Stock racket with 170+ recoil weight

[MCHammer]

I’m 6’4” and according to a few recoil weight charts I’ve seen, I should be using a racket with around 174-176 recoil weight. I’ve tried entering specs for a handful of rackets using the TW website data and I always seem to get something in the 150-160 range. For example, a blade 98 v9 16x19 is 153. And a blade pro 98 v9 16x19 is closer but still only 159.

Are there any rackets that come stock at 170 or higher recoil weight? Or should I just anticipate that I’ll need to add lead tape to any racket to get it to 170+ recoil weight? Stiffness is also a consideration for me with a history of arm injury. Thanks!

 

[ddonk]

Pure Aero Rafa maybe.

 

[dr. godmode]

The Rafa Origin but also look at extra length frames. TFX1 also but those seem to be Europe only.

 

[MCHammer]

I looked up the Rafa origin and wow it’s 177! Too stiff though, I should’ve mentioned that’s a consideration for me. Great tip about extended frames though. I saw the Head gravity mp xl which is 170. I could add a little lead tape to the upper hoop because it’s already so head light and probably get to 174 if I want. That might be right up my alley I’m going to try it out, any suggestions for the other 2 demo spots?

 

[Trip]

@MCHammer - Yes, there are options. Let's quickly visit the definition of Recoil Weight, what drives its value upward, then look at the specs that will provide an RW >=170., then identify the frames. Sound good? Let's go.

Recoil Weight (RW) – A measure of swing weight rotating about the balance point.

Maximal Increase in RW – Add mass as close to the ends of the racquet as possible (as far away from the balance point as possible).

Specs for Stock RW >170 – The most common way to find it is with >330SW and <= 32cm (>=7pts HL) balance. These are somewhat rare, especially in standard length, but they're out there.

Here are target frames, separated into standard and extended-length, with typical ready-to-play (or "TRTP") spec comprised of a full bed of 1.25 poly and one over grip (~6g):

Standard-Length 27"

- 171rw - Babolat Pure Strike 100 16x20, over-spec via matching service, for samples with unstrung SW >= 303 – TRTP spec: 331g / 32.3cm / 336sw / 20.4mgr/i
- 173rw - Wilson Pro Staff 97 v14, over-spec via matching service, for samples with unstrung SW >= 304 – TRTP spec: 338g / 31.7cm / 332sw / 20.5mgr/i
- 175rw - ProKennex Ki Q+ 5 Pro – TRTP spec: 337g / 31.7cm / 334sw / 20.4mgr/i

Extended-Length 27.5"

- 171rw - Solinco WhiteOut XTD – TRTP spec: 329g / 32.2cm / 333sw / 20.3mgr/i
- 173rw - Babolat Pure Aero Plus – TRTP spec: 326g / 32.2cm / 334sw / 20.1mgr/i
- 177rw - Solinco BlackOut XTD – TRTP spec: 326g / 31.5cm / 328sw / 20.1mgr/i
- 177.5rw - ProKennex Ki Q+ 5X Pro - TRTP spec: 332g / 31.5cm / 331sw / 20.2mgr/i
- 178rw - ProKennex Kinetic Pro 7G – TRTP spec: 338g / 31.2cm / 330sw / 20.4mgr/i
- 182rw - Head Gravity MP XL – TRTP spec: 329g / 31.4cm / 333sw / 20.0mgr/i
- 182rw - ProKennex Ki Q+ 15 Pro – TRTP spec: 326g / 31.7cm / 335sw / 20.0mgr/i

From the list above, the ProKennex Ki Q+ 5 Pro is the frame that will get you closest straight away, at least in standard length. Otherwise, you'll either need an over-spec Strike 100 16x20 (nice frame!), or one of the extended length options.

Additional Note - The kicker with the specs found above is that their MGR/i's are fairly low (albeit the Pro Staff 97 v14 is more mid-range), meaning that they'll be a good fit for your typical loopy baseline-basher that is more pulling the racquet through contact (think Rafa, Zverev), which, admittedly, is what wins in singles more often than not these days (love it or hate it), but less of a fit if you want to play more all-court attacking style tennis (think Federer), using more of a pushing motion through contact, which would probably be better matched with a higher MGR/i. If your style is more the flatter-hitting, all-court variety, and you want that higher MGR/i and higher recoil weight, unless you're super strong with a lot of brute strength to handle very high static weights, you'll most likely have to start with a lighter frame with more even mass distribution (ie. low spec but high stock MGR/i) and then customize. I do this with my Head Aux 1.0 Prestige MP-L's, and similar frames. If you go this route, the world is literally your oyster in terms of the specs you can create, but you'll need the customization knowledge and you'll want to have good tools available (a swingweight machine like a Briffidi SW1, or a commercial one, plus a scale and balance board).

Hope that helps. Any questions, feel free.

 

[velvetsledgehammer]

I think the RF97 is recoil weight of 177. The discontinued Kennex Ki5PSE was 180 recoil weight.

 

[MCHammer]

Thanks for such a thorough response, Trip!

I do play more of an all-court flat hitting style but I’m trying to incorporate more topspin in my game right now actually to increase my consistency. I’m currently using a speed pro 2024 and rating between 4.0-4.5. Growing up I always used pro staffs because Federer was my favorite player and I love the solid feel. Whenever I demoed other rackets I always Iiked the pro staff better, but Yonex was usually 2nd choice. I took a many year break and when I came back I got the RF97A and strung with NXT/hyper-g hybrid and ended up injuring my left elbow even though I’m righty (2hbh where I was arming instead of using my body + stiff setup). So thus the switch to the softer speed pro.

I wanted to demo a few 16x19 arm friendly control frames again bc the speed pro doesn’t work as well with my new strokes with more top spin and thought it’d be cool to finally get close to my ideal RW and see how it feels. I have my own stringing machine and scale but no swing weight measuring device, my local shop has one though if I decide to go that route.

I think I’m going to add ProKennex Ki Q+ 5 Pro to my demo with the gravity mp xl. 3rd demo is undecided still.

 

[Trip]

Very welcome, and understandable regarding the racquet progression/choices.

That said, you could try an experiment with your current 2024 Speed Pro, which, presuming it's on-spec, would likely get you in the neighborhood of 174-176 recoil weight.

Simply replace the stock Head Hydrosorb Pro grip (usually ~14g installed) with a Gamma Hi-Tech (usually ~20g installed) and add 3g of tungsten putty in a cotton ball underneath the butt cap, atop the hairpin (but not down into either side). Then re-apply one over grip and string with a typical 1.20-1.25 poly, and, presuming swing weight is around the TW-posted average of 333, this will give you a spec of roughly 344g / 31.44cm / 333sw / 20.6mgr/i / 175rw. It will also lower the balance point and make the Speed Pro more effortless to pivot, potentially make it easier to inject more spin and shot curvature into your ground game.

As for your demo sticks, I would round out the threesome with a 2023 Pure Aero Plus. That will make for a nice contrast to the Ki Q+ 5 Pro and Gravity MP XL.

Looking forward to you coming back and updating us on how all of the above works out.

 

[aaron_h27]

@MCHammer - Yes, there are options. Let's quickly visit the definition of Recoil Weight, what drives its value upward, then look at the specs that will provide an RW >=170., then identify the frames. Sound good? Let's go.

Recoil Weight (RW) – A measure of swing weight rotating about the balance point.

Maximal Increase in RW – Add mass as close to the ends of the racquet as possible (as far away from the balance point as possible).

Specs for Stock RW >170 – The most common way to find it is with >330SW and <= 32cm (>=7pts HL) balance. These are somewhat rare, especially in standard length, but they're out there.

Here are target frames, separated into standard and extended-length, with typical ready-to-play (or "TRTP") spec comprised of a full bed of 1.25 poly and one over grip (~6g):

Standard-Length 27"

- 171rw - Babolat Pure Strike 100 16x20, over-spec via matching service, for samples with unstrung SW >= 303 – TRTP spec: 331g / 32.3cm / 336sw / 20.4mgr/i
- 175rw - ProKennex Ki Q+ 5 Pro – TRTP spec: 337g / 31.7cm / 334sw / 20.4mgr/i

Extended-Length 27.5"

- 171rw - Solinco WhiteOut XTD – TRTP spec: 329g / 32.2cm / 333sw / 20.3mgr/i
- 173rw - Babolat Pure Aero Plus – TRTP spec: 326g / 32.2cm / 334sw / 20.1mgr/i
- 177rw - Solinco BlackOut XTD – TRTP spec: 326g / 31.5cm / 328sw / 20.1mgr/i
- 177.5rw - ProKennex Ki Q+ 5X Pro - TRTP spec: 332g / 31.5cm / 331sw / 20.2mgr/i
- 178rw - ProKennex Kinetic Pro 7G – TRTP spec: 338g / 31.2cm / 330sw / 20.4mgr/i
- 182rw - Head Gravity MP XL – TRTP spec: 329g / 31.4cm / 333sw / 20.0mgr/i
- 182rw - ProKennex Ki Q+ 15 Pro – TRTP spec: 326g / 31.7cm / 335sw / 20.0mgr/i

From the list above, the ProKennex Ki Q+ 5 Pro is the frame that will get you closest straight away, at least in standard length. Otherwise, you'll either need an over-spec Strike 100 16x20 (nice frame!), or one of the extended length options.

Additional Note - The kicker with the specs found above is that their MGR/i's are fairly low, meaning that they'll be a good fit for your typical loopy baseline-basher that is more pulling the racquet through contact (think Rafa, Zverev), which, admittedly, is what wins in singles more often than not these days (love it or hate it), but less of a fit if you want to play more all-court attacking style tennis (think Federer), using more of a pushing motion through contact, which would probably be better matched with a higher MGR/i. If your style is more the flatter-hitting, all-court variety, and you want that higher MGR/i and higher recoil weight, unless you're super strong with a lot of brute strength to handle very high static weights, you'll most likely have to start with a lighter frame with more even mass distribution (ie. low spec but high stock MGR/i) and then customize. I do this with my Head Aux 1.0 Prestige MP-L's, and similar frames. If you go this route, the world is literally your oyster in terms of the specs you can create, but you'll need the customization knowledge and you'll want to have good tools available (a swingweight machine like a Briffidi SW1, or a commercial one, plus a scale and balance board).

Hope that helps. Any questions, feel free.

Doesn’t the Pro Staff 97 V14 have a pretty high recoil weight? And twistweight as well.

 

[tele]

Doesn’t the Pro Staff 97 V14 have a pretty high recoil weight? And twistweight as well.

yes, assuming tw specs, a leather grip and og would easily push the v14 above 170.

 

[Trip]

Doesn’t the Pro Staff 97 V14 have a pretty high recoil weight? And twistweight as well.

yes, assuming tw specs, a leather grip and og would easily push the v14 above 170.

"Pretty high"? Yes. 170? No, not if we use TW's adjusted average swing weight of 325, down from the original 332 (a change made on 12/1/23, per their official product page for the PS97 v14). This is a bit misleading, as the TWU racquet comparison data still lists 332. Ultimately, it depends of course on how over-spec your sample(s) are — I'm sure there is a healthy minority out there with stock SW's over 330, but I'm speaking more based on the average of what's being reported. Then again, I suppose if I included an "over-spec" Strike 100 16x20, I should probably do the same for the PS97, and will make the change above.

 

[tele]

"Pretty high"? Yes. 170? No, not if we use TW's adjusted average swing weight of 325, down from the original 332 (a change made on 12/1/23, per their official product page for the PS97 v14). This is a bit misleading, as the TWU racquet comparison data still lists 332. Ultimately, it depends of course on how over-spec your sample(s) are — I'm sure there is a healthy minority out there with stock SW's over 330, but I'm speaking more based on the average of what's being reported. Then again, I suppose if I included an "over-spec" Strike 100 16x20, I should probably do the same for the PS97, and will make the change above.

i was going off of the 332 sw, but even with the new specs, 15 g at 10 cm (a rough approximation of the handle weight added by a leather grip and og) will still give a rw of 172 if i plugged the numbers in correctly.

 

[Trip]

i was going off of the 332 sw, but even with the new specs, 15 g at 10 cm (a rough approximation of the handle weight added by a leather grip and og) will still give a rw of 172 if i plugged the numbers in correctly.

True, but then again, 15g at 10cm on several more frames would also drive RW pretty close, if not over 170. I tried to keep my list to those where, other than an over grip, they are there in stock form, per the OP. But yes, as I said in my first reply, if one is willing to look at full customization, then the sky is the limit, and frames like the PS97 very much enter the picture, and do so on the simpler/easier end of the customization spectrum. So, a good suggestion, still!

 

[tele]

True, but then again, 15g at 10cm on several more frames would also drive RW pretty close, if not over 170. I tried to keep my list to those where, other than an over grip, they are there in stock form, per the OP. But yes, as I said in my first reply, if one is willing to look at full customization, then the sky is the limit, and frames like the PS97 very much enter the picture, and do so on the simpler/easier end of the customization spectrum. So, a good suggestion, still!

safe to say op has plenty of options!