BounceHitBounceHit
Legend
Thank you! I just happen to have a set as well!! Will string it up and report back with results!!!
Tennis Warehouse Playtest: Tecnifibre TFight 295/300/305
- Thread starter TW Staff
- Start date
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
Maybe try Tourna silver 7 tour
ClaudTT
Semi-Pro
I notice the same issue with the RS300, did not perform on lower tension as well as higher for Co-poly (softer) string that I know very well.
When I changed that to higher tension, same string, it awoke the frame, much better.
Also trying different weight tuning, as it is different to other Tecni frames. It is stiffer but the stringbed geometry is different up in the head, giving larger sweet spot.
Will keep testing.
TennisHound
Legend
Interesting. The XTC 300 as well was a standout. Sounds like another demo. . .
Highly recommend!
I am at the point that I’m stubbornly realizing that I may love the TF 40 more than it loves me
and I need a racquet that does a bit more for my game. I didn’t want to sacrifice any feel and comfort and I really don’t think I did in the 300. I am testing a new Solinco prototype 98 as well and so far it’s been real impressive as well.TheFlash26
New User
Thanks for the detailed review!
I have not played either frame, but isn't the TF40 supposed to be the 18x20 slightly plusher feel racquet from TF? Maybe that one's worth a try
BounceHitBounceHit
Legend
I really like that string! Will do. Best, and thank you!! BHBH
fl4tsc
Rookie
I tried the TF40 when it came out and I know this is an unpopular opinion, but once I switched it to a leather grip I really didn't like the feel that match. This new RS feels more plush to me.
I think an 18x20 RS would be different enough since the TF40 is a more traditionally shaped frame (box beam) and less powerful than an 18x20 RS would be.
Really I just need to try some different string setups to solve my minor quibbles.
fullwesternforehand
Rookie
Racquet Received: Tfight 295
String and tension used for test: Solinco Hyper G at 52
Tennis experience/background: 4.5 doubles player, and 4.0 singles player. Been playing tennis for about 9 years now, varsity high school in southern california, and went on to play at my junior college's team and university's club team. At the moment I currently coach at the high school level
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): I would consider myself a chip and charge/ all court player. Long rallies/pushing has never been my strong suit, as i am always looking to end the point as fast as possible.
Current racquet/string setups: I rotate between Solinco Hyper G and Rpm blast rough in my pure aero. Tension is always from 49-54.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?: 15 hours
Comments on racquet performance:
-Groundstrokes: Given I recieved the lighter version of the tfight, and myself never really have dropped below 11 ounces in a racquet, It took some getting used to. The racquet is very whippy feeling, and really allowed me to crank up the swing speed on forehands. On backhands, I miss the stability some heavier racquets would give me to really control the racquet and allow me to hit flatter shots. I woould say that overall it was fairly whippy and allows to swing faster than normal, or run the risk of getting pushed around. As far as feel, this is where the racquet shined. It had nice feel to it, without being completely wiped away and overdone like countervail. Often times the racquet would bail me out on miss-hits because of the comfy feel and whippiness. I would not consider the racquet to be muted at all, which resulted in it being a tad stiffer than a "plush" racquet
-Serves: I rely on weight of racquets to help me add some heaviness to my slice serves, but i think the feel made the racquet play was speedier than what it probably is. My serves were on par according to my hitting partners with my regular spin rates, but they did lack that extra punch i like. Not my favorite racquet to serve with, but it the feel made it better than your average whippy racquet.
-Volleys: Personally I like a more muted racquets with volleys, so this tfight was not the best for me. I could feel exactly where the ball is and was not very forgiving when the volley was off centered. I also miss the stability of a heavier racquet to prevent being pushed around
-Serve returns: Serve returns were very similar to groundstrokes in which if i returned a slow serve, I could whip it back with some nice spin. But if Igot a backhand, i felt like it was being pushed around if i did not time the return perfectly.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: Overall, I feel like it is a good racquet with feel for a early teen transitioning into a full size racquet, or perhaps someone looking for a lighter racquet that is fast feeling. As someone who has played with tweener racquets his whole life, I cannot say I enjoyed the playtest. While yes, I could swing faster, it was almost out of necessity. I was being pushed around a lot and could not really get any real strokes to go where i want them to unless I gave it my all. If you are an all court/ tweener lover, this racquet could possibly not be for you. While not a bad racquet, i just feel it did not fit me as a player. The cosmetics are awesome though, and i might have to try out the 300 and 305 version!
As always, thank you to TW and Technifibre for the experience. My apologies for not getting the review in before 5pm, as I thought I had all day friday. See you on the next playtest!
String and tension used for test: Solinco Hyper G at 52
Tennis experience/background: 4.5 doubles player, and 4.0 singles player. Been playing tennis for about 9 years now, varsity high school in southern california, and went on to play at my junior college's team and university's club team. At the moment I currently coach at the high school level
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): I would consider myself a chip and charge/ all court player. Long rallies/pushing has never been my strong suit, as i am always looking to end the point as fast as possible.
Current racquet/string setups: I rotate between Solinco Hyper G and Rpm blast rough in my pure aero. Tension is always from 49-54.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?: 15 hours
Comments on racquet performance:
-Groundstrokes: Given I recieved the lighter version of the tfight, and myself never really have dropped below 11 ounces in a racquet, It took some getting used to. The racquet is very whippy feeling, and really allowed me to crank up the swing speed on forehands. On backhands, I miss the stability some heavier racquets would give me to really control the racquet and allow me to hit flatter shots. I woould say that overall it was fairly whippy and allows to swing faster than normal, or run the risk of getting pushed around. As far as feel, this is where the racquet shined. It had nice feel to it, without being completely wiped away and overdone like countervail. Often times the racquet would bail me out on miss-hits because of the comfy feel and whippiness. I would not consider the racquet to be muted at all, which resulted in it being a tad stiffer than a "plush" racquet
-Serves: I rely on weight of racquets to help me add some heaviness to my slice serves, but i think the feel made the racquet play was speedier than what it probably is. My serves were on par according to my hitting partners with my regular spin rates, but they did lack that extra punch i like. Not my favorite racquet to serve with, but it the feel made it better than your average whippy racquet.
-Volleys: Personally I like a more muted racquets with volleys, so this tfight was not the best for me. I could feel exactly where the ball is and was not very forgiving when the volley was off centered. I also miss the stability of a heavier racquet to prevent being pushed around
-Serve returns: Serve returns were very similar to groundstrokes in which if i returned a slow serve, I could whip it back with some nice spin. But if Igot a backhand, i felt like it was being pushed around if i did not time the return perfectly.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: Overall, I feel like it is a good racquet with feel for a early teen transitioning into a full size racquet, or perhaps someone looking for a lighter racquet that is fast feeling. As someone who has played with tweener racquets his whole life, I cannot say I enjoyed the playtest. While yes, I could swing faster, it was almost out of necessity. I was being pushed around a lot and could not really get any real strokes to go where i want them to unless I gave it my all. If you are an all court/ tweener lover, this racquet could possibly not be for you. While not a bad racquet, i just feel it did not fit me as a player. The cosmetics are awesome though, and i might have to try out the 300 and 305 version!
As always, thank you to TW and Technifibre for the experience. My apologies for not getting the review in before 5pm, as I thought I had all day friday. See you on the next playtest!
DustinW
Professional
Cyclone almost always feels springy to me in any frame. Definitely try something else.
BounceHitBounceHit
Legend
Any specific suggestions?
FWIW I tried out the RS 300 with Tourna 7 at 46lb and was not impressed. I don't know if it's the crispness of the tourna or what but it had none of feel I'd had with the Lynx Tour. I could spin the the heck out of the ball but I couldn't really tell were it was going. I was spending so much time wondering about the string bed I didn't have enough attention for my game. I really like the tourna in my Radical MG MP but this RS way need a more neutral string. Only 2 hrs doubles so I try it again. I took off the leather and lightened it back to 11.3 oz. and I'll see how it feels stock when I get a chance.
Has anyone noticed the stringbed dying out quickly? I think strings are going fast in this racquet. Either open string spacing or me worrying to much about it.
Has anyone noticed the stringbed dying out quickly? I think strings are going fast in this racquet. Either open string spacing or me worrying to much about it.
Luke.ferra
New User
Qualcuno può confrontare la tecnifibre tfight 300 RS con la babolat pure aero rispetto al 2020? Grazie
If you can get a set of Isospeed Grey Fire I think you will like it!
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
Makes sense. The 305 RS is a firm racket as well and I wouldn’t pair it with S7T which is on the firm side as well.
ClaudTT
Semi-Pro
Initial feeling is that the RS300 is much more friendly frame, very maneuverable with high launch angle apt for all court spin shots.
The power is very high once it is customized to increase its mass.
ClaudTT
Semi-Pro
On a Co-poly string I noticed that at +4 lbs the strings feel softer due to the new string spacing.
There is LARGER sweet area and spread to upper head. More spins available...
This is a very capable frame but has many secrets that I am discovering just a little... I think and hope.
If you change something affects the whole behavior quite a bit.
Am still not fully confortable and do not understand many things.
jackcrawford
Professional
I felt this way as well - for matches, I've always played with tweeners. The 295 didn't allow me to play my best, and it certainly doesn't have the buttery feel of a Pro Tour 2.0 or EXO3 Tour 100 that I like to hit for fun. It won't convert any tweener players, but for those who prefer a crisp frame with a beam that doesn't go above 23.5, Tecnifibre has delivered.
jackcrawford
Professional
I like the same tension in the mains and crosses, but if I went with a difference, I would increase the mains, not the crosses, by 1 kilo. Increasing the crosses to me causes a boardy, very stiff feel. If I were stringing for my taste, I would use 22.5 kilos for both mains and crosses.
yellowball123
Rookie
Can anyone compare the 315 RS to the Radical Pro? I'm finding the Radical surprisingly overpowered....coming from a PD and still feels just as powerful. The 315 has a thicker beam than the Radical Pro so how does it compare?
Brando
Professional
Tecnifibre TFight RS 300 Playtest
I’d like to start off by thanking @TW Staff and @Tecnifibre Official for this opportunity.
Racquet Received: Tecnifibre TFight RS 300
String and tension used for test: RPM Blast 15L at 50lbs. and Tecnifibre Ice Code 17 at 53lbs. Not much to comment on the differences besides getting slightly more power with Ice Code, and slightly more spin with RPM Blast. I think I am actually playing a bit better with Ice Code since the racquet is very spin friendly and the added power was welcome.
Tennis experience/background: 4.0 NTRP level.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All court player with 2-handed backhand. I typically aim to serve and volley on at least 50% of my service points.
Current racquet/string setups: Babolat Pure Strike 100 3rd Gen with RPM Blast or Tier One Firewire at 55lbs.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? About 12 hours. Roughly 8 hours with RPM Blast and 3-4 hours with Ice Code. Majority of time with the racquet was in singles match play.
Comments on racquet performance:
-Groundstrokes: It did not take long for me to get dialed in on groundstrokes and it was very good. Hitting forehands with this racquet almost felt like an anomaly due to the fact that on paper, it had a moderately high stiffness rating with a relatively low static weight but I was still hitting solid shots with great spin and decent power. Control for me was the standout feature of this racquet, and the overall feel of my groundstrokes felt like I was almost playing with an 18x20 players’ racquet that did not sacrifice the spin potential and whippiness of a tweener frame. From the baseline, I could hit with a lot of confidence due to the control.
The racquet I received had an estimated swingweight of 317 which is fairly close to my Pure Strike 100, which measured in the low 320’s. Surprisingly, this racquet still hits a solid ball, and two of my hitting partners noted that my racquet head speed looked faster with the TFight 300 compared to my usual Pure Strike 100. So it seems that the racquet’s ability to let me to swing the racquet more efficiently made up for the lower swingweight.
On the topic of stability, the racquet’s stability was adequate and “good enough” when playing with harder/flat hitters, although I would not necessarily call it rock solid. This is probably the trade-off for the racquet’s strength in maneuverability and whippiness, but it strikes a very good balance. The only caveat to this would be that against hard hit balls, I really had to be intentional about trading blows or to neutralize it by slicing or blocking them back, which the racquet did fantastically. But anything hit with half effort or hesitation, those would be the moments where the racquet would flail a bit and the ball would end up really short or way off my intended target. And this is something I felt especially towards the mid/end of a second set and my movement wasn’t as sharp and I could not set up properly on a consistent basis. I think for me this is when a heavier racquet can help a little bit more. Or maybe if I was more fit, I would not be blaming my equipment.
-Serves: Serves and volleys were my favorite shots to hit with the TFight 300. But the serves kind of told two different stories. First serves were much easier to dial in and direct it to any part of the service box. First serves with this racquet was about good placement with some power, rather than aggressive speed. It was just really fun when my first serves were dialed in a match because it set up so many good things for the point. But I had some trouble with my second serves. I think my serve tecnhique is not as efficient as it should be, so even though I could make it kick pretty decently, there wasn’t enough pace behind it to give my opponent any trouble. And when I tried to add a bit more power on the second serve, I would end up faulting. But well-hit serves felt the most rewarding of any shot from this racquet due to the fact that it allowed me to execute my game plan exactly how I drew it up.
-Volleys: Volleys were great with the TFight 300. It was light and maneuverable enough to hit any kind of volley I wanted, and it was stable enough. My serve and volley game was really popping because I could hit a more aggressive type of kick serve as my first serve to set up the volley. Nothing else feels quite as satisfying to me as stringing together a streak of well-executed serve and volley points to win a game. I would say directional control over my volleys was the biggest strength of this racquet and I could really work the sides in singles when I was at net, especially on the first volley after a serve or approach. Touch volleys were slightly more difficult to execute, probably because I hadn’t spent enough time hitting volleys with the racquet so I would say this is more of a user issue.
-Serve returns: Much like groundstrokes, returns felt solid as long as I was intentional about how I wanted to hit it. Anything hit with half effort, or if I got caught with bad timing, it would end up being a really awkward error or a short ball. Most of my aggressive returns tended to be deep topspin shots to the middle, which I’m happy with any day. But the best return shot for me with this racquet was the slice return on the backhand side. Again, the kind of slice returns I hit with this racquet were decently close of the 18x20 players frames I’ve used in the past. If serves and volleys were my most “enjoyable” shots to hit with this racquet, I would say that returns were the “most improved” part of my game that this racquet produced during this playtest.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: As someone who was playing with a very similarly specced racquet, it wasn’t a surprise that I really enjoyed playing with the TFight 300 and did not experience too many adjustment issues. The marketplace certainly has an abundant supply of 98 square inch 16x19 racquets, and I think Tecnifibre’s attempt to bring something relatively unique to the table with the RS line is an admirable one. In my opinion, the TFight 300 RS is a fantastic racquet that seems to bridge the gap between the tweener type frames and players frames, where the racquet strikes the ball like a stiff, open pattern racquet, yet the comfortable feel on contact and control feels close enough to a denser, flexier racquet. Players who tend to lean heavily toward one side or the other in the stiff-flexy racquet spectrum may not necessarily like this. But I know there are people out there playing with control racquets wishing they had that slight help in power and spin from their frames, as well as those playing with Babolat type tweeners wishing there was some way to get an improvement in feel and comfort without sacrificing the robust playability and performance. I think this is where the TFight 300, or perhaps the entire RS line, can fit that niche and end up being the surprise racquet of this year if it can pick up enough buzz in the tennis communities. There will certainly be a part of the player base that will be automatically turned off by the flex RA rating, and that is a genuine shame, and I hope at some point we will stop judging a racquet’s comfort level solely by that silly number.
My only major critique for this racquet is the lack of the trap door at the buttcap. If the trap door existed, I would deem this racquet a worthy challenger to the Wilson Ultra Tour for the best retail platform racquet because the specs are so amazing for customization. But the lack of the trap door at the buttcap can severely hinder the customization potential because there is no easy access to tail weight via tungsten putty. If one’s customization process only consists of a leather grip and some lead at the hoop, then that is not a problem. But at the end of the day, I’m sure the missing trap door will not be an issue for 99% of the tennis community since the ones who customize their frames take up an very small portion of the player base. Just a lost opportunity for some of us internet tennis nerds is all.
Bonus Contact Pro Overgrip Review: My overgrip of choice has been the Yonex Supergrap for as long as I could remember. The Tecnifibre Pro Contact overgrip felt tackier than the Supergrap, bordering on sticky. Both overgrips say it measures at 0.6mm thickness, but when holding the racquet handle, the Pro Contact felt slightly thinner. Overall, the grip felt nice to hold, but unfortunately, I was unable to use it for more than 45 minutes on a moderately humid day because my hand started to slip pretty significantly. I was actually worried this beautiful playtest racquet would slip out of my hand and cause a cosmetic blemish. Interestingly, the grip seems to retain the tackiness after it dries, so drying it off with a towel between every few points was adequate, but kind of a pain. Ultimately, overgrip choice seem like such a personal preference, so I think this could be a good one for people who put a high priority on tackiness and thinness. I definitely felt more connected to the handle with this.
Thank you again to @TW Staff and @Tecnifibre Official for this tremendous opportunity! It was a privilege for me to participate in this playtest, and this type of outreach certainly speaks to your generosity, class, and commitment to the tennis community during these difficult and unprecedented times. I wish Tecnifibre all the success with this lineup, and I look forward to playing with this racquet further into the fall flex league season and beyond.
Brando
Professional
I just demoed this stick and this review is spot on (and really well written). The only thing I'd add, as a Pure Strike 100 G3 user too, is that the best way to get used to this racquet is to swing slower (and as Tomato123 says, more deliberately) to unlock its secret powers...
ClaudTT
Semi-Pro
Interesting, for me it is just the opposite !!! This frame engaged mechanically when I strung it above 55lb.
IT does too many things right, but in a different way than any other racket I ever played in 40 yrs.
It is definitely a TOP frame, not only in the TF line up.
I wish they will lower the 315 stiffness to 66 as in the 300, consistency will be appreciated by customers, (I have not tried the RS305). They got it in the TF40 line perfect.
Customization of this one is tricky and still I could not get it 100% right...yet.
A unique frame no doubt. Let's hope they will keep the engineering right for awhile, meaning few years.
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ClaudTT
Semi-Pro
This is a very accurate review. A thousands claps from me.Tecnifibre TFight RS 300 Playtest
I’d like to start off by thanking @TW Staff and @Tecnifibre Official for this opportunity.
Racquet Received: Tecnifibre TFight RS 300
String and tension used for test: RPM Blast 15L at 50lbs. and Tecnifibre Ice Code 17 at 53lbs. Not much to comment on the differences besides getting slightly more power with Ice Code, and slightly more spin with RPM Blast. I think I am actually playing a bit better with Ice Code since the racquet is very spin friendly and the added power was welcome.
Tennis experience/background: 4.0 NTRP level.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All court player with 2-handed backhand. I typically aim to serve and volley on at least 50% of my service points.
Current racquet/string setups: Babolat Pure Strike 100 3rd Gen with RPM Blast or Tier One Firewire at 55lbs.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? About 12 hours. Roughly 8 hours with RPM Blast and 3-4 hours with Ice Code. Majority of time with the racquet was in singles match play.
Comments on racquet performance:
-Groundstrokes: It did not take long for me to get dialed in on groundstrokes and it was very good. Hitting forehands with this racquet almost felt like an anomaly due to the fact that on paper, it had a moderately high stiffness rating with a relatively low static weight but I was still hitting solid shots with great spin and decent power. Control for me was the standout feature of this racquet, and the overall feel of my groundstrokes felt like I was almost playing with an 18x20 players’ racquet that did not sacrifice the spin potential and whippiness of a tweener frame. From the baseline, I could hit with a lot of confidence due to the control.
The racquet I received had an estimated swingweight of 317 which is fairly close to my Pure Strike 100, which measured in the low 320’s. Surprisingly, this racquet still hits a solid ball, and two of my hitting partners noted that my racquet head speed looked faster with the TFight 300 compared to my usual Pure Strike 100. So it seems that the racquet’s ability to let me to swing the racquet more efficiently made up for the lower swingweight.
On the topic of stability, the racquet’s stability was adequate and “good enough” when playing with harder/flat hitters, although I would not necessarily call it rock solid. This is probably the trade-off for the racquet’s strength in maneuverability and whippiness, but it strikes a very good balance. The only caveat to this would be that against hard hit balls, I really had to be intentional about trading blows or to neutralize it by slicing or blocking them back, which the racquet did fantastically. But anything hit with half effort or hesitation, those would be the moments where the racquet would flail a bit and the ball would end up really short or way off my intended target. And this is something I felt especially towards the mid/end of a second set and my movement wasn’t as sharp and I could not set up properly on a consistent basis. I think for me this is when a heavier racquet can help a little bit more. Or maybe if I was more fit, I would not be blaming my equipment.
-Serves: Serves and volleys were my favorite shots to hit with the TFight 300. But the serves kind of told two different stories. First serves were much easier to dial in and direct it to any part of the service box. First serves with this racquet was about good placement with some power, rather than aggressive speed. It was just really fun when my first serves were dialed in a match because it set up so many good things for the point. But I had some trouble with my second serves. I think my serve tecnhique is not as efficient as it should be, so even though I could make it kick pretty decently, there wasn’t enough pace behind it to give my opponent any trouble. And when I tried to add a bit more power on the second serve, I would end up faulting. But well-hit serves felt the most rewarding of any shot from this racquet due to the fact that it allowed me to execute my game plan exactly how I drew it up.
-Volleys: Volleys were great with the TFight 300. It was light and maneuverable enough to hit any kind of volley I wanted, and it was stable enough. My serve and volley game was really popping because I could hit a more aggressive type of kick serve as my first serve to set up the volley. Nothing else feels quite as satisfying to me as stringing together a streak of well-executed serve and volley points to win a game. I would say directional control over my volleys was the biggest strength of this racquet and I could really work the sides in singles when I was at net, especially on the first volley after a serve or approach. Touch volleys were slightly more difficult to execute, probably because I hadn’t spent enough time hitting volleys with the racquet so I would say this is more of a user issue.
-Serve returns: Much like groundstrokes, returns felt solid as long as I was intentional about how I wanted to hit it. Anything hit with half effort, or if I got caught with bad timing, it would end up being a really awkward error or a short ball. Most of my aggressive returns tended to be deep topspin shots to the middle, which I’m happy with any day. But the best return shot for me with this racquet was the slice return on the backhand side. Again, the kind of slice returns I hit with this racquet were decently close of the 18x20 players frames I’ve used in the past. If serves and volleys were my most “enjoyable” shots to hit with this racquet, I would say that returns were the “most improved” part of my game that this racquet produced during this playtest.
Also agree on the trap door issue, but TF is against it because they are afraid of vibrating doors, etc. (never saw that happen but well..)
Customizing this frame is tricki-er... but worth it IMHO.
Brando
Professional
Reading your exchange, I couldn't help but think, "There it is again--string tension. It's right or nothing is." As we all cast about for our best frame, it's easy to forget this. The RS's recommended tension is 49-55 lbs. and its 23 mm beam lends a bit more power than control. By stringing it over 55, ClaudTT effectively muted that power, gaining back the control which I believe was perfectly balanced in the 300 RS's predecessor, the 300 XTC; the most underrated frame of 2018--but that's another story.
Meanwhile, Daddy strung it at 46 lbs. and "couldn't really tell where [the ball] was going." Of course not. You'd have to swing like a sloth to handle this frame's power at such a loose tension. I demoed the 300 RS at 55 lbs and it STILL felt a mite jumpy off the string bed.
IMO, one should first string a racket smack dab in the middle of spec (in this case 52 lbs), and judge it from there. Otherwise, you end up fighting its natural characteristics, trying to fiddle them to fit your game when you'd have been better off with a frame that fits your game on its terms, rather than yours. After that, tweak away!
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ClaudTT
Semi-Pro
Good advice on approach to initial tension. I also use DT constantly to judge my feedback more accuratedly, i.e. could see dropping from 42 N/mm and on.
Still trying to tame this BEAST of racket... I can use the extra power in doubles, serving aces and Kick serves and volleys and touch shots. Fantastic.
I am still trying to figure out the ground strokes game... but got better results with a string like LXN Smart that firms up for control.
All in all enjoying the experience but so far it is my doubles' frame and I will keep trying to uncover the singles genius of it.
Brando
Professional
Yeah, am feelin' ya, brother. I enjoyed demoing this frame and WANTED to love it. But in the final analysis I found it overpowered, and balls kept landing juuust out. OMHO, when they expanded the beam to 23mm they muffed it. It's funny how something so small as 0.5mm can make sooo much difference. As mentioned, the only way I could handle it was simply to swing slower. But muting power with tension is clearly a preferable approach. May the beast be tamed...
ClaudTT
Semi-Pro
...0.5 mm may seem small, but some very deterministic in flex we call it Moment of Area (L^4) which is a function of local area distance to centroid^2. Then as any small cross section is 2th power of distance to centroid of area it makes a BIG difference in relative flex (local).We use that to our advantage when we want to design a stiff member... like an airplane wing beam.
When they did the "technical" Question-Answers some weeks ago, I repeatedly asked Why they are not making flex line anymore, and was getting no answer. So I purposely asked: Why they choose not to give an answer. They banned my question... in the best Parisian style because they hate democracy.
I wish they TF move the HQ to South of France, like Toulouse or the Savoir, were people are different.
God Bless the USA.
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Brando
Professional
Wow, those flex terms are beyond me, but I think I get the gist: a flexible small surface can have big effect supporting huge stiff surfaces, precisely because of its flexibility. Speaking of the opposite, I read that Q&A and noticed them ducking your questions. Guess they don't wanna let the kidz into the house. Indeed there's been a groundswell, building for years, of players hoping the Bab'd return to its roots in flexible frames. But not today. They're too successful going stiff!
Luke.ferra
New User
What strings do you recommend for the rs300?
On my first racquet, I tried black code 1,24. Not bad, but I hate poly... On second, I play with triax 1,28 on mains, razor code 1,25 on crosses. For me better feel, more power, easier on arm. Very good... Next, I will try gut + poly...
Brando
Professional
In my 300 I keep it soft n' simple with a full bed of Technifibre MultiFeel natural 16g at 52 lbs. Multifilaments may not last that long but they do they have, research reveals, the best, longest lasting elasticity of any synthetic . And at $10, MultiFeels deliver bang for the buck.
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Luke.ferra
New User
Did you use lead tape for the 300 RS? How much? Where? Thanks
ClaudTT
Semi-Pro
Just try try try, everybody is different set up.
Brando
Professional
I haven't needed any lead (and personally prefer TW's tungsten tape anyway, in consideration of my stringer) because racquet-matching found me a 6HL unstrung frame (vs the spec 7) that, strung and overgripped, settled into a 'poifec' 33cm (4HL) balance. Head-hefty heaven. But if you're concerned about where to put that tape, TW University has an 'Automated Customization' button that takes you to a handy dandy calculation tool that tells you exaaactly were to put the tape and how much to use, depending on the balance and weight tweeks you're going for. Tons of fun, if yer a geek like me...
P.S. In the interest of accuracy, I should specify that I didn't end up with the 300rs but instead its predecessor, the 300 XTC, which I find superior, the rs's wider, softer beam adding too much power, at least pour moi.
P.S. In the interest of accuracy, I should specify that I didn't end up with the 300rs but instead its predecessor, the 300 XTC, which I find superior, the rs's wider, softer beam adding too much power, at least pour moi.
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ClaudTT
Semi-Pro
Good decision you made... life is short !!! Excellent hybrid.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
I finally had a chance to try the RS 295 after having tried both the RS 305 and RS 300 in the past. Of the 3 or of any of the TF racquets I had a chance to try, turns out the RS 295 actually works the best for me. The pair I received came with an unstrung swingweights of 287.3 and 284.4. I strung it up the 287.3 with Tier One Black Knight 16g (1.28) @ 45/43# and the SW increased to 319.3. I added a 5" strip of lead at 3 and another at 9 to bump up the SW to 324.24. It has a similar feel of the other TF RS racquets. I found the RS 295 to have a more stable hoop than my RS 300. I don't remember the exact specs any longer, but my RS 300 came way under spec with a strung SW of close to 300 so I had to add over 2' of lead to bring it up into the 320s. Even with the SW spec pretty closely matched to the RS 295, it didn't have the same kind of solidity and stability the RS 295 has. The 295 also has the extension of the hand ball control that I didn't get with the 305 or 300. The ball would land where I intended to hit it - depth and direction. The good depth control is where the other 2 RSs weren't quite as mindlessly automatic for me. So far, the RS 295 is my favorite Tecnifibre of all time and I've owned the 315 Ltds in both patterns (great feel, but had to weight it up to >12.5 oz to get decent power) as well as the first TF Iga stick and others. I'll continue to spend more time with this and expect it will only get better with more play time.
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mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
shame that it hasn't received much attention with most of the interest going to the 305. The 295 is a perfect platform stick to build up to whatever spec you want. Super forgiving at 100" and when modded up, hits a heavy, penetrating ball. Would be nice if TF buttcaps had trapdoors though.
TennisHound
Legend
Edit
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mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
wrong thread?
TennisHound
Legend
Yikes! Edited. Thanks manwrong thread?
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
We was all confused, man.
