#1 Redondo Talks Thread

movdqa · Jan 9, 2012

I've lost about 75 pounds and run about 20 miles per week and play tennis once a week in the off-season. I also do strength training four or five times a week and try to fit stretching in there too. This past summer, I was playing 2-3 hour matches three times a week outside.

I have a thread in the health forum on "Cramps" which I had the week before. I got several good responses and upped my electrolyte supplements which helped a lot.

I play a guy that's in his mid-60s and he's in better physical shape than most 20-year-olds in this country (that may not be saying a lot). I see lots of people in their 50s and 60s getting into really good physical conditioning these days. We live in a time when the science and technology of getting fit is better than it has ever been.

anirut · Jan 9, 2012

movdqa said:
I've lost about 75 pounds and ...

How'd you do that? I need to lose weight fast too. Not 75 lbs but may be like 20-30 lbs. I'm only 5'6" and now 170 lbs. Too freakin' heavy and too big a waist.

What'd be your tips for weight loss?

Thanks in advance.

movdqa · Jan 9, 2012

1. Track your calories: http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/

2. I try to keep carb intake to no more than 33% of total calories. The livestrong application will tell you what your calorie breakdown is so it's easy to monitor. This can be hard for Asians eating rice daily as there's a ton of carbs and calories in rice.

3. Figure out the number of calories for your maintenance weight. This is usually a function of age, weight and activity level. There are many calculators on the web for this.

4. Set a target of 500 to 1000 calories less than your maintenance weight per day. A 500 calorie deficit = 1 pound loss per week. A 1,000 calorie deficit is 2 pounds per week loss.

5. Join a support group. I'm in an online group that has lost a lot of weight and increased fitness levels.

6. Interval training is the best way to lose fat. Tennis is an interval training sport so playing tennis is a good way to lose fat but tennis is tough on the joints. There are lots of interval training videos on YouTube that are pretty easy on the joints. It helps to have a little equipment at home.

7. Strength-training is the next best way to lose fat. We have three dumbbells and a barbell at home for strength training along with doing planks, pushups, etc.

8. Intense aerobic training is the next best way to lose fat. I like running and it's a good, linear, way to burn calories.

9. Focus on small goals, five pounds at a time.

10. Reward yourself from time to time - if you have a favorite food that isn't in your plan, it's okay to have some from time to time.

anirut · Jan 9, 2012

^
Mov, thanks a lot for your advice. Will have to start working on that.

thug the bunny · Jan 9, 2012

This can be hard for Asians eating rice daily as there's a ton of carbs and calories in rice.

I know you (probably) weren't trying to stereotype, but that made me chuckle!

I am also a rice burner (50%) but I was born in the US so I have a pretty good protein intake and eat rice only 2 -3 times a week...I'm 5'11 175#.

mov, congrats on losing 75#, that's is a real accomplishment!

Now, back to the Redondo - I last strung her with Redcode poly 18 @ 54#, and have really enjoyed the weird combination of soft/crisp, but I'm thinking of backing off the tension next time to 50# for a little more plush, a little more pop. Is this too low? Anyone have any thoughts?

chippy17 · Jan 10, 2012

anirut said:
How'd you do that? I need to lose weight fast too. Not 75 lbs but may be like 20-30 lbs. I'm only 5'6" and now 170 lbs. Too freakin' heavy and too big a waist.

What'd be your tips for weight loss?

Thanks in advance.

that's almost 5.5 stone, you must have been one fat *******

well done for losing it

well I am about 6 foot and weigh about 170lbs so weight wise I am ok, I think my aerobic fitness is lacking, I could stay with the 20 year old just, but by the last few games I was running on guile and cunning alone!! but I was really talking about aches and slight niggles, which I assume being fitter would help with, but it was more dodgy knee and bad back...

anirut · Jan 10, 2012

No, chippy. The one who lost 75 lbs was movdqa.

I NEED to lose weight real quick before I turn into a blob :lol:

movdqa · Jan 10, 2012

Waist went from 46 to 31. So yeah, one fat ******.

At this age, you need to be fit and have the pre-match and during-match nutrition right to be able to keep up with the kids. On knee and back problems - a stronger core might help you with those.

I made the rice comment because Anirut is in Thailand and Thailand is a powerhouse rice exporter. I have a 25 pound bag of rice from Thailand a few yards from me and I see a lot of product from Thailand when I go to asian grocers. This morning I'm having two cups of white rice. I'm generally on a low carb diet but I need about 110 grams of carbs before my long runs to avoid kidney issues. I then load up on protein after my run.

chippy17 · Jan 10, 2012

SlapShot said:
I tried a set of Luxilon BB Ace on the Redondo Mid (it's the string I swore by in the Prestige Mids), and it's easily the front runner. I also am digging the WC Silverstring 1.20, so I'll need more time to see which I prefer, but I'm closer to settling on a string setup.

Ordered a third mid that should be here this week, just in time for my first tournament of the year.

never got on with the silversting in my mp and it broke very quickly, although I have put the black edge in and I really like that and it is lasting well

anirut · Jan 10, 2012

I eat rice. I eat bread and gobble noodles. I enjoy steaks as well as Sushi's too.

Being here food is cheap and very much in abundance compared to many other parts of the world. So it's easy to eat, anywhere, anytime, 24/7, whenever you feel like eating.

And that's the problem why I'm getting a big waist ... well, beer too. hahahaha.

chippy17 · Jan 10, 2012

anirut said:
No, chippy. The one who lost 75 lbs was movdqa.

I NEED to lose weight real quick before I turn into a blob :lol:

sorry I knew that just replied to the wrong email!

difficult to lose I find in late 30s early 40s, this is oftern where bloke's let themselves go and they then get themselves back into shape from 50 onwards, I was nudging 185lbs before I realised I was getting a bit chubby

movdqa · Jan 10, 2012

One of my regular opponents has taken to practicing with the Redondo (I traded one of mine for one of his Radicals years ago) but he plays matches with some 100 sq in Wilson with a pack of lead on it.

I kind of wish that PK would do a 27 3/4 inch Redondo MP - it's something that I'd like to try out.

chippy17 · Jan 10, 2012

movdqa said:
Waist went from 46 to 31. So yeah, one fat ******.

At this age, you need to be fit and have the pre-match and during-match nutrition right to be able to keep up with the kids. On knee and back problems - a stronger core might help you with those.

I made the rice comment because Anirut is in Thailand and Thailand is a powerhouse rice exporter. I have a 25 pound bag of rice from Thailand a few yards from me and I see a lot of product from Thailand when I go to asian grocers. This morning I'm having two cups of white rice. I'm generally on a low carb diet but I need about 110 grams of carbs before my long runs to avoid kidney issues. I then load up on protein after my run.

I was only teasing with my comment btw, hardly an adonis myself!

I am so bad at preperation, still think i am 20 and I can just walk on the court and get away with it, last time I went on court I ate a Snickers beforehand and had a can of coke and 1l of water!!!
yes your advice is well taken I need to strengthen core and then peripherals will be stronger

chippy17 · Jan 10, 2012

movdqa said:
One of my regular opponents has taken to practicing with the Redondo (I traded one of mine for one of his Radicals years ago) but he plays matches with some 100 sq in Wilson with a pack of lead on it.

I kind of wish that PK would do a 27 3/4 inch Redondo MP - it's something that I'd like to try out.

whilst I like trying new rackets I tend to stick with one for a while and play with it in practice and in a match/game I find it a bit odd to change...can understand changes rackets when playing singles or doubles...

never played with a longer racket does it make a lot of difference?

movdqa · Jan 10, 2012

Friend has arm problems on and off for years - so much that he has developed decent left-handed strokes including the serve. His match play is better with the bigger racquet compared to the Redondo. Both of us played with the Redondo for a while and I think that both of us regret not having tried the Redondo MP.

A longer racquet makes a pretty big difference for me. I get more power on the serve, more spin, both topspin and slice and a tad more reach which may be worth two or three points a match. This is where I'd normally shank a ball on the frame. The benefits are on volleys, overheads where something is almost out of reach and stab forehands or backhands. You can exaggerate a sidespin/slice backhand as you can drag the racquet farther across your body.

I think that from 50% to 60% of pro players use XLs (someone did the stats on the Pro Equipment forum). The downside is that there is more stress on your arm because of the leverage. Once you try it though, it's hard to go back to SL.

You can extend an SL racquet 1/4 to 1/3 inch by moving out the pallets if your racquet uses a pallet system. You can also fill the space with balsa wood. I have seen extensions as long as 3/4 inch using some kind of very hard foam done by customization shops - it seems to work very well.

My 3 XLs are Pro Stocks - they were cut that way as opposed to an aftermarket change. I guess that I could do a 27 3/4 inch Redondo MP but it would be an aftermarket job. My guess is that the cost would be about $60/frame. It's certainly cheaper than paying $500 for PT57A XLs.

SlapShot · Jan 10, 2012

chippy17 said:
never got on with the silversting in my mp and it broke very quickly, although I have put the black edge in and I really like that and it is lasting well

I can certainly see how it would be a hard string to jive with if you're used to a firmer feel - I strung it at 58#, and any less, it'd be mush city. Even at 58, it's well cushioned - I actually felt like my spin production was better than it was with Tour Bite 18....

Roadway · Jan 13, 2012

anirut said:
I haven't tried multis that low. I've only tried 17g multis at 62 and you can just hit lights out with it.

The Redondo is a weird stick. Just whack it hard with nice easy flowing strokes and relaxed wrist. Upon contact, the ball will react to your will, may it be depth, spin, or whatever.

The only problem, for me, is that sometimes I stress up and whack too hard that the ball go sailing ... over the fence :lol:

Thanks for your recommendation, anirut! I'll go to the a little tighter next time.
By the way, do you add leads to the racquet head? I previously did this and found both control and power were perfect. But this set up made me quikly tired. So this time i take off the leads. Well, it is easier to swing now, but it is so underpowered that i have to swing more quickly and hardly. To some extents it is even demanding than previous set up. What's more, it isn't so stable than before. Should I continue to lead it over?

thug the bunny · Jan 13, 2012

Roadway said:
Thanks for your recommendation, anirut! I'll go to the a little tighter next time.
By the way, do you add leads to the racquet head? I previously did this and found both control and power were perfect. But this set up made me quikly tired. So this time i take off the leads. Well, it is easier to swing now, but it is so underpowered that i have to swing more quickly and hardly. To some extents it is even demanding than previous set up. What's more, it isn't so stable than before. Should I continue to lead it over?

I had added about 7g of lead to the hoop of my Redondo, but it became too slugiish IMO. I couldn't get around on quick shots. I use the Redondo best by having good timing..

anirut · Jan 13, 2012

Roadway said:
... By the way, do you add leads to the racquet head? I previously did this and found both control and power were perfect. ... Should I continue to lead it over?

I used to have 2 grams total (one gram each) below the fourth cross and used an overgrip to compensate the balance.

Now it's only four grams on the handle, 2 grams each; one positioned at 2" from the butt and another 2" from the top of grip, as I like my stick head-light. Also it's leather only, no overgrip. And to compensate for the loss of head mass, I string lower to get more pop and better ball-holding.

In fact, I can still add 2 grams in the top hoop as usual but my age (and lesser play time) does not seem agree with that. May be if I get some workouts and more play I might reinstall the lead pieces at the positions.

Roadway · Jan 14, 2012

anirut said:
I used to have 2 grams total (one gram each) below the fourth cross and used an overgrip to compensate the balance.

Now it's only four grams on the handle, 2 grams each; one positioned at 2" from the butt and another 2" from the top of grip, as I like my stick head-light. Also it's leather only, no overgrip. And to compensate for the loss of head mass, I string lower to get more pop and better ball-holding.

In fact, I can still add 2 grams in the top hoop as usual but my age (and lesser play time) does not seem agree with that. May be if I get some workouts and more play I might reinstall the lead pieces at the positions.

I added DIY plastic 4 sheets around the handle to enlarge grip size. As a result the racquet weighs 15 grams more and is very head-light.To compensate the balance i should add some lead in the hoop indeed.

Roadway · Jan 14, 2012

thug the bunny said:
I had added about 7g of lead to the hoop of my Redondo, but it became too slugiish IMO. I couldn't get around on quick shots. I use the Redondo best by having good timing..

I used to add 8 grams to the hoop--2 grams in 2, 4, 8 and 10 o'clock position each. Plan to try this set up next time i play it.

Junkie74 · Jan 25, 2012

Sounds interesting.

anirut · Jan 26, 2012

I think my Redondo's dead ...

Last night I played my cousin's newer Redondo and it seems to be much better, even with old, old strings. Guess it's time I get a new Redondo ...

thug the bunny · Jan 26, 2012

anirut said:
I think my Redondo's dead ...

Last night I played my cousin's newer Redondo and it seems to be much better, even with old, old strings. Guess it's time I get a new Redondo ...

How can a quality graphite stick go dead? Some folks are still playing and loving 20+ yr old graphite frames. Maybe its cracked?

anirut · Jan 26, 2012

thug the bunny said:
How can a quality graphite stick go dead? Some folks are still playing and loving 20+ yr old graphite frames. Maybe its cracked?

It's been with me since May 2006 and has gone through a zillion extreme string jobs. It's been my "guinea pig" racket that I use to give you results of various experiments, all the way from finding lead-positions, foam pellets, cutting-the-bumper, grip shape adjustments and various other weird tests.

May be I'll retire the stick in May 2012 and bring out my other Redondo to play with.

thug the bunny · Jan 27, 2012

anirut said:
It's been with me since May 2006 and has gone through a zillion extreme string jobs. It's been my "guinea pig" racket that I use to give you results of various experiments, all the way from finding lead-positions, foam pellets, cutting-the-bumper, grip shape adjustments and various other weird tests.

May be I'll retire the stick in May 2012 and bring out my other Redondo to play with.

Ahhh. You should put it in a frame in a place of honor on your wall. I'm serious.

anirut · Jan 27, 2012

thug the bunny said:
Ahhh. You should put it in a frame in a place of honor on your wall. I'm serious.

Yep, that's what I had in mind. It's been the "professor racket" that I gained a lot of knowledge from.

Gee · Feb 11, 2012

Finally a proud owner of a PK Redondo!

Finally,... finally I have one Redondo!!!

After a few years reading great reviews and dreaming of playing with a Redondo I finally was able to purchase a Redondo against an affordable price.

Last year I sold my old T-Fight 335 16x20 to an American person. He was so glad he could get two more T-Fights. That's why he helped me to buy a Redondo from USA against a friendly price. It only took a delivery of about 3 weeks to Europe but finally I got him!

How beautiful! A very chic traditional frame with a bordeaux colour and a tan leather grip!

Only one problem. The grip cracks a bit when I squeeze firmly. Does anyone know about this issue? How can I fix this?

chippy17 · Feb 13, 2012

Gee said:
Finally,... finally I have one Redondo!!!

After a few years reading great reviews and dreaming of playing with a Redondo I finally was able to purchase a Redondo against an affordable price.

Last year I sold my old T-Fight 335 16x20 to an American person. He was so glad he could get two more T-Fights. That's why he helped me to buy a Redondo from USA against a friendly price. It only took a delivery of about 3 weeks to Europe but finally I got him!

How beautiful! A very chic traditional frame with a bordeaux colour and a tan leather grip!

Only one problem. The grip cracks a bit when I squeeze firmly. Does anyone know about this issue? How can I fix this?

they are such good rackets, I am still savouring a win yesterday over a coach friend of mine, he was not happy! And a lot of it was thanks to this great racket, did you get the 93 or 98?

I have 3 and one of them makes this noise but sadly I have no idea how to solve the problem...

thug the bunny · Feb 13, 2012

I suspect the leather might be a little stiff and making creaking noises. You could try removing it and squeezing the pallet to make sure it is not cracked, or you could just start playing and see if it goes away.

Enjoy your Redondo. It is truly a beautiful classic frame.

chippy17 · Feb 13, 2012

Gee said:
Finally,... finally I have one Redondo!!!

After a few years reading great reviews and dreaming of playing with a Redondo I finally was able to purchase a Redondo against an affordable price.

Last year I sold my old T-Fight 335 16x20 to an American person. He was so glad he could get two more T-Fights. That's why he helped me to buy a Redondo from USA against a friendly price. It only took a delivery of about 3 weeks to Europe but finally I got him!

How beautiful! A very chic traditional frame with a bordeaux colour and a tan leather grip!

Only one problem. The grip cracks a bit when I squeeze firmly. Does anyone know about this issue? How can I fix this?

thug the bunny said:
I suspect the leather might be a little stiff and making creaking noises. You could try removing it and squeezing the pallet to make sure it is not cracked, or you could just start playing and see if it goes away.

Enjoy your Redondo. It is truly a beautiful classic frame.

you may well be right but my sound seems to be coming from slightly higher up ni the throat but I could be imagining it...

Gee · Feb 13, 2012

thug the bunny said:
I suspect the leather might be a little stiff and making creaking noises. You could try removing it and squeezing the pallet to make sure it is not cracked, or you could just start playing and see if it goes away.

Enjoy your Redondo. It is truly a beautiful classic frame.

chippy17 said:
you may well be right but my sound seems to be coming from slightly higher up ni the throat but I could be imagining it...

I removed the leather grip and I noticed a hole into the pallet. I posted a picture into another thread about replacing the PK grip pallets in to order to create a Wilson L3 grip shape.

thug the bunny · Feb 13, 2012

Hmmm, replacing pallets is way above my head. I'm not that picky about grip shapes anyway. I guess I would just send the frame back even though that means more waiting :/

chippy17 · Feb 14, 2012

thug the bunny said:
Hmmm, replacing pallets is way above my head. I'm not that picky about grip shapes anyway. I guess I would just send the frame back even though that means more waiting :/

same here would completely **** it up

chippy17 · Feb 14, 2012

on a different note:

how many Redondonians play with the mid and how many with the MP?

I have 3 MPs and am curious as to which is the more popular?

thug the bunny · Feb 14, 2012

I play the 93. My foray into the mids is what initially helped me start finding the center of the strings consistently, and I haven't looked back (although I do have a Speed Pro which is a 98 ).

chippy17 · Feb 14, 2012

thug the bunny said:
I play the 93. My foray into the mids is what initially helped me start finding the center of the strings consistently, and I haven't looked back (although I do have a Speed Pro which is a 98).

were you playing the 98s before?

thug the bunny · Feb 14, 2012

My evolution of rackets over the past 5 yrs was:

Head TiS1 (a bazillion sq in)
Head LM Rad MP (98 )
Bab PSL (93)
KPS88 (88 )
Redondo C93
Diablo Tour Mid (95)
Speed Pro (98 )

The real eye opener for me was the transition to the Pure Storm Ltd. That's where I learned to really keep my eye on the ball to achieve pure contact, and I fell in love with the plush buttery feel. After I bought my Redondo, I sold my PSL because the dondo had more pop while retaining the plushness, and my buddy had been bugging me to buy my PSL for a while..

chippy17 · Feb 14, 2012

thug the bunny said:
My evolution of rackets over the past 5 yrs was:

Head TiS1 (a bazillion sq in)
Head LM Rad MP (98 )
Bab PSL (93)
KPS88 (88 )
Redondo C93
Diablo Tour Mid (95)
Speed Pro (98 )

The real eye opener for me was the transition to the Pure Storm Ltd. That's where I learned to really keep my eye on the ball to achieve pure contact, and I fell in love with the plush buttery feel. After I bought my Redondo, I sold my PSL because the dondo had more pop while retaining the plushness, and my buddy had been bugging me to buy my PSL for a while..

for me that amount of rackets in 5 years is astonishing I never realised there were so many racketaholics in the world and I expect that is nothing compared to some, my racket history for the last 20 odd years:

PS 6.0 95
Redondo 98

played with the PS up until last summer but I was starting to get a ruined shoulder so I needed something more forgiving, tried quite a few rackets before seeing the spec of the Redondo and buying 3 secondhand ones and taking a chance, glad i did. but still thinking I should try the 93s...

still thinking about the Diablo you recommended, also was so close to buying a PSL you sound like this is a racket you would like to go back to?

ps I also now have (having caught a small dose of the racketaholic bug) a KPS88 and a BA98 in my bag and still keep an eye on the 2nd hand section!!!

thug the bunny · Feb 14, 2012

Yeah, I guess I'm a racketaholic, but not anywhere near as bad as some on TT!

You have an 88? What a monster, huh? It's my go-to stick. But, if the PS 95 was hard on your shoulder I guess the 88 would be worse.

I dunno, I really liked the PSL, but the Redondo feels every bit as nice but with more power. The PSL could actually be the lowest powered stick on the market. You really have to hit the crap out of the ball to get it moving, and it esp made hitting from deep behind the baseline difficult. I think I have moved on.

How do you like the BA compared to the Dondo? I got that one on my radar screen..

chippy17 · Feb 15, 2012

thug the bunny said:
Yeah, I guess I'm a racketaholic, but not anywhere near as bad as some on TT!

You have an 88? What a monster, huh? It's my go-to stick. But, if the PS 95 was hard on your shoulder I guess the 88 would be worse.

I dunno, I really liked the PSL, but the Redondo feels every bit as nice but with more power. The PSL could actually be the lowest powered stick on the market. You really have to hit the crap out of the ball to get it moving, and it esp made hitting from deep behind the baseline difficult. I think I have moved on.

How do you like the BA compared to the Dondo? I got that one on my radar screen..

yes indeed you have a small addiction problem compared to some on here that's for sure.

the 88 is indeed a monster, had 2 but sold 1 (as you say it was destroying my shoulder after 1 set) but i just could not bring myself to get rid of both!! I play with it occasionally normally doubles but it is just too much racket for me these days but when you get it right wow...mostly I just look at it lovingly!

sounds like I made the right choice not to buy the PSL as if I can criticise the 'dondo it is lacking a bit of grunt but the control makes up for it as I can hit deep shots almost at will with 'my baby'

the BA is interesting, I have not had it very long (bought 2nd hand) and it has some very worn gut so difficult to say at present, my initial reaction is I prefer the 'dondo but the BA certainly has more grunt and due to balance feels like it has a similar sw
will report back when I have used it a bit more and put some new strings in, suffice to say jury is out pending more detailed evidence

caweran · Feb 17, 2012

does anyone knows how Redondo C 93 plays compared to Boron Ace?

anirut · Feb 17, 2012

caweran said:
does anyone knows how Redondo C 93 plays compared to Boron Ace?

Ummm ...

The Boron Ace certainly is STIFF as hell, just total opposite of the Redondo.

And now that you brought up the Boron Ace question, may be I'll restring her up with some decent string and do a side-by-side comparison, if you don't mind waiting a few days for the answer.

gocard · Feb 17, 2012

Just brought out my Redondo mid the other day after breaking the strings on my main racquet - it was so smooth and easy to swing. I loved it! I have no idea why I haven't been using it more frequently. :-?

However, I just noticed two raised lines along the throat of the racquet. I'm hoping they're just paint stresses instead of the beginning of cracks. I've had it for a few years but haven't used it so often to expect any damage yet. They definitely weren't there before. Has anyone seen anything like this on their Redondo? Blemishes I can live with. Cracking this racquet on the other hand...

I guess I'll find out eventually if it gets any worse but just curious if anyone else has noticed this at the throat of their Redondos.

caweran · Feb 19, 2012

Anirut,

Which one do you like between the redondo and the boron ace?

e.

caweran · Feb 19, 2012

Anirut,

Do you know any stick that play and feel similar to Boron Ace? Trying to find a newer stick.. thanks

e.

anirut · Feb 19, 2012

caweran,

I haven't played much with the Boron Ace. But, so far, I prefer the Redondo -- softer, lighter, easier to play.

I'm thinking of putting some 16g Gosen syn @50 on the Boron and see how it goes. This may help lessen the harshness. Will let you know more once I try this out.

Gee · Feb 26, 2012

As promised here is my review on the Redondo MP...

This week I played twice with the Redondo.

At the first hit with the Redondo I noticed that it plays very similar like my BA98. No wonder because they are the from same mould.

The Redondo feels only much more mushy and dampened. I saw that the grip is filled with silicone gel that clarifies the soft dampened feel. At the moment I prefer the more crisp feel of the BA98 because I am used to that racquet.

The Redondo feels more solid than the Black Ace due to a higher swingweight. The Redondo is also a more demanding low powered frame because of the lower stiffness. It is definetely a you get what put in racquet. An excellent control racquet for well developed technical players.

Groundstrokes are excellent when you hit the sweetspot. Then you're rewarded a nice solid and comfortable soft feel with a great directional control. Spin and slice strokes are very easy to perform as well due to the relative open 18x20 string pattern. Especially my slice backhand is very penetrating with the Redondo.

Serves are very easy to perform due to the highlight balance. I can accelerate my serve motion very fluently with the Redondo. Very similar like the BA98.

Volleys are great with the Redondo. Very maneuverable at the net and the feel is buttery soft. Here I experience the real beauty of the Redondo. I mean that wood-like old school feel.

However the PK grip is not really my favourite one. Too rectangular. I prefer a Wilson grip shape. That's why I replaced that with a Head TK76 L3 grip pallet. Unfortunately I noticed I had some trouble with changing my grip in time during rallies because the grip is a tad too big to my taste. Through this I hit late sometimes. So I 'll try a regular Volkl L2 grip pallet next time.

I still need to play more with the Redondo in order to judge which one I prefer. I am curious how it 'll play after I made a few customizations (replacing with another grip pallet and and adding a few lead strips to increase the power potential).

Racquet Daddy · Feb 29, 2012

Well, I finally picked up a Redondo Mid from a fellow TT member. It's been staring at me for over a week because it's a 5/8 and I'm waiting on my 3/8 pallet from PK. I couldn't take it anymore, so I threw an overgrip on and it actually felt like a 1/2. Is it just me, or does the PK grip feel a size smaller than other grips? Anyway, regardless of grip size, hitting was sublime. I might get spoiled because it's got a full bed of gut (probably mid tension). I'm typically a co-poly/synthetic guy. Man - you can really swing away with this thing. Very soft. I actually made one of our players going through a bout of tennis elbow hit with it at practice. And I should thank you guys and TW - without scanning these boards, I probably would have never tried this racquet. Long live the Redondo.

thug the bunny · Feb 29, 2012

Long live the Redondo! Yes, it is a heck of a stick, and it has a small but very fervent group of devotees here on TT.

I imagine with gut it must feel like hitting with a bed of marshmallows. That is why I put on some poly to firm up the feel a bit, and mine feels incredible now.

edit: Oh, and yes, I noticed that the PK grip is very rectangular, and seems smaller than spec'd. I'm not that picky about shape, and I threw on a thicker OG to get the size right..

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Rookie

New User

Legend

Professional

Legend

Professional

Legend

Hall of Fame

Semi-Pro

Professional

Semi-Pro

Hall of Fame

Professional

Semi-Pro

Semi-Pro

Professional

Semi-Pro

Professional

Semi-Pro

Professional

Semi-Pro

New User

Legend

Semi-Pro

New User

New User

Legend

Hall of Fame

Rookie

Professional

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