>>> As Promised: REDONDO MID 93 TEST ... very long <<<

anirut

anirut

Legend
Hi All:

First, let's thank the heaven above that it didn't rain in Bangkok today, so I had my usual Wednesday tennis evening to test the Redondo.

I don't have the PC600 to compare with, but I've heard somewhere that my Philippoussis Dunlop (model mentioned below) is pretty close.

Please note that whatever I comment below is strictly my opinion, based on my experience and my ability to play the rackets (at the age of 40).

OK, straight to the matter

I'll repeat here again about the setup, just because not everybody may have read it before in my other thread:

The three rackets listed below were strung on May 17, 2006 in late afternoon (and it rained cats and dogs after the stringing was finished). All were strung at mid tension per manufacturer's recommendation. The string on all rackets is the Gamma Synthetic 17 with Wearguard. The balance of the rackets should be roughly between 12 - 14 pts HL. No dampener used.

PK Redondo Mid: 360 g. (12.70 oz), 4 1/2 + one overgrip @ 61 lbs.
Volkl Tour 10VE Mid: 365 g. (12.88 oz), 4 3/8 + two-and-a-half overgrips* @ 53 lbs.
Dunlop Revelation Pro Tour Series 90: 365 g., 4 1/8 + leather and one overgrip @ 55 lbs.
* the "and-a-half" is from my addition of two strips of overgrip along the length of the handle to make the shape a bit more "squarish".

In addition to the three rackets above, a classic racket was also brought along by my cousin (my hitting partner). It's the ProKennex BLACK ACE! (Talk about the "ultimate weapon" -- if you've read the text on the BlackAce's beam.).

Testing begins:
The Volkl, as we all know, is very precise, as usual. But you've got to really work it out. Even at 53 lbs I still need to drive the ball. Forget about freaky techniques.

The Dunlop was nice as usual, solid feel, easy swinging. Hefty balls go as you direct them. Good Control. The trait of the 200 series, I suppose. This is in no way a funny racket. You've got to "play" to get results out of it. This one's more powerful than the Volkl.

The BlackAce was played to get the feel of the first generation 100% graphite racket. Um... classic and smooth and ... nice. Put in a little work.

And now, the Redondo
MY WARNING: IF you like the feel, touch and control of wood and/or the graphite rackets of the 80's AND IF you can't afford to buy two of this racket: don't try it. Don't demo it. You could end up craving or drool unexpectedly for another one, at least for a backup or for your own peace of mind ...

This warning may also be applicable to those who want a good, worthy racket, while not in compliance with the first condition of the paragraph above.

The Redondo can be said as the Modern Black Ace, but with better form and better function. The curves from the handle towards the head can be regarded as the same smooth, beautiful curve, with the Redondo having slightly more macho shoulders. The Redondo's head is just a tad longer at the throat -- only about 1-1.5 cm. (Not measured, guessed by the sight). The Redondo's beam's also thicker, may be by 1-2 mm.

A kind of a retro look. Nice, classy finish. Just a bit rubbery for my taste, but I wouldn't mind. I like the "material windows" that show the braided graphite.

In play
Just like I mentioned above, if you like the feel and touch of wood and/or 100% graphite, you can't go wrong here. OK, this is no PC600. BUT THIS THING IS REALLY, REALLY CRISP. Everything's easy. Really easy.

I was driven wide on my backhand at the baseline, got there at full stretch, made a backhand wrist-flick on the low ball and it just got over the net! Now, for me, this is a technique characteristic of wooden racket (and I used this technique so often before). Just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, we retested and got the same result.

Playing the Redondo is very easy. I don't have to really prepare much. (Man, that'd make me a lazy old man.) It's kind of just make sure you get to the ball and the racket'll do its job, faithful to its master's command. The racket swings really light inspite of the 360 grams.

Ground strokes were really effortless. Spins and slices were easy with very good control. Just use those wooden techniques. You can also use modern wristy shots with it, just make sure your wrist is strong enough. Try that with the Dunlop and I may have to end the play there and then.

Mishits weren't jarring or too demanding for the arm. I have no problem at all. (This is not the case with my PS Tour 90 which could really hurt). I'm home very comfortable, typing this comment for you.

Serving was a breeze. Really easy. OK, I served only about 15-20 balls with my bad shoulder. (I usually don't serve or play points due to my "dead-and-gone shoulder). But I can say that this is one darn good serving stick, may be next to the Volkl (which serves really, really good). The serves had good heft.

If you've read my other post about serving with the Redondo on my first date with it; that I found I needed some adjustments, well, the culprit was the double overgrip and (probably) not the string tension. I tested my serves with only one overgrip and everything was fine. Then just to see if I had a bad day on the day before, I added another overgrip ... and my serves were singing the song "somewhere, beyond the sea, somewhere waiting for me ..."

[I should think that the Redondo is one precisely-designed stick. Just that one additional overgrip that changed the "proper balance" and things just went wrong. (Or I could be wrong.)]

I think the Redondo has the ease of playing comparable to the Slaz X-1 but with better heft and authority in the shots. For me, the Redondo sure serves heavier and easier than the X-1. Much better.

What else should I comment ... yes, the volley. This is one think I wouldn't want to comment on. I'm not a volley specialist but, having had a little at the net, the racket may get pushed if faced with heavy shots. This could be me being slow. But precision is there. Touch is there. Maneuverability is there. And very comfortable.

My cousin has also tried my Redondo. He said if only it was his grip size he would've want to try it for a longer period. He likes it but was afraid of the racket flying out of his hand. (I think he must be drooling by now ... he really, really likes it a lot, too.)

Aren't you tired of reading all this by now? I'm quite sleepy. It's almost 5:30 AM now in Bangkok. No I can't go to sleep 'cause I got to prepare breakfast before my son goes to school.

Summary
This is one midsize that's very easy and comfortable to play with. It's got everything that a touch player wants. It's got enough power for baseline bashers too. Pretty powerful for this category of midsize player's racket. Those who want to try a midsize but are afraid of the small sweetspot shouldn't worry. This stick is very forgiving.

I just felt like being a teen again!

A little history note:
If my memory serves me correct, the Redondo came out sometime at the end of last year (2005). It was only recently that the PC600 was reissued. Head sure knows that they're going to lose their market share and reissued the PC600 as manufactured somewhere in Europe.

May I straighten things out a bit and be fair to ProKennex.

I've seen people saying that the Redondo is a Prestige clone. Well, actually the BlackAce first came out with some other name sometime around 1981, I think, under the brand called Lobster. At that time there was no Prestige, only the Aluminium Edge. Shortly after came the Graphite Edge. Then Lobster disappered and came the BlackAce (same looks as the Lobster) under ProKennex. (Probably a brand strategy issue.)

ProKennex kind of went quiet away from the scene (probably busy making rackets for everybody else) and letting everybody else enjoy their shares.

I would say the Redondo is a new generation of the Black Ace, while the Prestige is the new generation of the Edge.

Just wanted to let you know who came first and who might have cloned who.

Please correct me if I'm wrong here.
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And I hope you know that the warning I made above is only a joke!
 
Just a little more comment:

The Redondo is a racket that you can use for serious tournament play as well as for playing socially with a grandma. This is a very versatile racket. You put in the power and it helps with the control. You lower the power and the ball goes smooth and soft to the other side with ease and precision.

Cheers!
 
DX: Yeah, I understand. The PC600 should feel more solid while Redondo's bit more on the "light" feel. This is why I commented that it's a versatile racket. You don't have supply that much power to get the ball over the net. I can't do that with the 10VE Mid.

MT: It's very easy on the arm. I don't use dampeners. And with my freaky-style shots, if the racket's not easy on the arm, I would've been rolling in pain. (And probably been sleeping instead of typing this report. HAHA.)
 
Thanx for your input. I haven't tried the Redondo yet, but I have the older, silver "C" mid. I was really impressed with it as it was as user friendly as a 93" frame can be. Groundies, volleys, you name it; sweet with ample pace and/or spin... Serves up a storm too (a precise one at that)....Just wondering if you could compare Redondo with ol' Silver...
 
anirut said:
...You don't have supply that much power to get the ball over the net. I can't do that with the 10VE Mid....
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First of all, thanks for the detailed report. Well done. You're switching, right? Getting three Redondos ASAP, I bet.

Now, regarding the above lines......uhm, what? Come on now. You've GOT to be exaggerating. That racquet rocks (with the right stringjob -- under 60 with a nice thin multi)...and it is not that different from a Prestige. IMHO, it lets you swing fully and control the ball almost like you're McEnroe or something.

BTW, man, your signature is greatness. It reminds me of the "thought word and deed" line in the liturgy. Just humbling and awesome all around. Well played.
 
anirut said:
DX: Yeah, I understand. The PC600 should feel more solid while Redondo's bit more on the "light" feel. This is why I commented that it's a versatile racket. You don't have supply that much power to get the ball over the net. I can't do that with the 10VE Mid.

MT: It's very easy on the arm. I don't use dampeners. And with my freaky-style shots, if the racket's not easy on the arm, I would've been rolling in pain. (And probably been sleeping instead of typing this report. HAHA.)
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Hey thanks for the quick reply! Haha, it's awesome that the racquet seems to be very comfortable; I look forward to trying it out in the near future - hopefully to make it my new racquet of choice.

I look forward to any future comments you have regarding the racquet!
 
I totally second everything Anirut said. Long live the Redondo!!! To those that didn't like it, I feel that it is a very different racquet with the right string and tension. I would recommend trying it again at a lower tension with either gut or a nice multi like Klip Venom or Technifibre X-1 Biphase.
 
Anirut,

Thanks for the great review. And I'd bet that I'd be getting another SMS in the not too distant future ... order confirmation, BING!
 
slice bh compliment said:
First of all, thanks for the detailed report. Well done. You're switching, right? Getting three Redondos ASAP, I bet.
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Thanks for the compliment, and ... are you a psychic? Or having telepathy powers? SPOT ON, MAN! I'll get another one soon.

Jonolau, please be prepared with the load on your next flight to bangkok ... ;)

slice bh compliment said:
Now, regarding the above lines......uhm, what? Come on now. You've GOT to be exaggerating. That racquet rocks (with the right stringjob -- under 60 with a nice thin multi)...and it is not that different from a Prestige. IMHO, it lets you swing fully and control the ball almost like you're McEnroe or something.
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If your "That racquet rocks" means the Tour 10 VE, I've also used a 17 guage multi on it at 53. Yes it was soft and easy on the arm, good control (very, very pecise, indeed) but I still had to prepare well and get the strokes right. I just couldn't "play lazy". And for me, this will be quite troublesome if I had to play "socially" with some "grandma/pa".

This is not so with the Redondo. If you want to play lazy, the Redondo allows you to be a bit lazy, yet having acceptable control. But once you play it like you would play the Tour 10 VE, it gives you that same precision plus more pop. Very powerful.

I think the charm of the Redondo is in that it can take, and play well, with high tension, a trait of the early 80's rackets. The Redondo itself is pretty powerful and the higher tension keeps the ball in control, yet the racket didn't feel harsh at all.

Just imagine that it plays like a small headed woodie strung at 55+ ... (I've played my woodie at 62!) ... soft and crisp.

Cheers!
 
Hi anirut,

Thanks for your comprehensive review of the Redondo Mid and all the follow-up posts. Man, when do you ever sleep, pal? ;) I guess maybe you can't sleep because all you want to do is go hit the courts again and play more with the Redondo? LOL

You metioned that the Redondo can get pushed around on volleys from hard hit shots. So my question is: Did you ever feel that way at all from the baseline against hard hit groundstrokes?

Some other posters have said that they found the Redondo a bit on the "tinny" side. Did you get that feeling at all during your playtest?

Did you have much trouble with generating spin (topspin, slice, kick serves, etc.) with the 18x20 pattern? This may be difficult for you to answer since your regular racquet is the Volkl T10 VE Mid which also has a 18x20 pattern.

Thanks and please post any additonal comments once you've spent more time hitting with the Redondo. We all really appreciate it. :D
 
Hi BP and everyone:

I have no trouble with hard hit shots at all. It's stable from the baseline. Very stable. The only trouble is I'm too slow to get to the ball at times. If I can get there in time everything is just easy.

And yes, I was able to play one of those Borg's signature shots once again: the forehand wrist flick when pulled out wide. Man, that's why I said I felt like a teen again.

As I'm not a volley specialist, may be Juice can help with this.

As for the "tiny" feel ... well, let's see ... it doesn't have that kind of heavy "thud" feel (like the PS, the Volkl & my Dunlop and supposedly the PC600) when you hit it. It feels "crisp". Just crisp. It's like a cracking sound when you nail your shot. I shouldn't think that it's because of the 100% graphite, as my Dunlop is also of the same material.

The racket really feels light when you're playing. I played 1.5 hours without feeling fatique. Tops and all come easy. Slices bite deep like wood. My cousin was enjoying his topspins with the Redondo so much that, after we've finished, he was "petting" the racket like ... "Sweet, sweet ..." (That's why I said he must be salivating to be wanting one by now). Probably because we grew up together playing since the time of those Connors-Borg-McEnroe and the other greats of those days.

I don't think you will have any problem with the serves, if a bad-shoulder guy like me found it comfortable. I just never found my groove when trying to serve with the PS Tour 90. With the Redondo, I was able to get like 70% of my "just-toss-and-bang-it-in" serves into the service court without concentration. I feel the Redondo may produce better kicks than the Volkl. The Volkl may serve heavier by a small margin. They're both heavy stuff.

Hope this helps to some extent. Feel free to ask, anyone.
 
anirut said:
And yes, I was able to play one of those Borg's signature shots once again: the forehand wrist flick when pulled out wide. Man, that's why I said I felt like a teen again.

As I'm not a volley specialist, may be Juice can help with this.
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Hey BP, I wouldn't call the Redondo tinny at the net. Being that it is lighter than some sticks like the PC600 and PS 90, it can be pushed around IF you aren't prepared for your volley. But it is no slouch at all. I'll give you an example. In a match I just played a couple of days ago (against the hard hitter I mentioned in another post), I hit an approach shot that didn't get at deep as I had hoped and my opponent was able to get to the ball and crank a backhand down the line (I'm a lefty so he was cranking it at my backhand volley). I didn't have time to prepare for my normal volley but I was able to get enough stick on it with the right amount of spin to drop the ball in and win the point. It was exactly what I intended to do and there was no jarring sensation at all.

I am an all court player so I will serve and volley and my opinion on regular volleys is that the Redondo is a very accurate stick on the volley and can hold it's own at the net. It is not a racquet that was meant to camp out at the net but it is definitely good enough to make some visits. Hope this helps.
 
anirut said:
Summary
This is one midsize that's very easy and comfortable to play with. It's got everything that a touch player wants. It's got enough power for baseline bashers too. Pretty powerful for this category of midsize player's racket. Those who want to try a midsize but are afraid of the small sweetspot shouldn't worry. This stick is very forgiving.

I just felt like being a teen again!
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Nice feedback Anirut! Try to get some sleep though. :D
 
jonolau said:
Anirut,

Thanks for the great review. And I'd bet that I'd be getting another SMS in the not too distant future ... order confirmation, BING!
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How much does the Redondo cost in Singapore?
 
Jono got me for the equivalent of 4,500 THB. The Prestige I called up will be at 2,500 THB.

Man, my wife'll sure cut the strings off one of my rackets, then put my head into the frame and hang me with that if I get another racket.

But hey, ain't tennis a sport to die for?
 
anirut said:
Jono got me for the equivalent of 4,500 THB. The Prestige I called up will be at 2,500 THB.

Man, my wife'll sure cut the strings off one of my rackets, then put my head into the frame and hang me with that if I get another racket.

But hey, ain't tennis a sport to die for?
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But don't forget to pay me first, if not my wife will do likewise to me .... ha ha!
 
Hi anirut,

Thanks for the answering my questions so promptly. :D

Now for the $64,000 question: If I didn't like the Volkl Tour 10 VE Mid at all (in fact, I hated it as I found it too "weak", light, whippy, and just too insubstantial that I felt defenseless while using it IMHO), is there any chance that I will like the Redondo Mid? Are there more similarities or more differences between the two racquets?

Thanks again!
 
The Tour 10 VE Mid is stiffer and IMO plays with more power than the Redondo. I could knock the cover off the ball on flat shots with the VE Mid. The Redondo plays softer and spinnier with a bit more feel, so although it feels less weak and whippy in your hand, in actual play it's less powerful.

The VE Mid is a frame I started off loving, particularly in doubles, but over time I developed some arm pain that I attributed to either the stiffness, the overall weight distribution and low swingweight, or both. There are no free rides in tennis.
 
Brad Smith said:
...There are no free rides in tennis.
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hahahah, so true. Except when you find a nice public court right by your house.

In terms of sticks and trade-offs, for me, the DNX technology is as close as it gets (especially with the DNX 10).
 
Thanks for the info, Brad!

It's interesting that you found the Volkl T10 VE Mid to be stiffer and more powerful than the Redondo Mid, because I found the T10 VE Mid to be too flexy and too under-powered, so much so that I've described it several times here as "feeling I was trying to hit the ball with a wire coat hanger". So if the Redondo Mid is even more flexy and even lowered powered than the T10 VE Mid then it must really feel like hitting with the proverbial "wet noodle"?

I guess it's no longer possible for someone that has gotten used to hitting with ProStaffs to like hitting with ultra-flexy sticks again? (Although I did use the soft and flexy Max200G for many, many years before that.)
 
Interesting, the wet noodle comment. Yeah, the Tour 10 V mid is constructed with some fiberglass in it...so you know that will flex. But I felt that stick was still heavy enough to pack serious punch with minimal customization.

Wonder what exactly is inside the PK Redondo. Sounds like one of the great frames around. And is it named after the beach or the tennis player, Marita Redondo?
 
BreakPoint said:
I guess it's no longer possible for someone that has gotten used to hitting with ProStaffs to like hitting with ultra-flexy sticks again? (Although I did use the soft and flexy Max200G for many, many years before that.)
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I think it has more to do with static weight and swingweight than flex. The 200g was a HEAVY frame and all that weight contributed to a more solid feeling at impact. I hit with a Vac 90 last week that was about 360 grams fully equipped and although I could feel the flex the racket still had power since it had a high SW as well.

The Volkl is light with a low SW, so it has to be stiffer to avoid being another Wilson 7.1. When you are hitting flat serves or groundies or punching volleys this combination is great, but when you're trying to hit groundies with a lot of spin or heavy kick serves it comes up short. It doesn't have the crazy spin of flexy rackets or the stability and resistance to torquing of heavier rackets that leads to more spin. My guess is that when you say you didn't like the feel that's what you're describing.
 
Hi BP, Brad & Slice:

Yes, I agree that you can rip the felt off the ball with the VE. For me, this is possible only when my preparation is better than good.

Yes, the Redondo feels more spiny which, IMO, should be of help with "keeping the ball in play". I could just simply swing it and the ball will land about a foot or two inside the baseline (yeah, sometimes it also lands on the other side of the line). If I do the same unintentional swing with the Volkl, the result could either be the service line or the fence.

But in a well-prep'ed swing, both will produce heavy shots with the VE's shots being heavier. Both have good precision. For me, I find the Redondo easier to control and play for that similar precision.

I didn't feel the Redondo being noodly at all. I was solid for me, probably because of the racket's high mid-tension (61). I even plan to go up to 63. This, of course, depends on the string.

In my comparison, as you might have read in my rackets' setup, all rackets have the same synthetic string, strung on the same day, with the Dunlop & Volkl strung at the same time (on different machines, of course). The Redondo was strung about 2.5 hours later. This is to get as close to a "controlled experiment" environment as I could.

NOTE:
I'm about to get the PC600. Next week I'll be happy to post its comparison to the Redondo and the VE. I'll be more than happy to "remove" the strings on my Redondo and the VE and have them all strung on the same day again along with the PC600. (I mentioned "remove" because I recycle those strings for other uses.)

I was a physics student in college ... talk about precision ... ;)
 
Brad Smith said:
I think it has more to do with static weight and swingweight than flex. The 200g was a HEAVY frame and all that weight contributed to a more solid feeling at impact. I hit with a Vac 90 last week that was about 360 grams fully equipped and although I could feel the flex the racket still had power since it had a high SW as well.

The Volkl is light with a low SW, so it has to be stiffer to avoid being another Wilson 7.1. When you are hitting flat serves or groundies or punching volleys this combination is great, but when you're trying to hit groundies with a lot of spin or heavy kick serves it comes up short. It doesn't have the crazy spin of flexy rackets or the stability and resistance to torquing of heavier rackets that leads to more spin. My guess is that when you say you didn't like the feel that's what you're describing.
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I think you're exactly right, Brad, about the Max200G being heavy and having a high swingweight making it feel solid although it was also quite flexy.

You're also spot on about how I felt about the Volkl T10 VE Mid. It just felt very unstable to me and seemed to twist, torque and bend like a paperclip in my hand. It's also funny that you brought up the Wilson HPS 7.1 Zone. If there's one racquet that I thought was even worse than the Volkl T10 VE Mid out of the 100 or so racquets that I've demoed over the past few years, it was the HPS 7.1 Zone, and for exactly the same reasons why I didn't like the T10 VE Mid - it made me feel weak and defenseless.

Light weight and flexy just doesn't seem to be a very good combination - for me, at least. Would you also put the Redondo Mid in that same category?
 
OK, BP, I base my decision on "facts AND return on investment."

Why should I spend on a racket that's more expensive than the Redondo and yet get the same or very similar results? Feel is very subjective and has no effect on result, so I don't take that into account when I base my decision on (as long as that feel thing is not absolutely horrible to the extremes).

I'm pretty sure that I and the Redondo will live happily ever after ...

Man, if the Redondo had some other feminine name, I would've said "I mated it!"

Cheers!
 
anirut said:
Man, if the Redondo had some other feminine name, I would've said "I mated it!"
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Whoa....that just brought up some imagery in my head that I hope never enters my head again. ;) :eek:
 
BreakPoint said:
Hi anirut,

The funny thing about the PC600 is that I actually owned and used one for a few months several years ago, but then after using the PS 6.0 95 for a year, I tried the PC600 again but all of a sudden I couldn't play with it at all. So although I played fine with it before, after using the ProStaff, I could no longer get used to the very different aspects of the PC600. I really can't put my finger on why though. It could be the dense string pattern or it could be the different way it flexes or it could be the head shape or the weight or balance. I'm not really sure, but they felt like night and day.

However, if the Redondo plays very similar to the PC600, then I likely won't like the Redondo, either. BTW, have you ever played with the Wilson HPS 7.1 Zone? I put that racquet in the same category as the Volkl Tour10 VE Mid - racquets that are too flexy and too light at the same time, which is a very bad combination for me. I think a racquet needs to be heavy if it's flexy and stiff if it's light to compensate stiffness for weight. Would you place the Redondo in the too light and too flexy category?

Thanks. :D
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I've never played the Zone. However, would you consider my 10VE Mid light? It's 365 grams (12.88 oz) and about 12 pts HL. My Redondo's at 360 grams (12.70 oz) -- just a tad lighter than the VE -- about the same 12 pts HL.

They both don't feel heavy during play, probably because of the 12 pts HL. But, as I've said, the Redondo's sure got more pop. It plays like a stiff racket (what I described as that "crack-sounding" feel). Easy hitting like the Slaz-X1, while soft and comfortable as a flex should. It doesn't feel muted at all.

Anyway, once compared with the PC, I'll let us all know.
 
Hi Double:

No, not at all. The Redondo and the Slaz are waaaayyyyyyys apart. I've demoed the Slaz and could say, yes, it's easy to play with, but nothing to write home about. The Redondo plays much, much more solid, but doesn't demand much to play it well.

I mean I could easily whip my backhand with the Slaz but where's the heft in my shot? The Redondo is also easy to whip around but with more fire-power.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks anirut, that's very interesting. The Slaz X-1 is a racquet that I'm very familiar with and which I find has a very solid feel to it. But you say the Redondo plays "much, much more solid". Wow!! That must be one solid racquet!!

BTW, have you ever played with either the nSix-One Tour or nSix-One 95? Those are two of the most solid racquets I've ever hit with. If you've hit with them, how would you compare them to the Redondo as far as solidity?

So you're saying you can hit the ball harder and hit a heavier ball with the Redondo than with the Slaz X-1? I find the X-1 already plenty powerful, in fact, a little too powerful for my taste sometimes, but I do understand what you mean when you say that it doesn't really hit a "heavy ball".
 
BP -- For me the Redondo did not generate a heavy ball. It was slightly better than the VE Mid but still not what I would consider heavy. It has the potential to hit a heavy ball if weight is added to the hoop.

anirut -- The weights on the VE Mid and Redondo you list are very high. I'm assuming you've added a full leather grip, overgrip, and dampener. Have you added any other weight to the hoop?
 
Brad Smith said:
BP -- For me the Redondo did not generate a heavy ball. It was slightly better than the VE Mid but still not what I would consider heavy. It has the potential to hit a heavy ball if weight is added to the hoop.

anirut -- The weights on the VE Mid and Redondo you list are very high. I'm assuming you've added a full leather grip, overgrip, and dampener. Have you added any other weight to the hoop?
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Brad, I disagree with you saying the Redondo doesn't produce a heavy ball. In the most recent match I played, my opponent kept commenting on how he was having a hard time with my forehand. Mind you, this was a 4.0 match and my opponent was no slouch himself at the baseline. The funny thing was, my backhand was just as heavy. If I can learn to have the same confidence to swing out as I do with my forehand then I would rule the public courts of Atlanta (at the 4.0-4.5 level at least).
 
Brad Smith said:
BP -- For me the Redondo did not generate a heavy ball. It was slightly better than the VE Mid but still not what I would consider heavy. It has the potential to hit a heavy ball if weight is added to the hoop.

anirut -- The weights on the VE Mid and Redondo you list are very high. I'm assuming you've added a full leather grip, overgrip, and dampener. Have you added any other weight to the hoop?
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Thanks for the input, Brad!

anirut, I was also wondering why the weights you listed were much higher than specs. Did you add lead tape, and if so, where? Thanks.
 
I didn't say it doesn't produce a heavy ball. I said it doesn't generate what I would consider a heavy ball. I played with the RD-7 for years. That was a heavy ball.
 
OK, I just came back from the Ministry of Commerce ...

I'm now JOBLESS, UNEMPLOYED, OUT-OF-BUSINESS, BUSINESS LEGALLY CLOSED ... YEAH!

With regard to the weights ... no lead ever. The VE has 2 1/2 overgrips (if you don't mind going to my very first original post, I described it) while the Redondo has only one. No dampener.

Or may be the scale was faulty? If the scale was really faulty then I should report to the authorities ... this is a digital scale INSIDE a Tesco Supermarket. Man, if that was the case, they could be ripping people off.

With regard to the "heavy ball" issue. The 10VE produced better mass behind the shots, but at the sacrifice of pretty good prep. The Redondo allows you to be a bit "lazy". But when you really get well-prep'ed, it gives very, very close results. Too close of results to keep using the 10VE and having to prep well.

(The 10VE should make a nice advance-training racket for my son ... um ... especially to teach him the importance of good preparation and body control.)

In fact I find the Redondo quite a lot easier to control and play overall. It also produced easier spins than the VE.

Cheers! (Anybody got a vacant position for this poor, job-less man? HAHA.)
 
Hi Anirut; thanks for starting this interesting thread and doing the review. Just wondering if you can compare the US version of the Tour 90 with the Redondo. Thanks again and cheers!
 
Sorry Round,

I don't have any US version of the Tour 90. The only (modern) PS racket I have is the Asian version of the PS Tour 90 (pre nCode).

..... Look out for Wednesday .... The PC600 is with me now ....

Another hot review coming soon.
 
Thanks for the quick reply Anirut; will await your assessment of the PC 600. I guess a few of us who are die-hard prostaff users are curious how the Redondo would compare with any of the PS series, viz PS 6.0 (85/95), tour90 and nCode tour. Am also curious that you mentioned the feel of wood/100% graphite. In your opinion, is the feel of wood similar to that of 100% graphite, esp if the flex was as low as the Redondo? Thanks.
 
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