Diary of a Racketaholic

taylor15

Hall of Fame
Did you sign up for the Prestige Pro 16x19 playtest?
I most certainly did, and hoping hard for this one to get selected. I’ve regretted selling my 345.2 for a long time so would be pumped to have this one in retail. Nice thing is the specs are close to what my MPL is already, just slightly more static weight.
 

TwinCinema

Professional
IMG-2586.jpg
Did everyone see that all-solid-gold racket the Saudis gave Nadal at Six Kings?

I read it’s 3,000 grams heavy. I bet Nadal weighed it and was like “I could still use some lead at 12 to boost the swing weight.”

My racketholism isn’t strong enough to be able to afford the 250,000 euros it’s worth. I mean I could buy 10 new RF01 pros with that. And a reel of razor code.

Also look at that 15x20 string pattern! Way too open in the center and look how close to the edge the top and bottom crosses are. Awful. I can’t hit with this thing!
 
IMG-2586.jpg
Did everyone see that all-solid-gold racket the Saudis gave Nadal at Six Kings?

I read it’s 3,000 grams heavy. I bet Nadal weighed it and was like “I could still use some lead at 12 to boost the swing weight.”

My racketholism isn’t strong enough to be able to afford the 250,000 euros it’s worth. I mean I could buy 10 new RF01 pros with that. And a reel of razor code.

Also look at that 15x20 string pattern! Way too open in the center and look how close to the edge the top and bottom crosses are. Awful. I can’t hit with this thing!
Looks vintage.
 

tim-ay

Legend
IMG-2586.jpg
Did everyone see that all-solid-gold racket the Saudis gave Nadal at Six Kings?

I read it’s 3,000 grams heavy. I bet Nadal weighed it and was like “I could still use some lead at 12 to boost the swing weight.”

My racketholism isn’t strong enough to be able to afford the 250,000 euros it’s worth. I mean I could buy 10 new RF01 pros with that. And a reel of razor code.

Also look at that 15x20 string pattern! Way too open in the center and look how close to the edge the top and bottom crosses are. Awful. I can’t hit with this thing!
It looks like it is strung with rigging from an old wooden sloop
 

Fighting phoenix

Professional
Looks like the Regna is no longer the creme de la creme...for those who listen to the intuitive tennis guy, he made a joke about it and called out the tennis nerd to provide data on the specs of the racquet ;-)
 

Fintft

G.O.A.T.
My new prostocks have arrived (practically brand new) and grips have been changed, plus they've been restrung.

The one in the same Black Prestige PJ, has exactly the same weight, like my current .1: 328g with OG.
The second .1 in Red Prestige PJ is 333g, while .2 (same PJ) is 342g.
I'll measure the SW as well and of course, play with them.

My current .1 has its mains Klip gut notched and the cross poly Big Spin almost dead, but I've waxed them and it plays better since.
EF with poly hybrid also held the fort.
 

gsinko1

Semi-Pro
My new prostocks have arrived (practically brand new) and grips have been changed, plus they've been restrung.

The one in the same Black Prestige PJ, has exactly the same weight, like my current .1: 328g with OG.
The second .1 in Red Prestige PJ is 333g, while .2 (same PJ) is 342g.
I'll measure the SW as well and of course, play with them.

My current .1 has its mains Klip gut notched and the cross poly Big Spin almost dead, but I've waxed them and it plays better since.
EF with poly hybrid also held the fort.
What tensions are you trying with your gut/poly? I’m still loving my lux 1.25 x sync 1.20 at 55/52 but I’m excited to try another cross and/or tension soon
 

Fintft

G.O.A.T.
What tensions are you trying with your gut/poly? I’m still loving my lux 1.25 x sync 1.20 at 55/52 but I’m excited to try another cross and/or tension soon
It's a few posts above: 50 gut M and 47 poly X. I've used Klip and now Babolat Tonic. Will use Babolat VS next.
For a poly hybrid I am going now 46/43.
 

gsinko1

Semi-Pro
It's a few posts above: 50 gut M and 47 poly X. I've used Klip and now Babolat Tonic. Will use Babolat VS next.
For a poly hybrid I am going now 46/43.
Think I might try 52/49 next time and see how the control changes. Gonna have to try Klip or Bab gut soon to compare with the lux
 

leng jai

Rookie
Racketholics: which frames are best suited for doubles? Any favorites of yours?

Of all mine I find the 97D best suited for doubles. Rock solid for volleying and it's flat point and shoot style of hitting is perfect for doubles where you're trying to play first strike tennis and avoiding long rallies.
 

TwinCinema

Professional
Racketholics: which frames are best suited for doubles? Any favorites of yours?

I use my Strike VS a lot in doubles liveball because it’s so whippy but stable at the net. My old Strike 98 Team also did well for maneuverability and quick blockbacks. I also dig the Storm for the same reasons though it doesn’t have quite the punch or dagger-precision as the PSVS. I found these more nimble frames to be better for doubles than like the Blade 98 or the Blade Pro which are more adept for baseline rallies and defense.
 

BBender716

Professional
Speedy recovery, hopefully you won't need a cast or anything!
My friend rolled his ankle Saturday and two days later it got swollen and painful really badly?!! Probably b/c of his gout. So it could be worse.

My ankle tested me just a little bit two weeks ago, but it healed/got strong again, on its own.
Gl!

It's funny (or not), but not only are my shots worse with gut/poly, I also don't hit as hard as with the poly/poly hybrid @galapagos reviewed as "mushy, so it inspires confidence to swing fast" :)

Oh well I just did 2 more gut/poly and one poly/poly on the new 3 prostocks so at least one more month of gut/poly on 3 sticks. The good news being that my elbow is telling me that I don't seem to need gut, as long as I cut the poly hybrid after no more than 20h or so. Once I went 40h.
Doc said I should feel better in 2 weeks, and full recovery in 4-6 and avoided a high ankle sprain. Fortunately I've been able to wfh and get 6-7 rounds of ice on it a day.

Got the replacement Blade Pro in today with a below spec swingweight ~327-- which for me is perfect. Going to put some gut/poly back in there and eagerly await getting back into the court in a couple weeks.
 

TwinCinema

Professional
Doc said I should feel better in 2 weeks, and full recovery in 4-6 and avoided a high ankle sprain. Fortunately I've been able to wfh and get 6-7 rounds of ice on it a day.

Got the replacement Blade Pro in today with a below spec swingweight ~327-- which for me is perfect. Going to put some gut/poly back in there and eagerly await getting back into the court in a couple weeks.

Really glad to hear you dodged a serious sprain or worse. Hope the time off goes quickly!

I'm now 8 days since the PRP and my shoulder has much less pain than before, but I'd estimate I'm still a week or so from being able to hit groundstrokes. Just don't have the range of motion back yet.
 

emhtennis

Hall of Fame
Fun doubles outings the past 2x nights. The round poly experiment continues, but tonight reconfirmed that the Head Hawk 1.30 separated itself from the pack in terms of heaviness and quality of ball.

In singles rallying I could hit flatter and heavier and instantly switch to a wicked almost-moonball-heavy super spun FH or BH. And the extra SW bonus from the thicker string just amplifies the plow of that the 351 already has in spades.

Next experiment will be Cyber Flash in 1.20, 1.25, and 1.30. Should be fun.

But starting to build up a battle Royale of round poly. With Head Hawk and BBO as primary contenders. I will have to dive back into @galapagos mega-string blog (which is love) to add more to the demo list.

The buddy I was rallying with let me hit his Clash (regular) and LM Instinct. The clash was light, but felt good and really kept the ball in the court. Made me want to hit the Pro, or see what adding weight to the regular would do. The LM instinct has some of that older Head magic. That thicker beam, especially the throat, and the 18x19 pattern was a ton of fun. But it made me want to find an XL right away! Would love to crush some balls with a Gasquet-special.
 

galapagos

Hall of Fame
Fun doubles outings the past 2x nights. The round poly experiment continues, but tonight reconfirmed that the Head Hawk 1.30 separated itself from the pack in terms of heaviness and quality of ball.

In singles rallying I could hit flatter and heavier and instantly switch to a wicked almost-moonball-heavy super spun FH or BH. And the extra SW bonus from the thicker string just amplifies the plow of that the 351 already has in spades.

Next experiment will be Cyber Flash in 1.20, 1.25, and 1.30. Should be fun.

But starting to build up a battle Royale of round poly. With Head Hawk and BBO as primary contenders. I will have to dive back into @galapagos mega-string blog (which is love) to add more to the demo list.

The buddy I was rallying with let me hit his Clash (regular) and LM Instinct. The clash was light, but felt good and really kept the ball in the court. Made me want to hit the Pro, or see what adding weight to the regular would do. The LM instinct has some of that older Head magic. That thicker beam, especially the throat, and the 18x19 pattern was a ton of fun. But it made me want to find an XL right away! Would love to crush some balls with a Gasquet-special.
Hawk touch 1.30 havent tried it. How would you compare it to the original ? 1.25 hawk touch is already nice but 1.30 in a worthy racquet could be something…
I have tecnifibre razor soft 1.30 waiting for me but im not sure in which racquet from my collection it could play well.
 

emhtennis

Hall of Fame
Hawk touch 1.30 havent tried it. How would you compare it to the original ? 1.25 hawk touch is already nice but 1.30 in a worthy racquet could be something…
I have tecnifibre razor soft 1.30 waiting for me but im not sure in which racquet from my collection it could play well.
Hawk (original) 1.30 is my second Head string after Lynx Tour. The string packaging promises "Power and control" and ill agree that it delivers. Ill slide Hawk Touch towards the top of the list to try next.

I also need to dive into the world of Technifibre string, it's just more expensive than a whole host of other choices.
 

Richard Pioline

Hall of Fame
Hi, I hope you are all well, enjoy the spooky time and get to play some tennis as well.
Just a very quick update from me before going away for some time again.
@808 sent me some racquets to test (to buy). Avocado Pro Stocks and two Shames. The Avocado is so good, I love the feel as well. However, something about them doesn't let me hit a super heavy ball with my strokes, and I miss that. The USP of this one is its maneauverability, whippiness and swiftness, and the extra weight I need is just not optimal for this one. But it is so sweet.
With the Shame, I've had them before, but I think never strung them right... The Shame with TB125 at 21 kilos transforms itself to new highs and into a superb players' racquet with no weakness really. Ah, there is leather on it as well. It is about 348g and as stable and plowy as an RF97A, but much quicker and easier to swing. The next weekend our team league matches start, and @Jouke is actually preparing three Old Blues for me as we speak. They will be matched at 340SW strung with transparent CAPs (wrong order by me).
So, I have two outings to see if I start the matches with Old Blue or if it all will end up being a Shame.

Enjoy your tennis and your racquets, and a swift recovery for those who are injured!
 

Kozzy

Hall of Fame
In honor of RP’s check in I’ll do the same with my own update: I’ve discovered some great trousers at Uniqlo and am into Season 3 of the Sopranos, which somehow I never watched. My own racketeering still awaits.
Season 3 is one of the best! I've been liking my Uniqlo shirts - you can get some basic "dry" types for pretty cheap there. No visible logos.
 

gino

Legend
Hi, I hope you are all well, enjoy the spooky time and get to play some tennis as well.
Just a very quick update from me before going away for some time again.
@808 sent me some racquets to test (to buy). Avocado Pro Stocks and two Shames. The Avocado is so good, I love the feel as well. However, something about them doesn't let me hit a super heavy ball with my strokes, and I miss that. The USP of this one is its maneauverability, whippiness and swiftness, and the extra weight I need is just not optimal for this one. But it is so sweet.
With the Shame, I've had them before, but I think never strung them right... The Shame with TB125 at 21 kilos transforms itself to new highs and into a superb players' racquet with no weakness really. Ah, there is leather on it as well. It is about 348g and as stable and plowy as an RF97A, but much quicker and easier to swing. The next weekend our team league matches start, and @Jouke is actually preparing three Old Blues for me as we speak. They will be matched at 340SW strung with transparent CAPs (wrong order by me).
So, I have two outings to see if I start the matches with Old Blue or if it all will end up being a Shame.

Enjoy your tennis and your racquets, and a swift recovery for those who are injured!

In honor of RP’s check in I’ll do the same with my own update: I’ve discovered some great trousers at Uniqlo and am into Season 3 of the Sopranos, which somehow I never watched. My own racketeering still awaits.

Cheers boys great to hear from you both
 

taylor15

Hall of Fame
perfect. will try to add CAPS for the PT2.0 to my ezones this weekend. they're both 98" rig
Correct, just marketing for yonex to make you think you’re getting a bigger sweet spot, and a paint to make it look a different shape. Number of strings is an illusion and are also the same.

If I can borrow a EZ100 from someone I could weight them the same just to see. Could actually be interesting.
 

topspn

G.O.A.T.
I had settled a long time ago on wasabi pro in my PA98s. Beckett got me curious to try out wasasync. So put sync in the crosses same tension and tried in a hitting session for a bit. Seemed delicious and giving a real tryout in a match tomorrow
 

tim-ay

Legend
I had settled a long time ago on wasabi pro in my PA98s. Beckett got me curious to try out wasasync. So put sync in the crosses same tension and tried in a hitting session for a bit. Seemed delicious and giving a real tryout in a match tomorrow
Beckett def has his finger on the pulse right now. Dude is just nailing honest reviews without bias, other than personal preferences. I pay attention to his recommendations.

In that vein, finally trying o-toro in an Origin today. Looking forward to seeing how it does against Fluxx and PR.
 

topspn

G.O.A.T.
Beckett def has his finger on the pulse right now. Dude is just nailing honest reviews without bias, other than personal preferences. I pay attention to his recommendations.

In that vein, finally trying o-toro in an Origin today. Looking forward to seeing how it does against Fluxx and PR.

Maybe a PR/sync in C100. O-toro was a bit too soft for my liking but that was 47lbs in an RP. I think more suitable in origin or stiffer frames in general
 

tim-ay

Legend
Tested o toro in the origin and the Carve 100 both strung at 50. Pretty nice string with good spin although probably should have gone higher tension in the origin.

Sweet spot on the origin was more vague though not terrible at all. Pretty clearly like a little more directness- pure rush is better in the origin.

Carve 100 is a more direct feeling frame so it worked really well there. Liked it even more than DF, jury is out if I like it more than PR here. Will play a match with this setup on Tuesday. Carve is a weird frame for dampeners… some setups I like them, some I don’t. Def not needed with O Toro.
 

dr. godmode

Hall of Fame
Tested o toro in the origin and the Carve 100 both strung at 50. Pretty nice string with good spin although probably should have gone higher tension in the origin.

Sweet spot on the origin was more vague though not terrible at all. Pretty clearly like a little more directness- pure rush is better in the origin.

Carve 100 is a more direct feeling frame so it worked really well there. Liked it even more than DF, jury is out if I like it more than PR here. Will play a match with this setup on Tuesday. Carve is a weird frame for dampeners… some setups I like them, some I don’t. Def not needed with O Toro.
I love how grass roots the Carve 100 is. It just feels like a racquet which helps bring out nuances. I want to like it more than my Rafa but it just doesn’t quite work the same.
 

tim-ay

Legend
I love how grass roots the Carve 100 is. It just feels like a racquet which helps bring out nuances. I want to like it more than my Rafa but it just doesn’t quite work the same.
I get that. I feel the same about it compared to the Origin. The Origin is hands down my favorite frame ever, nothing is close, everything else is a toy. I play well with it also, although probably better with the carve and several other frames. I don’t care , lol. It’s still my fav.
 

topspn

G.O.A.T.
Had a doubles match this morning. PA98 with wasabi/sync @50lbs. Nice hybrid setup that takes about a set to settle in. A bit more control over wasabi pro and cleaner feel. Diving balls landing in nicely and really nice at net. I will have to try this combo in the C100 as well.

Interesting incident today. My partner has a tendency to celebrate loudly and fist pumping. A guy from the other team kept getting annoyed by it. After the match he got in his face about it. Interesting dynamic, I personally don’t care about the celebrating if someone wants to do it. If I yell anything during a match it’s an occasional quick self admonishment if I don’t like my decision or execution.
 

dr. godmode

Hall of Fame
Anyone here try the VT advantec leather grip? Does it mute feel too much?
I cannot really discern the difference between vt leather and leather from a vibration standpoint. Putting the strips in the head changes it more but again pretty minor. I’m not certain most people outside this forum would feel a difference.
 

topspn

G.O.A.T.
I cannot really discern the difference between vt leather and leather from a vibration standpoint. Putting the strips in the head changes it more but again pretty minor. I’m not certain most people outside this forum would feel a difference.

Ok, so what was the selling point to you?
 
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