Racquet Suggestions

[Bmr]

Hi there,

I just got done demoing (is that a word?) 4 racquets last night, here are my observations:

Wilson nCode NTour Two:

This is an extremely well balanced racquet. Very consistent and solid for return of serve and net play. Was my favorite out of the 4.

Babolat AeroPro Drive Plus:

I really couldn't get into liking this racquet. Seemed like it had too much power for me and harder to keep in the court. I've heard a lot of good things about the Babolats, but I couldn't keep the mustard on the hot dog when hitting my shots with it.

Prince O3 Silver:

This was an interesting racquet, strange design with the O-ports. Huge sweetspot and seemed like you could overhit and still get it in the court.

Head Flexpoint Radical:

For some reason, this racquet did not appeal to me. I've been playing with an oversize for a long time now and it just seemed too hard to adapt to it. Maybe it was just the strings??

Do any of you have any further suggestions for me as far as testing out new racquets? (I would consider myself around a 4.0 player) I have to be honest with you, up until this point I've used a Prince Thunder Ultralite Titanium and have found a great deal of success with it. I think that's mainly due to its extremely lightweight body (my elbow tends to get sore with the heavier racquets). However, my return of serve and net game suffer. The Wilson was a little harder to adjust to, but volleys were made with ease compared to the Thunder, and return of serves. I've heard that the Pure Storm is pretty light, maybe I will check that out...any others?

 

[thejuice]

BMR, the racquets you chose to demo are very different from each other and then you mention the Pure Storm which is also different. I would recommend you start your demo session over and pick around three or four racquets with similar specifications. This would allow you to make a sound judgement on which frames you like compared to the next. The way you described your game, something like the Flexpoint Radical is a good start (the Pure Storm MP would be a good one to group with the Flexpoint Radical).

I would also recommend:

Prince Hybrid Hornet, Shark and/or Spectrum
Volkl DNX8
Pro Kennex Core 1 No. 10
Head Flexpoint Heat and/or Fire
Dunlop M-Fil 300 and/or 400

 

[Starwind]

Wilson nCode NTour Two is a great choice.

 

[Bmr]

I really did not like that Head racquet at all. Something about it just didn't fit into my game. I'm about 6'2" 175 lbs and have a pretty quick swing, also take big hacks on the serves.

The Wilson racquet has opened my eyes as far as improving net game/return of serve...I did have to adjust on my serves, though.

Has anyone played with the whole nCode line (i.e. know the differences between each racquet in that series?)

 

[fielders_80]

Yeah those racquets included the list have rather different characteristics. Especially the 03 Silver. I would suggest that you consider something like O3 White which is less powerful than the Silver. Also try O3 Tour and Mfil 300.

 

[nalbandian_fan]

juice boy is right, you demoed racquets with completely different specs. But at least now you have a better idea of what kind of racquet your looking for...

10-11 ounces, relatively even balance, 95-100 si head, 16x20 string pattern

after entering those specs into the racquet finder, I made these picks for you:

Yonex RDX 300 Midplus
Slightly heavier overall weight than the Ntour two, but it is also more headlight, so it may feel lighter than it actually is.

Wilson NPro Surge
Again, slightly heavier overall weight, with a slightly more headlight balance, and a 100 sq. inch head. I have hit with both the NPro Surge and the NTour Two and would have to say that the NPro Surge was much more maneuverable, had better control, and more power and spin potential.

Wilson NSix-Two Midplus
I know many good players who play with this racquet. It has very similiar specs to the NPro Surge with a lower overall weight of 10.4 ounces.

Dunlop M-Fil 300
This racquets specs are very similiar to the NTour, and this is a very reputed and popular racquet.

Good luck!

 

[Bmr]

Thanks all for your input...

Nalbandian, I'll give those a shot. I've been itching to use a Yonex (never have).