Extended Length Users -- Difference between a 28" and 27.5" Racquet

[flex]

Manufacturers would sometimes make a 27.5" if they decide to offer an "extended" version but 28" are rare. Two I could think of from the last few years are the SW104 and new Prince Longbody (any others?) (and discounting super oversize/beginners racquets)


For anyone that used a 28" and a 27.5" racquet before I'm curious to hear your experience with them. How they differ, pros/cons for your game and which one you ultimately prefer and why?

 

[SinneGOAT]

There is a definite increase in swingweight, I know that for sure.

 

[NRMM]

I played with 28' and 27'5 before. Blade series. I always preferred playing with extended length racquets since I play double handed forehand and backhand. To me the 28' just felt too much racquet to handle, I found issues with maneuverability, specially at the net and when timing was just off. The 27'5 is kinder overall , more forgiving and easier to play with. I still feel that sometimes it just has too much power and can be a little bit on the wild side (stability perhaps?) so I'm now using a Blade 102 customised to 27.6' - will report more when have played a few sets.

 

[Tennisist]

Fully agree with the assessment above.

For the same racquet which exists in 27, 27.5, and 28, the drop in manoeuverability is enourmous. And if 27" feels right to you, 28" may be outright unusable.

For extended length racquets to work, they need to be considerably lighter. This usually means a different racquet altogether. And those produce fantastic results: faster forehands and serves. Not great at the net. So, if you are looking to increase power from the baseline, this is not a bad way to achieve it.

 

[speedysteve]

Good to read of experiences.

Can but wonder how Schwartzman manages his 28" Racquet?! Amazing!

 

[flex]

I've been

I played with 28' and 27'5 before. Blade series. I always preferred playing with extended length racquets since I play double handed forehand and backhand. To me the 28' just felt too much racquet to handle, I found issues with maneuverability, specially at the net and when timing was just off. The 27'5 is kinder overall , more forgiving and easier to play with. I still feel that sometimes it just has too much power and can be a little bit on the wild side (stability perhaps?) so I'm now using a Blade 102 customised to 27.6' - will report more when have played a few sets.

Did you use the green/black version of the SW104 Autograph from a few years back... how would you compare that to the new Wilson 102 in 28" stock form? Is the 2 sq inch noticable at all?

 

[flex]

Good to read of experiences.

Can but wonder how Schwartzman manages his 28" Racquet?! Amazing!

Yeah I'm curious as well if people feel a difference between 28 vs 27.5 as well.

Regarding Schwartzman - I'd say he does it out of necessity specifically for the serve and overall reach to make up for as much as he can compared to his pro level competition.

For rec/league players, I don't think anything is ever a necessity but half of the fun is tinkering and trying new gears.

 

[briancheng]

Probably because I'm so used to 27" racquets, I can feel the difference with a 27.5 inch racquet but I can get used to it over time. The extra length decreases maneuverability a bit but you can achieve the same swingweight with a 27.5 inch racquet compared to a 27 inch racquet at much lower overall weight, which for me is a good tradeoff. The extra length on serve may be the best feature of added length.

28 inches is where maneuverability issues become a bit more overwhelming for me. Timing, especially on a one handed backhand and reflex volleys, becomes more difficult, requiring very early preparation. I could probably make it work well on clay, but I primarily play on hard courts. That said, I will say that the Pro Staff 6.1 Stretch (at 28 inches and with a huge SW) is hands down my GOAT racquet for serving.

 

[Injured Again]

For anyone that used a 28" and a 27.5" racquet before I'm curious to hear your experience with them. How they differ, pros/cons for your game and which one you ultimately prefer and why?

I used the 27.5" long Babolat Overdrive 110 for six years before switching to the 28" SW104 at the beginning of 2019. Most of the difference in hoop size was in the length of the Overdrive 110, so the sweet spot is about one inch further away in the SW104. I had a bit of an adjustment period but that was mostly due to the lower launch angle of the denser stringbed. The adjustment for the distance to the sweetspot was pretty quick, even though at first it felt like I was set up too far away to make good contact on groundstrokes. Adjustment on serves seemed pretty instantaneous, and adjustment for volleys probably took a couple of playing sessions.

I also went up in swingweight, from about 340 to 350, but never had problems with my one handed backhand, and after the initial adjustment period have no problems with volleys into my body. I don't choke down on the grip when at the net, but I haven't noticed any difference in being able to hit a ball directed at my racquet side hip. The main problem I have is the same as with any racquet - if a shot comes at my body and I choose a forehand volley when it should be a backhand volley, or vice versa, that's a problem.

I prefer the 28" long racquet. The extra length helps as I'm getting older and don't move as well. Undoubtedly a 350 swingweight 27" racquet swings and feels differently than a 28" long 350 swingweight racquet but the little bit of extra racquet head speed due to the length seems to compensate for the slightly lighter mass at the hoop.

 

[jmacdaununder2]

28" is hands down better on serves, especially with regards to angles and margin over net. 28" is also better for generating power off of nothing balls on clay in cool conditions with heavy balls - like Melbourne in winter for instance. 27.5" is, as you'd expect, better for returning fast serves, and for quick adjustments on volleys. I've used 28" Prince Equipe Mid+ (and 28" Prince 730s before that) for the last two decades; been using Babolat PDT+ some lately, but I'm 59 now. It's like a 3 Wood compared with a 1 Wood.

 

[flex]

28" is hands down better on serves, especially with regards to angles and margin over net. 28" is also better for generating power off of nothing balls on clay in cool conditions with heavy balls - like Melbourne in winter for instance. 27.5" is, as you'd expect, better for returning fast serves, and for quick adjustments on volleys. I've used 28" Prince Equipe Mid+ (and 28" Prince 730s before that) for the last two decades; been using Babolat PDT+ some lately, but I'm 59 now. It's like a 3 Wood compared with a 1 Wood.

Honestly if you were given a blacked out racquet within your normal spec and strings. And you had to guess if it was 27.5 or 28 do you think you could confidently tell?

 

[bleno567]

Honestly if you were given a blacked out racquet within your normal spec and strings. And you had to guess if it was 27.5 or 28 do you think you could confidently tell?

You didn't ask me, but 1000% you can easily tell.

 

[Nostradamus]

28 inch is the best, but nobody makes it

 

[BlueB]

28s were always too beasty for me.
Most of 27.5s offered increase in power and spin, but less control.
The only two 27.5s that feel just right (meaning I can't really tell if I played a 27 or 27.5, control wise) were older versions of Blade 104 and Prince O3 Tour OS.

 

[bleno567]

Manufacturers would sometimes make a 27.5" if they decide to offer an "extended" version but 28" are rare. Two I could think of from the last few years are the SW104 and new Prince Longbody (any others?) (and discounting super oversize/beginners racquets)

For anyone that used a 28" and a 27.5" racquet before I'm curious to hear your experience with them. How they differ, pros/cons for your game and which one you ultimately prefer and why?

For me, my game really developed in high school, at which point is switched from an i.prestige MP XL to the Prince graphite longbody. Now, I've adjusted my mechanics so that I hit pretty close to the center of the stringbed with that length. If I try to go down to 27.5, I will be shanking a lot of balls on the upper hoop.

I've never been the fastest mover, so the extra reach is huge for me, especially hitting 2 hands on the backhand. I also play more of a grinder style, but I also rely heavily on my serve and forehand as weapons, and the 28" gives me the reach and swingweight I need to take large cuts at the ball.

The cons in terms of play are that I feel like I lost a bit of control standard length users have for finesse shots and my volleys have a slower reaction time. The real con though is the lack of options. I pretty much either have to use a Prince longbody, an angell, a SW Blade, or a pro stock if I get lucky and find one for a good price on the fleabay.

I recently came across a friend of a low level pro on **** that had blacked out YT IG Prestige pro stocks that were about 27.9" long, and decided to pull the trigger on them. I think it's an improvement. I get all the reach I need, and they are noticeably more maneuverable.

 

[graycrait]

I never thought the extra 1" on a racket helped me in any way other than serve. That extra 1" on serve is huge for me. Problem is that it does not improve any other aspect of my game and is a detriment in my mind in all other areas. In normal head sizes I have around a dozen extended rackets and had a dozen more PCG 100 LBs at one time which I cut down and gave away over time. The most effective length compromise for me is 27&3/8.

I so wanted XTP buttcaps to work for me and I did everything to skim off as much additional width they had as possible. Still no love for them.

Seeing as I have shifted to Head Rad OS's I am still trying to divine a practical extension solution. This might be it: https://rpnytennis.com/product/****-buttcap-hh/ On the surface the Prokes pallets are 8.5" and my spare TK57 is only 7.75". But in no way can a pallet with the structural rigidity of a stock TK57 pallet be extended, they are light and relatively brittle and have proven unreliable even when used with custom wooden inserts. If the Prokes' pallets are rigid enough to extend past the hairpin then they me be a practical solution to get me 3/8" extension on a Rad OS.

The only other solution to get 27&3/8 would be a custom molded handle and I doubt that would be "practical" (affordable for this side of Hard Rock Candy Mountain).

 

[whomad15]

I've been using the POG LB for quite a while, I never had issues adjusting to the length.

My 2008 is balanced *completely* differently to the 2014ish ones, and it's super easy to swing despite being the same static weight. I don't know what Prince changed with the 2014 re-release, but they really mucked it up in my opinion.

Volleying is the only part that really changes with the longer length in my opinion, because you have to change your technique a bit (and you can get jammed more easily by body shots). More punch, less swing. IIRC the Bryan Bros played with 28" during the prince exo3 days

 

[flex]

I so wanted XTP buttcaps to work for me and I did everything to skim off as much additional width they had as possible. Still no love for them.

I just recently found out about these. How does it stay in place? Do you have to glue and/or staple?

I'm imagining that you stick it into the end of the handle and 0.5 inch just flares out...?

Wouldn't this make the width of the grip bigger as well? (say from 3/8 to 1/2)

 

[graycrait]

@flex , there are instructions as to how to attach with heat and rubber cement I believe. I heated, then stapled and then taper ground the part of the XTP that extends up the handle.

 

[SCSI]

I have used the POG LB 100, a 28" frame, then went to i.Prestige Xtralong which is supposed to be a 27.5" frame. I had no trouble switching between these two. And, much of that is due to the fact that both have very manageable swing weight and decidedly headlight balance. So, what I am saying here is that it very much depends on the particular frame.

The hard part about preferring to play with a slightly longer frame is that in reality there are maybe only a couple of real options. Too many of them have unacceptably high swing weight or just too powerful and not so control oriented. See if you can find a control oriented frame like the i.Prestige XL with the swing weight of 325-330 gram range.

BTW, I have noticed that i.Prestige XLs are more like 27.35" and noticeably shorter than other true 27.5" frames like Babolat PD+ or Yonex plus models. Even though it is only marginally longer, I have been able to get to so many more balls that I wouldn't be able to touch with a regular length racket. Whenever I do hit a ball that I have no business touching, and win the point, I shout out "longbody!" It actually helps me volley better not to mention the extra reach.

I think it is partly mental and it may also have a lot to do with the balance and swing weight of the i.Prestige XL. I do have regular length i.Prestige MPs but they feel stubby to me.

 

[2ndServe]

28 is great for serves, it's control on the ground strokes and returns especially is awful. I also found recoil weight and twist weight worst as a hard hit ball off center also enacts a greater force on the the racket and wrist greater than a 27" racket. It also makes you run a bit slow because the weight is further away. 27.5 is manageable 28 is just not conducive to rallies.

I guess it depends on your game but if you depend on a serve you can use the 28 and give up control on every other shot. If you've got great wheels and you depend on groundies then a 27 or even 26.75 is better. Better control, better feel, faster to move at the net, actually faster to run around with a short racket Also string gauge 16 vs 18 is very noticeable on an 28 inch racket. But I mean the serve is so important you may want to give up all that control for that one shot. I mean there are guys like Karlovic, Opelka, Johnson, Raonic, Fel Lopez who basically live on the serve to setup the point and the rest of their game is kind of awful but they can compete with most anyone when the serve is working.

 

[BenC]

I used a Prince Thunderbolt Longbody 28" a loooong time ago and my prevailing memory of it was getting jammed often on my groundstrokes and having to lean away from the ball to hit it.

 

[jmacdaununder2]

Honestly if you were given a blacked out racquet within your normal spec and strings. And you had to guess if it was 27.5 or 28 do you think you could confidently tell?

Absolutely, night and day, chalk and cheese!!

 

[bleno567]

My 2008 is balanced *completely* differently to the 2014ish ones, and it's super easy to swing despite being the same static weight. I don't know what Prince changed with the 2014 re-release, but they really mucked it up in my opinion.

Completely agree. Coming from the earlier version, the 2014 release was unplayable. I hope Prince fixed the weighting issues in the phantom LB.

 

[Johnny505]

Good to read of experiences.

Can but wonder how Schwartzman manages his 28" Racquet?! Amazing!

Mark Petchey, one of the commentator on BBC Sport made the comment during the mens final yesterday that Schwartzman is using a 29in frame (?), the longest allowed.

I've hit with the VCore 98+ having payed with the standard VCore 98 mostly and found it difficult to manoeuvre quickly at the net. The extra SW is welcomed but decided to stick with the standard 27" as this is what I have always played with since started tennis many years ago. Might switch to the longer length when I get too old to run for shots.

 

[NRMM]

I've been



Did you use the green/black version of the SW104 Autograph from a few years back... how would you compare that to the new Wilson 102 in 28" stock form? Is the 2 sq inch noticable at all?

Not at all - same feel as SW104

 

[speedysteve]

Mark Petchey, one of the commentator on BBC Sport made the comment during the mens final yesterday that Schwartzman is using a 29in frame (?), the longest allowed.

I've hit with the VCore 98+ having payed with the standard VCore 98 mostly and found it difficult to manoeuvre quickly at the net. The extra SW is welcomed but decided to stick with the standard 27" as this is what I have always played with since started tennis many years ago. Might switch to the longer length when I get too old to run for shots.

Yes, I heard him say it too.
Perhaps he's more recently gone The whole nine yards?
Or Petch was wrong?

Schwartzman's racquet does look looong though!
Be about right proportionally for Karlovic/Isner/Opelka