D30 and Silicone

[klementine]

Just wondering if anyone has tried putting silicone in the handle of any of the YouTek racquets.

From what I've gathered from several demos and other people's opinions, the YouTeks have a much less 'crisp' or 'raw' feeling than the previous Head lines. So I'm wondering if silicone in the handle would make them 'numb'.

Also, on a side-note, does anyone know of any other ways of adding significant weight to the handle (inside/out) besides lead and silicone?


I have tried the fishing weights with cotton and would much prefer a more distributed form of adding weight.... the fishing weights felt too concentrated in one area of the handle.

Thank you in advance for any replies.

BTW- I ask because I plan on CAP'ng a YouTek RadMid+ and want to find a way to balance the racquet-out. Will also probably be adding lead @ 12, a leather grip and need a way to add more weight to the handle... the silicone just might make the racquet 'dead'. Another idea would be to remove the grip pallet... add the lead strips along with some electrical tape to cover... and add the grip pallet back-on with some adhesive.

 

[psycho0]

I am also curious about this. Has anyone ever tried adding silicone to the youtek prestige mp in order to alter the feel of the racquet?

If you did, how much silicone did you add and what were your results like? Did it improve the feel of the racquet from stock?

PS. I already have 8g of lead at 3/9 on my YTPMP with no extra weight on handle.

 

[eleventeenth street]

this is kind of an unconventional method of adding weight and something i thought of while kind of drunk and totally impractical.
i bought this bottle of wine that came with a dense foam cork and i cut the cork to fit the shape of the chamber holes in my youtek prestige handle snug enough so they wouldn't move around.
then i took a couple smallish screws, maybe 4-6 grams each, and screwed them into the foam.
worked really well. though this would have the same effect as lead weights which you didn't really like, just thought id share.
and on my old wilson ktour 95 i put 4 3 1/2 nails that weighed 6.4 grams each into the foam in the handle and then packed the rest of the space with cotton. worked really well.

 

[HiroProtagonist]

The YTK Rad mp is made for silicone imo, with a 312g strung weight and 2pt HL balance you can add a full handle of silicone, leather, caps, and maybe 5or 6gs of lead with out either, raising the static weight to an uncomfortable level, and preventing the silicone and leather from making the frame instantly far too HL.

Also, in my view the biggest problem(assuming you have good pallets to put on already) is the vibration or hollow feeling, both on off center shots and returning harder hit balls. I feel silicone would be the perfect solution, of course along with leather, lead etc.

My ideal Rad mp: full handle of silicone, TK82s or custom pallets, leather and OG, CAPs, 5-7gs of lead at 12.
I estimate it would end up somewhere around 12.5-12.8oz 7-10pts HL.

 

[BagelMe]

I put the prestige grommets on my YT radical plus .5 oz of silicon in the handle. The racket is pretty darn heavy now and I think I'm going to take the CAPs off because it just made the racket way too sluggish for me.

I have to admit though, it looks pretty sexy /w CAPs.

 

[Carolina Racquet]

Just wondering if anyone has tried putting silicone in the handle of any of the YouTek racquets.

From what I've gathered from several demos and other people's opinions, the YouTeks have a much less 'crisp' or 'raw' feeling than the previous Head lines. So I'm wondering if silicone in the handle would make them 'numb'.

Also, on a side-note, does anyone know of any other ways of adding significant weight to the handle (inside/out) besides lead and silicone?


I have tried the fishing weights with cotton and would much prefer a more distributed form of adding weight.... the fishing weights felt too concentrated in one area of the handle.

Thank you in advance for any replies.

BTW- I ask because I plan on CAP'ng a YouTek RadMid+ and want to find a way to balance the racquet-out. Will also probably be adding lead @ 12, a leather grip and need a way to add more weight to the handle... the silicone just might make the racquet 'dead'. Another idea would be to remove the grip pallet... add the lead strips along with some electrical tape to cover... and add the grip pallet back-on with some adhesive.

Seems like you should first try the leather grip. That should add 10-12 grams, depending on the grip.

I opted for silicone in my Youtek Radical MP and it helped with that weird frame vibration. I didn't find it to be dead, probably because the material is so low in the handle. Good luck!

 

[Mazilla2219]

I've experimented with OK results with using high density spray foam (low expansion foam.) I sprayed 5 secs worth on an electronic scale and measured that amount and then calculated how much weight I wanted to add. Then I lined the inside of the handle with Saran Wrap and sprayed approximately the amount I wanted. It worked pretty well and I liked the dampened effect. The only downside was the inability to accurately add the exact amount of weight I wanted to.

 

[GoSurfBoy]

I'm going to pour some measured silicone into a handle of a YTPP. Let you know the results here....or maybe a separate, new post, if the change is dramatic.

The frame is 6pts HL. Shooting for 8, maybe 10.....

 

[Chenry]

I believe the pro stock YTPP comes injected with sililcone. Perhaps any pro stock YTPP owners would like to contribute any info?

 

[el sergento]

My ideal Rad mp: full handle of silicone, TK82s or custom pallets, leather and OG, CAPs, 5-7gs of lead at 12.
I estimate it would end up somewhere around 12.5-12.8oz 7-10pts HL.

I capped an LM Rad and was disappointed. Just by capping and adding leather the SW was in the 340's and the balance was around 4 pts HL. You'd have to add another 15g's in the handle to get it to ~8pts HL. At that point, the static weight and SW would make it a tank.

But hey, if you like tanks, I guess it would be ideal.

 

[GoSurfBoy]

That would be nice to know about the silicone in the Pro's before I open it up.... Not sure if just popping that cap lets me get all the way inside?

 

[GoSurfBoy]

I forgot Head has the trapdoor. Just peeked. Nope. Hollow and waiting for a lil' dab' o' silaconeyz!!!

Trimming back the staples and going to do it now. Have matches tonight...

 

[Carolina Racquet]

@GoSurf...

I did my Head stick without trimming the staples... I bent them to the side so I could load the cotton easier. I also put two cotton balls "together" in each tube to create a real tight seal prior to injecting the silicone.

 

[psycho0]

I forgot Head has the trapdoor. Just peeked. Nope. Hollow and waiting for a lil' dab' o' silaconeyz!!!

Trimming back the staples and going to do it now. Have matches tonight...

Sounds good! Let us know what your specs were before the silicone and after it. Also, how it plays. Looking forward to your review!

 

[big bang]

I believe the pro stock YTPP comes injected with sililcone. Perhaps any pro stock YTPP owners would like to contribute any info?

it sure does and it feels very nice!