Donnay XBlue99 vs Dunlop Bio300 Tour...=Xred99?

10ACE

Professional
Let me start off by mentioning my current racquets of 3 years Dunlop AG 200- @12.87oz and 2 at 13.13oz. Finding that they are slowly taking away from my game- the power that was once there is dwindling- physically I am not. Strung MSV hex mains 16 and Gosen OG sheep mirco 16 @ 60/58- and yes i have played around with going lower.

At first some might find the two racquets in the Title, completely different. Some have even complained that the Bio 300 tour is too light-not enough plow through- small sweet spot etc... Since demoing The Bio 300 Tour, I have found that the sweet spot is rather large and forgiving, the racquet in stock form has enough plow through, and feels very good through the contact point- allowing for pinpoint accuracy.

However, having played with a large number of the Donnay Line, Black 94, Blue 94(Loved this one but love the sweet spot of the blue 99 more), Blue 99 and the Dark Red 94- After playing a match and warming up with the Donnay XBlue 99 and the Dunlop 300 tour- my hitting partner/opponent mentioned that the feel generated from the Donnay Xblue 99 was more powerful and then spin too. I could spin my second serve up into his shoulder height and one that was close to his head- he's about 6ft.

My Question is, With the feedback and actually game play of the Donnay Xblue 99- which was all top notch- for those who know- would adjusting the the Donnay xBlue 99 with the middle weight but cap allow more feel toward that experienced with the Bio 300 Tour? Or might the XRed 99 be more on spot- but then I give up the low Flex that the Blue99 has- which provides for some controlled power and whip- especially on serves!

Thanks to those who take the time in dissecting and providing their expertise- and or thoughts..
 

10ACE

Professional
The donnays are one of the two racquets I want to get(other is vantage), I have not played with them yet but I have done a lot of research and got lots of feedback, and from what I have heard the x-black and x-blue are the two most popular, both being very similar, the main difference was that the xblue (67)was stiffer than the xblack(64), but it was still very comfortable because of the xenecore and foam fill.

Like I said I have never played with the donnays, but since your worried about power, I would definitely do with the xblue over the bio300t.

I mean the thin beam and box type beam gives you the best of both worlds, box bem = More: feel and stability and thin beam= More: maneuverability, spin, feel too, and racquet head speed.Not to mention it looks cool.

I agree on going with the Donnay over the Bio300 T- but really liked the contact follow through on the Bio 300Tour most likely due to the swing-weight and stiffness. (funny you mention the Black 94 being stiffer then the Blue 94 I felt the opposite, and like the feel of the Blue better.) So right about these sticks looking good! So maneuverable too- volleys are awesome and the pick ups are a joke sometimes how easy you can scoop.

I like the blue's over the Black 94 (never tried the 99 in black) and now seem to like the blue 99 most- can't beat the sweet spot- and still offer the characteristics of a player stick!

I am going to demo the Red 99 next week to see if it compares a bit to the Bio Tour but the feel of the Donnay Package. Playing again this Sunday with the Blue 99- and should have my final decision by the following Sunday. I am really liking the Donnay 99's .
 
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Can't help you with the Donnay Reds but I recently demoed the Dunlop 300 Tour and the Donnay Blue 99. The Dunlop is awesome for serving but not terribly solid or stable feeling compared to the Blue 99 which is whippier and better on spin serves than the dunlop. The Donnay has a lot more control and plow through and overall felt more like a pure players stick. Demanding but worth it in my opinion. If you have a more modern game with tons of topspin on both sides the Dunlop might work better though.
 

Orion

Semi-Pro
Can't help you with the Donnay Reds but I recently demoed the Dunlop 300 Tour and the Donnay Blue 99. The Dunlop is awesome for serving but not terribly solid or stable feeling compared to the Blue 99 which is whippier and better on spin serves than the dunlop. The Donnay has a lot more control and plow through and overall felt more like a pure players stick. Demanding but worth it in my opinion. If you have a more modern game with tons of topspin on both sides the Dunlop might work better though.

The Blue 99 just felt right. I currently play with the 4D 200. I like the heavy serves from it but I find it a bit underpowered for baseline rallies. When I demo'd the Blue 99 it had a controllable sweetspot. Serving required some tweaks to my service motion. Couldn't tell if it was a result of the larger head or the frame coming through the air faster. My timing was waaaayy off with it. When I got it close to dialed in the serves were deep i the service box and relatively heavy.I was able to generate a nice kicker with it .

Give me power and leave it up to me to find control. I've tried going down to 95's but they lack the umphh to end a point and require a few more shots and almost the perfect shot. I think of the Blue 99 as a Player's 100 sq in, with power that is easily harnessed.
 

10ACE

Professional
The Blue 99 just felt right. I currently play with the 4D 200. I like the heavy serves from it but I find it a bit underpowered for baseline rallies. When I demo'd the Blue 99 it had a controllable sweetspot. Serving required some tweaks to my service motion. Couldn't tell if it was a result of the larger head or the frame coming through the air faster. My timing was waaaayy off with it. When I got it close to dialed in the serves were deep i the service box and relatively heavy.I was able to generate a nice kicker with it .

Give me power and leave it up to me to find control. I've tried going down to 95's but they lack the umphh to end a point and require a few more shots and almost the perfect shot. I think of the Blue 99 as a Player's 100 sq in, with power that is easily harnessed.

Seems as if we r in the same boat!( I believe with your serve it was due to the racquets ability to cut through the air-at least that was my impression) The blue 99 definitely plays like an oversized players racquet. Also agree after playing with the AG 200 for 3 years the comparable difference between the baseline rallies and put away shot with these two definitely goes to the blue 99. I find when you need to unleash the power- both on the serve and groundstrokes- the blue 99 can hit like a whip. I can only imagine it's due to the thin frame.

Played with the blue 99 on clay today and get more spin then my usual racquet. Love serving with this racquet and get comically aggressive slice with it.

Looking forward to hitting the red 99. Hope I am able to use the mid weight but cap because the synthetic grip will not be to my liking. Manly want to see how close it feels to the BIO 300T and if it can persuade me from the Blue99. Because the price is hardly persuasive ugh!
 
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Kal-El 34

Hall of Fame
i would def. check out the red-99 then guys. I have spent quite a bit of time with the Donnay line the last few weeks. I am really liking the blue-99 as well.

The red-99 is a wonderful racquet as well. The control is def. still there with the red 99 so I wouldn't worry too much about that. You may actually like the lowed swingweight as well here. Whereas I prefer the blue-99 personally, I actually go back and forth between it and the red sometimes while practicing. Try the red with the 5g cap in the bottom, and if you can get your hands on the newer 3g strips at 9:00 and 3:00 you have yourself a great playing frame :)
 

10ACE

Professional
i would def. check out the red-99 then guys. I have spent quite a bit of time with the Donnay line the last few weeks. I am really liking the blue-99 as well.

The red-99 is a wonderful racquet as well. The control is def. still there with the red 99 so I wouldn't worry too much about that. You may actually like the lowed swingweight as well here. Whereas I prefer the blue-99 personally, I actually go back and forth between it and the red sometimes while practicing. Try the red with the 5g cap in the bottom, and if you can get your hands on the newer 3g strips at 9:00 and 3:00 you have yourself a great playing frame :)

Unfortunately I couldn't get the Red 99 but was able to get the Orange 99 - it seems as though red and orange are so similar that I should be fine. Blue 99 and Orange 99 set to test for 7 days!!
 

Kal-El 34

Hall of Fame
Unfortunately I couldn't get the Red 99 but was able to get the Orange 99 - it seems as though red and orange are so similar that I should be fine. Blue 99 and Orange 99 set to test for 7 days!!

nice well enjoy them both however the orange and the red do not play anything alike in my opinion. similar specs, but the 2 frames play very different. I bet you will not care too much for the orange but will like the red

WELL SEE THOUGH :)
 
B

backatcha

Guest
i would def. check out the red-99 then guys. I have spent quite a bit of time with the Donnay line the last few weeks. I am really liking the blue-99 as well.

Hey Kal-El:
The reintroduction of the Donnay Racquets has really caught my interest... I have been secretly reading, thinking and dreaming about these sticks... I have not told my YT Prestige MPs yet but it is very likely that I will be switching to a new set of PSTGTs or a new set of Donnay Racquets before the year is up.

To that end, you had referred to your experience with the Blue 99 and the Red 99 but have you demoed the "Black 99" as well?

I like the specs of the Blue and Black more than the Red but i can not determine whether the Black or Blue would be best stick for me. The Black seems to be lowered powered than the Blue, and the Black seems to have a higher flex... In your (or anyone elses) opinion, is the lower SW of the Black or the greater flex, a good thing or a bad thing... which of these models has the best balance of control and power to facilitate the accurate placement of the shot when taking a full rip on the ball?
 

Kal-El 34

Hall of Fame
Hey Kal-El:
The reintroduction of the Donnay Racquets has really caught my interest... I have been secretly reading, thinking and dreaming about these sticks... I have not told my YT Prestige MPs yet but it is very likely that I will be switching to a new set of PSTGTs or a new set of Donnay Racquets before the year is up.

To that end, you had referred to your experience with the Blue 99 and the Red 99 but have you demoed the "Black 99" as well?

I like the specs of the Blue and Black more than the Red but i can not determine whether the Black or Blue would be best stick for me. The Black seems to be lowered powered than the Blue, and the Black seems to have a higher flex... In your (or anyone elses) opinion, is the lower SW of the Black or the greater flex, a good thing or a bad thing... which of these models has the best balance of control and power to facilitate the accurate placement of the shot when taking a full rip on the ball?

haha i love your quote about not telling you YT Prestige MP's yet. In fact, that was one of the most difficult conversations I've ever had. They were so sad. Luckily, my little brother, and former microgel prestige mp user was extremely happy to take them off my hands haha. I am glad they found a good home :)

I have not spent any time with the black yet. I am getting one in this week from the company though, and will be happy to post my thoughts when I have some time. I am thinking about starting my review blog up back again as well, and hopefully will get a full review of the whole donnay line in there.

the people at Donnay have told me the blue has been more popular than the black. I want to spend some more time with the blue 99, blue 94, and the black line before I make my mind up. I REALLY liked the blue 94, but it did lack a little "pop" and the blue 99 provided that for me. However, I have tended to like the flexibility of the red 99 while hitting with it, and was surprised with how much I enjoy that frame. I'm really looking forward to trying the black as it may be wrong for me, but it may be the best of both worlds? WE SHALL SEE
 

Kal-El 34

Hall of Fame
the blue 94 does offer a bit more control than the red, especially when really taking a crack at the ball.

however the red seemed a bit smoother to me, and a bit quicker through the ball.. obviously because it is lighter haha. I also like the fact that I can tinker around with the weight of the red a bit more, and not worry about it getting sluggish
 

10ACE

Professional
the blue 94 does offer a bit more control than the red, especially when really taking a crack at the ball.

however the red seemed a bit smoother to me, and a bit quicker through the ball.. obviously because it is lighter haha. I also like the fact that I can tinker around with the weight of the red a bit more, and not worry about it getting sluggish

Ok well u were right I did not like the orange. Although it had to loops weight strips and no weight but cap it was just a tad light I need a leather grip on it and lacked my regular umph on serves. This was doubles mind u I will get two single games later this week. At the net I had some great reaction volleys very maneuverable and none of these donnay r bad at the net.

For the record I originally thought I was sold on the blue 94 liked the feel and performance way beyond the black 94. My new found obsession for this line is the Blue 99 I mean it rocks. Sweet spot serve nothing really bad about it. I do need to get my hands on the red because after playing with the orange it was interesting playing with the open string bed something I have not done in a while and it kicked. Red 99 with a leather grip and the hoop weight or 5g at 12 I think that has some promise!!

Blue 94 awesome but when u try the blue 99 it's bassicaly the same just with a much better sweet spot.
 
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