Percept 97D vs. 100D

C

colonelween

New User
Hello all, this my first post so I apologize if I'm not very good at this.

I'm 176cm (5'8) & ~68kg (150lbs), NTRP high 4.0 - low 4.5, UTR mid to high 6, and I play club tennis at a large University.

For the past 3 years I have been playing with the old 2018 blue/black & orange Vcore Pro 97 in its stock form with no additions, full bed of Poly Tour Strike 1.25 at about 50-52lbs. I have a fairly standard game-style for my size, think Yoshi Nishioka or even Sebi Baez. I hug the baseline, take balls early, and play the percentages trying to find opportunities to take a ball out of the air or create an angle. I am also very comfortable at the net. Two hand back hand, also.

I just lost one of my beloved Vcore Pros to warping from a long time crack and I have found that it is very difficult to find these rackets online with my model and grip size that doesn't cost a fortune. I would also like something that could potentially up my level. I recently demoed 6 rackets and here are my thoughts on them:
- Head Prestige Pro 2023: Difficult to swing due to being so light in the head and the ball would never go over the net when I hit a forehand. Just made easy shots difficult and difficult shots impossible.
- Head Prestige Tour 2023: Much better than the Pro in general except for the 18x20 string pattern. Had a tough time putting much power on the ball.
- Yonex Percept 97: Definitely felt the most akin to my 2018 Vcore Pro, just worse. The power was the same, but my 2018 VP felt as though it had more control.
- Yonex Percept 97H: Love this racket, the power is extremely fun, just comically heavy. I was never planning on using this more than just for fun.
- Yonex Percept 97D: Great power and control. I feel as though I can do anything on the court with this stick, except for spin.
- Yonex Percept 100D: I really enjoy the 100 hoop, definitely lets me hit cleaner balls when I don't quite hit that sweet-spot. Overall I love this racket, HOWEVER, it is way too light. It desperately needs weight in my opinion. If it wasn't so light I would probably choose this racket to switch to.

Based on these demos, I decided I like the 97D and 100D the most and I have no interest in these other demos. I come to you all seeking advice for what I should do going forward. What do you all think are my options? Should I heavily customize the 100D? Or stay with the heavier 97D? Or should I seek other rackets to try out? I am very open to what you all have to say!
 
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You’re better than me, but all I can say is I demoed the Percept 97 and 100D and the 97 felt very close to my racket of choice, the Pure Strike VS (or current gen, Strike 97). Its 16x20 pattern gives you more control than the 16x19 of the P97 and in terms of power and maneuverability I think it way outshines the 100D. Add a little weight in the hoop (4g at 12) and the Strike 97 should give you excellent power, wicked spin and control, and a nice feel.

Other than that, the P97D does seem great for you and with some string adjustments I bet that can be the choice easily.
 
The 2018 blue/red "dragon skin" VCP, both the 310 and 330, have arguably the best feel and flex of all the YY97 lineage, so you have a tough standard to try and replace.

Re- the Head Prestiges, you got the gist of them, but the naming needs clarifying (in your defense, they're easy to mix up, as Head change the naming scheme going from G360+ to Auxetic, to make them fall inline with the other silos). The current Pro is the 98" 18x20, 20mm beam, 6pts HL strung, mid 320's SW. The current Tour is the 95" 16x19, 22mm beam, 5-6pts HL strung, 330+sw strung. They're both nice, with arguably the best feel of any Head frame (retail, anyways), but are more classical shaped and drilled, so their sweet spots will be smaller and lower, and you'll shank more at 10 & 2 without the isometric corners available for extra space there. And even more so than the VCP's/Percepts, the Prestiges truly are flatter hitter's frames, in every sense of the word. May or may not be the best substitute for the YY97's, depending on what you've grown to really like about them.

Looking at the current crop of Percepts, from the sounds of it, especially with a 2-handed backhand, I would pursue the 100D + customization, versus trying to accommodate to the 97D. At similar spec and customized properly, the 100D should give you a higher baseline on free power and depth per unit effort, plus a tiny bit more forgiveness, without sacrificing that much control/precision. To get the 100D up to 97D-level spec, I'd add ~5g of handle weight, by replacing the stock Excel Pro base grip with a more dense synthetic like a Gamma Hi-Tech, or a lighter leather grip, then 3-5g lead tape on the hoop, either split between 12 and 9 & 3, or all up in the isometric "corners" at 10 & 2 / 11 & 1.

If you're still open to considering other sticks, I'd recommend looking at the following direct/connected feeling player/pleener sticks:
- Babolat Pure Strike 97 (per @TwinCinema), customized - Probably the easiest-playing and most forgiving conventionally-shaped 97. 16x20 is a very balanced pattern. Worth a look.
- Dunlop CX 400 Tour - Playable stock, presuming it's on-spec. Slightly better power-to-weight ratio yet almost as controlled as the 100D. Worth a look, if for no other reason than to experience the CX feel.
- Head Radical Pro - Playable stock, more or less. This is the stick I would probably recommend the most in this list.
- Solinco WhiteOut 18x20 w/ the 5 or 10g butt cap installed - This is a special stick. More open 18x20 than the D. Spin/lifts almost like a 16-main, yet also has the consistency of 18. Slightly more firm/crisp feel, too.
- Tecnifibre TF40 315 16x19, customized (with just a tiny bit of weight at 10 & 2) - If you can get passed the more rectangular grip shape, certainly worth a look for some direct-feeling, foam-filled goodness.
- Wilson Blade 98 v9 16x19, customized (with mostly handle weight) - Similar firmness to your 2018 VCP's, albeit more muted. Hoop-based weight distribution may or may not work, but prob worth a try.
- Wilson Ultra Pro 16x19 (H19), customized (with mostly hoop weight) - Feel might be closest to your '18 VCP, although the conventional 97 mold/pattern might not be forgiving or powerful enough. Tough to say.
- Wilson Blade Pro 16x19 (H22), customized (with mostly handle weight) - It's a lot of stick, and maybe tough to take a gamble on if you haven't tried one before. As solid as they come, but it is built for a more linear game.
- Wilson Pro Staff X - Playable stock, usually. Not sure if it would be precise enough for you, but worth a try.

Hopefully some of that helps! Any questions, feel free.
 
I’ve been using the 97D for 6+ months and I get plenty of spin with an eastern forehand. If anything I think I might get more spin sometimes than I got with the Ezt previously because of the confidence the racket gives you to hit out more with the great control it has.
 
colonelween said:
Hello all, this my first post so I apologize if I'm not very good at this.

I'm 176cm (5'8) & ~68kg (150lbs), NTRP high 4.0 - low 4.5, UTR mid to high 6, and I play club tennis at a large University.

For the past 3 years I have been playing with the old 2018 blue/black & orange Vcore Pro 97 in its stock form with no additions, full bed of Poly Tour Strike 1.25 at about 50-52lbs. I have a fairly standard game-style for my size, think Yoshi Nishioka or even Sebi Baez. I hug the baseline, take balls early, and play the percentages trying to find opportunities to take a ball out of the air or create an angle. I am also very comfortable at the net. Two hand back hand, also.

I just lost one of my beloved Vcore Pros to warping from a long time crack and I have found that it is very difficult to find these rackets online with my model and grip size that doesn't cost a fortune. I would also like something that could potentially up my level. I recently demoed 6 rackets and here are my thoughts on them:
- Head Prestige Pro 2023: Difficult to swing due to being so light in the head and the ball would never go over the net when I hit a forehand. Just made easy shots difficult and difficult shots impossible.
- Head Prestige Tour 2023: Much better than the Pro in general except for the 18x20 string pattern. Had a tough time putting much power on the ball.
- Yonex Percept 97: Definitely felt the most akin to my 2018 Vcore Pro, just worse. The power was the same, but my 2018 VP felt as though it had more control.
- Yonex Percept 97H: Love this racket, the power is extremely fun, just comically heavy. I was never planning on using this more than just for fun.
- Yonex Percept 97D: Great power and control. I feel as though I can do anything on the court with this stick, except for spin.
- Yonex Percept 100D: I really enjoy the 100 hoop, definitely lets me hit cleaner balls when I don't quite hit that sweet-spot. Overall I love this racket, HOWEVER, it is way too light. It desperately needs weight in my opinion. If it wasn't so light I would probably choose this racket to switch to.

Based on these demos, I decided I like the 97D and 100D the most and I have no interest in these other demos. I come to you all seeking advice for what I should do going forward. What do you all think are my options? Should I heavily customize the 100D? Or stay with the heavier 97D? Or should I seek other rackets to try out? I am very open to what you all have to say!
Click to expand...
moved to the 97D from a 100D with 1.30mm TW leather grip(added 3-4gms) and I'm not as good as you. The 97D is just a better overall frame all over the court. I also string with YPTS but in the low 40s. If you're having issues with spin drop the crosses 3-4 lbs.. launch angle will increase along with spin.
 
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I've tried both and main the 97D right now

They're both great but I strongly prefer the feel of the 97D (it has a lower RA and you can tell), plus it doesn't need any customization at all

I play with lots of spin but also touch (high level dubs)

Given your preferences and comparisons, it sounds like the 97D is a good fit for you too

I'd recommend the 100D to someone who feels like they need more forgiveness or ease of use or power (since you would get more more if you matched specs)

Don't think the 100D really provides more spin since it's about as dense where you make contact anyway
 
I moved from the Vcore Pro 97HD to the Percept 100D with customization. I built the grip up, replaced the base grip with leather, added a little extra lead, and now it's 355 static and 329 swing weight.

It is fantastic and is exactly what I needed: a touch more power and forgiveness, since I'm not playing as well or as often as I used to. I'm still a solid 4.5, used to be 5.0.

I'm also bigger than you, so I wouldn't recommend customizing as much as I have, just wanted to let you know that it responded great to customization and handles great.

I think you'll enjoy either racquet, go with your gut.
 
The 97D hits an incredibly heavy ball when you can swing it in time. I've got the current Prestige Pro and found found the launch angle to be incredibly low which resulted in a lot of netted forehands.
 
colonelween said:
Based on these demos, I decided I like the 97D and 100D the most and I have no interest in these other demos. I come to you all seeking advice for what I should do going forward. What do you all think are my options? Should I heavily customize the 100D? Or stay with the heavier 97D? Or should I seek other rackets to try out? I am very open to what you all have to say!
Click to expand...

so what did you end up deciding?
I looked at my notes.
I've hit with the 97D and 100D a LOT.

my 100D:

with a leather grip, pulled tight and trimmed a lot,
overgrip,
full bed of poly,
she's resting at:
11.75 oz / 333 gr / 31.8 cm / 332 SW / 63 RA

for 332 SW, it's super whippy!
I went full bed 18 gauge b/c of the super tight string pattern
tru pro "pure rush", has nice pop to it, which a dense stick needs
for reference, unstrung, factory grip 10.62 oz / 31.65 cm

I did main with the 97D for a few months and loved it.
no leather on this one, but it ended up at 341 grams, which I ultimately decided was too much for me.
 
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