I didn't know I'd like an 18x20 racquet so much.

[MoxMonkey]

Bought one off the boards here, a prince phantom 93p 18x20. It really seems to help being aggressive inside the court. I've put about 10 hours or so over the past several days and sofar I'm thinking it's great. Spin levels seem similar, the biggest difference I notice between this and the 14x18 version is the launch angle. The open string pattern seems easier to hit deep, even after factoring in the higher launch angle. With the 18x20 It feels as though I can blast and pass from all over the court. Overall good stuff.

Anyone else experience this when they first went to a tight pattern?

 

[dr. godmode]

Similar thing happened to me going from the 2013 APD to the Yonex SV95. From a 100 with a 16x19 to a 95 with a 16x20. Helped me improve my game quite a bit since I was encouraged to swing out a lot more. Today I used an 18x20, though it's pretty open as far as 18x20s go.

 

[Trip]

All else held equal, while more strings in the string bed can certainly have it's benefits, it can also be a two-way street, with a mix of pros and cons, namely:

Pros:
+ More control (especially on flatter strikes)
+ Better feel/touch (from higher density)
+ Usually more consistent string bed behavior over a larger percentage of the face area (especially out towards 9 and 3)
+ Better slice control/predictability
+ Possibly better spin, if/when you derive it more so from surface friction (as opposed to ball bite / snapback from more open cells)

Cons (usually cons, but not always):
- Less free power (from less trampoline/cupping/sling-shot effect)
- Potentially less free spin (if you derive more of your spin from ball bite and open cell based snapback)
- Lower launch angle
- Much less for free in general at zero to minimal racquet head speed

So a lot of potential upsides, but generally, you need to be more sound in your finer-grained ability to control the racquet face, as well as your ability to consistently supply a minimum level of racquet head speed, as you'll typically get much less for free on the low end of the effort spectrum -- thus why 18x20's can often be a no-go for many (most?) rec players versus a properly-proportioned 16-main or 18x19. That said, there are more "modern" (open) 18x20's that have more of the pros and fewer cons -- the Gravity Pro/Tour, Speed Pro, WhiteOut 18x20 and Prince Tour 100P being the main five.

Hope that helps give some perspective.

 

[ChrisJR3264]

Similar thing happened to me going from the 2013 APD to the Yonex SV95. From a 100 with a 16x19 to a 95 with a 16x20. Helped me improve my game quite a bit since I was encouraged to swing out a lot more. Today I used an 18x20, though it's pretty open as far as 18x20s go.

You plan on sticking with the solinco 18x20 for a bit?

 

[emhtennis]

All else held equal, while more strings in the string bed can certainly have it's benefits, it can also be a two-way street, with a mix of pros and cons, namely:

Pros:
+ More control (especially on flatter strikes)
+ Better feel/touch (from higher density)
+ Usually more consistent string bed behavior over a larger percentage of the face area (especially out towards 9 and 3)
+ Better slice control/predictability
+ Possibly better spin, if/when you derive it more so from surface friction (as opposed to ball bite / snapback from more open cells)

Cons (usually cons, but not always):
- Less free power (from less trampoline/cupping/sling-shot effect)
- Potentially less free spin (if you derive more of your spin from ball bite and open cell based snapback)
- Lower launch angle
- Much less for free in general at zero to minimal racquet head speed

So a lot of potential upsides, but generally, you need to be more sound in your finer-grained ability to control the racquet face, as well as your ability to consistently supply a minimum level of racquet head speed, as you'll typically get much less for free on the low end of the effort spectrum -- thus why 18x20's can often be a no-go for many (most?) rec players versus a properly-proportioned 16-main or 18x19. That said, there are more "modern" (open) 18x20's that have more of the pros and fewer cons -- the Gravity Pro/Tour, Speed Pro, WhiteOut 18x20 and Prince Tour 100P being the main five.

Hope that helps give some perspective.

Well said, I think the Prince 100P is more open than the center of the Ezone 98.

 

[Trip]

Well said, I think the Prince 100P is more open than the center of the Ezone 98.

It very much is. I personally think the Tour 100P is one of the most finely balanced frame designs ever created, especially the firmer 2019 version. Killer under-the-radar frame. Lucas Pouille gets it.

 

[socallefty]

Did you change string pattern on the same model or did you completely switch racquet models? If the second case, then you can’t isolate any difference in performance just to the change in string pattern as it could be other differences between the racquets that you are also experiencing. Racquet models with the same string pattern can have widely varying specs and performance as factors like weight, SW, balance, beam width, stiffness, head size matter a lot also. Plus the stringjob has to be the same to compare two different racquets - string type, gauge, tension, age of stringjob if poly.

Anyway your experience of more control with a dense stringbed is what you would expect. For some players, the dropoff in power/depth is too much, but for others it is perfect. If you play with a 93, I assume you are at a level where you have no problems generating your own power with fast RHS.

 

[Power Player]

I swore off 18x20s but then went back to using a 16x20 PK that has a rather tight pattern. So from there I figured I would try the Whiteout, which is great. And now I have landed on the Gravity Pro, which is fantastic. No issues with spin or net clearance. The control of course is pristine, but an 18x20 really rewards if you want maximum feel as well.

 

[MoxMonkey]

Same model. A few months ago I started using a prince phantom 93p 14x18 for a couple months and then used an 18x20 afor about a week. There is about a 5 point SW difference (briffidi) And a 5g static weight difference same string at the tension strung within an hour of each other, currently Black Knight 16g 40lbs.

So no, the string pattern isnt isolated as the only variable but I am confident that I can tell the effect on the shot from the string pattern, although not completely.

 

[tennisinvegas]

Glad to see a post like this. I'm on the same boat. I swore that my style would suit better with 16x19 but surprisingly I found both comfort and consistency with 18x20
I plan on trying out more 18x20

 

[Crocodile]

Sometimes what I find is that it’s easier to have a recreational hit with a 16/19 but come a tournament or high level match and you kind of crave the precision and control of an 18/20.
I think a lot also depends on your style of play, the string you prefer to use, the tension and the racquet itself.
The beauty of a dense 18/20 flexible frame is that you can choose a very soft multi filament of a thinner gauge and string it low and create a lovely feel.

 

[t_pac]

I haven't played anything other than 18x20s for a while. I'm a pretty aggressive all court player and I play a lot of dubs so they're perfect for me. Plus I don't have to restring nearly as often!

 

[jxs653]

Cons (usually cons, but not always):
- Less free power (from less trampoline/cupping/sling-shot effect)
- Potentially less free spin (if you derive more of your spin from ball bite and open cell based snapback)
- Lower launch angle
- Much less for free in general at zero to minimal racquet head speed

I always felt I get the same--if not more--amount of spin with dense stringbed. It's always been my theory that denser string pattern makes me swing more freely (perhaps in unconscous level), which leads to faster head speed, which leads to more spin.

 

[Notorious_Junkballer]

The Tennis Spin guys said once that Americans prefer 16x19 and 18x20 is more popular in Europe. The best generalization I've ever come across.

I prefer tighter patterns when my game is on. It really allows me to swing my butt off. And the lower launch angle is not always a disadvantage. Lower and even shorter shots can be tricky for the opponent.

 

[dr. godmode]

You plan on sticking with the solinco 18x20 for a bit?

Yeah. There are other racquets that interest me, like the Pure Drive VS, but I don't really see a point in changing.

 

[Trip]

Yeah. There are other racquets that interest me, like the Pure Drive VS, but I don't really see a point in changing.

Beckett, how's your arm comfort been with the WO 18x20 overall? Was it just RPM Power in that one test that gave you the bit of pain? (ie. more so the string than the racquet)?

 

[dr. godmode]

Beckett, how's your arm comfort been with the WO 18x20 overall? Was it just RPM Power in that one test that gave you the bit of pain? (ie. more so the string than the racquet)?

Id say comfort is below average but nothing has given me pain in the WO other than Paradox Pro and Paradox Pro caused me pain in other racquets so I think it’s most likely the string that gave me issues

 

[Trip]

Interesting, especially that something billed as somewhat forgiving, can, in fact, be harsh, at least for some players... I've seen it before with other strings, too.

 

[pico]

I agree. I float between my PAVS and Gravity Pro lately. With the GPro, I can paint the lines and feel consistent more.

 

[NS_Tennis]

I moved from a 93sq in 16x19 to 95sq in 18x20 (Volkl Organix 10 Mid to CX 200 Tour) so not sure if it counts but I felt both rackets to be quite similar. Haven't really felt any of the cons such as low launch angle, less spin or less power. I'm also using hybrid strings here as compared to full poly previously so that might have a factor as well but so far loving the 18x20.

 

[fuzz nation]

I encourage folks to avoid making any assumptions about what they will or won't get with a particular string pattern in a racquet that might look like it's otherwise worth a try. I've played with racquets having open patterns that gave me no spin or control and I've used a couple having dense patterns that could churn out absurd spin on my shots - and I pretty much never play with poly in my racquets.

If you like the general specs, paintjob, or whatever of a particular racquet, try not to let the string pattern rule it out for you before you actually take it out for a hit.