New Solinco Racquets

[StringStrungStrang]

This is my first foray in to the extended length market. I have tried what feels like a million racquets before this. My most recent selections are:

Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph v12
Yonex Vcore 95
Tecnifibre TF40 315 (both 16x19 and 18x20)
Head Graphene 360+ Prestige MP (2019)

Two I'm wrestling with now:
Prince ATS Tour 98
Volkl C10 Pro (absolutely love this stick, beast of a racket but can feel a bit weighty at times)

I got to demo the standard Whiteout before and I really liked it. Surprised I never bought one and gave it a real go.

I have an eastern forehand, OHBH, aggressive baseliner transitioning to All Court. I've heard this Whiteout 305 XTD classified as a Pro Stock? I've got the weighted buttcaps coming with the stick tomorrow, so willing to customize with tape as well. I have it strung with Solinco Confidential 16 at 52#. I cannot wait to get my hands on this. I have decent form on my OHBH, so I'm not too terrified of getting tennis elbow from the extended length.

Lots of good quality racquets! I've played with some and thought about the others.
I love the fact that Solinco gives players a path for easy modifications like the weighted buttcap for the Whiteout and Blackout.
Confidential is a very nice string too; when I use it I string it around 46-48 and cross it with a softer round poly a couple lbs higher.
As for elbow pain, don't think you'll have an issue due to extended length. Usually a combination of things and sometimes just some bad luck.
Some people love the extended versions (me) and others can't adjust. I don't find it difficult to adjust, but miss the extra length when I try other racquets.
Enjoy and keep us posted.

 

[curtstead]

Getting it on court tonight (weather permitting, as always in Atlanta, Georgia)! Can't wait.

 

[StringStrungStrang]

Getting it on court tonight (weather permitting, as always in Atlanta, Georgia)! Can't wait.

There is a lot to like about the WhiteOut XTD (even more than the standard length version)!

 

[dgoran]

I just got it as well and it's very nice. I got blackout and whiteout and while blackout is pure drive plus basically with little bit better feel whiteout is special. It reminds me of Babolat pure control plus or more recently vcore 98 extended. It's a beast I can almost see Fernando gonsales hiting with this

 

[brooksgbanks]

Getting it on court tonight (weather permitting, as always in Atlanta, Georgia)! Can't wait.

What part of Atlanta? I'm just north of downtown Sandy Springs.

 

[curtstead]

What part of Atlanta? I'm just north of downtown Sandy Springs.

I play out of Georgetown Rec Club in Dunwoody, right off 285. I actually hit at a friend’s court in Sandy Springs tonight, funny you say that. I was supposed to play at Sandy Springs Tennis Center on the clay courts, but they cancelled due to it being rained out, but they could move us to hard courts? Lol WHAT?? I just think they didn’t wanna sweep or clean when we were done.

 

[curtstead]

Only got to play with the stick for about an hour, switching between this and the Volkl C10 Pro.

Whiteout 305 XTD is a beast of a racket, but it is hefty. I added the 5g weighted buttcap plus overgrip to make the stick a bit more headlight. I can definitely feel the 330+ swingweight. I think my biggest adjustment will be on my OHBH, as it felt sluggish when I didn’t get good preparation or if I had poor footwork.

Hit the frame on forehands a bit more than normal, but I expected that given that it’s my first time playing with an extended length racket. Other than that, felt good to rip fh’s. Serves felt awesome, so did volleys. Even hit some nice droppers that I liked.

There’s no doubt there’s gonna be a big adjustment period for me here. This is a demanding racket, and it punishes laziness. However, when I prepared early, had good footwork, and really swung out, it was awesome. If I make the full time switch, it likely won’t be anytime soon. I need to become a literally stronger player so I can handle the heft of this racket, and more skillful. Will likely stick with the Volkl C10 Pro for now, not that the C10 Pro isn’t demanding either. I just feel like it gives me a bit more for free, like a sensation of the racket doing all the work for me at times.

Don’t let that dissuade you from a demo/purchase. Quite the opposite. I think any good 4.0 NTRP or above player that loves control oriented sticks, prefers heavier frames, or both should definitely look in to this. I hope to get better with it, and I’ll play more with it this weekend and have more thoughts to share!

Great offering from Solinco for advanced players/TTW racketholics.

 

[brooksgbanks]

I play out of Georgetown Rec Club in Dunwoody, right off 285. I actually hit at a friend’s court in Sandy Springs tonight, funny you say that. I was supposed to play at Sandy Springs Tennis Center on the clay courts, but they cancelled due to it being rained out, but they could move us to hard courts? Lol WHAT?? I just think they didn’t wanna sweep or clean when we were done.

I know Georgetown. Off Old Spring House. My buddy Corey opened a racquet shop in that office park just before it crosses Chamblee Dubwoody. He also does lessons out of Georgetown sometimes.

Yeah, SSTC can be a real pain. It's less than 2 miles from my house, but I never play there except for the occassional ALTA match against one of their league teams. Or when city's is there.

 

[warney]

I received demo of WhiteOut XTD last week, with plastic still on handle and with most likely same poly strings as seen in @curtstead pictures. I have mainly used Dunlop CX200+ over past 1.5 years with 2 grams at 12 and 6-8 grams in handle and have been using 2018 PDT+ (with 6 grams in handle) for last month and half. I am trying to get extended racquet that's slightly easier to swing and hence this demo. Other 2 demos being Prince Diablo MP and Prince Phantom 100G LB.

It felt little head heavy at stock weight and hence I used 5gm weighted butt-cap (received with Regular Whiteout 305 TW playtest). It took about 15-20 strokes to get dialed in from ground.
I have played 2 sets of singles and 4 sets of doubles so far with WhiteOut XTD and here are my findings.

Ground strokes:-
Easier depth and spin than CX200+ with slightly less control. CX200+ hits the heavier ball (though flatter) than WO XTD. About same depth and spin compared PDT+ with slightly better control than PDT+.
Topspin crosscourt backhands were easy, but I struggled little bit with DTL (I have OHBH). Slices tend to float a bit.

On forehand I can hit more angles. However not hitting through the court like I would with CX200+ or PDT+. During rally once I went on defense I rarely got back to offense.
Drop shots were terrible though. I was getting too much height and depth.

Serves:
Very reliable serves without need to hold back. However it's not hitting flat serves as good as I like.
Flat Serves- CX200+ >> PDT+ > WhiteOut XTD
Kick Serves- PDT+ = WhiteOut XTD >> CX200+

Volleys:
Good, but not great. Stick volleys were not as great as with CX200+.

Serve Returns:
Easy to hit return winners (easy to get good angle and spin) of second serve. First serve returns were average. Blocked returns go deep, but sit up for server to hit.

Racquet is little easier to swing compared to my CX200+, though it feels like it swings heavier than 333 swingweight (for comparison Ezone98+ swings easier). May be my demo is off spec. I am not fan of high launch angle and I can tinker with it using strings/tension (I had same issue with regular WhiteOut during TW playtest and was able to get around that).

TLDR: I don't think I will switch to it. I like it about as much I liked latest Ezone 98+, but doesn't outperform PDT+/CX200+. For me Prince Diablo MP (with some lead) has outperformed WO XTD during demo and that's what I will be buying.

 

[StringStrungStrang]

Great comparison of extended length racquets. I've always heard awesome feedback on the CX200 +. So you like the WhiteOut just not as much as the others. What made the Prince Diablo your choice? I have played the Ezone 98+, Vcore Pro 98+ and Blade 104 (18x19 and weighted to 11.5 oz.) which I really enjoy. Is the Prince also an extended length stick?

 

[curtstead]

I know Georgetown. Off Old Spring House. My buddy Corey opened a racquet shop in that office park just before it crosses Chamblee Dubwoody. He also does lessons out of Georgetown sometimes.

Yeah, SSTC can be a real pain. It's less than 2 miles from my house, but I never play there except for the occassional ALTA match against one of their league teams. Or when city's is there.

Yeah, a friend of mine mentioned Corey’s store! I’ve been meaning to drop by for a while now. Weird coincidence man, lol.

SSTC is a giant pain in the ***, especially since they converted two hard courts in to 8 pickleball courts. I run my own league that runs almost year long (ATP style with points, trophies, etc) and we’re doing clay season now, so unfortunately, it’s the closest and cheapest option for me when it comes to clay. Better than paying $100 an hour at Bitsy Grant.

 

[warney]

Great comparison of extended length racquets. I've always heard awesome feedback on the CX200 +. So you like the WhiteOut just not as much as the others. What made the Prince Diablo your choice? I have played the Ezone 98+, Vcore Pro 98+ and Blade 104 (18x19 and weighted to 11.5 oz.) which I really enjoy. Is the Prince also an extended length stick?

I am looking to go down in weight and/or swingweight on my racquets due to shoulder niggle that just does not seem to go away.
I like WhiteOut, but there is no reason to switch for me until I have CX200+ and PDT+. If I get WO XTD, I would end up adding leather grip to make it headlight and 1-2 grams at 12. I normally use Gut-Poly. Open string pattern on WhiteOut does not really help, I get way too high launch angle (I have tried gut-poly on standard WhiteOut that I still have from TW playtest).
Diablo MP is 27.25, I am going use one with 3 grams at 12 (this is how I have used current demo and it swings easier that WhiteOut or CX200+) and one with 0.25 inch extension to compare. Feel, slice and control is better with Diablo and I can attack high balls better with Diablo. Hence the choice.

 

[Classic-TXP-IG MID]

I received demo of WhiteOut XTD last week, with plastic still on handle and with most likely same poly strings as seen in @curtstead pictures. I have mainly used Dunlop CX200+ over past 1.5 years with 2 grams at 12 and 6-8 grams in handle and have been using 2018 PDT+ (with 6 grams in handle) for last month and half. I am trying to get extended racquet that's slightly easier to swing and hence this demo. Other 2 demos being Prince Diablo MP and Prince Phantom 100G LB.

It felt little head heavy at stock weight and hence I used 5gm weighted butt-cap (received with Regular Whiteout 305 TW playtest). It took about 15-20 strokes to get dialed in from ground.
I have played 2 sets of singles and 4 sets of doubles so far with WhiteOut XTD and here are my findings.

Ground strokes:-
Easier depth and spin than CX200+ with slightly less control. CX200+ hits the heavier ball (though flatter) than WO XTD. About same depth and spin compared PDT+ with slightly better control than PDT+.
Topspin crosscourt backhands were easy, but I struggled little bit with DTL (I have OHBH). Slices tend to float a bit.

On forehand I can hit more angles. However not hitting through the court like I would with CX200+ or PDT+. During rally once I went on defense I rarely got back to offense.
Drop shots were terrible though. I was getting too much height and depth.

Serves:
Very reliable serves without need to hold back. However it's not hitting flat serves as good as I like.
Flat Serves- CX200+ >> PDT+ > WhiteOut XTD
Kick Serves- PDT+ = WhiteOut XTD >> CX200+

Volleys:
Good, but not great. Stick volleys were not as great as with CX200+.

Serve Returns:
Easy to hit return winners (easy to get good angle and spin) of second serve. First serve returns were average. Blocked returns go deep, but sit up for server to hit.

Racquet is little easier to swing compared to my CX200+, though it feels like it swings heavier than 333 swingweight (for comparison Ezone98+ swings easier). May be my demo is off spec. I am not fan of high launch angle and I can tinker with it using strings/tension (I had same issue with regular WhiteOut during TW playtest and was able to get around that).

TLDR: I don't think I will switch to it. I like it about as much I liked latest Ezone 98+, but doesn't outperform PDT+/CX200+. For me Prince Diablo MP (with some lead) has outperformed WO XTD during demo and that's what I will be buying.

If you're looking for a good extended frame, maybe try to track down a 2018 VCORE 98+ (if you haven't tried it already). I found this racquet great in every respect, except on serve (as I am used to regular size racquets and found it more challenging to time the ball right). I am sure with more use and practice this would go away... but found a 27.25-27.3 inch length to be something I can handle without adjustment... while 27.5 and over would take more time and effort.

Just a thought.

 

[y0035215]

Bought a Whiteout 305 after demoing 6 racquets (dunlop cx 400 tour, TF xf1 300, yonex 100 pro, yonex 98, head extreme tour), but the feel was really nice on the Solinco and most importantly I played the best with it. SW was 322 with strings. Almost went with the Dunlop and almost bought the Whiteout 290 + customize, but 305 just played well.

322 SW is low for this racquet. Isn‘t it suppossed to be 327?
I was just about to demo the WO 290 but just realized it hasn‘t the Foam Technology. Now I am not so sure anymore cause so many ppl talking about the feel of the WO 305 which will maybe disapear without the foam. And the WO 305 SW is likely too high for me.

 

[Cesare]

The white out 305 it's a great frame, i will buy another one after 2 months of intensive play with mine, leaded up to 332 grams unstrung. The spin and control are phenomenal, huge sweetspot, and very stable at net and returns. Strung with head lynx tour grey 1,25 @ 56 lbs.

 

[djNEiGht]

322 SW is low for this racquet. Isn‘t it suppossed to be 327?

Could depend on the type of strings in the racquet. gauge or material. I had a prototype WO and was using 17L strings...swung super fast.

 

[WacTennis2017]

Is the Blackout racket foam filled throughout the hoop to the handle? I just popped off the butt cap on my Blackout 285 and there is no foam in the handle. Anyone look under the Blackout 300 butt cap for foam?
Just curious if anyone knows if foam technology is in the whiteout and blackout…..in hoop and handle?

 

[the_faceless_player]

Is the Blackout racket foam filled throughout the hoop to the handle? I just popped off the butt cap on my Blackout 285 and there is no foam in the handle. Anyone look under the Blackout 300 butt cap for foam?
Just curious if anyone knows if foam technology is in the whiteout and blackout…..in hoop and handle?

Blackout line is not foam filled.

 

[WacTennis2017]

Blackout line is not foam filled.

Thanks for information. I’ve read some posts that the Whiteout 305 has foam in handle but not in the 290.

 

[the_faceless_player]

Thanks for information. I’ve read some posts that the Whiteout 305 has foam in handle but not in the 290.

305 is foam through head and handle. 290 does not use Foam Tech Core (straight from Solinco product page).

 

[y0035215]

Has anyone here already played the Solinco Whiteout 290? 290g, no foam and a stiffness of 67 sound a bit uncomfortable for the arm.

 

[Pekoms]

Currently playing with Pure Aero VS 98, love the frame, but would like to try this solinco white out 305 16x19. Do you think I would get a little bit more control ? I likve topspin groundstrokes, solid and fast 2hbh, and semi western to western grip forehand.

 

[Nastase]

IMO the WO should get you similar overall performance but better feel and comfort. I played w both extensively. I found the VS to be pretty controlled w16x20 but firm outside the sweet spot. WO was a very good all rounder. Good spin and power, no real shortcomings. Some have said it was a bit launchy but I did not find it to be.

 

[KC!]

Currently playing with Pure Aero VS 98, love the frame, but would like to try this solinco white out 305 16x19. Do you think I would get a little bit more control ? I likve topspin groundstrokes, solid and fast 2hbh, and semi western to western grip forehand.

Here is a player play test, the Aero 98 & WO are two that make it to his final pick.

 

[Pekoms]

@Nastase

And knowing I've always played 16x19, should I go for 16x19 or 18x20 ? Did you test both? Been told that 18x20 feels like 16x19

 

[McLovin]

@Nastase

And knowing I've always played 16x19, should I go for 16x19 or 18x20 ? Did you test both? Been told that 18x20 feels like 16x19

I've played both in the XTD versions, and really preferred the 18x20. I felt more comfortable swinging through the ball...the 16x19 would launch on me on occasion. I've said this may times before on this site, but to me, the Whiteout 18x20 is the love child of the Hyper Pro Staff 6.1 (18x20) and the Pure Control 'Swirly'.

Ultimately, though, you'll have to decide.

For the record...I went w/ the Blackout XTD as I'm getting old (55) and needed the extra power. But, if I were 10 years younger, the Whiteout 18x20 XTD would be my stick of choice, no questions asked.

 

[Nastase]

@Pekoms
If you have always played 16x19 I would stick w that. You can always mess w tension to find the control. Like you, I’ve read some think the 18x20 plays close to a 16x19. Im not sure how that’s possible tbh. I did not test 18x20 myself.

 

[KC!]

If you’re looking for more control the 18x20 is the way to go. It is still open enough pattern to generate plenty of spin. I would say the 16x19 WO is more controlled too than the Aero 98.

 

[jimdontcare]

@Nastase

And knowing I've always played 16x19, should I go for 16x19 or 18x20 ? Did you test both? Been told that 18x20 feels like 16x19

I personally disagreed with that statement when it came to the whiteout, 18 mains is still 18 mains. Then again, the densest pattern I've ever played with for an extended period was a 16x20. You're coming from the Aero so I think you'll find 16x19 an easier transition, if that's what you're looking for.

 

[dr. godmode]

I personally disagreed with that statement when it came to the whiteout, 18 mains is still 18 mains. Then again, the densest pattern I've ever played with for an extended period was a 16x20. You're coming from the Aero so I think you'll find 16x19 an easier transition, if that's what you're looking for.

To me the WO 18M is similar in performance to the Extreme Tour, EZone 98, Radical MP, PS97 and the 16M is closer to the Aero 98, Speed MP, VC98. There’s just tremendous variation amongst 16x19 patterns.

 

[KC!]

To me the WO 18M is similar in performance to the Extreme Tour, EZone 98, Radical MP, PS97 and the 16M is closer to the Aero 98, Speed MP, VC98. There’s just tremendous variation amongst 16x19 patterns.

I hit with my 2023 Auxetic Radial Pro & White Out 18x20 tonight. The WO has a higher launch angle than the tight 16x19 of the RP. The WO is much easier to generate spin with too. It really doesn’t feel like an 18x20.

 

[Circa 1762]

I hit with my 2023 Auxetic Radial Pro & White Out 18x20 tonight. The WO has a higher launch angle than the tight 16x19 of the RP. The WO is much easier to generate spin with too. It really doesn’t feel like an 18x20.

How did the feel/apparent stiffness of the two compare?

 

[KC!]

How did the feel/apparent stiffness of the two compare?

I find them very similar in stiffness, the WO has a little more feel to it. They are both very good control frames. I had been playing with the RP lately but the WO has my attention again.