Joining the Volkl Family (quite long)

[anirut]

I remember asking on this board if anyone could direct me to find a replacement for my Dunlop Revelation Tour 90. I wish to thank everyone for the help. The mentioned replacement racket was the LM Prestige. Without any avaliable specs of the Revelation Tour, I just had to assume that the RevTour specs should be close to the Prestige. And from there I began.

As I'm in Thailand, I CAN'T demo rackets. Got to make decision by the comments and numbers alone.

At last, I've found my "THE" racket. I've long browsed through this board and reviews and the feed back sections to find the replacement for my can't-find-it-anymore Dunlop Revelation Tour 90.

And, the winner is .... Volkl Tour 10 VE Mid.

Bought it yesterday (Jan 12) and got it strung with the low-cost Gamma Synthetic 16 at 56 lbs. The string was choosen for experimentation only. Added one leather over grip.

Felt good. Just good?

The problem was that the grip was a bit too small even with the leather on top (the racket's originally an L3). So I stripped the synthetic over grip that's on my Dunlop and wrapped it over the leather on the 10VE.

Now, its better, but still something's not correct yet. May be the handle got a bit too heavy and screwed up the racket's favorable balance.

My assumption was right. I placed a small Fischer dampener and things got better but still could be improved. The dampener had to be adjusted for a specific location.

In the end, the racket's weight went up to 370 grams/13.05 oz. That's 40 grams above the unstrung spec.

Now it hits like a dream. :mrgreen: Shots are nice and heavy off both wings. Spins are good. Groundies are heavy and volleys are well controlled. Haven't really tested with serves as my shoulder is long dead and gone but from a couple of 'lazy serves' I should say the racket is capable of firing those fire-and-forget missiles. My hitting partner tried and liked it too.

My next step is to find the right string and tension combination for my weapon. Owners of the Tour 10 VE Mid please comment.

So, to sum up, I'm now joining the Volkl family with my holy grail (that will at least be 'the one' for the next many years to come). Think I'm going to be coerced to get another one (or two), just in case Volkl doesn't feel like continuing the supply.

 

[jonolau]

Welcome to the family, Anirut! Glad to see another T10 VE Mid user. You have bought a very beautiful and precise racquet.

Types of strings and tension are very subjective and personal, it also depends on what you want to squeeze out of your racquet. I'm personally using full aramid (Gamma TNT Extreme Spin 19) at 58lbs. I find that I can hook my returns like crazy, and can serve extremely wide with kick on this setup. Also can generate great spin on my groundstrokes.

BTW, where in Bangkok did you buy this racquet and how much did you pay for it? I was there in Nov and the only place I could find Volkl racquets was in Central Chidlom.

 

[jayserinos99]

Congrats on finding your stick. I'm a current user of the t10ve mid (my main stick although I frequently demo) and like jonolau said, strings and tension are subjective and personal. Now I like a little pop in my setup so I like natural gut 17 guage in the mains and gosen og sheep micro 18 guage in teh crosses; both mains and crosses are at 58 lbs. I've also used nrg2 17G (at 58 lbs) and yonex 850 pro 16L (at 58 lbs) but still I find the natural gut combo really nice for what I need it for. Hope this helps!

 

[gonzalocatalino]

I`m joining to the "volkl side" too.
Actually playing with the racquet on my signature, and buying the Tour 10 VE MP in the next days. Also, i`m selling my old wilson stuff (bag and racquet) and buying all volkl equipment

 

[anirut]

Jonolau,

Yes, I bought mine at the Central Chidlom. I was lucky enough to have gotten the racket. As of yesterday, it was the ONLY ONE LEFT of the 10 VE at the store! And, luck on my side, it's the L3. Rackets in Thailand are usually L4. (Actually Volkls are also available at The Emporium and the newly opened Siam *******.)

I bought it for THB 6,230 (about USD 155) -- at 30% off the listed price. At first I was reluctant to buy it as it would be the 11th racket in my collection and my wife would sure scream at me.

The racket's now kept 'under cover' -- in my usual Wilson bag. The bag that came with the racket is 'nowhere to be found' by my wife for now ...

The only problem I now have with regard to the racket is ... to get the cash to pay back my wife. I USED HER CREDIT CARD!

I think I'm going to restring it with a 17 gauge synthetic at 56 and see what it'll be like. Hope it won't get too springy. I'm not a spin player by default and even with the current 16G I don't have problems with spins yet. Hope the 17 will give better spins when I need it.

Thanks again for all the comments and reviews on this board. Happy to be a member of the Volkl family.

 

[Masamusou]

I'm using Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 17g in mine at 56 at the moment. I will try out some other strings once I get to hitting a little more. Still waiting on my other two frames to arrive Volkl. Once I get those two I will probably string them up with multis like Babolat Attraction, Alpha Sphere, or Alpha Sensor-Fibre. I may string one up with my normal syn gut/poly hybrid just for comparison.

 

[frekcles]

The only problem I now have with regard to the racket is ... to get the cash to pay back my wife. I USED HER CREDIT CARD!

Just buy her something nice instead and say you used her card because you ran out of cash.....or something to that effect.

 

[Rabbit]

We're going to get you all, one way or another. Now line up, the Kool-aid is ready and I know you're thirsty.

 

[jonolau]

Anirut, I heard from my Thai friends that their wives are like dragon ladies ... well, Singapore women are the same too. Yesterday I took out my entire collection to check on their condition and you should've have seen my her eyes nearly popping out of her sockets! She couldn't believe that I had that many racquets.

But thank goodness that:

1. I paid for them with my own credit card.
2. I gave her a supplementary card.
3. I bought her a new tennis racquet for Christmas.
4. I just played tennis with her the day before (though she still makes me run around the court like a Mad Rabbit with her wild groundstrokes ... and I'm not all that fit as I used to be when we first got married)
5. I remembered to throw my socks in the laundry basket yesterday.

This is a picture of my current Volkl line-up ...

 

[vkartikv]

I've got one foot in the door but do not know which volkl to choose - the tour 10 mp or the C10 Pro. C10 feels better at the net but is a little less powerful (seemingly).

 

[anirut]

Jonolau, that's a nice collection of Volkls. My other Volkl's the C9 Pro. You're lucky your wife plays tennis. My wife plays with numbers.

My wife's Chinese. Though a Thai national, her parents came directly from China. And the worse part is ... she's an accountant. Well, don't worry, we have a Thai saying that "Do your homework well, and keep the wife happy". Well, the 'homework' is the ....(censored).... . She's actually a very nice and kind lady ... as long as I pay back. (As of this writing, she's singing Chinese songs around the house.)

I'm a weirdo with strings. I tend to use low-cost stuff because when the tension's lost to a certain point that I feel my shots are going to sea (which won't take long), then I just cut them. I don't know if that's a good idea to do. How much effect will frequent restringing have on a racket?

Vkartikv,

I saw your other post that you have played with the Tour 90. I too own (2) and played with the Tour 90 but realized that I play better with flexier and heavier rackets. My Tour 90's Asian spec at 315 grams. Too light for me. Not that I'm a big guy or anything but, may be because I grew up playing with wood, I feel I'm better suited to heavier, 'woody-touch' modern rackets.

 

[slice bh compliment]

Welcome. Volkls are incredible. A great find. Tell the ol' lady you are thankful to God for your your new frame and your wonderful wife (not necessarily in that order).

I use the Tour 10 V mid, too. I liked it immediately, but I really fell in love with it after I added 18 grams under the grip and about 12 grams to the head. Unreal control. Tons of power. So maneuverable and comfortable.

Strings? You really want to be a Volkl guy? They sell GREAT strings. Power Fiber 17. I string mine at 58. Up to 60 in the summer.

Enjoy it, brother.

 

[Django]

Volkl Family? It's more like an addiction. The C9 Pro (my gateway drug) led to the Quantum 10 (experimental only; barely inhaled), then the C-10 Pro (longtime drug of choice) before Catapult 10 (bad trip part 2), and now the Tour 10 Gen2. And you can bet I'm dying to demo the DNX 10. Maybe Volkl should provide the first racquet for free and make it up on the "come back."

 

[Marius_Hancu]

perhaps you guys should open Volkl shops, they seem to need a better representations in parts of the world ... or so my stringer tells me ...

 

[gonzalocatalino]

perhaps you guys should open Volkl shops, they seem to need a better representations in parts of the world ... or so my stringer tells me ...

thats true, the Volkl Rep. in Arg. is a little office, with bad commercial politics. Really hard to find Volkl frames in tennis pro shops in Bs. As.

In the other hand, if volkl put some $$$ in top players (Stepanek is not "the best way to spend your money" :mrgreen: ), his racquets will be a real sales succes around the wolrd.

 

[gonzalocatalino]

perhaps you guys should open Volkl shops, they seem to need a better representations in parts of the world ... or so my stringer tells me ...

thats true, the Volkl Rep. in Arg. is a little office, with bad commercial politics. Really hard to find Volkl frames in tennis pro shops in Bs. As.

In the other hand, if volkl put some $$$ in top players (Stepanek is not "the best way to spend your money" :mrgreen: ), his racquets will be a real sales succes around the wolrd.

 

[anirut]

Yeah, I heard from the Volkl rep where I bought the racket that their marketing's 'not on par' with other firms. IMO they sure need better representation and better brand consultant. (They should talk to me for that matter...

 

[jonolau]

Volkl Family? It's more like an addiction. The C9 Pro (my gateway drug) led to the Quantum 10 (experimental only; barely inhaled), then the C-10 Pro (longtime drug of choice) before Catapult 10 (bad trip part 2), and now the Tour 10 Gen2. And you can bet I'm dying to demo the DNX 10. Maybe Volkl should provide the first racquet for free and make it up on the "come back."

Django, we're almost on the same path. I bought the Quantum 10 a couple of years ago, liked it's wonderful feel, went on to the C10 Pro (which was pure poetry in motion), dug a hole with the Cat 10, and have finally perfected on the C10 with the T10 VE Mid. But my journey stops there - I would also like to demo the DNX10 (325), but Volkl has terminated the local distributor, so the lake has dried up ... my only option is to buy overseas and pray that I like it.

But chances are that I won't. The T10VEMid just seems to do everything I want it to, and more. The strings on this bad boy are vital, and I love my current setup of Gamma TNT Extreme Spin 19 on both mains and crosses at 59lbs. The feel and feedback is unbelievable, no worries with vibration, and they still manage to feel "soft".

 

[jonolau]

Yeah, I heard from the Volkl rep where I bought the racket that their marketing's 'not on par' with other firms. IMO they sure need better representation and better brand consultant. (They should talk to me for that matter...

Well, anirut, the beauty about Volkl is that these racquets do not need any hyped up advertisements or flyers. The word-of-mouth testimonials are more than sufficient to carry it. Okay, maybe I over-exaggerated with that. They do get quite good reviews too in tennis mags and open domain websites.

 

[jonolau]

perhaps you guys should open Volkl shops, they seem to need a better representations in parts of the world ... or so my stringer tells me ...

Marius, I would love to. In Singapore, they have no representation since early 2005. However, I know that it is a capital intensive business to start as stocks of numerous SKUs have to be catered for.

 

[zeusmerlin]

hey jonolau

bought by VE10 at World of Sports Taka and Wisma (one form each shop) last May as they were clearing the range to become only a Head distributor

where do you get Gamma Extreme Spin from - Shaw?

cheers

 

[jonolau]

hey jonolau

bought by VE10 at World of Sports Taka and Wisma (one form each shop) last May as they were clearing the range to become only a Head distributor

where do you get Gamma Extreme Spin from - Shaw?

cheers

hi zeusmerlin. ya, got mine at WOS Orchard Cineleisure. Can't find anymore though ...

Yes, I always string my racquets at Leisure Sports Shaw. These strings lose their tension very quickly at the start, and then maintain tension very well after that. Advisable to string at least 2lbs above target. The Gamma ES is quite a soft string compared to Pacific Power Craft. Also doesn't move so much on the T10VEMid.

Where do you usually play?

 

[jonolau]

Always on the lookout for kakis ...

 

[zeusmerlin]

Kallang normally.

 

[jonolau]

Kallang normally.

I haven't played there for quite a while as they've been doing a lot of work around the area.

 

[gonzalocatalino]

Yesterday i bought my new VOLKL TOUR 10 V-ENGINE MP!!!!!! i`m a happy man!!!!
I bought a VOLKL TOUR COMBI BAG too(the yellow one with backpack straps), a really good quality bag (a lot better than my ncode sixpack).
I will post pics in the aproppiate thread soon...

I will not play with the racquet until monday, so i have time to listen for strings recommendations (i ussualy play with multis, and actually playing with Toa Gold at @60 in my CAT10)...

 

[exef]

congratulations!! i know how anxious was you yesterday!
I don´t know very much about strings but the frame is flexy, so you can put some polys, maybe kirschbaum...i am using with the o3 tour some Toalson CYBER BLADE TOUR THERMAXE 123 great durability, but a little stiff when you hit out of the sweetspot.
http://www.toalson.co.jp/ENGLISH/index.html

PD. in unicenter Shopping near of fallabela in a great store of outdoor some guy has kirschbaum polys at 10 dollars.

 

[gonzalocatalino]

congratulations!! i know how anxious was you yesterday!
I don´t know very much about strings but the frame is flexy, so you can put some polys, maybe kirschbaum...i am using with the o3 tour some Toalson CYBER BLADE TOUR THERMAXE 123 great durability, but a little stiff when you hit out of the sweetspot.
http://www.toalson.co.jp/ENGLISH/index.html

PD. in unicenter Shopping near of fallabela in a great store of outdoor some guy has kirschbaum polys at 10 dollars.

haha thats true!!
I strung the racquet yesterday with a cheap multi, after a few hours of play i will decide the correct string anf tension.
BTW, i have my Pure Control Zylon strung with Toa. ciberblade Thermaxe 1.23, great strings, better than Lux. Alu power IMO.

10 dollars is too much!!! here in the "south of BS. AS.", i pay for the supersmash only u$s 7 in my local pro shop...

 

[sw00sh]

jonolau, just saw the WOS at Wisma Atria (level 4) having 50% off volkl rackets...saw the VE Mid going for S$159 or thereabout if i remember correctly.

So tempted to buy but i m more or less settled with my RDX Mid now...2 pcs...and one is wife gave as b'day present last year...so cant do away with that for now ... until maybe RDS001 reach our shore...

 

[jonolau]

jonolau, just saw the WOS at Wisma Atria (level 4) having 50% off volkl rackets...saw the VE Mid going for S$159 or thereabout if i remember correctly.

So tempted to buy but i m more or less settled with my RDX Mid now...2 pcs...and one is wife gave as b'day present last year...so cant do away with that for now ... until maybe RDS001 reach our shore...

Thx, swoosh. Will saunter there tomorrow for a look see ...

 

[exef]

haha thats true!!
I strung the racquet yesterday with a cheap multi, after a few hours of play i will decide the correct string anf tension.
BTW, i have my Pure Control Zylon strung with Toa. ciberblade Thermaxe 1.23, great strings, better than Lux. Alu power IMO.

10 dollars is too much!!! here in the "south of BS. AS.", i pay for the supersmash only u$s 7 in my local pro shop...

So, i think it was cheap at 10 dollars, guess im wrong.
That tct 123 are great, i cant test the lux.ap.
At the end of summer i will put som Psgd 16 at 64 when the heat does not change the strings properties...but for now with the heat the toalson durability is great.

 

[anirut]

Just my 2 cents here ...

With regards to strings, from my going through the string review section of TW, I learnt that strings -- even if freshly strung and not played for 24 hrs. -- seem to loose about 8-9% of tension (the figure is a very rough average).

So, when we string at say 56 (like I did last week), will it play close to 54 this week?

I'd say NO.

Last night, I took to the court as usual. My shorts with my 10VE Mid -- with a week's life (and only 2 hrs of play) on the strings -- went off to sea. My shorts were going kinda weird. Changed the over grip and it didn't help much. I could really feel the string going soft. May be the string I strung up isn't good enough. (After all it was only strung for 'experiment').

Guess I'm going with gut at around 56. Any comments here, please provide.

By the way, I don;t have much choice of strings here in Thailand. Big (racket) names prevail as usual with strings.

 

[VolklVenom]

welcome and enjoy!

 

[jonolau]

Just my 2 cents here ...

With regards to strings, from my going through the string review section of TW, I learnt that strings -- even if freshly strung and not played for 24 hrs. -- seem to loose about 8-9% of tension (the figure is a very rough average).

So, when we string at say 56 (like I did last week), will it play close to 54 this week?

I'd say NO.

Last night, I took to the court as usual. My shorts with my 10VE Mid -- with a week's life (and only 2 hrs of play) on the strings -- went off to sea. My shorts were going kinda weird. Changed the over grip and it didn't help much. I could really feel the string going soft. May be the string I strung up isn't good enough. (After all it was only strung for 'experiment').

Guess I'm going with gut at around 56. Any comments here, please provide.

By the way, I don;t have much choice of strings here in Thailand. Big (racket) names prevail as usual with strings.

I'm using Gamma TNT Extreme Spin 19 with my T10VEMid and love the feel, control and spin I'm getting from it. This string is much softer than usual aramids. I string at 2lbs above target tension as it loses about 2lbs tension very quickly but stabilises very well after that. It is also a very durable string and have never broken one so far.

Hope this helps.

 

[slice bh compliment]

Great feel -- but watch out for some sudden string breakeage in the middle of your first match with it.

Ditto for Volkl Power Fiber 18, the best non-gut string ever. Problem is, if you and/or your opponent hit reasonablly hard, your in for some durability issues.

At the risk of sounding sanctimonious....or being a Volkl advertisement: get a reel of Volkl Power Fiber 17 and be done with it. There is no better combination of power, spin, comfort, playability and tension maintenance.

Peace, welcome, Shalom.

 

[anirut]

Thanks, Slice & Jono ...

Guess I'll have to struggle a bit to find either of the strings you both mentioned. May be the Power Fiber 17 should be easier to get ... I doubt if I'll ever find the TNT 19 Jono mentioned.

Or should I go with gut? I've been eyeing the Pacific Tough Gut. Anyone got any comments on that?

 

[NinjaKiwi]

I remember asking on this board if anyone could direct me to find a replacement for my Dunlop Revelation Tour 90. I wish to thank everyone for the help. The mentioned replacement racket was the LM Prestige. Without any avaliable specs of the Revelation Tour, I just had to assume that the RevTour specs should be close to the Prestige. And from there I began.

As I'm in Thailand, I CAN'T demo rackets. Got to make decision by the comments and numbers alone.

At last, I've found my "THE" racket. I've long browsed through this board and reviews and the feed back sections to find the replacement for my can't-find-it-anymore Dunlop Revelation Tour 90.

And, the winner is .... Volkl Tour 10 VE Mid.

Bought it yesterday (Jan 12) and got it strung with the low-cost Gamma Synthetic 16 at 56 lbs. The string was choosen for experimentation only. Added one leather over grip.

Felt good. Just good?

The problem was that the grip was a bit too small even with the leather on top (the racket's originally an L3). So I stripped the synthetic over grip that's on my Dunlop and wrapped it over the leather on the 10VE.

Now, its better, but still something's not correct yet. May be the handle got a bit too heavy and screwed up the racket's favorable balance.

My assumption was right. I placed a small Fischer dampener and things got better but still could be improved. The dampener had to be adjusted for a specific location.

In the end, the racket's weight went up to 370 grams/13.05 oz. That's 40 grams above the unstrung spec.

Now it hits like a dream. :mrgreen: Shots are nice and heavy off both wings. Spins are good. Groundies are heavy and volleys are well controlled. Haven't really tested with serves as my shoulder is long dead and gone but from a couple of 'lazy serves' I should say the racket is capable of firing those fire-and-forget missiles. My hitting partner tried and liked it too.

My next step is to find the right string and tension combination for my weapon. Owners of the Tour 10 VE Mid please comment.

So, to sum up, I'm now joining the Volkl family with my holy grail (that will at least be 'the one' for the next many years to come). Think I'm going to be coerced to get another one (or two), just in case Volkl doesn't feel like continuing the supply.

I was told a country of Singaporean tennis store provide customers some demo rackets a while ago but I am not sure. You might want to do a google search to see if there is available there.


Best,

-N

 

[SFrazeur]

Holy 5 year old thread revived out of nowhere Batman! RUN!

-SF

 

[anirut]

Holy 5 year old thread revived out of nowhere Batman! RUN!

-SF

LOL.

Well, I'm getting back with my 10VE Mid.

Strung her up with Head Sonic Pro 17 @50M 48C, minor grip adjustment and slapped a leather. Took her out for a spin a few nights ago and was great as usual. May be will change the tension a bit at the next stringing session.

My Redondo's dying from buttcap-pallet breakage. The too-many-times removal and stapling of the buttcap to the pallet has caused the pallet to be "perforated" -- and has begun to deteriorate. The staples don't seem to have enough pallet material to hold the buttcap to the pallet and everything's loosening up.

It's about time, then, that I give my Redondo a rest.

 

[SFrazeur]

Holy shirt, Batman! A re-revival of an 8 year-old thread!

 

[Sander001]

LOL.

Well, I'm getting back with my 10VE Mid.

Strung her up with Head Sonic Pro 17 @50M 48C, minor grip adjustment and slapped a leather. Took her out for a spin a few nights ago and was great as usual. May be will change the tension a bit at the next stringing session.

My Redondo's dying from buttcap-pallet breakage. The too-many-times removal and stapling of the buttcap to the pallet has caused the pallet to be "perforated" -- and has begun to deteriorate. The staples don't seem to have enough pallet material to hold the buttcap to the pallet and everything's loosening up.

It's about time, then, that I give my Redondo a rest.

Do you have only 1? How has it held up after so many years?

 

[anirut]

Do you have only 1? How has it held up after so many years?

I got my VE in Jan 2006 and then got my Redondo in May the same year and have been using the Redondo as my main stick (which followed a year or so by the BlackAce 93). I once needed some cash as sold the VE to a friend who didn't use it much and I bought it back.

I also have many other sticks that I rotate around with and they all are aging. So it's about time I get the VE baby out.

Actually I thought of getting a PB Mid but, having played a friend's for sometime, it was nice but I felt awkward. May be it was a bad copy? Don't know. But I feel more at home with the VE mid, esp with the 18x20. So, why spend more?

 

[meltedsteam]

So...your Super Rounded* was Super Grounded.

or

The wood of your Redondo was used for Tae Kwon Do.

*Redondo is Spanish for "Rounded"

 

[RiggensAuroraHO]

I remember asking on this board if anyone could direct me to find a replacement for my Dunlop Revelation Tour 90. I wish to thank everyone for the help. The mentioned replacement racket was the LM Prestige. Without any avaliable specs of the Revelation Tour, I just had to assume that the RevTour specs should be close to the Prestige. And from there I began.

As I'm in Thailand, I CAN'T demo rackets. Got to make decision by the comments and numbers alone.

At last, I've found my "THE" racket. I've long browsed through this board and reviews and the feed back sections to find the replacement for my can't-find-it-anymore Dunlop Revelation Tour 90.

And, the winner is .... Volkl Tour 10 VE Mid.

Bought it yesterday (Jan 12) and got it strung with the low-cost Gamma Synthetic 16 at 56 lbs. The string was choosen for experimentation only. Added one leather over grip.

Felt good. Just good?

The problem was that the grip was a bit too small even with the leather on top (the racket's originally an L3). So I stripped the synthetic over grip that's on my Dunlop and wrapped it over the leather on the 10VE.

Now, its better, but still something's not correct yet. May be the handle got a bit too heavy and screwed up the racket's favorable balance.

My assumption was right. I placed a small Fischer dampener and things got better but still could be improved. The dampener had to be adjusted for a specific location.

In the end, the racket's weight went up to 370 grams/13.05 oz. That's 40 grams above the unstrung spec.

Now it hits like a dream. :mrgreen: Shots are nice and heavy off both wings. Spins are good. Groundies are heavy and volleys are well controlled. Haven't really tested with serves as my shoulder is long dead and gone but from a couple of 'lazy serves' I should say the racket is capable of firing those fire-and-forget missiles. My hitting partner tried and liked it too.

My next step is to find the right string and tension combination for my weapon. Owners of the Tour 10 VE Mid please comment.

So, to sum up, I'm now joining the Volkl family with my holy grail (that will at least be 'the one' for the next many years to come). Think I'm going to be coerced to get another one (or two), just in case Volkl doesn't feel like continuing the supply.

"Along with the TR-25, the T10 VE Mid is the best high performance stick Volkl ever produced."

 

[max]

. . . I'm still with my C-9.

I sold off the Cat 10's, which never seemed right to me. I sold off my PB 10 mids, which hurt my elbow greatly, although a wonderful serving and onehandbackhand frame.

Will likely eventually move to the C-10, as the C-9s die off. The three I've got have been strung and restrung since 1998.