Highest Rated Raquet by TW Review

R

redpurusha

Rookie
What racquet has been given the highest rating from their reviews? The racquet I use (Volkl 93) is rated as "85".. Not that this would make me buy the racquet but certainly would make me look at a higher rated raquet from testers more so.
 
S

SFrazeur

Legend
Drew_Carey.jpg


"The Points Don't Matter. . ."​
 
R

redpurusha

Rookie
I'm going to take a closer look at that Head Youtek stick.. As for "The Holy Grail" racquet with perfect 100 score. WOW! lol That is a funny article -everyone should read for a laugh.

"To try and harness some of the bodacious power of The Holy Grail, we strung it with some 14-gauge nylon we found in the back of the warehouse. For the ultimate in hand to racquet traction, we wrapped the handle with 40-grit sandpaper. 30 grit sandpaper was also supplied, but use was left to individual playtester preference. "

"Both Boris and Jimmy enjoyed hitting groundstrokes with The Holy Grail. Boris said, "wow, my shots were just like, Boom, Boom with this racquet. The power and the control are like nothing I've ever seen. I hit with a one-handed forehand and backhand, but with this racquet, it didn't matter. One-handed, two-handed, no handed, it was all the same. Whatever I hit found its target with heavy spin and pace."

"Again, Steffi was impressed with the size of the sweetspot on The Holy Grail. "It didn't matter if I caught the ball off-center, The Holy Grail seemed to offer the same power and control. I have a very high ball toss, and on windy days I have to stop and catch the ball if it gets blown out of my contact zone. However, with The Holy Grail I could hit every ball with the same remarkable results."

But what if both playtesters were using this racquet against itself? We shall never know what epic battles were in store.
 
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E

El Diablo

Guest
There's been a certain amount of "ratings creep" in recent years. That this new Head racquet is rated 85 in maneuverability (11.8 ounces, 5 points headlight) and the PDR now rated 83 in maneuverability (11.9 ounces, 5 points) is, to someone who's hit with both of them, a little difficult to fathom.
 
sargeinaz

sargeinaz

Hall of Fame
El Diablo said:
There's been a certain amount of "ratings creep" in recent years. That this new Head racquet is rated 85 in maneuverability (11.8 ounces, 5 points headlight) and the PDR now rated 83 in maneuverability (11.9 ounces, 5 points) is, to someone who's hit with both of them, a little difficult to fathom.
Click to expand...

I have noticed this as well. So many rackets are receiving scores in the mid 80s. I mean great rackets from the past werent even able to crack 80. It's peculiar thats for sure.
 
Bartelby

Bartelby

Bionic Poster
They break the score down by individual these days so you can take your pick.

Chris gave the Head an 8 for manoeuverability and a 7.8 for the Babolat.
 
jorel

jorel

Hall of Fame
TW Staff said:
Tennisboy15,

I really do not recommend using the scoring over the comments in helping your decision. Due to their being different reviewers on each review, the scores reflect how each racquet did at the time of the review and with the reviewers involved rather than how it stacks up against every other racquet reviewed. We ask each reviewer to keep in mind how they have scored other racquets, but with the team changing each time, I would use the scores as a guide rather than an absolute.

I think the best source of how each racquet stacks up is in the comments.

Hope that helps,

Chris, TW
Click to expand...
:)....................................................................
 
bjsnider

bjsnider

Hall of Fame
I've noticed the ratings tend to favour sticks that are:

* Head light.
* Open string pattern.
* Heavy, eg. close to or exceeding 12 oz.
* Less than 100 inch head size.

So, for instance, Fed's stick, the Dunlop 200 tour, the Head Prestige Pro etc. all get similar ratings.

And the 18x20 variants all suffer from lack of power, ie. not having an open string pattern.

The play testers all prefer the same type of stick. Namely, the ones I mentioned above, so their ratings reflect that. I'd like to see players who prefer 18x20 sticks or oversize sticks included as well, but whatever.

Just be aware that the reviewers seem to be telling us not "how good is this stick" but "how close does this stick come to being perfect for my particular game?" That's not helpful if the reviewer's game is nothing like the reader's. The fact that Federer's undersized stick is the top-rated on TW is proof that the reviews aren't very helpful. Most players shouldn't be using that stick.
 
N

nn

Hall of Fame
bjsnider said:
I've noticed the ratings tend to favour sticks that are:

* Head light.
* Open string pattern.
* Heavy, eg. close to or exceeding 12 oz.
* Less than 100 inch head size.

So, for instance, Fed's stick, the Dunlop 200 tour, the Head Prestige Pro etc. all get similar ratings.

And the 18x20 variants all suffer from lack of power, ie. not having an open string pattern.

The play testers all prefer the same type of stick. Namely, the ones I mentioned above, so their ratings reflect that. I'd like to see players who prefer 18x20 sticks or oversize sticks included as well, but whatever.

Just be aware that the reviewers seem to be telling us not "how good is this stick" but "how close does this stick come to being perfect for my particular game?" That's not helpful if the reviewer's game is nothing like the reader's. The fact that Federer's undersized stick is the top-rated on TW is proof that the reviews aren't very helpful. Most players shouldn't be using that stick.
Click to expand...

I like what you said.. very true
 
D

Dreamcastin

Rookie
you guys are focusing on the numbers far to much. read what they say. take the fed racquet for example, they all love the way it hits, but how many of them say they are switching. Its to demanding for them, and they let you know that.
 
B

bluetrain4

G.O.A.T.
I remember when I first found TW years ago, the reviews were universally lower than today. So, what constituted a "very high" score was different. Breaking 80 was a pretty big deal, and now it's really not. Based on the playtester/TW staff comments accompanying those previous reviews and also based on the TW staff's occasional reference to past frames in current reviews, I don't believe that those generally lower scores were based on an entire generation(s) of earlier frames being worse than more current frames. Scores overall have seemed to consistently trended upwards.
 
Vlad_C

Vlad_C

Semi-Pro
I am more curious about the worst racquet rating...

Just once, I'd like to see Chris saying something like "Yeah... This racquet felt horrible. When I first picked it up in my hands, it felt like a plastic shovel. It could not generate any power at all from the baseline, and volleys were flying all over the place. I can't think of anything that I liked about this racquet. Worst playtest ever."
And Jason follow up with "Just like Chris said, this racquet totally sucked. I did not enjoy this playtest at all. It was very difficult to swing, and serves were completely impossible."
And Spencer end up with "I too playtested this racquet, and I too felt like it was the worst racquet I ever tried. I don't even know why we're selling this thing."
 
jorel

jorel

Hall of Fame
Vlad_C said:
I am more curious about the worst racquet rating...

Just once, I'd like to see Chris saying something like "Yeah... This racquet felt horrible. When I first picked it up in my hands, it felt like a plastic shovel. It could not generate any power at all from the baseline, and volleys were flying all over the place. I can't think of anything that I liked about this racquet. Worst playtest ever."
And Jason follow up with "Just like Chris said, this racquet totally sucked. I did not enjoy this playtest at all. It was very difficult to swing, and serves were completely impossible."
And Spencer end up with "I too playtested this racquet, and I too felt like it was the worst racquet I ever tried. I don't even know why we're selling this thing."
Click to expand...
that wouldnt be professional but they have been critical in the past

i remember when Gran first reviewed the original Tour 90.. he bsically said it felt wierd in the hand
 
R

Ramon

Legend
I replaced a racquet with an 82 rating (Babolat APDGT) with another racquet that had a 75 rating (Pro Kennex Ki 5x). My whole game improved, and I'm happy with it! :)
 
louis netman

louis netman

Hall of Fame
Everything has become entirely commercial. IMO, simply read player reviews and note their playing level and experience (and if possible, playing style). This is one of the reasons my signature is listed as a reference point for readers.
 
I

iTylerStewart

New User
bjsnider said:
I've noticed the ratings tend to favour sticks that are:

* Head light.
* Open string pattern.
* Heavy, eg. close to or exceeding 12 oz.
* Less than 100 inch head size.

So, for instance, Fed's stick, the Dunlop 200 tour, the Head Prestige Pro etc. all get similar ratings.

And the 18x20 variants all suffer from lack of power, ie. not having an open string pattern.

The play testers all prefer the same type of stick. Namely, the ones I mentioned above, so their ratings reflect that. I'd like to see players who prefer 18x20 sticks or oversize sticks included as well, but whatever.

Just be aware that the reviewers seem to be telling us not "how good is this stick" but "how close does this stick come to being perfect for my particular game?" That's not helpful if the reviewer's game is nothing like the reader's. The fact that Federer's undersized stick is the top-rated on TW is proof that the reviews aren't very helpful. Most players shouldn't be using that stick.
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Actually the Head Prestige mid got an 86 which is as high as the Dunlop and BLXPS90 and it is an 18x20 string pattern.
 
jorel

jorel

Hall of Fame
there was a yonex 85 sq in. 18x20 a few years back. forget the name of it.it was fire red in color and got a score of I believe 66.. no one liked it

i think it was called the rd ti 88 or something
 
jorel

jorel

Hall of Fame
here ya go
http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Reviews/RD70TS/RD70TSReview.html

i like grans response..theres a reason why they dopnt make 85s anymore and this is why,,

i think gran has been one of the more brutally honest thru the yrs..if he doesnt like it..hes not shy about it ...

but if he does like it..he compares it to a pinot noir or a pinot grigio

i think he compared the Rok to a Bourdeaux once
 
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EDK

EDK

Rookie
I like the depressed chubby guy from t*****ex****s. He seems to hate everything and he doesn't seem to care if it hurts sales. So when he likes something I pay attention
 
Vcore89

Vcore89

Talk Tennis Guru
jorel said:
there was a yonex 85 sq in. 18x20 a few years back. forget the name of it.it was fire red in color and got a score of I believe 66.. no one liked it

i think it was called the rd ti 88 or something
Click to expand...

You meant RD Ti70 88? It was quite a classic I believe although the ratings aren't that high and not many pro but one wielded it with relative success.
 
S

scotus

G.O.A.T.
Vlad_C said:
I am more curious about the worst racquet rating...

Just once, I'd like to see Chris saying something like "Yeah... This racquet felt horrible. When I first picked it up in my hands, it felt like a plastic shovel. It could not generate any power at all from the baseline, and volleys were flying all over the place. I can't think of anything that I liked about this racquet. Worst playtest ever."
And Jason follow up with "Just like Chris said, this racquet totally sucked. I did not enjoy this playtest at all. It was very difficult to swing, and serves were completely impossible."
And Spencer end up with "I too playtested this racquet, and I too felt like it was the worst racquet I ever tried. I don't even know why we're selling this thing."
Click to expand...

Check out the TW reviews on the Gamma RZR racquets! Those are the reviews from hell.
 
L

lcalamar

Rookie
Ratings are pretty worthless. User comments are often more beneficial - what works well or doesn't work well with any particular racket. Even then, brand bias, different users, different styles, different levels all have to be taken into context.
 
M

mctennis

Legend
I wish TW would post a list of the racquet ratings like this. Even new or old with the numbers next to each racquet they had reviewed. It would be a great list to look at. Good and bad numbers as well. So, get on it TW. We want this feature added, chop-chop. LOL
 
lwto

lwto

Hall of Fame
El Diablo said:
There's been a certain amount of "ratings creep" in recent years. That this new Head racquet is rated 85 in maneuverability (11.8 ounces, 5 points headlight) and the PDR now rated 83 in maneuverability (11.9 ounces, 5 points) is, to someone who's hit with both of them, a little difficult to fathom.
Click to expand...

I think it all depends on where the weight is, correct?
 
lwto

lwto

Hall of Fame
Vcore89 said:
Head YOUTEK IG Extreme Pro 2.0 is the highest rated at 88.:)
Click to expand...

Great racquet, switched from PDR to it and have not been dissappointed.

The one thing I don't like about it, is its very wide grip shape. I had to shave it down on the ends.
 
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