How many CLASSIC racquets to you have?

[Virginia]

My previous thread got moved to the Racquets forum, because people didn't understand that I meant classics, so I'll try again.

How many classic racquets do you have, either in collections, or to play with?

I don't want to know how many in total, but which brand you have the most of? Wilson, Head, Yonex, Snauwaert?

Tell us, and say which models you have and what year of issue, if you happen to know.

I'll tell you mine, after I've done a head count.

 

[NoMansLandPlayer]

I'll Bite:

Wilson - 16 (6.0 85, 6.0 95, variants of the 85 mold, KBT, NBlade, K90, Profile)
Dunlop - 14 (all variants of the IM frame and a Maxpower)
Head - 6 (Edge, Rad Tour)
Yamaha - 4 (Secret series 04, 06, 66)
Rossignol - 2, F200, F250
Puma Becker Winner
Matchmate Graphite Comp X3
Babolat - 4 (PSTour, PSTeam)
and a few more I cannot remember right now

 

[VGP]

I've got mostly Wilson, Dunlop, and Prince in graphites.....

Wilson, Dunlop, and Wright and Ditson in some woodies....

 

[goldenyama]

I have:

Wilson Largehead and Jack Kramer 110 both St Vincent
Head Pro Tour 690
Head Trysis 260 Radical Tour OS
5xHead Twin Tube Radical Tour
Original Yellow/Blue Donnay Pro One OS
Original Orange/Grey Pro One OS
2x Original Prince Graphite Comp
2x Yamaha EX110G
Yamaha EX110
Original POGOS LB

 

[netman]

I have over 100. I'll have to go through and count by brand.

 

[khw72004]

About 20 Head
4 Wilson,
2 Rossignol
2 Yamaha
I think 2 yonex
3 Dunlop
3 Slazenger

and a few more. I use Head mostly

 

[plasma]

I'm curious to hear from the worlds top collectors like WoodTennis, Racquetfreak, Jet Li, and others what's in their secret stash?????? these guys are all made men in the racquetworld...yknow...Goodfellas..

 

[Fay]

I play with Prince Graphite Classic
and on the wall I have a Pancho Gonzales wood racquet

 

[plasma]

let's see some pics pls, Fay, ( I suggest tiny pic dot com ) here are mine a POG made in the USA and a shameless POG clone made by CAYMAN.

 

[Fay]

let's see some pics pls, Fay,

most of my stuff is in storage right now ... but I can get a pic up at some point later .... the racquet on the wall did not belong to Pancho but is rather a commemorative wood model of some sort.

 

[The_Question]

What consider as a classic? Any particular year or era?

 

[Capt. Willie]

Are my old yellow/black Volkl C-10 Pros considered a classic? After all, the new ones are all black.

 

[iTxMe]

2x head pc600 (1 later run from TW, 1 classic mid)

 

[chrishin]

1 right now wilson ceramic mid

 

[netman]

OK. Counted what I have. 147 in total.

61 wood racquets

Bancroft (2)
Chemold (1)
Donnay (1)
Dunlop (4)
Head (3)
Prince (1)
Pro Kennex (1)
Rossignol (3)
Slazenger (1)
Spalding (14)
TAD Davis (7)
Wilson (22)
Wright & Ditson (1)

86 Modern frames (post-wood):

Adidas (1)
Blackburne (1)
Dunlop (9)
Estusa (1)
Gamma (1)
Garcia (1)
Head (9)
Kniessel (1)
MacGregor (1)
Prince (12)
Pro Kennex (10)
Rawlings (1)
Rossignol (2)
Snauwaert (2)
Spalding (3)
Trabert (1)
Wilson (15)
Yamaha (5)
Yonex (10)

Almost all of these have been acquired at yard sales, thrift stores and flea markets. Maybe 10 were bought new. And yes they take up a lot of space.

-k-

 

[Virginia]

Where do you keep / how do you store them? Do you have cases for all or some of them?

 

[netman]

Where do you keep / how do you store them? Do you have cases for all or some of them?

I have about 30 of them on the walls in my game room. Rest are stored in my workshop. Don't have many covers since I bought them used.

-k-

 

[Nanshiki]

My small collection includes:

1 (used to be 2) T-2000

1 Pro Staff Classic

1 POG Mid (slightly cracked but otherwise still plays OK)

1 Prince Spectrum Composite Series 90 (basically a white POG with no stabilizer bar)

I plan on getting a wooden racquet...eventually

 

[Bud]

let's see some pics pls, Fay, ( I suggest tiny pic dot com ) here are mine a POG made in the USA and a shameless POG clone made by CAYMAN.

That Cayman looks more like a ripoff of the Prince Graphite II

 

[Bud]

Former Racquaholic

Prior to selling many off... about 300+ :twisted:

Now, down to about 150... and still selling

Just concentrating on a few specific models in the future.

 

[NoNameZ]

2 black and yellow donnay pro one
1 donnay graphite comp plus
1 donnay boron graphite comp

 

[Deleted member 21996]

I have:

Wilson Largehead and Jack Kramer 110 both St Vincent
Head Pro Tour 690
Head Trysis 260 Radical Tour OS
5xHead Twin Tube Radical Tour
Original Yellow/Blue Donnay Pro One OS
Original Orange/Grey Pro One OS
2x Original Prince Graphite Comp
2x Yamaha EX110G
Yamaha EX110
Original POGOS LB

Hi There Yama... from OSizer to Osizer... just a o.t. question:
Your Pro tour OS: how do you compare it with the radicals?

what's your string setup for that frame.

im thinking about this setup: BB original and leather grip with OG...

 

[retrowagen]

I have had well over 100 "classic" rackets. The newest frame I have had to present was a Head Ti Radical MP, which I didn't like and gave to a friend.

Nowadays, I am more excited about using tennis rackets [playing] than collecting them, so I am down to around 20 which have sentimental value, historical value, or functional value - my normal frames of choice for everyday use predate 1993.

 

[jetlee2k]

I have:

Wilson Largehead and Jack Kramer 110 both St Vincent
Head Pro Tour 690
Head Trysis 260 Radical Tour OS
5xHead Twin Tube Radical Tour
Original Yellow/Blue Donnay Pro One OS
Original Orange/Grey Pro One OS
2x Original Prince Graphite Comp
2x Yamaha EX110G
Yamaha EX110
Original POGOS LB

man, you are an OVERSIZE collector.. that's very cool..

 

[jetlee2k]

I'm curious to hear from the worlds top collectors like WoodTennis, Racquetfreak, Jet Li, and others what's in their secret stash?????? these guys are all made men in the racquetworld...yknow...Goodfellas..

I think racquetfreak probably has the most here.. then myself and then woodtennis.. Woodtennis has more WOOD than me I guess.. I did not count how many I have but just for Wilson only, I have over 300..

Jack Krammer MID more than 20, St. Vincent more than 30, ps85 more than 50 (which include chicago, st. vincent bumperless, Taiwan, chinese and etc).. somedays I will post some of my Wilson collection.. it's just massive.. I need to put them together for ship to Asia anyway.. too too much work.. !!

 

[jetlee2k]

Where do you keep / how do you store them? Do you have cases for all or some of them?

that's a good question.. I always wonder how those racquet collectors keep their racquets?? For me, I kept all of them in house, Air conditioning and not stack them on top each other.. I also collect bags that mean, Wilson Prostaff bags will hold Wilson PS85, Yonex hold Yonex racquets and etc.. it's easy to remember where to pull them out but heck.. some of the racquets I know I got but could not find.. sometimes it's frustrating to look for that one particular racquet.. !!

 

[Rorsach]

I've only got a small collection of 30 or so frames, most of which get used now and again.
I'm more a supplier for the collectors, i've sold close to 200 classic frames in the past 6 months going all over the world, from Japan to Brasil and the US and everywhere inbetween

 

[jimbo333]

You are indeed an excellent racquet supplier

Oh, and I would definitely like one of your painted 200G's, ideally in white!!

Have helped me add to my 500+ frames. Will list and take photos when I get a chance!!!

 

[zidane339]

I think racquetfreak probably has the most here.. then myself and then woodtennis.. Woodtennis has more WOOD than me I guess.. I did not count how many I have but just for Wilson only, I have over 300..

Jack Krammer MID more than 20, St. Vincent more than 30, ps85 more than 50 (which include chicago, st. vincent bumperless, Taiwan, chinese and etc).. somedays I will post some of my Wilson collection.. it's just massive.. I need to put them together for ship to Asia anyway.. too too much work.. !!

thats a godly stash of ps85s!:shock:

 

[racquetfreak]

I think racquetfreak probably has the most here.. then myself and then woodtennis.. Woodtennis has more WOOD than me I guess.. I did not count how many I have but just for Wilson only, I have over 300..
QUOTE]

i may have more - but, this is a case where my quantity is trumped by jl2k's focus on quality frames in mint or new condition. his money bin is full of St. Gaudens double eagles, where my is full of krugerands. the depth of Obama vs the shallowness of McCain.

 

[plasma]

racquetfreak...you are far too humble!!!...from what I can determine RacquetFreak vs. Jet Li reads more like the brilliance of federrer compared to the genius of sampras...both collectors have more than enough love and knowledge of graphite to open a racquet museum. I hope that one of you might actually do so in the near future, even if it is an on-line museum. 80's tennis, wood tennis, tennis history.au: these sites increase the value and size of our collecting community immensely.
Not only is it a personal art and the most sublime form of self empowerment and expression, but collections of this magnitude also influence others and whimsically remind us all of the more genuine, quality, less phony, less sweatshopped/upsold world inwhich we grew up. Although we have never met in person, I consider Racquetfreak to be my personal mentor. Some simple things he has said in passing have enlightened and empowered me greatly....I am so lucky that our mutual interest in racquets has led to this friendship and my knowing this great man!

 

[Rorsach]

In less words than Plasma used:

I'd like to see some galleries on those frames as well.

 

[plasma]

Hi Virginia, ...year of issue and history is of lesser interest to me than playability. You will fall in love with the wood like feel of the kneissl, wheras the adidas gtx would probably be too stiff for you, the pro-t plays like a rubber gtx, lighter, different, plastic, intense modern and clean.

I keep coming back to kneissls for their superior performance, far better than the gtx and even the pro-t!

it even feels sytnhetic wheras the kneissls feel certified organic

"Remember where you are, this is thunderdome, death is listening, and will take the first man that screams" -Tina Turner

 

[Fay]

........I keep coming back to kneissls for their superior performance, far better than the gtx and even the pro-t!
.........

Where can you purchase that model now?

 

[Fay]

Just talked to someone who used to work with Ivan Lendl and he used Kneissl racquet on tour during the late 70s.

 

[L4RZ]

1 Slazenger Eclipse (woodie)
1 Rossignol F200
1 Dunlop 200g
1 Head Radial Comp
1 Head Slice (Edge mold)

 

[plasma]

slice and radial are amazing, how does slice compare to edge? pics pls!!!!

 

[L4RZ]

slice and radial are amazing, how does slice compare to edge? pics pls!!!!

I haven't actually played with the Radial yet=( but maybe tonight.


The Slice plays great even when strung with Tyger X-spin which probably is the worst string ever. It has a very flexy, muted feel and a sweetspot the size of a ping pong ball. Unfortunately I cant compare it to the edge since I haven't played with it.

Heres two pics (from the left: Radial Comp, Slice and N90)

 

[plasma]

wow, look at the collar on the Slice, full gold! I really want one of those and an edge to round out a micro-collection of 20 or so sticks I have, ones that have incredible playability...

 

[pshulam]

My collections:

Donnay Graphite plus 35
Dunlop Black Max
Dunlop Black Max Pro
2 Wilson Matrix 85
Slazenger Panther Ceramic Pro

 

[Bud]

My collections:

Donnay Graphite plus 35
Dunlop Black Max
Dunlop Black Max Pro
2 Wilson Matrix 85
Slazenger Panther Ceramic Pro

It's a good start!

 

[plasma]

classic racquet talk collection awards honorable mention to PSHULAM.
My guess is that he/ or she is a former NCAA player 5.5 plus rating, ptr certified and tournament tough. If you can ever part with the black max pro or the slazenger Panther Pro Ceramic, please call the Plaz-man.
Panther Pro ceramic is richer, heartier, and meatier than the ps 85, smoother and softer, but the same portion....I love the Panther Pro Ceramic. The most high performance ceramic ever (next to fvp)!

 

[Revman]

Arthur Ashe Competition
Dunlop 200G Max Pro
Donnay Flex Pro
Wilson Jack Kramer
Dunlop Maxply Fort
Prokennex Silver Ace
Prokennex Bronze Ace
Head Pro Tour 280
Head XRC
Wilson Legacy
Wilson Advantage (beautiful woodie)
Wilson T-3000

 

[plasma]

let's see pics revman, I am also after the Legacy, thanks

 

[Revman]

let's see pics revman, I am also after the Legacy, thanks

I'll try to put together some pics this week. Funny, I've seen the Legacy ranked as one of the best-looking racquets of all time, and as one of the ugliest of all-time. My own opinion is that it falls in the latter category

 

[plasma]

yes, they are almost intentionally ugly and absurd, Like the hipsters who work at the organic grocery store....please contact me if you could part with yours, thanks

 

[pshulam]

If you can ever part with the black max pro or the slazenger Panther Pro Ceramic, please call the Plaz-man.
Panther Pro ceramic is richer, heartier, and meatier than the ps 85, smoother and softer, but the same portion....I love the Panther Pro Ceramic. The most high performance ceramic ever (next to fvp)!

The Panther Pro ceramic is my favorite racket - it's soft but with great control.

 

[plasma]

beam feels hearty like a stars and stripes or ultra, but with that soft ceramic touch, I enjoyed mine, a very friendly but high performance mix...

 

[Jdavid]

Jack Kramer Autograph (wood)
Donnay Borg Pro
Snauwaert Graphite Composite (2)
Snauwaert Graphite Pro (2)
Snauwaert Golden Dyno
Wilson Ultra original (2)
Head TXE
Jack Kramer Staff (red graphite model)
POG Mid 4-stripe (2)
Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 95 (3) - currently using

 

[plasma]

I just got a golden Dyno (last Dyno ever produced) how does the playability and stats compare with the regulare blue dyno and the later yellow dyno? (pronounced "Dee-noh") 84.5, I am so excited to get it and hit with it!!! your txe is also amazing, great collection, thanks for posting!