Haven't played the Nova but have played a lot with Flash in different setups and I really liked that string. Soft and round, and very good control for taking big cuts. I'm glad you got the stick, now someone I trust can give in depth feedback on this racquet (as I save money myself, haha). Did you test drive the Elevate too? I remember we both tried that before the previous gen one, but now gravitate more towards the 100 sq inch.
Yeah, I did the tour version for one session! It felt very much like the last one. It has been a while since trying them out but honestly couldn’t tell the difference. The Nova surprised me and totally stock form so decided to buy, add some weight and really see how I can play with it! This was a bad tennis week but hope next week I can get a lot more time on the court
You got Nova?
That is awesome. I'm jealous! You have leather on yours right? Any weight anywhere in hoop? Also, any vibes on ball contact? A friend recently returned some Diadem demos and told me he felt Nova had some buzzing/vibrations. Probably strings giving out or something. When I tested the previous model, those were pretty decent actually with no such vibrations.
I added an Oehms leather grip, OG super grab, 2g tungsten divided between 2&10 and small amount 7” spot. Overall, 338g/32.2 balance and frame seems to take weight well and still nicely maneuverable. I have not detected any vibrations or harshness off center with just an elastic band dampner. I also like the sweet spot which is overall forgiving.
Yep, here we go. The Nova is not as oval head shape wise as the TC100. Putting them against each other you can see some differences on the Nova 2,5, 8 and 10. The Nova also tighter in the middle of the string bed in spite of having 6 mains in the throat. The effect is a more versatile launch angle . Also my Nova weighs more after modifying then my TC100s which are 310 stock unstrung. TC100 has that raw brawn so I’d give it an edge there and on serve all things being equal. The Nova stock is super easy to play but will get pushed around and needs a bit more stability. As i mentioned, it takes weight well which is a good thing as it has very good authority on the ball now. Serve is also coming around and i can get some very respectable bigger serves but it needed the weight. Touch is a Nova stand out and it certainly gets the edge. If TC100 is Thors Hammer then Nova with added weight is the balanced scalpel. Very good balance of power/control with a bit extra precision and feel. Flex in the Nova is not overly evident and is very uniform. It is close flex wise to the TC100 70RA then 63RA. The Nova isn’t about raw power, it just has enough of it to not leave you wanting. Think a more controlled tweener with feel.
I def had the buzzing with current Elevate I demoed. I figured it was a 1/4 (they didn't have 3/8 demos at the time) and so maybe it was due to the smaller grip or something. Had Solstice Power in it.
According to Diadem, it is flex stabilization system: some strategically placed HMT carbon. I actually never tried the previous Nova, only the Elevate and Elevate Tour of previous gen.
Ok cool, thanks!
You will need to take my comments with a grain of salt as i haven’t spent to much time with the ezone 100. Maybe 3hrs or so and once was in super cold crappy outdoor conditions. I modified both frames with leather grips and weight as i can’t play either one in the light stock form they are in. Ezone super easy to play and just very forgiving. It has decent feel and comfort just not the level of connectedness the Nova provides. They are both strung with confidential @53lbs. I don’t really recall another frame that has the super forgiving string bed of the ezone. Ezone has some more inherent power and i had no complaints with anything it does including level of control i was getting. Easy peasy ezone should be the name. I really need to spend a lot more time with it to be more insightful.
It is indeed a very good tweener style racquet not as powerful as the babs but very good feedback and foam filled. It needed weight in the head to get to a stable playable level.
ok ok, don't yell. In China
Oh no worries, all caps was why i said that
A 315 nova and a 330 elevate, with extra beef @ 3/9 would be super good racquets.
