Ezone 98 2022, Racket of the year or too early??

A

Aditya.spr

New User
I've been using the gravity pro for 3 years now, and last year I moved to England and I found the courts to be much faster and it was also my first time playing on grass. The racket just didn't feel the same in the cold months, I had started to face shoulder problems. The Gpro was not manoeuvrable enough for the grass courts and the dense string pattern did not help. After demoing a bunch of rackets I landed on the Ezone 98. Honestly the best sensation I ever got from a racket, which was crisp feeling but also soft at the same time. Great on serves and groundstrokes. I was a little hesitant to try it at first as all the reviews said that it ins't a great racket at the net, but I disagree with small tweaks you can defiantly make it more stable and solid feeling. Overall I just found it to be a racket which just gives me the ability to point and shoot, and it's a racket which rewards players who like to take big swings at every ball. Also the Ezone just has incredible tour presence and I only see it becoming one of the best selling rackets of the year!
After customisation my current specs unstrung are: 315g, 31mm balance, strung with RPM Blast@52 lbs.
 
Last edited:
Aditya.spr said:
I've been using the gravity pro for 3 years now, and last year I moved to England and I found the courts to be much faster and it was also my first time playing on grass. The racket just didn't feel the same in the cold months, I had started to face shoulder problems. The Gpro was not manoeuvrable enough for the grass courts and the dense string pattern did not help. After demoing a bunch of rackets I landed on the Ezone 98. Honestly the best sensation I ever got from a racket, which was crisp feeling but also soft at the same time. Great on serves and groundstrokes. I was a little hesitant to try it at first as all the reviews said that it ins't a great racket at the net, but I disagree with small tweaks you can defiantly make it more stable and solid feeling. Overall I just found it to be a racket which just gives me the ability to point and shoot, and it's a racket which rewards players who like to take big swings at every ball. Also the Ezone just has incredible tour presence and I only see it becoming one of the best selling rackets of the year!
After customisation my current specs unstrung are: 315g, 31mm balance, strung with RPM Blast@52 lbs.
Click to expand...
Leather grip??
 
Aditya.spr said:
I've been using the gravity pro for 3 years now, and last year I moved to England and I found the courts to be much faster and it was also my first time playing on grass. The racket just didn't feel the same in the cold months, I had started to face shoulder problems. The Gpro was not manoeuvrable enough for the grass courts and the dense string pattern did not help. After demoing a bunch of rackets I landed on the Ezone 98. Honestly the best sensation I ever got from a racket, which was crisp feeling but also soft at the same time. Great on serves and groundstrokes. I was a little hesitant to try it at first as all the reviews said that it ins't a great racket at the net, but I disagree with small tweaks you can defiantly make it more stable and solid feeling. Overall I just found it to be a racket which just gives me the ability to point and shoot, and it's a racket which rewards players who like to take big swings at every ball. Also the Ezone just has incredible tour presence and I only see it becoming one of the best selling rackets of the year!
After customisation my current specs unstrung are: 315g, 31mm balance, strung with RPM Blast@52 lbs.
Click to expand...
It is a great stick, and great on volleys with a little weight at 3 and 9.
 
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Aditya.spr said:
I've been using the gravity pro for 3 years now, and last year I moved to England and I found the courts to be much faster and it was also my first time playing on grass. The racket just didn't feel the same in the cold months, I had started to face shoulder problems. The Gpro was not manoeuvrable enough for the grass courts and the dense string pattern did not help. After demoing a bunch of rackets I landed on the Ezone 98. Honestly the best sensation I ever got from a racket, which was crisp feeling but also soft at the same time. Great on serves and groundstrokes. I was a little hesitant to try it at first as all the reviews said that it ins't a great racket at the net, but I disagree with small tweaks you can defiantly make it more stable and solid feeling. Overall I just found it to be a racket which just gives me the ability to point and shoot, and it's a racket which rewards players who like to take big swings at every ball. Also the Ezone just has incredible tour presence and I only see it becoming one of the best selling rackets of the year!
After customisation my current specs unstrung are: 315g, 31mm balance, strung with RPM Blast@52 lbs.
Click to expand...

You are not alone. I like the 98 too.

It would be interesting to see which racquets are the top-sellers globally.
 
PMF said:
You are not alone. I like the 98 too.

It would be interesting to see which racquets are the top-sellers globally.
Click to expand...

I also work part time at a tennis store and as of now the ezone's are really hot, and speed's are doing well. The clash v2 are very popular among the senior players. I also play tested the whole new range of Tecnifiber rackets and really liked them as well. In particular the TF40 is great as it's a perfect blend of the blade 98 and Ezone 98 if you go for the 16*19.
 
Ezone 98 is a good racquet, but lacks weight and bit muted. Maybe the Tour version of 2022, when it comes out!

So, definitely not the racquet of the year, as there are so many good ones recently came out!

Tecnifibre - TF40 line, RS*
Head - Auxetic and 360+ lines (Prestige, Speed, Gravity and Extreme)
Dunlop - CX200 line; SX* for spin and power
Wilson - new Blades and ProStaffs
Babalot - Pure* racquets (spin and power monsters)
Yonex - VCore Pros, EZones and VCores
Prince - Phantoms and the Tours
ProKennex - Black Ace and Q+ lines
Volkl - V1, 10, 9 etc series

Can't go wrong with any of those! One can just pick any line based on the required specs and the playing style.
 
Aditya.spr said:
I've been using the gravity pro for 3 years now, and last year I moved to England and I found the courts to be much faster and it was also my first time playing on grass. The racket just didn't feel the same in the cold months, I had started to face shoulder problems. The Gpro was not manoeuvrable enough for the grass courts and the dense string pattern did not help. After demoing a bunch of rackets I landed on the Ezone 98. Honestly the best sensation I ever got from a racket, which was crisp feeling but also soft at the same time. Great on serves and groundstrokes. I was a little hesitant to try it at first as all the reviews said that it ins't a great racket at the net, but I disagree with small tweaks you can defiantly make it more stable and solid feeling. Overall I just found it to be a racket which just gives me the ability to point and shoot, and it's a racket which rewards players who like to take big swings at every ball. Also the Ezone just has incredible tour presence and I only see it becoming one of the best selling rackets of the year!
After customisation my current specs unstrung are: 315g, 31mm balance, strung with RPM Blast@52 lbs.
Click to expand...
I'm glad it's working out better for you!
I'm actually looking at the Ezone 98 and maybe 100 as well to replace my the DR98s.
I'm curious, what's the power level of the Ezone 98 2022 vs the Ezone 98 2020?
 
It’s only April. Let’s see what else gets released in the next 7 months of 2022 and then have another discussion. I have however heard very good reviews from people who have just switched to the 2022 E Zone 98, particularly with its comfort and feel, so that’s an interesting development.
TW testers Michelle and Mark sound excited about the new Prince 98 Tours coming soon,
 
I had a pretty whirlwind affair with Yonex over the last year but ultimately had to move on from them. Whether you choose the EZone or the VCore line, the racquets are far too muted for my personal tastes. If muted is your thing, then they are great racquets.

In terms of comparable frames, the 2021 Rad MP is better than the EZ98. It's a platform frame that you can easily customize to your preferred specs, the feel is and response is significantly better, and it has all the versatility and maneuverability that you could want.
 
ryushen21 said:
I had a pretty whirlwind affair with Yonex over the last year but ultimately had to move on from them. Whether you choose the EZone or the VCore line, the racquets are far too muted for my personal tastes. If muted is your thing, then they are great racquets.

In terms of comparable frames, the 2021 Rad MP is better than the EZ98. It's a platform frame that you can easily customize to your preferred specs, the feel is and response is significantly better, and it has all the versatility and maneuverability that you could want.
Click to expand...
Last radical i played with for some years was the first extreme pro. Since then i never found a better one. I read good things about this 2021 Radical Mp but i really don't like the colors.
 
Tmano said:
Last radical i played with for some years was the first extreme pro. Since then i never found a better one. I read good things about this 2021 Radical Mp but i really don't like the colors.
Click to expand...
Everyone complains about the color. You have to put that side and hit with the thing. It's an awesome frame.
 
ryushen21 said:
Everyone complains about the color. You have to put that side and hit with the thing. It's an awesome frame.
Click to expand...
Head really picked a sad scheme color without any doubt here but yes it should not influence the racquet's quality........but it does a little unfortunately.
 
Tmano said:
Head really picked a sad scheme color without any doubt here but yes it should not influence the racquet's quality........but it does a little unfortunately.
Click to expand...
I disagree. Orange has been part of the Radical color scheme for a long time. And loud colors are pretty popular right now.
 
ryushen21 said:
I had a pretty whirlwind affair with Yonex over the last year but ultimately had to move on from them. Whether you choose the EZone or the VCore line, the racquets are far too muted for my personal tastes. If muted is your thing, then they are great racquets.

In terms of comparable frames, the 2021 Rad MP is better than the EZ98. It's a platform frame that you can easily customize to your preferred specs, the feel is and response is significantly better, and it has all the versatility and maneuverability that you could want.
Click to expand...
Prefer the radical mp too
 
Short answer, Yes!
For an easy to use, won’t kill your arm, midway point between player and tweener racquet, with reasonable feel that was released this year and is selling well, yes the Ezone easily takes the win!
Is it the best racquet released this year for you, as per @PMF’s above post, maybe or maybe not. :)
 
Tmano said:
I'm glad it's working out better for you!
I'm actually looking at the Ezone 98 and maybe 100 as well to replace my the DR98s.
I'm curious, what's the power level of the Ezone 98 2022 vs the Ezone 98 2020?
Click to expand...

Well I would say the dr98 is more crisp feeling, but what I liked about the 98 2022 is that it assists you a little more with the power, even on the days where im not able to hit the ball the way I want to, Im still confident. The 98 2022 is also better for the arm cause it's more plus, with the dr 98 I did have a few long matches where I had this sensation of pain in my forearm. Because the 98 2022 is a 305 grams it's a perfect platform to customise and change the balance and SW to your liking.
 
Aditya.spr said:
Well I would say the dr98 is more crisp feeling, but what I liked about the 98 2022 is that it assists you a little more with the power, even on the days where im not able to hit the ball the way I want to, Im still confident. The 98 2022 is also better for the arm cause it's more plus, with the dr 98 I did have a few long matches where I had this sensation of pain in my forearm. Because the 98 2022 is a 305 grams it's a perfect platform to customise and change the balance and SW to your liking.
Click to expand...
Thanks Aaditya.spr! If i can have some extra power then i like the EZ2022 better and if it's even more comfortable that's a plus!
Did you het to try the previous EZ 2020?
 
Tmano said:
Thanks Aaditya.spr! If i can have some extra power then i like the EZ2022 better and if it's even more comfortable that's a plus!
Did you het to try the previous EZ 2020?
Click to expand...

Yes, That was a bit too powerful and muted for me. The 2022 was a perfect blend of the previous gen and the dr98.
 
Aditya.spr said:
I've been using the gravity pro for 3 years now, and last year I moved to England and I found the courts to be much faster and it was also my first time playing on grass. The racket just didn't feel the same in the cold months, I had started to face shoulder problems. The Gpro was not manoeuvrable enough for the grass courts and the dense string pattern did not help. After demoing a bunch of rackets I landed on the Ezone 98. Honestly the best sensation I ever got from a racket, which was crisp feeling but also soft at the same time. Great on serves and groundstrokes. I was a little hesitant to try it at first as all the reviews said that it ins't a great racket at the net, but I disagree with small tweaks you can defiantly make it more stable and solid feeling. Overall I just found it to be a racket which just gives me the ability to point and shoot, and it's a racket which rewards players who like to take big swings at every ball. Also the Ezone just has incredible tour presence and I only see it becoming one of the best selling rackets of the year!
After customisation my current specs unstrung are: 315g, 31mm balance, strung with RPM Blast@52 lbs.
Click to expand...
I switched to the 2022 Ezone 98 back in March (after 12 years of playing with the Babolat AeroPro Drive / Pure Aero) and have been super happy with it. I've been in the rat hole of 'finding the right string setup' for the racquet.

There was a small adjustment period going to the Ezone but nothing too drastic. I completely agree that this racquet likes fast swings.
 
iceman_dl6 said:
The 2022 EZ98 is a very versatile frame and because of its light static weight and low SW, it is easy to customize it to your taste.
Click to expand...
I completely agree here. I added a leather grip and 8 grams of lead at 10 and 2(extending further down as well). I think the leather grip gives you more feedback and takes away from the muted feel, I don't find this racket muted at all. With these tweaks it is such a solid and forgiving racket. Perfect blend of control and power for me.
 
Mwr1234 said:
I completely agree here. I added a leather grip and 8 grams of lead at 10 and 2(extending further down as well). I think the leather grip gives you more feedback and takes away from the muted feel, I don't find this racket muted at all. With these tweaks it is such a solid and forgiving racket. Perfect blend of control and power for me.
Click to expand...

After I added lead at 10 and 2 (4 grams) and weight in the handle the ball is shooting off the strings in an almost uncontrollable way. Did you have this same experience?
 
I still find it more controlled than powerful. I hit a very flat backhand but a lot of spin on my forhand and it works great for me on both wings.
 
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Is this the best racquet out there right now? Thing is awesome.
Oh wait, I'm talking about the 100.
 
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Waiting for the EZT. When is that coming out?
OP it sounds like with the weight you added you're pretty close to EZT spec. Just a touch more HL.
I use the OG EZT with 5g in the handle (plus another 5g overgrip), and it's perfect for me.
 
Chalkdust said:
Waiting for the EZT. When is that coming out?
OP it sounds like with the weight you added you're pretty close to EZT spec. Just a touch more HL.
I use the OG EZT with 5g in the handle (plus another 5g overgrip), and it's perfect for me.
Click to expand...
Believe it’s supposed to be released later this summer…
 
I like the racket for almost every shot except for volleys. Is there something I could do to fix the unstable/dead feeling for volleying? Already added 2g at 10&2 and 2g in the buttcap
 
So currently as of the 18th or 17th of May, depending on which side of the world you are on, what other racquets are the contenders, alongside the E Zone frames for racquet of 2022 so far? At present you could include the new Head Speed Pro, the Tecnifibre TF 40 305, Dunlop SX 300, Babolat Strike VS, Clash V2, Artengo 960 Control Tour, and Twistpower 105. There’s also some new frames coming from a Pro Kennex, Prince and Volkl I am told. Has anyone hit with the new Donnay Unibody frames?
I will be getting together with my tennis community here to test the new Ezone and discuss our thoughts. One of my colleagues has bought one and likes it so far.
Michelle at TW was very positive about the new Prince ATS Tour 98 coming soon, so we shall see how it compares to the Yonex E Zone.
 
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Infineon said:
Grapplesnake tour sniper 23/22kg
Click to expand...
Was going to suggest stringing lower to open up the sweet spot & liven your volleys up, but you are not stringing overly tight. You could try moving the lead to 3 & 9 & a touch at 12, that's what I've done with mine & I've been punching some mean volleys with it
 
Grieeegoorr said:
Was going to suggest stringing lower to open up the sweet spot & liven your volleys up, but you are not stringing overly tight. You could try moving the lead to 3 & 9 & a touch at 12, that's what I've done with mine & I've been punching some mean volleys with it
Click to expand...

In my experience, lead at 3 & 9 does help, but also at around 7 inches from the buttcap, which adds to that solid feel.
 
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