Why buy brand new racquets?

A pro once told me that with heavy repeated use, the fibers in the racket break down over time. Maybe not in years, but in decades. I question whether this is possible, but depending on the material composite, maybe? Guess an engineer would know best.
 
A pro once told me that with heavy repeated use, the fibers in the racket break down over time. Maybe not in years, but in decades. I question whether this is possible, but depending on the material composite, maybe? Guess an engineer would know best.

The more appropriate term is that the fibers get deformed over time. Everytime you hit the ball, the strings constrict the racket a little bit. Graphite is a softer material hence they wear down easier compared to the newer composite racquets. That's why you get a "loose" feeling when you play with an extremely used racquet.

This is probably the least of your worries with new racquets though. The composite material is tighter and more solid compared to the racquets of the late 90s and early 2000s. Even if you frequently play it would take years before you can feel the "wearing out" of the racquet.

The concept of "wearing out" is probably not a good excuse to keep on changing racquets every year though. There's no harm in buying 1 to 2 year old racquets. The "wear down" is practically negligible. You can just spend the $120 you saved on tennis lessons or actual games.

I never bought a racquet above $50. There are plenty of old men in my club who buy new racquets (even two) on a yearly basis. I just buy their old racquets when they no longer want it anymore. Last one I bought was an Aeropro GT for just $30.

Buying new racquets frequently aren't really a good investment. Tennis racquets depreciate quickly.
 

yonexRx32

Professional
A pro once told me that with heavy repeated use, the fibers in the racket break down over time. Maybe not in years, but in decades. I question whether this is possible, but depending on the material composite, maybe? Guess an engineer would know best.

Yes, an engineer would know better than a tennis pro about structural properties. The tennis pro is probably best qualified to comment on how a racket plays.

The fibers do not break. All current rackets are made using a thermoset process in which tows of carbon fibers are encased in an epoxy resin. Think of it as of the way reinforced concrete is made: cement surrounds bundles of metal. The epoxy resin is a brittle material. Over hundreds of thousands of shocks, the epoxy develops micro fractures. This in turns allows the fibers flex more and to leads to the softening of the frame.

Injection molded rackets, on the other hand, use mostly nylon, which is amorphous, more elastic, and does not develop micro fractures. It is more difficult to crack a Dunlop Max 200g than it is to crack a new Wilson Blade.
 

Hannah19

Professional
Yes, an engineer would know better than a tennis pro about structural properties. The tennis pro is probably best qualified to comment on how a racket plays.

The fibers do not break. All current rackets are made using a thermoset process in which tows of carbon fibers are encased in an epoxy resin. Think of it as of the way reinforced concrete is made: cement surrounds bundles of metal. The epoxy resin is a brittle material. Over hundreds of thousands of shocks, the epoxy develops micro fractures. This in turns allows the fibers flex more and to leads to the softening of the frame.

Injection molded rackets, on the other hand, use mostly nylon, which is amorphous, more elastic, and does not develop micro fractures. It is more difficult to crack a Dunlop Max 200g than it is to crack a new Wilson Blade.

Interesting info....Is the nylon additive the reason why IMF's deform more easily, cannot exceed a 90 sq.inch head size and warp when left in high temperatures?
 

yonexRx32

Professional
Interesting info....Is the nylon additive the reason why IMF's deform more easily, cannot exceed a 90 sq.inch head size and warp when left in high temperatures?

Nylon is not an additive.. it is the main material of the racket. And yes, nylon is a thermoplastic, which means rackets will be more sensitive to high temperatures than thermoset ones. The dunlop 500i and 800i are 95 sq in. Not sure where the 90 sq in. limit is coming from. I don't know of any 500i warping.. but it's not impossible..if you stick it in the oven it will probably warp.
 

vsbabolat

G.O.A.T.
Fischer, too, in the early 90's (through 1993 and perhaps just beyond) had a complete line of excellent racquets; wide, tapered, and narrow beams, mids, midplusses, and oversized designs, super-high quality, all easy on the joints and muscles, great playability, decent-looking... but why did they not take over the worldwide tennis market? :neutral:

Voelkl, by the way, were one of the first European manufacturers to have made the leap to full-scale subcontracted Asian production; 1988, IIRC. Fischer was probably one of the last (at some point in 1993).

1988 was Kneissl with the Spark series. Voelkl subcontracted in Asia 1993 and Fischer was 1995.
 

retrowagen

Hall of Fame
1988 was Kneissl with the Spark series. Voelkl subcontracted in Asia 1993 and Fischer was 1995.
Quite right; I had forgotten abuot the Kneissl Spark, from Singapore (which was introduced in 1987; I had some of the first Spark 25's made available in the US and HATED them).

Not to split hairs, but I do have it on good authority that Fischer started outsourcing to Taiwan Strong in 1993.
 

vsbabolat

G.O.A.T.
Quite right; I had forgotten abuot the Kneissl Spark, from Singapore (which was introduced in 1987; I had some of the first Spark 25's made available in the US and HATED them).

Not to split hairs, but I do have it on good authority that Fischer started outsourcing to Taiwan Strong in 1993.

Oh ok. I thought the Vacuum Pro 90 and Vacuum Pro 98 did not switch over until 1995.
 

Hannah19

Professional
Nylon is not an additive.. it is the main material of the racket. And yes, nylon is a thermoplastic, which means rackets will be more sensitive to high temperatures than thermoset ones. The dunlop 500i and 800i are 95 sq in. Not sure where the 90 sq in. limit is coming from. I don't know of any 500i warping.. but it's not impossible..if you stick it in the oven it will probably warp.

I thought the 500i and 800i were 90 sq.inch but you are probably right about their head size.
I noticed that some of the 500i and 800i models did deform during stringing if done uncarefully. The 200G did warp rather easily when left in a car on a hot sunny day.
 

yonexRx32

Professional
The 200G did warp rather easily when left in a car on a hot sunny day.

In the 90's, in TX, I saw quite a few regular rackets bent out of shape for being left in the car. I don't know if more recent rackets are heat resistant to the point of being able to leave them in the car on a hot summer day. I don't take that risk no matter what racket I use. The way I look at it; special rackets, like special cars, take special care. I always string my Max 200g at 55 or below and have never had any warping. I also use a six mounting points stringer.
 

Hannah19

Professional
I also use a six mounting points stringer.[/QUOTE said:
That does not prevent warping, actually it promotes cracking because the racket has no room to expand during stringing. I have a Stringway machine that has, IMHO, the best mounting system available.
 

yonexRx32

Professional
That does not prevent warping, actually it promotes cracking because the racket has no room to expand during stringing. I have a Stringway machine that has, IMHO, the best mounting system available.

The Stringway is not available in the US. It is also much more expensive than I am willing to pay. The mounting system on my table top (Gamma) is very similar in fact to the Stringway. The frame has a little freedom to deform but not excessively. The two point mount I was using previously tended to make the racket heads round. That has gone away with the new mounting system.
 

floydcouncil

Professional
That does not prevent warping, actually it promotes cracking because the racket has no room to expand during stringing. I have a Stringway machine that has, IMHO, the best mounting system available.

So...you WANT your 200g to look like a lollipop from deformation?
 
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