Do you have a preferred brand you feel some loyalty to?

My preferred racquet brand that I feel loyal to is:

  • Total voters
    223
  • Poll closed .
Loyalty is a tricky one.
I'll interpret it like loyalty to one's favourite band or sports team.
The ones I jump to defend when others criticise, but also love to criticise myself.
So in that case I'd say Prince and Artengo.

What's the opposite of loyalty? Treachery? That sounds a bit odd but let's run with it.
The brand I feel the most desire to instill treachery against is Wilson.
They keep making the Blade less blade-y, the Pro Staff colourway is grim, they de-Clashed the Clash with the V2, the Shift is a meme.
Also I bought a box of Wilson Overgrips not realising I should have bought a box of Wilson Pro Overgrips instead so I'm still bitter about that.
 
socallefty said:
Interesting that all the poll options so far in terms of named brands are about even while Babolat is way smaller. Surprising as you see a lot of Aeros and Drives at most tennis courts and they are amongst the bestselling racquet models.
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I suppose that just because one uses a brand doesn't mean one is loyal to it.
 
I have tried and liked several different frame manufacturers. But I have always got my best tournament results with Dunlop, so there is that.
 
Whatever Head put into the Prestige is straight up magic. Unmatched control and precision.

Wilson Shift has a different type of magic, amazing racket. I don't know how they made so much of everything in one racket - control, spin, stability, maneuverability, feel.

I mostly stick with these 2 brands. I have a Hsieh Su Wei racket because I'm a huge fan. I might use that racket down the road. I wouldn't mind trying a DR98.

The Blade is a good all around racket. The Pro Staff is a good racket. I'm probably going to try the Ultra Pro someday.

I could probably use a Head Speed and be good with it. I could probably use a Radical and be fine with it. Same with Extreme. Head's spiral fibers and graphene 360+ technologies are amazing.
 
mtommer said:
I suppose that just because one uses a brand doesn't mean one is loyal to it.
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TTWers are also not a true representation of the tennis-playing community. TTW people prefer such characteristics as plushness and feel; Babolat has a bad rep on this forum for being overly stiff and causing injuries, and with enough anecdotal evidence, people end up avoiding the brand. The new Pure Strike appears to be quite flexy though, at least on paper, so it seems the company is reversing course to follow their competitors towards lower stiffness.
 
Prince for me - stuck in the past - don’t think I own a frame made after 1990.
Like my beams thin - have everything from 85sq up to 125sq in prince frames. The 95sq Chang long body being my faves.

Lately have been playing with a couple of Pro Kennex Silver Aces - really liking them but need to work on one of them as it’s much lighter than the other.

Also exclusively play Puma California shoes and anything Ellesse or Fila for clothing
 
I’ve got 6 Ezone 98s, 1 Vcore Pro 330, 1 Vcore 95, and one Babolat Pure Aero 2019(this one is actually on the flea bay right now). So yeah I guess I have some brand loyalty. Just think it’s so cool that they own their manufacturing facilities, and make pros racquets at the same place as my bum ass racquets. Head openly acknowledges they make their Pros racquets in Austria but we ain’t worth it. That just irks me on so many levels.
 
I do have a preference for Wilson, although currently my bag is full of Babolats. I also have a soft spot for Prince as well. I appreciate that Wilson tries to innovate and also that they offer “pro stock” type frames for sale to the public, especially that they are the same price as the regular models.
 
I have a preference, but I guess for other reasons. When I was in high school, I attended a title 1 school, and I sent out email blasts asking for donations for our team. Some companies that shall remain nameless flat out told me no, some didn't respond, and others' messages were somewhere in the middle.

My first real racquet was a 2010 aeropro drive GT I got on clearance on TW for $130, right as the 2013 models had come out

The only company to have responded to my donation letter was babolat. They sent used racquets and half used reels of string, and it was like xmas to the team.

Fast forward many years later, I still do the same as I now coach at the same school. The only companies to ever respond are babolat and head. Again, some companies shall remain nameless as they have sent some pretty rude emails outright saying no and to stop asking. Because of this, I only purchase babolat and head products for myself now that I can afford it. I switch between a radical pro with RPM blast and a pure aero with head lynx string , that way I'm loyal to both companies
 
PistolPete23 said:
I think because there's good reason for them to be loyal. Racquets are still produced in-house in Japan with a reputation for high QC; everyone else is outsourcing it to shared factories in China.
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Exactly, actually I don't care that they are produced in Japan vs anywhere else, but it's the excellent QC that keeps me a customer. I like that I get what I expect to get, spec wise.
 
Yamin said:
Yonex players on the forum definitely have the STRONGEST brand loyalty
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As a Yonex player, I can explain the biggest reason for me. I have been tempted to try other racket brands like Babolat, but the reputation for poor QC puts me off. I consider this a good thing in the end, as it keeps the racquetaholism at bay.
 
PistolPete23 said:
I think because there's good reason for them to be loyal. Racquets are still produced in-house in Japan with a reputation for high QC; everyone else is outsourcing it to shared factories in China.
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Chalkdust said:
Exactly, actually I don't care that they are produced in Japan vs anywhere else, but it's the excellent QC that keeps me a customer. I like that I get what I expect to get, spec wise.
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GodlessEndeavor said:
As a Yonex player, I can explain the biggest reason for me. I have been tempted to try other racket brands like Babolat, but the reputation for poor QC puts me off. I consider this a good thing in the end, as it keeps the racquetaholism at bay.
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Have any of you measured your rackets for matching? In my experience I see while static is close, swing weight is disastrous. I guess it's fine for only 1 racket if you like how it plays, but matching rackets becomes potentially more difficult as you need to go up in static weight on 2 rackets and sometimes can't even match them at something reasonable.
 
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I'm not loyal to a specific brand because I have used a lot of different frames over the years. That said if I had to stick with one brand it would be Head because there have been few Head frames I haven't liked and they always seem to work well for me even if I didn't get into them until later because in the 80's and early 90's they were always priced higher than other brands and more difficult to obtain unless I mail ordered from Nevada Bobs or something. I've tried with Yonex but back in the day I just didn't care for R22's and just stayed away from the brand and when I finally found one I liked (23 VCORE 100) I developed the worst case of tennis elbow which is so weird because it's not considered overly hard on the arm. I just received the new Aqua Night Black EZONE 100 to give the brand another shot. I've also had issues falling in love with Wilson frames as I never really liked any version of the Pro Staff save for the K factor which I used for a bit and I did like the Blade V8. As for Babolat I really like the latest Pure Drive but my arm doesn't and I like the 23 PA as well and should give that another try. Back in the day I would say I was a big Prince guy as the original Graphite is still one of my all-time favorite frames as was the Spectrum Comp when ceramic was all the rage.
 
Yamin said:
Have any of you measured your rackets for matching? In my experience I see while static is close, swing weight is disastrous. I guess it's fine for only 1 racket if you like how it plays, but matching rackets becomes potentially more difficult as you need to go up in static weight on 2 rackets and sometimes can't even match them at something reasonable.
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I haven't matched racquets yet, but I did get my Ezone 100 2022 measured and it came at 310 swing weight (when strung with Polytour Pro 1.25). This is close enough to the average specs I've seen online.
 
Yamin said:
Have any of you measured your rackets for matching? In my experience I see while static is close, swing weight is disastrous. I guess it's fine for only 1 racket if you like how it plays, but matching rackets becomes potentially more difficult as you need to go up in static weight on 2 rackets and sometimes can't even match them at something reasonable.
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Absolutely.

I'm on my 3rd round of Yonex racquets, each round I get 4-6 racquets, never needed more than 2g to match (static + balance + sw). Have never measured flex so can't comment on that other than I can feel no difference.

Matching is essential for me since I live in a hot and humid climate and I rotate racquets every 10-15 mins during play otherwise my grip becomes too slippery.
 
Yamin said:
Have any of you measured your rackets for matching? In my experience I see while static is close, swing weight is disastrous. I guess it's fine for only 1 racket if you like how it plays, but matching rackets becomes potentially more difficult as you need to go up in static weight on 2 rackets and sometimes can't even match them at something reasonable.
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There has been anecdotal evidence as of recent that the QC at Yonex is declining. Perhaps they had to compromise a little on racquets that make the cut due to an increased production volume to meet the greater demand for Yonex racquets. We will never know the answer unless the specs are collected for a statistically significant sample size of racquets, and we calculate the mean and standard deviation values. It would actually be quite easy to do this on brand new racquets if enough buyers report their measured specs to a centralized spreadsheet. Then we can assess once and for all whether Yonex has superior QC.
 
PistolPete23 said:
There has been anecdotal evidence as of recent that the QC at Yonex is declining. Perhaps they had to compromise a little on racquets that make the cut due to an increased production volume to meet the greater demand for Yonex racquets. We will never know the answer unless the specs are collected for a statistically significant sample size of racquets, and we calculate the mean and standard deviation values. It would actually be quite easy to do this on brand new racquets if enough buyers report their measured specs to a centralized spreadsheet. Then we can assess once and for all whether Yonex has superior QC.
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Tennis nerd received his Percept 97 way under spec so the reality is that while Yonex QC may be better than other manufacturers, they are not perfect by any means. The frame he received was essentially unplayable.

When I tried the frame in Sweden earlier this year, it was closer to the average spec from Tennis Warehouse. This demo that I got from Tennis Warehouse Europe was lacking in mass in the hoop of the racquet. This resulted in a swing weight strung with Yonex Poly Tour Pro 1.20 at 303 SW. This is far too low to get any stability and power from the frame.
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So, despite being disappointed about the quality control issue and the low swing weight, I really enjoyed the Percept 97 after adding some weight.
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tennisnerd.net

Yonex Percept 97 Review

The Yonex control line VCORE Pro is now called Percept. It is the same mold, but a new layup. Here is our Yonex Percept 97 Review.
tennisnerd.net tennisnerd.net
 
I have a box beam 12.0 unstrung loyalty to Wilson. The racquets in my bag (and as a result the ones I play with) are the latest PS85 reissue, the 2014 PS90, and the V11 and V12 RF97s. Once I can no longer play with these racquets or Wilson stops making them (hopefully the former), I'll be a player without a home and untethered from the shackles of brand loyalty.
 
Chalkdust said:
Absolutely.

I'm on my 3rd round of Yonex racquets, each round I get 4-6 racquets, never needed more than 2g to match (static + balance + sw).

Matching is essential for me since I live in a hot and humid climate and I rotate racquets every 10-15 mins during play otherwise my grip becomes too slippery.
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That's how Dunlop has been for me, minimal differences between frames.

I'm a very heavy sweater in general and I have to change racquets every few minutes also, even though I don't live in a very humid climate.
 
mtommer said:
That's how Dunlop has been for me, minimal differences between frames.

I'm a very heavy sweater in general and I have to change racquets every few minutes also, even though I don't live in a very humid climate.
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I had great qc with Dunlop as well. Really solid frames too.

QC seems to be a big thing on the forum. Is that how most are making purchasing decisions? I’ve never received 2-4 frames dramatically off-spec from any manufacturer (Wilson, Dunlop, head, Babolat). I may be lucky, but I’ve never seen it as a reason to choose/avoid certain brands.
 
Brand loyalty with rackets is kind of hard to adhere to unless it's a purely aesthetic decision. These companies tinker with their specs so frequently that there's little meaningful continuity. Even the exceptions like the Blade and Aero, which have been strong performers with consistent market placement receive minor tweaks to layup/string spacing/etc. that can totally alienate the player base.

But everyone here knows that.

There's a "which way Western man?" here that probably splits between Yonex and everything else.
 
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Curtennis said:
I’ve got 6 Ezone 98s, 1 Vcore Pro 330, 1 Vcore 95, and one Babolat Pure Aero 2019(this one is actually on the flea bay right now). So yeah I guess I have some brand loyalty. Just think it’s so cool that they own their manufacturing facilities, and make pros racquets at the same place as my bum ass racquets. Head openly acknowledges they make their Pros racquets in Austria but we ain’t worth it. That just irks me on so many levels.
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Most head prostocks are made in china like th retail frames.
 
I don’t necessarily have brand loyalty, but I’ve come to realize no matter how many times I try or switch to something else, I play best with Babolat, even though I like the feel of some other racquets better.
 
mavsman149 said:
I don’t necessarily have brand loyalty, but I’ve come to realize no matter how many times I try or switch to something else, I play best with Babolat, even though I like the feel of some other racquets better.
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Yeah I feel they make frames that are very easy to play with where good strokes are rewarded with power and spin with the the tradeoff of hollow, brassy type of feel. I will say the 23 PA is a move in the right direction as it feels a lot better than the Pure Drive and older Aeros.
 
heavyD said:
Yeah I feel they make frames that are very easy to play with where good strokes are rewarded with power and spin with the the tradeoff of hollow, brassy type of feel. I will say the 23 PA is a move in the right direction as it feels a lot better than the Pure Drive and older Aeros.
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I actually prefer some of the older Pure Drives feel. I also loved the Pure Control series but I’ve been playing well with my Drives that I haven’t considered picking up any old Controls
 
tennis1111 said:
Prince
Phantom line is fantastic for playing and for my elbow.
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I wonder if we will see a new Phantom line (V3) this year. Also I haven’t seen the 100P for a while - have they deleted it or are they waiting for all the other versions are sold out before they launch the new line?
 
For rackets and strings, I have no loyalty at all. I've used frames from most big name manufacturers without much distinction. I do have a sweet spot for Prince's grip shape however, and I wouldn't mind more rackets using it. IME Yonex and Prince have had pretty good QC: when I ask for TW's matching service, the frames tend to be really close. For Yonex it basically became an expectation, but I haven't heard that much about Prince; or maybe I was really lucky.

That being said, I've noticed that almost of all my equipment besides the aforementioned is from Artengo. The value proposition is just hard to beat. Shoes can be Nike since they can be on sale for interesting prices and the length of their shoes tend to be pretty consistent (which I'm more sensitive to than width). Considering how high shoe prices are even on sale, I find it less and less likely that I'll be purchasing my gear elsewhere.
 
Not so much loyalty but I like Prince and Yonex products. Both brands make well designed stuff and decent quality control. Most feel pretty decent and no hollow feeling frames and they are good paint job choices for the most part.
 
No preference, however, never owned a Bosworth, Donnay, Dunlop, Gamma, Lacoste, Pacific, Prince, ProKennex, Solinco, Tecnifibre, Volkl, etc.
 
Slight loyalty towards Prince, not because of the quality of their gear, but because many moons ago my father was a teaching pro and Prince is the only company to not cancel his pro shop account so we get their stuff for dirt cheap
 
I wonder if the @Babolat Official has reported these poll results back to HQ. Should be some cause for concern to be a top-2 brand scoring so low on brand loyalty on a forum run by the largest online tennis retailer.
 
Have been playing with Fischer since august, 1999 and will probably stick with them till death - I have some frames in stock lol.
 
socallefty said:
I wonder if the @Babolat Official has reported these poll results back to HQ. Should be some cause for concern to be a top-2 brand scoring so low on brand loyalty on a forum run by the largest online tennis retailer.
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More an indication of TTW members ownership than the public at large's preferences. I find most Babolat users are probably more loyal than most other brand's owners, presumably because the easy power becomes addictive.
 
Grafil Injection said:
More an indication of TTW members ownership than the public at large's preferences. I find most Babolat users are probably more loyal than most other brand's owners, presumably because the easy power becomes addictive.
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Among the big brands, Babolat racket ads are MUCH fewer on second-hand marketplaces. That tells me, people who have bought them, haven't switched to anything else.
 
mtommer said:
I suppose that just because one uses a brand doesn't mean one is loyal to it.
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True. The way the OP phrased the question was rather light, asking whether members had "some loyalty" rather than "strong loyalty" to brands. What this means to me is that if someone with "some loyalty" to a brand were shopping for a new frame, they would test out certain racquets in a category and they would include the offering from their preferred company whereas they wouldn't necessarily include every brand in their playtest.

The company that fits this criteria for me is Yonex. I spent 15 years playing with a Yonex frame before switching to a Babolat, but I did include a Yonex in my playtest when searching for a new frame.

There will always be a soft spot for Yonex and their quality control.
 
Pacific even though nothing I wanna use at the moment. Anti-loyalty to head. Never liked a single frame they made, ever, beginning with my sisters hateful hard magnum.
 
lazyfootwork said:
Doubt they are concerned about a forum full of over-the-hill 3.5s convinced they play better with a 365 sw 95
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According to the USTA (link here), for 2022 there were 23.6 million tennis players in the US alone, of which 284k were registered with USTA. This board has 62k members from the US and abroad, with what I'm sure is a large % that are inactive accounts. A brand like Babolat does not, and honestly should not, take the opinions of this board into any consideration whatsoever. I would be floored if anyone from Babolat at or above any semblance of the management level even knows this board exists. If they did care about a bunch of gear nerds, then every other racket would have:
  • Unstrung weights >= 330g
  • 95 sq in head
  • Gloss paint
  • Palleted grip, from L1 thru L8 or something massive
  • Lengths from 27" to 28" in 0.25" increments
  • String pattern 18x19 or 16x20 because we need to be unique
  • Unlimited grommet availability
  • Not made in China, with perfect QC
 
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