new sticks becuase I am a holic, but the 88 is still the best stick ever made.
Ive tried to sell them a few times, get with the program, get with the modern game etc....but everytime I do zombie wierdos come out of the woodwork on the classifieds trying to trade me 3 overgrips for an 88 etc....it freaked me out. Keeping the 88.

So true. The 6.1 is such a beast. On sub 11.5ish sticks, I usually find they swing almost too fast and light for me. even the Pure Drive was like this to me. I can jive with 11.7 or so all day long though.

Sounds like the best one for me to try is indeed the EXi98. I also like a softer feel, but I will say..the 6.1 is incredible how you can feel the ball perfectly with some strings, but make it really soft with other setups. The gut mains strung up at 58#s give a ton of ball feel, but strung under 55, and you are losing the ball in the bed.

I too would like to be outhit by a skinny girl using a yonex. I saw one yesterday that was smoking hot and wailing the ball...but it was from a distance, while she was looking rather banging, I had a strong suspicion she could be a taller junior tennis player and I'd feel like a weirdo checking her out.

Fed Kennedy said:

Gads I am hunting used vcores as we speak. AO viewing and the death of my mac have affected the quality and detail of my posts apologies.
I need the 88 close to me at all times. I just cant help but try new sticks becuase I am a holic, but the 88 is still the best stick ever made.
Ive tried to sell them a few times, get with the program, get with the modern game etc....but everytime I do zombie wierdos come out of the woodwork on the classifieds trying to trade me 3 overgrips for an 88 etc....it freaked me out. Keeping the 88.

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This cracked me up.

This could be a rare treat for the thread..gads and I both test driving the Yonex Ivonavic model right about at the same time.

Even better is that it will have to go toe to toe with a 6.1 strung with gut/poly..lol. It will need to be a seriously awesome stick.

Power Player said:

This could be a rare treat for the thread..gads and I both test driving the Yonex Ivonavic model right about at the same time.

Even better is that it will have to go toe to toe with a 6.1 strung with gut/poly..lol. It will need to be a seriously awesome stick.

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I have a hard time seeing the yonie winning that battle unless you are really digging on comfort. But you never know.
Another weird thing about yonex is there is zero flare on the buttcap. Feels a little strange.

Yeah nothing can beat the Wilson buttcap shape. I also do not see the Yani winning this matchup.

But I will say the stick looks like it can wail on the ball if you are a topspin hitter. Maybe I am wrong, but it specs out rather similar to the PK7G, except the pattern is more open (good thing for me).

I don't know anything anymore though..lol. Sometimes I wonder if I'm insane hitting with a 12.5 oz stick, but then again, I think my problems are more about footwork.

Power Player said:

This could be a rare treat for the thread..gads and I both test driving the Yonex Ivonavic model right about at the same time.

Even better is that it will have to go toe to toe with a 6.1 strung with gut/poly..lol. It will need to be a seriously awesome stick.

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Is there a greater phrase for a raquetholic to read than 'On vehicle for delivery today'? The UPS man always brings so much possibility to the door...

Playing tonight with my 5.0-5.5 buddy who was fed basalt bars at a very young age, will take the Yonnies to the party to see if they can handle heavy artillery.

You riding out with the Ivonavic?

If so, this is epic.

Fed Kennedy said:

I thought the woz was light but not way too light. Really suprised by the smooth feel and connection to the ball. Dont really need the weight if you are gonna take big toppy cuts at the ball all the time. Weirdly the 98d felt like it needed weight moreso than the 100 even though it is heavier. Good sticks but a far cry from the battering ram of a 6.1.
If serve is the thing, 6.1 is just a class unto itself when it comes to pace.

Many ways to skin a cat, I've been outhit by skinny chicks using stock yonnies, all comes down to finding that groove with the swing.

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Fed, you should publish these wise racketaholic musings, I swear! The last one especially (as I've been obsessing about it over the last few weeks) - absolutely QUOTED FOR TRUTH.

Power Player said:

Yeah nothing can beat the Wilson buttcap shape. I also do not see the Yani winning this matchup.

But I will say the stick looks like it can wail on the ball if you are a topspin hitter. Maybe I am wrong, but it specs out rather similar to the PK7G, except the pattern is more open (good thing for me).

I don't know anything anymore though..lol. Sometimes I wonder if I'm insane hitting with a 12.5 oz stick, but then again, I think my problems are more about footwork.

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That's the thing, my 7Gs and my Aces are 11.6-8 but with a higher swingweight they're more than enough in the beef department, so this new 98 intrigues. The scant few early reviewers on here seem to say it's a pretty controlled stick. We'll see.

Power Player said:

You riding out with the Ivonavic?

If so, this is epic.

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Yep. The Ivanovic (need to work on my fist pump), the 200, the Prestige MP. (so long as the UPS man doesn't destroy me with a late delivery, that is)... I also have the Wilson Pro Tour coming in the box but may save it for another day to focus on the others for these two hours.

edit: of course, this may change if one of the sticks shows up with an ancient stringbed of hollow core or something.

The Ivanovic looks so manly and goaty in person it is wild to think all these WTA gals use it. Of course the RafaNadalaConCortex looks rather femme and yet it works rather well for either sex.

I went into the shop anti demo. scoffed at the prestige mid (as wonderful as it is), sidled past the FedStick..chastised the clerk for not breaking the embargo and allowing me to buy the new 6.1 now, and then subtlety eyed the new rebel as if it was a decently hot girl wearing a bad outfit.

Saw the Rdis 200 for sale and was not super intrigued..interest went up with the wozzy special, but the Ivanovic grabbed me with it's chunky frame and killer PJ. Of course the demos were taken.

Power Player said:

The Ivanovic looks so manly and goaty in person it is wild to think all these WTA gals use it. Of course the RafaNadalaConCortex looks rather femme and yet it works rather well for either sex.

I went into the shop anti demo. scoffed at the prestige mid (as wonderful as it is), sidled past the FedStick..chastised the clerk for not breaking the embargo and allowing me to buy the new 6.1 now, and then subtlety eyed the new rebel as if it was a decently hot girl wearing a bad outfit.

Saw the Rdis 200 for sale and was not super intrigued..interest went up with the wozzy special, but the Ivanovic grabbed me with it's chunky frame and killer PJ. Of course the demos were taken.

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Haha. I'm quite familiar with this kind of trip through the store. There's a shop here in LA that's what heaven looks like for a 'holic: they have everything, they get everything early for demo, they string up your stick in 20-30 minutes (leaving you just enough time to roam the shoe section and racket wall, where you fantom swing the sticks whilst imagine yourself winning the US Open).

Speaking of possibility, BANG, the box just arrived. I skipped to the door like a 12-year-old girl, signed, unboxed. Very happy. Two brand new sticks, the Prestige MP and the Yonnie Xi, whilst the 200 and Pro Tour seem to have very fresh stringjobs. I didn't realize the Xi had a mostly matte paintjob: it looks incredible. I fist-pumped Ana Ivanovic style and suddenly felt cuter.

And FedK wasn't kidding about the Pro Tour: my GOD the stringbed is dense in the center. I do love me some closed-patterned precision, but this is hysterical. In the all-important ball-bouncing-against-the-bed test, though, frame feels pretty nice.

Two new frames and no Sensation or Hollow Core in the string mix, so I'm thrilled.

Sweet. Interested in seeing what you think, especially since you have just been hitting with the 6.1 blx.

They give it a low/medium power rating. That is a good sign to me, but let us know. And yeah, the pj is freaking awesome. Some of the yanis i saw on the wall were just uggggly.

I cant believe your store strings up sticks in 30 mins while you roam. That is awesome. Not happening at my place.

Power Player said:

Sweet. Interested in seeing what you think, especially since you have just been hitting with the 6.1 blx.

They give it a low/medium power rating. That is a good sign to me, but let us know. And yeah, the pj is freaking awesome. Some of the yanis i saw on the wall were just uggggly.

I cant believe your store strings up sticks in 30 mins while you roam. That is awesome. Not happening at my place.

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It's genius. Instead of dropping off a stick and leaving you roam the store and look at all the new gear. I never get out of there without buying something. This place also sells every stick 30-50 bucks below what you can get them for anywhere else. Yeah, the place is a nightmare.

Ross K said:

Fed, you should publish these wise racketaholic musings, I swear! The last one especially (as I've been obsessing about it over the last few weeks) - absolutely QUOTED FOR TRUTH.

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Yes, it can be published alongside my other sage quips such as "big hitters on tour dont use pds and apds" while we watch Nadal crush 101 mph fhs off his back foot...lol.

I am an idiot. Need some vcores, need the new fed stick, need an rd7, need some gut mains with hyperion crosses. Need some vapor 9s. Might need some new 4.3s but probably best to stay with Rogi.

Just won a 3 setter. Need a recovery burrito.

^ and I need a new tendon....

Fed Kennedy said:

Yes, it can be published alongside my other sage quips such as "big hitters on tour dont use pds and apds" while we watch Nadal crush 101 mph fhs off his back foot...lol.

I am an idiot. Need some vcores, need the new fed stick, need an rd7, need some gut mains with hyperion crosses. Need some vapor 9s. Might need some new 4.3s but probably best to stay with Rogi.

Just won a 3 setter. Need a recovery burrito.

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Which stick? Did the 85 win another? That little thing - or almost any heavy Wilson box beam - just ruins the mind. I end up always wanting to find box beam feel in everything.

And Chipotle makes a solid recovery burrito.

JGads said:

Which stick? Did the 85 win another? That little thing - or almost any heavy Wilson box beam - just ruins the mind. I end up always wanting to find box beam feel in everything.

And Chipotle makes a solid recovery burrito.

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Tec 320 with the lead stripped off. With the ps85 I would have won in straights.

Power Player said:

The Ivanovic looks so manly and goaty in person it is wild to think all these WTA gals use it. Of course the RafaNadalaConCortex looks rather femme and yet it works rather well for either sex.

I went into the shop anti demo. scoffed at the prestige mid (as wonderful as it is), sidled past the FedStick..chastised the clerk for not breaking the embargo and allowing me to buy the new 6.1 now, and then subtlety eyed the new rebel as if it was a decently hot girl wearing a bad outfit.

Saw the Rdis 200 for sale and was not super intrigued..interest went up with the wozzy special, but the Ivanovic grabbed me with it's chunky frame and killer PJ. Of course the demos were taken.

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HA! The new rebel 98 is quite nice and I think you would enjoy it. I was lucky enough to have a very brief hit with the Ivanovic frame last week and it was very interesting. Something you would have to try yourself. A nice blend of power and kinda soft.

BigM

Fed Kennedy said:

Tec 320 with the lead stripped off. With the ps85 I would have won in straights.

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Hey Fed, what's your preferred string set up in the Tec 320? Thanks in advance.

BigM..nice man. I am always looking for a comfort stick in case my wrist or arm starts hurting. After the 6.1 i cant go back to the lower powered exo tour. I still have one, but if the yani impresses, i think i may sell it. Is it safe to safe the yonex hits a lot bigger?

Played the 4.0 park pusher with the 6.1 natty poly combo. Dear lord it is an amazing setup. I think i found the right tension because i was hitting huge spin with confidence and my serves were coming in hot. I had one point where i hit the serve perfectly down the t, got a weak reply and hit the winner so hard and with so much spin that it bounced to the top third of the fence. What i am saying is this setup has massive spin and feels like god touched it. I am nervously applying string savers and praying to the eagle that somehow i can get enough time out of this to afford it.

There is no better setup for this racquet..none. It has rocketed past the tour bite because it feels so insanely good, cracks the ball with a ton of power and spin, and i also have touch for droppers. I hit three drop shot winners that were very goaty. My partner said the spin was very immense and hard to handle to his backhand. I won 1 and 2 pretty easily.

So for all 6.1 people...gut mains and cofocus crosses at 58/53. Start there and see where it takes you.

Chace said:

Hey Fed, what's your preferred string set up in the Tec 320? Thanks in advance.

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Blackcode at 55. I had one with gut mains and poly crosses but i traded it for a ps85 before I could hit it.
Blackcode sucks but its awesome in this frame.

Mmmk. Fun evening. I like these sticks. But, there are buts. A summary:

Xi 98: I'm still trying to get my head around this one. I instantly liked the way it swung and felt on contact. No adjustment or weirdness at all. Liked the feel: solid but soft, smooth but not mushy or a noodle. Very spinny, the net clearance was so generous, too: always seemed to be a foot up above the tape at least. Controlled, great at defense and getting the ball back consistently. BUT.... that spinny shot also sometimes lacked a little oomph. It had a bit of that 'sit-up-and-hit-me' kind of a vibe rather than penetrating through the court. I did have some AWESOME, heavy shots, but I had to put my everything into those shots. They didn't come easily. Coming off of the easy 6.1 95, that was an adjustment.

200: Pillow. This thing is super, super comfy. Too comfy? Maybe. I'll say that in warming up, this thing swung so beautifully, and hit such an impressive ball: I was SO liking the balance and swinging of this thing and the ball rocketed off the stringbed with a little more power. I was just ripping shots in warming up with this one and when I was really going after the ball, I was nailing corners. So... when we started up a set, I found myself playing with this one first... But that pillow-feel crept up a little bit in a negative way, suddenly, as I kind of lost a little feel for the ball. I was down 0-3 when I went over to the Xi... And then I lost the next three games, too. Yep, skunked. Bageled. To my partner's credit, he was absolutely killing the ball, hitting every corner, and acing away his service games. Dude is just better than me, so occasionally I experience this playing him.

IG Prestige MP: After getting bageled with the Yonnies, I went back to my buddy from last week, this Prestige MP. And ... instantly fell into a better groove. This is just a very, very, very nice frame. This particular stick was a little different than the demo my buddy had last week: last week's was more head-heavy, which occasionally made it feel more sluggish on groundies but also added some serious BOOM on serves. The one I swung tonight, I didn't get quite the same boom on serves (but not bad, and I was placing very well) but groundies were grooved and I was playing at a very, very high level. Fresh off of getting skunked, I was suddenly up 4-0, a completely different player. Though I should also say that the level of my partner also lowered from goat to human. But then it went back to goat, and he roared back into the set and even ultimately stole it away from me, 7-6 in the breaker. Can't believe I let a 4-0 lead get away, but I didn't even play that badly, he just played that good. It was the best he's hit in two months and credit to him.

So once again, I seem to be zeroing in more on the Prestige MP. It's just a sweet stick. Great feel. Last week's demo had full head sonic pro, this week's has full FXP. Felt MUCH better tonight with the multi. But I was hitting better balls with the poly last week. Could be because I've just become more tuned to poly these days, but man it was nice to feel the ball so well tonight after playing with so much soft poly lately.

Will revisit the Yonnies in the coming days: It was weird that I was hitting so well with the 200 in warming up - I mean crushing and starting to fall in love - and then getting crushed in set play. Humble pie, served cold. And the Xi: SO close, a solid hit, but just a little too much 'sit-up-and-hit-me' rather than driving the ball through the court... which suddenly put a mini FedKennedy on my shoulder, urging me to try the more 'driving' V 95 again. But, I don't know. That last demo of it just didn't feel right.

Didn't hit with the Wilson Pro Tour tonight. More updates as the week wears on.

Power Player said:

BigM..nice man. I am always looking for a comfort stick in case my wrist or arm starts hurting. After the 6.1 i cant go back to the lower powered exo tour. I still have one, but if the yani impresses, i think i may sell it. Is it safe to safe the yonex hits a lot bigger?

.

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"Mystic Rossellini hereby gazes deep into his crystal ball and sees PP waving a racket around...

But hold on!... by Jove!... it is not a Wilson!... it is definitely not a six point one!... PP has found a new frame!... I can clearly see it is a different frame!"...

Fed Kennedy said:

Yes, it can be published alongside my other sage quips such as "big hitters on tour dont use pds and apds" while we watch Nadal crush 101 mph fhs off his back foot...lol.

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Haha... Yes, hopefully he's finally changed the perception he just spins in g/trokes in a defensive manner... I mean, that in/out fh of his was just DEADLY, and some of those DTL bhs were simply stunning...

all comes down to finding that groove with the swing.

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^^^ This did 'chime' with me though as I've been writing great thesis-like, paragraph-laden posts analyzing where I'm at, and that sort of says it all!

Haha..great review gads..i seriously doubt i found a new frame tho ross. The 6.1 setup i have dialed in completely blew my mind.

Fed Kennedy said:

Tec 320 with the lead stripped off. With the ps85 I would have won in straights.

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I seem to prefer mine naked as well. I like the extra stick speed. I've peeled off some more of the plastic wrap on the handle and have mine matched spot on at 340g.

Anyone see the Nadal specs. Steve Huff posted them yesterday. It appears to Rafa is playing with the same specs as a stock YT Rad Pro. PP and Ross know what I'm talking about

These are unstrung obviously and add 30 points to the SW figure to get the strung SW.


WEIGHT: 314 grams / 11.08 ounces—versus 311 grams / 10.97 ounces, in 2011
BALANCE: 32.63 centimeters / 5.2 points headlight—versus 32.50 centimeters / 5.6 points headlight in 2011
SWINGWEIGHT: 316—versus 308-310, in 2011

Power Player said:

i seriously doubt i found a new frame tho ross. The 6.1 setup i have dialed in completely blew my mind.

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one racketaholic word for ye PP..................DENIAL

PED said:

I seem to prefer mine naked as well. I like the extra stick speed. I've peeled off some more of the plastic wrap on the handle and have mine matched spot on at 340g.

Anyone see the Nadal specs. Steve Huff posted them yesterday. It appears to Rafa is playing with the same specs as a stock YT Rad Pro. PP and Ross know what I'm talking about

These are unstrung obviously and add 30 points to the SW figure to get the strung SW.


WEIGHT: 314 grams / 11.08 ounces—versus 311 grams / 10.97 ounces, in 2011
BALANCE: 32.63 centimeters / 5.2 points headlight—versus 32.50 centimeters / 5.6 points headlight in 2011
SWINGWEIGHT: 316—versus 308-310, in 2011

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Interesting H. I always thought the YT Rad Pro, and APD when I experimented with Nadal mods, was sensational for heavy spin b-line game, but, man, did my arm rebel against that. I had major pains for 2 months.


PP,

Only kidding. We're all racketaholics around here of course (specially me.)


Meags,

Galvanized by your feedback, I dropped a few quid in the early hours this morning on 2 sets of the Pro's Pro Hexaspin Twist.