Diary of a Racketaholic

[Meaghan]

Rich, when leading at 12 don't you personally advocate splitting the lead at the very top at 12 and leaving a gap? (Not sure how big the gap is.) Could you elaborate on this please. Interesting stuff.

Yes, it sounds silly, but I think it has better stability when the weight is balanced either side of the cental two strings, but it is mainly done so that it doesnt get crushed by the stringers clamp.

It probably makes very little difference but its the way I do it now. OCD it comes to us all in the end

 

[Meaghan]

On another note Ross, family gathering yesterday, me and the bro-in-law managed to polish off 5 bottles of red between us! As you can well imagine my head is killing me this morning and Ive been sick on a few occassions.....BUT I still managed to go to match practise and play 4 sets of doubles and one singles, winning all and playing, might I add, rather well indeed even tho I looked like a ghost with red eyes.

TB/Iontec still going well @ 9hrs.......pity that cant be said for my head/body relationship.

COME ON THE REDS

 

[bad_call]

On another note Ross, family gathering yesterday, me and the bro-in-law managed to polish off 5 bottles of red between us! As you can well imagine my head is killing me this morning and Ive been sick on a few occassions.....BUT I still managed to go to match practise and play 4 sets of doubles and one singles, winning all and playing, might I add, rather well indeed even tho I looked like a ghost with red eyes.

TB/Iontec still going well @ 9hrs.......pity that cant be said for my head/body relationship.

COME ON THE REDS

what drink is RED?

how's the feel/feedback with TB/Iontec? is it fairly muted like most full poly jobs?

 

[klementine]

^ I believe Meahgs first reference to 'red' meant wine..... the 2nd pertains to liverpool who plays arsenal today... and they're in 7th place in the league with arsenal in 3rd. Big game. Starts shortly. Ooops.. mistaken.. they play next weekend.

-------

A question... where are you guys finding iontec? I've looked everywhere. Just got myself a used gamma drop weight stringer and looking to learn... Yulittle on the 'tube has been a great teacher.

 

[bad_call]

klem - thanks...in days past the red has left me wounded more so than the micro brews of today. maybe the wine sugars...not sure. still a place at the table for cabs and the like.

 

[Ross K]

Meags,

Yes, it sounds silly, but I think it has better stability when the weight is balanced either side of the cental two strings, but it is mainly done so that it doesnt get crushed by the stringers clamp.

It probably makes very little difference but its the way I do it now. OCD it comes to us all in the end

Like most of us here I suspect, I can indeed be pretty obsessive compulsive generally.

On another note Ross, family gathering yesterday, me and the bro-in-law managed to polish off 5 bottles of red between us! As you can well imagine my head is killing me this morning and Ive been sick on a few occassions.....BUT I still managed to go to match practise and play 4 sets of doubles and one singles, winning all and playing, might I add, rather well indeed even tho I looked like a ghost with red eyes.

TB/Iontec still going well @ 9hrs.......pity that cant be said for my head/body relationship.

COME ON THE REDS

^ Mate, I've had quite enough of anything red following Spurs getting trounced by the dreaded enemy earlier today! :evil: ... BTW, Excellent to see such high standards of pre-match boozing being maintained. As I've often mused, it would be good to actually do both the boozing and the playing at the same time one of these days.

 

[Power Player]

Decided to put the lead tape under the grommets next restring. I am sold with the lead at 12.

I also may try the fed k idea if I go with a babolat skin feel..just wrap lead at the top of the grip to make up for the weight loss. .do u do it under the finishing grip tape at the top?

B5e / nvy is a great setup but not for me. I think it is a flatter hitters setup..I just could not get the consistent feel I needed and felt disconnected from the ball due to the muted nature of the setup. Rip control is still my #1 string for this stick so far.

 

[Power Player]

Also about twist weight, I find it to be more about the balance of a stick rather then the beam. For example, when I rebalanced my APd with 7 grams in the butt it swung very easy, but against a heavy hitter it was twisting all over the place in my hand and vibrating like a tuning fork.

I learned my lesson there. I think a racquet in the 330 gram range should optimally be 3 pts hl or less. Having that weight in the head will dramatically reduce twisting, and is one of the reasons I believe the pro open feels so incredibly solid.

Also when I leaded it at 12, the solidity got incredibly pronounced and felt incredible on contact. Very solid like I am hammering the ball with a 6.1, but the stick is an ounce lighter. So in my mind, I think the big mistake is getting a lighter stick and rebalancing it to heavy racquet specs.

Example, the Dunlop 300 tour. Many of us have owned it, and it is very low powered. Many, if not all rebalanced it with a leather grip in an attempt to make it heavier, but doing that made it too head light and it actually loses solidity and twist resistance on contact.

The Dunlop 300 is a perfect example of a stick that needs lead at 12 and then go hit the courts and see what happens. There is a ratio I am sure that would show ideal weight to balance, but for an idea, Agassi was hitting with 13oz sticks that were only 5 pts head light.

This leads me to a nice 6.1 experiment. Try putting a babolat skin feel grip on the stick if you do not like the thickness of the pro hybrid. It will lighten the racquet and bring it down to probably 5-6 pts headlight.

I bet the racquet will play even better for many baseline oriented players with this setup.

 

[Meaghan]

what drink is RED?

how's the feel/feedback with TB/Iontec? is it fairly muted like most full poly jobs?

Yes red wine I'm a big fan of especially spanish rioja...

The next red is indeed liverpool playing cardiff in the final if the carling cup today. Extra time as I speak!

The tb/iontec set up is muted yes, its not particularly lively just predictable, the iontec as you know just softens it and gives it a smoother feel. 10hrs now and its still extremely good.

My other set up of tourna 7 and timo is a really lively string bed, I changed over to it for a set, a lot more elasticity, feel is less muted and its more powerful.

Ross
Saw spurs were up 2-0 and was very surprised when the result popped up on tele.

As for the drinking, I often find I have to focus harder when I've had a few the night before, often resulting in a win. When I'm drug free ha I can tend to get a bit lazy.

Here's a pic of my lead placement on the pb10 mid...

 

[Meaghan]

Decided to put the lead tape under the grommets next restring. I am sold with the lead at 12.

I also may try the fed k idea if I go with a babolat skin feel..just wrap lead at the top of the grip to make up for the weight loss. .do u do it under the finishing grip tape at the top?

PP place your lead tape here, Ive found that it works best for me spaced as its less concentrated and feels less heavy imo with all the advantages of the extra weight in this position which is stability. I prefer the heavier/denser lead weight used for golf clubs. So a couple of strips like this is about 6g

 

[mad dog1]

^ I believe Meahgs first reference to 'red' meant wine..... the 2nd pertains to liverpool who plays arsenal today... and they're in 7th place in the league with arsenal in 3rd. Big game. Starts shortly. Ooops.. mistaken.. they play next weekend.

-------

A question... where are you guys finding iontec? I've looked everywhere. Just got myself a used gamma drop weight stringer and looking to learn... Yulittle on the 'tube has been a great teacher.

online at mambatennis.com

check out the Mamba Tennis thread in the Strings section. lots of people loving Iontec.

 

[mad dog1]

My other set up of tourna 7 and timo is a really lively string bed, I changed over to it for a set, a lot more elasticity, feel is less muted and its more powerful.

interesting. i tried a hybrid of tourna bhb7 w/ bhbr and thought the string bed felt dull and kind of plasticky. power was lower than my typical string set up. spin was more, but the pace was down so balls spun and sat up. playability was short lived. after less than 3 hours everything was shooting long due to reduced spin forcing me to cut out the strings. i examined the mains and they had notched half way through in less than 3 hours so even if the strings remained playable, the bhb7 mains would have snapped in under 4 hours.

 

[PED]

This leads me to a nice 6.1 experiment. Try putting a babolat skin feel grip on the stick if you do not like the thickness of the pro hybrid. It will lighten the racquet and bring it down to probably 5-6 pts headlight.

Unless they've changed the weight greatly on the Pro Hybrid grip, you might not see much difference between the two.

I owned and weighed both of them: Pro Hybrid was 17g and the Skin feel was 15g. Just wanted to save you any effort for only 2g's.

 

[Power Player]

Unless they've changed the weight greatly on the Pro Hybrid grip, you might not see much difference between the two.

I owned and weighed both of them: Pro Hybrid was 17g and the Skin feel was 15g. Just wanted to save you any effort for only 2g's.

Oh ok. I thought it may be a more 5-10 gram difference, but that is pretty insubstantial.

 

[PED]

Good points you made re balance/static weight. I think you're right, there is an ideal out there: sounds like your Wilson is a perfect setup for you.

Also agree with you re leading a really light stick up to heavy specs. I never could dial in my apd the way I wanted to. Not saying it can't be done (just ask Tsonga) but I'd rather get close on stock specs on tweak with the lead to get it right.

 

[Meaghan]

Oh ok. I thought it may be a more 5-10 gram difference, but that is pretty insubstantial.

There are a few 10g grips, yonex have one, vantage bast core is another grip....will give you more to play with.

 

[PED]

'****ing a bit watching Melzer in Memphis. He's got that funky lefty swing and totally clubs that 2hbh.

Never really been a fan of Melzer(except when he's rockin' the UNC cap during bag check) but I really like the aggression.

 

[klementine]

The next red is indeed liverpool playing cardiff in the final if the carling cup today. Extra time as I speak!

Meaghan, did not know you were a liverpool supporter.

I have a nice story about the 2005 champion's league final. I was in a small Italian city outside of Bologna at the time. Everyone at the local bar (college students) found out about the 'greco-americano' (me) and begged to ask who I thought would win the match, I sided with Liverpool over Milan just to spite the locals.

They proceeded to make a bet with me. If Milan won, I would have to swim naked in the town fountain, which was located in the middle of a round-about with passing cars and the occasional carabinieri. Even though it was late May, it was still quite cold in northern Italy and I was starting to regret the wager I had made after enduring a first half of football.

Then, the greatest second-half comeback I have ever witnessed began to unfold. Gerrard and Alonso played their tails off... Riise, Luis Garcia, Dudek as well....and beat Milan in PK's (which I'm sure you remember fondly). Milan was a side for the ages, Dida,Kaká, an aging Crespo and Cafu... Shevchenko and virtually half the squad from the 2006 World Cup team...Nesta,Maldini,Pirlo and Gattuso.

What a final?... What a comeback?... Electric... and still the greatest match I have seen to date. I'll never forget the atmosphere in the bar. El Greco from the newly liberated colony (in respect to history) picked the underdogs in their own country..... and won! They ended up taking the plunge in the frigid, murky sludge of the fountain... also had found some lires in their somewhere.

I've been a liverpool fan ever since.

online at mambatennis.com

check out the Mamba Tennis thread in the Strings section. lots of people loving Iontec.

Thanks!

Will check it out.

 

[Power Player]

PP if you or anyone else wants to try a set or two of the zarlon just shoot me an email at bwentz1222@yahoo.com and I will send you a set to try out. Would love to get opinions from you guys.

Thanks, I would almost always say yes, but I have way too many strings coming here this week and need to stick with one setup soon. So far really leaning towards full rip control if the 16 lasts longer than the 17 gauge.

Also going to try iontec again in a cross with tour bite mains.

If the rip control wins for me, one of you apd/ pure drive guys will have to give it a shot and see how you like it. I was completely impressed with the feel and spin of it.

 

[pyrokid]

I'm still a little amazed that you like the Pro Open this much PP. I guess it's a generally well-liked stick, but every time I try it I just can't find anything special about it. It plays like an APD that sacrifices a lot of spin for a little feel. For me, at least.

On an unrelated note,
I'm now considering playing a completely stock APD...

MAYBE some weight at the 12, but I took it all off today and I think I like it...

My racquet choices have gotten progressively less manly as I've matured. I may have to buy a truck and grow a beard to compensate if things continue at this rate.

 

[Meaghan]

Meaghan, did not know you were a liverpool supporter.

I have a nice story about the 2005 champion's league final. I was in a small Italian city outside of Bologna at the time. Everyone at the local bar (college students) found out about the 'greco-americano' (me) and begged to ask who I thought would win the match, I sided with Liverpool over Milan just to spite the locals.

They proceeded to make a bet with me. If Milan won, I would have to swim naked in the town fountain, which was located in the middle of a round-about with passing cars and the occasional carabinieri. Even though it was late May, it was still quite cold in northern Italy and I was starting to regret the wager I had made after enduring a first half of football.

Then, the greatest second-half comeback I have ever witnessed began to unfold. Gerrard and Alonso played their tails off... Riise, Luis Garcia, Dudek as well....and beat Milan in PK's (which I'm sure you remember fondly). Milan was a side for the ages, Dida,Kaká, an aging Crespo and Cafu... Shevchenko and virtually half the squad from the 2006 World Cup team...Nesta,Maldini,Pirlo and Gattuso.

What a final?... What a comeback?... Electric... and still the greatest match I have seen to date. I'll never forget the atmosphere in the bar. El Greco from the newly liberated colony (in respect to history) picked the underdogs in their own country..... and won! They ended up taking the plunge in the frigid, murky sludge of the fountain... also had found some lires in their somewhere.

I've been a liverpool fan ever since.

Great story Klem, my story its not so grand, I didn't want to go to the bar, too busy in liverpool, so I savoured the atmosphere on the sofa with a few beers and nibbles. I was always hopeful if we scored that there would be something on the cards, I didn't quite expect what did occur but the adrenaline running tti my veins, the nervous shakes......but like usual we always seem to come thro penalty shootouts. A year later the same final and we had the best of it and milan won....seemed fair in a way.....the atmosphere on european nights its just electric. You'll never walk alone is just the best anthem that brings shivers down the spine.

 

[Ross K]

PP, Klem,

Good to see Liverpool back to winning trophies. They are are a great club, possibly the greatest in England re glorious traditions and passionate support. Nothing quite compares to the kop singing "You'll Never Walk Alone!' Certainly not that newly manufactured, 'family' orientated, vibe you get at football grounds thesedays in a lot of the Prem.

All,

Want to contrast my BLX 95 with my APD this week. Might try as do as some posts have referred to above, namely get a lighter grip set up. I'm definitely leaning very heavilly towards my old APDs as my next number one, but I want a further look at the Wilson - a frame I really liked - but I'm not 100 per cent it's quite the fit for me that the APD/O is.

TBH chaps, through the numerous frames and being in a loop sometimes and re-trying frames I may have liked a few years back (eg: this year I rechecked the PT630, the N95, the C10 Pro, and the PD+, etc), of everything... well, I always seem to come back to the APD and the 6.1s.

Happy hitting today fellow RHS!

 

[Meaghan]

interesting. i tried a hybrid of tourna bhb7 w/ bhbr and thought the string bed felt dull and kind of plasticky. power was lower than my typical string set up. spin was more, but the pace was down so balls spun and sat up. playability was short lived. after less than 3 hours everything was shooting long due to reduced spin forcing me to cut out the strings. i examined the mains and they had notched half way through in less than 3 hours so even if the strings remained playable, the bhb7 mains would have snapped in under 4 hours.

The 7 is a little plasticky I agree....have never liked bhbr, its a nothing string, its average at everything. I still cant see why a twisted cross would work, I know that Kiteboard suggested it but for me predictability is my main concern and a smooth cross lets a shaped main snap up and down easily. TB/Iontec is very predictable, great spin but its generated from my particular shot, the Iontec does the TB great favours esp volleying and I find it less loopy than a full bed of TB.

Im finding some problems with picking up Iontec in UK. I was speaking with a tennis string retailer who said it was made out of one of a couple of warehouses and that it was just a rebranded string that has great longevity, the other string I can think of in this catagorie is SPPP. Im gonna try a few different set ups and see what happens, Will try a thicker gauge on the Timo with TB mains, I think that could also be a winner.

 

[Power Player]

I'm still a little amazed that you like the Pro Open this much PP. I guess it's a generally well-liked stick, but every time I try it I just can't find anything special about it. It plays like an APD that sacrifices a lot of spin for a little feel. For me, at least.

On an unrelated note,
I'm now considering playing a completely stock APD...

MAYBE some weight at the 12, but I took it all off today and I think I like it...

My racquet choices have gotten progressively less manly as I've matured. I may have to buy a truck and grow a beard to compensate if things continue at this rate.

I dont know I feel like it has a ton of spin to be honest. And the power level seems more like a pure drive. I personally think it is a better stick than the Babs.

 

[Ross K]

RHs,

I'm now 3-0 since returning to the APD/O.

Too intense a match to pull out the BLX 95 for a comparison. Serve really coming on. I was really getting into it with some of the longest rallies I've been involved in ages. Talk about baseline blitzkreig? It was a full on backcourt war of attrition today.

Okay, a bit 'moonball central' at times but it's all a work in progress. BH timing a tad off (I could tinker a la p-kid but I'm reluctant as my present set up isn't far off at all.) Not quite hitting the angles with enough precision but that'll change with more playing and getting grooved with the footwork. For my purposes though, i.e. big blasting spinny b-line play, this frame continues to perform extremely well.

All in all then, another good day...

 

[Power Player]

Ross, how is your foootwork? That helps me with the angles a lot.

Taking 3 steps and setting up for a CC forehand is a lot easier than taking 5-6 inefficient ones. I learned that pretty fast when I retooled my feet. The POpen's light weight makes angled shots loaded with spin pretty easy to place when you are in position.

On the backhand side, it is one extra step (4 steps to setup).

Another thing I learned is when you turn on your backhand (first steps) and take the racquet back, that is as far back as you want to take it..so don't go back any further on the backswing once you get into position to hit the ball. It is easy to do that and not realize it.

Anyway, the comfort level is high with the pro open so far..no hand pain, wrist, elbow..etc. I can't believe how much spin it hits with either so my experience may be different than Pyro's..but I can say I am like him in terms of liking the racquets closer to stock weight.

Ross, sounds like you are grooving with the APD, but if you do decide you want to tinker, try removing the buttcap lead and seeing how it plays with just the lead at 12. It may take a little time to adjust, but you may notice more plow with that balance.

Also if your arm ever bugs you, try the Rip Control 16 gauge. I am the only one using the PO and RIP so I am curious if this is just some super unique setup that only I love, or if I stumbled upon something that is pretty great.

 

[ryushen21]

PP are you giving up on the gut/poly already?

 

[Power Player]

PP are you giving up on the gut/poly already?

No it is great in the 6.1.

In the Pro Open it is not needed. I have gut poly in one right now, and it plays well, I just do not need the gut mains in there for comfort like I do with the 6.1. The Pro Open is a very comfortable stick and does not feel as stiff even though it is also 66 RA.

For some reason the RIP control just feels amazing in it. I had never tried it before so it could also be a winner in the 6.1 as well.

I also get so much more racquet head speed with the Pro Open that the gut seems to wear a lot quicker.

 

[pyrokid]

PP it's okay, I've come to the conclusion I'm just crazy and have some secret Wilson vendetta imprinted on my brain. Everyone else likes the Pro Open, I'm just weird.

Going out for the first of four matches today, I changed out the syntecs for skin feels to kind of balance out the sili in the buttcaps because it seemed easier than taking the sili out. I forgot how awesome skin feels are.

I'm really pumped. Whenever I start messing more with lead set-ups, I start to play more tennis. Anyone else do this?

 

[Power Player]

Skin Feel grips rule. I may try and buy some today and see how it affects the weight.

I didn't know you never used Wilsons..thats wild, I was pretty much the same, but the solid feel, gripshape and performance of the racquets really sold me.

It would have been easier to demo a Pure Drive again with a little lead, but they are so stiff and the off center hits can vibrate like a beeotch when I miss, so I took a shot on the Pro Open and was pleasantly surprised.

 

[pyrokid]

I've heard good things about the new pure drive, but I'm always wary of the feedback given to me by 16-18 year olds like myself because we generally have no idea what stiff even means. It looks pretty freaky though, I'm not sure I'm a fan of the holographic logos being plastered all over the dern thing.

I used the K90, but I guess I never really considered that a Wilson for some reason. And I liked blade 98 a lot, but for some reason I still don't really like Wilson as a company for some reason. I acknowledge that it's completely irrational, but that's not enough to change my mind apparently.

I've always been a fan of Babolat in the same irrational way that I've disliked Wilson... I might want to see someone about this, I could have deeply-seeded issues from my childhood that are affecting all of this. Possibly even stemming from my mother.

:shock:

 

[ryushen21]

I've heard good things about the new pure drive, but I'm always wary of the feedback given to me by 16-18 year olds like myself because we generally have no idea what stiff even means. It looks pretty freaky though, I'm not sure I'm a fan of the holographic logos being plastered all over the dern thing.

I used the K90, but I guess I never really considered that a Wilson for some reason. And I liked blade 98 a lot, but for some reason I still don't really like Wilson as a company for some reason. I acknowledge that it's completely irrational, but that's not enough to change my mind apparently.

I've always been a fan of Babolat in the same irrational way that I've disliked Wilson... I might want to see someone about this, I could have deeply-seeded issues from my childhood that are affecting all of this. Possibly even stemming from my mother.

:shock:

I used to be the same way until I discovered the n95.

 

[Power Player]

The 6.1 converted me as well, before that I did worship the K90, but knew it was not going to win me any matches.

Was at the tennis shop grabbing some Babolat Lead tape (this stuff is real nice) and Skin Feel. I figure the Babo lead can wrap around the handle once if I need to add weight.

Im also going to put lead under the grommets since I pretty much am set on the lead at 12.

The new Pro Open PJ looks pretty cool in person. I mean it basically looks just like an APD PJ. I'd personally just recommend the BLX version for anyone who wants to try one since it's cheaper.

The wall of racquets at this shop is pretty awesome. I also saw the new Asics Solutions in person...I love that crazy colorway, but it sounds like I'd be better off with the GR4s.

 

[PED]

Was at the tennis shop grabbing some Babolat Lead tape (this stuff is real nice) and Skin Feel. I figure the Babo lead can wrap around the handle once if I need to add weight.

Bab lead is hard to beat for adding weight to the handle. It's 4 times as dense as the Unique and Gamma lead: works out to be 1 gram per inch. Nice!

 

[BC1]

The new Pro Open PJ looks pretty cool in person. I mean it basically looks just like an APD PJ. I'd personally just recommend the BLX version for anyone who wants to try one since it's cheaper.

I hit with the new pro open over the weekend. Nice racquet, and you're right the PJ looks a lot better in person - liked it more then I thought I would.
I too didn't notice much if any difference over last year's version. It was solid and had decent control and power. Didn't seem as powerful as the new pd, which could be a good thing for some.

 

[Power Player]

Bab lead is hard to beat for adding weight to the handle. It's 4 times as dense as the Unique and Gamma lead: works out to be 1 gram per inch. Nice!

Perfect.I figure one wrap around the top of the grip will do it if I even need to.

I hit with the new pro open over the weekend. Nice racquet, and you're right the PJ looks a lot better in person - liked it more then I thought I would.
I too didn't notice much if any difference over last year's version. It was solid and had decent control and power. Didn't seem as powerful as the new pd, which could be a good thing for some.

Yes, I would say it is a tick lower in power, but the control is much better. Of course, I also leaded mine up to a higher SW, so mine is closer in power to the PD.

To have that much power and spin but still have pinpoint control is what really drew me to the stick.

 

[BC1]

Power Player,
I'm sure you've covered this in previous posts, and I read above where you are testing rip control. But if you had to pick, what is your preferred string set-up for the pro open?

 

[Power Player]

Currently it is full RIP control at 59#s.

But, I am going to try Tour Bite at 52#s crossed with Iontec at 56#s to see if it is better.

I did not like b5e/nvy..too muted for me.

 

[bad_call]

^ this flattish hitter likes b5e/nvy...and it's fairly durable too.

 

[Meaghan]

^ this flattish hitter likes b5e/nvy...and it's fairly durable too.

I tested b5e/iontec and it played rather well but I would have to agree with PP that it was too much on the muted side, nice but a touch soft.

 

[Ross K]

PP,

I noted your footwork/angles comments/advice... any further links or tips or whatever, feel free to pass them on.

BTW, RIP Control is pretty familiar to me. I've never been much of a fan TBH. Could be one of those frame dependent situations though, ie, it may play great in the Pro Open, but less excellent in other frames.


Pyro,

Despite really loving the 6.1s, I have a very similar irrational sentiment towards Wilson. It's probably got something to do with my old Babolat Alliance past. Silly but true.

 

[Power Player]

PP,

I noted your footwork/angles comments/advice... any further links or tips or whatever, feel free to pass them on.

BTW, RIP Control is pretty familiar to me. I've never been much of a fan TBH. Could be one of those frame dependent situations though, ie, it may play great in the Pro Open, but less excellent in other frames.

Yep, I will re verify my love affair with the RIP this week just to make sure it is real.

so far no string job has really played badly in this stick..its just basically getting it down to ideal for me, and the RIP was incredibly eye opening.

 

[bad_call]

I tested b5e/iontec and it played rather well but I would have to agree with PP that it was too much on the muted side, nice but a touch soft.

agree that the b5e/iontec would be too muted but the nvy gives just enough for this player.

 

[JGads]

Tales of a Maniac:

Whilst in New York I read tales of people that loved the IG MP liking the IG Pro as well (and some much more), so, being the racquet lunatic who has to try everything, I ordered a demo of the Prestige Pro to check out as well, along with my new stick, which I had strung with Hyperion. Played yesterday:

Prestige MP: Man, this was not the first day with a new stick that I was hoping for. Stick immediately felt sluggish in a way I just don't understand. Weighs 11.9, swingweight is about 308 - 308! - and yet it felt like a club on certain shots, especially on serve. My past IG MP demos, the swingweight always felt a lot heavier than listed, which helped the stick come through the ball and whack it with much more authority than the Youtek MP ever did; this is why I was saying that this year's version felt so much fuller and better. This frame still feels fuller, no question, but on this particular day I found myself hitting the ball late a lot and unable to get enough RHS on serves to crack the ball like I'm used to (and even like I did with the demo). The result: errors and discomfort and a 3-6 set loss to a guy that hasn't taken a set off of me in awhile.

Prestige Pro: I don't know what it is about this frame, but it just doesn't work for me. Not the Youtek one, not the IG. While the Prestige MP is a stick I've always, no matter the iteration, been able to play with and feel pretty comfy, there is something in the Prestige Pro weighting/balance/stiffness that I just can't jive with at all, and I either hit softies that beg to be cracked or, more often, the ball shoots off the frame and goes long. It just doesn't feel right to me for whatever reason, and if I'm going 12.1-oz and up, the 6.1 95 is just FAR better of a frame. So there you go. Enough of my Prestige Pro wonderment. Hated it enough in just our extended rallying session pre-match to not pick it up during set play....

And now for the real maniac part of this equation: the demo box of course comes with room for four, so along with the Prestige Pro demo I ordered, I also added two lighter sticks to tinker with, the VCore 98 (thanks to FedK's influence) and the BLX Pro Open (PP, of course). I only took the V98 out yesterday because I figured the Prestiges would be all I'd be able to handle. But, after losing the first set, 3-6, with the Prestige MP, I went with a what-the-heck switch to the V98, which I'd tried long ago, remembered it feeling too stiff for me, but all the VCore love lately got me curious again.... Well, it is pretty stiff, but this demo felt less so than before, probably due to a change in string (this was strung up with my long-liked Wilson NXT). And what happens? After that first-set loss, I switch to the lighter V98 and everything opens up: my serve, my groundies, everything. And I go 6-1, 6-0 with the V98 to take the match... Now, I know I'd like a little more heft in this frame for just a little more easy plow, but christ, was this demo experience opposite of my last one. I LOVED the 16/20 string pattern in this frame - dense enough in the center to really drive the ball before widening out toward the frame - and the pace I was getting on serve was killer. The holds were just simply a breeze, and in my last game I closed the match out with a SW, an ace wide, a first-shot put-away off the return and then finally an ace right up the T.....

So, totally new respect for the VCore line. The 98 still needs a little lead, I think, to handle very heavy hitting but was totally impressed. I'll spend the rest of the week trying to make my Prestige MP more headlight to fix the sluggish feeling (FEEL-wise this is still the best on contact; it was just the sluggishness that I can't explain), and will hit with the V98 again along with the Pro Open (lead suggestions here, PP? This frame feels SUPER light in stock form).

Again, madness.

 

[sargeinaz]

^^ I wish you had tried the VCore 95D, but VSBabolat also said he liked the VCore 98D. This VCore series of stick is impressive for sure.

 

[JGads]

The 6.1 converted me as well, before that I did worship the K90, but knew it was not going to win me any matches.

Was at the tennis shop grabbing some Babolat Lead tape (this stuff is real nice) and Skin Feel. I figure the Babo lead can wrap around the handle once if I need to add weight.

Im also going to put lead under the grommets since I pretty much am set on the lead at 12.

The new Pro Open PJ looks pretty cool in person. I mean it basically looks just like an APD PJ. I'd personally just recommend the BLX version for anyone who wants to try one since it's cheaper.

The wall of racquets at this shop is pretty awesome. I also saw the new Asics Solutions in person...I love that crazy colorway, but it sounds like I'd be better off with the GR4s.

PP, try the Solutions on, they may work for you. Only reason I didn't go with Solutions, as I said, was due to my left foot just being too darn wide for it at the forefoot (a problem I have with many shoes). If you have a normal forefoot they might work well. My right foot LOVES the Solutions: it's just that darn left forefoot I felt slipping off the edge when I emulated stepping into a shot...

Also, Babolat Lead Tape is great. I hate these thin lead tapes where you need to layer it three or four times to get some meat and get a ruler out, etc. The Bab tape, you just know it's three grams from dot to dot. The Power Strips are great in this way, too, but they don't stick as well to certain sticks so you run the risk of them coming off during play.

 

[JGads]

As for my Prestige sluggishness dilemma, where do you guys think I should put weight? At the bottom of the handle or toward the top (that 7 inches from the buttcap theory that a lot of people like)... ?

Some thread searching shows some people really believe in one or the other, nothing too conclusive.

 

[corners]

As for my Prestige sluggishness dilemma, where do you guys think I should put weight? At the bottom of the handle or toward the top (that 7 inches from the buttcap theory that a lot of people like)... ?

It's hard to say without knowing the specs of that particular frame. But all the listed specs I've seen show the IG MP having an extremely high MgR/I (~21.5, while most stock sticks are between 20.5 and 21.0). This means that much more of its mass is in the throat, top of grip and shoulders than is typical nowadays. High MgR/I usually makes the head feel quick, but with so much mass in the center of the IG it may feel clumsy and awkward. If you have an old woody laying around (MgR/I of 22+ is typical), try comparing its swing to the MP - you may find that they feel similar. I like this feeling personally, but it is very far from the way most contemporary frames swing and I know what you mean about how they feel on serve.

To lower the MgR/I the fix is lead at 12. I know, sounds insane - it feels sluggish to you and I'm saying try lead at 12. But to get it to swing like frames you're used to that's where it goes, according to this MgR/I theory. But with such a low stock swingweight, adding 4-5 grams will probably put the stick into a range you're comfortable with anyway. And since adding and removing lead at 12 is so simple, what do you have to lose?


In my experience, with sticks weighted like that, putting weight in the butt won't change much and lead at 7" will only make that middle-weighted feeling worse.

 

[JGads]

It's hard to say without knowing the specs of that particular frame. But all the listed specs I've seen show the IG MP having an extremely high MgR/I (~21.5, while most stock sticks are between 20.5 and 21.0). This means that much more of its mass is in the throat, top of grip and shoulders than is typical nowadays. High MgR/I usually makes the head feel quick, but with so much mass in the center of the IG it may feel clumsy and awkward. If you have an old woody laying around (MgR/I of 22+ is typical), try comparing its swing to the MP - you may find that they feel similar. I like this feeling personally, but it is very far from the way most contemporary frames swing and I know what you mean about how they feel on serve.

To lower the MgR/I the fix is lead at 12. I know, sounds insane - it feels sluggish to you and I'm saying try lead at 12. But to get it to swing like frames you're used to that's where it goes, according to this MgR/I theory. But with such a low stock swingweight, adding 4-5 grams will probably put the stick into a range you're comfortable with anyway. And since adding and removing lead at 12 is so simple, what do you have to lose?


In my experience, with sticks weighted like that, putting weight in the butt won't change much and lead at 7" will only make that middle-weighted feeling worse.

Wow, seriously? Thanks for the input. Maybe I'll try the lead at 12 (I do typically like that mod on other frames, more so than lead at 3/9) but for this issue I'm having it does in fact sound crazy. I'm baffled but intrigued, and thanks for taking the time.

I'm just really bummed that this frame feels so sluggish, more so than the demos I'd previously tried. Two of them were 11.9, another 12.1; I thought I'd be safe and request a stick that was as closed to TW's published specs as possible and that's what I got... but the 12.1 frame swung easier than this one even though this one is .2 lighter. Shucks.

 

[all_backhand]

I tried on the solutions over the weekend. They're super comfortable and as light as any shoes I've ever worn, but I can't get over my irrational fear that I'm gonna run across Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul Jabbar on the street at which point they'll take one look at my green and white shoes, and shake their heads in disgust. I'm just not sure I can take that chance.