Official Diadem Axis Thread

TwinCinema

TwinCinema

Professional
The working man's Pure Aero is available for pre-order and I've got one on the way soon. I know a few others here do as well, and hoping everyone chimes in with their initial thoughts. Anybody had a chance to hit with a preview stick yet? Any string favorites?

There's a 98, a 100, and a Team (which is a lite 100). The specs on the 98 are right up my alley, assuming the swing weight isn't too low:

temp-Imagevp-Fnvp.avif


Assuming that's an unstrung RA, so it'll probably end up 65 strung which is great for a 16x20. Beam is slightly thicker than I'm used to with the PSVS but should give this one a little more pop. And 8 pts HL (so like 6 strung) means there's still maybe some room for hoop weight in case we need to boost the SW or get some extra power. Looking forward to the hit!
 
I emailed my contact at Diadem to try and get target unstrung SW for both the 98 and 100. Haven't heard back yet, but if/when I do, I'll relay that info here. (I would presume 290-ish for both, but who knows)
 
I visited the Diadem website and the specifications were posted. I was surprised that the RA for the 100 sq. inch version was only 64, making it a relatively comfortable racquet (at least on paper). I think the RA for the 98 sq. inch version was 68. I'm eagerly awaiting reviews by TennisNerd, TennCon and others.
 
Which "one on the way" is everyone referring to? I ordered a 98 and 100, but my rep says won't ship out until the official release date
 
Soundbyte said:
Which "one on the way" is everyone referring to? I ordered a 98 and 100, but my rep says won't ship out until the official release date
Click to expand...

Same here from my direct contact, only blackout racquets for atp players (first impression were very positive, from what I was told), as soon as available I'll get my hands on the 98.
 
TwinCinema said:
The working man's Pure Aero is available for pre-order and I've got one on the way soon. I know a few others here do as well, and hoping everyone chimes in with their initial thoughts. Anybody had a chance to hit with a preview stick yet? Any string favorites?

There's a 98, a 100, and a Team (which is a lite 100). The specs on the 98 are right up my alley, assuming the swing weight isn't too low:

temp-Imagevp-Fnvp.avif


Assuming that's an unstrung RA, so it'll probably end up 65 strung which is great for a 16x20. Beam is slightly thicker than I'm used to with the PSVS but should give this one a little more pop. And 8 pts HL (so like 6 strung) means there's still maybe some room for hoop weight in case we need to boost the SW or get some extra power. Looking forward to the hit!
Click to expand...
These specs would have been interesting in the 100sq in version!
 
Interesting sales pitch about the string pattern on these guys on the Diadem website:

A modern string bed for the modern player. The classic tennis racket had the tightest part of the string pattern in the center of the racket. But tennis players don’t swing the same way they use to. Do they make contact in the same spot on the string bed?

Through research and data analysis, we have come to the conclusion that the modern tennis player makes contact higher in the string bed compared to 15-20 years ago.

The Precision + Strike Zone has moved the tightest part of the string bed from the center of the frame up 3 strings to match where the modern tennis players strikes the ball. Players will experience better feel and more consistency at contact.
Click to expand...

New take on the "hit high on the stringbed" trend
 
I have high hopes for this racket. I like the PA98 but it is a bit stiff. I prefer the Dunlop 300SX Tour, but I'm hoping this is somewhere in between the two. I'm curious how the string pattern will affect it -- doesn't Nordicdot do something similar with tighter strings at the top?
 
Chris Wilson said:
I have high hopes for this racket. I like the PA98 but it is a bit stiff. I prefer the Dunlop 300SX Tour, but I'm hoping this is somewhere in between the two. I'm curious how the string pattern will affect it -- doesn't Nordicdot do something similar with tighter strings at the top?
Click to expand...
Yes. Nordicdot 99 has a much more compact string pattern in the top half.
 
ECZPvh.jpg


Just a quick update, compared to the PAVs the Axis98 doesn't have the flat part at #1 of the picture, at #2 the Axis is way more thin and It looks to be thinner at 3 and 9 position too, but I have no chance to measure It yet
 
First session with the Axis98, only one hour on clay, strung with Dunlop Explosive Spin (my string of choise) at my normal tention on the Elevate V3, which is 21/20 kg. First consideration, I should have strung it 1kg up, the racquet has more power, if you fullswing the racquet get a crazy amount of spin and it provides a very heavy ball, but with my normal tention I was missing long a bit too much; we made 10 min warm up, 2 match tiebreaks from the bottom (1-1) and we started a set (3/3 when time ended), so I did not have time to train with it or serve before playing points, but it's very promising. Let's see if I can get the right combination of control, plow and spin that my game requests. Pretty stable at 307gr, 315 mm balance and 292 SW (unstrung specs), and I personally like the foam filled feeling, but this is a personal preference.

I struggled on my return games more than usual (I think due to the more power and the wrong string tention), but it's the first hour, the tests will proceed.
 
Small update, other 2 hrs of test this time on indoor hardcourt. The racquet perform very well, I reduced the strung SW to 322 points, It's even faster, I'm an aggressive baseliner that loves to go to the net, I'm used to slightly higher SW (326 strung) but less TW; my Axis are 14 TW strung, I then prefer less SW in this case. I also wrapped again the stock grip stretching It a Little bit (I did It with the Elevate too), otherwise Diadem grip 3 feels a bit big to me, in this way It's like head grip 3, and I have more Freedom on my wrist.
 
flyhome said:
Small update, other 2 hrs of test this time on indoor hardcourt. The racquet perform very well, I reduced the strung SW to 322 points, It's even faster, I'm an aggressive baseliner that loves to go to the net, I'm used to slightly higher SW (326 strung) but less TW; my Axis are 14 TW strung, I then prefer less SW in this case. I also wrapped again the stock grip stretching It a Little bit (I did It with the Elevate too), otherwise Diadem grip 3 feels a bit big to me, in this way It's like head grip 3, and I have more Freedom on my wrist.
Click to expand...
I feel the Diadem grips to be true to size. I find Yonex and Babolat to run a big large. My axes shipped today. I'll spec them out when I get them and share here
 
i think pallets are usually the same, replacement grips can be thicker depending of brands, I need to Stretch It a Little bit to fell the same as my Head Grip 3 with hydrosorb pro.
 
Mine are packaged up and I got a shipping notification, but hasn't left the warehouse yet.

I imagine other than VIPs, no one has the rackets just yet
 
90 minutes today with the same opponent, the faster runner of my club (Indoor clay).
After a quick warm up, I won the first match tiebreak and lost the second one.
Then 2 sets. Lost 1/6 the first one and won the second one 6/2 when I undersood how to contain the increased Power (compared to the Elevate). The First set I was dicating the rallys but missing long too much, in the second one I started to commit the strokes, adding a bit of Spin with my wrist, and the result was that I atttacking the net more often and easely closing the points.
This racquet asks to be played as aggressive as possible and when you open the court, drop shots are very easy too.
Still no arm issue with the stiff Explosive Spin...side note, my friend open the Head Tour Pro tennis balls...It was like playing with small bowling balls, terrible. Lower SW (290 unstrung) doesn't effect Power and plow at all IMO.
 
flyhome said:
90 minutes today with the same opponent, the faster runner of my club (Indoor clay).
After a quick warm up, I won the first match tiebreak and lost the second one.
Then 2 sets. Lost 1/6 the first one and won the second one 6/2 when I undersood how to contain the increased Power (compared to the Elevate). The First set I was dicating the rallys but missing long too much, in the second one I started to commit the strokes, adding a bit of Spin with my wrist, and the result was that I atttacking the net more often and easely closing the points.
This racquet asks to be played as aggressive as possible and when you open the court, drop shots are very easy too.
Still no arm issue with the stiff Explosive Spin...side note, my friend open the Head Tour Pro tennis balls...It was like playing with small bowling balls, terrible. Lower SW (290 unstrung) doesn't effect Power and plow at all IMO.
Click to expand...
Excellent. Pretty excited to try out the 98. Let us know how it continues to play for you
 
I played some singles last night with both rackets, and here’s what I found.

The 100 was strung with Diadem Solstice Power 16L at 51 lbs, while the 98 was strung at 54 lbs. I started with the 100, and since I’m used to a heavier racket, it felt pretty light in my hands. This gave me a good feel for the ball on contact. When I hit the sweet spot, it felt surprisingly nice—I was able to generate decent power and spin. But outside of that, it lacked stability. Serves were okay, but I didn’t get the same pop I’m used to from a heavier racket. Overall, the 100 felt like a mix between a Pure Aero and a Burn FST 99.

The 98, on the other hand, felt a lot better. Still lighter than what I typically use, but manageable. I didn’t really notice the smaller head size, and the sweet spot felt solid. It was still a little light for me on serves and volleys, but I plan on adding some weight. From the baseline, I was able to rally well with good depth and spin. However, when I played against someone who hit with a lot of pace, it felt a bit unstable.

I’m used to playing with a weighted-up Nova V3 Tour and a Pro Staff 90, so I’m curious to see how these two rackets perform after adding some weight. I’ll be hitting again today—looking forward to seeing how they feel after some adjustments.
 
Spec'd out my 100 and 98. Unstrung as follows:

Axis 100 297.7g 33.1 cm 302.8SW 14.1TW
Axis 98 306.6g 31.6cm 292.9SW 13.5TW

So fairly good QC relative to their published specs. But the Axis 100 might be a dream racket for those who were fans of the Blade Pro or Pure Aero Rafa.

Sub 300g with a unstrung SW of 303 and a TW of 14.1? That likely going to be a very stable 100" frame. It's right for a bit a tail weight or a leather grip to make it more HL.
Its very similar in specs to my Pure Aero Rafas (those were on avg about 293g, 33.1cm, 295SW, 13.8TW)
The stock specs has be more excited for the 98 as the balance is more in my wheelhouse, also that twistweight on the 100 is only surpassed by my Rafa Origins!
 
Chris Wilson said:
I have high hopes for this racket. I like the PA98 but it is a bit stiff. I prefer the Dunlop 300SX Tour, but I'm hoping this is somewhere in between the two. I'm curious how the string pattern will affect it -- doesn't Nordicdot do something similar with tighter strings at the top?
Click to expand...
PA98 responds well to a soft poly in the crosses. Ghostwire works for me quite well.
Dunlop 300SX Tour is an analog, but also a much thicker beam, which makes it a bit slower through the air than the PA98.
 
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