Donnay racquets, anyone used them?

So I never hear anyone talk about them and never see anything about them, they seem like really good racquets and I've considered geting one since I've been going through shoulder and elbow problems and want to switch to a more arm friendly racquet ( which in donnays claim to fame ) so just wondering has anyone used donnay or still uses them, what do you think of them?

Opinions on these racquets :
Donnay formula 100
Donnay pro one 16 x 19
Donnay pro one 18 x 20

And if I were to string any of these with a soft multifilament ( tecnifibre x-one biphase 17 ) what would be a good tension range to strong them at to maintain control but also add some power as well.

If you do a "title only" search for Donnay in this forum, you will find several very large threads discussing these. They all have a very soft, muted feel if you are into that kind of thing.

sundaypunch said:

If you do a "title only" search for Donnay in this forum, you will find several very large threads discussing these. They all have a very soft, muted feel if you are into that kind of thing.

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Thanks for the heads up, still really new to the site

Yup! Donnay is actually very popular on here. They make some terrific frames.

I string poly at 25k, used to string Biphase at 27k. Played a while with 1.24 which broke pretty fast, then went for the thicker 1.30.

dreamneedle said:

I string poly at 25k, used to string Biphase at 27k. Played a while with 1.24 which broke pretty fast, then went for the thicker 1.30.

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Cool what do you think would be better for me in terms of te 3 racquets I listed? I like to move my opponents around in singles and play all over the court ( eventually getting in close to to net ) and in doubles I mostly serve ad attack from the baseline or go in for serve and volley

I'd look at the pro one. Open or closed pattern is really about preference. Though the formula 100 is suppose to be more arm friendly than babolats, its still a stiff frame.

I have a Formula 100. It's basically a Pure Drive with slightly less power and slightly more control. I have seen a number of people say they found it to be more powerful than the PD but I don't find that to be the case (I have a 2012 PD also).

The main advantage is that it is way, way more comfortable. It is incredibly solid feeling compared to the hollow feeling PD. Much better on the arm as well. I have more confidence with the Formula than the PD, probably because of the feel.

I demo'd the Pro One 18x20. It's a bit heavier than the Formula and more control oriented.

Formula 100 plays like a clone of the APDGT, almost exactly alike except for slight weight differences and the F100 has much better comfort & feel, IMO. As an APDGT owner and user for the last 2.5yrs, between the two I'd easily pick the F100.

Pro 1 16x19 is a player's racket with a lot of pop. It feels and plays much heavier than its specs suggest, IMO. If I didn't know the specs I'd think it was a 12oz players racket.

Disneos said:

Cool what do you think would be better for me in terms of te 3 racquets I listed? I like to move my opponents around in singles and play all over the court ( eventually getting in close to to net ) and in doubles I mostly serve ad attack from the baseline or go in for serve and volley

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I'm not familiar with Donnay sticks, sorry.
If your shoulder+elbow feel weird, just take one or two weeks off, ice + painkillers, then start doing some stregthening exercises.

Switched to the P1 16x19 two months ago from the 2012 BLX95. Best decision I've made....Great sticks !

anybody hit with the older x blue 99?

zapvor said:

anybody hit with the older x blue 99?

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Zapvor,

I have played with most of the Donnay's since last summer, and currently the X-Blue 99 is my go-to racquet for match play. I have a Silver and Gold as well, mainly using the Gold for doubles. Silver was my preferred singles before I got my hands on a used X-Blue.

Like all Donnay's, it has great stability and plow-through, very controllable, especially on depth where I have had difficulties. It serves well, although not as powerful as Pro One 16x19 or XP Dual. Very solid at net as well.

I have not tried the Platinum, which should be closest to the Blue from the X-Dual series.

Flash said:

Zapvor,

I have played with most of the Donnay's since last summer, and currently the X-Blue 99 is my go-to racquet for match play. I have a Silver and Gold as well, mainly using the Gold for doubles. Silver was my preferred singles before I got my hands on a used X-Blue.

Like all Donnay's, it has great stability and plow-through, very controllable, especially on depth where I have had difficulties. It serves well, although not as powerful as Pro One 16x19 or XP Dual. Very solid at net as well.

I have not tried the Platinum, which should be closest to the Blue from the X-Dual series.

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hi-thanks for the note! wow thats awesome. i am trying to track down a blue myself. its tough
how did you find yours

Wow... seems like quite a few of us have pushed all of our chips in on the Pro One. I've got 9, Mrtrinh has 7, and schmolke had 6! Seems like peeps who like the P1, really like the P1 haha. Best racquet choice I ever made by a wide margin. Has really elevated my game, and my arm loves it. One thing though... I think P1's might actually be so dense due to the solid core construction that they cause a slight ripple in gravity. I know the mass and balance of all of them, and still cannot believe they are 12oz, and 7 points HL with all the trimmings. I have them all at about ~330 sw, but they swing much heavier than that. I think maybe a room full of P1's might cause a black hole in space.

Disneos, String Choice - In my humble opinion, I don't think a soft multi like TF x1 Biphase is a good choice for any of these three sticks you've mentioned. X1 is awesome, I played with it for many years, but with a decent swingspeed, all those frames have quite a bit of pop. You'll need to make the ball dive into the court with top to have it stay in the court, and access to easy spin is a big help. If your arm can stand it, and you don't come to net a bunch, a not so stiff textured poly like Dunlop Black Widow 18 or a slightly stiffer BHBR 17 would be a good choice for baseline bashing. As a doubles specialist I can tell you that textured poly is simply awful for volleys though. The ball just gets stuck in the stringbed, and when it finally slushes out, I have no effing idea where it's going. Gut mains with poly crosses will give you all the access to easy spin from the baseline, but is much easier to volley with for sure. And lastly, if you are not snapping the crosses in TF X1 Biphase 17 in about 6 hours or less, you might not have the swingspeed or topspin to tap into all the qualities of the Pro One, it's not a tweener, and is best utilized with long, fast, developed strokes. I get 20+ hours out of a good gut/poly set up, and its far less expensive in the long run (and better performing) than any of the premium multifils.

Re: X-Blue 99 - Best. Looking. Frame. Ever. And yeah, really hard to find these days. I got mine last summer, but they've been scarce ever since.

Jack

ChicagoJack said:

Wow... seems like quite a few of us have pushed all of our chips in on the Pro One. I've got 9, Mrtrinh has 7, and schmolke had 6! Seems like peeps who like the P1, really like the P1 haha. Best racquet choice I ever made by a wide margin.

Disneos - In my humble opinion, I don't think a soft multi like TF x1 Biphase is a good choice for any of these three sticks you've mentioned. X1 is awesome, I played with it for many years, but with a decent swingspeed, all those frames have quite a bit of pop. You'll need to make the ball dive into the court with top to have it stay in the court, and access to easy spin is a big help. If your arm can stand it, and you don't come to net a bunch, a not so stiff textured poly like Dunlop Black Widow 18 or BHBR 17 would be a good choice for baseline bashing. As a doubles specialist I can tell you that textured poly is simply awful for volleys though. Gut mains with poly crosses will give you all the access to easy spin from the baseline, but is much easier to volley with for sure. And lastly, if you are not snapping the crosses in X1 in about 6 hours or less, you might not have the swingspeed or topspin to tap into all the qualities of the Pro One, it's not a tweener, and is geared more for developed strokes. I get 20+ hours out of a good gut/poly set up, and its far less expensive in the long run (and better performing) than the premium multifils.

Jack

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problem is i live in texas and it tends to get humid here quite a bit, i either need a good multi or a soft enough poly because i really cant take the risk or more pain or injury and cant afford anymore downtime, feel like around here a gut string wouldnt last long.

I found my X-Blue through stringforum classifieds

Regarding stringing, I have also settled with gut mains and poly crosses, currently TourBite 17. With tension at 24/22kg, my arm feels fine.
Like many others, I also started testing Donnays because of arm problems.

Actually, when I played for a while with ProOne, I used a multi, could have been X1, maybe I need to string one with gut/TB and give it a try.

Disneos said:

problem is i live in texas and it tends to get humid here quite a bit, i either need a good multi or a soft enough poly because i really cant take the risk or more pain or injury and cant afford anymore downtime, feel like around here a gut string wouldnt last long.

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Hi Disneos -

Yeah cool. I live in Chicago burbs , and I know from humid ha ha. I stayed away from Gut/Poly for a very long time, out of a fear that it wouldn't last long, or be too expensive. Turns out I was really, really wrong.

2 Frames with TF X1 Biphase = ($17.00 x 2) = $34.00
2 Frames with Babolat Tonic + Polyfibre HiTec = (33+9) = $42.00

I snap X1 at about 6 or so hours of singles. I've never snapped my gut mains, but will restring my whole bed at around 24 hours on a gut/poly setup. So for 8 bucks more, you could have something that lasts 4 times longer. And that's just looking at the cost benefits, not even mentioning how much better it plays.

Not trying talk you into something that will take you backwards in terms of arm safety, but there is quite a range in poly stiffness, anywhere from 160's - mid 300's lbs per sq. in. I'm 95% recovered from my 1st ever case of TE, and found that Gut with a soft poly works for me. I have a list of the softer polys in the string section here

Jack

deleted post, misread a comment.

and how about the gold 99? anyone can give some light has to what other frame its plays close too?

I'm in the market for a bigger head frame than my redondos mid, and have been looking closely to the gold 99, head youtek ig speed 16x19, and the prince tour 16x18... cant tell which one could be a better fit, i have only tried the head, and it was ok, i liked it. It was a cannon of a raqcquet compared to the redondos, plow was fine, has the swingwheight is in the 320 for both racquets, but of course i felt the stiffness of the head compared to the buttery feeling of the kennex... how does the gold99 compares?

ChicagoJack said:

Hi Disneos -

Yeah cool. I live in Chicago burbs , and I know from humid ha ha. I stayed away from Gut/Poly for a very long time, out of a fear that it wouldn't last long, or be too expensive. Turns out I was really, really wrong.

2 Frames with TF X1 Biphase = ($17.00 x 2) = $34.00
2 Frames with Babolat Tonic + Polyfibre HiTec = (33+9) = $42.00

I snap X1 at about 6 or so hours of singles. I've never snapped my gut mains, but will restring my whole bed at around 24 hours on a gut/poly setup. So for 8 bucks more, I have something that lasts 4 times longer. And that's just looking at the cost benefits, not even mentioning how much better it plays.

Not trying talk you into something that will take you backwards in terms of arm safety, but there is quite a range in poly stiffness, anywhere from 160's - mid 300's lbs per sq. in. I'm 95% recovered from my 1st ever case of TE, and found that Gut with a soft poly works for me. I have a list of the softer polys in the string section here

Jack

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Have you ever used weiscannon dual reality hybrid? Was looking at it an it got some great reviews and seems a lot more affordable, idk just the price tag of buying gut even in hybrid bugs me, if te weiscannon isn't good that what would you say is the best hybrid you can think of for comfort and control without being too low on power?

Mister drool said:

and how about the gold 99? anyone can give some light has to what other frame its plays close too?

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I'm also very interested in the Gold 99 thinking that it may qualify as a zippier and more forgiving alternative to my current 4D200 Tours. Anyone?

Mister drool said:

and how about the gold 99? anyone can give some light has to what other frame its plays close too? . . . the buttery feeling of the kennex... how does the gold99 compares?

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I hit modified Becker Londons and demoed the Gold 99 today. The transition was seamless, and I mean to the point that I had a hard time going back to my own frame. I find that it sits somewhere between my London and a C-10 Pro. The weight is in the handle, throat, and low in the shoulders. The hoop is flexible, forgiving, and loaded with feel. I got a lot of bite off the stringbed, and while I wouldn't call it crisp, control is at a premium. And the grip shape is absolutely perfect----a touch more square than Dunlop.

You mention a buttery feel . . . spread a little Gold 99, and your tennis palate will thank you. I can't imagine a frame that would work better for me, personally, and I don't think that I'd customize it hardly at all, and that's rare for me. I might be sold.

kaiser said:

I'm also very interested in the Gold 99 thinking that it may qualify as a zippier and more forgiving alternative to my current 4D200 Tours. Anyone?

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I find it more forgiving than even my Londons. The frame just glides through the air. Donnay, imo, has created the perfect balance of specs here in this frame. It may not bludgeon the ball like your Tours, but with the flex, feel, maneuverability, stability, and even forgiveness of the frame, you can work the ball at will, whatever the situation may call for. This frame's a sleeper, and I can only conclude that that is the case because old-school, flexy frames are not in demand.

Been looking at kirschbaun pro line II and head RIP strings as alternatives to mutlis, can anyone give feedback ont hear strings and do you think they'd work well in a hybrid together if so which mains which crosses for any of these racquets?

Gold 99 - Comfort and feel of a VERY flexible and soft players racket (kind of rubbery IMO) with the power, forgiveness, and huge sweet spot of a tweener. I'm used to higher weight & SW frames but this one felt a little slow to bring around for some reason on groundstrokes. The balance/weight distribution during the swing & feel on contact are not for me, but if you like super flexible and soft feeling frames, this one is for you! It actually felt great on serves, it swung easy, had great feel on contact, good power & spin. Strung with Babolat PHT mains / Addiction crosses.

Disneos said:

Have you ever used weiscannon dual reality hybrid? Was looking at it an it got some great reviews and seems a lot more affordable, idk just the price tag of buying gut even in hybrid bugs me, if te weiscannon isn't good that what would you say is the best hybrid you can think of for comfort and control without being too low on power?

Click to expand...

Disneos said:

Been looking at kirschbaun pro line II and head RIP strings as alternatives to mutlis, can anyone give feedback ont hear strings and do you think they'd work well in a hybrid together if so which mains which crosses for any of these racquets?

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Hi Disneos,

Yeah cool, I understand. As this is the racquets section, in a general thread about Donnay frames, I hesitate to get into a deep discussion about string choices. But I will say quickly a few things:

1. The price difference btwn a decent Gut/Poly that will last you 20+ hours and a premium multi that will last you less than 10 hours is 4 bucks. Gut/Poly is waaay cheaper in the long run. Full gut would actually be cheaper for me than X1 Bi phase. I snap X1 in 6 hours, but can get 20-30 out of full gut.

2. Kirschbaum pro line II in 18g ranks #20 softest poly out of 239. Pro line II in the 17g ranks # 68. Those digits indicate being fairly comfy as far as full poly goes, but I'd stay clear of any full bed of poly if you have TE. That's just not going to work. Head Rip Control is an odd bird. Very unique string for sure. The gummy outer coating has it feeling very damp, muted, muffled. Though there are better choices for TE at 180 lb in... it's not bad stiffness wise, and is fairly durable. RC would be work much better for TE than Pro line II, yet neither would be as arm friendly as full gut.
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/reporter.php

3. Yeah man, WC Dual reality has good reviews, but its designed to work as poly mains with a syngut cross. For TE I reco should staying away from poly mains, as the mains account for most qualities of the stringbed.

4. We've learned a whole bunch more about string in the last four years, than we have in the last 100 years. It's a deep subject that could fill many chapters in a book. But the biggest discovery has the importance of low interstring friction for spin production. It has been observed that additional spin is imparted to the ball when the strings slide and snap back as the ball is exiting the string bed. There is one particular string combination that is the most slippery. That combination is Gut mains / poly crosses. we dont know why exactly that is... but the most plausible explanation is that the natural oils in the gut act as a lubricant as the mains slide across. Oddly though, when you reverse the set up, and go with poly mains, and gut crosses, that combo has the highest inter -string friction of any setups tested. You can find many research articles about this in the TW university if you ever need some good bed time reading material. Puts me right to sleep Ha ha.
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/index.php
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/stringmovement.php
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/stringmovementPart2.php
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/stringballfriction.php

5. Regarding your request for a quick hybrid suggestion, I'm really loving Gut mains with one of the softest polys on the market, Polyfibre Hitec 18. It plays like buttah. Much more comfy than than the ever popular Gut / MSV Co- Focus, and offers a bit more touch and control imo. WC Mosquito bite 18 and the soft new Yonex Poly are my demo list for soft poly X's.

6. As you are a fellow TE sufferer, you might want to give a look to the stiffness ratings of any string you are considering giving a demo. I don't always agree with the digits, but more often than not the numbers make sense overall.
http://www.racquetsportsindustry.com/articles/2012/01/string_selector_2012.html

Hope this helps!

Jack

Yeah donnays are sweet. I used the x blue 99 for a good while and it's a fantastic all around stick, with a unique comfortable, muted feel. Strung it with sppp 1.18 at 48-50, or bhb7 at 52ish iirc. Quality, cheap polys. Only reason I don't still use it is because I'm a racquetholic!

Buddy of mine has the pro one. Also a fine stick...

pauliewa said:

Yeah donnays are sweet. I used the x blue 99 for a good while and it's a fantastic all around stick, with a unique comfortable, muted feel. Strung it with sppp 1.18 at 48-50, or bhb7 at 52ish iirc. Quality, cheap polys. Only reason I don't still use it is because I'm a racquetholic!

Buddy of mine has the pro one. Also a fine stick...

Click to expand...

what are you using now

Leaded up ps six.one 95s. But I just started stringing and because of this thread want to rekindle something with the x blue 99s. I mean the paint job alone...

Disneos said:

Been looking at kirschbaun pro line II and head RIP strings as alternatives to mutlis, can anyone give feedback ont hear strings and do you think they'd work well in a hybrid together if so which mains which crosses for any of these racquets?

Click to expand...

Disneos,

I used Proline II 17 gauge as hybrid with gut and multi with both the Pro One and XP-Dual, and they did mot last more than a few hours, which for me is untypical. I do not know why, but since that I have used TB 17 and Signum Pro Firestorm as crosses with gut mains, and had no problems with durability or my arm/elbow.

I have not been counting the hours before restringing, but when I start to lose some feel, I will change to a fresh set.

Of course, all of this depends on how we hit etc. But I agree with Jack that it is worth trying at least.

Pneumated1 said:

I hit modified Becker Londons and demoed the Gold 99 today... The weight is in the handle, throat, and low in the shoulders... and while I wouldn't call it crisp, control is at a premium. And the grip shape is absolutely perfect----a touch more square than Dunlop.

You mention a buttery feel . . . spread a little Gold 99, and your tennis palate will thank you. I can't imagine a frame that would work better for me, personally, and I don't think that I'd customize it hardly at all, and that's rare for me. I might be sold... The frame just glides through the air.... It may not bludgeon the ball like your Tours, ... This frame's a sleeper, and I can only conclude that that is the case because old-school, flexy frames are not in demand.

Click to expand...

wow... your writting is almost an art form.
I'm not kidding, you have a very smooth writting style, specially in the descpition department.

Im realy tempted to get this frame for me... but i can only buy it from tennis warehouse europe (i live in portugal) and at the moment they ask for 205 euro... which is a bit more than i can pay for right now... i have played with a head youtek ig speed 16x19 of a friend and liked that one too... good plow, stability is ok (compared to k90 and redondo mid) super spin effect (100 sq inch and open string pattern VS mid size and 18x20 of the redondo got to me).. the works, it is a very good racquet as well, and right now, much cheaper (134 €) than the donnay....
can they both be compared?

Mister drool said:

and how about the gold 99? anyone can give some light has to what other frame its plays close too?

I'm in the market for a bigger head frame than my redondos mid, and have been looking closely to the gold 99, head youtek ig speed 16x19, and the prince tour 16x18... cant tell which one could be a better fit, i have only tried the head, and it was ok, i liked it. It was a cannon of a raqcquet compared to the redondos, plow was fine, has the swingwheight is in the 320 for both racquets, but of course i felt the stiffness of the head compared to the buttery feeling of the kennex... how does the gold99 compares?

Click to expand...

ChicagoJack said:

Hi Disneos,

Yeah cool, I understand. As this is the racquets section, in a general thread about Donnay frames, I hesitate to get into a deep discussion about string choices. But I will say quickly a few things:

1. The price difference btwn a decent Gut/Poly that will last you 20+ hours and a premium multi that will last you less than 10 hours is 4 bucks. Gut/Poly is waaay cheaper in the long run. Full gut would actually be cheaper for me than X1 Bi phase. I snap X1 in 6 hours, but can get 20-30 out of full gut.

2. Kirschbaum pro line II in 18g ranks #20 softest poly out of 239. Pro line II in the 17g ranks # 68. Those digits indicate being fairly comfy as far as full poly goes, but I'd stay clear of any full bed of poly if you have TE. That's just not going to work. Head Rip Control is an odd bird. Very unique string for sure. The gummy outer coating has it feeling very damp, muted, muffled. Though there are better choices for TE at 180 lb in... it's not bad stiffness wise, and is fairly durable. RC would be work much better for TE than Pro line II, yet neither would be as arm friendly as full gut.
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/reporter.php

3. Yeah man, WC Dual reality has good reviews, but its designed to work as poly mains with a syngut cross. For TE I reco should staying away from poly mains, as the mains account for most qualities of the stringbed.

4. We've learned a whole bunch more about string in the last four years, than we have in the last 100 years. It's a deep subject that could fill many chapters in a book. But the biggest discovery has the importance of low interstring friction for spin production. It has been observed that additional spin is imparted to the ball when the strings slide and snap back as the ball is exiting the string bed. There is one particular string combination that is the most slippery. That combination is Gut mains / poly crosses. we dont know why exactly that is... but the most plausible explanation is that the natural oils in the gut act as a lubricant as the mains slide across. Oddly though, when you reverse the set up, and go with poly mains, and gut crosses, that combo has the highest inter -string friction of any setups tested. You can find many research articles about this in the TW university if you ever need some good bed time reading material. Puts me right to sleep Ha ha.
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/index.php
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/stringmovement.php
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/stringmovementPart2.php
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/stringballfriction.php

5. Regarding your request for a quick hybrid suggestion, I'm really loving Gut mains with one of the softest polys on the market, Polyfibre Hitec 18. It plays like buttah. Much more comfy than than the ever popular Gut / MSV Co- Focus, and offers a bit more touch and control imo. WC Mosquito bite 18 and the soft new Yonex Poly are my demo list for soft poly X's.

6. As you are a fellow TE sufferer, you might want to give a look to the stiffness ratings of any string you are considering giving a demo. I don't always agree with the digits, but more often than not the numbers make sense overall.
http://www.racquetsportsindustry.com/articles/2012/01/string_selector_2012.html

Hope this helps!

Jack

Click to expand...

One last string question, have you ever used klip legend your black natural gut? And if so what do you think of it?

Disneos said:

One last string question, have you ever used klip legend your black natural gut? And if so what do you think of it?

Click to expand...

Maybe its just bad luck, but ive tried two sets of klip gut, and both ended with premature snapping after just a few hours of play. The strings broke way out at the edges near the grommets so you could chalk it up to unfortunate mis-hits... but since switching to Babolat gut I've had no problems at all. Tonic is the cheapest Babolat gut, and the 15L is pretty durable. I've never snapped that stuff, just restring at 25 hours or so just to get a fresh set of poly xs in there. Because I rarely play gut in a full bed, its really tough for me to sense any difference among tonic and vs team. I have the black gut just because I have a buddy who is a rep and he was able to get that for me at a great price. I can for sure feel difs with changing out poly xs, but cant sense much dif with switching out gut mains.

Happy holidays

Jack

pauliewa said:

Leaded up ps six.one 95s. But I just started stringing and because of this thread want to rekindle something with the x blue 99s. I mean the paint job alone...

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oh cool. the 6.1 95s are tough to play with too

Alright this has me dumbfounded. I was going through my x blue 99s in the closet and there's a replacement frame sent from Donnay that is a 16x19 pattern. (One of the frames had cracked on a shank and they sent me a lightly used one as a replacement, though I never put it in rotation). Did they switch from 16x20 to 16x19 toward the end of production? Do I have any chance of having it re-replaced?

(Sorry for slight hijack)

Gold 99

I hit with the Donnay Gold 99 and initially I loved it..still do I guess..However, I just could never get the plow I needed on the BH that I got with Prestige Pro's...Also, could never get the pace on serve as I did with HPPro..Feel is incredible though

pauliewa said:

Alright this has me dumbfounded. I was going through my x blue 99s in the closet and there's a replacement frame sent from Donnay that is a 16x19 pattern. (One of the frames had cracked on a shank and they sent me a lightly used one as a replacement, though I never put it in rotation). Did they switch from 16x20 to 16x19 toward the end of production? Do I have any chance of having it re-replaced?

(Sorry for slight hijack)

Click to expand...

thats interesting. i would call them up and see

zapvor said:

thats interesting. i would call them up and see

Click to expand...

Spoke to a helpful guy who told me he'd never heard of the x blue 99 in a 16x19. He put me on hold and checked stock and found zero x blue 99s. He was nice enough to offer a replacement of one of their news frames, but just then he told me someone had found one! They're shipping it out to me on my word that I send back the mystery prototype. Good people over there at Donnay.

Taking this as a sign I'm supposed to move back in time to these awesome frames.

pauliewa said:

Spoke to a helpful guy who told me he'd never heard of the x blue 99 in a 16x19. He put me on hold and checked stock and found zero x blue 99s. He was nice enough to offer a replacement of one of their news frames, but just then he told me someone had found one! They're shipping it out to me on my word that I send back the mystery prototype. Good people over there at Donnay.

Taking this as a sign I'm supposed to move back in time to these awesome frames.

Click to expand...

Did you get your replacement frame?

totally agree..the Gold 99 is so sweet. I use it stock form and cant imagine a racquet with a bigger sweet spot and all that feel you get. Great combo.

Hey Jack -

Just rec'd my Pro One 18x20 today. Man these are high quality frames. I'll have a chance to hit with it tomorrow; playing in the afternoon with the GF and then tomorrow evening at Oak Brook for some dubs.

Gotta love TW as well. Bought this as a used "B" grade frame, but this thing couldn't have been hit with for more than 1hr; not even a scuff on the bumper. It's also fairly freshly strung with TF NRG2 17g. I was setting up the stringer as UPS came to the door, but looks like I should be able to test it with the strings already in the frame.

Hope we'll get a chance to hit sometime!

KFwinds said:

Hey Jack -

Just rec'd my Pro One 18x20 today. Man these are high quality frames. I'll have a chance to hit with it tomorrow; playing in the afternoon with the GF and then tomorrow evening at Oak Brook for some dubs.

Gotta love TW as well. Bought this as a used "B" grade frame, but this thing couldn't have been hit with for more than 1hr; not even a scuff on the bumper. It's also fairly freshly strung with TF NRG2 17g. I was setting up the stringer as UPS came to the door, but looks like I should be able to test it with the strings already in the frame.

Hope we'll get a chance to hit sometime!

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Kevin -

Oh man, that's super cool! There is a Pro One 97 club here : http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=420407. Lots of good info, feedback, commentary on string selection etc... Feel free to contribute!

It's awesome that you got one in good shape. FYI the Donnay lettering at 3 and 9 in the silver metallic paint chips rather easily. (My one big complaint) It's not going to chip just sitting in the bag, but I know you are going to have to dig out some low volleys at some point, and it's such a clean, minimalist design that every little chip and scrape really shows up because there is no where to hide. Just know going into the relationship she will acquire a little, how shall I say.. Willie Nelson's Beat Up Guitar type flavor, ha ha.

The P1 is highly string sensitive. I've tried just about everything but Gut/Poly really works nicely. (And that's what I had in my racquet that you really liked) Most of us have found that the The Pro One has a lot of pop, the spinny-ness of that combo really helps me to swing away with less fear of hitting long. A full bed of gut or a premium multi in this super comfy, solid core frame, is just sublime. Just so effing sweet, but creates a much flatter ball. I had some success with a full bed of Dunlop Black Widow 18, which is one of the more comfy polys on the market, but man I could not volley at all with that. I've figured out that textured poly just sucks at the net. The ball just gets stuck in there, and when the string bed has finally unravelled my opponents spin I have no idea where its going when it finally slushes out. The gut poly gives me all the spin of the textured stuff and I always know where the ball is going at net. So much better it's amazing.

(Off-Topic) By the way, which Oak Brook are you playing, The Oak Brook Racquet and Fitness Club in Westmont? or the Oakbrook Park District Courts just east of the mall on Forest Gate? If its the PD courts I might see you there. Was thinking about signing up for the drop in doubles tomoro night.

-Jack

Pneumated1 said:

I hit modified Becker Londons and demoed the Gold 99 today. The transition was seamless, and I mean to the point that I had a hard time going back to my own frame. I find that it sits somewhere between my London and a C-10 Pro. The weight is in the handle, throat, and low in the shoulders. The hoop is flexible, forgiving, and loaded with feel. I got a lot of bite off the stringbed, and while I wouldn't call it crisp, control is at a premium. And the grip shape is absolutely perfect----a touch more square than Dunlop.

You mention a buttery feel . . . spread a little Gold 99, and your tennis palate will thank you. I can't imagine a frame that would work better for me, personally, and I don't think that I'd customize it hardly at all, and that's rare for me. I might be sold.



I find it more forgiving than even my Londons. The frame just glides through the air. Donnay, imo, has created the perfect balance of specs here in this frame. It may not bludgeon the ball like your Tours, but with the flex, feel, maneuverability, stability, and even forgiveness of the frame, you can work the ball at will, whatever the situation may call for. This frame's a sleeper, and I can only conclude that that is the case because old-school, flexy frames are not in demand.

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Thanks man, you've got me salivating at this one...
I still really like my Tours, when I'm in the groove and loose and swing relaxed it is sheer joy to hit with them. However, I am concerned that they may be limiting my max swingspeed, and started thinking I may benefit from a more forgiving stick when I'm tight in a match. I already liked the specs on the Gold 99 and it gets a very positive review from Chris and Spencer at TW. Pity it is so much more expensive in Europe than in the US...

Hi I'm Ray said:

Gold 99 - Comfort and feel of a VERY flexible and soft players racket (kind of rubbery IMO) with the power, forgiveness, and huge sweet spot of a tweener. I'm used to higher weight & SW frames but this one felt a little slow to bring around for some reason on groundstrokes. The balance/weight distribution during the swing & feel on contact are not for me, but if you like super flexible and soft feeling frames, this one is for you! It actually felt great on serves, it swung easy, had great feel on contact, good power & spin. Strung with Babolat PHT mains / Addiction crosses.

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Perhaps it needs some weight in the tail to make it come around quicker, did that with my Tours. You found it very flexible and soft. I am wondering, I like my Tours strung in the high 30s, wouldn't the resulting soft stringbed to some extent negate the softness of the frame? I mean, wouldn't the strings flex before the frame does?

ChicagoJack said:

Kevin -

Oh man, that's super cool! There is a Pro One 97 club here : http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=420407. Lots of good info, feedback, commentary on string selection etc... Feel free to contribute!

It's awesome that you got one in good shape. FYI the Donnay lettering at 3 and 9 in the silver metallic paint chips rather easily. (My one big complaint) It's not going to chip just sitting in the bag, but I know you are going to have to dig out some low volleys at some point, and it's such a clean, minimalist design that every little chip and scrape really shows up because there is no where to hide. Just know going into the relationship she will acquire a little, how shall I say.. Willie Nelson's Beat Up Guitar type flavor, ha ha.

The P1 is highly string sensitive. I've tried just about everything but Gut/Poly really works nicely. (And that's what I had in my racquet that you really liked) Most of us have found that the The Pro One has a lot of pop, the spinny-ness of that combo really helps me to swing away with less fear of hitting long. A full bed of gut or a premium multi in this super comfy, solid core frame, is just sublime. Just so effing sweet, but creates a much flatter ball. I had some success with a full bed of Dunlop Black Widow 18, which is one of the more comfy polys on the market, but man I could not volley at all with that. I've figured out that textured poly just sucks at the net. The ball just gets stuck in there, and when the string bed has finally unravelled my opponents spin I have no idea where its going when it finally slushes out. The gut poly gives me all the spin of the textured stuff and I always know where the ball is going at net. So much better it's amazing.

(Off-Topic) By the way, which Oak Brook are you playing, The Oak Brook Racquet and Fitness Club in Westmont? or the Oakbrook Park District Courts just east of the mall on Forest Gate? If its the PD courts I might see you there. Was thinking about signing up for the drop in doubles tomoro night.

-Jack

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Yep, I'll be at the Oak Brook PD for the drop-in dubs so I'll prob see you there. I'm playing and teaching earlier in the afternoon so hopefully I'll have some gas left in the tank

v-verb said:

Did you get your replacement frame?

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FedEx shows it arriving tomorrow. Will report.

pauliewa said:

FedEx shows it arriving tomorrow. Will report.

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Any update Paulie?

How is the qc on donnay?

Just got my first Donnay Pro One 18x20 this week.

Hurt my ankle on Wednesday night training so I haven't had a chance to give it a proper play yet.

Looking forward to hopefully getting out on court tomorrow and giving it a go.

Strung with Solinco Tour Bite 17 @ 55

Forgive me father for I have sinned. Just had flea bay impulse buy. Two X-99 Blacks. Don't really need any more racquets, but I've got a soft spot for the increasingly rare X-99 Blues and Blacks, hard for me to pass up when they become available. The Blue is just about the prettiest frame I've ever seen, with the Blacks a close second. The chrome finish with the leather grip is reminiscent of a late 70's vintage road racing bike.