Racquet recommendations?

[Oldclassictennis]

I have returned to the game, having not played on any regular basis for 25 years. When I did play I was AA (alta level) and around 5.0 usta.

i have been switching around among the following racquets; trying to find a racquet to stick with. I would like any recommendations you may have among these or any others that might suite my game (preferred brands are Prince, Head or Wilson).

Strokes: I have long full strokes, tend to generate good racquet head speed, use pretty heavy top spin and have a one handed backhand.

Racquets I have tried:
Volkl C10 pro: nice plow through, nice and stable on volleys and decent pop on flat serves.
Issues: not tending to get it through quickly enough for top spin on OHBH and seems to have too much power on ground strokes.

Prince tour 95: nice plow through, low power, okay spin serves, solid and accurate volleys, great depth control due to low launch angle.
Issues: tend to not get OHBH through quickly enough for top spins, have to work a little harder to generate top spin.

Prince classic graphite 100: great on top spin (both wings), great spin/kick on serves, decent volleys.
Issues: less stable returning harder hit ground strokes, very high launch angle making depth control tough without excessive spin, tougher to produce/control flat shots.

I am very interested to hear suggestions about other frames. I have not picked up a Head or Wilson racquet in years, so I don't have a really good idea about how they may or may not work for me.

 

[GatorTennis]

If you can demo a PK Redondo mid and MP, Wilson PS 90 & 95, and the Volkl PB 10 mid. Those should help with your OHB. The PK and Volkl will be less stiff vs. the Wilson. So you should find one that fits you pretty well. As a 5.0 you may be good enough to notice some slight issues, but you can always adjust with some lead tape.

 

[fuzz nation]

I've enjoyed the Volkl C10 for several years and I agree that it brings significant power to the equation, for better and sometimes for worse. I can hit my one-hander with great confidence swinging this frame, its flex is supremely comfortable on my arm, and I prefer it for slugging in a singles setting when I need to hang in with harder hitters. The stock balance of this frame isn't quite to my liking, so I have lead on my handles to get about 10 pts. HL balance - nicely maneuverable for me.

Because this frame has such inherent arm-friendliness (probably due to its "hoop flex"), I've tried mine strung with a low tension poly hybrid and played it like that with plenty of comfort. A few other C10 players here have done the same. I've always preferred the feel and performance of syn. gut though, so I've pretty much stayed with this string in the majority of my gear. I'll typically tension the syn. gut in my C10's in the range of 62-64 lbs. depending on the season (tighter in hotter weather). These racquets will likely stay in my bag forever.

The alternatives I keep in my bag are a pair of Volkl O10 325g's - the current version of this racquet is the Super G 10 325g. These are a little lighter than my C10's and I didn't care for them in their stock form, but a little lead tape steadied up the hoop and then this racquet really came to life for me. Great for just about everything (playing, feeding students, etc.), easier access to spin than my C10's, and fantastic for heavy doubles. After customizing, I think that these racquets have much to offer including slightly less power/more control than my C10's.

Haven't tried that Prince Tour 95, but looking at its spec sheet, it doesn't have enough HL balance for its static weight to work well for me. I'm sure I'd need to lead the handle of that racquet to get more familiar handling with it, but it might end up weighing well over 12.5 oz. after tuning.

The specs on the Graphite 100 look very similar to the old Prince NXG midplus from several years back. A fun racquet that performed very similar to what I've heard so far from Graphite 100 users - plenty of spin and quick handling, but not quite steady enough to command a heavier ball or produce controllable power. I'd probably want to put a couple grams of lead at 3/9 o'clock before even hitting my first ball with this frame. Just my personal taste.

I switched away from the 6.1 Classics into my C10's some years ago, but the latest Amplifeel versions of the Six.One 95 seem to be much improved over several previous generations. If you want to try a racquet with a little more backbone, these Wilsons seemed to be a good deal less harsh than the 6.1's that came before them. A heavier option from the current crop offered by Pacific may be worth a look, too.

 

[joohan]

If you are not afraid of lead tape and a simple, easy customization process, I am absolutely certain the Dunlop Biomimetic 300 Tour is very close to what you are looking for.

• 97inch head
• superfast through the air(maybe too fast in stock form, in fact)
• outstanding control with a 18x20 string pattern(scored 92/100 in control dept. in the TW play test - one of the highest scores if my memory serves me right)
• excellent inherent spin potential (no "ifs and buts", no "despite its 18x20 pattern", this stick has some serious kick...)
• wonderful, old fashioned "crisp dipped in honey" feel
• very nice paint job (personal tastes may differ, of course) with high quality finish

The only knock is an obvious instability outside its small sweet spot in stock form (only 305g unstrung).

My setup:

• continuous lead tape from 10 - 2
• same amount of lead tape at the bottom of the grip as a counterweight (I like fast swing weights)
• leather replacement grip + overgrip
• 17g Kirschbaum Pro Line II at 55/52

Result: cca 355g strung, polarized, fast swinging racquet with "off the charts" control, HUGE sweet spot, stability, feel and precision. Serves are a blast (power and control wise), groundstrokes are laser-precise with essentially every speed and spin available on tap (a combination of inherent, very low-powered nature of the frame with the lead tape and polarization it creates + fast swingweigth it maintains) and putaway power is there when you need it. Forgot to mention its a perfect volley stick (I guess the characteristics described are rather self explanatory in that matter).

All in all - this customized racquet makes me feel like Djokovic with a one handed backhand. I can rally all day long with a loose grip hardly tiring and placing the ball on a dime, rip the ball going for lines or , and that's the best feature of this racquet, switch between the two in a blink of an eye. Highly recommended.

...

Edit:

I used to play/play with a C10Pro, Powerbridge 10 and many more racquets (Exo3 Tour 18x20, Dunlop Aerogel 300 Tour, Aerogel 4D 100, Aerogel 4D 200, Donnay Pro One International (the original one), Fischer M Speed Pro 320g, PS85, PS90 and several Babolat Pures and Aeros which I did not like.

The only one racquet (customized or not) that comes close to this customized Bio 300 Tour is the legendary Fischer VT98Pro 330g unstrung I actually play right now.

Honestly, when I run out of my VTPros and won't be able to get more for some reason, I am back with the Bio 300 T in a nanosecond.

P.S.:

Best thing is you can get them really cheap (like 45 Euro with a leather grip and freshly strung...at least in Europe).

I realize I may come across as overly enthusiastic...I most certainly am. Bio 300 T is worth it.

 

[graycrait]

Volkl Organix V1 Midplus or Volkl SG V1 Midplus stock. Use this racket until you are well back in the game. I string my current V1 MPs with Nat Gut in the mains and Zyex in the crosses.