n6.1 Tour 90: TW review

Tennis Man

Hall of Fame
Hey guys,

I wonder if anyone has a problem with TW reviews. I relied on them for overall racquet ratings and comments. But after getting and playing with 6.1 Tour 90 for a week now, I started thinking that something isn't right with the reviews. I loved the way 6.1 Tour 90 feels and plays and would probably get it sooner if not for the lower review and bad comments.

On TW n6.1 Tour 90 is rated overall "73" compared with "80" for a more popular n6.1 95 frame. I wonder if this advanced player racquet should be tested/rated ONLY by high-NTRP ranked players.

Why would players 3-4 NTRP players rank a racquet "Best suited to 5.0+ NTRP level players"? Naturally, they wouldn't like it and give the racquet a lower rating.

A while ago I plotted TW ratings for some popular frames (unfortunately, some of them are not even reviewed) in excel worksheet to compare and find the best racquet for my game and ended up with the following models best suited for my game:

n6.1 95 16x18 (80)
FXP Radical MP (79?)
FXP Radical Tour (81)
FXP Prestige MP (79?)
LM Radical MP (80, old review?)
Yonex RDX 500 (80)
Dunlop M-Fil 300 (not reviewed?)
Babolat Pure Storm (not reviewed?)

Now, I think I'll be getting another n6.1 Tour 90 and be careful relying on TW reviews. Also, what is exactly "best seller" according to TW?

Any serious comments?
 

Hal

Rookie
When I read their reviews, I go down to the player description on the bottom. This tells me the level and type of game of each reviewer. Then I look for the comments of the players that most match my level and playing style. I also look to see what racquets they currently play with, to see if we have similar racquet tastes. I'm not so worried about overall scores, but more what are the scores and comments in the areas that match my playing style.
 

Tennis Man

Hall of Fame
Well, ok, I did the same but it can be very subjective b/c many advanced players playing with similar racquets still don't like n6.1 Tour 90 and reading just one guy's comment wouldn't help much. Is this an effective rating system that buyers should rely on?
 

Hal

Rookie
Rafaello said:
Is this an effective rating system that buyers should rely on?

I would never use this rating system or any other as the single reason to buy a frame. I may use it as you did to put a frame on the demo list. I first look at the racquet specs to see if it's something that I'd be interested in. I also rely on other reviews from the racquet forum, magazines, and people that I play with.

Based on this evidence I pick racquets to demo. I then make my decision based on how "I" play with a racquet. I also look for things like vibration to try to determine if the racquet is safe for my shoulder and elbow.
 

SFrazeur

Legend
I do not rely on any reviews for a deciding factor on a racquet. I look to reviews to see what the

characteristics of a racquet may be. With the n6.1 90 review, they looked at the characteristic of the

racquet as negative, but I saw them positively.
 

Tennis Man

Hall of Fame
Well, but I'm not a pro YET and I can't test every decent racquet in the market. For that reason I stick to the most popular brands, frames, positive reviews just like many TW customers but it can be misleading as I found out.
 

alan-n

Professional
I feel the same way about reviews and thats why its best to play test racquets and keep in mind the string setup while testing.
 

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
Rafaello said:
Well, ok, I did the same but it can be very subjective b/c many advanced players playing with similar racquets still don't like n6.1 Tour 90 and reading just one guy's comment wouldn't help much. Is this an effective rating system that buyers should rely on?

This is why TW has also added the independent comparative playtest reviews by non-TW employees, and also the Customer Feedback section from actual customers that have bought and used the racquets to give people additional data points to consider. No, you should not rely on the comments of just one person, but you can look at all of the above as a whole to make a better educated decision. Ultimately, racquet choices are purely subjective so you can't absolutely and definitively rely on anyone's opinion but your own. You may hate a racquet that everyone else loves or you may love a racquet that everyone else hates (as you're finding out). That's why it's so important to demo the racquets for yourself and why TW offers a convenient demo program.
 

Tennis Man

Hall of Fame
Any idea why my specs are different from TW:

nCode 6.1 Tour 90
-------------------
(silver box on inside of the throat):
Wgt: 340/12oz
Balance 30.5cm (12 pts HL)

TW:
Wgt: 352/12.4oz
Balance 9 pts HL
 

jmsx521

Hall of Fame
Many issues

I also find racket-reviews not quite accurate, because not enough details are mentioned. To improve the racket testing they need to add in reviews:

*the weight and height of the tester
*the grip size they are using
*how they grip the racket (continental, eastern, semi-western, western)
*the string & tension they are using
*what motion they use (rough or fluid)

And isn't "Swing-weight" different for everyone, depending on how long your arms are and what strength you have?
 

ollinger

G.O.A.T.
Uh, no, swingweight is measured on a racquet, as with weight or flex. How about the religion, political affiliation, and post-mortem preference (burial or cremation) of the testers as well? Notwithstanding Yonex varying racquet weight with grip size, who cares what the grip size of the tester is.
________
AsianSugar cam
 
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chess9

Hall of Fame
I'll give some credence to the reviews when I see some honest opinions stated. I've tested some racquets that were better off as some racquet designer's wet dream and not a real product. Some racquets are horrible for volleying, some are better for serving, etc. But, we are not given the scores each tester gives the racquet, only the final composite score. As a consequence, if a 5.0 says a racquet is smooth as butter but the overall "spread" on that butter is 10 points what good is the comment? If a 5.0 says a racquet serves great, I want to know the score that tester gave that racquet and if it doesn't serve great I want to hear him say its a so-so serving stick. Instead, they dance all around the issues by giving your typical car magazine style reviews. Blech! These reviewers are really missing an opportunity for some crisp and probably lurid prose. :)

Just buy a used or new racquet, string it up with a few different tensions and give it a few weeks trial. That's about the only thing that works, though it is expensive. Demoing doesn't work because of the stringing issues.

-Robert
 

Tennis Man

Hall of Fame
chess9 said:
I'll give some credence to the reviews when I see some honest opinions stated. I've tested some racquets that were better off as some racquet designer's wet dream and not a real product. Some racquets are horrible for volleying, some are better for serving, etc. But, we are not given the scores each tester gives the racquet, only the final composite score. As a consequence, if a 5.0 says a racquet is smooth as butter but the overall "spread" on that butter is 10 points what good is the comment? If a 5.0 says a racquet serves great, I want to know the score that tester gave that racquet and if it doesn't serve great I want to hear him say its a so-so serving stick. Instead, they dance all around the issues by giving your typical car magazine style reviews. Blech! These reviewers are really missing an opportunity for some crisp and probably lurid prose. :)

Just buy a used or new racquet, string it up with a few different tensions and give it a few weeks trial. That's about the only thing that works, though it is expensive. Demoing doesn't work because of the stringing issues.

-Robert

Thanks, man for awesome feedback.
 
What about the other players? What comes from the other side of the net makes a HUGE difference when playtesting racquets as well.
I believe opponents, their skill level, and style should also be considered.
Overall I like their reviews, in some racquets they were dead on - but some racquets simply require more than 2 weeks of playtesting, and I believe the Ncode tour is one of them.
 
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