Balance/weight question. Angell, Donnay,Dunlop and others comparrison.

[Deuce Bag]

Below is an email I sent to Paul CEO from Angell Tennis. Just wanted anybody's take on it also. Paul is yet to respond as I have only just sent it. Paul has been excellent with his communication which I really appreciate.

I have ordered two Angell racquets and very excited to get out and have a hit with.

The email reads..................

Hi Paul,

I have a general question about balance/weight distribution.

I am really studying hard trying to get my head around how the balance/weight of a racquet works. I find it quite fascinating actually.

I have looked a different racquets with identical weight and balance ,yet the swing weight can vary greatly. Sometimes from 313g to 330g swing weight for a strung racquet. Going off TW racquet selector.

I have also taken into account that TW measure their racquets strung and adjusted my measurement accordingly

I can only put this down to how the weight is distributed across the racquet. Would I be correct in this assumption?

If my assumption is correct, my question is how do you determine how the weight is distributed in your Angell racquets?

Do you distribute the weight in the racquets in a way so the racquet has a nice balance and feel?

I am just trying to understand how my strung racquet will feel when I swing it.

TC95, 320g, 315mm, 27" UNSTRUNG MEASUREMENTS

I only ask because I have an almost identical spec Donnay X Black 94. 320g, 310mm, 27" UNSTRUNG MEASUREMENTS

The balance and feel of the Donnay feels rather cumbersome and heavy in the head, kind of "clunky" when swung or bounced up and down in the hand shake like way. Or as my stringer put it "ugly feel". When I put a 10g butt cap on it did it feel more balanced and right & swung more freely without that "Clunky" feel. Quite magical actually with the 10 gram butt cap.

Yet I have the Dunlop Bio 200 tour which is much heavier and more head heavy than the Donnay X Black 94 but the Dunlop Tour feels really nicely balanced and swing more effortlessly compared to the Donnay.

Just wondering if you could give me a quick explanation on how the weight/balance of exactly the same spec racquets can have such a different swing weight and a total different feel and balance.

I guess I am also asking will the racquets you are customising have a nice feel and balance to them?

I will put this question to the TW forum members and see what they say.

Thank you for your time.

Kind Regards,
Ben

 

[Dave M]

nice is a bit subjective, it would be safe to feel the guy who designed them didn't go to market until he was happy the feedback he got was good.
Angell frames are solid throughout so while you have weight in the handle to make them head light they do feel solid throughout as a frame should.
I like my 95's solid and comfortable

 

[ls206]

I have a couple of racquets the same spec as the ones you've ordered.
Strung and overgripped mine weigh in at 340g ~32cm balance. They are really solid and swing easily. Everyone that picks up my racquet says "Oh, it's light".

From the sounds of your experience with the Donnay, I think you will really like your new Angells.

 

[Deuce Bag]

I have a couple of racquets the same spec as the ones you've ordered.
Strung and overgripped mine weigh in at 340g ~32cm balance. They are really solid and swing easily. Everyone that picks up my racquet says "Oh, it's light".

From the sounds of your experience with the Donnay, I think you will really like your new Angells.

Beautiful Thanks Is206. That's what I was hoping to hear."solid and swing easily", and that people think it's light even though it's up there in the weight department.

The Donnay felt like the weight was in the middle part of the hoop, not smooth at all without the 10g butt cap. It's hard to explain but I'm pretty sure most here would know what I mean by that comment.

Sounds like Paul knows his stuff. Being able to make a heavy solid racquet that swings easy with great plow through.

It must be a lot to do with the weight distribution.

Would you by any chance know the swing weight of your racquets Is206?

Thanks for taking the time share your thoughts. Much appreciated.

 

[Deuce Bag]

nice is a bit subjective, it would be safe to feel the guy who designed them didn't go to market until he was happy the feedback he got was good.
Angell frames are solid throughout so while you have weight in the handle to make them head light they do feel solid throughout as a frame should.
I like my 95's solid and comfortable

Thanks Dave. It's nice to hear they are solid throughout the whole frame and not just in the middle of the hoop.

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience

Cheers,
Ben

 

[phishbiscuits]

I went the opposite direction

I played with Angell TC-95s then switched to Donnay X-Platinums and X-Red Pluses. I have put my Angells away in hopes of finally finding someone to take them off my hands.

Both are non-hollow (foam filled...), but in comparing the Donnay to the Angell, the latter's carbon construction feels "cheap" while the Donnay has a dense, solid feel. Likewise, the plastic utilized for Angell grommets/bumper guards feels extra soft...

Donnay suggests the Xēnecore makes comparing different frames problematic. They use the analogy of comparing horsepower to torque in automobiles.

I should mention that my Angells and Donnays are matched spec-wise with slight differences in their RAs.

The X-Black is very stiff, so if you ordered your Angell in the 63 RA, you're going to find the Angell a bit more flexible.

 

[phishbiscuits]

My opinion only, of course...

Just my impressions

And I realized I didn't really discuss the balance issue. Sorry, can't delete my stupid...

 

[ollinger]

^^ concerning Angell grommets/bumper guards: I've been using Vantage and then Angell racquets for a number of years, have seen no grommet issues in terms of either breakage or abrasion resistance.

 

[Deuce Bag]

Just my impressions

And I realized I didn't really discuss the balance issue. Sorry, can't delete my stupid...

Thank you phishbiscuits. It's good to hear another side to a story.

You are still more than welcome to share your thoughts on the balance of Angell tennis racquets. There is not a one post restriction to this thread

Would love to hear your thoughts on this.

From what I have read the build quality, solidness and materials used is not an issue with Angell frames, so I have full confidence my Angell racquets will be top notch in this department.

Cheers,
Ben