95 vs. 98 sq. inch head?

[ejewels]

Hello,

I've tried out two sticks recently that I am considering purchasing. I am coming from tweener frames at 100 sq. inch heads, and looking for more control. I tried the Pure Storm GT LTD, (95 sq. in head) and the Head YouTek MP (98 sq. in head). Correct me if I'm wrong, but I layed both racquets on top of one another and the sizes of the heads seemed identical. Am I missing something? I want a little more forgiveness on mishit shots, so naturally the 98 would seem to be the best choice. I feel that I hit better with the LTD. Any thoughts?

 

[Irvin]

Measure the rackets on the inside of the frame. The Length, plus width, divided by 4, times 3.14 ( ( ((l+w)/4)*3.14 ) should give you the hitting area. The larger racket would be more like what you are accustomed to and give you the bigger sweetspot supposedly.

Irvin

 

[Don S]

Really, honestly, for all intents and purposes there is no difference btw 95 and 98. You won't get any more forgiveness strickly due to the difference in head size. That's not to say that one racquet doesn't have a bigger sweetspot than the other but as far as actual size in square inches goes, nope no difference.

 

[cellofaan]

The difference between 95 and 98 sqinch is really small.
In the two racquets you mention, there probably is no difference at all. Head is known to measure/market their frames differently, with larger headsizes. 98 is actually 95, and their mids are marketed as 93 while they are the same size as other 90's

 

[ejewels]

interesting, i didn't know HEAD did that. I could swear they were identical in size, which it seems as tho they are. Anyone hit these racquets and can give their opinion on which is the better stick?

 

[fuzz nation]

Either racquet is potentially fantastic - you'll only know whether either one is a good fit for you once you try the demos. More control in a frame can be hard to quantify. You might find it with more heft, more flex, or even a feel that you like.

 

[KenC]

I don't really notice a difference between 85, 90 and 95in heads. Other factors like balance, static weight, SW and sweetspot size and location make more of a difference.

I play with the PSLGT, and I wouldn't call it a forgiving racquet when it comes to off center hits. If you don't hit the ball in the sweetspot you will probably not hit the ball very well. It's not like a Pure Drive in that sense. But, the racquet is easier to play with than a K90 for example, because it is lighter, more flexible, and has a noticeably lower swingweight. In that way it's more forgiving on the arm, but not on mishits. In other words, the PSLGT already has less power than most racquets, and as you move away from the sweetspot the power from the racquet drops off very quickly. So, it demands very good technique, and then rewards the player with a very comfortable, arm friendly hit.

 

[ejewels]

Ya, I noticed that when I played... wasn't forgiving on mishits but when you hit the spot it was a scalpel. Anyone ever compare this with the YouTek Prestige MP? My local shop doesn't have the demo, so I could only play with the demo Prestige Pro version, which I felt I liked the PSGTLTD better. The MP is one more point head light, .1 oz heavier and has a different string pattern, more like the PSGTLTD. So, I need to figure out if I should stick with the PSGTLTD or really consider the Prestige MP...

 

[gino]

Very interesting.. Is there any source with a non-biased scale of measuring frames that anyone knows of?

G

 

[DownTheLine]

Doesn't Head measure the head of the frame from the outside so the frame is listed 3 sq in's larger then it actually is compared to other companies?

 

[specmaster17]

yes head does measure from the outside. It does not really bother me that much because those 3 in. dont make much of a differnts.

 

[0d1n]

Doesn't Head measure the head of the frame from the outside so the frame is listed 3 sq in's larger then it actually is compared to other companies?

yes head does measure from the outside. It does not really bother me that much because those 3 in. dont make much of a differnts.

The difference between 95 and 98 sqinch is really small.
In the two racquets you mention, there probably is no difference at all. Head is known to measure/market their frames differently, with larger headsizes. 98 is actually 95, and their mids are marketed as 93 while they are the same size as other 90's

interesting, i didn't know HEAD did that. I could swear they were identical in size, which it seems as tho they are. Anyone hit these racquets and can give their opinion on which is the better stick?

95 to 98 is a VISIBLE difference in case of REAL 98's. Head's 98's (630 cm*cm) are actually similar to 95's, but this has NOTHING to do with "measuring technique". Whoever thinks something like this has no idea how an area is calculated.
The difference between 95's (dunlop 200's, wilson 95's..etc) and "real" 98's ...like Fischer pro no 1 and Volkl Tour 10 98's is clearly visible.
Head MP frames are simply not 98's they are just marketed as 98's.

 

[Rabbit]

To the OP...the numbers, 95/98 are really more heritage numbers. European companies make 630 sq cm heads which translates to 98 sq in. American companies settled on 95 sq in heads because it sounds better than 98.

You're correct, there isn't a dime's worth of difference in most of the 95/98 square inch frames made today.

I also agree about real 98's.

 

[rich s]

Measure the rackets on the inside of the frame. The Length, plus width, divided by 4, times 3.14 ( ( ((l+w)/4)*3.14 ) should give you the hitting area. The larger racket would be more like what you are accustomed to and give you the bigger sweetspot supposedly.

Irvin

Irvin...check your formula.... your units don't work

I thinkg you mean (((L+W)/2)^2) x (pi/4)

 

[cellofaan]

95 to 98 is a VISIBLE difference in case of REAL 98's. Head's 98's (630 cm*cm) are actually similar to 95's, but this has NOTHING to do with "measuring technique". Whoever thinks something like this has no idea how an area is calculated.

Not sure if you understood me correctly, you agree that Head's 98 is pretty much the same as 95 from other companies, don't you?
When I said Head uses a different method for calculating the area of the stringbed, I did not mean a different formula, but that they have a different definition for where the stringbed starts and stops, so they effectively measure a larger portion of the frame, thus leading to 98 where other companies would measure 95.
Or they measure it the same and decided to market 95 as 98 for some reason, but why would they do that?

 

[0d1n]

Not sure if you understood me correctly, you agree that Head's 98 is pretty much the same as 95 from other companies, don't you?
When I said Head uses a different method for calculating the area of the stringbed, I did not mean a different formula, but that they have a different definition for where the stringbed starts and stops, so they effectively measure a larger portion of the frame, thus leading to 98 where other companies would measure 95.
Or they measure it the same and decided to market 95 as 98 for some reason, but why would they do that?

Because 630 square cm sounds rounder and "better" than 613 square cm.
Also maybe because there's a trend towards bigger head sizes...hence more people are willing to buy a slightly bigger head size??!?
The real reasons don't really matter...the only thing that matters is that it's not a "measurement" difference...it's marketing/positioning.

 

[morningglory75]

Very interesting.. Is there any source with a non-biased scale of measuring frames that anyone knows of?

G

Shape is more important than size. An oval shaped head feels smaller than a round shaped frame, and a round shaped 95 can feel more like a 98, and visa-versa.

 

[wksoh]

The difference between 95 and 98 sqinch is really small.
In the two racquets you mention, there probably is no difference at all. Head is known to measure/market their frames differently, with larger headsizes. 98 is actually 95, and their mids are marketed as 93 while they are the same size as other 90's

You are correct! Cellofan knows his stuff.
Head markets their 95 rackets as 98 size.
My Prince Speedport Tour 97 is significantly larger.

 

[TimothyO]

I've owned both of these frames and the while the size difference isn't a huge issue they are very, very different frames.

If your primary interest is control then there's no question, the PSLGT should be your first choice.

If you want more power and are willing to sacrifice some precision then go with the Speed MP.

Another good option which falls in between these two is the Biomimetic 200 Lite. Before buying either you really should try that one too.

The Speed 300 is nice too being a lower powered, more control oriented version of the Speed MP (more spin than the 18x20 version and more control than the 16x19 version).

 

[tom4ny]

Hello,

I've tried out two sticks recently that I am considering purchasing. I am coming from tweener frames at 100 sq. inch heads, and looking for more control. I tried the Pure Storm GT LTD, (95 sq. in head) and the Head YouTek MP (98 sq. in head). Correct me if I'm wrong, but I layed both racquets on top of one another and the sizes of the heads seemed identical. Am I missing something? I want a little more forgiveness on mishit shots, so naturally the 98 would seem to be the best choice. I feel that I hit better with the LTD. Any thoughts?

head calls it a 98 but your youtek radical or prestige is actually 95 sq. in just like your pure storm.

 

[ghia]

I own and play with both the PS ltd gt and the head yt prestige mp. Well not constantlly, the 200 4d 16x19 is may main stick (as in the signature)
They are different in stock form. I have them both strung identically string wise and tension wise (poly/multi low tension hybrid).
Although they are both players racquets they demand different things from a player for optimum results.
The prestige is more forgivening then the ltd specially on off center hits.
The ltd has the sweetest sweetspot in history (well my tennis racquet history).
The prestige needs some lead in the hoop for stability and more plow, it just feels week there.
The ltd is just perfect stock. If you hit the ss every single time you would never part with the ltd (I could not so had to try something else). It compliments feel with power and pinpoint placement.
The ltd is soft on the arm in the ss but would give you elbow issues instantly if you mishit frequentelly, while the prestige is stiffer but more forgeving while hitting - although it affected me with some kind of accumulating stifnness and hurt my elbow after every single practice though (must be the youtek stuff that increases stifnness or at least so theyt say).
For me the dunlop is the perfect combination of the two.