GoudX
Professional
Hey all,
Thought I'd let you in on my tale of racquet testing.
I am an advanced player, close to college level, who enjoys hitting heavy shots from the baseline trying to force an opponents mistake to exploit. Being 5'7 I do not have the leverage to force my opponents straight off the court, however as I often take the ball early and I am fairly strong, I tend to play an attacking game.
I recently decided I needed a change of racquet after realising that I was struggling to keep my serve and forehand consistent with my leaded up Prince Warrior. After switching back to my old K6.1 95 for a month, I decided I needed something with a lower swingweight to give me an easier time on serve and at the net.
After hearing all the rave reviews, and being somewhat curious, I first snatched up a PC600 going cheap on the auction site.
PC600 Review
Groundstrokes: I hit a SW Forehand and a 2HBH, and found that the racquet is ideal for smacking very flat shots just above the net. Indeed, I have never found a more forgiving racquet when going for a big shot from the baseline, finding it easy to push around an opponent when you have the upper hand. In particular I found I could drill my 2 handed backhand down the line or cross court for a winner particularly easily compared to similar racquets. That said whenever the opponent got me on defense, I found it very hard to keep the ball deep with this racquet, while griding the point out due to the small sweetspot. Thus I needed to get the upper hand early in the point.
Serves: This 'was' the best racquet I had ever served with, providing effortless depth, consistency and accuracy on first serves; and hitting a heavy second serve, which was very difficult for my opponent to attack. My one criticism is that I occasionally felt I had to hold back on second serves due to the lack of spin potential on big points.
Returns: Horrible racquet for my return technique. I like to step into returns and take a big cut at the ball whenever possible forcing the ball deep. This racquet is more at home standing back from the baseline and mixing up short and big returns. This was also due to the tiny sweetspot. This is the reason I won't be using this racquet in normal play.
Midcourt: Slices and flat shots can be hit consistently low over the net with enough power to trouble opponents. Topspin angles were very poor. Dropshots died nicely.
Volleys: Can't fault it on this, the racquet is quick to move and produces a heavy and accurate ball.
Feel: Whippy and comfortable - until an opponent hits a good shot an you miss the sweetspot.
Looking for a more forgiving version of this racquet I then looked to the new Prestige IG MP. Only having had a 10 minute demo on a rebound net and not having access to a demo of it I went out on a limb and bought one:
Prestige IG MP
Groundstrokes: On the attack this racquet produces a much less reliable flat 'rocket' shot, however regular topspin shots can be hit with a large amount of pace while keeping good control. So whilst it is less good at forcing the point from deep in the court, the ample spin production allows for much easier put aways inside the court. The bigger sweetspot and greater spin potential also lend itself to far better to defensive play, as I could use the moderate spin and fantastic control to keep opponents pinned to the baseline, making their job much tougher.
Serve: The best racquet I have ever used for serving. Flat serves exploded effortlessly due to the low swingweight, spin serves kick or swerve violently. My flat, kick and slice serves are all as good as they have ever been. In fact other players are commenting for the first time on the kick and pace I am getting, and I have never had such an easy time holding serve.
Returns: Whilst it lacks some weight in the head, this racquet can still be used to step in and crush back all manner of serves. This is the area where the midplus really raises itself beyond the Mid, as while both are fantastic on attack the midplus releases pressure by allowing me to threaten my opponents serve every game. Due to the relatively small sweetspot this racquet is still less good at this than a more modern style racquet.
Midcourt: Forehand slices tend to sit up a bit compared to the mid, but this can be avoided on the backhand by using more spin. This racquet is ideal for short topspin putaways, due to the combination of spin potential and control.
Volleys: Let me begin by saying that I am not a great volleyer. This racquet is plenty maneuverable allowing me to make contact consistently, however this is where I really noticed a lack of mass in the head, as I found that the volley tends to sit up far more than with the mid or a 6.1 95. I think lead would be useful for a player who attacks the net on a regular basis.
Feel: Slightly tinny at first and a bit light on big shots from the baseline, however very maneuverable and once you get used to the feedback you get a much better understanding of how your swing is influencing the ball on each shot.
In the end I bought the MP, and it is now my main racquet, as it gives me more choices.
Hope these reviews help people, anyone else got an opinion on how good these two are for a modern game.
Thought I'd let you in on my tale of racquet testing.
I am an advanced player, close to college level, who enjoys hitting heavy shots from the baseline trying to force an opponents mistake to exploit. Being 5'7 I do not have the leverage to force my opponents straight off the court, however as I often take the ball early and I am fairly strong, I tend to play an attacking game.
I recently decided I needed a change of racquet after realising that I was struggling to keep my serve and forehand consistent with my leaded up Prince Warrior. After switching back to my old K6.1 95 for a month, I decided I needed something with a lower swingweight to give me an easier time on serve and at the net.
After hearing all the rave reviews, and being somewhat curious, I first snatched up a PC600 going cheap on the auction site.
PC600 Review
Groundstrokes: I hit a SW Forehand and a 2HBH, and found that the racquet is ideal for smacking very flat shots just above the net. Indeed, I have never found a more forgiving racquet when going for a big shot from the baseline, finding it easy to push around an opponent when you have the upper hand. In particular I found I could drill my 2 handed backhand down the line or cross court for a winner particularly easily compared to similar racquets. That said whenever the opponent got me on defense, I found it very hard to keep the ball deep with this racquet, while griding the point out due to the small sweetspot. Thus I needed to get the upper hand early in the point.
Serves: This 'was' the best racquet I had ever served with, providing effortless depth, consistency and accuracy on first serves; and hitting a heavy second serve, which was very difficult for my opponent to attack. My one criticism is that I occasionally felt I had to hold back on second serves due to the lack of spin potential on big points.
Returns: Horrible racquet for my return technique. I like to step into returns and take a big cut at the ball whenever possible forcing the ball deep. This racquet is more at home standing back from the baseline and mixing up short and big returns. This was also due to the tiny sweetspot. This is the reason I won't be using this racquet in normal play.
Midcourt: Slices and flat shots can be hit consistently low over the net with enough power to trouble opponents. Topspin angles were very poor. Dropshots died nicely.
Volleys: Can't fault it on this, the racquet is quick to move and produces a heavy and accurate ball.
Feel: Whippy and comfortable - until an opponent hits a good shot an you miss the sweetspot.
Looking for a more forgiving version of this racquet I then looked to the new Prestige IG MP. Only having had a 10 minute demo on a rebound net and not having access to a demo of it I went out on a limb and bought one:
Prestige IG MP
Groundstrokes: On the attack this racquet produces a much less reliable flat 'rocket' shot, however regular topspin shots can be hit with a large amount of pace while keeping good control. So whilst it is less good at forcing the point from deep in the court, the ample spin production allows for much easier put aways inside the court. The bigger sweetspot and greater spin potential also lend itself to far better to defensive play, as I could use the moderate spin and fantastic control to keep opponents pinned to the baseline, making their job much tougher.
Serve: The best racquet I have ever used for serving. Flat serves exploded effortlessly due to the low swingweight, spin serves kick or swerve violently. My flat, kick and slice serves are all as good as they have ever been. In fact other players are commenting for the first time on the kick and pace I am getting, and I have never had such an easy time holding serve.
Returns: Whilst it lacks some weight in the head, this racquet can still be used to step in and crush back all manner of serves. This is the area where the midplus really raises itself beyond the Mid, as while both are fantastic on attack the midplus releases pressure by allowing me to threaten my opponents serve every game. Due to the relatively small sweetspot this racquet is still less good at this than a more modern style racquet.
Midcourt: Forehand slices tend to sit up a bit compared to the mid, but this can be avoided on the backhand by using more spin. This racquet is ideal for short topspin putaways, due to the combination of spin potential and control.
Volleys: Let me begin by saying that I am not a great volleyer. This racquet is plenty maneuverable allowing me to make contact consistently, however this is where I really noticed a lack of mass in the head, as I found that the volley tends to sit up far more than with the mid or a 6.1 95. I think lead would be useful for a player who attacks the net on a regular basis.
Feel: Slightly tinny at first and a bit light on big shots from the baseline, however very maneuverable and once you get used to the feedback you get a much better understanding of how your swing is influencing the ball on each shot.
In the end I bought the MP, and it is now my main racquet, as it gives me more choices.
Hope these reviews help people, anyone else got an opinion on how good these two are for a modern game.
