Are TW racket reviews reliable?

[ccambil@gmail.com]

I have been using PK 5G due to continuing bouts of tennis elbow (more than a year now). I bought this racket from TW to help manage my TE.

I bought a Head Radical Agassi Limited Edition based on TW review (http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Reviews/AGRAD/AGRADReview.html).

For Comfort, this racket was given 80, which is higher compared to PK KI5 which only has 78 rating for comfort (http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Reviews/KI5/KI5Review.html).

So instead of buying PK KI5 i bought the Head Radical Agassi LE large based on TW Comfort rating of 80. Dang!! What a mistake!! The Head Radical was so harsh on my arms i immediately cut the polyester string it was pre-strung with (Head UltraTour 16L).

I bought a multi (Head Intellitour 17G) strung at 40 lbs. I will now test it and see if the strings makes a difference.

Again, my question is: When TW rates a racket for Comfort, what criteria do they use? Is it arm-friendliness? If it is not, then those with TE should not rely on the Comfort rating at all.

 

[DjordjeRosic]

LOL HAHHAA, you answered your own question:
1) You cut out the poly, there, now all is well
2) Poly's are known for being harsh on the arm, heck im 19 and I dont play with poly's for me they are a wee bit to stiff and within 10 minutes of play I develop arm problems

Oh and I feel that you are going to notice the racket has too much "power" and no "control" since you strung it at 40 lbs, thats very low. Plus their reviews are fine, and im very sure the racket has nothing to do with the harshness of the "frame" it was purely the strings.

Anyway hope this helped.

-Djordje

 

[matchmaker]

I think the reviews are a bit subjective.
Their ranking seems to be Wilson, Head, Prince and then the rest of the manufacturers, looking at the ratings.

There has also been a noticeable inflation in the scores over the years.

It is strange that the Agassi LE has higher marks on comfort than the PK Pro 5g, known for its arm-friendliness.

Anyway, as the previous poster stated, a part of the equation is also the string you are using and polys do certainly not contribute to arm comfort, so changing the string might be an important factor.

BTW, 40 lbs is very low.

 

[Toxicmilk]

I think the reviews get the general idea...as for the numbers...I wouldn't compare the numbers on different racquets if the difference is only 1-9 really.
If one racquet has 78 for comfort and another has 80...I'm not going to jump at the 80 racquet.

 

[furyoku_tennis]

that's why we should always demo a racquet before buying. TW's reviews are subjective as is anyone else's so you just have to remember to take it with a grain of salt.

 

[raygo]

Also, they have to juggle objectiveness with sales. While I doubt they would bother stocking crappy products, they can't really say anything bad about a racquet without affecting their sales. Rather than point out a bad point, retailers will focus more on the strengths so the review is still 'accurate.'

This isn't a criticism of TW, it's an observation on retail in general. Every buy a car? Those guys wrote the book.

 

[NLBwell]

I think the written comments are extremely valuable. I don't look at the numbers - there isn't a standard between the ratings.

 

[imalil2gangsta4u]

I think the written comments are extremely valuable. I don't look at the numbers - there isn't a standard between the ratings.

yeah same. explainations are way more useful.

 

[Anton]

Also, they have to juggle objectiveness with sales. While I doubt they would bother stocking crappy products, they can't really say anything bad about a racquet without affecting their sales. Rather than point out a bad point, retailers will focus more on the strengths so the review is still 'accurate.'

This isn't a criticism of TW, it's an observation on retail in general. Every buy a car? Those guys wrote the book.

? They definitely do say "something" bad.

Anyway strings are a big factor in comfort - can't compare oranges and apples.

 

[kashgotmoney]

The reciews are for a general idea. everyone has a different playing style. Demoes were created for a reason. But the softer string should help out. try stringign a lil higher

 

[Anton]

There has also been a noticeable inflation in the scores over the years.

I think it has been proportional to general improvement in rackets over the years

 

[raygo]

? They definitely do say "something" bad.

Rarely, and usually not something that would be a deal breaker. The KPS88 had many negatives, but the playtesters' complaints of it being too heavy and demanding actually helped feed the mythos of the super racquet.

Older reviews seemed more honest and impartial. Lately, everything is some variant of 'great.' Compare the following very similar racquets: PS85 and N90 reviews (summary: unforgiving) with the K90 reviews (summary: OMG greatest racquet ever made buy one now).

 

[Beastforearm]

Those reviews are tad subjective.
However, that's the reason why TW posts tester's informations as well.
You may look at the tester who is the most closely fit to your play style and level. (TW has a woman play tester, too.)
From my experience, as I judged a racquet's performance by TW reviews before buying it, it was pretty reliable.

 

[Octavianus]

I have been using PK 5G due to continuing bouts of tennis elbow (more than a year now). I bought this racket from TW to help manage my TE.

I bought a Head Radical Agassi Limited Edition based on TW review (http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Reviews/AGRAD/AGRADReview.html).

For Comfort, this racket was given 80, which is higher compared to PK KI5 which only has 78 rating for comfort (http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Reviews/KI5/KI5Review.html).

So instead of buying PK KI5 i bought the Head Radical Agassi LE large based on TW Comfort rating of 80. Dang!! What a mistake!! The Head Radical was so harsh on my arms i immediately cut the polyester string it was pre-strung with (Head UltraTour 16L).

I bought a multi (Head Intellitour 17G) strung at 40 lbs. I will now test it and see if the strings makes a difference.

Again, my question is: When TW rates a racket for Comfort, what criteria do they use? Is it arm-friendliness? If it is not, then those with TE should not rely on the Comfort rating at all.

For my style and level of play I find TW reviews very accurate. You need to compare apples with apples and oranges with oranges. For a fair comparison the same strings and tension that TW uses should be used. Only then you can make a fair comparison.

 

[mtommer]

TW sells racquets. Their objective isn't to review the frame so much as it is to give general characteristics about the frame in order to help people narrow down their choice as to what frame to buy. You have to learn to read between the lines and look at what ISN'T in a review in order to get some idea of whether a frame is decent or not.

 

[akoni]

I like the reviews especially since they give you the perspective of several individuals. However, nothing beats demoing the racquets themselves and seeing how it fits your game.

 

[stox]

For those interested you can now review racquets yourself at http://www.thetenniswiki.com. Eventually once multiple people have reviewed racquets this should give a more accurate portrayal or racquets for the average player.

 

[Richie Rich]

it's great to have tw reviews but don't use those as a basis for buying a racquet without demoing

 

[Blade0324]

IMO the reviews are a bit subjective as any review by a human will be. We all have different likes and dislikes and different criteria for evaluating this as well. You should always demo before deciding on a stick if at all possible. As for your issue with TE it could be the stiffer strings but I would automatically assume that. I would have a close look at your technique as well as this is most often the cause of TE.

 

[sureshs]

Generally, only the negative comments are useful. Like the RQIS1 Tour being very low powered was hammered home. In the K88 video review, they were saying the racquet is really not for them when it comes to a tournament situation.

Every racquet these days is good and more than adequate for the club player. The specs will tell you most of the detailed info. Beyond that, it is a matter of feel and personal preference.

 

[ronalditop]

In older raquets reviews they pointed some good and bad things about the racquet, now they just put the good things.

 

[gymrat76]

Overall, I think reviews are done objectively. I read in many reviews that Chris talks not-so-pleasant about a racquet-in-review and that he rather sticks with his own racquet, or another racquet as a better alternative.

I enjoy reading the reviews, but after a while you can tell how a stick will perform for testers even before reading. Like, 16x19 pattern, the testers will find it spinny. 18x20 will be regarded as control-oriented. Over 12 oz will be adviced for better players etc etc. Kinda lost its thing for me...

I especially like reading the reviews wherein testers comment on both a positive and a negative feedback.

If I am to make a slight criticism. When Nadal was not in top 10, Aeropro Drive was reviewed to be a so so stick. Though when he reached No1 and Bab came up with the cortex version and it got reviewed, essentially same racquet gained a good 4-5 points!
But I guess thats kinda normal.....