Need Help Picking Out a New Racket

[drlim]

I've been using the Radical MP Graphene 360 and recently got to try out the Ezone 2018. Despite having the same head size, the sweet spot seemed to be much larger on the Ezone 98.
I found that the Ezone 98 was much better for my game as I'm hitting the ball much more cleanly, and I'd like to think it was partly due to the bigger sweet spot.

So, it got me thinking, would it be better for my game to get an even larger head sized racket? Although there are a lot of different variables at play, I wanted to hear your guys' opinions on rackets that are control oriented, forgiving, and medium powered.

For context, I used to play with the Prestige Mids and eventually transitioned to 98 sq in rackets.
Other rackets I've tried are the Vcore 95 (2018), Blade 2015, Radical MP (360), Pure Strike (2017), and Ezone 98 (2018).
I string in the 40s, usually 48~ with Yonex PTP.
My play style is an all-court game with a two handed-backhand (USTA 4.0).

The rackets I am interested in demoing:
Gravity MP (360+), Vcore Pro 100, Ezone 98 2020, and the Speed MP (360+).

What I'm looking for is a racket that is maneuverable, not muted, controlled (not looking for a Pure Drive/Areo), 290-310g, and has a big sweet spot.

Any opinions on the matter at hand are greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

[fuzz nation]

Yonex frames with their square-ish head shape always seem to play a little different for me compared with more traditional oval-shaped frames. If a Yonex has a similar weight, balance, and flex as a traditional frame having the same head size, the Yonex will usually hit as though its head is slightly bigger than the other racquet. That isometric design may effectively make the sweet spot just a little wider than other frames - I notice this the most with them when I'm hitting ground strokes.

I've owned a couple different 98" Yonex models that almost played for me like frames with oversize heads. Easy to hit from the baseline, but I also had to do some trial and error with my string setups to get them under control (without playing rock hard). I generally play with two different oval-shaped models that have 98" heads, but if I take a dive into Yonex again down the road, I'll probably want to sample a 95" option to see if that's a more familiar ride for me than their 98" models.

Try everything you can get your hands on and try to keep notes as you demo this and that. You may benefit from having those notes for reference down the road if your racquet search takes a little while.

I'm also of the opinion that if a racquet isn't as maneuverable as you like, it's often worth a try to add some weight to its handle to give it some extra head-light (HL) balance. When I do this with my own frames, I simply place 1/2" lead tape on top of my replacement grip and then cover that with an overgrip. It stays put like that and it's easy enough to either alter or remove.

 

[MikhailT]

sweet spot size mostly grows with the head size and swing weight and the latter obviously also reduces maneuverability, so it's going to be a trade-off between these two, if you fix the head size and string pattern.

You can the check the power zone tool in TWU:

TWU Racquet Analyzer Tool

A racquet comparison tool that plots the power and sweetspot size of any two user-defined racquets on a graph in relation to the plot of every other racquet on the market; a great way to see two racquet

twu.tennis-warehouse.com

For yonex frames the Ezone 100, VCore 98 and VCore 100 are the best performers in your specified weight range of 290-310g

 

[ryushen21]

EZone 100 and VCore 100 are excellent frames. You will want a crisper string setup to counteract some of the mutedness in them. I also really like the VCore 95 as it plays and feels more like a 98.

But, the 2021 Radical MP dethroned all the Yonex frames I had played with. Might be worth considering that one too.

 

[TagUrIt]

Yonex Vcore 98 or 95<my personal racquet
I have not tried any of the new Vcore Pros

I'm completely biased towards Yonex racquets, but they do make amazing sticks.