Racquet help for 4.0

[Ashton20]

Hi,

I have been searching for a racquet that suits my game the best and avoids any wrist discomfort. I am a baseline player with a 1HBH and strong eastern/nearly semi western FH. I play best with polys.
Racquet of choice is a strike 98 16x19 but its too stiff.

I have played with 3 racquets in competition:
Strike 98 16x19 (perfect combination of power/control - wrist pain) > Pure Aero (too powerful/wrist pain) = Blade 98 16x19 v7 (not enough power/hate the flared buttcap but no wrist pain)

I am considering:
Gravity MP or Tour - should I lean more towards MP if I didn't like the power level of the blade 98?
Clash 98/100T - I think these models don't have the flared buttcap, have tried the Clash 100 and I think Gravity MP suited my game more.
Ezone 98 - Perhaps too stiff?
Prince Phantoms

Thanks.

 

[fundrazer]

I think maybe you should start by changing string. Go looser tension or try some kind of hybrid to soften things up + add power.

I'd also say that the Blade 16x19 should have decent enough power..Not Babolatesque, but I always found ample power in my 2015 16x19 Blade. Maybe it's a technique thing... do you feel that you're arming the ball a lot?

 

[tennis347]

The Blade 100 could be a good frame for if you can handle the high 320's to 330 SW. I have used the Blade 98 v7 16 x 19 and found it a bit too demanding playing in the heat with long matches. I would imagine that the Blade 100 with the wider beam and high SW will be arm friendly and provide some nice pop.

 

[n8dawg6]

vcore 95 or 98. give er a whirl

 

[ChanterRacquet]

There are very few racquets that have caused me wrist pain specifically (as opposed to elbow pain): radical and aero. They seem to resist the windshield wiper motion causing the wrist pain for me. So…

I would avoid the Phantom 100X models, you’ll not find as much power in those. I have a 290 and it lacks oomph and a recent thread asking TW why two of their reviewers switched away said same thing. Look at the Tour series instead (though my Phantom 100P seems to have plenty of pop if the 330 swing weight isn’t too daunting).

I like my kiddo’s Gravity S over the MP and Tour, the latter two just felt clunky to me. S is probably too low swingweight though.

The ProKennex Ki Q+5 (2019) might be good for you but it needs poly to spin having 20 crosses. Mine is nice although there’s a disconnect in feel due to the beads absorbing most of the shock, though I guess that’s the point.

I’m a big fan of my Dunlop CX200 OS. The Blade 104 v7 is a good compromise between Clash power & comfort and Blade 98 control.

 

[J D]

The Babolat Pure Aero VS is a slightly more arm friendly version of the PS, but it needs a little weight in the head. The Yonex Ezone 98 and 100 are a bit more arm friendly with perhaps a bit more power. The Tecnifibre 300 RS is easier on the arm and plays similar to the Strike with perhaps less power and more control. The Prince TT 100 310 is a very similar frame that is definitely more arm friendly.

If you’re really serious about arm health, the Prince Phantom 100X 305 is a very nice playing racquet, It has a whole lot of flex and feel without being mushy and takes poly well. It’s just a solid performer in every area and, contrary to others, I found it to have more than adequate power (but I do have fast and full strokes).

 

[hurworld]

VCore 100