Well, just got back from my first hit with the Donnay HexaCore Formula 100 Soft Ltd Ed. Before I go further, I should preface that I will reserve my full judgement for a few days. The last time I hit with a racquet that seemed fantastic I pulled trigger and bought a couple, only to have the dreaded TE/GE turn up a few days later! The beginning of my racquet/string journey (and financial suffering....)
So as mentioned my present racquet is the Phantom Pro 100 (I have two). I really enjoy the feel of the PP100 from a comfort perspective (advertised with a stiffness rating of 54 RA), and it generally has enough pop for me but doesn't have the put-away power without effort (at least in my hands). Over the course of a match I feel this works against me now (you know the slower, fatter me now rather than the lithe gazelle of a tennis player I used to be in my younger days). My stamina is decidedly lower and hence I (literally) run out of puff. Some more free power to finish points quicker was what I was seeking, as my serve-volley game was failing miserably. Tried changing my game, but as I mentioned when I read some reviews of the Donnay HexaCore Formula 100 and saw the Buy One Get One for the Pentacore version I shot from the hip again! I tried some different string setups in my PPP100:
| Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 17 nat @ 52 |
| Gamma TNT2 17 @ 52 |
| Head Synthetic Gut PPS 17 black @ 52 |
| Volkl Cyclone Tour 18 Anthracite M @52 / Babolat Addiction 17 X @ 54 |
| Volkl Cyclone Tour 16 Red M @ 50 / Wilson NXT 16 nat X @ 53 |
| Head RIP Control 17 natural @ 52 |
- X-One Biphase was a nice soft string, but I could only generate a little spin and I wore through it faster than any string in my life (maybe 5 hours of hitting). Historically, I've never broken a string.
- Didn't like the Gamma at all. Cut it out as it felt much stiffer than the numbers suggested. Maybe I should have seen whether it would soften up, but c'est la vie.
- Head Synthetic Gut PPS 17 was not as plush/comfortable as I would have liked, but had no problems with the arms and reasonable spin. Kept it as my main string in the racquet until I decided to try Volkl.
- Didn't realise Volkl Cyclone Tour was shaped until I got it. Tried 2 gauges. 16G was better control for me, but after hitting for a while my TE started murmuring. The 17G setup triggered the weird TB (tennis bicep). Cleverly cut out my Head SG PPS to put this 18G combo in THE DAY BEFORE A TOURNAMENT. With age does not always come wisdom. Played 3 games and put it back in the bag, then had to use the Volkl 16/Wilson NXT 16 setup. That was bearable but by day 2 it went a little pear-shaped. The Volkl 16 is chewing up that NXT too - it's about to go shortly. I cut out the 18G to put in the RIP Control.
- Head RIP Control 17 was great in some of my other racquets, but I felt the tension was too low for this frame. Could barely hit a forehand in and struggled to feel the ball leave the racquet face. Maybe this is the "mushy" feeling I've seen people refer to in these threads? If I were to use this string again in this frame it would probably be around 55 lbs (recommended tension for the PPP100 is 50 +/- 5).
Anyway, on to the Donnay. I recently acquired (bought) a constant pull stringing machine (WISE 2086 Tension head v14 - a very good and economical way to get constant pull) and used it to string up the HexaCore Formula 100 Soft with a fb of Head Lynx 17 red @ 45 lbs. Now I've mentioned in another thread it was this string, combined with the Head Graphene Touch Speed MP racquet, that originally gave me my TE/GE. However, I bought a reel of the stuff when I bought these Head racquets (as alluded to earlier in this post - tada!) and except for the horrible outcome for my arms I enjoyed this string. So, I figured this would be a great way to test the theory of the XeneCore being super arm-friendly, even with poly (nasty, nasty poly - I'm starting to think all poly is just nasty). I also used a white Tourna Pete Sampras dampener, and have a full Karakal Super PU replacement grip over the top (I buy 4 3/8 and then add this grip).
Well, except for the Tecnifibre, Gamma and Head SG PPS, I strung all the rest myself. I am confident in saying I'm no expert at stringing, but I'm certainly learning fast. Thank you internet - back in the day there would be no way I could learn from so many experienced people so easily. Having said that, I wasn't 100% happy with the string job on the Donnay (just quickly - does anyone else find knots for poly total bulls**t?) but it was good enough for a bash.
The frame looks similar to the power racquets with a thicker throat (Pure Drive, Pure Aero, Head Extreme etc) and wider beam at 3 & 9 o'clock. VERY different to my PPP100s. Balance point is also very different (closer to neutral?) compared to my HL PPP100; website says 320mm unstrung (not sure what that equates to strung as I don't have a balance beam yet). All as expected though, as I was looking for more free power.
Well, after hitting for about 2 hours (1 x singles and 1 x doubles game) and strung with a low tension poly I can state the following (but refer to my caveat at the beginning of this thread):
- no part of my arms hurt;
- there is definitely more free power, and ground strokes seem a little heavier with a little less effort;
- I was getting some excellent topspin; I found it was bringing the ball down sharper than my PPP100 (that frame has a 16 x 18 pattern);
- Maneuvering to quickly volley was harder to execute for me (I'm assuming due to the difference in balance point from my normal racquet);
- my serve was getting more swing, but still the area for most improvement in my game - triple doubles are great in basketball, but are much less impressive in tennis. To be fair it was the 1st time I hit with it, being a totally different racquet and tension (that's my story). When hit properly my flat serve seemed to have more pop;
- I felt pretty much no vibration, even when bouncing the ball a couple of times with the hoop of the frame as I do when going to the service line. I do this often with my PPP100, and if I hold the throat and not the handle I can feel significant vibration in that frame, even though at the handle I don't feel it at all. The feel of the frame is different to the PPP100, but it is still very comfortable (even with the nasty poly).
Honestly, I really enjoyed hitting with it. I tried Babolat once, but while it had good power I found the racquet too stiff and uncomfortable (this was before TE). I think their racquets have probably only gotten stiffer since then (I think there are maybe 1 or 2 exceptions in their current line up that are near an RA of 65). I really enjoyed the Head Graphene Touch Speed MP with more free power, but even with the RIP Control 17 multi I get TE soreness (and its RA is 64 I think). I think I will string up the other HexaCore Formula 100 Soft with the Lynx again at a slightly higher tension (maybe 48) to see how that performs on the arm. I am also looking forward to having another hit maybe on the weekend. For context of my ability, I don't have a USTA rating or UTR rating yet, but I hit with people who have a UTR around 7 - 9 in singles and doubles. I'm competitive with them, but my physical conditioning lets me down (a few injuries have accumulated over the years, as has my waistline lol). I don't let it stop me playing, although sometimes it slows me down from playing more frequently. So definitely amateur status, but I enjoy being competitive and hitting winners when I can!
Hope this helps some others if they are considering a new frame. As I'm in Australia, it doesn't look like they run an international demo program (not anymore anyway - though I thought they did at one point) but if you're in the USA I'd suggest at least trying their $1 demo program. I also suggest you check out the review by Tennisnerd on his site and on YouTube. Of note is his review is of the standard HexaCore Formula 100, whereas my racquet is the HexaCore Formula 100 Soft Ltd Ed (as mentioned in my previous post). From other posts, it sounds like there is a checkered history with customer service/management etc. but if you are having some genuine TE/GE issues that is stopping you from playing, I'd say persevere with going through getting a demo - it might be the difference between you having to constantly (or worse permanently) stop playing, or getting the chance to enjoy the sport you love for longer! Again, refer to the caveat at the beginning of the post
Cheers
