No more Donnay pro ones? Donnay going out of business?

I just switched over to the Donnay Pro One 97 16x19 and absolutely LOVE this stick......

And then I just found this on the net.....does anyone know of it's true?

Donnay Pro One no more?
I heard they will stop making the Donnay Pro One's. Dr. Sanda, do you have know anything about it? I might need to pick up a few of these babies...if I can find them in the $120 range which is normally how much I paid for them.
3 Donnay Pro One 16x19 3/8 -- Babolat Gut/WC B5E
(Whoever stole my other Donnays better return them!)


Dr. Sanda said:
05-28-2013 01:26 PM
The rumor is the brothers who licensed the name Donnay are out of money and operating on fumes. If that's your weapon of choice I would snatch some up. If they aren't going out of business I would be surprised that they would discontinue the Pro One as it was their best reviewed and best selling racquet.

That said on May 11th they did say on facebook there were new frames coming out in 2014.
(4) Volkl PB 10 Mids
Babolat Tonic+ 16 @ 52 lbs/Babolat RPM Team 17 @ 52 lbs


z.alex said:
05-29-2013 06:45 PM
Doc, the one who always has the insider news. It's great to have you in these message boards....it's like a living almanac of tennis! Please stick around forever!! I have 3 now...I plan to collect 2 more for a total of 5 in my collection. These babies rock for me!
3 Donnay Pro One 16x19 3/8 -- Babolat Gut/WC B5E
(Whoever stole my other Donnays better return them!)


Dr. Sanda said:
05-30-2013 02:36 PM
I like the sound of "insider news" even though it's more like Oprah Book Club gossip.
(4) Volkl PB 10 Mids
Babolat Tonic+ 16 @ 52 lbs/Babolat RPM Team 17 @ 52 lbs


Dr. Sanda said:
06-05-2013 11:09 AM
Have you been to the Donnay site lately? It's very bare bones. Something is definitely up. Bummer cause they actually seemed to live up to their marketing bull**** which I find very few companies do.

Looks like no more listing of pros using the racquets. Bethany Mattek-Sands is using a Donnay without a stencil. Anyone see Blake play lately?
(4) Volkl PB 10 Mids
Babolat Tonic+ 16 @ 52 lbs/Babolat RPM Team 17 @ 52 lbs


z.alex said:
06-05-2013 12:17 PM
Originally Posted by Dr. Sanda
Have you been to the Donnay site lately? It's very bare bones. Something is definitely up. Bummer cause they actually seemed to live up to their marketing bull**** which I find very few companies do.

Looks like no more listing of pros using the racquets. Bethany Mattek-Sands is using a Donnay without a stencil. Anyone see Blake play lately?
I'm a Donnay fan so of course I visit the site once in a while. As a matter of fact, I visited it yesterday and just like you said it's pretty empty in there. Just seems like they are running low on cash. I can't find any Donnays for sale at the other forums/****/Craigslist, etc. I want to pick up 1 or 2 more but I would hate to pay retail price for any racquet.
3 Donnay Pro One 16x19 3/8 -- Babolat Gut/WC B5E
(Whoever stole my other Donnays better return them!)


Dr. Sanda said:
06-05-2013 01:55 PM
No kidding. After running a tennis shop for seven years and knowing what tennis gear REALLY costs it kills me to pay retail.
(4) Volkl PB 10 Mids
Babolat Tonic+ 16 @ 52 lbs/Babolat RPM Team 17 @ 52 lbs

If it's a license then the licensee goes out of business, not necessarily the company itself or its technology arm.

Someone wrote that Donnay is actually owned by the company that also owns Dunlop and they are going nowhere.

Both Volkl and Prince have gone out of business and yet their products are up again under a new licensee.

Bartelby said:

If it's a license then the licensee goes out of business, not necessarily the company itself or its technology arm.

Someone wrote that Donnay is actually owned by the company that also owns Dunlop and they are going nowhere.

Both Volkl and Prince have gone out of business and yet their products are up again under a new licensee.

Click to expand...

Whew!!!

One thing that worried me ....I live in NY and i wanted to call Donnay for some pro ones .....they used to have an office in Manhattan.

I called information and there was no listing .

So I called Roman Prokes' store and they gave me a cell number.

.

Bartelby said:

If it's a license then the licensee goes out of business, not necessarily the company itself or its technology arm.

Someone wrote that Donnay is actually owned by the company that also owns Dunlop and they are going nowhere.

Both Volkl and Prince have gone out of business and yet their products are up again under a new licensee.

Click to expand...

But that's not going to matter to consumers since if the licensee goes out of business, they stop producing and selling Donnay racquets. So what good is the company that owns the Donnay brand name staying in business if no one is making and selling Donnay racquets?

Volkl and Prince found new licensees and, who knows, maybe the cost and structure of the license is too onerous and a a more realistic business deal can work.

But all I can say is that the brand's owners would be more interested in finding a new licensee than not if it comes to that.

To my mind, there seems more racquet brands than the market can bear but I have no real evidence support this other than the recent license collapses of Volkl and Prince.

As well as the transformation of Fischer and the seeming collapse of Becker and, perhaps, the somewhat inevitable collapse of the ill-considered Adidas line.

Bartelby said:

Volkl and Prince found new licensees and, who knows, maybe the cost and structure of the license is too onerous and a a more realistic business deal can work.

But all I can say is that the brand's owners would be more interested in finding a new licensee than not if it comes to that.

To my mind, there seems more racquet brands than the market can bear but I have no real evidence support this other than the recent license collapses of Volkl and Prince.

As well as the transformation of Fischer and the seeming collapse of Becker and, perhaps, the somewhat inevitable collapse of the ill-considered Adidas line.

Click to expand...

Ok above my head....let me get to the point......if these current licensees go out of business will the donnay pro ones be discontinued? Should I start stocking up now?

If Prnce and Volkl are a guide if the licensee goes out of business there is a period of product discounting as they prioritise cash flow over profit margins, so if the license were in any danger discounting is a good sign.

If a new licensee comes along then normal business is resumed. I'd wait to see if there was any discounting as product inventories don't disappear over night. They are sold down.

The biggest racquet selling store in Seattle metro area just dropped Donnay racquets.

Bartelby said:

If Prnce and Volkl are a guide if the licensee goes out of business there is a period of product discounting as they priotise cash flow over profit margins, so if the license were in any danger discounting is a good sign.

If a new licensee comes along then normal business is resumed. I'd wait to see if there was any discounting as product inventories don't disappear over night. They are sold down.

Click to expand...

No discounts that I can see yet.

This is the story of my life .....every time I finally like something it then gets discontinued.

I absolutely love this stick.

The Dark Knight said:

No discounts that I can see yet.

This is the story of my life .....every time I finally like something it then gets discontinued.

I absolutely love this stick.

Click to expand...

I bought some Donnay's early on and became friendly with a guy that works there. He is currently still employed by Donnay USA but you should stock up with a few. Where there's smoke there's fire and lots O' people around here are seeing smoke signals from Donnay.

donnay is terribly run. source-i worked with them

Just received an E-Mail from Donnay.
Talked about their 3 week demo program and, offering a free ^ Raquet bag with racquet purchase.

The Dark Knight said:

No discounts that I can see yet.

This is the story of my life .....every time I finally like something it then gets discontinued.

I absolutely love this stick.

Click to expand...

But even with companies that stay in business, racquet models get discontinued about every 2 years anyway. So regardless of whether a racquet company stays in business or not, if you find a model that you really like, it's best to stock up on them while they are still available.

They should get Bjorn Borg involved- He put that company on the map.

BreakPoint said:

But even with companies that stay in business, racquet models get discontinued about every 2 years anyway. So regardless of whether a racquet company stays in business or not, if you find a model that you really like, it's best to stock up on them while they are still available.

Click to expand...

Really good point .

In some cases the license owner is the one who has the products/brand in use and they rent the name out for someone to make it for them, donnay in this case developed the frames and tech I am not sure it is anything to do with the name owner as they aren't really used for frames in the UK.
If someone bought their patents, wouldn't necessarily be able to use the donnay brand or the mould to the pro one for example.

They are supposed to be releasing a Donnay Pro One Version II very soon. I don't know the status of the company other then it appears that they are going to produce a new stick. It's supposed to be kevlar braided like the 6.0 classic prostaff. If they do launch that stick, I would think that it would sell big time.

DrewRafter8 said:

They are supposed to be releasing a Donnay Pro One Version II very soon. I don't know the status of the company other then it appears that they are going to produce a new stick. It's supposed to be kevlar braided like the 6.0 classic prostaff. If they do launch that stick, I would think that it would sell big time.

Click to expand...

i have one. unfortunately it feels not all that different from the current pro one

on the far right



also i hope they change the cosmetics a bit if they do end up releasing it.

Kal El, is that a 'prototype' frame?

Overdrive said:

Kal El, is that a 'prototype' frame?

Click to expand...

i guess so... there is a retail one in there as well as a petzschner personal (matte black) and a glossy painted james blake pro one

You have a lot of connections. Hmm....

Overdrive said:

You have a lot of connections. Hmm....

Click to expand...

gracias. i do but my playing past and position i hold now have helped me get in good with some awesome people in the tennis industry

now if i can just get back to playing. spring of next year target

Kal-El 34 said:

i have one. unfortunately it feels not all that different from the current pro one

on the far right



also i hope they change the cosmetics a bit if they do end up releasing it.

Click to expand...

Whoa, this is kinda huge news, how come no one has been talking about it ? Did they fix the paint job problems at least ?

Kal-El 34: could you post specs of the new pro one, please?

im a fan of donnay also. i dont know if theyre going out of business but i found odd how theyve run their company
1) seems the specs on their racquets dont match what they advertise
2) they came out with many prototype racquets that were either never for sale or discontinued shortly thereafter (and then popped up on auction site). maybe they werent sure what niche to go after in the tennis market
3) alot of their different model racquets (x-ones now discontinued) seemed too similar to each other

Bartelby said:

If it's a license then the licensee goes out of business, not necessarily the company itself or its technology arm.

Someone wrote that Donnay is actually owned by the company that also owns Dunlop and they are going nowhere.

Both Volkl and Prince have gone out of business and yet their products are up again under a new licensee.

Click to expand...

It's funny when you think that 20 years ago Prince was in the top 3 in market shares for racquets. Now you look at them and Babolat has pretty much replaced them and I feel that Prince still doesn't know what it's doing wrong, nor do they have any type of strategy to fix it. I don't know why they keep hanging onto those port holes and they apply that patent tech to every single racquet (minus the classics) but people who don't like the feel or the sweetspot shift would be trapped to use it just because all their sticks are so similar to one another that there's no use naming different lines different names because most of the racquets are so thinly marginalized.

big ted said:

3) alot of their different model racquets (x-ones now discontinued) seemed too similar to each other

Click to expand...

They should have never discontinued the first line of racquets they came out with a few years ago when they re-launched the Donnay brand. I thought the original X-series (e.g., X-Dark Red 94, X-Blue 94, X-Black 94, etc.) racquets were far better than the X-Dual series and Pro One series that came out afterwards.

Kal-El 34 said:

i have one. unfortunately it feels not all that different from the current pro one

on the far right



also i hope they change the cosmetics a bit if they do end up releasing it.

Click to expand...

Wow Kal-El, this is indeed big and rather surprising news. Maybe someone should change the title of this thread...

I would also be very interested in any information regarding a possible Donnay Pro One II. What are the specs? Is there already a planned release date? Did you have the opportunity to hit with it again, Kal-El?

I recently played with the current P1 and was really impressed. Huge PDR-like power, easy access to spin, very good control and such a sweet smooth feeling on ball impact. And my arm didn’t feel any kind of vibration or jarring. So I wouldn't mind if they just left the racquet itself unchanged, with an updated higher quality PJ that does not chip off that easily. (However, please leave that matte black colour as well as the overall pure and simple classic look of the frame, Donnay. Definitely one of the best-looking racquets on the market.)

If the introduction of a Pro One II helps to keep this racquet and the Donnay brand alive, IMHO this would be one of the most welcome "new" frames in 2014!

Kal-El 34 said:

i have one. unfortunately it feels not all that different from the current pro one

on the far right



also i hope they change the cosmetics a bit if they do end up releasing it.

Click to expand...

I actually have a Donnay dual Pro .....it was released before the pro one 18x20.....it seems like the exact same stick......is it?

Galdust said:

Kal-El 34: could you post specs of the new pro one, please?

Click to expand...

the sticker on the three that i have are as follows.

31532067
31532268
31532068

I will say this about it. Although the feel of the newer pro one doesn't feel all that different, the weight of the racket seems a heavier swingweight. This also could be they sent me their heaviest ones as they know I like to play high swingweight frames

Tennisspieler said:

Wow Kal-El, this is indeed big and rather surprising news. Maybe someone should change the title of this thread...

I would also be very interested in any information regarding a possible Donnay Pro One II. What are the specs? Is there already a planned release date? Did you have the opportunity to hit with it again, Kal-El?

I recently played with the current P1 and was really impressed. Huge PDR-like power, easy access to spin, very good control and such a sweet smooth feeling on ball impact. And my arm didn’t feel any kind of vibration or jarring. So I wouldn't mind if they just left the racquet itself unchanged, with an updated higher quality PJ that does not chip off that easily. (However, please leave that matte black colour as well as the overall pure and simple classic look of the frame, Donnay. Definitely one of the best-looking racquets on the market.)

If the introduction of a Pro One II helps to keep this racquet and the Donnay brand alive, IMHO this would be one of the most welcome "new" frames in 2014!

Click to expand...

i agree i hope that it does come out just to keep the brand going. Though currently hitting with some pro stock prestige mids, I have really enjoyed hitting and playing with the newer Donnay series. I loved the x-series, was a fan of the dual, and loved the pro one.

i was told the cosmetics on the ones i was sent are "not final" so their could be some cosmetic changes, and personally i hope they do. I think the writing of pro one 97 II and 18x20 on the throat looks tacky. I think a simple P1II or something like that and keep the 97 on the other side to simplify the look. Not a huge fan of xenecore down the sides of the head, but it has grown on me a bit.

i was told the big change of the frame is in the make up of it. It is said to be kevlar braided-just like their pro stock frame- which would be a welcome addition to any company's racket line up

The Dark Knight said:

I actually have a Donnay dual Pro .....it was released before the pro one 18x20.....it seems like the exact same stick......is it?

Click to expand...

specs very similar but the play of the racket is slightly different. donnay will tell you it is the same frame, but i played both and they do slightly differ.

trying to help generate some positive buzz for the company for a long time because i do like their rackets. the company itself has faltered i believe in part do to bad management. i actually spoke extensively with the company early on to bring me and one of my associates in to help "focus" the brand and the direction of the company but after a lot of discussion it did not pan out. we were close at one point, I even got a company e-mail address haha, which I still use but it just wasn't in the cards.

^^^^^^^^^

The company is managed horribly although their sticks are great.

People invested in their sticks and then weeks later they were discontinued. ....

This upset a lot of people .....including myself . It's like buying the brand new iPhone and a month later without telling you they come out with a new one.

However having said that .....I LOVE my pro ones .....LOVE LOVE LOVE. Best stick I have ever played with.

So anyway which do you like better ? The 18x20 or the dual pro ?......now that I think about it they came out with the dual pro and without saying a word then discontinued it and came our with the pro one.....really ****ed me off.

BreakPoint said:

They should have never discontinued the first line of racquets they came out with a few years ago when they re-launched the Donnay brand. I thought the original X-series (e.g., X-Dark Red 94, X-Blue 94, X-Black 94, etc.) racquets were far better than the X-Dual series and Pro One series that came out afterwards.

Click to expand...

I second this. I think the X-Series frames are the best in feel. X-Dual was ok, but not as impressive as X-Series in terms of feel and cosmetics.

suppawat said:

I second this. I think the X-Series frames are the best in feel. X-Dual was ok, but not as impressive as X-Series in terms of feel and cosmetics.

Click to expand...

I also agree with one exception: the pro one.

To me it's by far their best stick .

The Dark Knight said:

^^^^^^^^^

The company is managed horribly although their sticks are great.

People invested in their sticks and then weeks later they were discontinued. ....

This upset a lot of people .....including myself . It's like buying the brand new iPhone and a month later without telling you they come out with a new one.

However having said that .....I LOVE my pro ones .....LOVE LOVE LOVE. Best stick I have ever played with.

So anyway which do you like better ? The 18x20 or the dual pro ?......now that I think about it they came out with the dual pro and without saying a word then discontinued it and came our with the pro one.....really ****ed me off.

Click to expand...

i like the dual pro actually better than the retail pro one. the pro one II falls in the middle in terms of feel. i felt the dual pro was a bit softer, so the kevlar braid in the pro one II does soften it back up a little. I think it will sell though.

I spoke with my guy at Donnay this morning and he said there is no timetable for release or if it for sure is even coming out....

suppawat said:

I second this. I think the X-Series frames are the best in feel. X-Dual was ok, but not as impressive as X-Series in terms of feel and cosmetics.

Click to expand...

Yup, the solid, old school feel of the X-series was amazing with it's filled thin beams. And that chrome finish of the frames were the most beautiful cosmetics I've ever seen on a tennis racquet. Dunlop copied that chrome finish with its Biomimetic 200 and 300 Tour frames, which are also gorgeous.

Slightly off topic, but does anyone know of the grommets for the new Pro One 97 18x20 will work for the older X-Dual Pro?

dark knight send me a message i'd like to set you up with a prototype to demo if you are interested

Kal-El 34 said:

dark knight send me a message i'd like to set you up with a prototype to demo if you are interested

Click to expand...

Oh wow!!! I would love that!! I am honored .

But I need to keep my identity a secret.....As superman I think you can understand the Dark Knights reasons for keeping his identity secret.

Seriously thank you though.....but I am actually in the public eye a little and need to stay anonymous.

I am however a huge Donnay fan.....and I do thank you so much. I wish I could take you up on the offer. :-(

The Dark Knight said:

I also agree with one exception: the pro one.

To me it's by far their best stick .

Click to expand...

I agree. I also love the Pro One but got frustrated with Donnay's QC.
It's nearly impossible to find one at or below the published specs for weight, swingweight and flex. I even tried calling Donnay directly and they couldn't help me. The Pro One's publioshed specs are good for me, but when I get one that is more than 2 HL points off in balance and more than 5 swingwight points over and more than 7 grams over the static weight, it all adds up to a stick than is unusable to me.

Donnay isn't going out of business!

(As far as we know at least!)

I just hit with some updates/samples last month.

We have an email to our rep to figure out what new stuff is coming out for you guys!

Michelle, TW

The Dark Knight said:

Oh wow!!! I would love that!! I am honored .

But I need to keep my identity a secret.....As superman I think you can understand the Dark Knights reasons for keeping his identity secret.

Seriously thank you though.....but I am actually in the public eye a little and need to stay anonymous.

I am however a huge Donnay fan.....and I do thank you so much. I wish I could take you up on the offer. :-(

Click to expand...

fully understand bruce. until we meet in our upcoming movie together in 2015

TW Staff said:

Donnay isn't going out of business!

(As far as we know at least!)

I just hit with some updates/samples last month.

We have an email to our rep to figure out what new stuff is coming out for you guys!

Michelle, TW

Click to expand...

good to hear it from another quality source. thanks

BreakPoint said:

Yup, the solid, old school feel of the X-series was amazing with it's filled thin beams. And that chrome finish of the frames were the most beautiful cosmetics I've ever seen on a tennis racquet. Dunlop copied that chrome finish with its Biomimetic 200 and 300 Tour frames, which are also gorgeous.

Click to expand...

I have an x red plus that spec wise I cant hit with but I just cant get rid of it because it is an absolutly beautiful.

BreakPoint said:

They should have never discontinued the first line of racquets they came out with a few years ago when they re-launched the Donnay brand. I thought the original X-series (e.g., X-Dark Red 94, X-Blue 94, X-Black 94, etc.) racquets were far better than the X-Dual series and Pro One series that came out afterwards.

Click to expand...

as did solinco with their initial racket line...

then everyone jumped on the black and silver color scheme following the pro one imo

BreakPoint said:

Yup, the solid, old school feel of the X-series was amazing with it's filled thin beams. And that chrome finish of the frames were the most beautiful cosmetics I've ever seen on a tennis racquet. Dunlop copied that chrome finish with its Biomimetic 200 and 300 Tour frames, which are also gorgeous.

Click to expand...

I have heard that Donnay will bring back X-Series in 2014. Hope to see them soon. Same old school feel with more power should be nice. I keep only 99 sq.in frames along with some good looking frames in my collection.

suppawat what model head racket is the radical in there? is it retail or a pro spec?

Kal-El 34 said:

fully understand bruce. until we meet in our upcoming movie together in 2015

Click to expand...

hahaha

Kal-El 34 said:

suppawat what model head racket is the radical in there? is it retail or a pro spec?

Click to expand...

The red one is TGK 237.3C1, and the orange one is PT57A.

suppawat said:

The red one is TGK 237.3C1, and the orange one is PT57A.

Click to expand...

nice. i want a pt57a in a radical PJ. I have one in a flexpoint prestige though

which mock up of the Pro One 2 do you like best?