Racquets similar to PS Ltd GT

[worpx]

I have the Babolat Pure Storm Ltd GT, and was wondering if there is any other stick very similar in play to this one.

I used to have the Wilson 5.3 (95) and upgraded to this PS Ltd Gt which plays a little heavier and with more topspin. Since the PS Ltd gt is a 2009 model, I was wondering if theres a newer one out there that will be readily available?

I've tried the tw racquet finder and it generated some terrible results.

~4-4.5 player

 

[worpx]

bump. anyone?

 

[LPShanet]

I have the Babolat Pure Storm Ltd GT, and was wondering if there is any other stick very similar in play to this one.

I used to have the Wilson 5.3 (95) and upgraded to this PS Ltd Gt which plays a little heavier and with more topspin. Since the PS Ltd gt is a 2009 model, I was wondering if theres a newer one out there that will be readily available?

I've tried the tw racquet finder and it generated some terrible results.

~4-4.5 player

Similar in what regards? There are many parameters. You might want to try the Head Youtek Prestige and Radical mids. Their flex patterns aren't too different from the Ltd., although the weights are different.

 

[highgeer]

Two rackets come to mind Dunlop 4D 100 and Volkl PB9. Along with the LTD GT these three have the same small sweetspot and no inherit power (and great feel).
I much prefer the 4D 200 tour to any of them (bigger sweetspot and much more stable). I put a little lead tape on my LTD GTs.

Mike

 

[Kevo]

The KBlade Tour was similar to me. It was probably my second choice versus the PSL. The Prestige is probably another one to try.

 

[Kevo]

Two rackets come to mind Dunlop 4D 100 and Volkl PB9. Along with the LTD GT these three have the same small sweetspot and no inherit power (and great feel).

I find the sweetspot to be middle and lower in the hoop. The bottom of the hoop is very sweet actually. I rarely hit anything down there though. It seems similar to the ps85 in that regard.

 

[highgeer]

Kevo,
I totally agree about the sweetspot in the bottom of the hoop, and yes the LTD seems to have some PS heritage. The KPS 88 has the same sweetspot placement, but just twice the size. The LTD is indeed a sweet feeling racket.

Mike

 

[KenC]

If it is the weight you don't like, there aren't many racquets that play like the PSLGT and weigh less. If weight isn't the issue I would try the KBlade Tour followed by the Volkl PB10mid and then the BLX90. What most people like about the PSLGT is that it plays like a very forgiving ProStaff 85, and weighs less. It just lacks a little of the stability that you get with the PS85. I notice people coming from the K90 and now the BLX90 gravitate toward a PSLGT.

 

[lonux]

Specs-wise, according to TW:

Avery M3 Control Mid+ (I don't even know this brand, so )
Babolat Pure Storm GT (Obviously?)
Babolat Pure Storm Ltd. (The older version, also worth a try?)
Head Youtek Speed 18x20
Wilson KFactor KBlade 98

 

[Power Player]

I think the Dunlop 300t with some lead has to be a contender. Also the Youtek Prestige MP.

 

[TonyB]

I notice people coming from the K90 and now the BLX90 gravitate toward a PSLGT.

Wow, that's a surprising comment, because I'm coming from a K90 and after a few demos I've gravitated to the PS Ltd GT just like you said.

Not sure why, because it's not a similar racquet really. The PSLGT is much lighter, has a tighter string pattern, is MUCH lower powered than the K90 and doesn't produce as much spin, but it has much more control than the K90 but isn't as stable against hard hitters. It's also much more muted and soft compared to the K90, which has a more raw and lively feel.

Anyways, my game improved in many respects with the PSLGT compared to the K90, but there have been some tradeoffs. I like the increased control and softness, but the put-away power is gone and I'm leaving some balls short when counterpunching against big hitters because the racquet just doesn't have the "brick wall" feel of the K90. I'm going to have to play around with some lead tape, I guess.

Anyways, I found the comment ironic because I've done the same thing.

 

[Dreamcastin]

i also switched to the psl from the k90, agree with most of your post TonyB, but try a couple of grams of lead at 12.

 

[KenC]

... Not sure why, because it's not a similar racquet really. The PSLGT is much lighter, has a tighter string pattern, is MUCH lower powered than the K90 and doesn't produce as much spin, but it has much more control than the K90 but isn't as stable against hard hitters. It's also much more muted and soft compared to the K90, which has a more raw and lively feel.

Anyways, my game improved in many respects with the PSLGT compared to the K90, but there have been some tradeoffs. I like the increased control and softness, but the put-away power is gone and I'm leaving some balls short when counterpunching against big hitters because the racquet just doesn't have the "brick wall" feel of the K90. I'm going to have to play around with some lead tape, I guess...

For some reason the racquet just feels like a ProStaff "lite" even though spec-wise it is a different animal. Anyway, those who just can't groove with a PS85 or any of its descendants usually find the things they didn't like are gone with the PSLGT. I personally prefer slightly the PS85 to the PSLGT just because of the added weight, but I liked the PSLGT better than the BLX90 when I did my demo. Finding matched PS85s is a nightmare today, so I settled with the PSLGT and grew to love it just as much as the PS85.

The racquet is surprisingly stable against heavy hitters, even those who can blast 100mph+ serves. I just step into my shots a little more than I would with a heavier racquet. I think the fact that it weighs 20+ grams less is actually a benefit in that we can get the racquet back faster and swing with more racquet speed, and generate more topspin than we could with a KPS88 for example. So I think it all balances out in the end and sometimes putting lead tape on can be counter productive. This is especially true when it comes to serving. Lead will slow your racquet down on the serve. Ironically, I think people who have to lead up a PSLGT should probably think about switching to a BLX90.

 

[Kevo]

I added some silicone in the handle, but otherwise my PSLs are stock. I find them very good against heavy hitters because I feel like I get more control than I did with the K90 or KPS88. I can take full cuts at hard hit balls and it seems the harder the come at me, the more I can't miss. That only holds true for flatter shots. People who can load up shoulder high spinny shots are tougher to deal with.

I find it's a little easier to hit spin with the PSL than the K90 except for driving shots. The K90 does seem to impart a little more spin on those, maybe because of the open pattern. However, on spinny shots, I can put more spin on the ball with the PSL probably because of the light head.

 

[thejackal]

I came from a n6-1 95 and added 4-5g at 10 and 2 oclock with good effect. haven't demoed recent rackets, but initially the feel reminded me somewhat of the hps 6.0 95, another box beam racket with very nice feel. the ltd is pretty low powered but slices very nicely and I can swing about as hard as I want and still not have the ball float long.

 

[TonyB]

The PSLGT definitely slices nicely, I'll say that much. I was surprised at how well it slices, actually. Yonex frames are the only frames that slice better (in general). Must have something to do with the hoop flex and the twist stability or something.

Anyways, the demo that I played with had 16 gauge Prince Poly EXP in it at 58 lb., so I'm sure the racquet was significantly hindered by that string job. I'd like to see what the frame is capable of with a real set of strings in it.

 

[thejuice]

The PSLGT definitely slices nicely, I'll say that much. I was surprised at how well it slices, actually. Yonex frames are the only frames that slice better (in general). Must have something to do with the hoop flex and the twist stability or something.

Anyways, the demo that I played with had 16 gauge Prince Poly EXP in it at 58 lb., so I'm sure the racquet was significantly hindered by that string job. I'd like to see what the frame is capable of with a real set of strings in it.

TonyB, the PSL and PSLGT are truly string sensitive sticks that HAVE to have the right string in them to feel like true butter. I am playing with a few different setups right now. Because of the tight pattern, I have been using 18 guage string. One of my PSLGTs is strung with Solinco Revolution for the mains (53lbs) and Gosen Micro Sheep in the crosses (52lbs). It took the Rev a few hours to truly settle in but it is money now. The other one is strung with Kirschbaum PLII in the mains (my usual string of choice) at 55lbs and a cheap syn gut (similar to Gosen quality) at 54 in my crosses. Right off the stinrging machine this felt good. What I notice after about 10 hours of play on each is that the one strung with the Revolution feels more and more sweet while the other stick still feels as good as it did when I first had it strung. I have one more PSLGT coming that will be strung with Solinco TourBite at 52lbs and Gosen at 51lbs.

FWIW, the two PSLGTs I have in my position weigh 12.1 and 12 ounces respectively with overgrip and dampener. I can live with that difference of .1 ounce.

 

[Kevo]

Anyways, the demo that I played with had 16 gauge Prince Poly EXP in it at 58 lb., so I'm sure the racquet was significantly hindered by that string job. I'd like to see what the frame is capable of with a real set of strings in it.

I like polys in it at about 50lbs., normally the 17 gauge. I'd probably string a 16 gauge poly a few pounds less even. Never played Prince Poly EXP, but unless it's extremely soft I would imagine it hampered the feel of the frame quite a bit. Might not be too bad if it was strung on a lock out machine.

 

[TonyB]

I think I may actually try to get one of these frames (used) and string it up with 17 gauge poly at around 35 lb. I just have a hunch that it would play well in this frame like that.

If anyone wonders what I'm talking about, see the "30 lb., 20 lb, and 10 lb. low tension" thread in the stringing forum.

A frame this low powered would probably not go all trampoliney on me and the added spin would compensate for the tight string pattern.

 

[Kevo]

I've tried it at 35lbs. with Spiky Shark, and I ended up going back to 50lbs. The 35lbs. was OK, but it did get a bit too loose after a couple hours hitting. It seemed to lose just enough control that I was not as sure in my shots as usual. I also didn't notice a significant difference in comfort. It's probably going to vary based on the specific poly how low you can go and still have good control and improved comfort.

 

[TonyB]

Well, comfort really isn't a problem, as the frame plays extremely soft already. My only goal would be to increase spin with the 18x20 pattern and to increase the power level. This has got to be THE lowest powered frame I've ever used. And I've used most of them.