this is not surprising due to head size-reduction... but it should help you move the racket a bit faster than those 2... also maybe those are extended frames and there is a quite a bit of SW difference etc... so I think it's very much normal that your timing will be thrown off.. If you stick with it those will adjust in time IF you like the "pros" enough to commit
The Yonex VCORE 98 fanclub
- Thread starter RGT
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Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
What you are feeling is the large difference in SW (and therefore stability). However, as the Blade 102 is of a similar static weight, you might have a harder time matching them to one another. If you want to have the same stability and plow-through as your Blade 102, you will need to add weight to both the head (at 3,9, and 12 o'clock) and the handle (I usually add weight 7" above the butt cap, and inside the butt cap - depending on what I'm trying to achieve with respect to overall weight and balance).
Of course, instead of buying a VCORE 98 Galaxy Black and modifying it for extra length, you could have just bought the VCORE 98+ which has a similar SW as your Blade 102 and is 27.5 in. long.
NRMM
Semi-Pro
what I do know is that I don’t want to go even nearer the sw of the 102 which was 340. Based on my experience also with a blade 104 I believe anything above the 330 mark will compromise manoeuvrability ; so if could get very small tweaks to get back some of that solid response to hard hitting serves and at the net then I believe adjustment will probably help. I much rather play with a frame that I can maintain a good level for 2-3 hours than a racquet that I play brilliantly for 1 hours and then all just becomes so cumbersome
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
Then add a bit of weight (maybe 1g) at 3,9, and 12 o'clock respectively... and whatever you've put there, match with weight at 7" above the butt cap (3g). Your racquet will be more stable and be better on return-of-serve. Or if you feel that is too much or too little, move up or down in weight accordingly.
Try it and see how you go.
ron schaap
Hall of Fame
you have to volley with a firm wrist umless you are executing touch shot. Not just slap at the ball.Update: so I played last night, half an hour singles, 2 hours doubles. Bear in mind that I've effectively from the Wilson Blade 102 to a customised Yonex Galaxy Black, as per the details above.
Pros
- so much more easier to swing, effortless
- I can play for longer at the same level
- there's so much spin coming from god knows where
- could transition well
- serve was okay, will have to keep working on adapting to the new racquet of course
Cons
- Strung with Solinco Tour Bite Grey 17 on mains at 57 lbs and VS Touch Black 1.3 at 55 lbs feels very comfortable, despite high tension.. I feel that, specially with shots on the run that I lack control. Wonder if that's because of just preparation or the head is too light (6HL), lacks mass.
- at the net, handling heavy returns/body shots, the handle just didn't just have enough stability
- returning heavy serves (one of my best shots) just felt more insecure and unsteady that with Blade 104 / Blade 102
Any thoughts guys?
dgoran
Hall of Fame
I am too cheap to put the gut in the cross but I do play 98 with vs gut in the mains and it's great I would just drop the tension next time to at least 50
daman sidhu
Rookie
I've tried gut/poly(champions choice) and full gut(vs gut). I liked the only gut combination way more. The feel and power of all gut is fantastic. Durability is obviously less. I have gotten some string savers and am going to try that next on a full get bed.
Tmano
Hall of Fame
I finally was able to hit a few time with the Vcore 98 the black one since the pandemic got a little better. Before covid I had used/still using the DR98 for a while.
So now the vcore 98 is different as everyone said, stiffer but not uncomfortable, with tad less power, same spin but it's not important to me, however, with good directional control, the vcore. I can see while with the DR my FH once hitting the court would sit up with the Vcore is more penetrating and can also hit sharper angles. With the DR those angles where hard to hit for sure. On the other hand the double back hand with the Vcore is a little less powerful, can still hit better angles than the DR, and it hits as flat as with the DR or with spin if needed.
Two things the DR was better were the off center hits and probably the larger sweet spot.
When with the Vcore i hit off center the double back hands drops in power noticeably and for the first time i could tell the instability of the frame and hear that ping noise coming from the string. The vcore has 2 g at 10 and 2g at 2 bu i'm not great at lead tape placement so i maybe made it worse that it was.
Overall i like the Vcore better than the DR. I think the back hands can be improved when i get back my footwork as well as the FH which i like it better than the DR already.
My question is how did you guys make the sweet spot larger on the Vcore, if possible?
So now the vcore 98 is different as everyone said, stiffer but not uncomfortable, with tad less power, same spin but it's not important to me, however, with good directional control, the vcore. I can see while with the DR my FH once hitting the court would sit up with the Vcore is more penetrating and can also hit sharper angles. With the DR those angles where hard to hit for sure. On the other hand the double back hand with the Vcore is a little less powerful, can still hit better angles than the DR, and it hits as flat as with the DR or with spin if needed.
Two things the DR was better were the off center hits and probably the larger sweet spot.
When with the Vcore i hit off center the double back hands drops in power noticeably and for the first time i could tell the instability of the frame and hear that ping noise coming from the string. The vcore has 2 g at 10 and 2g at 2 bu i'm not great at lead tape placement so i maybe made it worse that it was.
Overall i like the Vcore better than the DR. I think the back hands can be improved when i get back my footwork as well as the FH which i like it better than the DR already.
My question is how did you guys make the sweet spot larger on the Vcore, if possible?
Karma Tennis
Legend
Traditional ways of stretching the sweet spot ...
1/ Add weight to the locations on the hoop adjacent to the direction in which you want to stretch the sweet spot. It depends on where you most frequently make contact with the ball on the string bed.
2/ Tinker with the string tensions (or rather DT of the string bed). Lowering the overall tension of the string bed, or increasing the tension differential between the main strings and cross strings can potentially open up the string bed, make the racquet feel like it has a larger sweet spot and make the racquet more forgiving with off centre shots.
Of course the best way to make the sweet spot larger is to improve stroke technique in order to become a cleaner hitter
Tmano
Hall of Fame
Thanks Karma Tennis!
I'm definitely not the cleaner striker but i'm a decent player however i have never notice this so clearly with other frames.
I'm not good either at tinker the tension, it's confusing, although i play with the strings strung at 47/45. I would think if i place the lead at 3 and 9 that would make the sweet spot larger...right? or maybe it depends on which racquets since they are all different?
I'm definitely not the cleaner striker but i'm a decent player however i have never notice this so clearly with other frames.
I'm not good either at tinker the tension, it's confusing, although i play with the strings strung at 47/45. I would think if i place the lead at 3 and 9 that would make the sweet spot larger...right? or maybe it depends on which racquets since they are all different?
Karma Tennis
Legend
Placing weight at 3 and 9 will tend to stretch the sweet spot towards the directions of the weight. Adding weight in those spots will also increase the Twistweight of the racquet and make it a bit more stable at ball impace for off centre hits.
It is important to figure out where the ball impacts on the string bed mostly. Many players tend to hit most of their tennis balls in the area slightly above the centre of the string bed. So adding weight in the 2 to 3 and 9 to 10 sections of the hoop can work. You might want to try some slightly longer strips of lead tape in that case.
BTW, you can also use Blue Tac instead of lead tape for temporary testing that can be easily and quicly modified while you are hitting. Just weigh up some globs of Blue Tac, roll them into worm like lengths and apply them to the inside of the hope where you would put the lead tape. Use your fingers to flatten them out against the frame. You will be surprised how well that works for temporary testing.
Peyote Biornsson
Rookie
My son has 5 of the black frames and two of the gunmetal gray/pixellated paintjobs, gotta congratulate Yonex on quality control as they are all so close to published specs the difference is insignificant. My son can't tell the difference between any of them in terms of feel and playability. Only three are ever strung at the same time. Two have Triax in them at the moment and one has Dynawire in it (all strings are 17 gauge, or 16L at 53 lbs). The Triax is outstanding; it has taken a real beating and has refused to show wear so far. I know a lot of folks aren't fond of Dynawire but it seems OK for an inexpensive string, which is good as we have a huge spool of it. My kid tried the 2021 Vcore 98 and didn't like it nearly as much as the previous generation he plays with now because he thought the new VDM killed the feel he likes. Otherwise, he thought they were too similar to care about, which is why we have 7 of them; future proofing. None of the seven frames are modified in any way, other than Yonex vibration dampeners, but we know how if that becomes necessary. Much love for these. Just got a nice spanking new Yonex Pro Tournament bag in black, which is really nice too.
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Peyote Biornsson
Rookie
Oh, if it matters, the kid in question in my post above is 6' 4" 210 lbs, very strong all courter with a two handed bckhand and a love for the greasy sliding serve. I'm trying to get him to do more serve and volley, despite it being kind of a lost art and out of fashion) as he would be a natural at it as a central part of his game; tall, long arms and legs, good volleys, good imagination, and fast feet.
Peyote Biornsson
Rookie
Try Triax; good blend of power and control and is easy on the arm while being durable. I have it in two of my son's vCore 98 frames and he hits the crap out of the ball; he has no trouble providing his own power and the strings are holding up to it well, and they provide decent spin as well. We have Triax 17 at 53 in them. with regard to the frames themselves, my kid has been playing with these frames since he started and never had a power issue with them and he loves the feel, he can hit pretty much any shot he can think up with them.
Tmano
Hall of Fame
Thanks Karma Tennis!
I hit most of the time in the middle and when late the off center hits are close to 9. I never noticed as i mentioned before this drop in power during off hits with other racquets, DR 09 included, but now i maybe thinking it could be because of a little too stiff string. I'm using the Big Hitter silver 7tour in full bed.
I hit most of the time in the middle and when late the off center hits are close to 9. I never noticed as i mentioned before this drop in power during off hits with other racquets, DR 09 included, but now i maybe thinking it could be because of a little too stiff string. I'm using the Big Hitter silver 7tour in full bed.
Peyote Biornsson
Rookie
This is sort of interesting and I can't account for it. My son has 5 of the galaxy black 98s and 2 of the gunmetal gray SE 98s. the latter and 1 black one are currently strung and being played. All three weigh and swngweight exactly to spec with no modifications other than Yonex dampeners, and they are strung the same, but lately the kid swears the black one feels better than the gray ones even though they feel identical to him. I know that sounds like a contradicton, but can different paint change feel? If so, I guess we string up 2 more black ones and take the gray ones out of the rotation for awhile.
Rabbit
G.O.A.T.
Yes, different paint (matte v gloss) can change the feel of a frame.
David Le
Hall of Fame
The GM/LTD are gloss? I somehow thought it was matte like the black ones.
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Rabbit
G.O.A.T.
I do not know. I have been told that the type of paint can affect playability.
Peyote Biornsson
Rookie
Hey, David. You are correct in that both the black and the Ltd. edition are matte paint jobs, and both are beautiful paint jobs IMHO. But Rabbit may be on to something in that the two paint colors would have tdifferent chemical compositions to create the colors. Plus, the Ltd editions have this cool looking pixellated paint patterns (kind of a mix of matte and gloss) at 3 and 9 that could change feel as well if the chemical composition of the paint theory is true. Weird that someting like that could make a subtle difference, but I've seen stranger things. And I have to admit that I like the power and action I see coming off of my kid's serves when he uses the black vs. the gray. The truth lies somewhere I'm not capable of going I guess.
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Tmano
Hall of Fame
Interesting enough for me despite others i really tried to like the Vcore 98 ,and i still think it's a good frame but maybe it's not for me or i just could not find the right string set up, which is quite strange because i can almost play with anything. The DR 98 works just great and so far has proven to be one of best racquet i ever played with.
So if someone is interested in a Vcore 98 galaxy black in 4 1/4 grip size let me know. Condition is just great a solid 8.5 if not more. I almost considering to trade if for a Ezone 98 or DR 98 blue 4 1/4 more than selling it.
So if someone is interested in a Vcore 98 galaxy black in 4 1/4 grip size let me know. Condition is just great a solid 8.5 if not more. I almost considering to trade if for a Ezone 98 or DR 98 blue 4 1/4 more than selling it.
David Le
Hall of Fame
Yep that’s true. Love that some Yonex pros have glossy PJ on their racquets. Ex. Shapo
David Le
Hall of Fame
Yep, I love both pjs. The VC X Factor is a nice one too (Japan exclusive 16x18 pattern) In regards to the two racquet colors, I would think that the black would play more “dead” like a black poly string compared to the blue/gray hue to play more “lively” since it has a brighter color (like the OG Ferrari red)
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Tmano
Hall of Fame
i just google the grey one and it is quite nice looking!
Peyote Biornsson
Rookie
Loving the responses to my post. Thanks y'all. David: Good guess. The gray frames do appear more lively in my son's hands, and he tends to spray shots more, both good and bad. (I can't say from personal experience as health issues have reduced me to a coaching role only, which is a role I'm quite proud of at the moment) and the black frames definitely "sound" more dead and he produces more predictable shots from them ("predictable" in this context meaning that the ball goes where it is intended to go more often, not that an opponent can read what he is doing more easily). On the "dead" theme, he was hitting against our ball machine a couple of weeks ago with the black frame and an elderly woman walking by asked in a loud voice, "are you guys clubbing baby seals out here?", I assume in reference to the big "thwack" sound the black frames seem to make that is more pronounced vs the gray ones.(and I certainly don't advocate violence toward aquatic mammals of any kind, so please don't go there.) He doesn't notice, but i do and I like it. The black frames don't produce any less power vs the gray ones, they just sound different/deader. Could just be in my head cuz I think flat black frames are really cool, maybe not. Thats a matter for the psychiatrists. Kids being kids, my son prefers the gray ones primarily because of how they look, but I notice he is selecting the black out of the bag more lately for whatever reasons make sense to him.
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Perhaps there should be a thread for the VCORE 98 2021? Anyhow, this stick is the first racquet ever I can swing with 100 % speed and still maintaining a good amount of control. I love it. I tried many different strings, but so far Weiss Cannon Ultra Cable 24kg works best for me (sick kick serves) and Mayami Big Spin at 23 kg.
