Dunlop bio 200 tour: wow!

[borgpro]

Today I could test it. If you like a heavy, control oriented players stick this is it. Rock stable, crisp, excellent control, heavy. I was very, very impressed. Groundstrokes were like dynamite. Volleys a dream. Serving was still a bit more difficult. The open string pattern is way nicer than the 18x20 on the 200. The 200 (also tested that) was more flimsy and less stable than the previous dunlop 200 versions (TW reviewers were right) and it almost felt like a toy compared to the tour version...
The tour reminded me of the Wilson prostaff 6.1 classic, but more crisp and with better touch!

 

[shadowshifter]

Nice! Any chance you've used and could compare it to the 4d 200 tour?
And how would you compare it to the biomimetic 200?
Thanks!

 

[kyear2]

anyone knows of availability in the us any time soon?

 

[Chas]

Nice! Any chance you've used and could compare it to the 4d 200 tour?
And how would you compare it to the biomimetic 200?
Thanks!

I bought one at the beginning of this season and put some comments on my comparison to the 4D 200 Tour here http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=372500

I've been using it now as my main racquet for our main match season and am really enjoying it. Definitely my best racquet (so far )

If you have specific questions about my experience with it, please ask.

 

[chippy17]

sorry to hijack but I have been looking at Dunlop's recently and like what i read but, as with most racquets, there seem to be variations within variations, for example:

http://www.**********.com/shop/tenn...unlop-aerogel-4d-200-16x19-tennis-627934.html

http://www.**********.com/shop/tenn...sale/dunlop-aerogel-4d-200-tennis-627933.html


http://www.sweatband.com/dunlop-aerogel-4d-200-tour-tennis-racket.html

can anyone tell me how many points head light these are? I am confused...

 

[kaiser]

I bought one at the beginning of this season and put some comments on my comparison to the 4D 200 Tour here http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=372500

I've been using it now as my main racquet for our main match season and am really enjoying it. Definitely my best racquet (so far )

If you have specific questions about my experience with it, please ask.

In the other thread you only give your initial impressions on the bio200t, could you give a more detailed update? I'm enjoying my two 4d200ts very much, but I'm curious if the new bio would be an improvement on an already very nice stick...

 

[shadowshifter]

I bought one at the beginning of this season and put some comments on my comparison to the 4D 200 Tour here http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=372500

I've been using it now as my main racquet for our main match season and am really enjoying it. Definitely my best racquet (so far )

If you have specific questions about my experience with it, please ask.

Thanks, nice thread! I'm curious about what you mean by the crisper feel of the Bio 200 Tour. Is the biomimetic stiffer than the 4D? Which one is more comfortable?

 

[shadowshifter]

Thanks, nice thread! I'm curious about what you mean by the crisper feel of the Bio 200 Tour. Is the biomimetic stiffer than the 4D? Which one is more comfortable?

sorry, don't mean to spam, but also, can you comment on the stability/twistweights of the two rackets as well?

 

[Chas]

I don't have any measuring equipment beyond the usual scales, ruler etc. so comments on stiffness and the like are going to be purely subjective.

I moved to the Fischer and then Dunlop lines a while back from my earlier Babolat and Yonex racquets because I'd had some arm trouble and needed a lower stiffness "comfortable" stick . That's also why I string at the lower tension end.

I'd say both the 4D Tour and Bio 200 Tour are very comfortable.

What I meant about the crispness was that although the stiffness ratings are similar it seems like the flex characteristics are different. I'm struggling a bit with words here, but the 4DT feels a bit more like the ball sinks in to the racquet as you hit the ball and there's a kind of soft connection between you and the ball. The B200T feels like there's a slightly more direct connection to the hand. It's almost like you're playing with a stiffer racquet but then the transmission of the impact is filtered by the shaft so that you don't get that slight jarring to the arm that a stiff racquet gives.

If I had to hazard a guess I'd say that they've stiffened up the head from the 4DT but kept sufficient flex in the throat/shaft to absorb the transmission and keep it comfortable.

Again - sorry for the inexactness.

In terms of spin and grip on the ball they are both similar and work great for my sw forehand and sh backhand. I get excellent bite for the topspin forehand and backhand and for backhand slice.

As I think I said in my previous comments, I find the B200T a little bit quicker through the air or "lighter" feeling so whereas on the serve I tend to let the weight do the work the the 4DT I can be a bit more wristy or whippy with the B200T if I want to eg. for a kick serve.

On volleys they are both stable and have a fairly large sweet spot. Again the slightly lighter/faster feeling of the B200T has helped get my racquet in to position a little better and the feedback from the head has helped with placement of volleys.

Perhaps the one area where the 4DT is better for me is on those doubles baseline reaction shots to a fast ball where you don't have time to take a full backswing and are effectively trying to block the ball back but give it some "oomph" and depth at the same time. Here the pocketing or weight/stiffness of the 4DT seems to give a more penetrating return.

I hope some of that helps.

 

[shadowshifter]

Chas, thanks a lot for the comparison! I hit with the bio 200 (non-tour), so I think I know what you mean about the flex. I wonder how much of the lighter biomimetic feeling is a reduced swingweight and how much is the aeroskin ... did you find the 4d version to be more torsionally stable than the biomimetic?

 

[Chas]

Chas, thanks a lot for the comparison! I hit with the bio 200 (non-tour), so I think I know what you mean about the flex. I wonder how much of the lighter biomimetic feeling is a reduced swingweight and how much is the aeroskin ... did you find the 4d version to be more torsionally stable than the biomimetic?

I assume you're referring to what might be called stability, particularly on off centre shots. If so, then to be honest I think I'd be hard pushed to tell them apart on that front.