Racquet Hunt: Something less dampened.

[dr. godmode]

I've been playing with the Aero line for almost 10 years, but since I'm not a junior anymore, I'm finding I don't need such a powerful racquet, and would like something with a little more feel and control.

Recently I have demoed 5 racquets (I will rank in order of preference):
1. Yonex SV 95- I was really hitting a big heavy ball with this racquet from all areas of the court. I sometimes felt disconnected from the ball and lost it in the string bed.
2. Wilson Prostaff 97 CV- Great feel and weight, but too low on power. I couldn't get enough on my shots to trouble my opponents.
3. Wilson Blade 98 CV 16x19- This one was ok for me. I played with the BLX Blade for a few years and remember the feel was a lot better. The CV is too dampened.
4. Yonex DR 98 305- This racquet was super stable and I could hit big shots but I had absolutely no feel.
5. Head Speed MP- I didn't hit great with this and I found it felt a little jaring at times.

Overall, I'm looking for a racquet that can offer big spin, and mediumish power. The trend toward a dampened feel is annoying me. Can anyone offer suggestions?

 

[FiReFTW]

If you can't get enough power with Wilson PS 97CV then you need to look at your mechanics, kinetic chain and fitness level. You should be able to hit big shots with a PS 95.

 

[Anton]

No feel with DR98??

Take the dampener off, it already has some dampening built into the grommets at the bridge.

 

[Dartagnan64]

Of those I think the DR 98 (prefer the 100 personally) and the Blade. Blade would give most feel and Yonex the most spin.

Might want to look at the Prince Phantom Pro 100 or the Babolat Pure Strike line. Little lower powered and good spin.

It's hard to get monster spin with out high power since light/stiff 16x19 rackets produce the RHS and string movement to give the added spin.

 

[esprits4s]

No feel with DR98??

Take the dampener off, it already has some dampening built into the grommets at the bridge.

The DR98 is my current preferred racquet. It has a great combination of power, comfort, and spin. Very easy to use; however, 'feel' suffers in the sense that you don't get as much feedback on how centered the ball is. It is a very forgiving racquet to the point where some find it muted.

 

[Anton]

BTW newer version of DR98, EZONE 98 has a crisper feel if you still want to go that way.

 

[n8dawg6]

try the xt rad pro and xt prestige pro. no worries about them being muted. would also give the pure strike a whirl

 

[Notirouswithag]

Was another to suggest the Pure Strike.

Using the Project One Seven and my only gripe is the smaller sweetspot. Compared to my Blade 98L the off center hits are much more noticeable and Im still playing with the string setup but so far Im pretty happy with it.


Pure Strike vs Blade 98L(non cv) takeaway points:

-98L is less muted but a little more plush
-PS has a smaller sweetspot but more feel and not as dampened

 

[Dartagnan64]

Was another to suggest the Pure Strike.

Using the Project One Seven and my only gripe is the smaller sweetspot. Compared to my Blade 98L the off center hits are much more noticeable and Im still playing with the string setup but so far Im pretty happy with it.


Pure Strike vs Blade 98L(non cv) takeaway points:

-98L is less muted but a little more plush
-PS has a smaller sweetspot but more feel and not as dampened

I'd agree with this assessment.

 

[styksnstryngs]

I like the sv 98 myself.

 

[time_fly]

If you can deal with a little lower power then check out the phantoms. The Beasts should have more pop but I have no idea what they feel like. I am a big fan of the feel of the Volkl v-sense line. Maybe you can find something in there that matches your preferred specs. All of the CV frames I’ve tried have been very muted.

 

[SeeItHitIt]

The DR98 is my current preferred racquet. It has a great combination of power, comfort, and spin. Very easy to use; however, 'feel' suffers in the sense that you don't get as much feedback on how centered the ball is. It is a very forgiving racquet to the point where some find it muted.

Muted, yes. The reason I left the little love affair with the Ai98 (strung with cyclone or ALU pwr). It was just 'mushy' and it got lost. Hard to give up on the quest for perfection though, and waiting for a DR98+ To come in the mail. The measuring stick is a basic red/blk PS97 playing at ~346g, 340sw and wearing gut/poly. Feel, power, touch...wait, what else am I looking for!?

 

[Shroud]

I've been playing with the Aero line for almost 10 years, but since I'm not a junior anymore, I'm finding I don't need such a powerful racquet, and would like something with a little more feel and control.

Recently I have demoed 5 racquets (I will rank in order of preference):
1. Yonex SV 95- I was really hitting a big heavy ball with this racquet from all areas of the court. I sometimes felt disconnected from the ball and lost it in the string bed.
2. Wilson Prostaff 97 CV- Great feel and weight, but too low on power. I couldn't get enough on my shots to trouble my opponents.
3. Wilson Blade 98 CV 16x19- This one was ok for me. I played with the BLX Blade for a few years and remember the feel was a lot better. The CV is too dampened.
4. Yonex DR 98 305- This racquet was super stable and I could hit big shots but I had absolutely no feel.
5. Head Speed MP- I didn't hit great with this and I found it felt a little jaring at times.

Overall, I'm looking for a racquet that can offer big spin, and mediumish power. The trend toward a dampened feel is annoying me. Can anyone offer suggestions?

Why not up the tension on the aero??

 

[PMChambers]

The phantom should have a skull on the butt so leaves an indent when skull butt them. AKA The Phantom

 

[Crocodile]

To me I tend to favour feel over spin first. A lot of the spiny frames are generally lighter, more open pattern frames ( but not always)
Feel is tricky because there are many comfortable types of frames that are muted that don't give the impression of spin yet the play sight numbers would indicate otherwise.
Then you have racquets where you are really connected to the frame and you think you are hitting lots of spin but the play sight numbers indicate less than you thought so.
The spin effect frames probably are an interesting case in point to look at.

 

[dnguyen]

The phantom should have a skull on the butt so leaves an indent when skull butt them. AKA The Phantom

I was thinking the same.

 

[Wilhelm]

The Prince Textreme 95 has lots of feel and spin. If you put in a shaped string, it‘s almost too much spin.

 

[n8dawg6]

too much spin.

spin is like cowbell, you can never have too much

 

[fuzz nation]

Agree with the suggestions for the Pure Strike. At least that will give you a familiar grip shape - always a plus.

Feel is an elusive critter and it's a little different for everybody. Sometimes you might get more of what you want with a certain string type/tension or by adding a little lead tape to your hoop or handle (or both). Tough to nail down, so stay patient there.

I've been using the Volkl C10 for several years and love the combo of soft-ish feel, big power, and okay control I get with it. When I need something that's a little less of a wrecking ball and also gives me significantly more spin though, I use my more recent addition to my bag - the Volkl Organix 10 325g. The current version of that frame is the V-Sense 10 325g. No guarantees that it will be right for you, but it checks off a lot of boxes for me. Crisp feel, moderate power (enough, but not too much), and all the spin I want from my racquet. My O10's are tuned with some lead tape and the customizing was E-Z.

YMMV...

 

[OjoLOCO]

I am with Shroud. Keep the Aero Pro going. Hyper G 17 gauge in the mains with the best control cross (l favor Spiiraltek 16 gauge). Just dial in your tensions with each. It seems like a tough weapon to leave if your arm and shoulder can take it.