Hey all, just wanted to update this group after all the great advice above.
First, I re-strung my blades with wilson nxt control at a lower tension (50 lbs) than I had before with the Tecnifibre NRG 2 at 53.
The result was, as expected, more liveliness, but I was still struggling to get a reliable shot shape when I really went for my forehands, and was struggling to keep first serves in as well.
So I decided to go ahead and demo some other options:
- Wilson PS97 CV
- Prince TT 95
- Prince TT 100P (I own this one, just pulled it back out)
- Yonex Duel G 97 (310g)
Takeaway:
I absolutely loved the Yonex Duel G. It was whippy, comfortable, and I really felt like the 16x20 pattern was the best of both worlds. As others have suggested, I think my "spin" and "launch angle" issues were actually driven by the blade being a bit too head heavy for my liking, and not being able to generate quite enough racquet head speed to really shape my shots at this stage in my development.
The Duel G being more headlight and having a lower SW felt like a game changer; I still hit fairly flat, but felt like I had a ton of control and ability to really move my opponents around the court by playing with depth in a way I hadn't been able to do before. The Duel G's lower SW and more HL balance were also helpful on my OHBH, both hitting over the ball and slicing with the super thin beam.
Loved this racquet in every way, except it definitely felt unstable against bigger hitters. I added some weight at 3 and 9 (and a bit in the handle to maintain the whippiness) which helped a ton, and honestly, all the pros waay outweigh this con.
Lastly, I really loved the less flared Yonex grip shape. Hated the prince grip shapes, as the corners of the bevels would grind a bit in my hand.
I'm going to be ordering a matched pair of these, and planning to test out some string set-ups.
Thanks again for the help! Feeling really excited to have found something that's such a good fit.
Cheers.