I have it stock right now, with a tourna power cap and a vibration absorber. I had it with 1-2 grams at 3/9 but it feels sluggish at times so I just took the weight off and it's fine. I just think stability is not an issue with an Ezone given it's thick hoop. I think a better marketing ploy would have been something like making it 306g to improve stability vs adding SW points which generally means the Balance shifts.
SinneGOAT
Legend
I’m assuming the 100 will be better if you want comfort, a little extra control, more consistent launch angle, better feel, the ezone will always beat the pure drive.
Feel is very subjective. I think the EZ100 is a tad more comfortable and a little bit more controlled, but the PD100 is actually more raw and direct feeling, which some people prefer and feel more connected to.
You should always check your sw before you add weight. Some people just slap lead on their racquets no matter what.
I really don't think 320 sw would be a weak selling point for this new gen.
FuzzyYellowBalls
Legend
I'll put this out there, simply a guess, 80% of Ezone purchasers do not know the swingweight of the actual racket they are buying or really what it is supposed to be, 70% don't even know what the word swingweight means.
MABYE that changed a little with youtube videos
topspn
G.O.A.T.
Servo filter and no mesh. Thanks tennis gods
bobeeto
Hall of Fame
Hey just filling you in, this was a washed lead. - servo is not coming to Ezone
topspn
G.O.A.T.
Oh well, I guess I'll continue to ignore Yonex with VDM mesh
I have never checked swingweight vs stated specs....(I would say 99% pple don't do that)...but I do have 3 Ezones 98s and they all feel the same so I am gonna say they are on spec (or close to it). And I would agree that it won't matter to Yonex selling the frame b/c the only way you would notice it is if you had an older generation frame and could do a side-by-side test...again probably not most people. It's gonna sell if the colors look nice and it plays close enough to the current gen....I just don't find a higher SW a strong selling point to current users.
ericykchan
Rookie
Maybe Townsend's ezone had the new V8 paint job?
Pooschnikens
Rookie
With regards to the swing weight measured on the new frame, I’m only stating what was measured. In the absence of data directly from Yonex or an average taken from several similarly weighed/ balanced frames, it can only be taken at face value. Until they come out with the final release numbers, it’s speculative to say they had indeed increased the swing weight.
EZONE nowdays has crazy low swingweight. Mine EZONE 98 AQUA come with 308SW and 309SW Strung...but when I add some lead on the hoop and bump them up to 320SW, they instantly feel like 330SW. Maybe its the throat of the racket is too soft or something. Hope the new EZONE has a higher SW from the factory...
where did you add weight?
Pooschnikens
Rookie
Looks to be the same pearl-like satin finish used on the Aqua Midnight. When light hits it at certain angles the finish pops and can see the pearl effect a little more clearly. It’s not glossy.
Exactly. 100%
3, 9, 12. Eneded up with 3 n 9 only
tele
Hall of Fame
the increase in twist weight rather than swingweight might have been why your racquet was feeling so sluggish. 320 is really not high, and I bet 320 would not feel "like 330" if you got there by only adding weight at 12. of course, ymmv.
_FrankTheTank_
Rookie
Agree. Thats about 5-6 total at 3&9 which is too much for zu Ez98 in the most cases for the most players. On the other hand, just aiming for 12 can make the racket/stringbed a bit hot. There are rackets that take polarization a bit better imo.
This is what i thought. Im at 323 strung with lead across 11 to 1, and it comes around quite fast still. I found that adding at 3/9 tends to make it feel way too clunky in the last two generations of ezones. I personally prefer adding at the top corners somewhere between 10&11 and 1&2 if needing stability for these spatulas.
wingedeagle
Rookie
bad batch in that run and affected hundreds and thousands of frames
Roquestil
Semi-Pro
Yup my 2 ezone Osaka are 318 SW, 304 grams, 32.5 balance while 2 aqua nights are 311 and 314sw balance at 32.2 and 301 grams strung so i figured they were gonna me more anemic (lower twistweight I guess).
On the osakas I only added 2.5 grams at 10/2 total while on the aqua nights I added 2 to 3 grams @12 and 3 grams at 10/2 and could not counter balance because of the already lower balance.
Fortunetaly they feel the same now, still fast through the air even with almost 5 grams of lead inside the hoop.
tele
Hall of Fame
i do not think this was an irregular batch, as low(under 315) sw in the pre-aqua night 2022 ezones seems to have been the rule rather than the exception, at least based on what people have posted over the past few years.
320SW is not high that's for sure. I just think on Ezone 98 320SW feels heaveir when swinging than my Percept 100D (323SW) and almost identical to my Blade V7 (330SW). And most of my friends feel the same way. Ezone 98 on machine has an even lower balance point than the other two. You can try it see if you feel the same as me and my friends...
MasterSlice74
Rookie
So far that has been my experience as well. It's unfortunate because it feels nice in stock form, but just a tad light. I am experimenting with adding weight not only to the head but also to the handle and hopefully that will solve the issue for me...
tennispr65
New User
So what is official spec meant to be for Ezone 98 2022?
tele
Hall of Fame
An average weight of 305 and an average balance of 315 unstrung. There is no official swingweight.
FuzzyYellowBalls
Legend
My recent matching service on Ezone 98s, last week, just information if anyone is curious...
Mrt results: with plastic on handle **Plastic wrapping accounts for 0.08 oz and 0.5 HL balance points.**
1) 304.95g bal: 9 pts HL sw: 280
2) 304.52g bal: 9 pts Hl sw: 280
Mrt results: with plastic on handle **Plastic wrapping accounts for 0.08 oz and 0.5 HL balance points.**
1) 304.95g bal: 9 pts HL sw: 280
2) 304.52g bal: 9 pts Hl sw: 280
Pooschnikens
Rookie
Outside of Prince, I can’t think of any other company that lists swing weight as a measured value. This in large part is likely related to the device used to perform & measure. An example would be older RDC’s like Prince’s device. They’ve shown that over time, there is a gradual drop in its measured values. Even after verifying its calibration, on average it measures between 4 to 6 units less than that measured by a more current device. Without regular maintenance and consistent calibrations performed along with the age of the device (20+ years), it makes sense this would occur. In addition, If you looked at numbers provided by the USRSA vs say TW’s numbers, you’ll see quite a bit of difference. Another consideration is measuring unstrung vs strung. Issue being, if done strung, values can vary depending on the string used. Poly’s are heavier than conventional synthetics. This can produce different results. I’m sure this has been discussed in greater detail on other threads.
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So, over in the Shapovalov thread (link), I, @SirCraigoryy and others were chatting about Denis's recent switch to an 18x20 EZone 98 that Yonex has custom-made for him. An EZone 98D, if you will (click to enlarge):
He seems like he's in a great run of form with the new stick (which might make sense, considering his 6.1 95 heritage), and it gets me wondering, might Yonex ever consider releasing an EZone 98D to the public?
I imagine the consistency of the P97D's string bed (which is top-tier among all retails frames) with the power and structure of the EZ98's beam. A potentially sick combo.
What do you all think?
He seems like he's in a great run of form with the new stick (which might make sense, considering his 6.1 95 heritage), and it gets me wondering, might Yonex ever consider releasing an EZone 98D to the public?
I imagine the consistency of the P97D's string bed (which is top-tier among all retails frames) with the power and structure of the EZ98's beam. A potentially sick combo.
What do you all think?
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KC!
Hall of Fame
Sign me up! I will take 3 of them! A easy playing power racquet, with a 18x20 string bed to dial in the control! Shapo has been playing great with the added power & forgiveness of this Ezone 98 18x20.So, over in the Shapovalov thread (link), I, @SirCraigoryy and others were chatting about Denis's recent switch to an 18x20 EZone 98 that Yonex has custom-made for him. An EZone 98D, if you will (click to enlarge):
He seems like he's in a great run of form with the new stick (which might make sense, considering his 6.1 95 heritage), and it gets me wondering, might Yonex ever consider releasing an EZone 98D to the public?
I imagine the consistency of the P97D's string bed (which is top-tier among all retails frames) with the power and structure of the EZ98's beam. A potentially sick combo.
What do you all think?
FuzzyYellowBalls
Legend
Current Ezones , the 98, are 18x20 in the middle. pretty much.
Yeah if anything, lower the beam thickness to 23/24/19,5 or 19 and slightly open the pattern in the sweetspot.
longtimelurker
Professional
ryohazuki222
Professional
What color?
.my 22 ez98 has tighter 8 mains in throat then my gravity proSo, over in the Shapovalov thread (link), I, @SirCraigoryy and others were chatting about Denis's recent switch to an 18x20 EZone 98 that Yonex has custom-made for him. An EZone 98D, if you will (click to enlarge):
He seems like he's in a great run of form with the new stick (which might make sense, considering his 6.1 95 heritage), and it gets me wondering, might Yonex ever consider releasing an EZone 98D to the public?
I imagine the consistency of the P97D's string bed (which is top-tier among all retails frames) with the power and structure of the EZ98's beam. A potentially sick combo.
What do you all think?
Honza
Semi-Pro
And thats the problem. Its inconsistent depending on where you hit the ball.
I don’t find the EZ98 inconsistent at all and I think its tight pattern is a huge factor. I hope the have kept its string pattern as is. Yes the outsides of the string pattern are very open but that not where you want to be hitting anyway:
Just have to to commit yo your shot, just like most frames.
Just have to to commit yo your shot, just like most frames.
ryohazuki222
Professional
Is it really true on the tighit pattern? I always felt like the middle two mains are weirdly widely gapped. So much so I’ve joked that I don’t think the racket is regulation because iirc, you can’t have more space between mains in the middle than the sides by ITF regulations.
(Genuine question. Genuine sentiment.)
(Genuine question. Genuine sentiment.)
Honza
Semi-Pro
It's not like its tight in the center and after 6 mains and 6 crosses its wide again. The Ezone is very tight in the center and gets wider bit by bit.
You dont always hit exactly in the sweet spot and depending on the distance from it, the shot has a different outcome. Thats a well known effect of this pattern.
And yes, i know how to commit to a shot and how to play tennis. I played a lot of rackets in my time in competetive tennis and as a coach. The mentioned effect stood out in the last 18 months with my Ezones.
FuzzyYellowBalls
Legend
Blue
Very interesting. My pro shop has a very old machine. Shows my SW at 325 (blade noir w lynx tour). Im almost positive its over 330!!
Agzetabyte
New User
so can anyone confirm the feel of the v8 ezone. If theres no servo filter or better feel prob just gonna end up buying the 2022s
Pooschnikens
Rookie
Unfortunately Servo filter is not in play with the V.08. Tech Carried over from V.07 include: 2G-NAMD Speed in the shaft as well as VDM in the handle. The new ‘surprise’ tech/material will be addressed as soon as the media embargo is !lifted.
With the cracking issue on the Percepts, I wouldn't be surprised if it gets excluded from the other silos and is removed in the next Percept refresh. That said, surely Yonex can do better with the EZone than just leaving VDM alone. Add another graphite ply and/or shift the layup mapping to boost stock recoil weights, whatever, just loose the VDM and give us back some feel, please!
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EZONE 98 16x19 is already a quite tight 16x19 though...And I think Ezone 98 is never a spin monster for a 16x19. 18x20 might be too tight. Ben Shelton even switched from a Vcore Pro 97D 18x20 to a EZONE 98 16x19 when he turned pro, that kinda tells you how tight the Ezone 98 in some way...
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I mean how many people complain about the string pattern on the RF01 being 18x20 dense in the centre and spaced out wider and the eZone has a slightly milder version of that... it makes sense people would just want a flat out 18x20 - and given the Ezone is Yonex's most popular racquet and has a lot of power that can be controlled anyway... it actually would make a ton of sense to make an 18x20 for it imo
Agzetabyte
New User
i think 18x19 is the move tbh. would be consistent while still being spin friendlier than an 18x20
