Modern Estusa Power Beam Braided?

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Deleted member 19728

Guest
Howdy,
I bought an Estusa Power Beam Braided back from TW many moons ago as a collectors item and finally hit with it about two weeks ago...holy crap what an awesome racquet...I was interested in acquiring more and switching, but the thought of trying to replace them and find replacement bumpers/grommets makes me cringe. Are there any racquets on the market that play similar to this beast? I was thinking about demoing the Prestige Mid and the new yonex vcore 89. Based on specs I thought the Vcore would be in the same ball park and the high yonex sweet spot might be pretty cool. I have been a long time wilson 90 user, but got away from them after playing with the red and black BLX. I am not so sure that I want to got back to wilson, I think their quality is just poor, any other frame recommendations would be greatly appreciated-
Thanks
 
T

TheRed

Hall of Fame
Nothing produced in the last 10 years (that I've played with) plays remotely like the PBB. Closest was the RDX 500 mid from Yonex.
 
D

Deleted member 19728

Guest
That is the answer I was expecting but hoping wouldn't be true...I never hit with them back in the 90s due to not being able to find a demo. Makes me sick to think of what I missed out on. The braided is pretty sweet.
 
Fearsome Forehand

Fearsome Forehand

Professional
People who like them, really like them.

Regarding the grommet/head guard concern, use head tape. Estusa grommets and head guards are all but impossible to find and usually rather pricey if you ever do.
 
kreative

kreative

Professional
ericsson said:
Closest i got was the Volkl V-engine MID...
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I also thought it played similar to the Volkl V-Engine 10 Mid, except that the VE10Mid had a bigger sweetspot and felt more stable on balls hit in the upper hoop. The PBB was like inbetween the VE10Mid and older Volkl C10pro (which was much softer)
 
S

stevewcosta

Professional
DonBot said:
Howdy,
I bought an Estusa Power Beam Braided back from TW many moons ago as a collectors item and finally hit with it about two weeks ago...holy crap what an awesome racquet...I was interested in acquiring more and switching, but the thought of trying to replace them and find replacement bumpers/grommets makes me cringe. Are there any racquets on the market that play similar to this beast? I was thinking about demoing the Prestige Mid and the new yonex vcore 89. Based on specs I thought the Vcore would be in the same ball park and the high yonex sweet spot might be pretty cool. I have been a long time wilson 90 user, but got away from them after playing with the red and black BLX. I am not so sure that I want to got back to wilson, I think their quality is just poor, any other frame recommendations would be greatly appreciated-
Thanks
Click to expand...
Great racquet but I liked the Power Beam (not Pro) even more.
 
D

Deleted member 19728

Guest
I actually went from ps 85 to 6.1 classic to 2 c10 pros when they first came out- was it 99 or 00? Regardless I hit with them for a little while and eventually moved on to Wilson 90s until I broke my last kfactor. I just never liked the blx model....I have tried quite a few others in that stint, but never the v-engine...the c10 pro was ok, but there seems to always be something else out there I play better with. The estusa has great feel and precision, plus I knock the hell out of the ball with it....my next shot will be a softer poly in it.
 
T

tennistiger

Semi-Pro
jorel said:
from wat i understand..becker has the rights to the power beam/puma super mold
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I don`t know who has the rights on the old Estusa/Puma Mold and where it is now, both where produced in the old Sanhosun Fabric (Owner at that time Jackson Tse - esTUSA). Head made 1992 a slightly DIFFERENT mold compared to the older ones. This one is still at the Head Factory in Kennelbach. So Head could make new rackets.
 
jorel

jorel

Hall of Fame
tennistiger said:
I don`t know who has the rights on the old Estusa/Puma Mold and where it is now, both where produced in the old Sanhosun Fabric (Owner at that time Jackson Tse - esTUSA). Head made 1992 a slightly DIFFERENT mold compared to the older ones. This one is still at the Head Factory in Kennelbach. So Head could make new rackets.
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boris has the rights...
 
C

classic tennis

Semi-Pro
There are no "rights" , if you all are so keen contact a factory lay your money on the line, provide counter samples and away you go.....20K should get you started...good luck !
 
B

BlaackSheeep

Rookie
If BB does have the mold for the Puma/Estusa power beam and he won so many championships with it why doesn't he play with them now?
 
R

Roforot

Professional
Without a pro-player using the frame, I doubt a mid sized low power frame is going to sell enough to make it profitable. BB already has produced the BB mid and London Tour. Both of which ended up going on sale to clear out. Rather than release another mid-sized frame, I think it would be more effective to sponsor an up and coming player to use a frame from one of their lineups...
 
D

Deleted member 19728

Guest
Roforot said:
Without a pro-player using the frame, I doubt a mid sized low power frame is going to sell enough to make it profitable. BB already has produced the BB mid and London Tour. Both of which ended up going on sale to clear out. Rather than release another mid-sized frame, I think it would be more effective to sponsor an up and coming player to use a frame from one of their lineups...
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That has just been the general criticism of VOLKL for the last 10 years...no pros etc. The Powerbridge 10 mid did pretty well, it was a littl whippy for my tastes when I tried the demo, but not too bad.

I recently tried out the head prestige Mid, midplus, and Pro. I actually liked the Midplus the best out of the batch, but it was strung with dead poly that was launching the ball into orbit...heh I thought that racquet was supposed to be low powered lol....I also tried out the Yonex Vcore 89...I am awfully tempted to buy one...I like how linear the power is, but I wish it had a little more pop and grip...I think the issue i may be having is the demo is strung with gosen og 16g..great string, but probably not my first choice for a 16x20 in an 89 inch head size...any suggestions on the two? The Head prestige Midplus serves huge, but the ground strokes tended to sail if I didn't get some really aggressive spin going...the yonex was great, but it had a fairly distinct sweet spot and shots tended to fall short if you hit in the outer regions of the frame. Where I noticed this the most was trying to get out of the way of body serves..the throat of the racquet is very large (and I have very long arms)..so I had a tendency to get in trouble when things were hit with alot of pace straight at me.
 
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Deleted member 19728

Guest
I owned the original, I thought it was a complete turd for serving, the rest was pretty great...imo best slicing frame I have ever used.
 
R

Roforot

Professional
DonBot said:
That has just been the general criticism of VOLKL for the last 10 years...no pros etc. The Powerbridge 10 mid did pretty well, it was a littl whippy for my tastes when I tried the demo, but not too bad.

I recently tried out the head prestige Mid, midplus, and Pro. I actually liked the Midplus the best out of the batch, but it was strung with dead poly that was launching the ball into orbit...heh I thought that racquet was supposed to be low powered lol....I also tried out the Yonex Vcore 89...I am awfully tempted to buy one...I like how linear the power is, but I wish it had a little more pop and grip...I think the issue i may be having is the demo is strung with gosen og 16g..great string, but probably not my first choice for a 16x20 in an 89 inch head size...any suggestions on the two? The Head prestige Midplus serves huge, but the ground strokes tended to sail if I didn't get some really aggressive spin going...the yonex was great, but it had a fairly distinct sweet spot and shots tended to fall short if you hit in the outer regions of the frame. Where I noticed this the most was trying to get out of the way of body serves..the throat of the racquet is very large (and I have very long arms)..so I had a tendency to get in trouble when things were hit with alot of pace straight at me.
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I think it's a shame. I mean if roddick had used a volkl c10 pro how different would the company look. Anyway yonex has had Hewitt and kraijek in the past to help move their mid sized frames.

I have yet to try the vcore89. Not sure though how you felt the prestige mid plus strung with poly had too much power on groundstrokes. Which version did you use?

I might give the volkl pb10 another shot. It's very headlight but a little lead should fix it. The c10 is also said to be similar but swings a little less whippy. The main downside is again the lack of a pro idol.
 
D

Deleted member 19728

Guest
Roforot said:
I think it's a shame. I mean if roddick had used a volkl c10 pro how different would the company look. Anyway yonex has had Hewitt and kraijek in the past to help move their mid sized frames.

I have yet to try the vcore89. Not sure though how you felt the prestige mid plus strung with poly had too much power on groundstrokes. Which version did you use?

I might give the volkl pb10 another shot. It's very headlight but a little lead should fix it. The c10 is also said to be similar but swings a little less whippy. The main downside is again the lack of a pro idol.
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I used the IG prestige mp, I think the demo had SPPP tornado or some other 1st generation black poly in it and it was at the end of its life. If I hit anything flat I was in real trouble. I played with it for three sessions...I am pretty sure it is the string. The power level of yonex was actually more what I was expecting from the prestige mp. I was serving really well with the Prestige, which would be one of the reasons why I may give it another shot, maybe redemo it and hope for a freshly strung stick.

I would definitely snap up a PB10 mid or two if they hit bargain basement prices. They are pretty good sticks and serve well. As they say.... Volkl is best tennis racquet you have never heard of rofl...With the garbage Wilson has been putting out, it has been pretty easy to cross over into brands I would have never imagined hitting with....Lol I also love Wilson's eco friendly we don't provide racquet covers rofl aka we found another way to cut our bottom line...
 
S&V Specialist

S&V Specialist

Rookie
Just found 6 of these at a local Goodwill for $7.50 each, I popped on it and must say that this frame is amazing. It has become my new racquet of choice.
 
sargeinaz

sargeinaz

Hall of Fame
S&V Specialist said:
Just found 6 of these at a local Goodwill for $7.50 each, I popped on it and must say that this frame is amazing. It has become my new racquet of choice.
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That's amazing. Because of this, i checked my local goodwill and play it again sports and found...nothing.
 
M

michael valek

Professional
Not the braided I haven’t got any of them. I prefer the power beam (not pro nor braided) they weigh about 340g strung which is the closest to the boris Becker champ frames at 345g. I’d say the estusa power beams play a tiny bit stiffer and for some reason they feel longer, even though they are not. The champ frames just feel higher quality. Like pro stock v retail but I can switch between them no problem. The puma supers are also fantastic but are on average 15g or more heavier. What I wonder is if it is possible to change the pallets on the champ frames, they are tk82 head pallets. Mine are grip 2 which is perfect for me with 2 overgrips on the pallet but I would like to find more but can only find grip 3 or 4.....I suppose grip 3 with one overgrips is almost the same but them it’s a little less cushioned. ?????
 
P

pbeam

New User
Thanks for the info... I happen to have acquired the Power Beam (non Pro) during these days and just did the serve practice and hit some free groundies (self-feed) at the court...

The feeling of being longer than the Championship stick might be either due to the kinetic stabilizer at the top of the hoop, the geometry of the frame and perhaps slightly larger racquet head size on the Championship Edition (since the Head mold was not the same as Estusa mold) or some other feature or something inherent to Estusas, not present on the championship stick (the latter and the former should be re-released, and/or modernized - optimized with computer software, allowing for less swing weight, stronger material and yet similar feel, would be my thoughts).

Very curious to hit with my Estusa power beam with the practice partner just to get the feel of it... It does feel more flexy than I have expected, the question is whether that is good or bad thing, we shall see...

I would agree with you fully when you have stated once that these sticks are the guilty pleasure while one is sure capable of playing better with the Babolat APD (my to go stick).

I cannot say anything about Estusa Championship Becker stick regarding the pallets (handle), but Head racquets in general allow(ed) for the pallet change at the handle.
I purchased (5-7 years ago) the pallets (TW Europe) for one of my Head Prestige Classics (eventually sold all of them) and replaced the pallets on one of them. There was a video on yt showing how the whole thing is done (it does involve the hair dryer and it is rather simple procedure).

On to the Estusa - in which way Championship edition feels better than the ordinary Estusas ?

I have also read somewhere that you have play tested and liked the Braided model, hence my earlier question; I will try to find again that post... Was curious to know how that one felt, since I presume I would like its crispness and lower static weight (I suppose). It could perhaps hit a sweet spot on my behalf, having owned and used POG 93 and Head Prestige Classic (in succession, for a good amount of years, prior to 2010-2012 and Babolat APD+ , original non-cortex version) .
 
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michael valek

Professional
maybe i did play with the braided once years ago but can't remember anything specific about it........
i guess the head version just feels a little different, maybe the materials used, difficult to say. they are all great.
and about APD / pure aeros etc, sure you can blast away but i find i then rely on the racket to do the work for me, and become lazier in my footwork and thinking on court. plus you have to hit rafa-style forehands to keep the ball in the court.
 
P

pbeam

New User
Well, I hit relatively flat (can vary) and when first picking up the APD I thought the same, that it will be difficult to keep the ball in the court... much to my surprise, I could hit even harder, no loss of precision whatsoever, far from "having to keep to ball in the court" - did not need any adjustments at all... I guess it is individual and can vary widely, and can be string dependent as well, as I am sure that the ones I got came with some sort of Luxilon strings, while I was using the poly (1.225 Kirschbaum) on my Heads, at that time...
 
P

pbeam

New User
Well, it wasn't like I was trying to hit in any particular manner, I just hit as I normally do and did at that time... I wouldn't say that (to me, unlike what you have described) APD+ lends itself particularly to hitting in a certain fashion, in regard to extreme topspin vs. more of a drive on both wings. This despite what most people would tend to think, and associate in regard to its most prominent user (Nadal).
I do not hit like Connors, not that sort of flat anyway, and I guess that then - the APD+ would feel a bit off, but still playable.
If one can impart the spin on both wings on groundies, with loopy or (semi) circular swings, while hitting through the ball, with solid stroke mechanics, I found the APD+ to be perfectly suitable for the task, while being significantly easier to handle and generate racquet head speed or instantly accelerate with ease, compared to traditional players sticks from 80's and early 90's.
This easier handling, to me, subjectively, allows for adjustments in back- and forward swing, throughout the stroke, easier that with vintage racquets, and to me that is the huge advantage, allowing for the better performance on the court in faster and tighter situations.
What I like about it (vs. traditional 80s sticks) is the lower swing weight that allows for that, and crisp response (without ever feeling "stiff", but this could be due to the woofer system).
 
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Deleted member 19728

Guest
Thanks for reviving this thread I forgot how old I have become lolol
 
P

pbeam

New User
michael valek said:
Apd+ is a monster.
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Well, to many or some number of us, it is, in a good way.
On the other hand, some people dislike it, some hate it, so who's to say, in the end it is rather individual.

Having said that, Estusa PB will always have a great sentimental value to me, apart from being a great stick in itself.
Looking for something similar to it, with less swing weight, and perhaps a tad more crisp in response, so I suspect that the Braided could fit the bill.
I guess I will never know until I find one at a humane price; such a shame that these are not made any more.


DonBot said:
Thanks for reviving this thread I forgot how old I have become lolol
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You're welcome... the Estusa thread deserves to be kept alive...
Yes, we are not getting any younger... but... hey, still young at heart, and that is all that matters !
 
P

pbeam

New User
Well folks... Oh boy!

Rather unexpectedly - got the practice session (and practice match) for the first time in years, and initially had the Estusa Power Beam (non pro) with me for the serve practice (technique correction practice).

Got to hit for the first time with the stick since I have purchased it, other than self fed balls and serve...
... and... oh boy, what a stick ... reminded me of the long gone years with the Puma Winner... although, for some reason Estusa feels even better... all shots, volleys (slice bh was a biggest surprise, I knew already that one-handed topspin bh or drive was a butter with this stick), difficult to describe, it all just felt and feels so right... tons of feel...
 
Crocodile

Crocodile

Legend
DonBot said:
Howdy,
I bought an Estusa Power Beam Braided back from TW many moons ago as a collectors item and finally hit with it about two weeks ago...holy crap what an awesome racquet...I was interested in acquiring more and switching, but the thought of trying to replace them and find replacement bumpers/grommets makes me cringe. Are there any racquets on the market that play similar to this beast? I was thinking about demoing the Prestige Mid and the new yonex vcore 89. Based on specs I thought the Vcore would be in the same ball park and the high yonex sweet spot might be pretty cool. I have been a long time wilson 90 user, but got away from them after playing with the red and black BLX. I am not so sure that I want to got back to wilson, I think their quality is just poor, any other frame recommendations would be greatly appreciated-
Thanks
Click to expand...
The only racquets I could find that remind me of the puma were:
1. Pro Kennex Core 1 no 6
2. Volkl V Engine Tour 10 mp
3. Volkl SG 10 Mid 330 - a more powerful version
4. Boris Becker Melbourne maybe
 
D

Deleted member 19728

Guest
pbeam said:
Well folks... Oh boy!

Rather unexpectedly - got the practice session (and practice match) for the first time in years, and initially had the Estusa Power Beam (non pro) with me for the serve practice (technique correction practice).

Got to hit for the first time with the stick since I have purchased it, other than self fed balls and serve...
... and... oh boy, what a stick ... reminded me of the long gone years with the Puma Winner... although, for some reason Estusa feels even better... all shots, volleys (slice bh was a biggest surprise, I knew already that one-handed topspin bh or drive was a butter with this stick), difficult to describe, it all just felt and feels so right... tons of feel...
Click to expand...
Yeah I hit with mine every once in a while still, it just feels like a PS85 on roids. I hate using it too much because I only have one left lol.
 
P

pbeam

New User
DonBot said:
Yeah I hit with mine every once in a while still, it just feels like a PS85 on roids. I hate using it too much because I only have one left lol.
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Having the same problem as you have - I have only one, just recently acquired.
It was more difficult today, mighty tired from yesterday and opened the new can of balls (Wilson 3), but they were purchased like several years ago... It took some getting used to, even though I prefer new balls, it just required hitting with more spin on all shots. I have not played for at least three years, so, yes.. "stabilization period", and difficult when the hitting partner does not recognize the importance of the practice period and its methodics prior to resurrecting the match play, after longer lay-offs...
Winning does not mean much without playing the optimum quality tennis and (especially on serve) as good as possible, correct(ed) technique...

Racquet is still great, these new balls today are, imo. screwed since about 1992. or late 1991. , when the new Penn Pro balls appeared, that felt like radical departure (to the worse) from the Penn 1 and Wilson balls, as well as from the Dunlop balls up to that time.
They were (these new balls) all of the sudden heavy as stone and rather lifeless. Years before that, say mid '80s onwards, I could play with newly opened can of balls and never felt similar sort of "problems".
Tennis balls up to that time felt like having the "normal" weight (not having anything close to this stoney inertia moment typical of these new Penn Pro balls, where anything but heavy topspin played under throttle was hit and miss), they were lively without being stone heavy and lifeless, and had more uniform and predictable response.

Estusa Power Beam has great feel. I happen to own the Wilson Pro Staff Original PS 85 St. Vincent, albeit with hairline cracks here and there, and that racquet felt like roid version of other classic frames rather heavy, so to me PS 85 St. Vincent felt the other way round, rather like the Puma (a bit heavier than Estusa Power Beam) on roids...

I would love to go back in time and open the can of Penn 1, Wilson or Dunlop balls used from 84 - prior to 92. and see if and how big the difference it is compared to what is available today.
 
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Deleted member 19728

Guest
I have three Chicago PS 85s without the bumper and a few of the other varieties of them throughout the years. Kind of the same concern I have with the 90s and the estusa, when you are on the control is out of this world. However, with a modern technique your window for error is much smaller compared to the older way you would swing a wood racquet. If I am not playing more than four times a week I don't even try to take these guys out anymore. Just a frustrating experience.
 
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