The Official Lead Tape Placement+Racket Customization Thread

[zalive]

Swing weight as standardly measured at approx. 10 cm from the butt stays about the same with anything you add to the handle.
However, you can still notice increase in power and changes in swing behaviour when you increase mass in the handle, because the nature of racquet swing and hit mechanics is more complex than just about swing weight measured at 10 cm from the butt.

 

[TennisHound]

Edited

 

[Irvin]

I wanted to add weight to my Yonex VCORE Duel G 97 330, so I added a leather grip and some weight in the handle to bring it to 391g. I am not sure what the swing weight is. Does the swing weight increase that much when adding weight to the handle or putting a leather grip on?

no

 

[Bender]

I've added an extra 3 g total at 12, 3, and 9, for a total of 6 g lead tape in the hoop in my PS95S.

There is an additional 8 g of lead tape stuck in the butt cap, and the synthetic grip that came with the racquet was replaced with a Wilson leather grip.

Currently using a full bed of Cyber Flash 17G at 49 lbs.

Total mass now off the top of my head is in the 350-355 g range.

Lovely setup so far; getting a lot of effortless power I could only get from the PS90.

Still breaks strings like no tomorrow, so I'll probably be sticking to the PS90 in the long run.

 

[anhboa2]

Someone enlighten me pls, i thought Federer or Wawrinka added more weight to the lower part of the racket. Their racket has higher static weight and less SW than the like of Djokovic (as reported by someone who owns them here)

 

[zalive]

For what I know, if you go for too polarized a setup you will eventually lower MgR/I too much resulting in a setup which lags through the swing, because of pendulum physics related to it.

To compensate for this you need to put some mass at the middle of the racquet, in the area from the top of the handle through throat up to the 12 o'clock area. Putting mass to this area will increase MgR/I (relatively) speeding up the racquet's head through swing.
The inevitable result of compensating MgR/I (ideally getting it to around value of 21) by putting some mass somewhere at described area is that you increase static weight without getting significant SW gain.

So while higher static weight is not as desireable by itself, a certain balance between SW and static weight is kind of wanted exactly because of connection to MgR/I. And in the end, mind that it's SW and lowish MgR/I that slow down a swing, it's no the static weight that does it by itself.

Pro players specs are their preferrence related to their playing style. And Novak's setup is specific for its high TW. But AFAIK Novak also uses some lead at 7'' as customized by P1, it's kind of a need when custom polarizing racquets, as probably done by all pros.

 

[Liam Grennon]

Hi, I have a blade 98 countervail and prefer a little heavier and head light setup which the blade is definitely not (I got it brand new for free) and so I have put around 10 grams of lead tape in the handle and want to put some in the butt cap but the handle is filled both sides with silicone, can I place the tape on top of the silicone? Or the backside of the cap?

 

[robbo1970]

I'm considering adding some weight to the handle of potentially two racquets. Both have a static weight of about 310g and a SW of 310/315. I'm happy with the SW but want them more headlight balanced and I'm enjoying a static weight these days of about 330g.

Therefore, I'm thinking about running strips of lead tape equally along each flat edge of the handle, from the butt to the top of the pallet, to achieve this weight.

My question initially goes to @Irvin and @zalive, as I know they have a good knowledge on such things. Any downsides to adding this sort of weight just to the handle? Cheers guys.

 

[purdyd]

Hi, I have a blade 98 countervail and prefer a little heavier and head light setup which the blade is definitely not (I got it brand new for free) and so I have put around 10 grams of lead tape in the handle and want to put some in the butt cap but the handle is filled both sides with silicone, can I place the tape on top of the silicone? Or the backside of the cap?

I put 5 grams of tungsten putty between the cap and foam size on my cv blade. It's a good place to add weight if you are trying to make it head light.

 

[zalive]

I'm considering adding some weight to the handle of potentially two racquets. Both have a static weight of about 310g and a SW of 310/315. I'm happy with the SW but want them more headlight balanced and I'm enjoying a static weight these days of about 330g.

Therefore, I'm thinking about running strips of lead tape equally along each flat edge of the handle, from the butt to the top of the pallet, to achieve this weight.

My question initially goes to @Irvin and @zalive, as I know they have a good knowledge on such things. Any downsides to adding this sort of weight just to the handle? Cheers guys.

My personal experience, the one I still can't explain, is that I don't like heavy grips since I noticed they can slow down a racquet through swing. Two strips of lead along flat edge might possibly do something similar. But since weight isn't too much it might be ok as well...so you should try it.

I personally wrap the lead around the handle (if there's no trap door and I don't want to bother with taking the butt cap off), either at the butt cap or at the top of the handle. Wrapping it around the butt cap is most neutral for specs, aside that it significantly increases recoil weight (which is actually good for volleying since it makes racquet more stable). But I usually put less than 20 grams at the butt. I still did up to three layers of lead in a two to three parallel wraps next to each other, going from the butt cap to the handle/pallet - I usuall put no more than two layers to the last wrap ending at pallets - and I was ok with the result, nothing that would bother me in play.

 

[Irvin]

I agree with @zalive any weight you add to the racket anywhere will slow down the frame. Adding lead strips under the grip will build up the grip but it is the easiest location to add it. If I had two rackets I would not add mass to either unless I was matching the, or knew the exact specs and was trying to determine an ideal setup for myself. If I were tail weighting a racket I would put the weight inside the grip

 

[robbo1970]

I agree with @zalive any weight you add to the racket anywhere will slow down the frame. Adding lead strips under the grip will build up the grip but it is the easiest location to add it. If I had two rackets I would not add mass to either unless I was matching the, or knew the exact specs and was trying to determine an ideal setup for myself. If I were tail weighting a racket I would put the weight inside the grip

Thanks for this. Basically I am trying to get my HM300 to the same weight and balance as my Dunlop F100. Both have the same SW, but the F100 is 330g with a lower balance point. Therefore, my thought is that if I run lead tape along the length of the handle on the HM300, it should work. And a slight increase to the grip size is fine.

 

[Irvin]

@robbo1970 seems like that would work but how much weight do you add where? Everyone when I was a kid in school used to say I'll never need this. Today they say, I don't need to know math I can use a calculator. LOL Time to break out the calculator isn't it? Maybe Siri knows how to use it.

I'm assuming your HM300 is lighter with a higher balance point, because you're going to add mass to the get the balance to match. You're overlooking the fact that your Inertia at center of mass (aka recoil weight) is different in the two rackets. You know the weight of the two rackets and the difference is the amount of weight you have to play with. Now you need to figure out where to stick that weight. You should be able to figure out the difference in inertia of the two frames and that difference is what you want to build up. Hopefully the lighter racket has the lower Inertia, because you can't lower inertia by adding mass.

So I'm going to assume your lighter racket is 10 g lighter, the inertia is 2 points lower, and the light racket is more head heavy (that's why you add mass to handle.)

I = mdd
I/m = dd
Sqrt(I/m) = d
Sqrt(2/0.01) = d
14.14 = d

So you put 10 g 14.14 cm below the balance point.

EDIT: Hopefully your balance and SW match or it's back to the drawing board.

 

[Irvin]

I also like to see what is going to happen to the Balance and SW before I just start adding on weight. You need to know where to add how much to get them to match before you ever start. No sense in trying to match something that does not match.

 

[robbo1970]

@robbo1970 seems like that would work but how much weight do you add where? Everyone when I was a kid in school used to say I'll never need this. Today they say, I don't need to know math I can use a calculator. LOL Time to break out the calculator isn't it? Maybe Siri knows how to use it.

I'm assuming your HM300 is lighter with a higher balance point, because you're going to add mass to the get the balance to match. You're overlooking the fact that your Inertia at center of mass (aka recoil weight) is different in the two rackets. You know the weight of the two rackets and the difference is the amount of weight you have to play with. Now you need to figure out where to stick that weight. You should be able to figure out the difference in inertia of the two frames and that difference is what you want to build up. Hopefully the lighter racket has the lower Inertia, because you can't lower inertia by adding mass.

So I'm going to assume your lighter racket is 10 g lighter, the inertia is 2 points lower, and the light racket is more head heavy (that's why you add mass to handle.)

I = mdd
I/m = dd
Sqrt(I/m) = d
Sqrt(2/0.01) = d
14.14 = d

So you put 10 g 14.14 cm below the balance point.

EDIT: Hopefully your balance and SW match or it's back to the drawing board.

Yes, both have the same SW at present, but the 300 is even balanced and the 100 is very HL. Therefore, I think I can add all the weight to the handle, increasing the static weight, keeping the same SW and moving the balance point lower.

 

[Irvin]

Yes, both have the same SW at present, but the 300 is even balanced and the 100 is very HL. Therefore, I think I can add all the weight to the handle, increasing the static weight, keeping the same SW and moving the balance point lower.

LOL - Good luck with that. I've never been that lucky.

 

[robbo1970]

I also like to see what is going to happen to the Balance and SW before I just start adding on weight. You need to know where to add how much to get them to match before you ever start. No sense in trying to match something that does not match.

I think I perhaps need to concentrate the weight as close to the butt end as possible to start with, then perhaps move up the handle to gradually spread the weight a bit.

 

[robbo1970]

LOL - Good luck with that. I've never been that lucky.

I think the starting specs on the 300 are in my favour, but it's not the end of the world if it doesn't become an exact match. The main objective is to get more weight to the handle and make the balance more HL and get the overall weight up without increasing the SW too much.

 

[morten]

For me putting weight at the buttcap area changes the frame more (mostly negative for me) Better putting weight at the end of the grip,7 inches from buttcap. Very good position.

 

[zalive]

There's no really a neutral change. Whatever and wherever you put or whatever you take off racquet, racquet will be changed in a certain way.

 

[tennisreflectslife]

Hey guys, I recently got the newer version of rf97 to match my older version, as TW people said its the same racket with new cosmetic. The rackets dont play similar for me, the newer one feels difficult to swing, especially when trying to hitting whippy shots or wristy shots. Might just be a quality control issue. Anyway, so I am thinking of adding some lead to make the racket feel more whippy. What would be best the place add and how much should I add ? I dont wanna add more than 10-12 gms as its already a heavy racket.

PS: I have removed the leather grrips and added babolat thin base grips instead on both.

 

[zalive]

You need to have both your racquets measured for static weight, balance point and swing weight (SW). You need this to do a comparison. After you find out their specs, possibly something can be done to make your new racquet play like the old one.

 

[tennisreflectslife]

U r right that wud be best way to go about it. I was looking for a more makeshift solution make it more whippy for now, as I dont have resources around for those measurements. Right now i think adding weight to hoop will only make more sluggish, so will start with putting some lead tape on the handle. Some people say polarization helps with whippyness, is it true in ur experience ?

 

[GBplayer]

But you have just removed weight from the handle to make it more head heavy?

 

[zalive]

There is an easy way to make it more whippy: wrap some lead tape around the top of the handle (at 7'' or 17-18 cm from the butt capp). Do it with at least 2 grams, then if you need more whippy, wrap another 2 grams.

However, if whippiness sensation comes from the older one being lighter than the newer one, it might not be the exact whippy sensation you're look for. Putting lead at the top of the handle effectively speeds up the swing, but it certainly won't make a racquet lighter. However I do encourage you to try this out and see if it works for you.

 

[morten]

Hey guys, I recently got the newer version of rf97 to match my older version, as TW people said its the same racket with new cosmetic. The rackets dont play similar for me, the newer one feels difficult to swing, especially when trying to hitting whippy shots or wristy shots. Might just be a quality control issue. Anyway, so I am thinking of adding some lead to make the racket feel more whippy. What would be best the place add and how much should I add ? I dont wanna add more than 10-12 gms as its already a heavy racket.

PS: I have removed the leather grrips and added babolat thin base grips instead on both.

I measured swingweight of 7 new black RFs an they ranged from 303 to 334 unstrung.. add about 30 points more with strings and you know where i am going... to Yonex. 334 pluss 30 is 364.. !! Just saying.. Thanks folks

 

[Irvin]

Hey guys, I recently got the newer version of rf97 to match my older version, as TW people said its the same racket with new cosmetic. The rackets dont play similar for me, the newer one feels difficult to swing, especially when trying to hitting whippy shots or wristy shots. Might just be a quality control issue. Anyway, so I am thinking of adding some lead to make the racket feel more whippy. What would be best the place add and how much should I add ? I dont wanna add more than 10-12 gms as its already a heavy racket.

PS: I have removed the leather grrips and added babolat thin base grips instead on both.

Sounds like your newer frame has a higher SW and or balance to me. A higher balance (all else being equal) will result in a higher SW. There is no point on the racket where you can add mass to make the racket easier to swing (make it more whippet.) imagine you much first whip the racket as it is not and whatever mass you add.

The butt cap will add about 1/4" to the overall length of a racket. Get another butt cap and cut out the button of the butt cap so it will slide up on the handle. Slide it up so the bottom of the butt cap is even with the handle. That should lower the SW 8-10 points.

 

[Irvin]

But you have just removed weight from the handle to make it more head heavy?

You've also lowered the Recoil Weight of the racket so it ends up being a wash believe it or not. If you add mass to the SW axis you will not increase SW. You will increase inertia and lower the balance so again it's a wash.

 

[morten]

Only option is to cut some of the bumper guard. Done it many times. Sometimes it worked. Not with the RF...

 

[zalive]

I measured swingweight of 7 new black RFs an they ranged from 303 to 334 unstrung.. add about 30 points more with strings and you know where i am going... to Yonex. 334 pluss 30 is 364.. !! Just saying.. Thanks folks

Lol morten...meaning some actually closely hit actual Roger's specs...without any lead

 

[tennisreflectslife]

Thanks for the comments guys. I am not sure if I want to cut the bumpers or the butcap, the racket is too good looking to do that haha. Luckily its not my goto stick right now (playing with angell tc97) but will try keep experimenting whenver i get chance. Will definitely try what u said @zalive , it sounds fascinating. I have added around 4.5 gms of lead at 12 o clock to my angell tc97 which was already 330 gms, and it still swings faster than rf97. So cannot believe the strung swingweight of the rf97 i have is 335.

 

[zalive]

Well, morten wrote what's possible with stock RF's...SW above 365 plus MgR/I well under 21 and it's a really heavy to swing a stick...at least you can correct MgR/I to a normal value, and that's what 7'' lead is for...

 

[Shroud]

Well, morten wrote what's possible with stock RF's...SW above 365 plus MgR/I well under 21 and it's a really heavy to swing a stick...at least you can correct MgR/I to a normal value, and that's what 7'' lead is for...

Iirc i had to put 35g at 7" to get things right on the RF 97a. After the lead i added

 

[zalive]

Iirc i had to put 35g at 7" to get things right on the RF 97a. After the lead i added

That's radical, mate...but I know you like to add a lot to the tip, so I can understand why so much...
Never added more than 16-18 grams at 7'' on any of mine, but then again you know me and how I like to go with lead tape around the hoop more than to concentrate it at the tip...

 

[tennisreflectslife]

Iirc i had to put 35g at 7" to get things right on the RF 97a. After the lead i added

That is crazy !!! lol
I will start with 10 gms then go upto 15. Will update the findings here!

 

[Shroud]

17 g in the hoop

 

[tennisreflectslife]

Just out of curiosity, did u feel rf97 needed any more power or stability and that being the reason u added lead to the hoop ? or was it achieve other characteristics live polarized feel etc ? I am especially curious about the reason for lead at 3 and 9 ? Also do u feel that adding counterweight at 7 inch above the handle makes the racket feel more whippy compared to adding at the very bottom ? looking at this racket I feel ur flat shots must be absolutely crushing !!

 

[Shroud]

Just out of curiosity, did u feel rf97 needed any more power or stability and that being the reason u added lead to the hoop ? or was it achieve other characteristics live polarized feel etc ? I am especially curious about the reason for lead at 3 and 9 ? Also do u feel that adding counterweight at 7 inch above the handle makes the racket feel more whippy compared to adding at the very bottom ? looking at this racket I feel ur flat shots must be absolutely crushing !!

I had to lead it up because it was too head light. Long story but my handle addss about 50g and i normally buy lighter head heavy stiff racquets. The RF 97a was a playtst thanks to tw! I also have a higher sw around 400 so the lead was to get it close to the sw and balance i normally use. Lol i served like crap woth that racquet cause it was so headlight and lacking sw.

3-9 just seemed like it couldnt hurt. It was around 435g iirc and was a beast. Loved it on ground strokes but i hated it on everything else. Too flexy

Anyhow here is a point where i used the weight to good advantage

 

[tennisreflectslife]

haha fun video. With that kind of racket i can see that all u have to do is swing it freely and once the ball lands deep it probably aint coming back. problem is i cannot use such a racket against good defensive players at around 5.0. in those situations i have add lot more spin and myself play defensive sometimes, and such racket is difficult to whip or gets in late to contact point. i face this problem even in my unleaded rf97, so respect to u for using it while leaded so much! all said tho, i still like older (more mageable rf97). its the most solid racket i have played with. has both power and control. however, i m enjoy a polarized angell tc97 right now.

 

[Shroud]

haha fun video. With that kind of racket i can see that all u have to do is swing it freely and once the ball lands deep it probably aint coming back. problem is i cannot use such a racket against good defensive players at around 5.0. in those situations i have add lot more spin and myself play defensive sometimes, and such racket is difficult to whip or gets in late to contact point. i face this problem even in my unleaded rf97, so respect to u for using it while leaded so much! all said tho, i still like older (more mageable rf97). its the most solid racket i have played with. has both power and control. however, i m enjoy a polarized angell tc97 right now.

Yeah i can see that!! I think its worth a try to put 20-30g at 7"'up on the handle and then see if it gets whippy enough for you

I use poster putty for this since its removeable. Cant hurt to try

 

[prjacobs]

Deleted...

 

[prjacobs]

Sorry.... Deleted again

 

[prjacobs]

iPad acting up..... Deleted

 

[prjacobs]

Sorry, my iPad is rebelling.

 

[prjacobs]

Not a good internet day.... Deleted

 

[prjacobs]

Bad internet day here....

 

[Irvin]

I have two 2013 APDs. I added a bit of lead and they both weigh 323 grams, 33.2 balance and a SW of 324. I usually add lead at 3 and 9 and balance it under the grip, as close to the butt as I can. A few days ago, with some feedback from a forum member, I decided to take a 2.5 gram tungsten strip and on one frame, add it at 12, and on the other frame add it ad 7". At 12, my SW went up to 332 and at 7" the SW is essentially the same.Oddly, I felt that the frame with the additional weight at 7 seemed more sluggish than the one with the 2.5 grams at 12. Is that because once I get the one with weigh at 12 moving, the increased SW improved the momentum? I was interested to see how I'd serve with that extra weight at 12 and I served really well. I think the balance moves .15 cm towards the head. And it's now 33.47. The one thing I haven't done is add lead only in the handle to see how that feels. Any APD users or lead customizers have any comments or thoughts?


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Ok already I believe you. lOL

 

[prjacobs]

Ok already I believe you. lOL

Sorry, my iPad connection is not happy...


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[prjacobs]

Ok already I believe you. lOL

Sorry, my iPad connection is not happy...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[prjacobs]

Ok already I believe you. lOL

Sorry, my iPad connection is not happy...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[prjacobs]

Ok already I believe you. lOL

Sorry, my iPad connection is not happy...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Irvin]

Sorry, my iPad connection is not happy...


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It's not you iPad it's the TW server, been happening for a while now. We must be patient for a while until they find the bug.

 

[zalive]

@Irvin: I think you should paste 5he description of your excellent experiment here. Well deserves the place.

Anyway I'm still perplexed why some players report slowing down. But at the same time, I experienced this on one of my recent customizations. It was on i.Radical customized to 354 grams without dampener. When I did put a 6 grams Prince dampener, racquet felt quite inert and heavy. Not necessary that it slowed down but you could feel its heaviness and inertia through swing. That happened when I placed the dampener next to the hoop at 6 o'clock. Then I moved it to usual spot next to the first cross string...and then, racquet became easier to swing. Which is funny because by doing this I actually decreased MgR/I a bit and increased SW a bit at the same time. Now, grip weight on that one is not little, and basic grip is at 16 grams, I usually use lighter ones. I notice the heavier basic grip I use, the more inertia I can get when I get into my customization range. But moving a dampener few centimeters up made somehow a difference.

I cannot explain this. As I say, I observe, and in most cases increased MgR/I brings a faster swing as well. And Irvin confirmed this also with his experiment. But there are certain situations when this possibly is not as simple, because of something that we possibly don't know about yet.

 

[Irvin]

@Irvin: I think you should paste 5he description of your excellent experiment here. Well deserves the place...

No problem here it is

Like I said I don't believe it. I I tried a little experiment, I let a racket pivot from a 10 cm axis and measured the period with SwingTool so I could eliminate any Human factors. The period was 1.332 seconds with =/- 0.002 second error. If the period goes up when I add weight then more force is required to swing the racket because in actuality the force remains constant gravity. On the other hand If the period goes down then less force is required to swing the racket.

I then added 10 g of weight at 7" from the butt approximately. The period then was 1.315 seconds with +/- 0.009 second accuracy. The period went down, meaning less force was required, meaning the racket will be more maneuverable. I WAS WRONG! YOU AND @Shroud WERE right! There I've said it even though I did choke a little.

BUT KNOW THIS, I added 10 g approximately 7.75 cm above the axis so m;y SW should have gone up 0.6 units. If SW is a measure of force required how does a higher SW result in a smaller force required to swing the racket. I have no idea but know this I will find out, or I will retract those bitter words I had to force out. LOL

BTW Did I say your were right and I was wrong!!

Zalive also said

Anyway I'm still perplexed why some players report slowing down. But at the same time, I experienced this on one of my recent customizations. It was on i.Radical customized to 354 grams without dampener. When I did put a 6 grams Prince dampener, racquet felt quite inert and heavy. Not necessary that it slowed down but you could feel its heaviness and inertia through swing. That happened when I placed the dampener next to the hoop at 6 o'clock. Then I moved it to usual spot next to the first cross string...and then, racquet became easier to swing. Which is funny because by doing this I actually decreased MgR/I a bit and increased SW a bit at the same time. Now, grip weight on that one is not little, and basic grip is at 16 grams, I usually use lighter ones. I notice the heavier basic grip I use, the more inertia I can get when I get into my customization range. But moving a dampener few centimeters up made somehow a difference.

I cannot explain this. As I say, I observe, and in most cases increased MgR/I brings a faster swing as well. And Irvin confirmed this also with his experiment. But there are certain situations when this possibly is not as simple, because of something that we possibly don't know about yet.

I'm not done with experimenting on this quite yet @zalive. You say you still don't understand how some can say the racket is slowing down. Well believe it or not I still can. I think it all depends on your point of reference. It's all about the distance from the axis to the center of mass and where you add the weight. The period is dependent on two things the distance from the axis to the center of mass and the inertia (aka Recoil Weight.)

You're saying the racket is whipper because you probably have a loose grip and whip the head through the ball because the distance from the COM to the axis is much shorter than is you had a tight grip.

 

[Irvin]

@Irvin: I think you should paste 5he description of your excellent experiment here. Well deserves the place...

No problem here it is

Like I said I don't believe it. I I tried a little experiment, I let a racket pivot from a 10 cm axis and measured the period with SwingTool so I could eliminate any Human factors. The period was 1.332 seconds with =/- 0.002 second error. If the period goes up when I add weight then more force is required to swing the racket because in actuality the force remains constant gravity. On the other hand If the period goes down then less force is required to swing the racket.

I then added 10 g of weight at 7" from the butt approximately. The period then was 1.315 seconds with +/- 0.009 second accuracy. The period went down, meaning less force was required, meaning the racket will be more maneuverable. I WAS WRONG! YOU AND @Shroud WERE right! There I've said it even though I did choke a little.

BUT KNOW THIS, I added 10 g approximately 7.75 cm above the axis so m;y SW should have gone up 0.6 units. If SW is a measure of force required how does a higher SW result in a smaller force required to swing the racket. I have no idea but know this I will find out, or I will retract those bitter words I had to force out. LOL

BTW Did I say your were right and I was wrong!!

Anyway I'm still perplexed why some players report slowing down. But at the same time, I experienced this on one of my recent customizations. It was on i.Radical customized to 354 grams without dampener. When I did put a 6 grams Prince dampener, racquet felt quite inert and heavy. Not necessary that it slowed down but you could feel its heaviness and inertia through swing. That happened when I placed the dampener next to the hoop at 6 o'clock. Then I moved it to usual spot next to the first cross string...and then, racquet became easier to swing. Which is funny because by doing this I actually decreased MgR/I a bit and increased SW a bit at the same time. Now, grip weight on that one is not little, and basic grip is at 16 grams, I usually use lighter ones. I notice the heavier basic grip I use, the more inertia I can get when I get into my customization range. But moving a dampener few centimeters up made somehow a difference.

I cannot explain this. As I say, I observe, and in most cases increased MgR/I brings a faster swing as well. And Irvin confirmed this also with his experiment. But there are certain situations when this possibly is not as simple, because of something that we possibly don't know about yet.

I'm not done with experimenting on this quite yet @zalive. You say you still don't understand how some can say the racket is slowing down. Well believe it or not I still can. I think it all depends on your point of reference. It's all about the distance from the axis to the center of mass and where you add the weight. The period is dependent on two things the distance from the axis to the center of mass and the inertia (aka Recoil Weight.)

You're saying the racket is whipper because you probably have a loose grip and whip the head through the ball because the distance from the COM to the axis is much shorter than is you had a tight grip.