The Cheap Players Club

Got my hands on a lightly used, strung Dunlop Biomimetic 300 for $80. Can't wait to test this baby out. :) Now I just need to sell a few unwanted racquets.
 
do I qualify?

I meet all the criteria except maybe the 'enjoy beating playes with expensive racquets' one.

Well, I sort of meet the criteria, I have expensive gear that is given to me (sponsored), but only racquets. I play tournaments in shirts from 1995...
 
^^^ Welcome. :)

I'll probably need to revise the OP at some point. Tennis can be quite an expensive sport. Basically, if you enjoy tennis and do so without burning a hole in your wallet, you're in.
 
I hit with the Biomimetic 300 twice. I don't know if it's the racquet, strings, or improved forehand form, but I've had a blast hitting with it. I get really good directional control with it. Good pop on serves, I get better angles off both wings compared to the Aerogel 4D 300, my slices off both sides seemed more consistent, and there's topspin potential (a bit too much at times but that's likely due to my technique).

I'm a semi-aggressive hitter that's changed several things with the forehand and serve. I feel comfortable using this racquet to pin the opponent back or make him move around the court. It seems suited for all-court play and for taking the ball early.

Oh and got it used for $80. :)
 
I'd like to join in

Just got me a Dunlop 550 lite strung with SP tornado for $90. Also have the Prince AIR O Scream ($50) and my old reliables Head Ti.S2 (Austria- strung with SPPPP) and oldy Wilson Pro Staff Classic (non-US, ca 1992/93).

Do i qualify ??

arnoldr
 
Here are the basic requirements for membership:
* Your main racquet's cost $130 or less ..... Yes (3x Wilson k exclusive.
* You are baffled by people that pay retail for oodles of tour sticks and brag about it ..... Yes
* You play with simple attire ..... Yes
* You'd rather buy 2 good pairs of shoes for under $100 than go all out for one pair (they're all made in China or Indonesia anyways) ..... Yes

Optional:
* You enjoy beating players that flaunt expensive racquet's ..... Yes
* You use friction fighters and the like to make your strings last to the end (stringing gets expensive) ..... Yes
* You know where all the free and cheap courts are in your city ..... Yes
* You use balls until they don't bounce above the knee anymore. Even then those can be used for practice serves ..... Yes


where do I get my membership card please?
 
I use a racquet i borrowed from a friend. I won't give it back no matter how much she cries!

Yes i'm that cheap!!
 
Sign me up! I got 2 Exo3 Rebels for 100$! Performance/price>paint condition. I also got 2 Pro Staff Classics for free and am currently talking to someone about trading for 2 MORE Rebels. 4 Rebels for 100$ and 2 rackets I'll never main?
<(~~ One Lucky Dude.

OH and I played with my used Barricade V's until the sole fell off =D.
 
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when do we get added to the members list then?
being the cheap players club, it would be a bit unfair if we had to pay for membership.
most probably wouldn't anyway.

that should be a qualification to join the club, you refuse to pay for membership.
 
Do I qualify?

I don't believe in spending too much for anything. Here is a list of my sticks;
2 Ktour Pros $59 apiece (clearance price combined with trade allowance promo run by Wilson)
1 Microgel MP Radical $60 (clearance price combined with coupon at local sporting goods store)
1 Exo Rebel $50 (bought used but spotless from teaching pro at the club)
 
add me to the list,
-my shoes are 40 dollars a pair,

-my k95 are second hand worth 65 bucks each, my ps85 is 80 dollars, my k90 is also second hand,

-i wear fruit of the loom or hanes tshirt and basic shorts from the dollar store.

- I don't pay for membership because club members love watching my one hand topspin backhand

- i don't have a choice for winter but to pay for membership but people invite me and pay court fees just to hit with me

- although i bought my blx brand new when i was a beginner so i think that my disqualify me and i only use champions choice for my strings
 
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Yesterday I bought 2 pairs of shoes for $30. I buy shorts for $10 or less. Still sticking with Wilson Stamina 16 string.

I'll update the list later.
 
usta2050 said:
don't go too cheap on shoes.
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Academy Sports has a pair of tennis shoes for $20 ... brand name is Tredz I think .. looks like a store brand maybe.

Gonna go get some.

Not sure if I can join the club tho since I play with Volkl PB10 Mid which costs $189+string ... although I got mine with a gift card that was 20% off so i spent about $160
 
I went for Adidas tennis trainers.
only cost me £25 in a sale from decathlon.
I got a pair of Le Coq Sportif shorts for £4.50 from TK max and a t shirt from sports direct for £2.
do I qualify?
 
You can go relatively cheap on shoes by going for closeouts only. I'm not that big on brand loyalty, so my last 3 pairs of shoes have been: New Balance, K-Swiss, Prince...all under $65, all excellent shoes that lasted at least 9 months.
 
I think I may qualify:


racquets: 2 yonex r-50 (forgot price but purchsed around 1992 so fully depreciated) although I just bought a new (used) 'modern' racquet for $100 (blx 6.1 95). Restrung every couple years or as needed. (i.e. every 3 years:))

shoes: 2 pairs @ $40 each - old model NB tennis shoes from discount store

Clothes: all items >$10 - most purchased from TJ max clearance racks

Balls: when they go on sale for $1.99 - life prolonged with ball saver.

of course, I only play outdoors on public courts.
 
Which of these shoes would be the most durable?
K-Swiss Approach 2
Wilson Pro Staff Court
Wilson Fantom

If you have any experience with these shoes please comment. Also, how's the traction on clay and/or hard.

Thanks
 
soyizgood said:
money-uncle-sam.jpg


Here are the basic requirements for membership:
* Your main racquets cost $130 or less

We are open for membership and look for the proud, the frugal, and the skillful men and women to add to our prestigious club.
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$130? Hypocritical. I have a max budget of £50, and I'm in the UK where rackets cost more!!! That's just over $70, so if I was in the US I could get any of ur rackets. Here in Blighty the best sub-£50 racket is probably the Dunlop AG4D 500 Tour for 49.99, not got it though.

If I join I would definitely be the cheapest member of the group, but unfortunately I am proud, frugal but not skillful. That rules me out :(
 
Racquet: Yonex RDS001 with free, 16 gauge string ($90)
Shoes: 3x Adidas Adizero Feather ($75 first pair, $25 each second and third pair)
Clothes: Various running shirts from Ross and TJMaxx, generic mesh shorts from Academy (between $5 to $15 each)
Balls: Let others bring balls ($0)
Courts: Anything goes, as long as its free (mostly highschool courts, sometimes unsurfaced city park courts with no side fences)

Proud to be cheap :)
 
this is so me!

I bought a k tour used out of the demo bin for 60$ (great shape)

I play with the same shoes till the hole on the bottom gets so big its lets my sock get through. then I might shoe goo the hole and keep playing.

I have never played with the current model racquet ( too pricey)
I'm chronically 3 to 5 years behind the latest model.

hate to play indoors, and will bundle up with a jacket and sweat pants and just brave the cold. one time even shoveled snow off a court.

I restring my own racquets because I'm to cheap to pay some stringer monkey 15$ to do it! ( now I love stringing)

my one splurge is balls. I can't stand playing with old balls and always open a new can if I'm gonna play a match.
 
I'm in!
New Prince Rebel 95 for $99 at a Black Friday sale, Prince Tournament Nylon.

Gym Shorts with Pockets
Some $40 Prince Shoes
Absolutely LOVES beating people with Pure Drives
 
davedomart said:
Which of these shoes would be the most durable?
K-Swiss Approach 2
Wilson Pro Staff Court
Wilson Fantom

If you have any experience with these shoes please comment. Also, how's the traction on clay and/or hard.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I'd get the Bab Drives at that price, my friend has them and says they are great, very durable.
 
Cheap players I know never bring a can of balls. Keep a roll of ducttape for shoe repairs. Wear the same clothes from high school days. Brag about how long their strings last. Use the same overgrip for a year.
 
I've been reading these boards for 2 years now (only recently started posting) and this by far is my favorite thread! I don't qualify for the club since I've been lucky enough to do fairly well for myself, and went through a mid-life tennis crisis in which I splurged ridiculously on tennis stuff. For most of my life I played with cheap equipment and still refuse to pay more than $15 for a shirt or shorts, buy new balls only when on sale and still use the same Prince 3 pack racquet bag I got 18 years ago in high school. I want to reform my wayward spending ways and get back to my humble roots though!!! With all the new racquets coming out it seems like a great time to sell the shiny, fancy, new toys and get back to basics. A couple of Prince O3 Whites ($79.99 on TW right now) and a trip to Meijer (******* walmart) and I'm looking to join!!
 
As this thread is bumped I'm no longer playing with the generic Prestige clones. I've now changed to some slightly lighter PSC clones, the Mega Age M2.

EDIT: Here I am thinking this is the 18x20 club...
 
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Rock Strongo said:
As this thread is bumped I'm no longer playing with the generic Prestige clones. I've now changed to some slightly lighter PSC clones, the Mega Age M2.
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Wish kept the Mega Age M1 but was a bit too stiff and heavy. But if you keep everything, where would you put it?
 
Old thread but love it! Me:

5 Prince rackets, none over $30.00 and 3 were brand new ($8.00 - $30.00) TT and AirO models
Shoes: Adidas and New Balance $8.00-$32.00
Shorts: Primarily adidas $5.00 - $8.00 (outlet finds)
Shirts: t-shirts (adidas and Target) $3.00-$5.00
Bags: Prince 3 pack brand new - $15.00 Wilson Backpack brand new from the bay - $10.00

I think that's rather cheap for my basic set up.
 
texacali said:
Old thread but love it! Me:

5 Prince rackets, none over $30.00 and 3 were brand new ($8.00 - $30.00) TT and AirO models
Shoes: Adidas and New Balance $8.00-$32.00
Shorts: Primarily adidas $5.00 - $8.00 (outlet finds)
Shirts: t-shirts (adidas and Target) $3.00-$5.00
Bags: Prince 3 pack brand new - $15.00 Wilson Backpack brand new from the bay - $10.00

I think that's rather cheap for my basic set up.
Click to expand...

Some of those TT and AirO models aren't bad at all. I have used a couple and thought they were very good. I certainly couldnt notice that more expensive rackets played significantly better at all.

What models do you have???
 
TT Scream and AirO Cloud. Large sporting goods store pickups. Screams were $25.00/ea and Clouds were/$8.00 each


robbo1970 said:
Some of those TT and AirO models aren't bad at all. I have used a couple and thought they were very good. I certainly couldnt notice that more expensive rackets played significantly better at all.

What models do you have???
Click to expand...
 
texacali said:
TT Scream and AirO Cloud. Large sporting goods store pickups. Screams were $25.00/ea and Clouds were/$8.00 each
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Theyre titanium composites aren't they? My two are a Titan and Propel. Surprisingly good and certainly adequate for my level. I added leather grips to give them a more solid feel and they're as good as anything else I've used, even with nylon. I'm also just about to get a new pair of KSwiss Approach for £44.

Good times.

Now let's see some pics on this thread.:)
 
Some of my 2012 pickups include:

Bab PDR for around $50
2x POG Mids for $80 total
Bab PSL for $60
Yamaha Secret 04 for $50
Head Speed Pro for $40
Pro Kennex Composite Destiny (Pure Drive predecessor) for $12
Vintage Prince Graphite Comp for $20

I think that's all...
 
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