The Official 18x20 String Pattern Club

I'd like to join up here... Use the MG Radical MP.. Before that the PSL non GT, and before that the Prince NXG Mid.
 
el sergento said:
Got a total of 4 good sessions with the Plat 99.
Click to expand...

Interesting review and comments - thanks.

I've no interest in buying the racquet, but I wondered how it compared to, say the Youtek Prestige Mid Plus, or if you're familiar with the BLX 6.1 95, to that as well. Also do you find the head shape to be Dunlop-esque in its sweetspot size and positioning?
 
Pls add me. I just received this Muscle Weave 200G as a gift.

img0894je.jpg
 
DAD12, I went thru all the posts and find out 1 interesting thing about you. You joined this club in 2009, but departed in 2010. Here you are again, coming back with the BIO200 sticks ... so cool :)

There are not much discussions about rackets & strings, just people signed up. May be you will stir up this thread with a lot discussions and topics about 18x20.
 
That's right KLE, I joined when I got my 4D300Tours and departed when I switched to the 4D100s - as you can see, I'm a big Dunlop fan.

Now I'm back with the great BM200s, and hope to be here for along time.

Before the 4D300Tour, I have never played with 18x20 racquets, but after finding out what they can deliver, it's hard to look back at the open string patterns.

Depending on the racquet, you get tons of spin, but with great directional and depth control. What I find interesting particularly on the BM200s is that the trajectory of the ball is totally different, it goes off straight out of the racquet and then falls in after going over the net. It's like the spin you get only comes up in the second half of the trajectory. I think that's the real advantage of flexy 18x20 racquets, and maybe that's the reason so many pros like them.
 
add me in rad tour xl mp flex around 58 sw about 360 ish 340 grams unstrung 360 strung with rpm blast and bab dampener this racket produces an extremelly heavy ball and is easy on the arm .

the swede
 
I used the K Blade Tour for a long time. I have recently switched to Donnay's. Please add my name to the club, because as of Friday I will have a X-Series Blue 94 in my possesion. I ordered it from TW today.
 
I received my Donnay X-Blue 94 on Friday and had it strung yesterday while I played doubles. I hope to give it a go tonight or very soon. I will report back on how it plays.
 
Good review el sergento! I tried yhe Plat 99 this week and found it way too powerful for me. Control really suffered. You better have your A game at all times with this frame or you'll be launching rockets over the fence.

el sergento said:
Ok boys, been enjoying some great weather lately and the tennis has been a plenty.

Got a total of 4 good sessions with the Plat 99. I won't count the first because a hybrid setup really didn't work for me, however, I then restrang with B5E at 50/52#'s and that really brought the frame to life.

I also have to add that the weight issue that bugged me at first got resolved, turns out it was a grip issue. The grip on the Donnays seems to be rather small. So the smaller grip made the racquet feel heavier. I solved this by adding 2 OG's

Pros:

Power:

I don't really have much to add. The stick is indeed special. I mean, I never hit so many winners in my life. It's just so powerful that many of my setup shots ended up being cold winners, and I only played on clay.

I don't usually hit that many winners, I'm more of an 80% power, force the error kind of guy. So the 99 brought me great joy in that I didn't have to hit those extra 2-3 shots.

Depth:

Depth is automatic really. It's such a powerful frame that a good stroke will yield better than average depth.

The weight and power does force you to play big. There's no *****footing around with the 99. You either swing hard and fast or the ball lands long, and I'm talking feet, not inches.

Serves:

Again, it serves bombs. Goes through the air super fast and just crushes the ball. Control isn't cheap though, and just like off the ground, you have to go for your shots, control is directly related to RHS; if the swing slows down, you'll have no control of the ball.

Cons:

Comfort:

I have shoulder issues. The 99 did nothing to help. Yes, it's comfortable for a 70 RA stick, BUT, it's still a 70 RA stick. The power isn't free, and it comes largely from the stiffness of the frame. Let's just say that framing a shot hurts.

In fact, I actually lost feeling to the tip of my index finger after a prolonged session with this racquet. Now, this could also be due to the full bed of poly (I've been using a hybrid for years) but a hybrid really didn't work for me. If I wanted to tame the power, full poly at low tensions was the only solution.

Feel:

It's a crisp feeling stick for sure, and hard hit shots feel great off the SS. However, it's much harder to get a feel for touch shots. This could be due to the low tension of the poly, but in situations where the strings do most of the work, the frame didn't send much feedback.

Control:

The power of this frame really reduces control IMO. By that I mean that the frame somewhat forces you to play hard all of the time. Any attempt to vary the speed of the swing was a bit of a gamble.

I don't know if I'm making myself clear. Lets's just say that control when swiniging out was fantastic. I knew that if I swung hard, the ball would do as I pleased. However, if I wanted to place a ball, instead of hitting it hard, the stringbed became erratic. I found it hard to vary the speed of my swings.

As a result, I found myself avoiding any touch shots. Slices where hard and deep, but again, it was hard to hit a soft floater or a short angled slice. In the end, my game really did turn into hard B-Line bashing.

This could be due to how fast the racquet goes through the air. Once the swing has started, there's no slowing it down. On clay, last second adjustments are often necessary due to crap bounces. And the Plat 99 made it hard to put the brakes on a swing to adjust to a different swing path.

Overall / final thoughts:

This really is a special stick. It's not like anything I've ever hit with. Power is something to behold. The put away power is second to none. Without any exaggeration, this puts a KPS 88 so shame.

So if you have a predominantly B-Line game, and your body doesn't mind a stiff frame and a full bed of poly, this thing is for you. However, if you have a tender shoulder, elbow or wrist, I would stay away, far, far away.

Also, despite what some have noted, I found almost no resemblance to a Prestige. The mark of the Prestige, IMO, is outstanding control at the expense of power in a crisp yet soft, comfortable and forgiving package.

The mark of the Plat 99 was outstanding power, at the expense of control and comfort. Spin is very good, and the kick you get is phenomenal when you swing hard, however, it's harder to vary your swing speed and play with different spins, especially off the backhand.

In the end, I think it was just too much racquet for me. Also, the power doesn't help as much on clay. In fact, going for too much too early usually gets you in trouble. Yes, I hit many a cold winner, but I also fed my opponents plenty of pace that they gladly threw back at me.
Click to expand...
 
can I squeeze in .....

I've been able to obtain two Kneissl Black Stars (2010 version) and tho not exactly 18 X 20 ,they are 18 X 19 - an odd set-up that technically leaves me out of the group , even tho they play like 18 X 20's.

The Black star is absolutely the best racquet I've ever hit. The weight, balance and string pattern provide excellent power with great control and feel.

The string pattern can be altered using all existing holes to 16 X 21 without changing grommets . But, since power is ample and control is 'spot on' I never saw any reason to do that. It is just too bad this racquet is so hard to find.
 
el sergento said:
Ok boys, been enjoying some great weather lately and the tennis has been a plenty.

Got a total of 4 good sessions with the Plat 99. I won't count the first because a hybrid setup really didn't work for me, however, I then restrang with B5E at 50/52#'s and that really brought the frame to life.

I also have to add that the weight issue that bugged me at first got resolved, turns out it was a grip issue. The grip on the Donnays seems to be rather small. So the smaller grip made the racquet feel heavier. I solved this by adding 2 OG's

Pros:

Power:

I don't really have much to add. The stick is indeed special. I mean, I never hit so many winners in my life. It's just so powerful that many of my setup shots ended up being cold winners, and I only played on clay.

I don't usually hit that many winners, I'm more of an 80% power, force the error kind of guy. So the 99 brought me great joy in that I didn't have to hit those extra 2-3 shots.

Depth:

Depth is automatic really. It's such a powerful frame that a good stroke will yield better than average depth.

The weight and power does force you to play big. There's no *****footing around with the 99. You either swing hard and fast or the ball lands long, and I'm talking feet, not inches.

Serves:

Again, it serves bombs. Goes through the air super fast and just crushes the ball. Control isn't cheap though, and just like off the ground, you have to go for your shots, control is directly related to RHS; if the swing slows down, you'll have no control of the ball.

Cons:

Comfort:

I have shoulder issues. The 99 did nothing to help. Yes, it's comfortable for a 70 RA stick, BUT, it's still a 70 RA stick. The power isn't free, and it comes largely from the stiffness of the frame. Let's just say that framing a shot hurts.

In fact, I actually lost feeling to the tip of my index finger after a prolonged session with this racquet. Now, this could also be due to the full bed of poly (I've been using a hybrid for years) but a hybrid really didn't work for me. If I wanted to tame the power, full poly at low tensions was the only solution.

Feel:

It's a crisp feeling stick for sure, and hard hit shots feel great off the SS. However, it's much harder to get a feel for touch shots. This could be due to the low tension of the poly, but in situations where the strings do most of the work, the frame didn't send much feedback.

Control:

The power of this frame really reduces control IMO. By that I mean that the frame somewhat forces you to play hard all of the time. Any attempt to vary the speed of the swing was a bit of a gamble.

I don't know if I'm making myself clear. Lets's just say that control when swiniging out was fantastic. I knew that if I swung hard, the ball would do as I pleased. However, if I wanted to place a ball, instead of hitting it hard, the stringbed became erratic. I found it hard to vary the speed of my swings.

As a result, I found myself avoiding any touch shots. Slices where hard and deep, but again, it was hard to hit a soft floater or a short angled slice. In the end, my game really did turn into hard B-Line bashing.

This could be due to how fast the racquet goes through the air. Once the swing has started, there's no slowing it down. On clay, last second adjustments are often necessary due to crap bounces. And the Plat 99 made it hard to put the brakes on a swing to adjust to a different swing path.

Overall / final thoughts:

This really is a special stick. It's not like anything I've ever hit with. Power is something to behold. The put away power is second to none. Without any exaggeration, this puts a KPS 88 so shame.

So if you have a predominantly B-Line game, and your body doesn't mind a stiff frame and a full bed of poly, this thing is for you. However, if you have a tender shoulder, elbow or wrist, I would stay away, far, far away.

Also, despite what some have noted, I found almost no resemblance to a Prestige. The mark of the Prestige, IMO, is outstanding control at the expense of power in a crisp yet soft, comfortable and forgiving package.

The mark of the Plat 99 was outstanding power, at the expense of control and comfort. Spin is very good, and the kick you get is phenomenal when you swing hard, however, it's harder to vary your swing speed and play with different spins, especially off the backhand.

In the end, I think it was just too much racquet for me. Also, the power doesn't help as much on clay. In fact, going for too much too early usually gets you in trouble. Yes, I hit many a cold winner, but I also fed my opponents plenty of pace that they gladly threw back at me.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the enlightenment.How does the Plat 99 compare to the BLX Six.One 95 18x20 in terms of comfort.Anyone who has played both.Thanks.
 
Dunlop Bio 200 18 x 20

Can anyone break down the advantages of 18 x 20 over other patterns.

For me, I think that the 18 x 20 gives a little bit more control for placement.
Also, I find myself not having to move my strings back in place as they dont move around a lot during the game. Any thoughts?

strings:
mains: Dunlop Juice 17 @ 54
Cross: Technifiber X-One BiPhase 16 @ 57
 
msalamon said:
Can anyone break down the advantages of 18 x 20 over other patterns.

For me, I think that the 18 x 20 gives a little bit more control for placement.
Also, I find myself not having to move my strings back in place as they dont move around a lot during the game. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Strengths of 18x20:
  • More consistent string-bed response
  • Better trajectory control (lower natural launch angle = more options)
  • Lower string-breakage (huge for me, who breaks 16x19 strings with amazing speed)
  • Ability to string at lower tensions without losing control

Those are a few thoughts. Anyone want to add? I almost said spin, but some 16x19 guy'd probably shoot me. Still...
 
Last edited:
Still in the club. I play three different 18x20 frames:

Volkl Tour 9 V-Engine, 18x20 - I keep coming back to this, strung at 50lbs with SPPP 1.23. What can I say, I'm getting older, the swingweight is easy to manage, and the control is extraordinary.

Dunlop M-Fil 200 - Was my go to stick until recently, but I ruined the balance going to leather grips. Perhaps it will make a comeback when I take the leather grips off or add some lead. ;-)

Prince NXG Mid - It's a tank, but sometimes I just need to hit with it. It is impossible to be pushed around with this stick, so long as I have the energy to swing it. So solid, so flexible, so spinny....

That said, I may be going to the dark-side soon, as the current Volkl 9 series is 16x19, and I may give it a shot. We shall see.
 
Winners or Errors said:
Strengths of 18x20:
  • More consistent string-bed response
  • Better trajectory control (lower natural launch angle = more options)
  • Lower string-breakage (huge for me, who breaks 16x19 strings with amazing speed)
  • Ability to string at lower tensions without losing control

Those are a few thoughts. Anyone want to add? I almost said spin, but some 16x19 guy'd probably shoot me. Still...
Click to expand...

When you say spin, what do you mean?

I mean, I still get good spin out of my Prestige Mid, but my 16x20 Aero Storms allow me to hit a spinnier ball.

For reference, the Prestige is strung with 18g X-One and the Storms are strung with the setup in my signature.
 
Wilson K Factor six one 95 18x20

I find as much or more spin with this racquet and string pattern as I did with my 16x20 patterened racquets. Also, better control, better feel & feedback.
 
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