My 97 to 100 sq. in. demo journey (to replace my aging C10 Pros / help my aging body)

R

racquetjunkie

Rookie
4.0 in my younger days. Pretty strong physically, 1HBH and slice a lot, forehand is my weaker side for sure. Now 52 and work part time at a tennis retail store. Have easy access to the major brands/models. Used a pair of Volkl C10 Pros for 13 years, and finally realized I am not young/strong enough to wield them (close to 360g strung) and still play satisfactory tennis..... just struggled too much. Need something just as comfortable and has more power (typically use a soft poly/syn gut hybrid or a full bed of soft poly). The C10 Pros will be donated and hopefully someone can enjoy them still. So the demo journey began and here is the list of racquets tried/to try (all strung with poly at around 53lb) and my findings. Hope someone in similar shoes may find this info somewhat beneficial (and a good logbook for me):

Wilson Blade v8 98 16x19 - actually bought one on a whim after deciding I could no longer use my C10 Pros, strung with Hyper G soft 17 at 47lb. Likes it a lot. Comfy, decent power and spin, power sometimes surprising, decent control, nothing really negative to report. Did add a leather grip (all my sticks have them). Static weight and SW are 335g and 321, respectively. Swings and hits nice. Can be very happy if I can find another one.

Yonex Percept 97 - So nice and very soft. Swings super easy, could use lead on the hoop.... A bit too demanding for me with its low power (lower than the Blades)

Yonex Vcore 98 - nice and soft, more power than the Blades, very good spin. My sample swung heavier than the specs indicate, and heavier than my Blade v8 for sure. May try again

Yonex Ezone 98 - hated it, boardy, powerful but erratic, put it down after 5 min....my hitting partner felt the same

Babolat Pure Strike 97 - Swings heavier than the Percept 97, and stiffer..... even more demanding. would rather go back to my C10 Pros

Wilson Blade v9 98 16x19 - yet to try, hoping this would be very close to my v8

Babolat Pure Strike 100 16x20 - can't wait to try this after reading good reviews

Prince Textreme Tour 98 - same as above

Head - not a huge Head fan but may consider trying the Boom Pro and Extreme Pro
 
racquetjunkie said:
4.0 in my younger days. Pretty strong physically, 1HBH and slice a lot, forehand is my weaker side for sure. Now 52 and work part time at a tennis retail store. Have easy access to the major brands/models. Used a pair of Volkl C10 Pros for 13 years, and finally realized I am not young/strong enough to wield them (close to 360g strung) and still play satisfactory tennis..... just struggled too much. Need something just as comfortable and has more power (typically use a soft poly/syn gut hybrid or a full bed of soft poly). The C10 Pros will be donated and hopefully someone can enjoy them still. So the demo journey began and here is the list of racquets tried/to try (all strung with poly at around 53lb) and my findings. Hope someone in similar shoes may find this info somewhat beneficial (and a good logbook for me):

Wilson Blade v8 98 16x19 - actually bought one on a whim after deciding I could no longer use my C10 Pros, strung with Hyper G soft 17 at 47lb. Likes it a lot. Comfy, decent power and spin, power sometimes surprising, decent control, nothing really negative to report. Did add a leather grip (all my sticks have them). Static weight and SW are 335g and 321, respectively. Swings and hits nice. Can be very happy if I can find another one.

Yonex Percept 97 - So nice and very soft. Swings super easy, could use lead on the hoop.... A bit too demanding for me with its low power (lower than the Blades)

Yonex Vcore 98 - nice and soft, more power than the Blades, very good spin. My sample swung heavier than the specs indicate, and heavier than my Blade v8 for sure. May try again

Yonex Ezone 98 - hated it, boardy, powerful but erratic, put it down after 5 min....my hitting partner felt the same

Babolat Pure Strike 97 - Swings heavier than the Percept 97, and stiffer..... even more demanding. would rather go back to my C10 Pros

Wilson Blade v9 98 16x19 - yet to try, hoping this would be very close to my v8

Babolat Pure Strike 100 16x20 - can't wait to try this after reading good reviews

Prince Textreme Tour 98 - same as above

Head - not a huge Head fan but may consider trying the Boom Pro and Extreme Pro
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PS X

I also play C10 Pro. Very good for TE. A little low powered, but non that bad. Percept 97 is also low powered compared to PS X. Beware of the Babolats. At our age are often quite bad for the elbow. I have PD and it hurts.
 
@racquetjunkie - Welcome back. I'll profile the C10 Pro (stock and your spec), add some other info I found re- your journey, then make recommendations.

First off, the C10 Pro, specifically the 2008, which I gather is your main stick (among others):

C10-Pro-2008.png

- Stock strung spec: 346g (~12.2oz) / 31.8cm (~8pts HL) / 323sw / 159rw / 21.2 mgr/i
- Your max customized spec: 368-9g (~13 oz) / probably 31.4-.5cm (~9pts HL) / 330-ish SW (via Gamma leather grips, some lead at 3 and 9, and poly/syn-gut hybrids)
- Your "light" customized spec: 360g / ~31.8cm / low-mid 320's SW (perhaps lightening the grip setup and taking off lead?)

Additional relevant info from your TT post history:
  • Other Racquets Tried:
    • Head Graphene Radical Pro (~2014) - Too firm, too raw/vibratory (not surprising)
    • Babolat Pure Control Tour (~2016) - Got a pair used, tried, and sold.
    • Wilson Clash 98 v1 (~2021) - Pleased with power, but string bed too erratic/inconsistent (not surprising from a Clash)
    • Wilson Blade 98 v7 16x19 (~2021) - More power than C10, but less than Clash. Predictable/consistent like the C10.
  • String Setup
    • Preference of hybrid of poly mains / syn-gut crosses, typically around 53 lbs or so
  • Other Gear Preferences
    • Tends to prefer leather and/or more dense grip feel and sharper bevels
Everything considered, I would recommend focusing on a bit lighter static weight, soft to medium-soft "pleener" frames (player/tweener hybrids), with a bit better power and forgiveness than most of the control frames you've tried (Percept, etc.) but better control, feel and precision than some of the higher-power frames (Clash, EZone, to a lesser extent, VCore). Specifically, I would look for the following specs:
- Head Size: 98-100"
- Weight: <=315g unstrung stock
- Swing Weight: <=upper-320's average stock strung
- Beam: 21.5-23mm mid-beam thickness, more boxy/hybrid-box shape, constant width (or close to it)
- Pattern: semi-dense 16 mains or open 18 mains
- Flex: low-mid 60's RA
- General: as large a sweet spot and as forgiving but also consistent a string bed as possible

Based on all that, here's what I would look at:
- Babolat Pure Strike 100 16x20 - only if you can get a sample(s) with unstrung SW of 290-ish or less (I know that from experience - the over-spec ones will play like logs, not worth it)
- Head Boom Pro - May be more stiff, rubbery/muted/vague and/or hot in the upper string bed than you may want, but still worth a try. Might be correctable with strings.
- Head Extreme Pro - Similar suppositions as the Boom, but probably worth a try nonetheless and you might be able to tame it and improve feel with crisp/controlled enough strings.
- Prince ATS Tour 98 - Worth a try, certainly, but similar to the Strike, you need to try one that's mid-290's unstrung SW, max, and not an over-spec sample (plenty of them floating around), so matching service paramount.
- Prince ATS Tour 100P - Quite possibly Prince's finest frame. Very open 18x20, spins and lifts like a 16-main, with good precision and flatter control. Even with a hybrid, needs to be strung LOW to pocket/perform.
- Volkl Vostra V9 305 - Similar to the Strike 100 16x20, albeit shorter neck pieces for better hoop connection, a bit more firm flex and less stock swing weight. With leather and lead at 10 & 2, could be a winner.
- Wilson Blade 100 v9 - For your level and condition, the added forgiveness, easier depth and defending trumps most any loss of precision or ease-of-maneuvering by moving up from the 98. A must-demo, for sure.
- Wilson Pro Staff X - I was debating on this, as it stands a chance of feeling too firm and maybe a tad too heavy to start with, but it ticks enough other boxes that it's still probably worth a shot regardless.

So that's the realm of stick I would be looking at. I would probably bias more towards the 100's than the 98's, but try a few with different strings and customization setups and see how they go. There has to be a winner in that list somewhere.

Hope that helps. Any questions, feel free!
 
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A quick update on part 2 of testing racquets:

Yonex Vcore 98 (second chance) - just couldn't seem to gel with this stick..... looks so right on paper. Pretty decent on the BH (both slice and drive) but I struggled a lot on the FH side. It could be the somewhat old polys or the more open than I am used to 16x19 pattern. Again seemed to swing heavier than the Blade/the specs would indicate

Wilson Blade v9 100 (instead of trying the Pure Strike 100 16x20.... which may have been a mistake) - first stick I hit with this session and right away seemed light to hold and swing. Felt unstable and underpowered, esp compared to the 98 which was very surprising. Comfy and soft-feeling..... but that's the only positive I could find

Wilson Blade v9 98 - very very very close to my v8 even without a leather grip, felt like I can just pick this one up and play with almost no adjustment. Despite 1 point higher on the RA per the specs, felt softer on the FH side ...... could be the older polys on it.

Prince Textreme Tour 98 - the TW and tennisnerd reviews were both pretty spot on. Wonderful stick, liked both the feel (slight firmer/crisper than the Blade v9 98), and power (maybe slightly higher than the Blade 98). The only negative was a higher swing weight than the Blade. This is now very high on my list if I can find a low swing weight sample in the black paint job .... will likely try the Tour 100 310g and the Pure Strike 100 next weekend.... then I think I am ready to make a call
 
As a fellow former C10 Pro user (still have them), consider the Head Boom Pro or Diadem Elevate V3.

The Boom Pro will require some lead at 10/2. The Elevate can be played stock.

Both have good feel and are solid on impact, and much easier to play the C10 Pro.
 
@racquetjunkie - Nice update, and fairly telling as to what will likely work best for you.

Since the ATS 98 had such a potential upside for you, I would heavily consider trying to source one (or more) that are on or slightly under spec, like <=295sw unstrung, perhaps even closer to 290-ish. if such samples exist, via TW's matching service.

Beyond that, I would second the other two Tours as well – the 100 (310, or if you're that swing-weight sensitive, the 290 customized up) and the 100P. Between those two and the 98, you very well may find your answer. At least something to work into a playoff with the Blade 98 v9.

As for the Strike 100 16x20, just know that unless you get a test sample on the very light end of the spec lottery (like 290-ish SW unstrung, or lower), the more beyond that you go, the less favorable your experience is likely to be. And unfortunately, most of the TW demo's out there I believe are of the higher-end of the spec range, so don't be surprised if it feels too sluggish. Without access to a swing weight machine, you'll just have to go based on feel.

And as for the more open-patterned options, ie. the Tour 100 (either 310 or 290) and/or something like the Diadem Elevate, considering you thought the VCore 98 was too open and/or fanned out for your liking, I'd venture 100 310/290 and/or Elevate might not cut it either, as I have extensive play time with both (2019 Tour 100 310; v2 Elevate), and I didn't really think either had that much fine-tuned command over the backhand slice and/or other strokes that benefit from having more central mains density, but you never know – some people with certain biomechanics can actually use them fine (a very personal thing).

Interested to see your ultimate takeaways.
 
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Trip said:
@racquetjunkie - Nice update, and fairly telling as to what will likely work best for you.

Since the ATS 98 had such a potential upside for you, I would heavily consider trying to source one (or more) that are on or slightly under spec, like <=295sw unstrung, perhaps even <=292-293. if such samples exist, via TW's matching service.

Beyond that, I would second the other two Tours as well – the 100 (310, or if you're that swing-weight sensitive, the 290 customized up) and the 100P. Between those two and the 98, you very well find your answer. At least something to work into a playoff with the Blade 98 v9.

As for the Strike 100 16x20, just know that unless you get a test sample on the very light end of the spec lottery (like 290-ish SW unstrung, or lighter), the more beyond that you go, the less favorable your experience is likely to be. And unfortunately, most of the TW demo's out there I believe are of the higher-end of the spec range, so don't be surprised if it feels too sluggish. Without access to a swing weight machine, you'll just have to go based on feel.

And as for the more open-patterned options, ie. the Tour 100 (either 310 or 290) and/or something like the Diadem Elevate, they'll have to be a try-and-see affair. Considering you thought the VCore 98 was too open and/or fanned out for your liking, I'd venture 100 310/290 and/or Elevate might not cut it either, as I have extensive play time with both the Tour 100 310 (2019) and Elevate (v2), and I didn't really think either had that much fine-tuned command over the backhand slice and/or other strokes that benefit from having more central mains density, but you never k ow, some people with certain biomechanics can actually use them fine. That can be a very personal thing.

Interested to see your ultimate takeaways.
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Thanks again Trip. Very helpful once again. Based on your feedback on the Pure Strike 100 (I've never been a Babolat fan to begin with....) and the Tour 100s, and also my prior experience with the Microgel Radical Pro (100sq in and very open 16x19..... which I still have in my bag as an absolute last resort/backup.... don't really hit with it), I am pretty sure at this time I will simply choose between a Blade v9 98 and the Price Textreme Tour 98. if I choose the Prince, I hope TW can help "match" one with a lower than 295sw..... since I am just buying one to accompany my Blade v8 98. I am not a competitive player so having two nice to hit with 98s will suffice and make me plenty happy.
 
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racquetjunkie said:
Thanks again Trip. Very helpful once again. Based on your feedback on the Pure Strike 100 (I've never been a Babolat fan to begin with....) and the Tour 100s, and also my prior experience with the Microgel Radical Pro (100sq in and very open 16x19..... which I still have in may bag as an absolute last resort/backup.... don't really hit with it), I am pretty sure at this time I will simply choose between a Blade v9 98 and the Price Textreme Tour 98. if I choose the Prince, I hope TW can help "match" one with a lower than 295sw..... since I am just buying one to accompany my Blade v8 98. I am not a competitive player so having two nice to hit with 98s will suffice and make me plenty happy.
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i think that swing weight is out there.I have one with a 288 unstrung swingweight, and I think I remember AC Tennis saying he got one that was underspec in his review video, though I may be mistaken.
 
Soundbyte said:
As a fellow former C10 Pro user (still have them), consider the Head Boom Pro or Diadem Elevate V3.

The Boom Pro will require some lead at 10/2. The Elevate can be played stock.

Both have good feel and are solid on impact, and much easier to play the C10 Pro.
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+1 on elevate and tour variant (v3)... felt very c10'ish to me...
 
Soundbyte said:
The Elevate reminds me of the older Twin tube era Radicals. Very much the DNA of the C10, old school Radicals,etc
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i loved the elevate tour (especially for serving, dunno why)... which i probably would play with if i hadn't already bought/committed to the yonex percept 100d (in general was stepping down from the heft of the rf97)
 
If you’re going to go with the Elevate, might as well get the C10 Evo. To me, the Elevate doesn’t feel like the C10 Pro. I have the v2.
 
Some swingweight measurements for those interested:

my Blade v8 98 - 321 (stock with leather grip)
demo Blade v9 98 stock - 318
demo Textreme Tour 98 stock - 338 !! I knew it swung heavy but not 338 heavy....
above were all strung with poly.
 
racquetjunkie said:
demo Textreme Tour 98 stock - 338 !! I knew it swung heavy but not 338 heavy....
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And this is the kind of stuff that makes me shake my head. Here were have a demo unit with an unstrung SW ~308 (possibly higher if the demo wasn't full-bed poly)... at least 13 SW points over the 295-ish that it should be. An obvious QC fail by Prince of course, but what's arguably worse is the retailer then allows the frame to be put into and remain in demo circulation, which of course is only going to mislead most anyone who tries the frame into thinking that the model is an unplayable log, across the board. Makes no sense whatsoever; a disservice to literally everyone involved.

@racquetjunkie - Good for you for at least getting the strung swing weights. I think you should give the ATS 98 another shot, using a proper on-spec sample with an unstrung SW of 295 or a bit lower, bought via matching service. Yes, it sucks to have to go to such lengths, but such is the state of QC on this and many other frames from most other makers right now. For your trouble, the payoff should be noticeably better ease-of-playability and a high chance of a switchable frame, journey over. Could be well worth it.

TL;DR - A similar thing happened to me with the Strike 100 16x20 -- my TW playtest unit had an unstrung spec of 304sw and 31.7cm balance; my subsequent retail copy, obtained via matching service, was a much more on-spec 292sw and 31.0cm... and wouldn't you know, it played almost like a completely different model.
 
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BHold81 said:
Add a little lead at 3&9 and some on the handle of the Prince Tour 98. You won't be disappointed.
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IMHO, not with a frame that far over-spec, not for this use-case anyways. Adding a few grams at 9 & 3 and a few on the handle would land you into a strung spec of roughly low-mid 330's grams / 32-ish cm balance and low-mid 340's swing weight, 20-ish MGR/i and 180-ish recoil weight. ie. a "Djokovic Lite" style setup, with any even less quick beam shape. Considering what @racquetjunkie is used to, I'd wager it wouldn't be a fit.
 
Trip said:
IMHO, not with a frame that far over-spec, not for this use-case anyways. Adding a few grams at 9 & 3 and a few on the handle would land you into a strung spec of roughly low-mid 330's grams / 32-ish cm balance and low-mid 340's swing weight, 20-ish MGR/i and 180-ish recoil weight. ie. a "Djokovic Lite" style setup, with any even less quick beam shape. Considering what @racquetjunkie is used to, I'd wager it wouldn't be a fit.
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Agree with Trip that adding any weight to something that already swings too heavy for me is a no go. Fingers crossed that TW can find a black 98 with a 290-295 unstrung swingweight. Should know very soon.

And just for grins will have a chance to demo an Extreme Pro and Vcore 98 Tour this weekend, hopefully together with the Textreme 98 one more time.
 
Trip said:
IMHO, not with a frame that far over-spec, not for this use-case anyways. Adding a few grams at 9 & 3 and a few on the handle would land you into a strung spec of roughly low-mid 330's grams / 32-ish cm balance and low-mid 340's swing weight, 20-ish MGR/i and 180-ish recoil weight. ie. a "Djokovic Lite" style setup, with any even less quick beam shape. Considering what @racquetjunkie is used to, I'd wager it wouldn't be a fit.
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You could very well be right. But for me it didn’t seem to slow the frame down, and gave it that something certain it was missing. But definitely possible the extra weight would slow it down for others.
 
BHold81 said:
You could very well be right. But for me it didn’t seem to slow the frame down, and gave it that something certain it was missing. But definitely possible the extra weight would slow it down for others.
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yours might be closer to mine spec-wise than to racquetjunkie's, as I also ended up liking it best with a few grams added at 3 and 9, a bit at 12, and a few in the handle.
 
Trip said:
And this is the kind of stuff that makes me shake my head. Here were have a demo unit with an unstrung SW ~308 (possibly higher if the demo wasn't full-bed poly)... at least 13 SW points over the 295-ish that it should be. An obvious QC fail by Prince of course, but what's arguably worse is the retailer then allows the frame to be put into and remain in demo circulation, which of course is only going to mislead most anyone who tries the frame into thinking that the model is an unplayable log, across the board. Makes no sense whatsoever; a disservice to literally everyone involved.

@racquetjunkie - Good for you for at least getting the strung swing weights. I think you should give the ATS 98 another shot, using a proper on-spec sample with an unstrung SW of 295 or a bit lower, bought via matching service. Yes, it sucks to have to go to such lengths, but such is the state of QC on this and many other frames from most other makers right now. For your trouble, the payoff should be noticeably better ease-of-playability and a high chance of a switchable frame, journey over. Could be well worth it.

TL;DR - A similar thing happened to me with the Strike 100 16x20 -- my TW playtest unit had an unstrung spec of 304sw and 31.7cm balance; my subsequent retail copy, obtained via matching service, was a much more on-spec 292sw and 31.0cm... and wouldn't you know, it played almost like a completely different model.
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I agree, got a demo from TWE where SW was way too high. SW 290 is printed on the frame, also on Prince official website

Tour 98 - 7T54D — Prince Tennis

princetennis.com princetennis.com
 
@Happi - Wow. Thanks for the reminder. Seems Prince may have mistransposed that 290 mark, because even TW's average strung number is 325... either that or a good bulk of the production run is simply too top-heavy...
 
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So went out and hit some more as I wait for the Prince to arrive. Had a Vcore 98 Tour which was customized. Solid but a bit too muted , and a bit too much lead for me. Was pleasantly surprised by the stock Extreme Pro with RPM (m)/Velocity (x). Very nice and soft feeling. Good power, easy to swing, slightly unpredictable stringbed on a few shots (oldish strings perhaps). If I were less vain and didn't care about the color, this could be a good fit for me. Maybe a leather grip and a bit of lead. Anxious to have the Texteme Tour 98 joining my Blade v8 98.
 
racquetjunkie said:
4.0 in my younger days. Pretty strong physically, 1HBH and slice a lot, forehand is my weaker side for sure. Now 52 and work part time at a tennis retail store. Have easy access to the major brands/models. Used a pair of Volkl C10 Pros for 13 years, and finally realized I am not young/strong enough to wield them (close to 360g strung) and still play satisfactory tennis..... just struggled too much. Need something just as comfortable and has more power (typically use a soft poly/syn gut hybrid or a full bed of soft poly). The C10 Pros will be donated and hopefully someone can enjoy them still. So the demo journey began and here is the list of racquets tried/to try (all strung with poly at around 53lb) and my findings. Hope someone in similar shoes may find this info somewhat beneficial (and a good logbook for me):

Wilson Blade v8 98 16x19 - actually bought one on a whim after deciding I could no longer use my C10 Pros, strung with Hyper G soft 17 at 47lb. Likes it a lot. Comfy, decent power and spin, power sometimes surprising, decent control, nothing really negative to report. Did add a leather grip (all my sticks have them). Static weight and SW are 335g and 321, respectively. Swings and hits nice. Can be very happy if I can find another one.

Yonex Percept 97 - So nice and very soft. Swings super easy, could use lead on the hoop.... A bit too demanding for me with its low power (lower than the Blades)

Yonex Vcore 98 - nice and soft, more power than the Blades, very good spin. My sample swung heavier than the specs indicate, and heavier than my Blade v8 for sure. May try again

Yonex Ezone 98 - hated it, boardy, powerful but erratic, put it down after 5 min....my hitting partner felt the same

Babolat Pure Strike 97 - Swings heavier than the Percept 97, and stiffer..... even more demanding. would rather go back to my C10 Pros

Wilson Blade v9 98 16x19 - yet to try, hoping this would be very close to my v8

Babolat Pure Strike 100 16x20 - can't wait to try this after reading good reviews

Prince Textreme Tour 98 - same as above

Head - not a huge Head fan but may consider trying the Boom Pro and Extreme Pro
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I'm now 58 and I used the C10's for a long time. I was a pure serve and volley player back in my 20's when I took up with the ProStaff 6.1 Classic, but the C10 was an easy switch when I eventually wanted something softer with more control around the baseline.

Loved the C10's for their comfort and almost unlimited power (for me), but I eventually added a pair of Volkl Organix 10 325g's to my bag. These were a nice alternative to the C10's in terms of getting extra spin and control, but I also had a lot of confidence using these in a doubles setting. Having both racquets in my bag for a while was great - together they would give me whatever I wanted for any setting from coaching (feeding) to heavy slugging with high school kids on the teams I coach.

Note: my C10's have weight added to their handles for extra HL balance and the O10's have weight on their handles and hoops for a weight & balance that's similar to my C10's. So they're all in that neighborhood of 12.5 oz. with 10-11 pts. HL balance.

Then a few years ago I eventually go that feeling of "maybe these are too much for me"... so I tried the Dunlop CX 200 Tour (18x20) and Prince Phantom 97P. Both are more lean in their stock form than my Volkls and I did some tuning with lead tape to see where I landed with the Prince and the Dunlop. While I'm more at home with only some handle weight on the Phantom, I liked the Dunlop with lead on both the hoop and the handle to take both frames up to just over 12 oz.

Currently I'm using my Volkl O10's again, but I've removed the lead from their hoops. They seems to be solid and stable enough for me without the extra mass on their hoops. The CX 200 Tour and Phantom 97 are wonderful players with a little of that welcome old-school vibe in their designs, but both are also a little tame for me. If I was to shop for something else right now, I'd want to try a Dunlop CX model with at least a 98" hoop or a Phantom model with a 100" hoop. Maybe one or the other would also feel more right for me after a little lead tape tuning.

My numero uno recommendation is to take a hard look at the current crop of Dunlops. Even the CX 200 OS looks rather good, as does their FX 500 Tour. It may turn out that you land on a more manageable package that's only a couple tenths of an ounce lighter than your C10's.
 
Off and on C10 user here. Moved to Yonex frames due to weight and enjoyed for a bit, then cracked my Vcore Pro (2021) on the stringer. Decided to string up an old c10 with 17g cyclone at 37.5 lbs. Lower tension seems to open up the sweet spot quite dramatically from the 48-52 lb. range in which I used to string my c10s. Barely have to swing at the ball and plenty of power with this low-tension setup. Also very stable, particularly as compared to the 310 gram Vcore Pros, which tend to flutter when dealing with pace. In short, I got away from the c10 because I thought it was too heavy to be effective, but low tension poly changed my mind.
 
racquetjunkie said:
Thanks but not for me... check my post 9/29
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Wilson Blade v9 100 (instead of trying the Pure Strike 100 16x20.... which may have been a mistake) - first stick I hit with this session and right away seemed light to hold and swing. Felt unstable and underpowered, esp compared to the 98 which was very surprising. Comfy and soft-feeling..... but that's the only positive I could find

Ahh...i see. Did you check the specs, specially SW, mine came in at 310 instead of 322.
 
The Tour 98 came in. One machine read 295sw, and the other 290sw. I guess the strung sw will be 320-325..... hope not any higher. Going with RPM rough 17 main and Velocity 16 cross. Already installed a leather grip. Will measure everything again when strung and report back. This weekend I will be hitting with a few demos just for fun: Boom Pro, Percept 97 again, a customized Ezone 98 Tour, and the RF01 300g.
 
@racquetjunkie - Psyched for you. Interested to see how the ATS 98 works out.

racquetjunkie said:
Going with RPM rough 17 main and Velocity 16 cross.
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Don't be surprised if that hybrid doesn't last very long, especially once the silicone wears off the RPM mains, which could happen as fast as 1-2 hours, depending on how hard you hit. But should at least give you a good idea of how the ATS 98 plays in general.
 
Trip said:
@racquetjunkie - Psyched for you. Interested to see how the ATS 98 works out.


Don't be surprised if that hybrid doesn't last very long, especially once the silicone wears off the RPM mains, which could happen as fast as 1-2 hours, depending on how hard you hit. But should at least give you a good idea of how the ATS 98 plays in general.
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Thanks Trip. Yes excited to test out RPM rough for the first time. Restrung the Blade v8 98 with the same hybrid. we shall see how they compare
 
Just a few notes from this morning's session (refer back to my first post on 9/24 ) :
- the customized Ezone 98 Tour, compared to the stock Ezone 98 I previously tested (and didn't like at all), was a different beast. Fresh PolyTour Pro, lead on the hoop and in the handle (356g, 336sw) gave this frame power, plow, and was even comfortable. I was just not strong enough to play with it for too long
- LOVED the Percept 97 (measured 313sw). Again fresh polys made the difference. Yes slightly lowered-powered than the Blade 98 and Textreme 98. But the comfort, feel, and surprising power this time around really impressed me. This is a solid top 3 for me now as a once or twice a week/non-competitive player ... Trying to fight the temptation to acquire one... will sleep on it. A must demo for someone in my same/similar shoes
- Boom Pro - the dead polys didn't go it justice. I liked the weight/sw and it felt alright, maybe firmer than the Extreme Pro. I was struggling to hit cleanly with it....
- RF 01 300g - didn't give it a fair shake as time was limited... it came with multis...wish it had polys... felt and swung very very light.... would worry about stability. Did have some pop. I guess a good platform racquet potentially.
 
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Hey Trip. thanks for checking in. unfortunately I have some sort of muscle issue in the upper arm/shoulder area which I hope will resolve in the next week or so. Quite sore at the moment so haven't been hitting...... But did find out before that the Phantom 100x 305 is a sweet stick: good power, soft and comfy, and plenty of spin. I even like the green paint...
 
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