Dunlop Aerogel racquets

[jmoney]

I hit with the new Dunlop Aerogels that are due out early 2007. I thought they were amazing. I got a lot of info out of the rep about Aerogel. Basically, it's the worlds lightest solid capable of supporting 4000 times it's own weight. What Dunlop did was add aerogel to the graphite all through the racquet to make it stronger. They kept the M-fil at 3 and 9 o'clock to soften the sweetspot. What I found this does it makes the racquet extremely solid no matter where you hit the ball. Sometimes it was hard to tell that I hit the ball off center. Check out this site to see what Aerogel is all about: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerogel

They are going to have the 200, 300, 500 and 500 Tour come out first. I think the 500 Tour will be extremely popular. It's has a 100 sq in head, is 315 grams and has a RA of about 71. I think all Pure Drive users need to try it when it comes out. There plan is to release these 4 racquets to start 2007 and introduce 3 or 4 more around April or May (probably game improvement frames).

The rep also said that the touring pros will be playing with these starting with the Australian Open. I currently play with the M-Fil 200 so it's a no brainer to switch to the Aerogel 200 when it comes out. I definitely suggest trying them out when they become available.

 

[pNoyr3D]

Nice..! This might be the new racquet for me, I am currently using the Dunlop M-Fil 300, maybe they play similiar. I love the look too the racquet look's very very nice. So since you had the M-Fil 200 and switched to the Aerogel 200 did they play similiar? So would this probably mean the M-Fil 300 and Aerogel 300 will be almost similiar? Can't wait, also do you have an estimated price range for the racquet?

 

[mutt]

Any pictures?

 

[pNoyr3D]

Here ya go 200/300

 

[mileslong]

great now that im all excited about my redondo dunlop is already calling me back home

 

[Grimjack]

Right. Because that's been the problem with racquets for years: they simply aren't made of materials capable of supporting enough weight.

Another bogus marketing gimmick they're hoping will dupe an ignorant public into shelling out hundreds of dollars in compensation for an additional 2 cents worth of actual materials. Sounds like they'll succeed again.

Well played, Dunlop.

 

[pNoyr3D]

This racquet sounds like it will come out to be pretty expensive. I am thinking maybe $150 - $200 range, hopefully it will be like the M-Fil series and come out in the low $100's .. Probably not .. Anyways anyone know an estimated date of the arrival of this product to the states? How about TW is there an estimated date? Hm you said Early 2006, around what time like Jan or Feb maybe?

 

[returner]

cheaper mfils on the way...cool.

 

[nikolaih]

Right. Because that's been the problem with racquets for years: they simply aren't made of materials capable of supporting enough weight.

Another bogus marketing gimmick they're hoping will dupe an ignorant public into shelling out hundreds of dollars in compensation for an additional 2 cents worth of actual materials. Sounds like they'll succeed again.

Well played, Dunlop.

Couldn't the same thing have been said about Graphite frames originally?

I'm not predicting that this material will be as revolutionary, but I wouldn't be so quick to place materials changes in the same basket as other gimmicky technologies either.

 

[Redflea]

cheaper mfils on the way...cool.

 

[Rafa's best friend]

If anyone know Dunlop people, Can you guys please ask them to make the aerogel 500 tour at 27.5 inches long with 100 sq inche headsize. Please, i beg you. Also make the aerogel 500 with same specs as well. thank you

 

[sureshs]

What is the static weight? If it is like 1 oz, then it is a revolution. If it is like 10.5 oz, most likely a gimmick.

And BTW, from Wikipedia, aerogels indeed are on the nanoscale.

But then so are ordinary gels like gelatin.

 

[mileslong]

i wonder if these gelatin dunlops will have fruit cubes included in the frame....

 

[Roffey]

i wonder if these gelatin dunlops will have fruit cubes included in the frame....

And everyone will wonder how they get it to float in place instead of just sinking

 

[Rafa's best friend]

Why is 27.5 inches long racket with midsize headsize dieing out?? It seems like all the 27.5 inch long frames are oversize rackets now???

 

[jmoney]

The main differences I found between the M-fil 200 / 300 and the Aerogel 200 / 300 is the soft feel at the point of contact with the Aerogels and how solid the frame felt when I didn't quite get the sweetspot. I'm a 5.0 player and I know when I get my hands on a good racquet. The 200 and 500 Tour felt really, really good even though they are completely different. The 200 felt like it was about 12 oz and the 500 Tour felt like it was about 11.5 oz. The 200 is flexible just like the M-Fil version but the 500 Tour was stiff and had great pop. Once I got used to the stiffness I felt like my forehand was unreal.
The 300 felt like it was about 11 oz and was pretty flexible. It just felt like a step up from the M-Fil version. I know a lot of people love the M-fil version so they should love the improvements. The 500 felt like it was about 10.5 oz and was stiff just like the 500 Tour. It lacked the same control as the Tour but would fit 3.0 - 4.0 players well.

All I'm saying is these are definitely racquets that everyone should try. My past 3 racquets have been Wilson Hyper Pro Staff 6.1 then Wilson nCode 6.1 16x18 then M-Fil 200 and now either the Aerogel 200 or 500 Tour when they come out. I just have to play some more with both racquets to decide if I like the stiffness. The Aerogels felt better than all the previous racquets I've used the past 5 years without question. Just try them when they come out and see what you think.

 

[pNoyr3D]

Sweet nice little review, I like how the Aerogel's are close to the M-Fils, that means i'll probably definately get an Aerogel 300.

Did you pay for the aerogel(s)? If so how much?

 

[jmoney]

I don't have them yet. They won't be available until Jan 07 I think. I just played with the demos that the rep had. I don't know how much they will be but I know they won't be at $99 like the M-Fil's. I'm guessing they'll be $160- $180 but that's just a guess.

 

[pNoyr3D]

Yeah I was estimating around that price too $150-$200, damn.. The review you made was nice, want's me to get it even more ahh! Jeeze, lol.. I might get them for my next tennis season when i'm a junior. I'm a sophomore right now, i'm am going to use my M-Fils for this season since I have been playing with them for about 5 months. I seriously can't wait until the aerogel's come out, I would spend around $160 for them.

You still have the aerogels with you? If so you should take some pictures.

 

[fielders_80]

Pretty soon we need to make an Aerogel Fan Club.

 

[____]

What about the string pattern?Still the same as the M-Fils?

Please get some pics for us

 

[BDAZ]

am i the only one who doesn't care for the paintjob? looks like an amalgamation of the HM and m-fil pj's. not particularly original, which is what made the m-fil pj so sweet.

 

[Redflea]

Yeah...I agree, I'm not too fond of the PJ on these, either. But pictures vs. real life can be very different. In any case, a racquet's PJ has never been a significant part of a decision for me to buy or not buy a racquet anyway. I don't mind if it's a sexy beast, but will bring home Ugly Betty if she gets the job done.

 

[jonolau]

To be honest with you guys, the only reason why I got the M-Fil 300 was because of the performance:cost ratio. I didn't get it for the M-Fil material or the PJ, but more the fact that it gets the job done well and very efficiently.

 

[Shane Reynolds]

Am I the only one wondering why these have the old Dunlop logo? Are we sure these aren't from that other Dunlop in Asia?

 

[mileslong]

Pretty soon we need to make an Aerogel Fan Club.

can we start a fan club about a racket that no one has ever hit before? that would be a whole new level of sickness...

 

[300Gkid]

Ok, i know ur lovin the 500 tour but really how is it different than the already out M-fil 400? Also, whats the color scheme for all the racquets besides 200/300, same as M-fils? And pics would be nice

 

[bertrevert]

pics on the first page of thsi thread

 

[bertrevert]

I have the old 300g. Geez it's be interesting if Dunlop take on the PD. It's a huge market. Racquet-of-the-decade territory. Wonder if they'll lose that player's racquet bare-bones feel with all this added tech?

 

[pNoyr3D]

pics on the first page of thsi thread

I think he might be talking about pics of the 400/500.. Well I could only find pics of the 200/300, I was hoping for jmoney to post pics, he seems to have played with one of them.

 

[bertrevert]

Earlier thread
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=123724

Thomas martinez comments on the cosmetics and has seen them but appears not hit with them (darn it).

So the 500 is noticeably stiff. The 200/300 noticeably flexier. Sounds right.

Are there drilled holes in these things too? Please, please let there not be drilled holes. None. Zip. Yes?

"Feels like the best racquet of the last 5 years" - wow.

 

[jmoney]

Ok, i know ur lovin the 500 tour but really how is it different than the already out M-fil 400? Also, whats the color scheme for all the racquets besides 200/300, same as M-fils? And pics would be nice

The 500 tour plays nothing like the M-Fil 400. They have the same head size but that's about where the similarities end. It's an entirely brand new mold for Dunlop. It's heavier and stiffer than the M-Fil 400, the balance is different and it's a standard 27 in. instead of the 27.25 that the M-Fil 400 is.

I'll see what I can do about pics of the 500 and 500 tour. I don't currently have the racquets but I'm good friends with the rep so maybe I'll get some pics of them.

 

[mileslong]

jmoney, how does the new aerogel compare feel and playability wise to the MFil200 and the HW or MW 200G versions? things like feel, spin etc? im dying to know...

 

[Malaki5]

Do you know if any of these models will come in a 1/2 longer version?

 

[jmoney]

Do you know if any of these models will come in a 1/2 longer version?

I don't know. The rep said that they will roll out 3 or 4 more Aerogel racquets for the 2nd quarter 2007 but I'm not sure what they will be.

As for how the Aerogel 200 compares to the M-fil 200 or G...The aerogel definitely has a softer feel to the sweetspot. The power was similar to the previous versions but it feels more flexible than the m-fil version. The first thoughts I had when I hit with it were "soft and comfortable but very solid". I was hitting with a pro at a local club who uses the m-fil version and he noticed the same thing. He also said he feels no pain in his arm with the Aerogel but he does feel a little with the m-fil. And like I said before I noticed that the shots I hit a little off center still felt solid. I didn't get that unstable shock in my hand like I get with other rackets. Across the board (both the 200 and 300) I thought the Aerogel version played better than the previous versions. The 500 is a brand new mold so I had nothing to compare it to but the Tour is definitely a racquet I'll think about getting. I just need to go out and play a few matches with the 200 and with the 500 Tour and make a decision.

 

[ohplease]

I don't know. The rep said that they will roll out 3 or 4 more Aerogel racquets for the 2nd quarter 2007 but I'm not sure what they will be.

As for how the Aerogel 200 compares to the M-fil 200 or G...The aerogel definitely has a softer feel to the sweetspot. The power was similar to the previous versions but it feels more flexible than the m-fil version. The first thoughts I had when I hit with it were "soft and comfortable but very solid". I was hitting with a pro at a local club who uses the m-fil version and he noticed the same thing. He also said he feels no pain in his arm with the Aerogel but he does feel a little with the m-fil. And like I said before I noticed that the shots I hit a little off center still felt solid. I didn't get that unstable shock in my hand like I get with other rackets. Across the board (both the 200 and 300) I thought the Aerogel version played better than the previous versions. The 500 is a brand new mold so I had nothing to compare it to but the Tour is definitely a racquet I'll think about getting. I just need to go out and play a few matches with the 200 and with the 500 Tour and make a decision.

Sounds comparable to the situation with Wilson's frames pre- and post-nCode. Is that a fair comparison?

 

[Jackson Heights]

M-fil 400

Which of the new aerogel models will take the place of, or be comparable to, the M-fil 400?

 

[Kevin T]

Jmoney,

If you are familiar with the muscle weave frames, would you say the aerogels are more similar to the MW than the Mfils (please say yes)? Thanks.

 

[WhiteSox05CA]

Anyone know an exact date on the release of these racquets? All I've heard is January.
________
UNFORGETTABLE1 live

 

[Shane Reynolds]

The only website I could find (easily, anyway) that had these racquets was the Dunlop Japan site. I don't understand how there are two companies with the same name apparently operating independently, but that seems to be the case. We never got the RIM racquets here, either. The only thing that makes me think I'm wrong here is that the earlier posts mention getting info on the Aerogels from a rep, presumably here in the States.

 

[Semaj]

Wooo Go Dunlop; I Think I Will Just Get A New Aerogel Bag! Look The Part! And Everyone Said Dunlop Were Going Down The Pan. Turns Out They Have Had A Spate Of Good Thinking!

 

[asintu]

I just need to go out and play a few matches with the 200 and with the 500 Tour and make a decision.

So which one did you decide to go for?

 

[jackson vile]

I played with the 200g yester day brand new sturng fresh with Dunlop Tour.

I did not expect much from this racket and was not interested at all, just got it because I like to demo 4 rackets at a time.

Well the 200g was simply amazing, it had all the stability and control of a PC600. But it had more spin and a much larger sweetspot.

I really can't believe they got all of this into a 12oz racket, it is simply amazing.

I did not plan on wanting to further demo this racket, but I may buy it to further testing. I will test again today with moddifications.

Also want to say the Dunlop Tour was an extremely impressive string that I had been wanting to try, it is a firm crisp string, but yet soft pocket feel that is some how still very firm and crisp? Control is very nice from this string and I would put it right up there with the Yonex strings.


If anyone uses a prestige and a having a hard time on the basline or the racket ends up being to heavy or unmanuverable after modifications. Then you have got to try this racket.

The effect/feel is very simular to a PC600 but is much better for the basline and the MP series of the Prestige can't even compare.

The racket dose 100% everything extremely well.

 

[vsbabolat]

jackson vile, I agree with you Dunlop did a great job with the Aerogel 200. I thought it was light years better than the LM Prestige and Flexpoint Prestige. I thought the Aerogel 200 had a real nice solid feel that reminds me of the old HEAD feel that HEAD abandoned with the Liquidmetal and Flexpoint Prestige.

 

[TennisandMusic]

Interestingly I demoed the 200 from TW and it arrived today, but I did it to just try something I had not tried yet since it was basically nothing to add on (and then I ended up getting a 10 dollar credit for it). I was not interested in trying it in the least. However once I did I was impressed. REALLY impressed in fact. It was so comfortable, yet so solid feeling. I felt that I got out exactly what I put in and that it wasn't over or under powered. Spin was fine, I just felt like I was in perfect control and the feel was fantastic. I might have to pick one up...

 

[jackson vile]

Interestingly I demoed the 200 from TW and it arrived today, but I did it to just try something I had not tried yet since it was basically nothing to add on (and then I ended up getting a 10 dollar credit for it). I was not interested in trying it in the least. However once I did I was impressed. REALLY impressed in fact. It was so comfortable, yet so solid feeling. I felt that I got out exactly what I put in and that it wasn't over or under powered. Spin was fine, I just felt like I was in perfect control and the feel was fantastic. I might have to pick one up...

See that is exactly what I thought, my eyes poped out like this ...:shock:

Seriously you will not find a better racket at 12oz, and it still has room for customization and can stay at or under 12.5oz.

If you spend time at the basline then the 90sqin rackets really just aren't going to cut it, I think rackets like the RDS001mid are an exception as that is what they are specificly made for.

But really for prestige fans need to check this racket out, has that sold school classic solidness and feel to it.

You can not tell there are any technologies and that is the way it should be

 

[grimmbomb21]

I agree. I have been using an older pc600 for about a year. But I played with some higher level guys who told me it was to demanding and I should try something slightly more forgiving. The ag200 was a PERFECT fit. I'm just delaying the purchase because I just bought a new "trek font" Prestige. So I'll probably wait a while...

 

[rolliges]

Picked up a AG300 at the Sony Ericsson yesterday. Alu Rough strings at 54 lbs. Played today a little. Very nice racquet.

 

[jackson vile]

I agree. I have been using an older pc600 for about a year. But I played with some higher level guys who told me it was to demanding and I should try something slightly more forgiving. The ag200 was a PERFECT fit. I'm just delaying the purchase because I just bought a new "trek font" Prestige. So I'll probably wait a while...

Good for you, the PC600 is one of the greatest rackets of all time, and fact is no one can ever take that away and you should keep a hold of that and is still great fun.

But things have changed a lot, so thanks for the feedback