Slazenger Phantom IMF vs Dunlop MAX 200G (and 300i)

Grafil Injection said:
Dunlop Superlastek. Bring it back, like so many great 1980s synguts.
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Yes, I like the one Pro Kennex had during this era that was a Translucent Solid Synthetic Gut Nylon that was even used into the cheap Aluminum or Faux Titanium/Coated Titanium era that was after sometime in the 1990's no longer made for the public but still on the cheapest racquets and lowest cheapest model of Graphite. You could go down to a smaller size from 16 to 17 and the 17 had the same durability as 16 most other brands were using. Only problem was the translucent white would become this natural gut color over time that never came in this color of natural gut. Some people when watching me play my family on my then one single racquet thought my cheap Aluminum Pro Kennex as a young teen was redone in a Gut that is as expensive as a new cheap.

Sure a few cheap Aluminum or Faux Titanium/Coated Titanium models in the 2000's had this orange, bright yellow--green, or Green Bay Packer golden yellow string I was sure was a monofilament/old multi filament or at most a very cheap polyester that was like a crappy lesser gen 1 version of Polyester where all but the skinny bight yellow--green string felt the same as that one green-yellow was more Polyester like and thinner.
 
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I have a redundant one, Mr Valek, but it’s with me here in California and post to UK is not insignificant… if you’re desperate enough, send me a message.
 
michael valek said:
So what kind of string is it? Nylon? Synthetic gut? Great feel in the slazenger
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Most synthetic guts are Nylon with a coating or two. I think Superlastek may have been something different though as Dunlop had a chemicals subsidiary that made allsorts of stuff out of rubber. They made a big thing about it in the 70s, but it's possible that it was so long lasting, they decided to stop making it in the 80s.
 
michael valek said:
To add - I find the phantom a much better serving racket than the maxes. Even though it’s heavier I can serve flat / bombs/ kick serves much better with it. Must be the egg shape.
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U making me wanna break mine out of the stash for a hit. Trying my best to resist as I’m currently moving residences :)

Question - u playing yours with or without a dampener?
 
I had mine restrung with syn gut and took the 200G 55lbs as a yardstick and knock a few pounds off to take the age of the frame into account.
I found 52lb was very good ..softer may give it even more clout though
 
Forgot to say thanks retrowagen for the frame. Beautiful. Hit with it yesterday and the strings broke in 3 mins. It needed new ones anyway!! Now looking for more phantom imf frames if anyone has.
 
michael valek said:
On the hunt for another one of these. After cycling through various revelations 90/dp95 (which are up for grabs) I have found that the imf frame is the sweetest, most comfortable, most attack-worthy and best serving. If anyone has or finds one please let me know.
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Every day you play tennis and don't use a MAX 200G / Phantom IMF, you are depriving yourself of perfection.
 
arsen said:
IMF hollow inside?? What is it Max Plus??
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Impossible to say for each individual model without slicing them in half around the hoop, but strategic foam filling was part of the expected process in the patent, and nearly all serious rackets were foam filled at that time. So, in summary:

MAX 150 - probably no.
MAX 200G pre 1985 - probably no for heavier M models, which certainly feel 'smoother'.
MAX 200G (and other IMFs) post 1985 (when they moved the IMF process from Horbury down the road to the new factory in Wakefield) - mostly yes, since L, LM were majority of weight categories, and the 'hollow' model had been proven to still be very comfortable.

What is Max Plus? Do you mean Black Max Plus?
 
Grafil Injection said:
Impossible to say for each individual model without slicing them in half around the hoop, but strategic foam filling was part of the expected process in the patent, and nearly all serious rackets were foam filled at that time. So, in summary:

MAX 150 - probably no.
MAX 200G pre 1985 - probably no for heavier M models, which certainly feel 'smoother'.
MAX 200G (and other IMFs) post 1985 (when they moved the IMF process from Horbury down the road to the new factory in Wakefield) - mostly yes, since L, LM were majority of weight categories, and the 'hollow' model had been proven to still be very comfortable.

What is Max Plus? Do you mean Black Max Plus?
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thanks .
 
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Grafil Injection said:
Impossible to say for each individual model without slicing them in half around the hoop, but strategic foam filling was part of the expected process in the patent, and nearly all serious rackets were foam filled at that time. So, in summary:

MAX 150 - probably no.
MAX 200G pre 1985 - probably no for heavier M models, which certainly feel 'smoother'.
MAX 200G (and other IMFs) post 1985 (when they moved the IMF process from Horbury down the road to the new factory in Wakefield) - mostly yes, since L, LM were majority of weight categories, and the 'hollow' model had been proven to still be very comfortable.

What is Max Plus? Do you mean Black Max Plus?
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Where does the Max 200G Pro fit in here? That's a later racquet, correct?

I've got three 200G but I have no idea which 'generation' each is, other than one has the McEnroe signature on it and the grips are different. They all feel pretty much the same to me!
 
Moldyoak said:
Where does the Max 200G Pro fit in here? That's a later racquet, correct?

I've got three 200G but I have no idea which 'generation' each is, other than one has the McEnroe signature on it and the grips are different. They all feel pretty much the same to me!
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Pro labeled models started appearing from the Graphite Injections in 1986, and appeared on Grafil Injections (1988) and Teals (1989) at the same time as ones without Pro labels, which were far more common. As far as I can tell there is no difference other than they may have been sold more in Southern Europe and Asia (so might be at the light end of the range). They are fairly rare in the UK, even though it was by far the largest MAX 200G market.

From about the time of the Glossy Pro (1990), they started having longer handles through to the final purple version which were all labeled Pro. It would be interesting to see if Steffi used the longer handle model on her purple versions.
 
Grafil Injection said:
Pro labeled models started appearing from the Graphite Injections in 1986, and appeared on Grafil Injections (1988) and Teals (1989) at the same time as ones without Pro labels, which were far more common. As far as I can tell there is no difference other than they may have been sold more in Southern Europe and Asia (so might be at the light end of the range). They are fairly rare in the UK, even though it was by far the largest MAX 200G market.

From about the time of the Glossy Pro (1990), they started having longer handles through to the final purple version which were all labeled Pro. It would be interesting to see if Steffi used the longer handle model on her purple versions.
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In the USA we didn’t get Pro label until 1990 and with the the word Hysol disappeared, and we got a slightly longer grip for 2 handed backhands. I found the Pro version without Hysol not feel the same or as solid as the frames that had Hysol on them.
 
Thanks guys for the info on the Pro.

I love these racquets but the paint kind of sucks. At least now it does. Just rub your hand over it and some areas get kind of flaky. Whatever Dunlop was using doesn't seem to have adhered very well to the underlying material. But everything gets old, me included!
 
Moldyoak said:
Thanks guys for the info on the Pro.

I love these racquets but the paint kind of sucks. At least now it does. Just rub your hand over it and some areas get kind of flaky. Whatever Dunlop was using doesn't seem to have adhered very well to the underlying material. But everything gets old, me included!
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I do agree that well used ones tend to have lost the text around the shafts, but I have a large collection of relatively lightly used models and none of them have flaky paint, and have hardly warn since I've been using them. And there are plenty of lightly used ones out there.
 
michael valek said:
possibly i have asked this before, is there anything which could be considered a modern successor, with a combination of softness and control yet powerful, which doesnt weight 375g?
i mean, it's possible to use a max200g indoors, even now....but on clay, it's more difficult. 95/98 inch equivalent? i have an angell asi2 at the moment, which is nice, but i wouldn't say is a modern equivalent.
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@michael valek you should try one of the 26 junior imf dunlops and get a xt cap . The last Dunlop 300 I I had was 26.5 and it felt just like a max 200g but it was 11 oz strung ..
 
Grafil Injection said:
I do agree that well used ones tend to have lost the text around the shafts, but I have a large collection of relatively lightly used models and none of them have flaky paint, and have hardly warn since I've been using them. And there are plenty of lightly used ones out there.
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Hmmm. Mine don't look like they've hardly been used either, but the paint - especially on the McEnroe sig one - is definitely flaky. Maybe it's a climate thing; I have no idea how it was stored prior to my obtaining it. Could have spent years in someone's trunk for all I know!
 
Moldyoak said:
Hmmm. Mine don't look like they've hardly been used either, but the paint - especially on the McEnroe sig one - is definitely flaky. Maybe it's a climate thing; I have no idea how it was stored prior to my obtaining it. Could have spent years in someone's trunk for all I know!
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I have half a dozen MC Sig versions and not a flake in sight. Perhaps they were designed for English cool conditions.
 
Nice collection - I traded my IMF and my Dunlop Max (similar construction?) for a pair of Ultra tapered beams. My limited space has me hunting frames that I can actually use daily.

Enjoy.
 
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