Flowchart Racket Selection

[Leashyourdog]

I know there have been quite a few "Suggest A Racket" threads popping up lately. Pretty much all the OP would say is that they're looking for a new racket and everyone would throw in their comments and such.

While that seems fine, I've used TW's Racquet Finder to thin the selection down. Right off the bat, these are the spec's that I used in my search:

Head size: No more than 98in
Weight: Minimum of 11oz
Beam width: No more than 22mm at the head

While these spec's gave me a ton of different results, I obviously had to widdle down what I wanted to actually demo. So the question I ask you is, where I should go from there?

I've demo'd 7 rackets total so far. If I had to buy now, this is what my order of consideration would look like:

1) ProKennex Black Ace 93 (Liked a lot)
2) Wilson K6.1 95 (Liked and would consider)
3) Prince EXO3 Graphite 93 (I liked this over the Speed Pro, would just have to make more headlight)
4) Head YouTek Speed Pro (I liked and would consider, but not before the Black Ace 93)
5) Prince EXO3 Graphite 100 (Preferred the Speed Pro over this)
6) Volkl PB10 Mid+ (Would not consider)
7) Babolat Pure Storm Tour + GT (Would not consider)

Of those rackets I've tried, I like the Black Ace 93 and the K6.1 95. So knowing that, what should I demo next? I have a list of what I would like to demo, but if you can steer me clear of danger, I gladly appreciate it.

Prince EXO3 Rebel 95
Prince EXO3 Rebel Team
Prince EXO3 Ignite Team 95
Prince Ozone Tour MP
Prince Graphite Longbody

Wilson BLX Six.One Tour
Wilson BLX Six.One Team
Wilson KPro Staff 88

Head YOUTEK Extreme MP
Head YOUTEK Radical Midplus
Head YOUTEK Prestige Mid

Dunlop Aerogel 4D 100
Dunlop Aerogel 4D 200
Dunlop Aerogel 4D 300
Dunlop Aerogel 4D 300 Tour

Babolat Pure Storm Ltd.
Babolat Pure Storm Ltd. GT

Tecnifibre TFight 325 VO2 Max

Gamma Tour 320X

Hopefully this will help with suggestions. Thanks for your help. :mrgreen:

 

[tiochaota]

I think you can remove staff 88.

 

[Leashyourdog]

I think you can remove staff 88.

Are you saying based on what I liked or what I didn't like?

 

[HiroProtagonist]

If u like the BA 93 u simply must demo the Redondo, and then there are my subsequent favorites from my 3 month demo quest(in order of greatness):

PB10 mid

YTK Rad MP

BLX 6.1 95

Thats the short list neway and should keep u busy for a while, but whatever u do NEVER buy ne iPrestige mp's in good condition!

 

[Power Player]

The 325 V02 from Tfibre is supposed to be better then the K95. I always liked the K95, so I am interested in the 325 myself. I have 2 Dunlop 300Tours and they are exceptional, but you need to mod them with lead to really get them to play well. Just keep that in mind if you demo.

 

[Leashyourdog]

If u like the BA 93 u simply must demo the Redondo

I have 2 Dunlop 300Tours and they are exceptional, but you need to mod them with lead to really get them to play well. Just keep that in mind if you demo.

Noted. Appreciate the tips.

 

[whomad15]

I play with POG's, recently switched to an EXO3 version.
I would highly suggest trying the longbody POG and the exo3 ignite.

Girlfriend has the rebel team and while she swears by it, I personally feel like I'm hitting with a 2x4 when I try it, just goes thud with no spin/feel

 

[tiochaota]

Are you saying based on what I liked or what I didn't like?

On.what would not benifit u in the long run.

 

[McLovin]

Curious why the Volkl C-10 Pro didn't come up in the search:

Midplus Specs
Head Size: 98 sq. in. / 632 sq. cm.
Length: 27 inches / 69 cm
Strung Weight: 12.2oz / 346g
Balance: 8pts Head Light
Swingweight: 323
Stiffness: 63
Beam Width: 20 mm Straight Beam
Composition: Graphite/Kevlar​

When I demoed a few months ago, the ones I liked from your list were:

Prince EXO Rebel 95
Head YOUTEK Prestige Mid (actually it was the midplus)
Dunlop Aerogel 4D 300 Tour (added a bit of weight in the handle)
​

I wanted to like the 4D 200 (Tour version) sooo bad, but it was just not to be. Maybe the regular 200 version is better? Also, any reason why no Yonex come up in the search?

Ultimately I went w/ the C-10 Pro, but that was mostly because the 2008 version can be had for $120. That, and I liked it the best as there was no customization needed.

 

[Leashyourdog]

Curious why the Volkl C-10 Pro didn't come up in the search

The C-10 Pro probably did make it into the search results, but after playing with with PB10 Mid+, I figured I would stay away from the PB line and Volkl for that matter. While the spec's are not too far off between the 2, they both are made with different material and may play completely different. I will have to give it a try. A friend tells me I should at least try the PB10 93 before counting it out. Thanks!

 

[cneblett]

If you are somewhere on the east coast, you may also want to try one of the Donnay 94's. I realize that there are few places to demo it, but it may be worth a look.

 

[Limpinhitter]

I currently use the YouTek Speed Pro 16x19 after demo'ing about a dozen frames. I love it. It's basically a players frame with a 100si head that gives it a little more pop and spin.

Out of curiousity, I recently demo'd the Babolat Pure Storm Ltd. GT. This is the best pure players frame I've ever demo'd. The weight is perfect, the balance is perfect, the touch and feel is the best of any racquet I've played since wood, and, unlike many player frames, the flexibility of this frame makes it very arm friendly.

 

[McLovin]

The C-10 Pro probably did make it into the search results, but after playing with with PB10 Mid+, I figured I would stay away from the PB line and Volkl for that matter. While the spec's are not too far off between the 2, they both are made with different material and may play completely different. I will have to give it a try. A friend tells me I should at least try the PB10 93 before counting it out. Thanks!

I tried the PB 10 mid+ a year ago. Did not like it much at all, and I was also skeptical of the C-10. But I tried it and I'm glad I did.

Not a ton of power, but a ton of control & very, very stable, both from the baseline and at net.

I'm not saying its the racket for you, but it might be worth a try. Be warned, though: It is heavy. But for me, that was a solid '+' as I prefer my rackets in the 12.5 - 12.7 range (strung).