How in the World can a K90 be 12pts headlight?
I mean, I've played with the PS85, the N6.1 tour and the K6.1 tour. All the rackets are supposed to be 12pts headlight (unstrung). Yet the Ncode and Kfactor feel a lot more head heavy, so much that it tires me out while me PS85 doesn't.
Lately I posted the wrong weight but today I checked it again: My PS85 (368gr), my Ncode (364gr.) and the K90 demo (366gr.)...
I really love the K90 and I play well with it for about an hour or a bit longer but then I get tired.
Some info, any explanations? Is there a way to fix this problem without increasing the SW? If not I will most certainly switch to the Yonex RDS001 or the Dunlop Aerogel 200 (or maybe the asian K90 which should arrive soon...)
With strings, over grip, and dampener, it's really about 9 pts HL. Adding a pack of Gamma lead tape (18 grams) to the grip area will get the racquet (either nCode 90 or K90) to about 13.5 oz and 12 pts HL without adding much to the swingwt. I don't like counterweighting, so I usally add the lead tape to the top of the grip area making for a noticably more powerful racquet on groundstrokes, overhead, and serve shots. Volleys are a bit more of a challenge though. I've taken the lead off all my 90 racquets except for one that I use as a heavier training racquet. Bringing up other points...
As evident in the thread, there are two predominant schools of thought when it comes to the two wt versions of the 90 racquets. The Lighter racquet school has the player selecting a racquet based on current abilities, generally the lighter racquet, which is a racquet to player adaptation process. On the other hand, the Heavy racquet school is typified by a player arbitrarily selecting a heavier racquet for its inherent advantages. Implicit in the heavy racquet selection is a player to racquet adapation process that the player must go through before he/she starts to truely enjoy the benefits of the heavier racquet.
As some in the thread are already aware, I'm a Heavy racquet school advocate. Once a player adapts to the heavier racquet both in terms of physical strength and stroke timing, the player's strokes actually will look and feel like he/she is swinging a lighter racquet.
Other benefits to going heavier:
In general, you become a physically stronger player.
Pretty much all other lighter racquets become easy to use (if you ever need to switch for some reason).
To me, the heavier racquet allows for potentially greater accuracy in shot placement (ie, tighter "shot grouping"). This last point is very important but is experienced only after one has fully adapted to the heavier racquet. All the heavier Wilson 90 racquets are low power but high "feel" racquets...the player provides the power while the racquet provides the accuracy potential.
Almost forgot...you save yourself the trouble of trying to get lighter Asian version 90 racquets.
One caveat is stroke style. There appears to be a consensus with the heavier 90 racquets that the more loopy the stroke style, the more difficult they are to use. My own strokes are traditional [non loopy] eastern fh and 2hb, flat with some natural topspin. So for me, the heavier 90s are easy to use.
