Dilemma over N90, K90, and Kblade Tour.

[thehunk]

Well, I have to choose between keeping my current racquet or changing it.

My current racquet is a Ncode N90. I love the racquet but when my game is not on at times, it can be erratic. I am a 5.0 player by the way. The N90 has an incredible feel for the ball and is heavy but head light, which makes it perfect for me. There is no other racquet that can serve as good as it, (that I have used) except for the K90. Now, I am looking to get a new racquet. I demoed the K90, K95, and Kblade tour.

The K90 was a good racquet but it was a too stiff for my liking although it had very good feel and everything, but I would rather stick with my N90 then switch to the K90.

The K95, has a weird feel to it, didnt even consider it.

THe Kblade tour, this racquet is ALMOST exactly what I am looking for. And there is an emphasis on ALMOST there. Well first of all I wanted a racquet that had a slight bigger head size then my N90 but had a smaller head size then the K95 so, it left me with 93 square inches. The Kblade tour has a head size that wasnt too big or too small like the n90 or k90 which can go off and start shanking if you not on your game. It also had a little more pop than the N90 and K90 which is also what I was looking for, just a LITTLE more pop. However, the problems were that the serves SUCKED compared to the N90 for me. It was also a little bit on the lighter side.

Now, do you guys think I should stick with my N90 which can be erratic at times? Or go with the K90 which is more of the same but with more of an old-school feel? Or go with the Kblade tour which has more of a plastic feel to it and is much less balanced of a racquet but does not go erratic and has a bit more pop and does not require as much effort in swinging it?

 

[thejuice]

My initial concern with the K Blade Tour was the serve but I have since been able to dial it in and I'm serving a lot more consistently now (almost as well as when I was a junior). You have to give it a set or two if you can wait that long, but once you get it you'll love it.

 

[samster]

Go with the KBlade Tour. You know you want it. (This I gathered from reading your post)

 

[BaselinePlaya]

.

My current racquet is a Ncode N90. I love the racquet but when my game is not on at times, it can be erratic.

I think that anyone who uses a 90 square inch head size would say they play erratic at times. Look at Fed- he uses a 90 and shanks stuff all of the time. IMO- the game has passed up the smaller head sized racquet. Unless your in the top 100, I'd go with a larger head size.

 

[pow]

I think you should stick with what you've got, the n90.

From reading your experiences, you're not particularly fond of the K90 at all so it'd be a major waste of time and money and unless you really like the KBlade, I don't see a reason to change racquets for the sake of changing. Wait awhile longer, you'll run into the right racquet down the road.

 

[justsomeguy]

Just a thought, as you seem to be a Wilson guy, but the Prince Diablo mid may be just what you need. A little extra pop, 93 inch, and absolutely serves bombs.

 

[movdqa]

Seems like a tough choice. I got the K90 and it took me several months to get comfortable with it making a forehand grip change in the process. In retrospect, I probably would have tried a K95 16x18 - I don't know what I would have stayed with. The KBlade came afterwards and it sounds great on paper though I think that I'd prefer at least 12 ounces. I suppose a little lead tape could fix that but I prefer stock these days. Maybe Wilson will put a racquet in there around 12 ounces.

 

[BreakPoint]

I think that anyone who uses a 90 square inch head size would say they play erratic at times. Look at Fed- he uses a 90 and shanks stuff all of the time. IMO- the game has passed up the smaller head sized racquet. Unless your in the top 100, I'd go with a larger head size.

So does Nadal with his 100 sq. in. racquet. "Shanking" is related to your racquet head speed, NOT how big your headsize is, and Federer has one of the fastest racquet head speeds in the game. The bigger your racquet, the more racquet you have to get in the way when you're swinging with massive speed, as Federer does. I know I shank the same amount regardless of the headsize of the racquet I'm using.

BTW, I would gladly shank every single ball if it'll get me 12 Grand Slam titles.

 

[Anton]

Seems like a tough choice. I got the K90 and it took me several months to get comfortable with it making a forehand grip change in the process. In retrospect, I probably would have tried a K95 16x18 - I don't know what I would have stayed with. The KBlade came afterwards and it sounds great on paper though I think that I'd prefer at least 12 ounces. I suppose a little lead tape could fix that but I prefer stock these days. Maybe Wilson will put a racquet in there around 12 ounces.

Whats the big deal with lead? Its dirt cheap, easy to apply and remove.

 

[BreakPoint]

Whats the big deal with lead? Its dirt cheap and removable.

In two words: Lead Poisoning.

 

[Anton]

In two words: Lead Poisoning.

Well maybe I'm the only one able to resist chewing on the stuff...

 

[movdqa]

Whats the big deal with lead? Its dirt cheap, easy to apply and remove.

- I always found it a pain in the neck to apply and remove.
- It's toxic
- It's one more thing to worry about

 

[movdqa]

Well maybe I'm the only one able to resist chewing on the stuff...

You have kids?

 

[Anton]

You have kids?

Surely for kids the finger-licking-good taste of lead is irresistible.

Just keep your lead in your tennis bag - by the time they start snooping around your bags they are old enough not to lick lead tape and scissors.

 

[Anton]

Besides, you can add lead under the grommets or just cover it with electrical tape.

 

[BreakPoint]

Well maybe I'm the only one able to resist chewing on the stuff...

But it still gets all over your fingers and if you touch food or put your finger in your mouth, it can be dangerous. The last pack of lead tape I bought had warning labels all over it.

 

[thehunk]

My initial concern with the K Blade Tour was the serve but I have since been able to dial it in and I'm serving a lot more consistently now (almost as well as when I was a junior). You have to give it a set or two if you can wait that long, but once you get it you'll love it.

Actually, just like you my serves werent as good in the beginning with the Kblade tour, and now they are starting to come aroung. HOWEVER, the speed is atleast 15-25 miles an hour slower, and I had to change up my whole serving stance and motion. The new motion does not give me enough pop.

Seems like a tough choice. I got the K90 and it took me several months to get comfortable with it making a forehand grip change in the process. In retrospect, I probably would have tried a K95 16x18 - I don't know what I would have stayed with. The KBlade came afterwards and it sounds great on paper though I think that I'd prefer at least 12 ounces. I suppose a little lead tape could fix that but I prefer stock these days. Maybe Wilson will put a racquet in there around 12 ounces.

Well, it wouldnt take me that long to get used to it, simply because I have been using the N90 which is fairly similar but less harsh. And its good you didnt get the K95, it feels like a big hunk of plastic almost. It has sort of a bad "zing" type feeling to it when you hit with it. (I just made up zing, its the only thing I thought that could describe the feeling lol)

 

[movdqa]

Besides, you can add lead under the grommets or just cover it with electrical tape.

Just what I want to do. Take the racquet apart and make a modification that's an absolute mess to further modify or undo. The racquets weigh 16.4 ounces which is probably a good indication that I know how to do modifications. At some point in life, one can find that there are other things to do with spare time.

 

[movdqa]

Well, it wouldnt take me that long to get used to it, simply because I have been using the N90 which is fairly similar but less harsh. And its good you didnt get the K95, it feels like a big hunk of plastic almost. It has sort of a bad "zing" type feeling to it when you hit with it. (I just made up zing, its the only thing I thought that could describe the feeling lol)

The K90 feels harsh compared to the Redondo but the weight combined with low string tensions seems to have ameliorated that for me. I've heard complaints about harshness in the N90 as well (a friend used the N90 for a while and went back to the Flexpoint Radicals because of arm problems).

My stringer is using the K95 (18x20) now and he seems to be playing well with it. He's used many Dunlops in the past. There have been some here that advocate playing with the thing that provides for the most wins and that feel is overrated. I do like both as does everyone but everyone has their own tradeoff point. The K95s are still pretty heavy so I'm surprised that they feel tinny.

 

[Anton]

Just what I want to do. Take the racquet apart and make a modification that's an absolute mess to further modify or undo. The racquets weigh 16.4 ounces which is probably a good indication that I know how to do modifications. At some point in life, one can find that there are other things to do with spare time.

Get a demo, lead it up as you play - take the lead off and send back.

When you get your new frame, apply lead under the grommets before string job..

Doesn't seem like a big deal...certainly smaller then playing with racket you don't really love and waiting on "perfect" to be mass produced.

 

[movdqa]

Get a demo, lead it up as you play - take the lead off and send back.

When you get your new frame, apply lead under the grommets before string job..

Doesn't seem like a big deal...certainly smaller then playing with racket you don't really love and waiting on "perfect" to be mass produced.

Mass production is a way of life. I use a mass-produced operating system, mass-produced software, a mass-produced car, monitor, light fixtures, etc. I do create my own software and that's a hobby that I'd rather devote more time to than on customizing racquets. I'm pretty happy with the K90 and it may well be my racquet for the next ten years. At the moment, I'm just fine-tuning the strings. If I really wanted a customized racquet that badly, I suppose I could buy a racquet company and have them make me one.

 

[Anton]

Mass production is a way of life. I use a mass-produced operating system, mass-produced software, a mass-produced car, monitor, light fixtures, etc. I do create my own software and that's a hobby that I'd rather devote more time to than on customizing racquets. I'm pretty happy with the K90 and it may well be my racquet for the next ten years. At the moment, I'm just fine-tuning the strings. If I really wanted a customized racquet that badly, I suppose I could buy a racquet company and have them make me one.

HA! well I wouldn't be messing with the lead either if I had the means to buy tennis racket companies... I'd have someone else do it for me.