Tennis Elbow racket, Prokennex

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panda5566

Rookie
Hey guys, any of you Prokennex users? Share your experience with me :)

I'm recovering from minor TE.

I've never thought about buying smaller brands, I usually stay with the major brands because of the reputation and easier access to purchase.

Yesterday I found out about Prokennx and their "tennis elbow, arm friendly " rackets. I thought that you can just advertise an arm friendly racket with soft stiffness rating, but after reading many reviews, it kinda brain washed me lol.

They isn't much demo, but I read a lot of review on the Prokennx kinetic pro 7g and 5 g. I was orginally looking at the Ki 5 (320), and Ionic ki5x since they look "newer". There are some review but the classic 5g and 7g got way more postive reviews. Most of them have some sorts of injury stories and all say the 5g and 7g are the best for you.

I purchased the 7g right away since it's around $100 and in stock. I don't know if I shoulda waited for ki5 and ki5x demo's or something. How do they compare?? I just wana get out there and PLAY ASAP, paid one day shipping and everything haha

Did I make the right decision? lol
I strung it with NRG 2 at 49.......

Please tell me it was the right choice.

 
esgee48

esgee48

G.O.A.T.
I play with the 7G. Prefer the extra 1/2 inch. Don't have arm issues and plan not to have them. Classical type strokes, all court. Got 2 at the same time and they came matched without any prompting from me. Smaller production runs don't seem to have the QC issues ala HEAD, WILSON & BABOLAT. Using POSG at 49#. The 7G needed lead at 12 for me since I normally use SW 340.

The newer models felt the same to me, so like you, I went with the 'older' models.
 
P

panda5566

Rookie
I used to use prince o3 a long time ago, don't quite like the feel anymore. And I feel like they're gona discontinue it.
 
Crocodile

Crocodile

G.O.A.T.
What I would like to know is whether the 5G and 7G's that are for sale on USA websites are actually fresh manufacture or remaining old stock being sold. This also applies to the Redondo, is this racquet old remaining stock or are they still in production. The other thing is sometimes, even though a racquet continues to be made it goes through some changes from the original release. For example does the current Volkl C10 play and feel exactly the same as the original bubble bee version. Sometimes you just get improvements in cosmetics, other times the frames changes as it may come from a different factory or it is made more cheaply.
 
S

sma1001

Hall of Fame
Ki5 315 would have been my choice of the PKs - the slightly earlier version of the Ki5 320, and less stiff. But others are good too. Isn't the 7G extended length? Fine if you wanted that of course.
 
P

panda5566

Rookie
Ya, I don't think I will mind the 1/2 inch. As long the racket is good and comfy.

So is 5g = the new ki5 (320) 7g = ki 5x ????

Never used PK rackets, just wanted to make sure.

I also have feeling that 5g 7g will be discontinued. Even though they're restocking 5g in july.

Is it safe to say the new versions are just as good as 5g and 7g?
 
zalive

zalive

Hall of Fame
I don't see 5g or 7g on any of the two official PK web pages among 2016. (or 2015.) models. I guess it's already discontinued (but can be bought as old stock).
 
esgee48

esgee48

G.O.A.T.
AFAIK, the 5G and 7G are like the Head MG Radical. PK keeps making them because of demand. They're at least 4 generations old. Their technology is not as refined, but I actually prefer it since you can tell/feel where you hit the ball. Anyway, if you buy them, make sure you also get grommets if you're paranoid. :eek:

The Ki5x is heavier and has a higher SW. Depends on what you prefer.
 
moon shot

moon shot

Hall of Fame
panda5566 said:
Did I make the right decision? lol
I strung it with NRG 2 at 49.......

Please tell me it was the right choice.
Click to expand...

Pay attention to when the string starts to notch. You may find the comfort plummets when your crosses lock the mains in place.
 
P

panda5566

Rookie
So... are there any good replacements of 5g, 7g from the new PK rackets? Name a couple of them to me please, there aren't too many demo option lol
 
TinTin 1

TinTin 1

Professional
Crocodile said:
What I would like to know is whether the 5G and 7G's that are for sale on USA websites are actually fresh manufacture or remaining old stock being sold. This also applies to the Redondo, is this racquet old remaining stock or are they still in production. The other thing is sometimes, even though a racquet continues to be made it goes through some changes from the original release. For example does the current Volkl C10 play and feel exactly the same as the original bubble bee version. Sometimes you just get improvements in cosmetics, other times the frames changes as it may come from a different factory or it is made more cheaply.
Click to expand...
Fresh stock.
 
CopolyX

CopolyX

Hall of Fame
T.E. dont just focus on the frame, also strings matter also, but first and foremost is technique....lessons for someone good....
 
3loudboys

3loudboys

G.O.A.T.
The Q5X is a great all round frame that offers comfort, power and a firm feel. Had my elbow destroyed by a graphene rad pro and the 5X nursed it back to health. Works well with Cyclone in low 50's. Good advice from CopolyX - have a coach check out your technique as well. Good luck!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
zalive

zalive

Hall of Fame
Anyway, regardless of PK Kinetic technology, I recommend for maximum comfort building up the recoil weight to at least 170. I did this on Destiny FCS and I can tell that Kinetic tech or lower flex are not even needed - their construction is somehow good for comfort by itself, just needs added recoil stability.
 
The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight

Legend
Great sticks ....I once played with the 5G years ago .

Another great stick for elbow pain is Donnay.....they are flexible and they are not hollow as most racquets so it keeps vibration down to a minimum .

And no guys ....I am not recommending Vortex!!!
 
P

panda5566

Rookie
Umm, so I just got my 7g, and i could feel the stuff inside the racket like SAND. I thought my racket was broken or defective. So this is how kinetic tech works? Lots of sandy feelings thing in ur racket?

HOW UNIQUE!!!, and there I thought prince o ports were unique lol.

Haven't had a chance to hit on the court yet, but it swings nice at home, better feeling than my prestige.
 
beltsman

beltsman

G.O.A.T.
panda5566 said:
Umm, so I just got my 7g, and i could feel the stuff inside the racket like SAND. I thought my racket was broken or defective. So this is how kinetic tech works? Lots of sandy feelings thing in ur racket?

HOW UNIQUE!!!, and there I thought prince o ports were unique lol.

Haven't had a chance to hit on the court yet, but it swings nice at home, better feeling than my prestige.
Click to expand...

Yes, it's sand-like in the sides of the hoop IIRC. I absolutely love my 7G, although the SW can be a bit much for me after playing for a while. But it delivers a nice heavy ball.
 
R

Ramon

Legend
I used to play with the Ki5x. They got worn, so now I'm playing with the new Ki5 320. To be honest, I think I liked the Ki5x better because the new Ki5 320 is stiffer, less comfortable, less plow, and a bit powerful for my liking. Nonetheless, I've been adjusting to it and I'll probably do fine with it. The racquet I had before I switched to PK was the Babolat APD. I had bad TE from it, and when I switched to the Ki5x it went away in about a week and I started hitting harder because my arm was no longer afraid of the pain of hitting the ball, so it actually improved my game significantly.

I never played with the 5G or 7G, but I'm happy with my choice. From what I've heard, the 5G and 7G have a more classic feel while the Ki5 series has a more modern tweener-style feel. I can vouch that even though the Ki5 series has a crisp feel, they are definitely easy on the arm.

Someone else mentioned Prince O-port racquets. I'll have to agree that the softer Prince O-port racquets are even easier on the arm than Pro Kennex racquets. I played around with the Prince Tour 98 ESP for a while, and it was so comfortable I could even use poly strings, which I couldn't do on my PK's. I went back to PK because I played better with it.
 
R

Ramon

Legend
panda5566 said:
Are the ki5 ki5x pretty much the newer versions? or are they different?
Click to expand...
The Ki5x is an older model. It's an extended length version of the Ki5 315, which was replaced by the Ki5 320. They also added the lighter Ki5 280 to the line. The newer ones are stiffer, less comfortable, and more powerful. They are still more arm-friendly than the stiffness rating would indicate.
 
yonexRx32

yonexRx32

Professional
panda5566 said:
Ya, I don't think I will mind the 1/2 inch. As long the racket is good and comfy.

So is 5g = the new ki5 (320) 7g = ki 5x ????

Never used PK rackets, just wanted to make sure.

I also have feeling that 5g 7g will be discontinued. Even though they're restocking 5g in july.

Is it safe to say the new versions are just as good as 5g and 7g?
Click to expand...

Why do you care if they're going to be discontinued? Unless you plan on trashing them, a couple of them should last you a good ten years. And if you trash them, you probably don't like them very much.
 
P

panda5566

Rookie
This racket lasts 10 years? I hear a lot of people breaking them in a year or less... Breaks at the throat/handle part.

And if they're not gona get discontinued I can just wait, I don't have the pressure to feel like I need to get 2 more of them.
I don't see them on their website. Can only find it on tenniswarehouse.
 
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R

Ramon

Legend
panda5566 said:
This racket lasts 10 years? I hear a lot of people breaking them in a year or less... Breaks at the throat/handle part.

And if they're not gona get discontinued I can just wait, I don't have the pressure to feel like I need to get 2 more of them.
I don't see them on their website. Can only find it on tenniswarehouse.
Click to expand...

I think you're right. I've heard reports from other players about these frames cracking after a couple years or so. I never experienced it myself on the Ki5 series, but my old Silver Ace did that. Also, I noticed that my 4 year old Ki5x's made less noise when I shook them than when I bought them new. They are definitely not as noisy as my new frames. I don't know if it's static, or moisture, or what, but the kinetic system apparently wears down after a while.
 
B

bageldog

Semi-Pro
I've cracked several 5g's at the throat. but honestly, PK's are so cheap compared to other brands that if you have to buy 4 instead of 3 babolats, and you get to keep playing pain free, you win on both ends
 
speedysteve

speedysteve

Legend
In my arm friendly racquet shootout I tried,
PK Q Tour 325 vs Redondo (93 & MP) vs Prince EXO3 tour.

I still have the Redondo's but stick with the EXO3's these days.

I recall the Q Tour as playing okay, but thought it lacked feel and felt much stiffer.
That wasn't what I was looking for.

The Redondo's are def lower powered.
I'm tempted to try the MP again but with lead at 3 / 9 / 12 o'clock.

As said above, strings are v important. I've only found Pacific Classic gut to be the really comfortable string out of trying many (not tried their Tough gut our Bull gut yet).
Their Touch gut is close second.
 
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Stretchy Man

Stretchy Man

Professional
Ramon said:
Someone else mentioned Prince O-port racquets. I'll have to agree that the softer Prince O-port racquets are even easier on the arm than Pro Kennex racquets.
Click to expand...

I totally agree with this. Maybe hard to find a Tour 100 now but you could get yourself a Tour 98 for only $69, or a Tour Pro 100. Even though the Tour Pro doesn't have the O-ports, it is still a very comfortable racquet.
 
Stretchy Man

Stretchy Man

Professional
I have my doubts about the effectiveness of Kinetic technology. I picked up a second hand Ki5 315, and yes it was comfortable but that could be explained by a stiffness rating of only 61. I then tried a Q5 315. Really liked the racquet, looked great, but according to my elbow it felt exactly like a racquet with a stiffness of 66 should feel. I actually found the Volkl Organix V1 Pro to be much more comfortable yet that has a stiffness rating of 68.

ProKennex claims that their system "helps to dramatically reduce risk of tennis elbow and has been known to cure tennis elbow" is a little hard to believe. Prince and Volkl technology and soft frames seem to be far more effective to me.
 
kailash

kailash

Hall of Fame
Stretchy Man said:
I have my doubts about the effectiveness of Kinetic technology. I picked up a second hand Ki5 315, and yes it was comfortable but that could be explained by a stiffness rating of only 61. I then tried a Q5 315. Really liked the racquet, looked great, but according to my elbow it felt exactly like a racquet with a stiffness of 66 should feel. I actually found the Volkl Organix V1 Pro to be much more comfortable yet that has a stiffness rating of 68.

ProKennex claims that their system "helps to dramatically reduce risk of tennis elbow and has been known to cure tennis elbow" is a little hard to believe. Prince and Volkl technology and soft frames seem to be far more effective to me.
Click to expand...

The kinetic technology works in my experience! You could just read about the stories of so many people coming out of TE after switching to ProKennex racquets.

The softer frames from Volkl, Prince and other companies are also arm friendly; Volkl has the handle system which absorbs shocks/vibrations. Some examples: Wilson Blade 104, Babolat Pure Control Tour, Yonex EZone, Prince Textreme Tour & Pacific X Feel Tour.
 
RichVentura

RichVentura

Rookie
I never liked the extra half inch: - bit less maneuverable. Loved the 5g and Q5 315. Helped me much with tennis elbow. They are like typical tweeter racquets with a bit more control than the Pure Drives of the world.
 
Stretchy Man

Stretchy Man

Professional
kailash said:
The kinetic technology works in my experience! You could just read about the stories of so many people coming out of TE after switching to ProKennex racquets.
Click to expand...

I've read them too but I just wonder whether the improvement is from a softer racquet rather than the sand. Now that all the new ProKennex models are stiff, time will tell. Strange marketing decision that one. :)
 
B

BorgCash

Legend
Actually it's not the answer to the question, but I strongly recommend Volkl C10Pro. Using this one when I had such TE that could not pour the water from pot.
 
H

Hurting Elbow

Rookie
I'd say the Head MicroGEL Radicals on sale here should be good racquets for tennis elbow. Did they just raise the price on the 107 and bring back the 98?
 
Tommy Haas

Tommy Haas

Hall of Fame
The Kinetic technology was not enough to protect my arm. My TE manifested while playing with a PK 5G. I had taken a long hiatus before coming back too hard and fast, before my arm strength and fitness were ready for it.

I question whether Kinetic is enough to overcome the stiff frames PK likes to make. The only thing I can think of is if leaving the racquet in the trunk of my car for a few years when I wasn't playing had affected the frame somehow.
 
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kailash

kailash

Hall of Fame
Stretchy Man said:
I've read them too but I just wonder whether the improvement is from a softer racquet rather than the sand. Now that all the new ProKennex models are stiff, time will tell. Strange marketing decision that one. :)
Click to expand...

Actually they scientifically proved the Kinetic technology; not just because of the lower RA. MIT aeronautics dept has done some experiments and verified it!

Not all the ProKennex models are stiff; only the new Ki line of racquets have RA around 68. But the best ones are 5G, 7G, Q5 and Q Tours.

That said, there are many racquets from other manufacturers that are arm friendly; some good ones: Prince Tour line of racquets, Volkl C10 Pro/Super G 10, Head Microgel, Wilson Blade 104, Babolat Pure Control 95/Tour, Pacific Pro No 1/X Feel Tour.
 
Tommy Haas

Tommy Haas

Hall of Fame
kailash said:
Not all the ProKennex models are stiff; only the new Ki line of racquets have RA around 68. But the best ones are 5G, 7G, Q5 and Q Tours.
Click to expand...

What are the pros and cons between the Q5 (315) and Q Tour (300)? How much better are they over the original 5G?

I don't know what the Kinetic at four corners mean because the hoop is round and has no corners. With the 5G, there micro beads are at 10:30 and 2:30.

How are the Q models different from the classic line? Did the current Ki line get rid of the micro beads and using Reactonyl? It sounds like Textreme.
 
speedysteve

speedysteve

Legend
Tommy Haas said:
What are the pros and cons between the Q5 (315) and Q Tour (300)? How much better are they over the original 5G?

I don't know what the Kinetic at four corners mean because the hoop is round and has no corners. With the 5G, there micro beads are at 10:30 and 2:30.

How are the Q models different from the classic line? Did the current Ki line get rid of the micro beads and using Reactonyl? It sounds like Textreme.
Click to expand...

On most of their racquets there are 4 painted graphics at 10/2 and 8/4 o'clock.
Inside in these areas you can hear sand or similar swishing about. Ditto the handle.
 
Tommy Haas

Tommy Haas

Hall of Fame
speedysteve said:
On most of their racquets there are 4 painted graphics at 10/2 and 8/4 o'clock.
Inside in these areas you can hear sand or similar swishing about. Ditto the handle.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. It sounds like the Q series has more Kinetic protection. My 5G only has micro beads around 10/2 as far as I can hear. There's nothing at 8/4 or the handle.

Could someone confirm if the current Ki line still uses Kinetic? The TW description makes no mention of Kinetic, only Reactonyl. It would seem odd with how Ki is used in the model name without use of Kinetic.

The ProKennex website looks like it was made for non techies. There are no details on how their technology works.
 
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