Reviews of 4 Demos - Juice, TFlash 315, M 3.0, Xi 98

JackB1

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
I had a small credit sitting in my TW account for a while and I wanted to try the new Dunlop M300, so I decided to get the following 4 demos and will post reviews on each in the following few days....

1) Dunlop M 3.0
2) Wilson Juice 100
3) TF TFlash 315
4) Yonex Xi 98

The first (2) I will take for a spin are the Dunlop and the Juice. The M 3.0 came to me brand new with plastic (NICE!) and weighs in at 328 grams with overgrip.
I was happy that it was more than the specs say (312 grams). It looks sharp and feels nice dry swinging. Feels like I may be able to use it stock...not too whippy. The Juice came in under specs at 323 grams w/ overgrip. TW says 320, so I was expecting slightly higher. Feels very whippy through the air and may need some lead. I will try both stock first and then go from there.

The TF 315 "feels" heavier than the specs suggest...very hefty swingweight here...probably 335 easy. The Xi98 feels nice...not too heavy or whippy. Didn't weight the Yonex or TF yet.

I have NEVER tried any of these 4 racquets before and that's why I picked them specifically. I am pretty happy currently with my Extreme 2.0 MP, so am really just doing this for fun, although I am very excited to try out the new Dunlop M 3.0. The TW reviews were kind of lukewarm, so I am anxious to see what I think. I loved the 4D 300 and 300 Tours and didn't care too much for the Biomimetics, so we'll see.

Stay tuned :)
 
K

KFwinds

Professional
I've hit with all of these (well, at least several previous versions of the Dunlop) and owned the Juice 100 for about 4 mos, and I can tell you that the Juice is a completely different animal than the other three. Much, much more power and spin. Fun racquet for dubs because it's really easy to serve with and put the ball away. Having said that, I found the Yonex Ezone xi 100 to be a better stick - almost as much power but better control than the Juice, just as much spin, and loads more comfort.

Out of the other three racquets, the TF 315 will be second on power followed by the xi 98 and the M 3.0 (unless Dunlop really turbo charged the new model). Depends on what you're looking for.
 
R

Ross K

Legend
Will be interested to hear your impressions here Jack. TF 315 I'm very familiar with. I had issues with it but still liked it. The new Xi's interest me a lot, though the head-shape slightly puts me off. Juice 100 I'm actually about to investigate.
 
rafafan20

rafafan20

Professional
JackB1 said:
care to elaborate? I want to see if I will agree.
Click to expand...

I could not keep my shots in the court with the juice even though my demo had a fresh set of polys on it (I believe lux savage). The weighting also just didn't feel right to me. I do have to say I was crushing some backhands and the added power really helped there but overall I just could not handle the power or get used to the feel. I generally do not like Wilson rackets though.

The xi 98 is a beast, one of my favorite rackets. If you like to control the point from the baseline I can't imagine many better rackets. Perfect blend of control and power for heavy baseliners. It is also very solid on the serve, I definitely had some extra power with it.
 
JackB1

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
only hit briefly with the Dunlop today in warmups and I could see a little of what the TW testers were talking about concerning the sweetspot. It does seem a little too easy to miss and when you do,
the results are not good. More to come...
 
B

Bmr

Rookie
Hey Jack - I'd be very interested to talk to you off forum about the Extreme 2. I'm trying to dial mine in a bit more. I played doubles today and was having trouble off the ground/serving generating the same kind of pace i'm used to. One stringer I was talking to said the more 'rounded' shape will cause you to lose power on the shots because of the shorter mains. However, should be able to compensate with lower tension and/or strings. You doing poly hybrid right now? If so, what are you using and how do you like it? I strung up Gosen Polylon SP 17 at 60 lbs and I think it's too much. I was sailing some backhands today, but I think it's just my form that was off.
 
JackB1

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
Bmr said:
Hey Jack - I'd be very interested to talk to you off forum about the Extreme 2. I'm trying to dial mine in a bit more. I played doubles today and was having trouble off the ground/serving generating the same kind of pace i'm used to. One stringer I was talking to said the more 'rounded' shape will cause you to lose power on the shots because of the shorter mains. However, should be able to compensate with lower tension and/or strings. You doing poly hybrid right now? If so, what are you using and how do you like it? I strung up Gosen Polylon SP 17 at 60 lbs and I think it's too much. I was sailing some backhands today, but I think it's just my form that was off.
Click to expand...

That's baloney about the rounder shape...the mains are still long as usual, just the crosses are longer.
We are talking maybe 1/4" or so. The racquet is still 27" long, so I am pretty sure the mains aren't shorter, but I will measure next time I get a chance.

The Extreme 2.0 MP has plenty of power. Check TW's power map on it...It's your string setup. 60 Is too high. Try going down to at least 55 next time. I currently have mine with Sonic Pro & Nvy at 50/52 and it's pretty nice....power is there when needed. It also took me about 3 or 4 outings to get used to the heavier swingweight on serve.
 
Last edited:
JackB1

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
ok some more to report...

played for 2 hours with the Juice 100 and really liked it. In fact I was quite surprised by how much I liked it. Yes it was a bit too light, but I think my demo is at least 5 grams under spec. I would image one 5 g's over spec would be much better. Either way, I would like to bring it up to around 330 grams at least. My demo was strung with a pretty used multi and had quite a lot of power, but it wasn't unmanageable. I think a copoly/syngut combo would be ideal. The Juice didn't feel as stiff as the Pure Drive 2012. This racquet is just friendly as can be. I adjusted to it almost immediately. Felt like I couldn't miss with it. Everything clicked....groundies, slices, 2HBH's, serves were good. Only thing I didn't really try were droppers and not too many volleys, since it was singles. I even liked the flared handle. I'm not crazy about the paintjob, but the fun you have playing with it makes you forget about it. This racquet is a fantastic tweener that every 3.0-3.5 should have on their demo list. Would also be great for 40 to 50 somethings who want something powerful and easy to use, like a PD or APD.

Tried the Xi98 for about 10 mins of rallying. Wasn't too crazy about it. Seemed to hit a flatter ball than the Juice. Weight and swingweight however, was perfect. Just heavy enough to feel substantial, not too light to feel too whippy. I still don't like the isometric shape and it feels more awkward than the Vcores. Power was medium-low. Sweet spot hits felt very solid I must say. Not really sure why I didn't like it more, but it may just be a mental thing with the hoop shape combined with the flatter ball. Not a bad racquet, but probably not for me.
 
Power Player

Power Player

Bionic Poster
I didnt like the xi98 either. Just didnt really do it for me. It felt chunky. The feel was nice and muted as yonex are, but i just didnt get that into it.

My buddy has a juice pro and the funny thing is that i never even think about the pj anymore. Its not loud or crazy at all to me anymore.
 
JackB1

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
Power Player said:
I didnt like the xi98 either. Just didnt really do it for me. It felt chunky. The feel was nice and muted as yonex are, but i just didnt get that into it.

My buddy has a juice pro and the funny thing is that i never even think about the pj anymore. Its not loud or crazy at all to me anymore.
Click to expand...

it does look sharp if you put a colored poly that matches ones of the frames colors, like aqua blue or yellow.
 
R

Ross K

Legend
JackB1 said:
ok some more to report...

played for 2 hours with the Juice 100 and really liked it. In fact I was quite surprised by how much I liked it. Yes it was a bit too light, but I think my demo is at least 5 grams under spec. I would image one 5 g's over spec would be much better. Either way, I would like to bring it up to around 330 grams at least. My demo was strung with a pretty used multi and had quite a lot of power, but it wasn't unmanageable. I think a copoly/syngut combo would be ideal. The Juice didn't feel as stiff as the Pure Drive 2012. This racquet is just friendly as can be. I adjusted to it almost immediately. Felt like I couldn't miss with it. Everything clicked....groundies, slices, 2HBH's, serves were good. Only thing I didn't really try were droppers and not too many volleys, since it was singles. I even liked the flared handle. I'm not crazy about the paintjob, but the fun you have playing with it makes you forget about it. This racquet is a fantastic tweener that every 3.0-3.5 should have on their demo list. Would also be great for 40 to 50 somethings who want something powerful and easy to use, like a PD or APD.

Tried the Xi98 for about 10 mins of rallying. Wasn't too crazy about it. Seemed to hit a flatter ball than the Juice. Weight and swingweight however, was perfect. Just heavy enough to feel substantial, not too light to feel too whippy. I still don't like the isometric shape and it feels more awkward than the Vcores. Power was medium-low. Sweet spot hits felt very solid I must say. Not really sure why I didn't like it more, but it may just be a mental thing with the hoop shape combined with the flatter ball. Not a bad racquet, but probably not for me.
Click to expand...

Interesting re the Xi 98, and great to hear that about the J100. Perhaps bodes well for me in my upcoming checking out of the Juice.

Q about the Wilson grip... I know you said something re flared handle shape, my qsn specifically is IYO does the grip feel like it runs bigger than others (like Babs)? Does that flare make it seem bigger?
 
S

Shaochieh

Rookie
JACKB1 sorry to hear about the XI98. What string did you had in it? The racket is some what string sensative. Two string worked well in it. Volkl Cyclone 17@57lbs and BlackCode 16 at 58. I feel the racket have plenty of power in it I don't know what racket you are comparing with it.
 
JackB1

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
Ross K said:
Interesting re the Xi 98, and great to hear that about the J100. Perhaps bodes well for me in my upcoming checking out of the Juice.

Q about the Wilson grip... I know you said something re flared handle shape, my qsn specifically is IYO does the grip feel like it runs bigger than others (like Babs)? Does that flare make it seem bigger?
Click to expand...

No the flare doesn't make it seem bigger. Grip size seems true to size.
 
JackB1

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
Shaochieh said:
JACKB1 sorry to hear about the XI98. What string did you had in it? The racket is some what string sensative. Two string worked well in it. Volkl Cyclone 17@57lbs and BlackCode 16 at 58. I feel the racket have plenty of power in it I don't know what racket you are comparing with it.
Click to expand...

My demo had some multi in it. I never said it didn't have power....it has more than enough, but its not high powered like the Juice, Pure Drive or Warrior.
I definitely had to swing harder to maintain the same depth I was getting with the Juice. It is a VERY solid feeling racquet though.
 
R

Ross K

Legend
JackB1 said:
ok some more to report...

played for 2 hours with the Juice 100 and really liked it. In fact I was quite surprised by how much I liked it. Yes it was a bit too light, but I think my demo is at least 5 grams under spec. I would image one 5 g's over spec would be much better. Either way, I would like to bring it up to around 330 grams at least. My demo was strung with a pretty used multi and had quite a lot of power, but it wasn't unmanageable. I think a copoly/syngut combo would be ideal. The Juice didn't feel as stiff as the Pure Drive 2012. This racquet is just friendly as can be. I adjusted to it almost immediately. Felt like I couldn't miss with it. Everything clicked....groundies, slices, 2HBH's, serves were good. Only thing I didn't really try were droppers and not too many volleys, since it was singles. I even liked the flared handle. I'm not crazy about the paintjob, but the fun you have playing with it makes you forget about it. This racquet is a fantastic tweener that every 3.0-3.5 should have on their demo list. Would also be great for 40 to 50 somethings who want something powerful and easy to use, like a PD or APD.

Tried the Xi98 for about 10 mins of rallying. Wasn't too crazy about it. Seemed to hit a flatter ball than the Juice. Weight and swingweight however, was perfect. Just heavy enough to feel substantial, not too light to feel too whippy. I still don't like the isometric shape and it feels more awkward than the Vcores. Power was medium-low. Sweet spot hits felt very solid I must say. Not really sure why I didn't like it more, but it may just be a mental thing with the hoop shape combined with the flatter ball. Not a bad racquet, but probably not for me.
Click to expand...

Sounds like the J100 could be my cup of tea exactly. As I wait for mine to arrive though, if I'm not being too picky here, is it more like an APD (baseline effortless high trajectory spinny oomph machine) or like a PD (huge bullet 1st serve, hits a tad flatter, a tad easier to swing)? Thanks Jack.
 
JackB1

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
Ross K said:
Sounds like the J100 could be my cup of tea exactly. As I wait for mine to arrive though, if I'm not being too picky here, is it more like an APD (baseline effortless high trajectory spinny oomph machine) or like a PD (huge bullet 1st serve, hits a tad flatter, a tad easier to swing)? Thanks Jack.
Click to expand...

It's more like the PD, but not as stiff feeling. The swingweight is not nearly as high as the APD. If does hit a very spinny ball though....its kind of a cross between the two :)
 
S

Shaochieh

Rookie
JackB1 said:
My demo had some multi in it. I never said it didn't have power....it has more than enough, but its not high powered like the Juice, Pure Drive or Warrior.
I definitely had to swing harder to maintain the same depth I was getting with the Juice. It is a VERY solid feeling racquet though.
Click to expand...

I did put a set of NRG2@60 strangely it killed t he power of the racket. So I hope you can put something else in it and try it again. I think maybe the square head might of put you off.
 
JackB1

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
played more tonite with the new Dunlop 3.0 M and remain unimpressed.
I have to agree with the TW playtesters on this one. The small sweetspot is easy to miss and when you do, your shot really suffers.. The racquet also has a tinny feel and and pingy sound on impact.
Its confusing because it feels very similar to the previous 300 models, but no improvements IMO, even though Dunlop claims this model was completely retooled. Really disappointed in this one. Maybe some will like it, but there are just too many better racquets around with similar specs. Will be interested to see how this one pans out, but for me it falls way short of expectations.

I also added 4 g's at 3/9 to the Juice and it was better, but still a bit too light. If I would order this racquet I would look for the heaviest one's I could find. The 4 grams at 3/9 brought the balance down to 4 pts HL which is perfect, so now I just need a bit more mass while keeping the balance the same. Maybe some at 6 o'clock or equal amounts at the poles?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

JackB1
Video of me demoing new Dunlop M 3.0
Replies
48
Views
5K
amx13
A
J
TFight 315 with lead, TFight 320, or TFlash
Replies
11
Views
2K
Nastase
Nastase
JackB1
Dunlop biomimetic M 3.0 review
Replies
23
Views
6K
MikeHitsHard93
MikeHitsHard93
C
!!!Technifibre T-Fight 320=Dunlop M-Fil 200 Plus 2006!!!
Replies
9
Views
2K
Chauvalito
C
S
Yonex: EZone Xi 98, VCore Xi 100 & EZone Xi 107 compared & reviewed
Replies
5
Views
3K
Someone Else
S
Top