Percept 97 vs Percept 100D vs Pro Staff 97

[vyndc]

Hey everyone! This is my first post, so I apologize if this is the wrong place to ask, or it has been discussed before, but can anyone offer insight to the similarities and differences between the Percept 97, Percept 100D, and Pro Staff 97? For reference, I currently use a Head Speed Team L, and it is too light (I got it because it was on sale and the racket I was using before this was a Head Geo Speed.) I am currently taking lessons and my coach uses a PS97 v13 and when I tried it, it felt great, especially on my OHBH. I didn't mind the added weight and did not feel any discomfort whatsoever. I can't demo anything yet but will when I can. Thank you for any help!

 

[Trip]

@vyndc - Welcome to TT. Before jumping right into dissecting racquet specs, it would be nice to know a bit more about you as a player. What is your background, current playing level (NTRP/UTR if you know it, or even a guess) and playing style (if you have one). Depending on your answers there, you might be best served by sticking with a larger headed frame, for the added forgiveness, and learning to control it.

On that note, I know heavy customization isn't for most folks, but at an unstrung spec of only 265g, 2pts head-light and 270 swing weight, the Speed Team L is a potentially brilliant platform frame (ie. candidate for adding weight), provided you're willing to put in the work (which, honestly, isn't all that hard, just time-consuming). If you added about ~20g silicone inside the handle, replaced the base grip with a leather grip, and added some lead tape to the hoop, say, 3-4g at 9 & 3 o'clock out at the sides (1.5-2g on each side) and 3-4g at 12 o'clock up at the tip, you'd have a racket whose rough specs would be very close to many 300-305g retail frames, with good feel and free power, all while still having a decent amount of control.

That said, I'm willing to be you'd simply prefer something much more matched to you without all the tinkering required, and if so, then you're probably best off looking at new frames in a heavier weight class. As for the P97, P100D and PS97, the 97's are more precision-oriented, attacking player's frames, and the 100D is a more dense (18x19 pattern), precise baseliner's frame. All three are best utilized by physically-strong, technically sound players who can supply their own power and have long, well-developed stroke mechanics. Compared to where you're coming from, all three will all offer greater precision, but noticeably less forgiveness (especially with the Pro Staff), in addition to lower power-to-weight ratio. On that note, your OHBH notwithstanding, I wouldn't necessarily look to drop down to a 97" head, even a Yonex, or such a dense pattern as the 100D, if any of those changes didn't present an immediate elevation of your game in some obvious way, for the amount of forgiveness you tend to give up is often times not worth it for most rec players, at least most players below about a 4.5 level (typically).

So, other than those frames, maybe just moving to something like the regular Percept 100 would be a more reasonable move: you'd get most of the added weight you're looking for, while still having a bit of room for light customization (ie. a leather grip, a couple grams of lead at 12, etc.), all while improving control and forgiveness over your Speed Team L, while also maintaining a certain amount of ease-of-play. Or, if you wanted to stick with a Speed, the current Speed MP, provided you could handle its higher-than-average swing weight.

Hope some of that helps. Depending on your thoughts, I'm happy to delve further with you.

 

[vyndc]

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[vyndc]

@vyndc - Welcome to TT. Before jumping right into dissecting racquet specs, it would be nice to know a bit more about you as a player. What is your background, current playing level (NTRP/UTR if you know it, or even a guess) and playing style (if you have one). Depending on your answers there, you might be best served by sticking with a larger headed frame, for the added forgiveness, and learning to control it.

On that note, I know heavy customization isn't for most folks, but at an unstrung spec of only 265g, 2pts head-light and 270 swing weight, the Speed Team L is a potentially brilliant platform frame (ie. candidate for adding weight), provided you're willing to put in the work (which, honestly, isn't all that hard, just time-consuming). If you added about ~20g silicone inside the handle, replaced the base grip with a leather grip, and added some lead tape to the hoop, say, 3-4g at 9 & 3 o'clock out at the sides (1.5-2g on each side) and 3-4g at 12 o'clock up at the tip, you'd have a racket whose rough specs would be very close to many 300-305g retail frames, with good feel and free power, all while still having a decent amount of control.

That said, I'm willing to be you'd simply prefer something much more matched to you without all the tinkering required, and if so, then you're probably best off looking at new frames in a heavier weight class. As for the P97, P100D and PS97, the 97's are more precision-oriented, attacking player's frames, and the 100D is a more dense (18x19 pattern), precise baseliner's frame. All three are best utilized by physically-strong, technically sound players who can supply their own power and have long, well-developed stroke mechanics. Compared to where you're coming from, all three will all offer greater precision, but noticeably less forgiveness (especially with the Pro Staff), in addition to lower power-to-weight ratio. On that note, your OHBH notwithstanding, I wouldn't necessarily look to drop down to a 97" head, even a Yonex, or such a dense pattern as the 100D, if any of those changes didn't present an immediate elevation of your game in some obvious way, for the amount of forgiveness you tend to give up is often times not worth it for most rec players, at least most players below about a 4.5 level (typically).

So, other than those frames, maybe just moving to something like the regular Percept 100 would be a more reasonable move: you'd get most of the added weight you're looking for, while still having a bit of room for light customization (ie. a leather grip, a couple grams of lead at 12, etc.), all while improving control and forgiveness over your Speed Team L, while also maintaining a certain amount of ease-of-play. Or, if you wanted to stick with a Speed, the current Speed MP, provided you could handle its higher-than-average swing weight.

Hope some of that helps. Depending on your thoughts, I'm happy to delve further with you.

Hi Trip! Thank you for the detailed response. I don’t know if this is what you meant by background, but I am a girl, 15 years old, with a semi-western FH and an eastern OHBH. Based on the people I play, I think I am around a 3-4 UTR. I also want to develop into an aggressive baseliner, but I don’t mind going to the net to finish points. If this matters, I am fairly short (5’0/152cm), however, I don’t think this limits my ability to use heavier rackets and perform “well” with them. Also, you’d bet correct, I would much prefer avoiding customization LOL. And I kinda forgot to add, but my experience with my coach’s PS97 v13 was only casual hitting from the baseline with no stakes, however, the smaller head size didn’t seem to affect my ability to hit the sweet spot. Additionally, since I am in HS and competing for my school, buying which ever racket I will, I want to be able to “grow” into it. Please let me know if you need any more information, and I want to thank you again for all the information!

P.S. I accidentally replied to my own post, so ignore that please

 

[Trip]

Hi Trip! Thank you for the detailed response. I don’t know if this is what you meant by background, but I am a girl, 15 years old, with a semi-western FH and an eastern OHBH. Based on the people I play, I think I am around a 3-4 UTR. I also want to develop into an aggressive baseliner, but I don’t mind going to the net to finish points. If this matters, I am fairly short (5’0/152cm), however, I don’t think this limits my ability to use heavier rackets and perform “well” with them. Also, you’d bet correct, I would much prefer avoiding customization LOL. And I kinda forgot to add, but my experience with my coach’s PS97 v13 was only casual hitting from the baseline with no stakes, however, the smaller head size didn’t seem to affect my ability to hit the sweet spot. Additionally, since I am in HS and competing for my school, buying which ever racket I will, I want to be able to “grow” into it. Please let me know if you need any more information, and I want to thank you again for all the information!

Thanks for the added info, and before going any further, I do have to say -- HUGE props for being a young woman and sporting a one-hander!! As a fellow one-hander myself, I can only hope that you turn into the next Justine Henin (if you don't know her, I would highly suggest you scour some YouTube videos of her -- I think you may find a new hero!). Here's a glimpse:

As you can see, like you, Justine was smaller-sized, but punched WAY above her height/weight, sporting what was arguably the cleanest, most breakdown-resistant one-hander of all time. Plus, she did use a 95" head size -- the Wilson Hyper Hammer 5.3 Stretch MP with PowerHoles (Euro-only edition) -- which was extended-length at 27.5" long, giving her more reach and free pop. Additionally, she used a full bed of natural gut string (very powerful itself). And just judging based on the exit velocity that she was getting, it's very likely that she was well up into the 340's, probably close to 350-ish strung swing weight. All of that together helped to ensure she was hitting with as much output power as possible. She often dominated against much bigger/stronger opponents using Pure Drives and other power frames. So, it can be done.

Anyways, to get back to you, from the sounds of it, a 97" frame may be doable, but as @Tranqville says below, you might considering demoing the 97L as well, as there's a good chance you'll find the lighter weight more appealing, and it won't really give up that much power, thanks to its thicker 23mm beam and more firm flex. As for other 97's, namely the Babolat Strike 97 and Yonex Percept 97, both will be a bit easier to wield in stock form, but lower-powered and both are still 310g frames, which may still be heavier than what might be best for you.

The above considered, you might look at some OHBH-friendly bit higher-powered frames -- basically the ones that @Tranqville mentions below -- plus the EZone 98 or 98L.

One last thing -- I can't help but wonder about trying an extended length frame, specifically something like the Solinco WhiteOut XTD ("XTD" being the extended 27.5" variant), for which they make both a 16x19 string pattern and an 18x20. The 18x20 XTD in particular, is an extra-special frame, being the only extended-length 18x20 on the market, it gives extra reach, power and precision, all in one package. The WhiteOut overall is very similar to the Pro Staff, but 10g lighter (at 305g) with a more modern and forgiving hoop shape. If you want to dial up the power even more, you could also try the Yonex EZone 98+. Provided you string a hybrid in those frames, you should be able to limit swing weight to the upper 320's, which should be very playable. One quick note on trying extended-length frames: it's probably going to feel a bit awkward at first, especially on serve, so you're going to need time to adjust -- probably a week to several weeks (not just a session or two). If it does end up clicking, you may just unlock a level to your game that you never knew you had!

Hope that helps again. Happy to chat more if you want.

EDIT - Cleaned up the post a bit.

 

[Tranqville]

315g will likely be too heavy for intensive practice and matchplay coming from a 265g racquet. I'd choose something around 285-300g and definitely not more than 305g. Extended length works better for 2HBH, because the second hand effectively shortens the racquets. I'd stick with standart length for 1HBH, or maybe just slightly extended.

From your list, Percept 97 is a good 1HBH stick, but it's low-powered and quite advanced. Here's my recomendation for each major brand:

Wilson: ProStaff 97L v14 OR Blade 100 v9
Head: Radical MP
Babolat: Pure Strike 98 g4
Yonex: Vcore 95 (fantastic 1HBH frame, but perhaps a bit advanced)
Technifibre: TFight ISO 300
Solinco Whiteout XTD (18x20) - seconding recomendation from @Trip - very special frame

 

[gfwp]

I feel the Percept 97 (310g) something in between PS97 and PS X. I didn't test P100. P97 is similar to PS97: same weight and balancing. But P97 is more forgiving than PS97, the sweet spot is definitely bigger. PS X is even more forgiving than P97 nad has more power than PS97 and P97, but doesn't have the same balance since it is more head light. I'm still on the wait list to test P97H. I should perhaps add also P100.

My main problem is the L5 which is fully available only on Wilson, not on Yonex. I cannot understand why Yonex produces a P97H which is a very heavy racquet for "terminator like players" like me (I'm slightly over 100kg /190 cm and a natural L6 hand) but only natively up to L4.

 

[tele]

I feel the Percept 97 (310g) something in between PS97 and PS X. I didn't test P100. P97 is similar to PS97: same weight and balancing. But P97 is more forgiving than PS97, the sweet spot is definitely bigger. PS X is even more forgiving than P97 nad has more power than PS97 and P97, but doesn't have the same balance since it is more head light. I'm still on the wait list to test P97H. I should perhaps add also P100.

My main problem is the L5 which is fully available only on Wilson, not on Yonex. I cannot understand why Yonex produces a P97H which is a very heavy racquet for "terminator like players" like me (I'm slightly over 100kg /190 cm and a natural L6 hand) but only natively up to L4.

The yonex base grips are relatively thin, so if you put a thicker base grip on the percept, and you will gain roughly one grip size. I recommend the gamma hi tech.

 

[vyndc]

Thanks for the added info, and before going any further, I do have to say -- HUGE props for being a young woman and sporting a one-hander!! As a fellow one-hander myself, I can only hope that you turn into the next Justine Henin (if you don't know her, I would highly suggest you scour some YouTube videos of her -- I think you may find a new hero!). Here's a glimpse:

As you can see, like you, Justine was smaller-sized, but punched WAY above her height/weight, hitting what was arguably the cleanest, most breakdown-resistant one-hander of all time. Plus, she did use a 95" head size -- the Wilson Hyper Hammer 5.3 Midplus -- which also was extended-length at 27.5" long, giving her more reach and free power. Additionally, she used a full bed of natural gut string (very powerful itself). She often dominated against much bigger/stronger opponents using Pure Drives and other power frames. So, it can be done.

Anyways, to get back to you, from the sounds of it, a 97" frame may be doable, but as @Tranqville says below, you might considering demoing the 97L as well, as there's a good chance you'll find the lighter weight more appealing, and it won't really give up that much power, thanks to its thicker 23mm beam and more firm flex. As for other 97's, namely the Babolat Strike 97 and Yonex Percept 97, both will be a bit easier to wield in stock form, but lower-powered and both are still 310g frames, which may still be heavier than what might be best for you.

The above considered, you might look at some OHBH-friendly bit higher-powered frames -- basically the ones that @Tranqville mentions below -- plus the EZone 98 or 98L.

One last thing -- I can't help but wonder about trying an extended length frame, specifically something like the Solinco WhiteOut XTD ("XTD" being the extended 27.5" variant), for which they make both a 16x19 string pattern and an 18x20. The 18x20 XTD in particular, is an extra-special frame, being the only extended-length 18x20 on the market, it gives extra reach, power and precision, all in one package. The WhiteOut overall is very similar to the Pro Staff, but 10g lighter (at 305g) with a more modern and forgiving hoop shape. If you want to dial up the power even more, you could also try the Yonex EZone 98+. Provided you string a hybrid in those frames, you should be able to limit swing weight to the upper 320's, which should be very playable. One quick note on trying extended-length frames: it's probably going to feel a bit awkward at first, especially on serve, so you're going to need time to adjust -- probably a week to several weeks (not just a session or two). If it does end up clicking, you may just unlock a level to your game that you never knew you had!

Hope that helps again. Happy to chat more if you want.

EDIT - Cleaned up the post a bit.

Hi! It’s been a few months, but I got my new racket! Unfortunately, my parents thought it was too much of a hassle to go back and forth to my local tennis store (40 minutes one way) so I couldn’t demo (I did really want to try that extended racket, maybe another time), but I got the VCORE 98 in Sand Beige

Been playing it for a bit, and I honestly really love it. The added weight I feel like adds to my stability, and as I’m getting better, it also feels like it’s helping me through the process. Also, although I was hesitant at first, I might actually try adding the lead tape to my old Head Speed Team L, so I can have a backup racket I enjoy, if need be.

Thanks again for all the help!