For matching frames it's very useful.
Diary of a Racketaholic
- Thread starter Ross K
- Start date
Vicious49
Legend
I added lead slightly different to my 3rd FX500T frame as it started with a lower SW. I ended up with a slightly higher SW and lead at 10 and 2 instead of at 12 like my other 2 frames. It had much better plow. I preferred it more. I'm just waiting for my swapped out new TW adapter to arrive so I can make sure my other FX500Tours are set up the same. I knew at some point I was going to see how they reacted to a bit more lead as I had my SW really low at 320 on the first few.
Mine is sitting in my storage room as well. I use it once in a while but have gone away from it recently for smaller offerings. In cooler weather I don't need to carry as many extra clothes so I can use a slightly smaller bag. The XL TF bag is one of my favorites but can seem a bit big if you don't have enough gear to put in there.
tophersuwita
Rookie
Just want to try EZ 98+ now, how about its comparison to Regna 98? Maybe Regna wins in feel+control department?
topspn
G.O.A.T.
I attended a group drill at a tennis center yesterday. Picked up my new React but had to put it down after just 15mins. Felt flimsy especially so on hard hits. The static weight is just too low even with the healthy SW. I will definitely add handle weight before I hit with it again. With all the TW talk, I’m fairly sure it is not high.
t_pac
Professional
Hmmm, that was my concern with the React and is what has kept me from trying one yet
Agreed. I meant more that if I discover I like a TW of say 14... That doesn't help me when purchasing a new frame as TW isn't published as a spec for frames.
TW DB is pretty good.. they're not all perfectly in line but they're good to give you a general idea. By their numbers 13's are usually flimsy unless they are older config rackets with high static weight/swing weight, low 14's are good for enough stability while being manueverable / whippy, close to 15's + are more club like and significantly harder to maneuver but usually "completely stable".
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tim-ay
Legend
True but you have to take off about a full point to have Briffidi comparisons. Or in some cases more.
Richard Pioline
Hall of Fame
Anyone of you guys played with the 97H and the Ezone Tour and can compare? Even if I don't think I will like the EZT, I am so interested in this racquet.
And yet, I always tend to come back to box beams because of my one-hander.
And yet, I always tend to come back to box beams because of my one-hander.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
I posted that years ago, so it's real tough to give you an accurate answer. I had the Regna 98 and it's really nice but I preferred the Ezones overall. If I want a feel based frame from Yonex, I'm going vcore Pro.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
My personal issue with TW is I don't have a preferred number. For example I still will use the Extreme Pro which I am pretty sure has a really high TW in the upper 15s, and now I mainly use the Gravity Pro which I would guess is in the 13s. I like both. It's a cool comp since both are the same head size and exact same weight.
tim-ay
Legend
i doubt those numbers are accurate
edit - my guess would be the EP is sub 14. can’t believe it is too much higher than the Rad Pro.
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naturalexponent
Hall of Fame
I don't think you'll like the EZT as much as the 97H. Still a solid racquet.
ryushen21
Legend
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you will greatly prefer the 97H to the EZT. The feel of the Percept line is just so much better than the EZ.
KC!
Hall of Fame
I measured like 8 to find two around 300 unstrung swing weight. There were a couple that were 315 & 317. It was a little time consuming taking placards off, but didn’t want one way over spec.
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TwinCinema
Professional
I’d agree with this. When I compared the Percept 97 with the EZone 98 (I realize different classes than what he’s asking), the Percept was better in almost every category except for my 2HBH, which the EZ is great for. And since RP has a 1H, he won’t even benefit from that!
FuzzyYellowBalls
Legend
4pts HL vs 7 is the most noticeable difference.
Played with both 97Hs and both Ez98Ts, also have ohbh
Current Ez98T is like the current Ez98 but with a lot more solidity and stability added to the central part of the racquet, and not the tip. So the tip feels light and precise, but the racquet feels a bit clunky and unwieldy, but only a bit. It both blocks and generates power super easily and in a very controlled way. It's similar to RF97A and Aero VS in that sense, you can produce a good attacking or blocking shot with a short backswing easily, kind of opposite of v1.
Like all Ezones it bends the ball like crazy, ball really dips, and it's very easy to pick up low short balls, comparable to RF97A which is godlike in that category. Not stiff for one handed backhand, not even with fresh tight strings, but very powerful and controlled, I can go for full speed flat almost non stop. Surely one of the best racquets for it, no doubt. Both on blocks and returns, and full drives. Excellent on full swing sweeping bh drives, kind of like a half volley bh drive when balls drop almost on the base line, RF97A is better though.
Slices are 8/10 though, you can get a floater on a slower ball, but in fast exchange it's great. Whole racquet works better the faster the play gets, but it's particularly evident on slice. Loopy topspin trajectory is fairly easy to get on the backhand side, and with very good forward pace, not just a dead ball, something I particularly pay attention to when I try racquets. It's not a perfect trajectory like with RF97A or 97Hs, it's another 8/10, some balls can kind of grab too much and fall short
Superb on serves, as expected, of all kinds, speeds and spins. Just so easy. Volleys as well. But, what I didn't like, and why I can't play with it, are the trajectories on the forehand side. Just like you see from both Kyrgios and Shelton, it kind of requires me to bend the ball constantly on the forehand side, to give it that dipping topspin drive. Just not my thing. I need a racquet that will allow me to play with a western towards eastern forehand with a flat drive with just a bit of cover. Even an 18x20 would work fine for me, but not an Ezone.
To play flatter with it on the forehand side, I'd kind of need to have a shorter simpler swing, like Jess Pegula or similar. Easy blocking, easy depth but with a low trajectory.
Other racquets in that category, like Aero VS, ET, Rad MP, Blade 98 16x19, all have a kind of hybrid beam in the hoop, between eliptical and flat, to get some of the power/stability benefits of the eliptical beam, but they kind of tone it down so that flatter trajectories and off centre shots are more predictable. Even those give me some unpredictable trajectories sometimes, they're nowhere near the predictability of RF97A or 97Hs on off centre full speed shots, but they do give more power, better stability and returns compared to flat beams, crucially at much lighter weights, particularly Aero VS.
Ez98T also needs added weight at the tip, it feels made for 340+ sw to feel right, with perhaps another 5-10g counterbalance at the top of the handle also for us onehanders. It feels like a demanding proper pro frame made for Bublik or Shelton.
97Hs on the other hand, are stuck in a different hole. Flexy, so they need higher swingweight, and a long fast swing. 340sw with the last VCP 97H feels like a minimum, but I quickly concluded that I'd need at least 10g added in the handle, so basically it was just as heavy as RF97As, but with less power, more consistency. And a nice juicy feel when I blast the ball. Gorgeous bh down the line.
Surprisingly, had an almost identical conclusion after trying the Percept 97H, as I expected a different racquet. Flexy, needs long fast swings and early preparation, that means I'm late in points play, too low sw, but a heavy racquet so it's not possible to compensate for low sw with very fast swings, and it lacks blocking on flat bh returns, they fall short. Some players I play with really send bombs, so blocking returns is very noticeable to me. With Aero VS, or Ezone 98 Tour, racquet is quickly in place, easy predictable blocking and depth, almost no dead short returns. I can even attack, even first serves sometimes, with Aero VS, with short fast back swings, a huge difference.
P97H is too heavy for a swing on that same flat bh return, so basically it needs high sw to compensate, and slice returns are weak and fall short. Nice racquet though, also liked the solid feel. But same problem, would need min 340sw and then would need min 10g in the handle. VCP 330g before that - Hurkacz, I played with those for a year, a completely different racquet, stiff, open string pattern, easy blocking and depth, but uncomfortable on the ohbh, couldn't normally flatten the ball.
97Hs are like a Prestige 315g, needs more power and weight so I quickly arrive to 335g unstrung with it, and then it's nice but demanding. Works just fine in more relaxed hitting, becomes a burden in fast points play. But I haven't given up on flexier frames yet, I'm old and my one hander absolutely loves them on full blast, linear response and trajectory with all of them, but only at a high sw and static weights. I like mishitting a fast backhand and then having it fly and fall almost identically as with the intended well centred shot, almost same pace, almost same spin, almost the same spot. I absolutely adored that with RF97As, VCP97H was even better, more linear and consistent but less power, but Prestiges are similar as well, this new Pro Staff 97 v14 too. Balls just go where I want them to go.
Hoping to try P97H and 97D a lot more in the future, I liked the 97H, would like to add weight on both just to see what happens
And sorry for the long post *o*
FuzzyYellowBalls
Legend
Interesting, I find these both to be pretty beefy off the shelf, I can't imagine "needing" more weight unless I was facing someone who has ATP points or maybe being Ben Shelton's actual hitting partner.
With an RF97A at 335sw, or with Aero VS at 328sw, you can return almost any serve reliably, with predictable depth, and even pace, with just blocking or very short swings. Those racquets are stiff, super stable in the throat and shoulders, ball doesn't die on them. But it's a punch kind of, not shock absorption, particularly with Aero VS as it's very light. These last 3 Rad Pros would be comparable, but also Rad MPs, Ezones with enough sw, Ezone Tours, they don't need too much weight nor swingweight to return a fast serve. Those same properties are easy to notice when you stand at the net just hitting basic volleys, it's just easy to block with depth and precision. Obviously 100 sq in stiffer frames are in that group too, but you can lose control with them
With flexy thin beam frames it's different, ball dies on the frame on impact. Flex gives you dwell time, shock absorption, predictability and control, but the return falls short and weak if it's not perfectly centred, if the sw isn't high enough. And fast kick serves are impossible to hit perfectly, I just put the racquet on the ball basically. And with the RF97A at 340sw that's the only thing required, irrelevant where the ball hits the string bed, its trajectory, speed and spin will be almost identical just with a simple blocking/stab return, and I played with it for more than 5 years, usually at around 26-27kg for poly, so quite tight
Flexy lower powered racquets need swingweight. Gravity Pro has a huge and forgiving sweetspot, so it works kind of fine with 335sw for Rublev it seems, but he's not just blocking, he's actually swinging at the ball on return. Other Gravity Pro players play with min 350sw, like Zverev. He also plays with gut hybrid at 21kg. It's much easier to just block with 350sw and have the racquet do the work, flex even helps a lot to give dwell time to modulate the return. Djokovic, Murray, Schwartzman, Monfils, Cilic are on 360-370sw with flexy frames. Medvedev also plays with 335 or 340sw I don't remember, but he's standing behind the stadium and actually taking a big swing at the ball, on both sides. With a TF replica of the PS 6.1 95, so not a low powered frame either
With flexy thin beam frames it's different, ball dies on the frame on impact. Flex gives you dwell time, shock absorption, predictability and control, but the return falls short and weak if it's not perfectly centred, if the sw isn't high enough. And fast kick serves are impossible to hit perfectly, I just put the racquet on the ball basically. And with the RF97A at 340sw that's the only thing required, irrelevant where the ball hits the string bed, its trajectory, speed and spin will be almost identical just with a simple blocking/stab return, and I played with it for more than 5 years, usually at around 26-27kg for poly, so quite tight
Flexy lower powered racquets need swingweight. Gravity Pro has a huge and forgiving sweetspot, so it works kind of fine with 335sw for Rublev it seems, but he's not just blocking, he's actually swinging at the ball on return. Other Gravity Pro players play with min 350sw, like Zverev. He also plays with gut hybrid at 21kg. It's much easier to just block with 350sw and have the racquet do the work, flex even helps a lot to give dwell time to modulate the return. Djokovic, Murray, Schwartzman, Monfils, Cilic are on 360-370sw with flexy frames. Medvedev also plays with 335 or 340sw I don't remember, but he's standing behind the stadium and actually taking a big swing at the ball, on both sides. With a TF replica of the PS 6.1 95, so not a low powered frame either
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naturalexponent
Hall of Fame
I interpret this as an adjustment for balance and feel (in the way the racquet comes through the zone) for a person's specific preferences, rather than a need for stability. I recently added some lead to the throat of my VC95 and think that's what it was missing all this time, as the racquet felt very 'long' (even for someone like myself who prefers polarized sticks) and now it feels just right. Can easily see the EZT being the opposite of this and needing pole weighting/counterweighting given the mass in the middle.
tophersuwita
Rookie
And is EZT similar to EZ 98+? The plow and maneuverability is about the same, maybe the difference lies in feel?
tophersuwita
Rookie
Do you mean that EZT has unpredictable launch in forehand? I experienced it too and that was my biggest gripe because in tight matches I didn't want to "think" about my shots going long. I changed to BP 18, but miss the flat serves of EZT. Now I'm back to Regna 100, and still try to lead it to have the same stability/plow as those 2 rackets. Really considering EZ 98+ though.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
The extreme pro ig version? I don’t know man, it’s super stable. I think it has to be 15+.
FrankyRelax
Professional
Anyone ever experience reverse honeymoon with a frame? Played with the speed pro a couple times and really didn't gel with it. Went out today and balls were just flying with my BPs. Out of frustration I pulled out the speed pro and man everything just clicked
JOSHL
Hall of Fame
All the damn time. That’s why we’re still here.
danbrenner
Legend
Loool
FrankyRelax
Professional
Touche
i wish the speed pro had worked for me. that was the first stick i demoed last month and i've been going down a rabbit hole since
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Fed Kennedy
Legend
Anyone wants 2 Speed Pros Im here for you
Richard Pioline
Hall of Fame
Man,thank you so much for the write up!!! Very nice to get so many details.
I do not feel like adding any weight to my 97H right now. I had leather on it and it played great, but I must say it feels like I played the racquet wrong all this time. I now removed the leather and it swings and plays much faster and easier to whip. Now I can really rip balls and it is crazy how hard and penetrating these balls are now.
What you wrote about the forehand is kind of like a No-Go for me for the EZT. I often flatten out balls on that wing and go down-the-line. I have issues with that shot with most 16*19s I have ever tried. Even with 16*20s. Most 18*20s work better for me here.
The TFISO305 is a great racquet but I miss some mass, especially for volleys.
Fintft
G.O.A.T.
So you are coming around to our camp of fast swinging?
Nadal15thslam
Hall of Fame
I should just quit looking for racquets, they keep tempting me. A pair of Rf97 with the black and white cosmetic for 120 euros and I'm supposed to say no? How?
Nadal15thslam
Hall of Fame
Be serious, what would you do if you were me?
naturalexponent
Hall of Fame
Don't do it.
Nadal15thslam
Hall of Fame
A real one right here, thank you for talking me out of this
Richard Pioline
Hall of Fame
tim-ay
Legend
The highest I’ve measured with the Briffidi is one of my 19 Sx300T’s. It is a wall of stability and is 14.5. I’d be very surprised if the Extremes are higher than that. 15+ is a myth I think, like a Yeti, due to the error in the TWU method of measuring TW. But without having one, I can’t prove it. The Rad Pro is 13.8 for reference. and those are all strung TWs.
edit - I looked up the specs on the IG and it is very very similar to the 19 SX Ts. although the IG has a more open pattern. But I would guess it specs out pretty close to the dunlop.
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tim-ay
Legend
not anymore unfortunately. 100% for sure a 100 is going to have more TW than a 98 all things being equal. distance is squared.
I think most oversize designs though have to balance maneuverability with stability and purposefully take mass out of the hoop. I’m sure there are some designs - especially in the past - that are freaks of nature and do go over 15 on some of the outlier designs. Maybe the Prince Ripstick is getting close to that? It’s a goofy one.
But yeah, would be good to see some measurements of some 105’s and up for science.
TW on a POG would be interesting to know. Almost 13oz of 107in muscle has to win almost any collision you give it.
tim-ay
Legend
hahaha, yeah that one is a Yeti
konstantinos kalfountzos
Hall of Fame
.
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Richard Pioline
Hall of Fame
Nah, it is not in my DNA. Sometimes though, I do the Thiem, running around bh jumping fh inside out. But the mostly happens on clay. Plus, I often prefer to hit my bh over running around it, or I am just lazy.
I am more of a slow man on court. Will try to record some videos tomorrow with the ISO, but I feel like getting ill....
Vicious49
Legend
It's interesting that the frame I really like was called a middle of the road option and nothing special by @dr. godmode . I just rewatched his vid on ranking 98" frames. He said he was going to do a review on the FX500 Tour but it was a meh frame so he put it in C tier. Not too much love out there for this frame.
dr. godmode
Hall of Fame
I plan on stringing and hitting it again this month just to double check my previous impressions. I was 10-15lbs heavier when I first tried it and demanded more control from my racquet than I might today. For some reason I feel much better equipped to handle the power. The Dunlop actually reminded me a lot of the PA98 (from memory at the time) so I'm interested to see what happens.
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