Feedback on these rackets? Dunlop, Yonex, Vokl, babolat...

S

str33tspirit

Rookie
I'm thinking about replacing my kblade 98. I need a bit more pop and spin (so no more 18x20, only 16x19 or 16x18). Does anyone can tell me more about these following rackets and if possible, compare it to the kblade98.

Dunlop Aerogel 4D 500 tour

Dunlop Aerogel 500

Babolat Pure Drive GT Plus

Yonex S-Fit

Yonex S-Fit 1 Lite

Volkl Powerbridge 8

Wilson Kobra Team FX

Dunlop Aerogel 4D 300
 
If you are going to have the 500 tour as an option, you might as well demo the Pure Drive Roddick GT. A much better frame imho.
 
grimmbomb21 said:
If you are going to have the 500 tour as an option, you might as well demo the Pure Drive Roddick GT. A much better frame imho.
Click to expand...

I tried it and liked it. Good pop and good spin but too heavy. I felt tired after 2 sets. I was also consistently late on fast flat ball coming straight at me. I need more maneuverability. I did try the regular GT but it had a full synthetic gut on it and didn't feel the same at all. It didn't feel crisp, kinda hollow. I need to re-try it.
When I look at the specs, the 500 tour is lighter than the GT Roddick. Does it play heavy?
 
Hominator said:
I play with the PB8. It's a very comfortable frame while remaining stiff. What questions do you have?
Click to expand...

So it's stable? That sounds like the perfect stick if it can be stiff and comfortable at the same time. How does it feel on topspins and slices? Any downside?
 
str33tspirit said:
So it's stable? That sounds like the perfect stick if it can be stiff and comfortable at the same time. How does it feel on topspins and slices? Any downside?
Click to expand...

The PB8 is comfortable in that it doesn't harsh or hollow to me. It's excellent for those who hit w/heavy spin, like myself. A lot of people say that it is a more comfortable Pure Drive GT. To me, it's kind of like a slightly muted Pure Drive - a Pure Drive w/out the edge, if that makes sense. If the Pure Drive's power is a 10, the PB8's power would be an 8.

Check out TW's write-up and customer reviews:

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Volkl_Power_Bridge_8/descpageRCVOLKL-VPB8.html
 
BTW - I also own a pair of Pure Drive Roddicks and know what you mean about the weight. The PB8 is much more arm freindly over the course of a match. I think you'll really like the PB8.
 
I play with a Blade 98 as well. 2 rackets of my friends that I've tried and enjoyed are the Head Radical and the Yonex RDS 100 (or somehing like that). It's the yellow one.
 
Icedorb217 said:
How about the Becker Pro its on sale and looks pretty good
Click to expand...

Some people on this board say that the Becker Pro is similar to the PB8, except that it has more pop to it. If I didn't already use the PB8, I'd probably check it out as it sounds intriguing, especially if the Becker PRo retains that Volkl "feel." I've never used it, however.
 
Icedorb217 said:
How about the Becker Pro its on sale and looks pretty good
Click to expand...

I saw they had an updated version. I like the specs, it's really similar to the other ones. I'm gonna add it on my demo list.


Btw, does anyone know where each brand manufactures their products? From what I know, Babolat, Head and Wilson all manufacture them in China. Yonex, however, make their rackets in Japan. How about the other brands? This might seem not important but it kinda plays in my head and I might push the non "made in China" ones to the top of my demo list.
 
Hominator said:
The PB8 is comfortable in that it doesn't harsh or hollow to me. It's excellent for those who hit w/heavy spin, like myself. A lot of people say that it is a more comfortable Pure Drive GT. To me, it's kind of like a slightly muted Pure Drive - a Pure Drive w/out the edge, if that makes sense. If the Pure Drive's power is a 10, the PB8's power would be an 8.

Check out TW's write-up and customer reviews:

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Volkl_Power_Bridge_8/descpageRCVOLKL-VPB8.html
Click to expand...

I'll definitely try it if it has a better feel than the Pure Drive. I just don't understand why the Pure drive felt so different from the Roddick version. I was hoping for the same feeling in a lighter version. It just wasn't crisp and it was so obvious when I switched back to my kb98. But it might be because of the ****ty string that was on it. I'm used to play with poly and I feel that my kb98 with poly had almost as much pop than the pure drive with synthetic gut with more crisp.
 
TennisNinja said:
I play with a Blade 98 as well. 2 rackets of my friends that I've tried and enjoyed are the Head Radical and the Yonex RDS 100 (or somehing like that). It's the yellow one.
Click to expand...

I hit couple balls with the Radical Microgel MP and thought it was really similar to kb98 with a softer feel. But I heard the Youtek version wasn't great and I'm looking for a racket with an open string pattern. The RDS 100 looks too heavy for me. My weight range is 10.5 - 11.3 oz.
 
i play w the PDR, full poly @ 60 in the winter and 62 in the summer.

Your right the reg PD doesn't feel quite as strong but especially with a non poly set up. I am probably going to experiment a little bit with some lead tape maybe in the throat to see if just a little bit of weight might help. It may feel better with a softer poly and 17 gage string. I was looking at the babolat sheets and many wta and atp pros that play with it play with a 17 gage poly and that may help also. I love the power and spin and feel of the PDR GT but like you would like something a tad lighter that swings faster and more manuverable.

Also played with Becker pro and it was pretty good but didn't play with it long enough to switch to it.

Interested in the new one . My guess is its a tad more solid. PB8 didnt feel as solid to me. Of course Im use to the PDR so not much will.

I am really inyterested in what the new APD GT will play likme because I loved the feel and spin but against heavy hitters wasn't crazy about it.

5.5 head pro
 
I demod from TW the PDGT, AG4D500T, TF SF300, and one other, at the same time to try all of the top 300 gram/320mm balance sticks that I was inderested in. The Dunlop AG 4D 500 Tour was the most solid and felt the best by far. The PDGT was very close though, the TF 300 Speedflex was like hitting with a board. It felt far stiffer than the others to me.

Keep in mind I am only a 3.0, so my tastes aren't quite as refined yet as some others.
 
Last edited:
str33tspirit said:
I'm thinking about replacing my kblade 98. I need a bit more pop and spin (so no more 18x20, only 16x19 or 16x18). Does anyone can tell me more about these following rackets and if possible, compare it to the kblade98.

Dunlop Aerogel 4D 500 tour

Dunlop Aerogel 500

Babolat Pure Drive GT Plus

Yonex S-Fit

Yonex S-Fit 1 Lite

Volkl Powerbridge 8

Wilson Kobra Team FX

Dunlop Aerogel 4D 300
Click to expand...

A lot of these frames are rather new n I doubt that a lot of guys have hit with all of them to compare it against the KB98.

And if you are dead set against 18x20 sticks then this is my list for you to consider as I too had the KB98 & KBT.

Speed MP 16x19
Volkl DNX 9
Head Microgel Prestige Pro
RDS003

mawashi
 
mawashi said:
A lot of these frames are rather new n I doubt that a lot of guys have hit with all of them to compare it against the KB98.

And if you are dead set against 18x20 sticks then this is my list for you to consider as I too had the KB98 & KBT.

Speed MP 16x19
Volkl DNX 9
Head Microgel Prestige Pro
RDS003

mawashi
Click to expand...

mawashi,
except for the RDS003, those rackets are in a whole other weight range compare to the OP's list
 
ManuGinobili said:
mawashi,
except for the RDS003, those rackets are in a whole other weight range compare to the OP's list
Click to expand...

Thx for the suggestions Mawasho. Is Yonex coming with a new line soon?
I tried the Youtek Speed MP and found it kinda low powered and it vibrates a lot. I'm looking for a more solid feel. I never tried Prestige but it seems more like a player racket.
 
Uncle Emmitt said:
you may want to demo the Kpro Open or wait for the BLX pro open coming out soon
Click to expand...

The Kpro Open looks pretty good. It has the same weight than my kblade 98 but has open string pattern and thicker beam. Have you ever tried it? I like the feel of my kblade but have hard time with the spins like on kick serves, topspins on short balls and with the slices (it gets worse when my strings get a bit loose which I feel tends to happen quicker with this stick). I used to slice so well with my 6.1 ncode and I feel like the string pattern has something to do with it because I was slicing better with the pd GT.
I'll definitely try the PDGT with poly when I have the chance.
 
Mig1NC said:
I demod from TW the PDGT, AG4D500T, TF SF300, and one other, at the same time to try all of the top 300 gram/320mm balance sticks that I was inderested in. The Dunlop AG 4D 500 Tour was the most solid and felt the best by far. The PDGT was very close though, the TF 300 Speedflex was like hitting with a board. It felt far stiffer than the others to me.

Keep in mind I am only a 3.0, so my tastes aren't quite as refined yet as some others.
Click to expand...

Is the TF 300, the Dunlop 4D 300? The 500 tour does like something I'm looking for. The non-tour version seems too light.
 
str33tspirit said:
Thx for the suggestions Mawasho. Is Yonex coming with a new line soon?
I tried the Youtek Speed MP and found it kinda low powered and it vibrates a lot. I'm looking for a more solid feel. I never tried Prestige but it seems more like a player racket.
Click to expand...

Sorry that most of those sticks are rather heavier than what you had requested. I've have the speed mp 18x20 n tried a friend's 16x19 n they don't vibrate.

Now I've heard a lot of guys who have said x or y racquet vibrates etc, etc but a lot of times it is the bad strings or wrong tension that causes a lot of the problems.

I used the RDS003 for quite a while n found it a darn good tweener's stick n a lot more fun than the KB98.

The Volkl DNX 9 looks like a real nice stick too.

Demo as many sticks as you can, you just might find something you like that's either on my list or others.

mawashi
 
str33tspirit said:
Is the TF 300, the Dunlop 4D 300? The 500 tour does like something I'm looking for. The non-tour version seems too light.
Click to expand...

By TF 300 SF I was trying to come up with a cool acronym for the Tecnifibre Speedflex 300, which on paper has the same weight and balance as the PDGT and Dunlop AG4D500T. I guess I failed :)
 
Mig1NC said:
By TF 300 SF I was trying to come up with a cool acronym for the Tecnifibre Speedflex 300, which on paper has the same weight and balance as the PDGT and Dunlop AG4D500T. I guess I failed :)
Click to expand...

Lol I thought about demoing it too. But tennis warehouse doesn't have it for demo :(
 
I can only give feedback on the 500 Tour and BB Pro, and I'd say that the 500 Tour feels a lot more solid. The BB Pro stock is lighter and a little less spin friendly due to the grommet placement in comparison to the 500 Tour.

There's a guy who's a Volkl shill who repeatedly claims that it's the PDR on steroids, but it simply doesn't have the mass for this to be true. It serves well, but definitively less so than the PDR. I do feel that it's a more comfortable/less arm killing than the PDR as well. So there's tradeoffs.

I feel that the BB Pro would be every bit as good as the 500 Tour if lead tape is placed appropriately. I'm still experimenting.
 
mawashi said:
Sorry that most of those sticks are rather heavier than what you had requested. I've have the speed mp 18x20 n tried a friend's 16x19 n they don't vibrate.
mawashi
Click to expand...

I have the Speed 16x19... It does vibrate a lil more than others on off center hits. Maybe ur too good to hit off center mawashi :)

I also looked at the reviews of all those rackets and decided to go with the AG500T. I'm looking for a fun, powerful tweener to play against 3.0s, too tiring having to constantly put away floaters with the Speed. The Dunlop supposedly has more power than the RDS003 , more control than the Pure Drive, and is cheaper than the PB8... looks like a totally fun racket to play with. It was tough to not go with the RDS003 though, just that the AG500T has closer static and swing weights to my Speed (so it isnt a drastic switch mid-session)

Hope that line of thought helps your process a bit.
 
Last edited:
ManuGinobili said:
I have the Speed 16x19... It does vibrate a lil more than others on off center hits. Maybe ur too good to hit off center mawashi :)

I also looked at the reviews of all those rackets and decided to go with the AG500T. I'm looking for a fun, powerful tweener to play against 3.0s, too tiring having to constantly put away floaters with the Speed. The Dunlop supposedly has more power than the RDS003 , more control than the Pure Drive, and is cheaper than the PB8... looks like a totally fun racket to play with. It was tough to not go with the RDS003 though, just that the AG500T has closer static and swing weights to my Speed (so it isnt a drastic switch mid-session)

Hope that line of thought helps your process a bit.
Click to expand...

I can't speak for others but I really didn't find the Speed MP 16x19 to vibrate much at all compared to some other sticks but everyone has a different view.

Personally if I was going to hit for fun with 3.0 players I would get mid sticks rather than tweeners as its really fun to hit with something that plays so sweet.

Just my 2 cents.

mawashi
 
drupha said:
I can only give feedback on the 500 Tour and BB Pro, and I'd say that the 500 Tour feels a lot more solid. The BB Pro stock is lighter and a little less spin friendly due to the grommet placement in comparison to the 500 Tour.

There's a guy who's a Volkl shill who repeatedly claims that it's the PDR on steroids, but it simply doesn't have the mass for this to be true. It serves well, but definitively less so than the PDR. I do feel that it's a more comfortable/less arm killing than the PDR as well. So there's tradeoffs.

I feel that the BB Pro would be every bit as good as the 500 Tour if lead tape is placed appropriately. I'm still experimenting.
Click to expand...

Volkl? But the 500 tour is a Dunlop. The PDR is very solid but way too heavy. How does it compare to the PDGT?
 
str33

yes I have played the k pro open. Felt pretty good but didnt try enough to make a switch. Im interested in the blx open and curious because of the look but mostly the medium power rating by TE. I have played some with the ncode open , k factor open but sense this one may be a tad more powerful yet very controllable. They are good spin racquets and have a stable feel. You may want to experiment with just a little lead tape on any of these you try. I think Wilson grips are a tad rounder than they use to be in the PS 6.1 days and I dont like that. Maybe Im wrong on that one but it felt that way to me. Ive played with Becker pro and PB 8. I would have to add lead to those for sure. The new Becker delta core pro would be interesting to try. The only thing is its hard to tell really if the demo is multi and you play full poly
 
Apdc

If speed and pop is what you want, why not try the APDC. I bad mouth this racket a lot on these threads (its the racket I use) but it gives you a tremendous amount of spin and power. I think it meets your weight requirements too.
 
I tried the APDC but not enough to judge. It felt too different from what i was used to and i think they were strung too tight for me... It was really dampened which hurt my backhand. Forehand was ok, I had a nice spin but it was really too dampened. I like when the racket makes a nice sound when you hit the sweetspot.

I already ordered my first set of demos, but it's taking like forever to come (damn backorder!)
These are the rackets I'm gonna try first and I let you know how they felt:

Volkl Powerbridge 8
Yonex S-Fit 1
Dunlop Aerogel 4D 500 Tour (was gonna demo the 500 too but would have to wait an extra 7 days o_O)
Becker Delta Core Pro
 
str33tspirit said:
I'm thinking about replacing my kblade 98. I need a bit more pop and spin
Click to expand...

Well thats simple - string your kblade with thinner string and/or add some lead around the loop.

Kblade is an 18x20, but it actually has medium-open string spacing
 
Last edited:
Anton said:
Well thats simple - string your kblade with thinner string and/or add some lead around the loop.

Kblade is an 18x20, but it actually has medium-open string spacing
Click to expand...

I use a really thin string already (17L - 1.18mm). I might try the lead if the demos are not convincing. But I already know that I was playing better with PDGT.
 
Got my AG500T last week, had about 3,4 hitting session now:

Neon yellow paint job!! Much better looking than in picture.

Got about 10 min to warm up and played a doubles set right away... This is such an easy racket to play with!! I dialed in immediately which took me by huge surprise, since my regular stick is a headlight, low powered one.
When I tested the Pure Drive, I had such a hard time on short backswings or serve return... and since I'm no wicked spinner I was def not able to hit all out with it. The AG500T on the other hand packs sweet power with such ease to direct them. It's not a hit on a dime racket but good feel for where the ball is goin. Played against a strong 4.0 teacher (yea it's SE Asia), had no trouble hitting hard against him.

Serve return was joy. Blocking back is effortless, and could attack weak serves with tremendous power and the right amount of spin.

Since this is a light stick it's quite maneuverable on volleys, and had exceptional touch. I had a few perfect drop shot volley while standing 5 feet from the net!

Flat serves were sweet. I had trouble getting the kick but that might be due to the loose Wilson Stamina string also - OK my form was off lol... Will slap on a kevlar hybrid and PolyStar Energy later to try.

Overall, no pinpoint racket and no cannon, but its power is good enough for me with little accuracy sacrificed . Real easy to generate power, can hit flat or spin. Very good stick for double play considering great feel on returning serve and volley.

One warning: is since it's quite light, you are susceptible to hit a few shots with bad form, so u should pay attention to good form while playing with this stick.

Good luck with your decision!
 
grimmbomb21 said:
If you are going to have the 500 tour as an option, you might as well demo the Pure Drive Roddick GT. A much better frame imho.
Click to expand...

It's such an individual choice. My feeling is just the opposite. I found that the PDR felt like a club and had no feedback. I hit reasonably well with it, but I felt it was because I can play. It was like muscle memory kicked in. Again... My 2 cents... But I also have played with the BB pro, and the Volkl PB8, mentioned earlier here, and for me, the 4D 500 tour was so superior. Better spin, serve, control. My slice backhand kills. I'm stringing with Babolat 17 gauge gut @ 60lbs. Good luck. I hope you find something that works for you.
 
I need more time to have a clear opinion but so far, the AG500T was my favorite after playing today. It's the heaviest among the 4 demos and the weight helped on the groundstrokes. Easy on the arm, good access to power but good control at the same time. I didn't volley much so I cant have an opinion on that. My only concern is the weight bc I wanted similar weight to KB98 or lighter but I might change my mind.
My second favorite was the Becker Pro. It's more dampened and feels much lighter. Very easy on the arm, serves were huge and nice feeling at the net. It was a bit more disappointing at the baseline. I think it needs lead tape (and I never put lead tape, so got no idea how different it would feel) cuz I had hard time hitting back heavy balls. I felt I got pushed back a bit or the racket wasn't as stable. But it was still better than the YONEX which was even more dampened but lacked feel. The Powerbridge 8 comes third. It felt good but my serve didn't have much pop. It was one of the most comfortable stick, though. It just lacked a bit of power. I don't know if it was because of the old string that was on. Now I need to play a whole set with each to have a better opinion.
 
drupha said:
I can only give feedback on the 500 Tour and BB Pro, and I'd say that the 500 Tour feels a lot more solid. The BB Pro stock is lighter and a little less spin friendly due to the grommet placement in comparison to the 500 Tour.
Click to expand...

Can you explain how the grommet placement affects the spin on the BB Pro? Thx
 
I've used and owned most of the racquets mentioned and the Dunlop 300 is by far the best stick of them all. Nothing comes close. Period.
 
by the way, does anyone know when did the Aerogeld 4D 500 tour come out? I see comments from 2008 in the customer reviews...Why would it say "new" on the website then? Are they coming with a new line this year?
 
ManuGinobili said:
I have the Speed 16x19... It does vibrate a lil more than others on off center hits. Maybe ur too good to hit off center mawashi :)

I also looked at the reviews of all those rackets and decided to go with the AG500T. I'm looking for a fun, powerful tweener to play against 3.0s, too tiring having to constantly put away floaters with the Speed. The Dunlop supposedly has more power than the RDS003 , more control than the Pure Drive, and is cheaper than the PB8... looks like a totally fun racket to play with. It was tough to not go with the RDS003 though, just that the AG500T has closer static and swing weights to my Speed (so it isnt a drastic switch mid-session)

Hope that line of thought helps your process a bit.
Click to expand...

Hi,

Can you share your string set-ups for your AG500Ts? Thanks so much..

Steve
 
500 tour is a sweet racket, if I were to go lighter (I play with wilson 6.1's) it would be my choice. Serves great, lots of controllable power, decent touch at the net I thought.
 
stingstang said:
500 tour is a sweet racket, if I were to go lighter (I play with wilson 6.1's) it would be my choice. Serves great, lots of controllable power, decent touch at the net I thought.
Click to expand...


Very interesting frame... with just a few mods.. mine is 12 oz. Man oh man does it serve big. I played doubles.. three sets. One DF.. about 5 aces..and about 15 service winners. I did not drop serve. I was the only one in the group to hold the entire day. Not the norm for me. I have to give a few string set-ups a try. Multis seem to create too much power off the ground for me. Early in the game for me..have to try a few more things.

Steve
 
prjacobs said:
It's such an individual choice. My feeling is just the opposite. I found that the PDR felt like a club and had no feedback. I hit reasonably well with it, but I felt it was because I can play. It was like muscle memory kicked in. Again... My 2 cents... But I also have played with the BB pro, and the Volkl PB8, mentioned earlier here, and for me, the 4D 500 tour was so superior. Better spin, serve, control. My slice backhand kills. I'm stringing with Babolat 17 gauge gut @ 60lbs. Good luck. I hope you find something that works for you.
Click to expand...

I share the same feeling with you here. Rallying with the PD is fun, but when I played a serious set with it I was total crap. Short swings (serve return) had zero feel and I was hesitant to swing all out with this racket the whole time. AG500T performs much better in doubles.

str33tspirit said:
I need more time to have a clear opinion but so far, the AG500T was my favorite after playing today. It's the heaviest among the 4 demos and the weight helped on the groundstrokes. Easy on the arm, good access to power but good control at the same time. I didn't volley much so I cant have an opinion on that. My only concern is the weight bc I wanted similar weight to KB98 or lighter but I might change my mind.
My second favorite was the Becker Pro. It's more dampened and feels much lighter. Very easy on the arm, serves were huge and nice feeling at the net. It was a bit more disappointing at the baseline. I think it needs lead tape (and I never put lead tape, so got no idea how different it would feel) cuz I had hard time hitting back heavy balls. I felt I got pushed back a bit or the racket wasn't as stable. But it was still better than the YONEX which was even more dampened but lacked feel. The Powerbridge 8 comes third. It felt good but my serve didn't have much pop. It was one of the most comfortable stick, though. It just lacked a bit of power. I don't know if it was because of the old string that was on. Now I need to play a whole set with each to have a better opinion.
Click to expand...

Glad you liked the Dunlop too... If you think those rackets are a tad light, you might want to demo the Powerbridge 9... just read some really good review on it.

SteveI said:
Hi,

Can you share your string set-ups for your AG500Ts? Thanks so much..

Steve
Click to expand...

I just got it for a few weeks so not much exp... The loose stamina actually performed well, good feel and control on groundstroke and volley, had a little trouble on spin serve. I thought it would be a too powerful combination and spray all over the place but it was very good.
Then I tried a Kevlar main 21kg and Stamina cross 21.5kg... My first time trying kevlar AND low tension and not getting used to it yet , need a few more sessions in to really know.
 
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