Should i switch to Yonex Ezone 98/100 Aqua Night Black?

[Orezap]

Hi,
I have been playing mostly with customized Blades (98 16x19 V7 & V9, Blade Pro V9 98 18x20)
and Speeds ( Head Speed MP 2022, Head Speed MP Legend). I also own an RF01 Pro.

Preferred strings: Alu Power, Alu Power Rough, Head Lynx Tour, Head Hawk Touch.
Have tried alu power soft, hyper g, 4g/4g soft, element, rpm rough, rpm blast, champions choice, lynx,

Lately, i am looking into Yonex offerings and consider testing either Ezone 98 or Ezone 100 Aqua Night Black.
I would like feedback regarding these rackets.

Style of play: Aggressive baseliner/ All Court finishing points very early utilizing both heavy top spin and flat hitting with powerful 1st serves and 2nd serves (Kick, Slice).
Usually , following up approach shots with volleys and i also attempt slices and dropshots every now and then.

My rackets are usually customized with some lead on 3&9 and buttcap and fall within the range of 335-350g static weight and 330-345 swingweights.

 

[TheBoom]

It’s worth a try regardless. If you’re looking for more power it’ll definitely fit the bill. I actually don't think you’ll see a big difference in spin compared to the rackets you’re currently hitting. Hard to say you should switch without knowing what you want out of a racket that you aren’t currently getting?

Yonex are unique so the question I’d ask is, have you hit with a Yonex before? I know for a lot of people it’s polarizing. The sweet spot is bigger, but I don’t get as much feedback from it, especially compared to a blade/blade pro. Yonex are great, a lot of my friends use them, myself and others won’t touch them so they’re not for everyone. Snag a demo first to see if you vibe with, new Ezone coming in January too so keep that in mind

 

[Orezap]

I have only hit with Ezone 98/100 2022 but with string jobs i wouldnt select and i had no hitting experience whatsover.
Hit it side by side with Pure Aero 100 2023 and found it similar but powerful and better for flat hitting. Quite stiff, jarring and quite muted.

 

[Orezap]

I only like the Aqua night cosmetic so far so if the new 2025 Ezone doesn't come out in a black variant highly unlikely to test it..

 

[Lavs]

I am going to switch to Ezone 100 Aqua Night Black from my Wilson Pro Open

 

[ichaseballs]

Aqua night!

hey at least with a plethora of options, you know what you want...
also it will be on sale soon enough

 

[tele]

I only like the Aqua night cosmetic so far so if the new 2025 Ezone doesn't come out in a black variant highly unlikely to test it..

you’ll probably have to wait until 2027 for a different color

 

[Mircat]

you’ll probably have to wait until 2027 for a different color

More like 12 months

 

[killo98]

Do you consider Pure Aero 98? It's a hammer, estable and powerful...

 

[Orezap]

Do you consider Pure Aero 98? It's a hammer, estable and powerful...

yes i have also considered it. I have tried pure aero 100 but didnt like too stiff. Tested pure aero 98 once but i was post injury so it wasnt fair. Thinking of retrying again properly.

 

[Orezap]

thank you guys but can u share some feedback regarding how these 2 racquets play?

 

[lazywombat]

98 is a control frame, swings preety fast but not as fast as Blade. Stable, very muted. Easy to play. If you get SW under 320 it may feel underpowered.
100 is a power frame with a somewhat bulky feel. Less stable than 98 but still ok for 300g frame. Gives you substantial ammount of free power but sometimes you have to be carefull not to overhit. Stiff but albo muted so comfort is surprisingly ok.

98 is better for attackers/higher level, 100 for defending/all court/weekend warrior type game.
I personally preferred 100.

 

[Mircat]

98 is a control frame, swings preety fast but not as fast as Blade. Stable, very muted. Easy to play. If you get SW under 320 it may feel underpowered.
100 is a power frame with a somewhat bulky feel. Less stable than 98 but still ok for 300g frame. Gives you substantial ammount of free power but sometimes you have to be carefull not to overhit. Stiff but albo muted so comfort is surprisingly ok.

98 is better for attackers/higher level, 100 for defending/all court/weekend warrior type game.
I personally preferred 100.

This sums it up perfectly.

I had a hard to going from blade 98 to Ez100.

 

[Bxb]

you’ll probably have to wait until 2027 for a different color

More like 12 months

Probably Osaka colorway in fall... Was the timeline with the previous edition (I personally liked that colorway; black with a golden and ruby dragon theme).

 

[Alcawrath]

Aero 98 RA = Yonex Ezone 98 RA. They're both rated at 65. The Ezone 100 RA > PA98 RA

 

[tele]

Probably Osaka colorway in fall... Was the timeline with the previous edition (I personally liked that colorway; black with a golden and ruby dragon theme).

good point. I had forgotten about the Osaka version.

 

[Mircat]

Probably Osaka colorway in fall... Was the timeline with the previous edition (I personally liked that colorway; black with a golden and ruby dragon theme).

What is an Osaka?

 

[tele]

What is an Osaka?

the Naomi Osaka limited-edition ezone 98

 

[Mircat]

the Naomi Osaka limited-edition ezone 98

Jokes. Somewhat impressive she is still relevant.

 

[tele]

Jokes. Somewhat impressive she is still relevant.

sorry I missed the humor! Her star power indeed seems to have dwindled, but she might have another good run. Yonex might opt not to do another racquet, though. I guess we will just have to see.

 

[Orezap]

So based on my racket history and playstyle i understand that i should be better off with the Ezone 98.

Any lead tape customization suggestions and some strings combos as well plz?
Im gravitating towards the following combos from Yonex:

Yonex Polytour Strike 1.25 Grey / Yonex Polytour Pro Yellow 1.25

Yonex Polytour Spin 1.25 / Yonex Polytour Pro Yellow 1.25

Yonex Polytour Strike 1.25 Grey / Yonex Polytour Fire 1.25 Red

Yonex Polytour Pro 1.25 Yellow full bed

Yonex Polytour REV 1.25/ Yonex Polytour Pro Yellow 1.25


Yonex Polytour Drive Soft? /

 

[Vanderpipe24]

Yo @Orezap! Great racket, plays well with a relatively stiffer string at lower tensions I feel. I have mine weighted up at 10 and 2 with 2, 4 In. strips of lead teap on either side. This had brought up the sweet spot a bit and kept it still whippy (OHBH). I have the weight counterbalanced in the handle with 4 strips of lead, each 4 inches stuck on the bevels on the front, back, left and right under the base grip to counterbalance the head weight.

At the moment I'm using polytour Drive at 52 M/50 C and albeit a relatively average string, it feels like it gives a good amount of feedback and touch with some good durability. Also cheaper than a lot of Yonex strings. Since the ezone is kind of muted, it brings out the feel on off center shots, and the sweet spot feels well defined. I also tried Weiss Cannon Silverstring at 48 and liked that setup as well.

Happy hitting!