I ditched the dampener

[ogruskie]

I tried all the Babolat damps, Sampras O Ring, all Wilson damps, Technifiber, Gamma, and several others. They all took away too much feel and made my racquet feel utterly stiff, with the exception of the Wilson Smiley. It had a good blend of dampening and retaining feel. However, lately I've been addicted to the PURE feel; no dampener.

If I feel the ball on the strings, I can determine whether I'm hitting properly or in need of adjustment. This can help me be more consistent.

Volleys on my KBT are nice and crisp, but its a heavenly sensation without any damps muting the feel and sound.

 

[red_racquet]

A racquet without a dampner feels like crap.

 

[S H O W S T O P P E R !]

Did you try a rubber band?

 

[mozzer]

I totally agree. Won a tournament today, but nearly lost in the first round where i was trying to use a dampener cus my strings were quite "tinny" when i played the day before. Took it out and after that i only lost 2 games.

 

[Fedace]

Try the Z rubberband dampner. I heard it is the best dampner in the world and it won't affect the feel.

 

[iphoneman]

i agree about the wilson smiley

 

[Mick]

I like my dampener. it's there for looks only

 

[ogruskie]

Perhaps I'll try those Z rubberbands someday, but not soon. I've been using damps for years and I want to savor this enlightened experience for as long as possible. So I'll be damp/band-less for a while.

It really depends on the racquet, though. Some sticks utterly rattle without damps, some aren't affected too much. My KBlade Tour doesn't rattle and the effect isn't too bad on the arm.

 

[TheShaun]

Try the Z rubberband dampner. I heard it is the best dampner in the world and it won't affect the feel.

sounds like you've been reading their website.

 

[Deleted member 19728]

Perhaps I'll try those Z rubberbands someday, but not soon. I've been using damps for years and I want to savor this enlightened experience for as long as possible. So I'll be damp/band-less for a while.

It really depends on the racquet, though. Some sticks utterly rattle without damps, some aren't affected too much. My KBlade Tour doesn't rattle and the effect isn't too bad on the arm.

That has been my experience some racquets are so tinney and make so much noise you about have to use a dampener. Most of the racquets I use now such as the Wilson K90 really don't need the dampener as their ping is not that obnoxious- although I should qualify that I had a set of Pro Supex big ace 16L in a k90 it sounded terrible, so while it was in there I had a rubber band on it- but I have never had that same sound problem with any other combo of string on the k90. Well maybe string plays a role too hahahaha

 

[rabidturtle]

Maybe you play better because of the lower swing weight? A dampener could change the balance of your racket.

 

[ogruskie]

Where do I get the Z rubberbands? I can't find em anywhere.

 

[PED]

Save yourself the time and trouble of a dampener.

I used an apdc and my dampener always flew off (daily).

I finally went cold turkey with no dampener. The noise drove me crazy for a few days (like nails on a chalk board)-especially on full poly.

2 years later I don't even think about it. The feel is different at first but I like it better now.

 

[Nuke]

What racquet is that, with 28 mains?

Edit: Never mind -- looks like two racquets on top of one another.

 

[Satch]

^it's the shadow...

 

[princemidplus]

i find dampeners make the strings feel more dead in my experience and prefer the higher ping rather than the dampened pong.excuse the pun

 

[Trevor]

I feel that all dampeners mutes the feel more than I would like. Although it could just be that I enjoy the louder noise that comes from the stringbed when you hit without a dampener.

 

[Macdaddy1129]

x

 

[Mick]

What racquet is that, with 28 mains?

Edit: Never mind -- looks like two racquets on top of one another.

It's a girly racquet