Questions about Yonex Vcore Duel G 330

25-TENNIS

25-TENNIS

Semi-Pro
I saw a ex-demo Duel G 330 for just €30, seems like a nice racket. Though I have someone questions about it.
First of all the comfort. It has a Ra of 66, so medium stiff. Some say it is comfortable (TW Review, some on this forum) and some say it can cause arm pain. Looking at the TWU vibration frequency, there's not much difference between my current racket (VCP100 2019 (350g strung)), which is 146, and the Duel G 330, which is 147 (though it's shows an Ra of 67). So my question is, is it arm friendly or should I avoid it?

Secondly, is it good for one handed backhands? The string pattern is quite interesting for spinny and flat shots.
 
Great frame. Was my go to for a while back in the day. Amazing at one handed backhands. Plenty comfortable because of the weight/swing weight. I say go for it.
 
I second the sentiments of @JOSHL

Excellent frame... no problems with comfort (not as soft and muted as the Tour G, but still very comfortable)... excellent for OHBH and plenty of spin.
 
I haven't tried the Tour G, but my imo, the Duel G 97 line is the best iteration since then.
If you string it at lower tension, you get a fantastic plush feel, paired with the control of the 16x20 pattern.
There's a reason many pros still prefer this version. Btw it can also be strung in a 16x19 version iirc (or was it 16x18?) which I tried and also enjoyed.

However, ime, there are some potential downsides to the 330 versions. They are low powered in the sense that they punish low RHS and/or little body weight transfer, especially on the one-handed backhand. The problem then becomes you can fall into the trap of trying too hard, which will inevitably put a strain on the arm (TE). You can compensate by stringing at lower tensions, and by being aware of the potential problem and staying relaxed and not demanding too much (of esp. the OHBH) in the beginning.
 
Duel G is not too far off Tour G, one of my two main frames. RA is not the best indicator as the pure mass of the frame takes care of most of bad vibrations. Been playing Tour G bone stock with full poly (usually round, lower powered) and no problem at all.

It’s most definitely not a typical modern frame, though (Tour G, that is) so you have to either have the technique and/or the fitness. Can be whipped around, I play it on clay with great results, but there’s a ton of easier playing sticks out there for sure. Nice stick for classic strokes and blocking, chopping and other funkier stuff as it is beyond rock solid. A tank has its pros and cons. Very nice feeling frame on top of everything.
 
I have a couple of Duel G 330 and 310 and much prefer the 310. With dampener, overgrip and lead tape, it comes to 12 oz. both offer amazing feel and touch, better than the newer models.
The 330 came to almost 360 grams and was unwieldy after the first hour. I still play with the prestige pro but keep the Duel Gs in my bag.
 
So I bought the Duel G 330 for just €30. Great price for such a racket, probably was this cheap because the trap door was missing, luckily I had a spare one. It arrived today and just had an hour of practice with it. It came strung with Poly Tour Pro 1.25, my string of choice. It felt like it was strung quite tight. I don't know how old the stringjob is, but considering the Duel G is 4-5 years old and this is an ex-demo, I guess it hasn't been used for a while.

First impressions:
Low-powered. This might be just because it's strung tight, but it felt a bit less powerful than my VCP100.
Feel. It definitely has a different feel than the VCP's with VDM. I'm not sure what to think of it. You can definitely feel the ball better, but the dampened feel of the VCP is great. The Duel G didn't feel very stiff, nor did it cause any pain, but I feel more vibrations than with the VCP.
Flat shots. This is what I immediately liked about it. The 16x20 stringpattern gave me enough spin to hit loopy balls, but also allowed me to hit hard flat shots (something which was hard to do with VCP).
Weight. So far I could handle the weight. My VCP100 is 350g (1,5 overgrips) and the Duel G 359g (1 overgrip), both strung and with dampener.

This week I will switch to my VCP again, in preparation for a league match on Sunday. Next week I will string the Duel G at a lower tension (~21kg) to see how it plays. Also, vibration dampening grips could give the muted feel I like, though the Wilson Shockshield grip is discontinued in Europe. Any alternatives?
 
I prefer the tour g 330 (HG) to all the subsequent releases Yonex introduced. I think it was a high point for their manufacturing which included good product like the AI and DR, a good period for Yonex.
Since then when they became duel G and then V Core Pro I felt the feel become more tinny and flimsy.
Some criticise the tour g 330 of being cumbersome and play like a log, but I like it, especially with its 62 RA and foam feeling.
 
Crocodile said:
I prefer the tour g 330 (HG) to all the subsequent releases Yonex introduced. I think it was a high point for their manufacturing which included good product like the AI and DR, a good period for Yonex.
Since then when they became duel G and then V Core Pro I felt the feel become more tinny and flimsy.
Some criticise the tour g 330 of being cumbersome and play like a log, but I like it, especially with its 62 RA and foam feeling.
Click to expand...

Well it is a cumbersome log, indeed. Needs more than decent technique and more than decent physique/stamina on top. Talking about 2-2,5 hrs singles sessions. I usually manage 1-1,5 hrs before I pick my Fischer Pro 1, which is the same static weight but worlds easier to swing. But as far as stock retail frames go, the Tour G is one of the best feeling and definitely one of the most stable swords out there.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I've been playing with Duel G for quite a while now and I found it has great strengths, but also some weaknesses. The string pattern is a big plus for me, it is great for both spinny and flat shots. Another thing I like about the Duel G is the feel. Compared to this, my VCP100 with VDM seems 'feelless'.
The weight is nice on groundstrokes, but terrible when serving. It is too heavy to generate enough power on serve and it also causes some pain.
Now I'm looking for something that's similar in playability to the Duel G, but a little less heavy and maybe a slightly more dampened feel. The Tour G seems like a nice stick. Any other suggestions?
 
I've found adding a few grams of lead in the buttcap of my Duel G 330 makes serving sooooo much easier. It's a little too head heavy for me in stock form on serves. It's already extremely stable, so no need to counterweight it in the head.

I don't play with poly generally, and I think this is a good racquet for mid-tension natural gut/syn gut/multi. The 16x20 pattern means less string breaking and longer tension maintenance than a more open pattern.
 
Brian11785 said:
I've found adding a few grams of lead in the buttcap of my Duel G 330 makes serving sooooo much easier. It's a little too head heavy for me in stock form on serves. It's already extremely stable, so no need to counterweight it in the head.
Click to expand...

I feel the same. Although I've not used the Duel G, I had the Tour G 330 and now the VCP97 330 (2018). As everyone else had said, they are great racquets. My problem with the Vcore Pro series is not the weight but the balance. They feel much head heavier than other racquets of similar weight, even the RF97A (or maybe my friend's was underspec). I tried ways to reduce the weight of the VCP97 (obviously only possible from the handle region) and it felt even more sluggish. Surprisingly, after adding massive amount of weight to the handle, it came alive with more power and spin. It weighs about 380g now but feels much easier and less tiring to swing. Counterintuitive but it works. But for my next Vcore Pro, I'll probably go 310 and customize it.
 
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