So I got a chance to hit after work today so I took her out for a ride. The first thing I noticed was that the racquet feels light in hand compared to my Melbournes. I hit for 50 minutes with the Yonex, 10 minutes with My Beckers and then another 30 minutes with the Yonex. We played points off a feed and then we served out a set.
Comfort: 9/10 The yonex has that tinny/ceramic feel I remember when I first started hitting, but then I noticed that If I took the ball in the center of the frame or a little higher in the string bed, it was solid and crisp, so that quickly became a non issue. The launch angle is a little higher than my Melbourne and and the swing weight is also lighter than my Melbourne, so the balls were launching with more of an arc thank usual but once I adjusted and trusted that they would stay in court, I started playing more aggressively and quickly found my groove off of both wings. The handle is a lot rounder and smaller than what I am used to, but again I adjusted easily. No vibration or arm soreness what soever, so the comfort appears to be good. Not Melbourne good, but very good.
Ground strokes: 8/10 I found my range pretty easily, but noticed I felt like my shots were coming in slower than usual and of less weight of shot, but again will need more time to get dialed in, I only played 90 minutes in total. Control and spin were very good, but again a little short in power compared to the Melbourne. Backhand topsin and slice were both average good. In fairness, I have a Gut mains/poly hybrid in my Melbourne, so inherently the set up probably brings more power than the Yonex string.
Volleys: 8/10 I served and volleyed a bit tonight and the frame was pretty good at net, but I sprayed a couple of volleys long, I think maybe due to the more open string pattern and a little less stability up there than my Melbourne. First impression: Not bad, but not great.
Serves. 7/10 At first, just plain awful, but once I started to find my range I found good consistency but not the pop I get with the Melbourne. Spin and slice was excellent and I had no issues holding serve after I warmed up and adjusted to the different handle shape, which I actually like, but no big first serves tonight.
Return of serves: 9/10 Good low power control frame that comes around quite nicely and allows big cuts at the ball with good control. BH slice returns were very effective and I could drive the ball nicely.
Overall, this frame played well and I think If I put in a gut poly hybrid at the right tension, I could easily use this as a replacement to my Melbournes. I have been using the Melbourne as my main stick since 2012, with some very short stints with a MW 200G and most recently the Aerogel 200, but I am looking for some easier power. I have 2 old Melbournes and One I just put into circulation last summer, that My daughter primarily uses when she plays, but has at times, found its way back in my bag, but at this point I need to upgrade the 2 old ones with something new. They are getting very tired and have lost lots of their feel and power .I may tinker with some lead weight on the hoop, to add some more stability and pop, but I like the HL feel that the TI 80 has. Sorry for the long write up. I'll play a few more times and post again for anyone interested.