Review of the PT 630
Hit for about an hour with the frame today and close to three hours yesterday. Both of these sessions included drilling and playing tie breaks with the woman’s grass court national champion (2008 ), and a 5.0. Strung with Luxilon Big Banger (full string job) at 55 lbs. My current frame is the Microgel Prestige Mid
Here are my thoughts.
Comparing it to the MG mid, although the overall weight feels similar, the SW is noticeably higher. This could be due to the frame not being as head-light as the MG Mid. The frame when strung is perhaps a point head light???? The SW feels similar to the Head Trisys 260 MP. I would imagine if it did not have the cap grommets, it would be more head-light, therefore making it easier to swing. It took me about 20 minutes to get into a nice rhythm, but once I did it was smooth sailing.
I have read a lot on the boards and in this thread the frame is flexible. On many occasions I have read it is even more flexible than the Prestige Classic 600. For those of you who know me, I prefer a stiffer feeling frame, so was apprehensive about this frame. Still, I wanted it to add to my collection of classic frames. With that said, on to the review:
From the first hit on the ball, I must say I was **VERY** pleasantly surprised to find it is not as flexible as other have noted. In my opinion, the frame is stiffer than the PC 600. I was absolutely loving the feel at contact. Very responsive without any gimmicks to take away the feel delivered to your hand when the frame strikes the ball. Frame has a rich feel to it, similar to the PC 600, however, with the frame not feeling as flexible>> it is more to my liking. IMO, it has much more of a direct response without the give of the PC600. The sweet spot was large, resulting in a forgiving feel on off-center hits. Also, there was no twisting of the frame. Two words> Rock Solid!
GROUND STROKES
Awesome. No other way to describe, but I will try. Off both wings I was able to generate good pace, excellent spin, and also flatten out the ball. Slice on the BH was also easy to generate, however the frame being more head heavy than I would prefer made it a bit uncomfortable. Power was easier to generate compared to the MG Mid. The PT 630 is a very clean and smooth feeling frame with both a lot of power and touch. There is very little if any vibration, and the frame completely absorbs impact with the ball. Control was excellent>>> Crank back, let it rip, and the frame responds. No surprises. If I needed topspin>> the frame responded. If I wanted to crank it with a flat ball>>> the frame responded. Best of both worlds.
VOLLEYS
As expected, the maneuverability at net is not excellent. The SW made it difficult to hit reaction volleys. This affected touch volleys and over-all control. However, when I was on time, the volleys were excellent with great punch, depth and added power. If one is on time, and set up properly>> The PT 630 does not get pushed around. Absolutely no twisting, and the added sweet spot makes off center hits almost unnoticeable.
SERVES
This is where I least enjoyed hitting with the frame. Again, as a result of the SW, I was not fully comfortable controlling the swing, therefore making it difficult to control ball placement. However, once I got more adjusted, I was managing very good pop, spin, and directional control. If this frame were more head-light, I’m positive my experience in this department would be much more enjoyable. The pop was easy to come by, as was spin. By the time we started playing tie-breaks, I was generating as much pop as with my MG, but I never truly became comfortable with it.
All in all, I had a very pleasurable experience with the PT 630. I really enjoyed the feel, heft of the frame, and how smooth it is to swing on ground strokes. The added power with no loss of control was an added bonus. I will be purchasing a normal head guard, and re-stringing it to take it out once more. If the SW problem is resolved>>> this would be my racquet of choice if I were to consider switching from the MG Mid. Has everything I love in a frame. Aside from the SW, which could be fixed to make it more to my liking>> the PT 630 is as solid a frame as they come with no visible weaknesses.
Thanks, and hope you enjoyed the review.