danbrenner
Legend
so i wanted to start a new thread with this discussion in mind. i have long been a rakaholic, and grip shape and feel has long been an issue for me.
for example. i have been using the PD 21 since its inception as my main stick. the grip really just feels like near perfection for me. but i do crave other looks at other frames especially being a holic. so within the babolat family i have bought pure strikes. .and pure aeros. but the problem is that the pallets are all different.. slightly of course. but different. even the pd98 is different to the pd21. and yes. i use the same base grips. usually syntec team. on all my frames. so i have the science down. its not a case of different base grips. so now. the aero. is slightly more rounded than the pd 21. this is actually the worse feeling one for me. and that actually really stung the most. becuase lets face it , alcaraz has cemented this line as the coolest frame in the world. so i really wanted to be able to use.it. i tried every base grip known to man to try to get on with it. (syntec pro, syntec feel, hrdrosorb pro, leather, wilsonfeather thin. and nothing worked. ). the strike is pretty square feeling i like it. just not as much as the pd21. and the pd98 is slightly more rectangular feeling than the pd21. so each frame has a slightly diff pallet. so not only when trying out a new frame are you just trying out the frame. you are also trying out a new grip shape. this is because these frames are molded. and they must use a completely diff assembly line /mold for each frame .. that is the case for most sticks. the only one i know that doesnt do this is Head. they use a swap able pallet system. which on balance when i think about it, is the best way. this way when you are trying out new frames, its just that , a new frame. but the feel you are used to like with the TK82 i believe is what they use on current frame, is the same feel on the grip along any of their frames. so you can really just concentrate on the frame itself and not get thrown off from nuances from each pallet shape difference. i dont know if any other brands use the swap able pallet system. i dont think so though.
anyway. so as you can see . this diff in grip shapes is a real thing. and for the reason i stated above about head having the same exact pallets on all their frames. i am going to start concentrating more on their frames. i always have the PD21 as my main anyway. but ive realized that its really only that frame in which i love the pallet shape. so i can always stick with the pd standard. but as far as holiking i will put more stock into the head frames from now on.
please chime in with your experiences and thoughts.
for example. i have been using the PD 21 since its inception as my main stick. the grip really just feels like near perfection for me. but i do crave other looks at other frames especially being a holic. so within the babolat family i have bought pure strikes. .and pure aeros. but the problem is that the pallets are all different.. slightly of course. but different. even the pd98 is different to the pd21. and yes. i use the same base grips. usually syntec team. on all my frames. so i have the science down. its not a case of different base grips. so now. the aero. is slightly more rounded than the pd 21. this is actually the worse feeling one for me. and that actually really stung the most. becuase lets face it , alcaraz has cemented this line as the coolest frame in the world. so i really wanted to be able to use.it. i tried every base grip known to man to try to get on with it. (syntec pro, syntec feel, hrdrosorb pro, leather, wilsonfeather thin. and nothing worked. ). the strike is pretty square feeling i like it. just not as much as the pd21. and the pd98 is slightly more rectangular feeling than the pd21. so each frame has a slightly diff pallet. so not only when trying out a new frame are you just trying out the frame. you are also trying out a new grip shape. this is because these frames are molded. and they must use a completely diff assembly line /mold for each frame .. that is the case for most sticks. the only one i know that doesnt do this is Head. they use a swap able pallet system. which on balance when i think about it, is the best way. this way when you are trying out new frames, its just that , a new frame. but the feel you are used to like with the TK82 i believe is what they use on current frame, is the same feel on the grip along any of their frames. so you can really just concentrate on the frame itself and not get thrown off from nuances from each pallet shape difference. i dont know if any other brands use the swap able pallet system. i dont think so though.
anyway. so as you can see . this diff in grip shapes is a real thing. and for the reason i stated above about head having the same exact pallets on all their frames. i am going to start concentrating more on their frames. i always have the PD21 as my main anyway. but ive realized that its really only that frame in which i love the pallet shape. so i can always stick with the pd standard. but as far as holiking i will put more stock into the head frames from now on.
please chime in with your experiences and thoughts.
