Headsize - 100 vs 98 sq. in.
- Thread starter Aidan131
- Start date
styksnstryngs
Professional
Eezy
acintya
Legend
if you want a honest opinion - it depends on the frame. But all 98 sq. in. racquets that i tried offer more control than 100s...and also are more demanding. But the feel is superb. All 100s i tried are more forgiving - and i tried a lot of them. Everything else is better with a 98 headsize
acintya
Legend
but why do you want to switch? to improve your game? i am telling you, maybe someone thinks this is the same size, but i feel like there is a very big difference in feel. the control i get with my blade 98... oh - its like a different planet. i couldnt get that with any 100 sq. in. frame. In short: the difference is big! main thing about 98s is - you will get a ton more control and you will must work more - you will be pushed to improve your technique.
today i am gonna try the Yonex dr 98 light - cant wait! im now playin with a yonex dr 100 (285 g unstrung) because I want to get back to tennis since i was inactive and this stick is really so nice to play with.
today i am gonna try the Yonex dr 98 light - cant wait! im now playin with a yonex dr 100 (285 g unstrung) because I want to get back to tennis since i was inactive and this stick is really so nice to play with.
acintya
Legend
you could also say try a 70 - even more control
No it wouldn't work, but if you are going to try out other options, try the other end of the usable spectrum .
Your mileage may vary but for me a 2% difference in head size would be barely noticeable. Other factors such as weight , balance , flex, string pattern would be a lot more discernible
A 2 square in different in size equates to probably about a 1/10” difference in cross section
Others may certainly be more sensitive to size than I am
And of course , one companies 98 may not actually be the same as anothers
A 2 square in different in size equates to probably about a 1/10” difference in cross section
Others may certainly be more sensitive to size than I am
And of course , one companies 98 may not actually be the same as anothers
I agree that 98 offers better control and 100 generally has more free power. However, when I lay my Volkl Super G 295 (which is a 98) on top of a 100 inch frame, there's hardly a difference. I'm thinking (not sure if I'm right) that it has more to do with the beam width that the 2% difference in head size. 98 frames have thinner beams than the 100 tweeners. This Spring I'm thinking about demoing a 98 with a thicker beam, the Prince Beast, and I'm also thinking about buying a 100 frame with a thinner beam, the Angell TC 100 (probably the stiffer one).
bertrevert
Legend
Have swung between (literally) both these two racquets over the last 6-9 months.
They are very different.
Gonna start leftfield - have a think about how hard you hit?
Honestly I don't think the PD gets going, esp with poly, until you are really (x2) unleashing. The best way I can describe it is that the few times I really let loose it seems in its comfort zone (and I am not). It is a fantastic beast, stiff, but with that tight-drilled sweet-spot it goes nuts. But you have to as well. Until the racquet and the poly bgin to bend a bit it is not up there.
Un-fortunately I am just that bit more of a control player.
I realise I've gone from talking equipemnt to talking aobut play however bear with me.
Now with the Radical you get more variance. Still unload and the ball has a bifferent trajectory flatter and does all the accurate stuff so much better.
Against lower players the PD helps win through power, esp doubles where go big is a first-mover advantage. But in singles you need more control.
For me, I am selling my 2 Babs and going back to that pair Rads.
I will add lead however.
I had lost some crucial matches with the Rad where I was overpowered and turned to the Babs.
So now I think the Rad needs lead no two ways about it. But thus you get to fine tune it (fun!)
Also I play on artificial grass which is nippy, slippy, faster, lower, whereas the Bab PD wants more Western grip and just bigger (x2) hitting.per se.
They are very different.
Gonna start leftfield - have a think about how hard you hit?
Honestly I don't think the PD gets going, esp with poly, until you are really (x2) unleashing. The best way I can describe it is that the few times I really let loose it seems in its comfort zone (and I am not). It is a fantastic beast, stiff, but with that tight-drilled sweet-spot it goes nuts. But you have to as well. Until the racquet and the poly bgin to bend a bit it is not up there.
Un-fortunately I am just that bit more of a control player.
I realise I've gone from talking equipemnt to talking aobut play however bear with me.
Now with the Radical you get more variance. Still unload and the ball has a bifferent trajectory flatter and does all the accurate stuff so much better.
Against lower players the PD helps win through power, esp doubles where go big is a first-mover advantage. But in singles you need more control.
For me, I am selling my 2 Babs and going back to that pair Rads.
I will add lead however.
I had lost some crucial matches with the Rad where I was overpowered and turned to the Babs.
So now I think the Rad needs lead no two ways about it. But thus you get to fine tune it (fun!)
Also I play on artificial grass which is nippy, slippy, faster, lower, whereas the Bab PD wants more Western grip and just bigger (x2) hitting.per se.
esgee48
G.O.A.T.
You are commenting on the differences between a 18x20 95 in^2 21 mm beam Radical and the 16x19 100 in^2 26 mm PD.
String pattern [16x18 up to 18x20], beam profile [21 mm to 26 mm] , RA, # of mains in the throat, mass, balance, SW, RW, TW, string and tension all have a bigger part in how a frame behaves than the face size difference.
String pattern [16x18 up to 18x20], beam profile [21 mm to 26 mm] , RA, # of mains in the throat, mass, balance, SW, RW, TW, string and tension all have a bigger part in how a frame behaves than the face size difference.
bertrevert
Legend
Good stuff. Yes many spec.
This is a Rad a bit different
http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Head_Graphene_XT_Radical_MP_A/descpageRCHEAD-GXTRMA.html
But I can see why he consider next to PD. The strangest Rad that can be considered an alternative to a PD!
(I have the Oz one)
Yes many specs to consider, but some human ones as well.
Me and the OP prob need racq's that add pwr.
The PD adds so much yet I reckon it becomes predictable only when hitting hard. Any prodding or poking is plain weird. It's not a go-slow.
The XTRad is latest experiment in the Rad long history. It's a concession to adding pwr.
(ps. PD/Alu is not good for touchy elbows!)
Steve Huff
G.O.A.T.
When you change from Babolat to Head, you'll experience different grip shapes also, which may throw you off. Try it out. Make sure you like it. String it the same. Minimize variables. Good luck.
Hmgraphite1
Hall of Fame
I recently went from 100 to 98/95. So while these numbers represent the approx inch squared it really comes down to the length of the longest main and longest crosses. This is where the ball can really launch when it hits the sweet spot. The pure drive mains are not especially long compared to some 98/95 but the crosses are wide and give you a lot of power, maybe too much if y o u want to swing big. So like I said made the change, like the added control and targeting. I like tighter center mains whether it's 16/19 or 18/20. Currently demoing ps97 countervalance blk, ultra tour, prestige touch mp. All 3 of these felt pretty good and close, all 3 have similar length mains and crosses. The radical pro has longer mains more power but tight center mains but crosses not as wide as PD. Not sure about MP but prob not much different so some change from PD but not as much as the demos. Of course weight and frame width have some effects as do string tension technique etc..
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