Arm Friendly Player's Racket

tayerm

New User
I am currently looking for a new arm friendly players racket. I am a junior collegiate tennis player. Previously I played with the Volkl PB 10 Mid. I loved the control and feel but I think a slightly larger head and more power would suit my game better. I'll give the specifics of my racket preferences. apprx. 98" head, standard length, flexible, stable, open string pattern, 11.4-12.2 oz weight. I am mainly seeking a racket that is good on the arm (due to past TE problems) with comfort and feel, while not sacrificing too much power.

Help me out please!

Thanks! :)
 

donnayblack99

Semi-Pro
Definately try the Prince Exo Tour 18x20. I too, played with the Volkl PB mid and made the switch. I've never looked back! The Exo Tour 18x20 gives you the control of a smaller head size with a HUGE sweetspot and ample power. It's great on the elbow also! :)
 

RetroSpin

Hall of Fame
I'd look at the new Prince line, perhaps the updated POG 100.

If you haven't tried them, I'd also suggest trying a Babolat PDR and the new Strike line. You mentione TE and I know people will claim the Babs are not for you, but I've found them to be very comfortable, more so than some flexy frames.
 

LeeD

Bionic Poster
Head MicroGelMid, with a bit of weight, which can be accounted for with leather grip, 15 or 16 gauge strings.
 

SJSA

Professional
"apprx. 98" head, standard length, flexible, stable, open string pattern, 11.4-12.2 oz weight"

This is your answer. Prince Tour 98 ESP
 

mjnchen

New User
I would suggest Volkl Organix 10 (not organix mid), similar to Volkl PB10 mid so I think you will get used to the racket very quickly. Also Volkl C10 Pro is a decent choice. I think you will like these two since you like the control and feel of PB10 mid.
 

tom4ny

Professional
I am currently looking for a new arm friendly players racket. I am a junior collegiate tennis player. Previously I played with the Volkl PB 10 Mid. I loved the control and feel but I think a slightly larger head and more power would suit my game better. I'll give the specifics of my racket preferences. apprx. 98" head, standard length, flexible, stable, open string pattern, 11.4-12.2 oz weight. I am mainly seeking a racket that is good on the arm (due to past TE problems) with comfort and feel, while not sacrificing too much power.

Help me out please!

Thanks! :)

I would recommend trying volkl's organix v1 pro and simply adding a leather grip with overgrip. Plays great with a multi and/or gut/poly hybrid
 

thejuice

Hall of Fame
Another vote for the Exo Tour 100 18x20. Can be bought really cheap right now but notice how there aren't many on the BST part of the TT forums. I know you said an open string pattern (the Tour also has a 16x18) but the 18x20 has the most open dense pattern I've ever played. Sounds crazy but demo and you'll see. It can generate spin and power as if it were an open string pattern.
 

fuzz nation

G.O.A.T.
I've enjoyed having a couple of mids in my collection over recent years, but I use a midplus for my go-to. I switched into the Volkl C10 for several years when I wanted something softer than my old ProStaff 6.1 Classics. The C10 gave me a bundle of comfort and control right away, but I always missed the spin potential that I got with some other frames over the years, including the 6.1's.

I got a chance to sample an Organix 10 325g at the end of this past spring - a buddy gave me an extra to try out for a bit. I was curious to see what a newer "10 series" from Volkl had to offer, but after I strung it up and took it out, I was really disappointed. Bad fit for me in terms of its balance and not as stable through the ball as I like. Then I realized that this O10 had a different weight and balance than my C10's, which I'd tuned to be more head-light. Off I went to the backboard with a pack of lead tape for another go...

My results after tuning were borderline miraculous. This tuning included adding only a few grams total at 3/9 o'clock along with a good bit under my grip for more HL balance. The tuned racquet gained that wonderful soft-racquet "bow-whup" sensation at contact, I could easily catch the ball in the heart of the string bed, it was mildly more stable, and even with ordinary 16 ga. synthetic gut, I could make all the spin I was missing for a couple years or more.

I'm well beyond the honeymoon phase at this point and I now have a total of four of these O10's. I know it's a pain to suggest that you have to get this racquet with the intention of tuning it into a different layout, but I've never had more comfort and confidence in anything I've owned or sampled in a loooong time. I'd bet that coming from the PB10 mid (I've tried that one, too), the O10 325 wouldn't perform all too well for you out of the box. This is definitely a racquet with huge potential for tuning and stringing to your liking, plus it already has the familiar Volkl grip profile. If you try some demos, I vote for a go with this one big-time.
 

tmc5005

Rookie
My list of top 10 arm friendly racquets is:

Babolat New Pure Storm-LTD GT (95)
DUNLOP Biomimetic Max 200G
HEAD-Youtek-IG-Prestige-MP
PACIFIC X Feel Pro 95
Prince EXO3 Rebel (95)
Prince EXO3 Tour (100)
Pro Kennex Kinetic KI5 315
Volkl Power Bridge-10 Mid (93)
Volkl Organix 10 325G
Wilson Prostaff Six.One BLX (95)
 

mrc

Rookie
2013 Blade 98 18x20 has been very arm friendly for me. The BLX version was much tougher on me and and I refused to switch from Prestige because of that. Now, I like the Blade better but don't have any arm issues. Poly Mains/ZX crosses
 

thejuice

Hall of Fame
^^ Hey Juice - will you share a comparison of the two sticks in your sig?

I'll tell you what, I am supposed to demo the new Radical line tomorrow morning so I'll do a comparison between the Prestige MP, Tour 100 and Radical Pro.
 

tayerm

New User
I'll tell you what, I am supposed to demo the new Radical line tomorrow morning so I'll do a comparison between the Prestige MP, Tour 100 and Radical Pro.

Let us know after your play test!
Thanks for the comments and suggestions everybody!
 

spinovic

Hall of Fame
IG Radical Pro
TFight 315 Ltd 16 Main

Those are the two I have used that should fit what you are looking for. The Radical is more flexy feeling. The TFight is a soft, comfortable frame but is not flexy like the Radical.

I'm sure some of the other suggestions would work as well like the EXO3 Tour and the C10 Pro.

If you are really intent on switching frames I would suggest demoing 4 or 8 of the racquets suggested. All are excellent sticks, it is just a matter of finding your preference.
 

tayerm

New User
I'm also looking forward to the new Babolat Pure Strike line. Yet I'm not sure how arm friendly they will be. Does anyone know? Also when their release date will be?
 

bobtodd

Rookie
I sold my Head Youtek IG Prestige MP's and bought the Youtek IG Prestige S. It is 11.4 strung and the more open string pattern provides a little more power and comfort. Glad I made the switch.
 

Zouph

New User
Definately try the Prince Exo Tour 18x20. I too, played with the Volkl PB mid and made the switch. I've never looked back! The Exo Tour 18x20 gives you the control of a smaller head size with a HUGE sweetspot and ample power. It's great on the elbow also! :)

Shoudn't he go for the 16x18 then since he likes open string pattern?
 

movdqa

Talk Tennis Guru
The Redondo doesn't have an open string pattern but it sure is flexible. Something like a tgk260.2 (Head Radical MP 16x19) or the Microgel equivalent would probably more closely fit the bill.
 

fuzz nation

G.O.A.T.
Anything you use should be significantly more arm friendly if you can use something other than a poly. If you don't string your own gear but need to play with a relatively fragile string that's easy on the elbow, you may be surprised with just how much you can save (both in money and your health) if you get a basic stringing machine.

I love both the performance and low cost of synthetic gut, but it's also plenty cozy for my arm, even at rather high tensions. Even when I'm using 17 ga. syn. gut (which I find very arm friendly), I can get an entire reel of the stuff for the cost of a single set of Baboalat natural gut. If that thinner syn. gut has less durability, it's not a problem when I can re-string overnight.
 

Muppet

Legend
Another thing you'll want to consider is the flex of the new racquet. Your PB10 Mid is flexible. This means that you have a slight amount of dwell time that isn't present in stiffer racquets. If you use that dwell time to control the ball from your wrist, as opposed to a strict modern technique, you will definitely want to demo a racquet that you're looking at that is stiffer. A racquet that is five or more stiffness points higher could totally throw off the timing of your forhand, and even necessitate starting from scratch with your forhand.

So demo the racquets that are available, but definitely the ones that flex higher than 64.
 

Muppet

Legend
By that I meant that a flexible racquet will probably suit you best, but if you're considering getting a stiffer racquet, you should not just order it. Stiffer racquets will require a demo, where just ordering a more flexible racquet is a safer bet. And it's always advisable to demo any racquet before you buy.
 
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