recommend heavier racquet with good power

[pinky42]

As they say, Father Time is undefeated, and he's catching up to me. I could use some more pop on shots where I can't get to a good hitting position in time. The problem I have is that I'm used to heavier racquets and they tend to be lower powered. The higher powered racquets tend to hover around the 11 oz range which feels awkward to me.

Can anyone recommend a heavier racquet (11.5+ oz) with good power? I tried TW's racquet finder and it came up with the Tecnifibre TFlash 315 Speedflex and Dunlop Biomimetic 400 Tour. The stiffness of the Tecnifibre worries me. Anyone play with either of these? Any other racquets I should consider?

For reference, I currently play with a Yonex MP-Tour 1 Midplus so I'm more used to a racquet with a thin beam and heavy. For some reason, wide body racquets feel clunky to me. I love the control of the Yonex when I can get set in time but like I said, that's getting harder.

 

[rdis10093]

demo the 89 and the 97 tours by yonex. both very nice frames. the headsize on the 89 scares people, but it plays bigger. the 97 has a huge sweetspot, but is even heaver than the 89. both very nice frames.

 

[MikeHitsHard93]

Pure drive roddick, six one 95 16x18, probably c10 pro, organix 10 mid.

 

[spinovic]

The BLX 6.1's are a good suggestion, IMO. Some others that I think are worth a look:

Tecnifibre TFight 320 - Similar to the 6.1s, only I like them better.
Tecnifibre TFight 315 Ltd - With lead at noon, it is as powerful as the 320, and much more comfortable.
HEAD Extreme Pro 2.0 - Excellent frame. Plays/feels softer than its 69 rating. A great baseline stick with good pop and spin and better control than you might expect.

My two cents would be to try the Extreme and a TFight 315 Ltd with some lead.

As for the VCORE 89, I found the comments about it having good power and a bigger sweet spot to be true relative to other 90"-ish players frames. But, compared to all racquets in general, it is still a low powered, demanding frame in my book. My biggest complaint with it was that I found it to be somewhat sluggish feeling. But it could be exactly what you are looking for.

The Blade 104 is a lighter frame that is easy to play with and is very well rounded in my experience. And it can be customized to get the weight up if you want. Not sure if customizing is something that interests you.

 

[RetroSpin]

POGs are heavy, with good pop and thin beam.

 

[GoudX]

Heavier racquets with good power:

Wilson 6.1 95
Prestige Pro
Wilson Juice Pro
Head Radical pro

 

[neverstopplaying]

I never played with the Yonex, so I don't know it's power level. If it's something like a Prestige MP, or a Dunlop 200, then I would suggest a Tecnifibre T-fight 325. It has a nice heavier feel, great plow, is comfortable and offers more power. The Flash series is quite a bit stiffer.

I really liked the Dunlop 400T also. It is more forgiving, will definitely help you win, but doesn't have as nice a feel at the TFight, and you will need to add some lead.

You can also try the Dunlop 3.0T, one of my favoriaties.

Lots on TT seem to like the TF 315s and the new Volkl XV1 Pro, that may also meet your needs.

 

[loosegroove]

What string setup do you have? Some natural gut in your current stick might do wonders if you're currently using lower powered strings.

 

[BlueB]

I'm surprised that few people mentioned TF 315 as an option... It is always spoken about as extremely low powered racquet. Yes, you can lead it up, but then it becomes something else...

Someone mentioned POG, yes pretty decent power, if you wanted that traditional feel.

There are plenty of heavier tweeners, or "player's tweeners / light player's" that are over 11.5oz and have lots of power...

Recently I've acquired a pro stock version of my favorite O3 White. Wow! Heavier, 0.5" longer and a lot more SW, results in a lot more power. Still very controlled, though. Quite head light too! Give it a try if you can handle 27.5" frame...

 

[spinovic]

3-5 grams of lead at the top of the hoop in the 315 doesn't change the maneuverability a whole lot. It does, however, give a noticeable boost in power and plowthrough. And, the racquet itself has a great feel.

So, I definitely think it is worth a look as you can get a stick that feels very comfortable, with good pop and maneuverability and stay right around the 12 oz weight range.

If the 6.1 95 is worth considering, then a leaded up 315 is a must try. Although, I would suggest trying it both ways...stock and with lead. Might also consider the ProStaff 95, as it looks like a good candidate for customization as well. Very similar to the 315 in stock form.

 

[Attila_the_gorilla]

I'm with loosegroove. I'd experiment with the strings before thinking about a racket change.

 

[counterpuncher]

Having used the MP Tour 1 which must be about 10 years ago now, I thought I'd chime in also. Agree strings are the first thing you should try. If not natural gut then something mor economical like Isospeed professional is a great option for something on the powerful end of the spectrum that offers good comfort and control.

If the strings path doesn't lead anywhere, then some demos can't hurt. Similar to the MP1 spec and feel wise with more power, would be options like Donnay Pro One, Head IG Radical Pro, Babolat Pure Storm Tour, Volkl V1 Pro, Pro Kennex Ki5/Q5 and maybe the Wilson 6.1 95 and Juice Pro.

 

[DustinW]

Take the 11 oz tweener and add a leather grip and about 15 grams in the hoop. I'm in the same boat as you... enjoy the power of tweeners but prefer 12+ oz frames.

I've never really been into customizing frames, but right now I'm hitting a Dunlop Bio 500 Tour that's 12.3 oz and -5 balance. And it is fantastic. If you are willing to customize the tweener, it opens up a huge range of frames to choose from.

If you don't want to customize, the 6.1 95 and PDR are good options. Although, I'd consider the PDR to still be on the light side.

 

[DustinW]

Oh and I hit the 315 Speedflex for a while. It's a nice frame that is stiff but still comfortable. It swings fast and may not have the heft that you are looking for.

 

[Sander001]

As they say, Father Time is undefeated, and he's catching up to me. I could use some more pop on shots where I can't get to a good hitting position in time. The problem I have is that I'm used to heavier racquets and they tend to be lower powered. The higher powered racquets tend to hover around the 11 oz range which feels awkward to me.

Can anyone recommend a heavier racquet (11.5+ oz) with good power? I tried TW's racquet finder and it came up with the Tecnifibre TFlash 315 Speedflex and Dunlop Biomimetic 400 Tour. The stiffness of the Tecnifibre worries me. Anyone play with either of these? Any other racquets I should consider?

For reference, I currently play with a Yonex MP-Tour 1 Midplus so I'm more used to a racquet with a thin beam and heavy. For some reason, wide body racquets feel clunky to me. I love the control of the Yonex when I can get set in time but like I said, that's getting harder.

Remember that Daddy Time is also undefeated vs your racquet too. You may be shocked after trying a new frame to learn how much crispness and solidity your MP Tours have lost.
I know I was and my racquets weren't even as old as yours.

 

[pinky42]

POGs are heavy, with good pop and thin beam.

I played with the POG OS in the past. Loved it from the baseline. I hit a 1HBH so I went with a midplus. It feels more natural to me. The Prince Classic Graphite 100 is supposed to like a MP POG so I'll be interested in what people have to say about it.

What string setup do you have? Some natural gut in your current stick might do wonders if you're currently using lower powered strings.

Prince synthetic gut at 55 lb. I haven't experimented with strings much because unlike racquets they don't have specs. It's hard to figure out what to try. I used NG a couple of times. It felt nice, but pricey. I'll have to try the Isospeed that counterpuncher suggested.

Remember that Daddy Time is also undefeated vs your racquet too. You may be shocked after trying a new frame to learn how much crispness and solidity your MP Tours have lost.

Interesting point. I wouldn't notice a gradual change and since I don't have a new one to compare to, whatever it feels like now is what it would always seem like to me.

Thanks for all the suggestions and happy hitting.

 

[pkshooter]

Solinco pro 10 nough said..
Box beam, 98, 12+ oz, almost even balance, real pop with a meaty feel.
Demo solinco, good qc too, plus beautiful

 

[SCRAP IRON]

Wilson 6.1 95 - Great racket and it is headlight (12.2 oz)

 

[Joonas]

POG OS. I would never have imagined that I could play with 337 Swingweight after MP Prestiges. It is solid, powerful and easy stick to play with. I have good time hitting heavy ball with it and it comes with comfort.

 

[DE19702]

Counterpuncher hit the nail on the head. Also, if you go to the review of the new Prince Response 97 and press the similar racquet icon, you will get a graph with sweet spot on the left and power on the bottom. Placing the cursor over the dot will allow you to search for the racquets with the largest sweet spots and most power. Of these, it appears that the new Prince Graphite 107 has one of the largest sweet spots and power ratings.

 

[ilovetennis212]

Wilson blx six one 95 has great control and power if you have right strokes.
But I'm really impressed by head prestige pro.
It's 98head size but it generates so much power with great control and spin.
It's great for one hand backhander

 

[Phantasm]

6.1 95 16x18
Head Radical Pro are the first two that come to mind.

The Prince Classic Graphite 100 16x18 thats going to come out soon sounds like a choice to explore as well.

 

[Hi I'm Ray]

Organix 10 mid is surprisingly powerful & swings heavier than its specs suggest. Also check out the PD Roddick.