Diary of a Racketaholic

Switched to my APD’s tonight after getting into a nice groove with the Espresso’s.

I still think the APD’s are great frames. The feel is really muted and they are supremely comfortable for a thick beam Babo-launcher.

But after playing the Espressos, I found myself feeling disconnected from the ball. Sure the SS is massive, and off center shots are very forgiving, but I missed the buttery crispiness of the PK.

Raw power goes to the APD of course, but it didn’t translate to more points necessarily. Instead I started “cheating” by going for bigger shots when not fully in position. And as a result UE’s started creeping in because I got lazier with my footwork.

If anything the APD’s made me pine for the PAVS. The PAVS is super crispy, had better control than the APD thanks to the 16/20, and has more pop than the Espresso’s.

I think my next string job with the Espressos is going to be multi mains and poly crosses. I’ll sacrifice some control for a touch more Powah.
 
Just placed an order for the VCP97 but it says in stock 17th. Also, this holic thread is of course always (rightfully so) full of jokes about buying more racquets, money, wives that get tired of taking another racquet box from the UPS carrier, you name it. But it seriously hurted a little bit ordering this racquet. As was previously discussed, prices are getting ridiculously high. I don't want to imagine being a string breaking high performance junior or lower ranked ITF or Challenger player, needing to have 5 racquets or more, without having sponsors, having to buy all equipment themselves.

Luckily, I'm not planning on buying another racquet anytime soon (will probably happen anyway) but I'll probably still try to sell off some unused non-tennis items to get some money back again.
 
RF_PRO_STAFF said:
Just placed an order for the VCP97 but it says in stock 17th. Also, this holic thread is of course always (rightfully so) full of jokes about buying more racquets, money, wives that get tired of taking another racquet box from the UPS carrier, you name it. But it seriously hurted a little bit ordering this racquet. As was previously discussed, prices are getting ridiculously high. I don't want to imagine being a string breaking high performance junior or lower ranked ITF or Challenger player, needing to have 5 racquets or more, without having sponsors, having to buy all equipment themselves.

Luckily, I'm not planning on buying another racquet anytime soon (will probably happen anyway) but I'll probably still try to sell off some unused non-tennis items to get some money back again.
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Just take one of the PK’s with 16/20 pattern and your search is over, very good for the wallet as well ;)
 
StanAO14 said:
Just take one of the PK’s with 16/20 pattern and your search is over, very good for the wallet as well ;)
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Haha, even though I've been reading all of the magical PK stories here, I'm still not curious enough to try one out. I don't exactly know why, but they're not that appealing to me.

Fortunately my search for the perfect stick (which probably doesn't exist) was already over when I got my 2018 VC95's. I just like playing with other racquets as well. But since getting the VC95, I've never played a tournament or competition match with a different racquet.
 
RF_PRO_STAFF said:
Haha, even though I've been reading all of the magical PK stories here, I'm still not curious enough to try one out. I don't exactly know why, but they're not that appealing to me.

Fortunately my search for the perfect stick (which probably doesn't exist) was already over when I got my 2018 VC95's. I just like playing with other racquets as well. But since getting the VC95, I've never played a tournament or competition match with a different racquet.
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I also have not been tempted by the PK fantasy. I've been close but not quite enough to actually get one. The VC95 arrived just in time for me as well although I"m hitting the 21 version.
 
Yeah the PKs and Yonexes really are ticking the boxes right now for me. Had another solid outing with the VC95 in which I was able to really hit pin point lobs on defense and very sharp and aggressive I/o angles on the forehand side. My serve was broken only once, which is pretty good.

Tour Bite is such a wild string. Really plush feeling, yet stiff. And right when it really breaks in and adds some pocketing to the ball, it dies just a few hours later. Crazy.
 
I also just grabbed some more packs of Head Lynx Tour since it is so cheap right now. I am thinking I will be using Element as my cross and have a little battle between ALU/Lynx Tour/TB and TS as mains.
 
I went out for another hit this morning and it appears the fate of the VC100 has been sealed. It's tough because the 100 is such a good frame but I am not one to deny the way that I have gelled with the VC95. I started out this morning with the 100 knowing that if I didn't, I wouldn't hit with it at all. My partner said I was hitting well with it but he could tell I was going for more and hitting bigger once I picked the 95 up. This 95 may just be a kind of once-in-a-lifetime frame for me.

And here I was thinking that I'd be a permanent resident of Tweenerville...
 
The beauty of this thread is that by pure accident I have ended up going to Yonex to PK. Like many of you, I had no interest in PK frames. I did start collecting pleeners so I could find the one that best suited my game, and reading about the PK Doppio on here I figured I’d order one.
And someone asked what a Doppio is and someone else incorrectly replied it’s the Q+5x pro. So that’s what I ordered. I didn’t realize it was the extended version, which I never would have ordered had I known.
It arrived and I went out to test a bunch of frames, still convinced the Regna would be my new main. I finally tried the extended PK and “huh??” I was hitting amazing. How could this be?
I still ordered the correct non extended Doppio but when it arrived I was still happier with how the extended felt.
Then I read on here how the 2021 extended, the Top Banana is even easier to use than the 2019 so I order it. And hot damn it is even better, I literally can’t enjoy any other frames after hitting with it.
Stubbornly I figured ok, the VCore Pro 100 is going to end this PK madness.
Nope.
So here I am using an extended Pro Kennex over the other rackets in my holic bag: pure aero, Vcore 100, RF97A, Regna, Vcore Pro 100, VCore Pro 97H, Head Extreme Tour, Prostaff 100. I want to love the others but the Top Banana just makes everything so easy to do, with extra power, control and consistency. And it doesn’t hurt my arm?!!
For due diligence I’ll lead up the Vcore 95 and give it another go, but it looks like my Holic days are numbered...
 
I should add:
My search for a new frame started bc the Pure Aero was giving me tennis elbow every so often. And I was tired of using a tweener, wanted to use more touch shots and variety so figured a players frame would be a good change.
My main sparring partner used to play futures and challengers, hits a very big ball and he uses an RF97A.
I tried the same racket with the theory that if your opponent is using a high swing weight stick, you don’t want to be a welter weight fighting a heavy weight, so best to fight fire with fire.
My ball was heavier and bigger with the RF97A, but I hit 3-4 hours a day sometimes and once fatigued it’s too hard to wield.
The PK Top Banana feels as easy to swing and wield as the Pure Aero, has the touch and feel and bite of a players frame, easy access to flat, topspin and slice, serves like a dream, and somehow has almost the same swing weight as the PS97RFA. Balls land consistently deeper and heavier than any other racket I’ve tried. And my arm never gets tired.
 
Power Player said:
Yeah the PKs and Yonexes really are ticking the boxes right now for me. Had another solid outing with the VC95 in which I was able to really hit pin point lobs on defense and very sharp and aggressive I/o angles on the forehand side. My serve was broken only once, which is pretty good.

Tour Bite is such a wild string. Really plush feeling, yet stiff. And right when it really breaks in and adds some pocketing to the ball, it dies just a few hours later. Crazy.
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It just seems to go over a cliff when it’s done. It actually made me stop using it
 
Early morning outing on a windy court in the Windy City. ZUS striker and ZUS custom. The two sons of Zeus mano a mano. They are both strung with BK @51lbs. First round goes to custom with its connected feel and ability to reliably hit heavy rotation with good kick. The firm connected feel just exudes confidence going after balls and sure enough it is what you imagined you’d do with that ball. It’s a very reliable sense of what the racquet will do and allowed me to play well. Striker actually feels plusher and is a good stick but not that sweet connection and having that sense of knowing exactly what the ball will do. Maybe I haven’t played as much with the striker. Time will tell.
 
ryushen21 said:
Moving on from the Regna?!

Have you hit the current VC95 yet? I'd be interested to hear your take.
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Not at all, I love the Regna. I don't think I will ever let those go. But, the Regna has piqued my interest in slightly stiffer and lighter frames. PAVS has pretty similar specs in many ways, and these were a good deal. Plus, I'm a 'holic. With that said, I am very intrigued by the 95 - that sounds like it's similar to the Regna also.
 
Kozzy said:
Not at all, I love the Regna. I don't think I will ever let those go. But, the Regna has piqued my interest in slightly stiffer and lighter frames. PAVS has pretty similar specs in many ways, and these were a good deal. Plus, I'm a 'holic. With that said, I am very intrigued by the 95 - that sounds like it's similar to the Regna also.
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A comparison between the VC95 and the Regna is something I'd be very keen to hear.
 
CountMonte said:
The beauty of this thread is that by pure accident I have ended up going to Yonex to PK. Like many of you, I had no interest in PK frames. I did start collecting pleeners so I could find the one that best suited my game, and reading about the PK Doppio on here I figured I’d order one.
And someone asked what a Doppio is and someone else incorrectly replied it’s the Q+5x pro. So that’s what I ordered. I didn’t realize it was the extended version, which I never would have ordered had I known.
It arrived and I went out to test a bunch of frames, still convinced the Regna would be my new main. I finally tried the extended PK and “huh??” I was hitting amazing. How could this be?
I still ordered the correct non extended Doppio but when it arrived I was still happier with how the extended felt.
Then I read on here how the 2021 extended, the Top Banana is even easier to use than the 2019 so I order it. And hot damn it is even better, I literally can’t enjoy any other frames after hitting with it.
Stubbornly I figured ok, the VCore Pro 100 is going to end this PK madness.
Nope.
So here I am using an extended Pro Kennex over the other rackets in my holic bag: pure aero, Vcore 100, RF97A, Regna, Vcore Pro 100, VCore Pro 97H, Head Extreme Tour, Prostaff 100. I want to love the others but the Top Banana just makes everything so easy to do, with extra power, control and consistency. And it doesn’t hurt my arm?!!
For due diligence I’ll lead up the Vcore 95 and give it another go, but it looks like my Holic days are numbered...
Click to expand...
CountMonte said:
I should add:
My search for a new frame started bc the Pure Aero was giving me tennis elbow every so often. And I was tired of using a tweener, wanted to use more touch shots and variety so figured a players frame would be a good change.
My main sparring partner used to play futures and challengers, hits a very big ball and he uses an RF97A.
I tried the same racket with the theory that if your opponent is using a high swing weight stick, you don’t want to be a welter weight fighting a heavy weight, so best to fight fire with fire.
My ball was heavier and bigger with the RF97A, but I hit 3-4 hours a day sometimes and once fatigued it’s too hard to wield.
The PK Top Banana feels as easy to swing and wield as the Pure Aero, has the touch and feel and bite of a players frame, easy access to flat, topspin and slice, serves like a dream, and somehow has almost the same swing weight as the PS97RFA. Balls land consistently deeper and heavier than any other racket I’ve tried. And my arm never gets tired.
Click to expand...

This brought a smile to my holic soul. Awesome, man. So glad you landed here and with this stick. It is indeed a gem, and if you're hitting against big pace, then it makes even more sense, as my XL PKs absolutely crave heavy pace and using it, redirecting it with interest. Another reason why I love the Top Banana and why it's a notch up for me right now above the others is, for better or for worse, I hug the baseline. Don't like to back off of it, even in heavy hitting, so on deep shots from my opponent I'm scooping low pickups and taking the ball on the rise rather than going further back off the baseline. Sometimes this means more of a block-back shot than a large take back. Just kind of depends. But the Top Banana - and all the PK XLs - are so good at that block-back shot and still sending it deep, the low pickups, and taking the ball on the rise and hitting a laser back if the timing is right. Etc.

What PK managed to accomplish with the Top Banana is almost perfection: lower static weight, lower swingweight, more butter. More whip compared to the old XLs, yet still these are frames that stand very tall in heavy hitting, hit with plow that's above the 305 gram weight. Of all the latest releases he put out, and which I've sampled so far, this is Lorenzo's masterpiece. Just an amazing XL. Quite a bummer TW doesn't carry it in the US.
 
ryushen21 said:
Took the n6.1 out for a nostalgia hit today. I had forgotten what an absolute monster it is on serves. That was pretty much where the fun ended though. When I was still hitting eastern, it was a more enjoyable frame.
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This is how I feel with my K6.1s, almost exactly. In the last two years I first moved from the Eastern to SW forehand and in the last 9 months I've moved from OHBH to a two-hander. For this playing style I just am not able to produce with the 6.1 like I wish I could. The nostalgia, it's real and I'm glad you're keeping one close by for a fun hit.

Edit: Also, where did you find the Gray Fire? I am interested in trying this setup.
 
taylor15 said:
This is how I feel with my K6.1s, almost exactly. In the last two years I first moved from the Eastern to SW forehand and in the last 9 months I've moved from OHBH to a two-hander. For this playing style I just am not able to produce with the 6.1 like I wish I could. The nostalgia, it's real and I'm glad you're keeping one close by for a fun hit.

Edit: Also, where did you find the Gray Fire? I am interested in trying this setup.
Click to expand...
J011y hooked me up with the Grey Fire.
 
Kjaxin said:
Well I haven't bought a new frame in a few months so I bit the bullet on a new 6.1 95 prostaff from Wilson today. I had to pull the trigger when I found 15% off for veterans :cautious:. Might need to lighten my bag still using the CX 200
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I'm thinking of getting one just for the graphics. Sounds dumb, but I played the 6.1 back in my 20s and loved the frame. Still have one K6.1 floating around and this would be another one that's fun to hit occasionally with a full bed of x1 biphase at 62 lbs (my pre-poly go to)
 
The victim of the Zeus invasion was the ET. Farewell and enjoy your new home. It didn’t last in my bag at all. A little too much vibration with HGS which i didn’t expect. Played better with some weight in the head but it really couldn’t compete.
 
topspn said:
The victim of the Zeus invasion was the ET. Farewell and enjoy your new home. It didn’t last in my bag at all. A little too much vibration with HGS which i didn’t expect. Played better with some weight in the head but it really couldn’t compete.
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Don’t quite understand the ET love tbh.
 
ryushen21 said:
A comparison between the VC95 and the Regna is something I'd be very keen to hear.
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'Hurricane' has blown through already. I'm hoping the courts are dry enough for me to play on this evening. I really want to see what the Regna is all about.

My bag currently has:
2 UT
1 UP
3 VC95
2 Regna

Those UTs and UP are a permanent fixture in my bag.
 
mad dog1 said:
Don’t quite understand the ET love tbh.
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I didn’t really give it a fair chance. People that like it seem to have went all the way to 340g or thereabouts. I didn’t care for it stock and it didn’t entice me with 3g more in the head. I didn’t feel like messing around with it and sold it to a better home
 
topspn said:
I didn’t really give it a fair chance. People that like it seem to have went all the way to 340g or thereabouts. I didn’t care for it stock and it didn’t entice me with 3g more in the head. I didn’t feel like messing around with it and sold it to a better home
Click to expand...
Pretty much the same for me.
 
topspn said:
I didn’t really give it a fair chance. People that like it seem to have went all the way to 340g or thereabouts. I didn’t care for it stock and it didn’t entice me with 3g more in the head. I didn’t feel like messing around with it and sold it to a better home
Click to expand...

Felt even worse with lead in the hoop imo. Amazing kick serves though
 
Just measured a few of the frames before tonights showdown.

VC95 are all 336g and 7 pts HL
Regnas are 335 and 336g and 6 pts HL

All of them have a Wilson OG and Sampras O dampeners on them. The VC95 have 5g of lead in the hoop while the Regnas are stock.

It is windy as hell out there which means I won't get to tell as much about accuracy and such but at least I can see how they compare in terms of power or feel.
 
Vicious49 said:
Just measured a few of the frames before tonights showdown.

VC95 are all 336g and 7 pts HL
Regnas are 335 and 336g and 6 pts HL

All of them have a Wilson OG and Sampras O dampeners on them. The VC95 have 5g of lead in the hoop while the Regnas are stock.

It is windy as hell out there which means I won't get to tell as much about accuracy and such but at least I can see how they compare in terms of power or feel.
Click to expand...
Ditch the dampener on the VCore.
 
Power Player said:
Ok whats going on in gadsland?
Click to expand...

What I can confirm so far is that a pair of matched Espresso 325s at a can't-say-no price are on the way. (Prior paint, low 320s sw. Can we even call this an Espresso? Perhaps a Seppio.)

But other balls are in the air, other moves could be imminent. I feel like a baseball GM at the deadline.

Nothing will take the belt from the Top Banana. These are merely for fun, for recreational use, for scratching the great disease.
 
Last edited:
I did not see the RDC machine but I already have the SW1. I just need to get around to calibrating it.

Well that was interesting. It started misting as soon as we got to the courts. We were hoping it would stop but it just got worse. Footing was very risky from the beginning and by the end there were puddles on the court. Needless to say footwork went out the window and we had to make a lot of last minute shot adjustments. With that being said . . .

The Regna has a lower launch angle than the Vc95. Not sure how since its a 16/19. The VC95 is better for shaping your shots with spin and different launch angles whereas the Regna seems more natural for a flatter hitter like me who prefers an 18/20 normally.

The Regna seems more stable and has more plow through. It reminded me a bit of the RF97 with its plow through. With soaking wet heavy balls I could feel the VC95 twisting occasionally whereas the Regna felt rock solid.

The VC95 comes through the air faster and is more maneuverable, The Regna was better for me in this regard since it worked better with my natural timing and stroke.

i think the VC95 is more powerful than the Regna as well. I usually have to pull back with the VC95 whereas with teh Regna I was able to swing out without fear of hitting it long. Due to the conditions i only got to feel that ‘springboard’ effect of the Regna a few times where i was actually able to get my footwork and timing right. But its definitely there.

I wish I could say more but playing in these conditions was pretty bad. I should know more in the next few days if the weather cooperates. Only time will tell but I think the Regna may suit my game more. Whereas most of you who like to hit with heavy spin would do better with the VC95.
 
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