At what point would differences in stiffness RA be noticed

[MattHickford]

I play with 2 (thankfully) matched Wilson Blade 98 18x20 v7 Racquets with the below (unstrung) specs...

Weight 307.6 and 307.9
Swingweight 305 and 304
Balance 32.7 and 32.5
Stiffness 60 and 60

Wilson's poor QC aside, given that virtually none of those specs are on the money, I'm happy with how they play and how well matched they are.

I decided to buy a 3rd racquet in a sale and again, paid for the matching service. I've always paid most attention to Swingweight and Balance as for me, variations in those affect a racquet most. However, the racket from the matching service which most closely matched my existing 2, also somehow has a stiffness RA of 64 (vs 60 in my own 2)

I just wanted opinions on how noticeable or otherwise stiffness would be in a relatively low-stiffness frame like the Blade.

 

[Dragy]

Is it unstrung stiffness measured? Strung measurements will show 2-3 pts lower.

 

[MattHickford]

All of the above are unstrung figures so I guess my current 2 are 57-58 RA strung and the new one will be 61-62 RA.

I’m just wondering if I’ll notice the difference between my existing 2 and the new one?

 

[Dragy]

60 unstrung stiffness is quite low... if it was measured correctly, the new one (which seems closer to average specs) will likely feel more crisp. 4 pts is like 1/3 of the reasonable range, it’s supposed to feel different in other way same layup, I believe.

 

[Dartagnan64]

4 points of stiffness might be noticeable but it's probably not more noticeable than fresh vs 5 hour old polyester strings.

 

[jdx2112]

For me, with some arm issues, I don't mess with racquets with strung-RA over 64. Sure, there are racquets at 65 and maybe even 66 that wont' hurt my arm, but it's also a pain to demo or use different string set-ups to figure out what works. It takes time and even then you need a good month to find out if a racquet wears on the arm. Look at the EZone Tour, a number of tennis reviewers on youtube fell immediately in love with it, but then waned as the racquet started to stress their arms.

 

[tennis347]

I have a rather sensitive shoulder so anything above a 62 or so RA strung would be noticeable. The RA does not tell the whole story. It's also the weight, balance and dampening technology. The V7 Blade line and Prince Phantom series are the most comfortable players frames on the market IMO.

 

[esgee48]

RA is measured at one spot near the throat. It does not really tell you how hard/soft the shaft or hoop is. For me, I probably would not care if everything else is close. You can always adjust with string/tension.

 

[Power Player]

RA measurements seem off. If this wasn’t wilson I’d be more dubious.

That said the V7 is so comfortable and soft that the “64” RA one could be a gem that provides a little more pop than the other 2. I’d go for that one unless you have crippling OCD.

 

[Tommy Haas]

All of the above are unstrung figures so I guess my current 2 are 57-58 RA strung and the new one will be 61-62 RA.

If you like all your frames to have very close specs then I'll take your two sub 60 RA frames off of you. Those are gems in the rough.

 

[jdx2112]

RA is measured at one spot near the throat. It does not really tell you how hard/soft the shaft or hoop is. For me, I probably would not care if everything else is close. You can always adjust with string/tension.

True. Yonex flexes in the throat, but are stiffer in the hoop.

This is why I just stay under 65. Sifting through the differences in flex and string layups is a big time suck.

 

[ryushen21]

I play with 2 (thankfully) matched Wilson Blade 98 18x20 v7 Racquets with the below (unstrung) specs...

Weight 307.6 and 307.9
Swingweight 305 and 304
Balance 32.7 and 32.5
Stiffness 60 and 60

Wilson's poor QC aside, given that virtually none of those specs are on the money, I'm happy with how they play and how well matched they are.

I decided to buy a 3rd racquet in a sale and again, paid for the matching service. I've always paid most attention to Swingweight and Balance as for me, variations in those affect a racquet most. However, the racket from the matching service which most closely matched my existing 2, also somehow has a stiffness RA of 64 (vs 60 in my own 2)

I just wanted opinions on how noticeable or otherwise stiffness would be in a relatively low-stiffness frame like the Blade.

60 RA unstrung is under spec for the Blade. I'd imagine your strung RA is 56-58 which is crazy but that's Wilson QC for you.

To answer your question, My experiences have shown that a roughly 5 point difference is where things become noticeable. I can tell a frame that is under 60 from one that is over 60 from one that is over 65. It just depends on personal sensitivity to some of these things.

True. Yonex flexes in the throat, but are stiffer in the hoop.

Not entirely true. Some Yonex frame have a stiffer throat a flexier hoop.

 

[jdx2112]

60 RA unstrung is under spec for the Blade. I'd imagine your strung RA is 56-58 which is crazy but that's Wilson QC for you.

To answer your question, My experiences have shown that a roughly 5 point difference is where things become noticeable. I can tell a frame that is under 60 from one that is over 60 from one that is over 65. It just depends on personal sensitivity to some of these things.


Not entirely true. Some Yonex frame have a stiffer throat a flexier hoop.

I was thikning of the Ezone

 

[ryushen21]

I was thikning of the Ezone

The current EZone definitely has the stiff throat and flexier hoop setup. I just got a DR which I believe has the more uniform stiffness profile but I haven't hit with it yet.