Need help choosing: pure storm ltd gt vs. tour gt

[dberke]

I just demoed about 7 or 8 racquets and I narrowed it down to two that I really like a lot:

1. Babolat Pure Storm Ltd. GT
(345 g/ 12.1oz)(9 pts HL) (313 Swingweight) (95 in) (18x20) (19mm beam)
Pros: easy to swing, great on serves, felt like I was never late
Cons: Not quite as solid on volleys and not as quite as solid, but good on the groundstrokes compared to the tour.

2. Babolat Pure Storm Tour GT
(345 g/ 12.1oz)(8 pts HL) (333 Swingweight) (98 in) (16x20) (21mm beam)
Pros: Awesome groundstrokes and volleys. Felt very, very solid.
Cons: Felt a little too heavy for me to handle most noticeably on the serves.

So ideally I want the best of both rackets. I'm thinking about trying some lead tape on the Ltd. at 3 and 9 o'clock to add some more oomph to my volleys and groundstrokes and hoping the serve won't be affected. How much weight should I add and does this seem like a good idea?

My second problem is that the ltd. had a synthetic gut string and the Tour had a poly (mains) and synthetic gut (crosses) hybrid. I've never used poly strings before. What can I expect if I changed the strings to a synthetic gut? Unfortunately, I don't think I can ask the shop to restring the demo for me, although I haven't asked.

Thanks a lot for the advice!

 

[JT Corona]

I wish I knew more about your game in order to help. What racket were u using? NTRP rating? Why do u play-just for fun or competitively?

From the experiences of players I know and my own, just between those 2 i'd go with the pure storm tour or pure storm.

 

[dberke]

my game

I'm a 4.5 rated player mostly baseliner with a pretty good serve. I was playing with a Prince Tour Diablo mid which I like but is too heavy. I was looking for something that was shoulder friendly and a bit on the lighter side. I have a 2 handed backhand and a semi western grip forehand. Hope this helps.

 

[Zeb]

I play with PSL GT and found it too light and flimsy in stock. But given that it is flexible and headlight you can pretty much customise it to exactly how you want and it will play great for you. I did quite a bit of lead experimenting and in the end settled for 1.5 grams at 3, 9 and 12 and added a wilson pro overgrip (4grams) to the handle plus 1.5 grams just above the overgrip and 2 grams in the butt.

The racket is now gone upto 346 grams static weight, Swing weight I estimate to be around 325 and the balance is 31.3cm or roughly 9pts and a bit.

The racket plays with good plow owing to the lead at 12 and is stable on volleys becasue of the lead at 3 and 9. I think for me the static weight of 346grams is enough for me to comofrtbaly play long matches and without sacrificing head speed on serves. And becasue the stick is flexible you still get great feel for the ball for those touch shots. Also try this stick with a good multi string around the lower tension end (mine is at 55lbs) but will go lower next time to 52lbs to increase the ball pocketing feel.

So the key is to have a racket that's got decent static weight for stability and plow but is still HL for swingspeed needed on serves and groundstrokes and good flexibility for those touch shots and half volleys. Alot of people think that spin potential might be reduced by the tight string pattern of this stick. I have not found this to be the case along with many others using the PSL GT. If you get it strung with 17g and put a little lead at 12 and at handle (i.e. polarize the racket at both ends) the spin is as good as my K90 but with the added benefit of it being more forgiving with that 95 inch head.

 

[JT Corona]

You're a decent player then that used a pretty advanced stick. I still say go with the Pure Storm Tour (if those are the only two choices), but Babolats and Wilsons can be stiff (may not bother u however). Should be open to other brands. But anyways I really think the increased Swingweight greatly benefits a true player. If u just play for fun, ok play with something light and flimsy cause its easier.

 

[dberke]

Zeb, thanks for your advice. My gut feeling is that I will buy the Ltd. and use lead tape to customize it. I've never customized a racket before so your suggestions are very helpful. If the Tour has a swingweight of 333 and the Ltd has a swingweight of 313...I think trying to split the middle at 323 or 325 would probably make sense.

 

[SlapShot]

I use the original PS LTD, and previously used the PST. I have also used 3 iterations of the Head Prestige in the past, and the 18x20 pattern is definitely the right one for me.

In my opinion, where the PS LTD shines most is with a little bit of lead. Mine weigh right around 350g, with all of the added weight at 3&9. Before the mod, the frame was great, but lacked a bit of punch strung how I wanted it. The added weight helped me feel like I could hit through the court a bit more, and made the frame more solid.

The tighter string pattern also seems to make the frame feel a bit more firm than the PST, IMO, which is one thing that I really like.

 

[dberke]

Without having anything to measure swingweight or balance point... where should I start with adding weight? I don't want to add so much weight that I make the Ltd. less maneuverable than the tour.

To add 14 grams (.5 oz) to the racquet I would have to add 28 inches of 1/2" lead tape to the racket. That's almost 5 layers of 3" x 1/2" strips at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock. That seems like a lot.

Anyway, I'm clearly not a racquet customizer... are there any suggestions for how I can get started with my experiments? For instance, first try x grams at 3,9 o'clock, if that's no good, then add x grams at x o'clock, etc, etc.

Thanks for your help and saving me some time and frustration.

 

[SlapShot]

http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/customization.php

This is a useful tool for calculating swingweight, where to add lead, etc. Very helpful.

 

[dberke]

Wow, this is a great tool. It is exactly what I need. Thanks for pointing it out. Now at least I can experiment with different configurations and know what changes I'm making.

 

[JT Corona]

Guys, just be sure not too string too tight. I know someone that got tennis elbow switching to the Pure Storm Ltd. (non GT). And I've read here about its instability and stiff hoop and how possibly the woofer system could somehow mask how stiff the frame really is.

If anyone who's gotten tennis elbow will tell you, it is very very problematic - painful and could take weeks, months to heal.

 

[Shankapotomus]

^I had tennis elbow three summers ago while using my PS LTD (before i added the weights) but id say that it was from overplaying (30 hours a week) and not the racquet.

As for adding weight to the GT, id try exactly half of what i have in my signature, and then work from there up. and any string plays well in this racquet, but a nice 17g or 18g is really great and jsut feels nice with the 18/20 string pattern. Ive used everything from natural gut to poly to whatever you name it and it will work just fine in this frame, and right around mi tension is perfect. id go with the LTD, no questions asked.

 

[Shankapotomus]

*mid tension, sorry