Difference between EZone 98 and EZone 98 Aqua Night

JK208

Rookie
Basically, it’s what the title says- is the a difference is feel, playability, or SW between the 2022 EZone 98 and EZone 98 Aqua Night? I know there’s a small difference between the Head Speed MP and the MP Legend, so I didn’t know if it carries over into the EZone frames as well. Thanks for the help!
 

thenewbig3

Rookie
Basically, it’s what the title says- is the a difference is feel, playability, or SW between the 2022 EZone 98 and EZone 98 Aqua Night? I know there’s a small difference between the Head Speed MP and the MP Legend, so I didn’t know if it carries over into the EZone frames as well. Thanks for the help!

I didnt find a significant difference new vs new. I like Black rackets and it reminded me a little of the Regna so I stuck with the Aqua Night.

SW differences always exist batch to batch and can be adjusted in my experience.

But I can understand why people might think this - as Perception TRUMPS Reality - especially when most perception is created by people reading other randos opinions on online forums and videos.
 

esgee48

G.O.A.T.
Every maker allows for spec variances for creating the frames. I doubt that you could feel anything different within batches, but could between batches. That’s due to variations in the materials used and the people who do the layups. AFA between paint jobs, any variances cannot be solely attributed to the paint as the manufacturing variances are much larger.
 

JK208

Rookie
I didnt find a significant difference new vs new. I like Black rackets and it reminded me a little of the Regna so I stuck with the Aqua Night.

SW differences always exist batch to batch and can be adjusted in my experience.

But I can understand why people might think this - as Perception TRUMPS Reality - especially when most perception is created by people reading other randos opinions on online forums and videos.
Thank you for the reply. I've noticed that the matte paintjobs are slightly more muted, but I'm glad to see that it isn't the case on the ezone. Are you happy with your EZone? I loved it when I tried it (I actually beat my club's head pro for the first time with it), but I'm concerned that it will be a little too muted for volleying and touch shots.
 

Trip

Legend
I know it's only a sample size of one, but I have a buddy who bought one original-colorway '22 EZ98 last fall (mid production run), then another in Aqua Night as soon as they came out this past spring, and the Aqua Night variant feels more cumbersome to him. I haven't had a chance to measure the spec on both yet, but needless to say, Yonex's QC is a whole lot more like everyone else's than some here like to convey. So as with almost every other brand, I would say if you go plucking random frames out of completely different serial runs, with different paint jobs no less, I would expect at least a small amount of different swing feel, for sure.

Safest bet for those who are truly anal: if you already have an original-colorway '22 EZ98 and want to duplicate as closely as possible, I would stick to that model and pay for a matching service on your unstrung stock spec. Otherwise, dump the original, and reboot completely on two or more matching Aqua Nights. Just my two cents.
 

JK208

Rookie
I know it's only a sample size of one, but I have a buddy who bought one original-colorway '22 EZ98 last fall (mid production run), then another in Aqua Night as soon as they came out this past spring, and the Aqua Night variant feels more cumbersome to him. I haven't had a chance to measure the spec on both yet, but needless to say, Yonex's QC is a whole lot more like everyone else's than some here like to convey. So as with almost every other brand, I would say if you go plucking random frames out of completely different serial runs, with different paint jobs no less, I would expect at least a small amount of different swing feel, for sure.

Safest bet for those who are truly anal: if you already have an original-colorway '22 EZ98 and want to duplicate as closely as possible, I would stick to that model and pay for a matching service on your unstrung stock spec. Otherwise, dump the original, and reboot completely on two or more matching Aqua Nights. Just my two cents.
Nice to see you again @Trip , I don't own either of them but I'll buy one or the other, I just would like some opinions on which is better.
 

Trip

Legend
Nice to see you again @Trip , I don't own either of them but I'll buy one or the other, I just would like some opinions on which is better.
Cheers! As for which might be "better", that would likely be completely in the eye of the beholder, whether a person puts more weight on paint job, and/or whether the Aqua Nights are indeed averaging a higher and/or more head-heavy spec (due to perhaps heavier/thicker paint, or otherwise). Personally, I understand arguments from both ends regarding spec — lower spec being more preferable in that it keeps the frame whippy enough, with that thicker beam already making it feel cumbersome enough as it is, but higher spec being favorable for someone who perhaps is already used to adding weight to lighter-spec EZ98's and knows they already prefer a mid-upper 320's strung SW, or higher, and doesn't want to have to mess with as much (or any) lead, if possible. Really just comes down to personal preference, most likely.
 

JK208

Rookie
Cheers! As for which might be "better", that would likely be completely in the eye of the beholder, whether a person puts more weight on paint job, and/or whether the Aqua Nights are indeed averaging a higher and/or more head-heavy spec (due to perhaps heavier/thicker paint, or otherwise). Personally, I understand arguments from both ends regarding spec — lower spec being more preferable in that it keeps the frame whippy enough, with that thicker beam already making it feel cumbersome enough as it is, but higher spec being favorable for someone who perhaps is already used to adding weight to lighter-spec EZ98's and knows they already prefer a mid-upper 320's strung SW, or higher, and doesn't want to have to mess with as much (or any) lead, if possible. Really just comes down to personal preference, most likely.
I'm trying to come down to something swingable from a 345SW TFight, and that forced me to play s&v, so I would probably prefer a lower spec so I can customize it up if I need to. I'm trying an Aqua Night version tomorrow, so hopefully I get it at a low SW. I'll try to measure it and report back at some point soon.
 
I bet there are differences due to the timing of the manufacturing, not the color. Just as some blue Ezones made in January can be different than blue ones made in July, randomly. To attribute that to the color is a larger leap in guessing to me.
 

heavyD

Professional
Any differences can be attributed to the manufacturing batch. The paint type appears to be identical on both versions save for the colors as this isn’t like the differences between the Speed Oreo velvet paint and the Speed Legend gloss paint where the finishes are completely different.
 

thenewbig3

Rookie
Thank you for the reply. I've noticed that the matte paintjobs are slightly more muted, but I'm glad to see that it isn't the case on the ezone. Are you happy with your EZone? I loved it when I tried it (I actually beat my club's head pro for the first time with it), but I'm concerned that it will be a little too muted for volleying and touch shots.

I felt that slight disconnection (compared to classic 18x20 players frames) initially but mainly for groundstrokes but after 15 days I feel more connected to it than it did to my previous racket. Touch shots and volleys I never had an issue from the beginning but again I dont use much of either :-D

I also think people are not comparing NEW to NEW. And unless they use same string setup and are a player of a certain quality... comparisons are mostly useless.
 
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