Diary of a Racketaholic
- Thread starter Ross K
- Start date
topspn
Legend
Yep exactly. Thanks keeping an open mind!
tim-ay
Legend
i’ve tried BK cream. i’m just way happier with full bed BK. i might have tried GW once too with BK, but the full bed is just so great. it didn’t leave an impression with the hybrid.
1.23 is my fav too.
JGads
G.O.A.T.
text I get today… “dog chewed up the cats string again. can you cut a new one tonight when you’re home?”. forten sweet - this is what you are now. a cats plaything 1/2 reel.
the dog looks so innocent.
Clearly the face of a killer.
Addxyz
Hall of Fame
Debating this or the Yonex Black 9 pack. Both seem to be the same volume, but the Yonex has an extra larger accessory pocket and probably better straps. Not a fan of the upside down carrying method though.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
You can flip the straps on the yonex. It's an awesome bag that I am liking a lot so far.
Addxyz
Hall of Fame
If you flip the straps, does the strap spacing get weird? It looks like it's really close towards the head and far away near the bottom. If it were flipped, they'd be wide at the top and narrow at the bottom?
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Im not sure because I have't flipped the straps, I like how they come with the bag. For the record, I had a Yonex bag in 2018 and hated the upside down straps on that one.
The only thing here that is different from a bag like a Wilson, is the handles point down when you have the bag on your back. But the bag fits comfortably. It does not feel upside down or awkward and feels the same as carrying it the regular way. I didn't notice it at all.
The thing I like most is I didn't really have to make any compromises with this bag. It has a ton of space for not being huge and the shoulder straps are a way higher quality than prior versions.
Yep, ditto on that after trying different tensions. For fun and science, I had some X1 Biphase lying around so on one of my Dopes I had that strung as the mains at 54 and Element as the cross at 51. Wasn't sure what to expect but definitely getting a little more pop on my serves, and a little more plow on my groundies, all the while keeping the control that I've enjoyed with these sticks. Hmm..... . On the YY front, a new VCP 97 (310) landed on my doorstep this afternoon; the Dopes were not amused.
Vicious49
Legend
After watching the video Id pass on that one. Its basically 3 big pockets. I wish the middle pocket had a way to split it in half. I also wouldnt mind a few small netted or zippered areas on the inside of that big center one to help keep things organizes a bit.
BPlain
Semi-Pro
Good timing this as my dope arrived today. Went L3 (much better fit) as my other PK L2s seemed small and required two OGs. Little under spec - which I prefer - at 304g unstrung. It’s probably the lighter SW but feels amazing in the hand, even compared to my current Limoncello collection.
Also much prefer full bed of BK 1.23 after testing BK/GW for awhile. Think I’m done changing strings for a good while.
JGads
G.O.A.T.
Very nice. Doppio vs VCP could be an interesting little battle. Doppio zip/whip vs plush feely controlled YY. Interesting.
Element Rough or Element my top matchup for the Dope, while for me in the Top Banana it's game over with Black Knight 1.23 as the go-to. I think Lynx Tour/Element combo PP is enjoying could also be really nice here in the Dope. And maybe also the TB.
With string, it's funny. You end up with old extra sets lying around that you feel should get used up, but it's a push-pull between that and just going with whatever is working currently. Because even if you put it in one of your spare sticks, you still end up wanting to play with the primary that has the top setup in that given frame.
I still have a Confidential set, a few Lynx Tours, a few Tour Snipers, one or two more Black Knight 1.28s, and I spend way too much time thinking about what combo of string/frame I should try some of this in, just because it's sitting there. Waiting.
JGads
G.O.A.T.
Another good Doppio battle to watch!
I'm with you on the L3s now feeling better to me than the L2s. L2s are ok, but I just keep wanting to go to the L3 even with og or grip alterations on the 2. Perhaps I'll try the two overgrips.
celito
Professional
I have the previous version of this TF bag and it's identical to this just a different color scheme. Quality is good but the Yonex feel higher quality from the ones I've seen. Plus, that accessory pocket on the outside of the TF bag is pretty shallow and IMO not that useful. Gets tight if you just want to fight your wallet and set of car keys. They should have added some pockets inside the middle compartment. I found one on a good sale so I could justify it over the Yonex. But price being similar, I'd go with the Yonex.
Bobble
Semi-Pro
I’ve got smaller hands and have been using L1 for Babolat and Yonex lately, but can do L2 with thin Overgrip for Head and Wilson. Do PKs run small compared to others, or is it the stock overgrip?
sincerely, just ordered a TB in L1
JGads
G.O.A.T.
I think you'll be fine. I'd say PK grips run just a hair thicker than Wilson/Head. Yonex seems a little larger to me, and something about the Bab grip feels a little chunky for me always.
Good purchase.
ryushen21
Legend
I was actually thinking about ordering some more today.
You won't be disappointed with the Yonex bag. Build quality and materials are top notch and the functionality is excellent.
Got to hit with the now matched and modded VC95 and oh man is it sweet. Stable, punchy, and still quick through everything.
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Addxyz
Hall of Fame
This is racketholic thread not stringaholic thread.
ryushen21
Legend
If your racketaholicism isn't actively intertwined with stringaholicism, you're doing it wrong.
You order that Yonex bag yet?
Vicious49
Legend
Played a singles match tonight. The guy I was playing against was using some older Pure Drives. He popped strings in both frames (they hadnt been restrung in a while) in the 1st set. I let him play with my VC95s as I figured the UT and Regna would be much more difficult of a transition from the Pure Drive. By the end of the 3 set match he thought they played way better than his Pure Drive. I started to give him some recommendations if he was thinking of demoing some newer frames. He said the VC95 played so well that he couldnt imagine needing to demo more frames.
I did end up winning the match while rotating between all 3 frames. He said he thought i played the best with the Regna and the UT As i wasnt as consistent with the VC95. I think the Regna is an easy transition for me as timing wise it comes through the same as the UT. The VC95 requires quite a bit of adjustment for me, if i committed to it full time id probably play much better with it. I am improving with the Regna with each outing so I may make that my primary for the time being.
I think ive finally figured out how to describe the Regna as well as why I like it so much. When i came to this thread I said I was looking for something similar to my RF97 but a bit easier to play with. The Regna feels just as rock solid with the same type of plow through of the RF97 but in a much lower static weight. So essentially this was the racquet that i was looking for when i started my racquet journey about a year or so ago.
I did end up winning the match while rotating between all 3 frames. He said he thought i played the best with the Regna and the UT As i wasnt as consistent with the VC95. I think the Regna is an easy transition for me as timing wise it comes through the same as the UT. The VC95 requires quite a bit of adjustment for me, if i committed to it full time id probably play much better with it. I am improving with the Regna with each outing so I may make that my primary for the time being.
I think ive finally figured out how to describe the Regna as well as why I like it so much. When i came to this thread I said I was looking for something similar to my RF97 but a bit easier to play with. The Regna feels just as rock solid with the same type of plow through of the RF97 but in a much lower static weight. So essentially this was the racquet that i was looking for when i started my racquet journey about a year or so ago.
FourOutOfFive
Rookie
Hey man, I’m wondering if you could help me out with a comparison if that’s alright. I recall reading your impressions of the 360+ Mid back when you tried it and I remember that being one of the reasons I gave it a try.
I've been maining the 360+ Mid for a while now and enjoy it. Despite its size, it has a lot of power for a control frame and that has worked really well for me. The Mid works great for linear attacking tennis and that’s how I like to play most of the time. I love how the mid seems to inject some extra juice into my shots and overall I feel like I hit a super heavy ball with it. The only downside is that I’m ultimately more consistent with racquets with a larger sweetspot. Because of that, I’m looking for a racquet with a larger head size that maintains that controlled pop that I really like from the Mid.
I tried the most logical successor, the ‘21 VC95, earlier in the year and couldn’t get it to work for me. I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't get comfortable even after bringing it to the same spec as my mids. I was hitting a much lighter ball than usual and overall played some poor tennis that was quickly rectified after switching back to the Prestige.
It was strange I couldn’t gel with the 95 because I’ve liked a fair share of YYs in the past. Back in the Winter, I had a brief stint with the Ezone Tour (modded with some extra handle weight), and it was exactly what I was looking for. Even though it had a significantly lower SW than my Prestiges (330 vs 345), I got used to it and played the best tennis of my life. Unfortunately, it started to give me some arm discomfort which made me switch back.
Anyways, do you think the new VCP could be a good replacement for the Prestige? I’m thinking it might play like a better feeling, thinner beamed EZT, which seems to be what I'm looking for. I'm mainly concerned the VCP has less power than the Mid, which would probably deter me from using it. I’m also thinking about giving the Rad MP a whirl but I’m not sure how its weight distribution would work with my ohbh since I usually prefer more HL frames. The Rad Pro is a lot closer to my preferred spec but I’ve heard that it’s lowered powered than the Extreme Tour. I really liked that racquet but ultimately found it too underpowered for my taste.
Thanks!
Agreed, then it settles around 22kg or so which is OK.
JGads
G.O.A.T.
Exactly, the settling lower is trouble. Then there’s too much power and jumpiness. But higher up is the sweet spot of the pop and control ratio.
Why is the thumbnail a tennis ball breaking through a basketball net?
EggSalad
Hall of Fame
You haven’t lived until you’ve rallied from the baseline with a lacrosse stick.
I really enjoy this thread. I’m pretty close to demo’ing the Radical Pro and VC95. The only downside is that I need to probably take a week off to heal up a nagging Achilles but holic gotta holic.
tim-ay
Legend
there is a reason all the pros string this way. oh wait, they don’t. lol.
i don’t think any are doing forms of proportional - it was more anal stringers thinking they were on to something 10 years ago.
Vicious49
Legend
GOALLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Vicious49
Legend
Tread lightly. You will find it's very hard to keep up with the frame du jour.
esgee48
G.O.A.T.
Proportional stringing has been around for decades. This type of stringing generally decreases ref tension as the strings get shorter to increase the size of the sweet spot. Sergetti is another attempt to get stringers and players to use it. The claim is that it is very scientific since it is stringing machine, frame and string/tension specific. And of course you have to pay them to get the specific details to string your frame. Note that player is not mentioned. Irvin and some others here have tried it. If someone told me to use their spec sheet to string some frame up, my labor charge would be at least $50.
topspn
Legend
F$ck me its true! Damned frap+ is more whippy than frap pro or lite. Kick serves should be illegal with this thing. I was kicking a bit wide to the ad side at first then dialed in and it was easy huge kick from then on. Actually plays pretty nice but i still need to adapt to the extra length and i'm not sure i want to as i don't think it will take the ZUS overall but I will keep it for now and try to hit with it here and there. It would be awesome if it played like that in normal length.
tim-ay
Legend
it’s crazy huh? if it played like that in standard i would own 4 and quit reading racket reviews. i don’t know what they did to the XL but it’s magic
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Hmm..I think the Prestige Mid and Vc95 have a lot more in common, honestly. The VCP97 is more like a HL balanced blade with easier trajectory. The Prestige Mid will feel faster through the air like the VC95.
That said, the feel and comfort of the VCP97 is pretty addictive and conducive to hard hitting. It's great at the net, serves big and is easier to defend with than the Prestige Mid. So it's probably worth a demo, but it's not the same type of frame as the Mid. I see it as an in between of the Blade and Blade Pro.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
WTF is a Frap plus? I still dont know what frame the Frap is.
JGads
G.O.A.T.
JGads
G.O.A.T.
Top Banana.
Nollid
Professional
This is getting hard to ignore. Has anyone looked under the hood? Can PK handles be shortened?
JGads
G.O.A.T.
People have sawed off the ends of 7Gs before with different levels of reported success. This requires both a garage and a degree of manliness I simply don’t have.
ryushen21
Legend
Goose! Do you see a trailer?!
Vicious49
Legend
Glad I'm not the only one. I can't keep up with all the PK names . . . says the guy who has 3 doppios being delivered today.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Huh, ok..lol. I can't remember multiple names for these racquets.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
I wouldn't. I think you just have to accept the Top B as it is - a GOAT XL frame that you have in the bag anytime you consider trying a 27.5.
Honestly, the Radical MP with a little lead is the Banana most of us wanted. Except it's a creamsicle..oh well.
I've been using a slightly shortened 7g for years- love it- a bit whippier but still the big shots. Cut it down to 27.25"- perfect.
tim-ay
Legend
i’m glad they didn’t have an L3 at tennis plaza or i would have one today instead i’m having a beer and bowl of Pho. doing my wife duty at Epcot.
EggSalad
Hall of Fame
No kidding. But I’m pretty dialed in to one of those frames being the right fit for me and I lean towards the Head since I’ve never played with a Yonex before.
My problem is that I got back into playing this summer after about 24 years off. When I got back into playing my game was a hot mess. I was also demoing racquets at this time and just wanted to settle on something so I could focus on my technique. I ended up getting a couple Speed MPs (360+) because they felt good at the time (forgiving and power).
now that my game has come around, I want a racquet that is more similar to what I used to play with. Thinner beam, smaller head size, very HL balance. I’ve added weight to my Speeds and they play much better but I can’t help but think that I’m a lot wiser choosing a new racquet now than I was a few months ago. The speed is a nice racquet but the 23mm beam and 100sq head makes it feel enormous.
Nollid
Professional
I'm going to talk to my guy at the local shop. He's done it all. Surgery is in order.
n8dawg6
Legend
forget tennis, youre in heaven
n8dawg6
Legend
this is the road to racquetholism. wide is the road, and high is the speed. an autobahn straight to hell. in 12 months youll look back and say “dang, that speed mp was a great all-rounder. the 23 mm beam gave it a little more pop and stability, and the 100 sq in gave me a little more forgiveness on mishits.”
but fear not, were here for you in this thread. were here for … us.
