Review the craziest racquets you own

Frank Silbermann

Professional
For a few years I used a 125" Prince POG. The distance of the sweet spot was so far from the edge of the frame, I had severe difficulty picking up low balls -- even when using a Continental grip. It can only be worse with a wider racket and a grip that forces you to life low balls by violently brushing up on them.
 
For a few years I used a 125" Prince POG. The distance of the sweet spot was so far from the edge of the frame, I had severe difficulty picking up low balls -- even when using a Continental grip. It can only be worse with a wider racket and a grip that forces you to life low balls by violently brushing up on them.

What are you driving at? Do you mean the vortex 133 ?

The stringing system in the vortex and the actual design of the frame and throat are unique.

It works.
 

Autodidactic player

Professional
Makes sense.

Do you think it should have been made illegal? Does it really give you that much of an advantage. ?

I looked on the bay and can't find one . Any chance you would part with yours?

Interesting questions. Yes, I believe it should be illegal because it provides an advantage, to someone skilled enough to use it, over a traditional racket. I am, however, conflicted because the Dyanspot advantage is not nearly as significant as composite versus wood in racket design or polyester versus nylon in strings or even 100 inch heads versus 60 inch heads. My bottom line is that everyone should play by the same rules so overall I'm happy with enforceable rules - even if sometimes they don't make complete sense.

As far as selling mine, sorry; I've only got one of these. They do come up from time to time on the auction sites and I've even seen them for sale here in the classifieds. While you are searching, look for any of the Maynard Air rackets, they are loads of fun as well:

167l5yc.jpg
 
equijet-tennis-racquet.jpg


Does anyone have one of these????

Lacoste Equijet mid 80′s

Used by Guy Forget.

No it isn’t sun damaged! Another interesting Lacoste design which aims to change the sweet spot via altered string tensions. It has a unique Vibration system in the butt cap which carried through to the Wilson T5000 model
 
Oh man!!!!!!!!


You are my new idol!!!!! I'm changing my avatar to go Autodidactic!!!!!

Sheet!!!! You have to tell us a little about that equijet......

Octagon is nice for sure ......I already have the Bosworth Fox octagon one myself.bi never actually tried it though .

So what do you think of this two sticks your holiness ? :).

That's it .....I'm going to figure out how the hell to post my pics .

To me my coolest stick is the spaghetti strung.....do I actually have you beat there? Can you match that? If not I will raise you one Blackburne.....


This will be cool . Let's play crazy racquet poker ?

.
 

Autodidactic player

Professional
Oh man!!!!!!!!


You are my new idol!!!!! I'm changing my avatar to go Autodidactic!!!!!

Sheet!!!! You have to tell us a little about that equijet......

Octagon is nice for sure ......I already have the Bosworth Fox octagon one myself.bi never actually tried it though .

So what do you think of this two sticks your holiness ? :).

That's it .....I'm going to figure out how the hell to post my pics .

To me my coolest stick is the spaghetti strung.....do I actually have you beat there? Can you match that? If not I will raise you one Blackburne.....


This will be cool . Let's play crazy racquet poker ?

.

OK, here is a spaghetti strung T-2000:

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I'll call your Blackburn:

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and raise you another double string face racket the Intertennis Twin:

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Damn you. :)

Ok I'm going to get medieval on you now.

I'm getting my mad raqs and my natural racquet.

I just am downloading an iPhone app that will hopefully allow me to post pics.

Do you have those ?
 
You are the Federer of crazy racquets.

What the hell is that "intertennis twin"?????

When did that come out??

Can you talk a little about it?
 
Ok fawk you. OMG!!!!

Hmmmmm......I'm getting desperate now because I pretty much shot my load .

How about a MITT I have one of those as well.


Oh almost forgot I have the Mcgergor with the crazy stringing system . I believe it is also octagon shaped !!!! Do you have that ???
 

Autodidactic player

Professional
You are the Federer of crazy racquets.

What the hell is that "intertennis twin"?????

When did that come out??

Can you talk a little about it?

The Twin was patented in 1976 and came out a few years later. It didn't sell very well because it's truly an awful frame! Crazy flexible and damn near impossible to string. Pick up Siegfried Kuebler's "Book of Tennis Rackets," (very expensive but worth it) the Intertennis Twin is shown on page 216.
 

Autodidactic player

Professional
Ok fawk you. OMG!!!!

Hmmmmm......I'm getting desperate now because I pretty much shot my load .

How about a MITT I have one of those as well.


Oh almost forgot I have the Mcgergor with the crazy stringing system . I believe it is also octagon shaped !!!! Do you have that ???

I've got the MacGregor:

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and I never found any of the Mitt rackets that unusual. I prefer rackets that are a bit odder like the Erge:

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True mitt not that an unusual.....but it I the only racquet ever made with moving parts.....any way just give me a bone.

The reason I have not posted pics is because for the past half hour I have been trying to figure out how to do it with the iPhone.

I've given up . Now I will try with the computer.

How about the Vortex??? You can beat it of course with a Hi ten !
 
HOLY CRAP!!!! I did it ....it only took me an hour...but I fina;lly figured out how to post a pic.

It was what I had handy....here is my Vortex es 100.

The stringing has a really wide pattern like the old hit tens...i think its 14 x 16 or something. The frame looks normal but its not......the throat is placed in such a way to give more stability...but i dont quite understand it.

This company first made the tennis wand or something.




vortexc.jpg
 
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Hitman99

Rookie
HOLY CRAP!!!! I did it ....it only took me an hour...but I fina;lly figured out how to post a pic.

It was what I had handy....here is my Vortex es 100.

The stringing has a really wide pattern like the old hit tens...i think its 14 x 16 or something. The frame looks normal but its not......the throat is placed in such a way to give more stability...but i dont quite understand it.

This company first made the tennis wand or something.

Wonder Wand.
 
Pictured below is my Mitt tennis racquet. I turned it on its side because that's where it's different . The racquet has these little silver plastic things ....I'm not sure you can see them. Anyway the strings go over them it they cause the strings to move or "rock".....similar to the old Wilson rollers.

Mitt claims to be the only racquet with moving parts.....but then the rollers tried the same thing in a different way .

It allows for a real comfy feeling and I think puts a bit more spin on te ball.


imageephz.jpg
 
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Oh man !!!!!!!!!

You are freakinh amazing.

I bought the Vortex because I couldn't get the snauwert . I had to settle.

You have got to tell us what it's like hitting with it.......and I would pay you a lot of money for the racquet......I'm serious. A LOT!

Let me know and I will make you a very generous offer.

Did I mention that I hate you . :).

Completely jealous .
 

blipblop

Rookie
God some crazy rackets in here lol.

Has anyone ever seen a racket that has the plane of the hoop/stringbed, at an angle respective to the plane of the handle?

Like a spatula:
spatula.jpg


I've always been interested in how the angle could help you get disguise and spin. You could also hit the ball wayyyy in front or behind of yourself. I'm thinking like a 5-35 degree inclination. 45 degrees and up would be too crazy.
 

Autodidactic player

Professional
...
You have got to tell us what it's like hitting with it ...

The Hi-Ten is new old stock so, sadly, I've elected not to hit with it. I have, however, hit with the Pro Kennex. Like the Hi-Ten, it is advertised to provide more spin and greater control. The Pro Kennex theory suggests that by contacting the ball with more string surface you could achieve more spin. Snauwaert, of course, argued that just the opposite was true. From my perspective all the Pro Kennex did was reduce power. The string surface feels very, very firm! I noticed no appreciable difference in spin or control when compared to an old Kennex Copper Ace I had laying around.

P.S. I've always wanted to take the Pro Kennex to a stringer during "specials week" and ask that it be strung with some really stiff poly string for the sale price. :twisted:
 

Autodidactic player

Professional
Amazing .

It's almost like spaghetti stringing except the string are not bound together.

Would that be legal today?

This stringing pattern is in no way like spaghetti stringing. The main feature of spaghetti stringing that makes it illegal is that the strings are not "alternately interlaced" which allows them to move (float) much more easily across the string surface. If your spaghetti racket was strung in the original method, you'll notice that two sets of main strings are used - one above and one below the crosses and that tubing is used where the strings cross with twine used to hold the strings together and limit movement. This quality makes it much easier to put tremendous (Nadal-like) spin on the ball. The point of the twine used to tie the strings together and the tubing used between the strings is to stop the strings from breaking every few shots as they saw back and forth across each other. Here is the modern rule governing stringing:

The hitting surface, defined as the main area of the stringing pattern bordered by the points of entry of the strings into the frame or points of contact of the strings with the frame, whichever is the smaller, shall be flat and consist of a pattern of crossed strings connected to a frame and alternately interlaced or bonded where they cross. The stringing pattern must be generally uniform and, in particular, not less dense in the center than in any other area. The racket shall be designed and strung such that the playing characteristics are identical on both faces. The racket shall be free of attached objects, protrusions and devices other than those utilized solely and specifically to limit or prevent wear and tear or vibration or, for the frame only, to distribute weight. These objects, protrusions and devices must be reasonable in size and placement for such purposes.

... and here is the original article from the "Stringers Assistant" notifying stringers that spaghetti stringing ("Double Stringing" in the official parlance of the day) was banned:

23usokj.jpg

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Auto,

Whoa!!!

Ok it's evident that I'm only an amateur and you are a pro. Collecting is not my day job....lol.

Wow !!! Do you have a website or something we can view ? Your collection is truly amazing and your knowledge immense.

Thank you for posting ....and I really love learning from you.

I thought that your Lacoste was similar to spaghetti stringing in that there are shared holes. Obviously it's not as effective at all; however can two strings come out of one hole?

Here's a pic of my spaghetti strung racquet. Of you enlarge it you will see the mains are actually two strings bound together.

By the way what do you think of my racquet ....is it a good item? I paid $300 for it and it was the only spaghetti string I could even get my hands on:


imagecah.jpg
 

Autodidactic player

Professional
Auto,

Whoa!!!

Ok it's evident that I'm only an amateur and you are a pro. Collecting is not my day job....lol.

Wow !!! Do you have a website or something we can view ? Your collection is truly amazing and your knowledge immense.

Thank you for posting ....and I really love learning from you.

I thought that your Lacoste was similar to spaghetti stringing in that there are shared holes. Obviously it's not as effective at all; however can two strings come out of one hole?

Here's a pic of my spaghetti strung racquet. Of you enlarge it you will see the mains are actually two strings bound together.

By the way what do you think of my racquet ....is it a good item? I paid $300 for it and it was the only spaghetti string I could even get my hands on:

imagecah.jpg

No website - I guess that should be on my to do list. I've always loved the old Adidas rackets and your spaghetti looks like it was well done. As for $300.00; I've always taken the approach that a product is worth whatever you are willing to pay for it- I guess I'm a capitalist at heart. Anyway, if you are happy with your purchase who am I to say whether you over or under payed!

I believe that the Lacoste type stringing technique is probably legal under the modern rules. The strings are alternately interlaced and not less dense in the center. The only problem I see is with the phrase "[t]he stringing pattern must be generally uniform" as the Lacoste is clearly more dense in the center; but since less density in the center is what the rule is really trying to prevent I think the Lacoste and similar rackets would pass the legality test under the modern rule.
 

akamc

New User
While you are searching, look for any of the Maynard Air rackets, they are loads of fun as well:

167l5yc.jpg

What a great collection of oddities, Autodidactic! What was the rationale behind the Maynard Air racquet, shock absorption? Have you hit with one? It's hard to imagine that it would withstand a big hit without the inner hoop popping out...
 

Autodidactic player

Professional
... What was the rationale behind the Maynard Air racquet, shock absorption? Have you hit with one? It's hard to imagine that it would withstand a big hit without the inner hoop popping out...

Oddly enough, the Maynard is actually quite playable. The frame is standard '90's graphite so it's stiff enough and it's very well made so it feels solid. The down side is that, because of the air tube, it is quite head heavy; probably more head heavy that any racket I've used including the Wilson Hammers. Unless you have forearms like Popeye, forget about modern whipping strokes! On the other hand, if you learned to play in the early 70's, like me, with long, traditional, strokes you can certainly get some power on your rolling topspin forehands with all that head mass behind the ball. As for the stringset flying out, I never had that fear. Once the air tube is pumped up the stringset is solidly held in place, much like a bicycle tube holds the tire in place. The air tube does provide quite a bit of dampening, so I suppose the inventor had that benefit in mind, but it's hard for me to believe the inventor went so far over the top to achieve a modest benefit in dampening that couldn't easily be achieved by making the frame a little less stiff.

Other manufacturers have tried the replaceable string set as well with varying degrees of success. In this Tretorn racket, the stringset is held in place by simply wrapping the frame around it and tightening a turn buckle type screw in the throat. This one feels a lot more flimsy than the Maynard. You wouldn't want to play doubles with me using this racket - I'm always afraid that the stringset will go flying, like a frisbee, on my first hard stroke!

5bs0ly.jpg
 
Oddly enough, the Maynard is actually quite playable. The frame is standard '90's graphite so it's stiff enough and it's very well made so it feels solid. The down side is that, because of the air tube, it is quite head heavy; probably more head heavy that any racket I've used including the Wilson Hammers. Unless you have forearms like Popeye, forget about modern whipping strokes! On the other hand, if you learned to play in the early 70's, like me, with long, traditional, strokes you can certainly get some power on your rolling topspin forehands with all that head mass behind the ball. As for the stringset flying out, I never had that fear. Once the air tube is pumped up the stringset is solidly held in place, much like a bicycle tube holds the tire in place. The air tube does provide quite a bit of dampening, so I suppose the inventor had that benefit in mind, but it's hard for me to believe the inventor went so far over the top to achieve a modest benefit in dampening that couldn't easily be achieved by making the frame a little less stiff.

Other manufacturers have tried the replaceable string set as well with varying degrees of success. In this Tretorn racket, the stringset is held in place by simply wrapping the frame around it and tightening a turn buckle type screw in the throat. This one feels a lot more flimsy than the Maynard. You wouldn't want to play doubles with me using this racket - I'm always afraid that the stringset will go flying, like a frisbee, on my first hard stroke!

5bs0ly.jpg

Have you tried the Tretorn? I tried one I haven't sold and long story short, it's terrible. I mean absolutely terrible. There is no worry that the strings will go flying as the screw is rather secure but it feels detached (obviously) and overly flexible...
 

Autodidactic player

Professional
Have you tried the Tretorn? I tried one I haven't sold and long story short, it's terrible. I mean absolutely terrible. There is no worry that the strings will go flying as the screw is rather secure but it feels detached (obviously) and overly flexible...

Good morning, or in your case good afternoon, :)

I have played quite a bit with the Tretorn and my impression was different - and a bit better - than yours. I think that was because I started with lower expectations. I'll be kind to myself and say - reluctantly - that I am at least three times your age! The Tretorn would have been "cutting edge" when I was a junior and would have been competing with other metal rackets of the day like the Seamless, the Chemold or the Tensor. In comparison to those rackets the Tretorn is similarly flexible and plays just about as well; to be completely accurate I'd say a little bit worse. Back then, flex was an asset in a racket because the game demanded much more touch and feel than the modern big hitting game. The big downside of the Tretorn is that it feels flimsy, perhaps even cheap, because of the multi-part design and the fact that you can't really get the string set tight enough to feel secure. That is why the Maynard is different. The air tube really makes the headset feel secure in that racket. I was scared that if I tried to tighten the Tretorn turnbuckle to much it would break and - given how hard these rackets are to find in the US - I wasn't ready to take that chance. My Frisbee comment was only a bit of a joke. I was never confident that the string set would stay in place.

Hope all is well with you. If you uncover any more oddities please drop me a line. :)
 

tennismonkey

Semi-Pro
autodidactic -- do you run a tennis museum or something? that has to be the most awesome (insane?) collection of vintage sticks i've seen. you could charge an entrance fee to your home.
 
Ok auto....you said its some one else's turn.

You are a tough act to follow.

But I will try.

Below you will see the old snauwert ergonom....which you have . But what I don't think you have is the X-45!!

It's the modern version. Look at the throat and how it's been updated like moder racquets.

imagetxp.jpg
 
Good morning, or in your case good afternoon, :)

I have played quite a bit with the Tretorn and my impression was different - and a bit better - than yours. I think that was because I started with lower expectations. I'll be kind to myself and say - reluctantly - that I am at least three times your age! The Tretorn would have been "cutting edge" when I was a junior and would have been competing with other metal rackets of the day like the Seamless, the Chemold or the Tensor. In comparison to those rackets the Tretorn is similarly flexible and plays just about as well; to be completely accurate I'd say a little bit worse. Back then, flex was an asset in a racket because the game demanded much more touch and feel than the modern big hitting game. The big downside of the Tretorn is that it feels flimsy, perhaps even cheap, because of the multi-part design and the fact that you can't really get the string set tight enough to feel secure. That is why the Maynard is different. The air tube really makes the headset feel secure in that racket. I was scared that if I tried to tighten the Tretorn turnbuckle to much it would break and - given how hard these rackets are to find in the US - I wasn't ready to take that chance. My Frisbee comment was only a bit of a joke. I was never confident that the string set would stay in place.

Hope all is well with you. If you uncover any more oddities please drop me a line. :)

Well, unfortunately I thought the same with yours, that it was REALLY difficult to screw the headpiece in. It helps a bit if you slide off the handle first and then grip right under the screw. Coincidentally, the one I picked up later has no problems at all with this.

Flex is actually something I appreciate (playing a Max 200G at times and main stick has the mold of a Prestige but flex down at 50) but this just feels... weird! Could be down to the stringbed flexing weirdly before the actual frame does...

Also, oddities have been a rare sight here. Even woodies have been troublesome to find. Last 3-4 times I've been to the second hand stores I haven't found a single wooden racquet even which is troublesome because of a project me and my friend is going to try in the summer (and no, it doesn't mean breaking them all. Or at least not in my case!) All is well though, hope the same can be said with you!

And to contribute to this thread, I might as well show the only fun racquet I have left, which is exactly the same as above...

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That is sick!!

Have you ever hit with it versus a modern stick?

I'd never do that. Partly because I hate playing with it, and because it's a collector's piece and very rare.

Though it's cool, because although the concept is flawed it shows that some companies are bold and try new approaches to improve convenience.
 
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Autodidactic player

Professional
Ok auto....you said its some one else's turn.

You are a tough act to follow.

But I will try.

Below you will see the old snauwert ergonom....which you have . But what I don't think you have is the X-45!!

It's the modern version. Look at the throat and how it's been updated like moder racquets.

imagetxp.jpg

O ye of little faith!

t05a1u.jpg
 
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