ChrisJR3264
Hall of Fame
I’m still curious why the specs haven’t been released - unless I missed it lol.I really like the new paintjob of TF40. Any hype around the 315 16x19 ?
Ultimate racquet of choice - tournament players and/or coaches
- Thread starter galapagos
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- best racquet holy grail
galapagos
Hall of Fame
feel is superb. one of the best out of my selections (if not the best). Low powered yes. I think it has to be customized to shine.
There is not that many "more spin friendly prestige" racquets that are 16x19. Percept comes to my mind as well but it has similar pros/cons. Radical Pro too stiff in feel. Prestige Tour is more classic in forgiveness. any other frames?
galapagos
Hall of Fame
Rumours are that its the same stick but maybe due to a different paintjob (a bit more colors at the top?) the SW range might be a tiny bit higher overall ? That could be very interesting !
yourtennisfit
Professional
I think they just take three rackets from the batch and measure those...
Tecnifibre themselves say its a design upgrade
galapagos
Hall of Fame
Diadem Elevate Tour. Unlocking next frames from my tournament of racquets this one is more classic in feel, weight distribution and forgiveness but thats exactly why I like it. However it still has some interesting „modern”solutions to keep it relevant against the other „control/spin” frames. Kinda vcore 95 mixed with pro staff and radical.
this one is more classic in feel, weight distribution and forgiveness but thats exactly why I like it. However it still has some interesting „modern”solutions to keep it relevant against the other „control/spin” frames. Kinda vcore 95 mixed with pro staff and radical.
Westerwick
Rookie
Great review, Danny. I appreciate the plow through argument that favors the slightly heavier racquet, but for now I'll stay with the 305 g Elevate non-tour which I absolutely love. I always find that I'm just a fraction behind with the heavier racquets, and play a lot of net doubles, so that delay shows up in my shots. I also find that the foam filling and the slightly softer 64 RA for the Elevate suit my style and dampen vibrations without turning the racquet soggy--I usually use a Federer/Serena Williams style reverse gut hybrid and find I can hit the ball hard all day and never have elbow or shoulder issues.Diadem Elevate Tour. Unlocking next frames from my tournament of racquets
If I see a used Elevate Tour cheap I may pick it up just to try it out and compare. Thanks again for the review.
galapagos
Hall of Fame
Oh yes, i love the regular for that feeling, dwell time and pocketing. I think it gives me slightly more spin. Tour is a bit hotter not only coz of its weight but also stiffness. I think they went a little too far. They wanted to make the offer different but actually i think they would sell more tours if the specs were a bit softer. No issues with comfor for me. But the flex style is different
galapagos
Hall of Fame
quick info. From time to time I give some of my racquets to other people just to pick some other perspectives.
This time it was Boom MP against the Iga Tempo. Begginer, had maybe 10 lessons so far. Despite the smaller headsize it was much easier to accelerate with the Iga Tempo and therefore perform better. No misshits with either frames. Tempo was a winner
This time it was Boom MP against the Iga Tempo. Begginer, had maybe 10 lessons so far. Despite the smaller headsize it was much easier to accelerate with the Iga Tempo and therefore perform better. No misshits with either frames. Tempo was a winner
Birdwatcher
New User
glad to hear there's another 16x20 hater out there for the same reasons i haveDiadem Elevate Tour. Unlocking next frames from my tournament of racquets
galapagos
Hall of Fame
The group is small for some reason
landcookie
Semi-Pro
@galapagos i got a hitting partner to use a tc100 today. The return response was off centre shots are unforgiving, but shots are huge if hit well. This is coming from a very good competitive player.
Do you find this true for the TC 100/95s? I’ve used the 100 for as long as I can remember so can’t say I know any better.
I also wonder if in your opinion there are more forgiving racquets compared to the tc100/95 but still maintains similar performance in terms of hitting a massive ball while still having amazing feel.
Do you find this true for the TC 100/95s? I’ve used the 100 for as long as I can remember so can’t say I know any better.
I also wonder if in your opinion there are more forgiving racquets compared to the tc100/95 but still maintains similar performance in terms of hitting a massive ball while still having amazing feel.
Gee
Hall of Fame
I also played with TC100 (and many other Angells) so I know the power and feel of them. I also think the TC100 is just too lively (unforgiving) like your hitting partner concluded.
I (and many other Angell fans here) have always hoped for Angell to produce a more controlled version of the TC100, and the answer is the TC99!
galapagos
Hall of Fame
Depends a lot from the specs. Angell with lower SW felt very unforgiving and anemic. Close to what I experience with head extreme tour (havent tried the pro yet but its in the academy so i will review it eventually).
With SW in the range of 294-305 tc95 and tc100 felt very forgiving and consistent in response (However the response is kinda on a hotter side if you choose wrong string and or tension).
Current angells are a bit stiffer I think ? By 1 point so unfortunately not that good move imo for this type of frame.
The closest frames to tc95/100 in terms of feel/control/power ratio were:
1. Tecnifibre TF40 315 customized (but strung at 22/21kg with 1.25 string compared to my tc95 at 24kg with 1.30)
2. Head Speed Pro 360+ (was it 2020 release?)
3. Diadem Elevate Tour v3 (it likes same strings and tension although slightly different stiffer response, more control on a plus side)
4. Yonex Vcore 98 Tour (similar bite and hot response but i feel like its string sensitive)
@Gee is enjoying some Prince frames.
Many will look at the Gravity Pro but the feel is a bit different (colder) - closer to Prestige Pro
I enjoyed Prestige Tour 16x19. Played amazing backhands with it but overall its much more demanding.
I enjoyed Prestige MP 18x19 (most forgiving with great overall balance of spin and control. You can string it low at 21kg and get some bite from it as well). Not my favourite weight distribution for serving but on the groundstrokes its a dream.
Tfight 305 18x19 is nice but more as an alternative to 18x20 tc95.
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landcookie
Semi-Pro
My tc 100 sits between 325-330 SW depending on strings.
I personally don’t find stability an issue but again, been playing with it for so long I don’t really have a reference point.
I am the most intrigued by the extreme pro at the moment, so get in there and do your play test!
Would you say the prestige tour 16x19 is more demanding than the tc 95 or 100?
I’ve briefly hit with rs305 and tf40 and honestly couldn’t tell the difference! They both feel good though.
Also hit with head boom a little but didn’t like it. Same with the new vcore 98. Balls we’re rocketing off a hitting partner though and he liked it best between vcore 98 and tc95 - also played the most consistent.
galapagos
Hall of Fame
Prestige Tour is similarly demanding to swing but gives less power and is maybe a bit less stable. Smaller sweet spot but you feel prestige DNA. Tc95 maybe is a bit more like pro staff mixed with a blade. Or „soft pro staff”.
So far people in the academy found Extreme pro a bit too lively to consider switching (speed pro and radical pro users).
Boom Pro was not for us as well. Only Percept 97 user liked it with a one handed backhand.
Tfight vs TF40 is mainly weight distribution and power potential vs feel/comfort. TF40 is a tiny bit more comfortable but offers less power especially on serves. However the control is top of the top. 16x19 obviously easier to spin with.
Which TC 95 ? Because Pro Staff has low launch angle. I cannot manage an high launch angle. That's why I hate my PD. Any my elbow too hates PD.
I also own a Volkl C10 Pro (it's an 98 frame). At the beginning I felt it a bit underpowered. The sensation is improving. But I still doubt to order more of them because it feels a bit too much buttery.
The only real alternatives I see (add the grip 5 availability problem) are in the Angell product line, I guess.
How do you think is the comparison with a C10 Pro?
galapagos
Hall of Fame
havent tried C10 Pro. I know one pro coach using it so i believe it could be awesome.
TC95 16x19 63ra. but strung with Luxilon Original 1.30 at 24kg or Tourna Silver 7 Tour 1.30 or Lynx Tour 1.30. my "launch control strings" in tc95.
ChrisJR3264
Hall of Fame
galapagos
Hall of Fame
Speed MP. Imo best speed mp in a while and i tried many of them. Its a great frame but not my type of racquet. Maybe if the specs were perfectly matched to my preference..but there are better frames from Head that are already working better in my hands in stock form. From the speed line speed pro continues to be my favourite.
Wow! You have to try a C10 soon, I think you'll love it.
galapagos
Hall of Fame
Isnt it 330g with 31 cm ? Sounds heavy
Gee
Hall of Fame
I think you should just try it! It plays lighter than you would think. I played 3 years with this one so I know this C10 Pro.
Besides the Angell TC99 is a must-try for you as well.
Fintft
G.O.A.T.
For a controlled racquet with tons of power that swings very easily nothing beats HEAD TGT 293.1 around 305 unstrung and 340g strung with OG, 328 SW.
Get it cheaper from Germany or flee bay, not from prostock.com where it sells for USD600. In Germany you can find at 1/4 of the price.
Get it cheaper from Germany or flee bay, not from prostock.com where it sells for USD600. In Germany you can find at 1/4 of the price.
galapagos
Hall of Fame
i will demo blade 16x19 and blade pro at some point. Used to play with the blade (2015). Was hurting my wrist but other than that a seriously good frame.
ChrisJR3264
Hall of Fame
After 2 hours with the gravity pro
I am going to possibly switch from the tfight 305. Uhhhhhhhhh butter.
I am going to possibly switch from the tfight 305. Uhhhhhhhhh butter.
galapagos
Hall of Fame
And this demo was with the leather ?
smithie
Professional
Interesting take. Personally I would prefer a more closed 16x20 like the prior generations or even an 18x20Yonex Vcore 95, most forgiving 95” on the market but imo Yonex should make it 16x19 and put 16x20 on the vcore 98 tour
galapagos
Hall of Fame
With 16x19 i might be able to use 1.30 strings. Now if i put 1.30 the frame is dead.
smithie
Professional
I forget about your preference of 1.30 gauge so that makes sense. I’ve been using strings between 1.20-1.25 and wish for less string spacing to help knife slices (which I think is abit of a negative with this frame) and to tame the launch angle slightly (bare in mind that my reference frames prior to this is dense 18x20).
I also think that if they remove VDM in the next generation then the feel will be better overall
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galapagos
Hall of Fame
Hehe Ye, so kinda opposite direction. Tighter string pattern so to use 1.20 gauges hehe. I find thinner gauges often to be too springy but its been a while I used a very tight pattern like in blade or prestige. Coaches in the academy use 1.25 in their prestige pro and speed pro and to get the power and spin back they just drop tension quite hard. 20kg +/- 1kg
gravity pro on the other side with such big headsize is not that perfect for 1.20 imo.
So I guess 1.20 could work for me in prestige pro and blades only haha (tried in in tfight 305 and it was not my style)
galapagos
Hall of Fame
galapagos
Hall of Fame
Precept 100D - most wanted demo racquet after Karue’s Sell success?
Whiteout 18x20 - had huge wave of positive reviews online
Prestige Tour - one of the oldest molds from Head in their catalog. Musetti was playing with it as a junior.
Prestige MP - nobody really cared about it until my positive review and its finally making it to US market Chris already switched to it
Whiteout 18x20 - had huge wave of positive reviews online
Prestige Tour - one of the oldest molds from Head in their catalog. Musetti was playing with it as a junior.
Prestige MP - nobody really cared about it until my positive review and its finally making it to US market
Chris already switched to it
galapagos
Hall of Fame
About prestige MP:Precept 100D - most wanted demo racquet after Karue’s Sell success?
Whiteout 18x20 - had huge wave of positive reviews online
Prestige Tour - one of the oldest molds from Head in their catalog. Musetti was playing with it as a junior.
Prestige MP - nobody really cared about it until my positive review and its finally making it to US market
I love it to the point where It’s a very possible switch. It gave me slightly more pocketing and feel compared to speed pro from 2022 (used with leather, in stock not a fan). In general 360+ speed pro for some reason is my favourite speed to date (havent tried the newest yet).
Prestige MP is maybe most user friendly „control” racquet i have ever tested. Absolutely amazing on returns. Prestige MP is lower powered than speed pro but offers more spin which makes the frame amazing on groundstrokes exchanges. It feels like I have response to every ball from every situation and its easier to open up the court with tighter angles since its not that much explosive. I can guide the ball and its easy to play with different shapes so very versatile. Its basicly what I wanted prestige MP L to be. I already convinced 2 players in the academy to switch over. Recent was the speed pro user (with leather too) that in general loved the speed pro but was finding it sometimes too heavy or too powerful.
Seems to perform better with round strings than shaped (tried with hawk touch and lynx tour). Also performs better at lower tensions. 21kg
I purchased prestige tour first since the backhands were absolutely top of the top. But volleys were too demanding. I will borrow my friend’s prestige mp who already put leather on it. Hopefuly my backhands will have a bit more penetration (this forward throwing feel) and maybe will be easier to snap the serves. Only two things that i was missing with prestige mp. I assume its connected more with the specs rather than the design. Leather sounds like a good solution although in theory it is 320g/315mm so i guess most would prefer 320g/310mm at this point.
I think if someone is usually stringing racquets at higher tensions then might not appreciate the frame as it looses the feel and pocketing. Looses the magic. Thats maybe why there is not that many positive reviews around it. But I feel like i shifted the attention a little and i will continue to do so. must try!
Its a „new wave” of prestige fanbase
Just go low in tensions guys. Its still a prestige racquet
galapagos
Hall of Fame
Another review - Yonex Percept 97D. I also had playtested the OG Yonex Percept 97 HD (ohh the PJ was amazing on that one!)
HD felt heavier to swing and more explosive. Percept 97D faster and more control oriented with maybe a bit less spin but definitely better on groundstrokes. I felt the loading , unloading much better so this must be really close to my specs. Everything else very very similar.
HD felt heavier to swing and more explosive. Percept 97D faster and more control oriented with maybe a bit less spin but definitely better on groundstrokes. I felt the loading , unloading much better so this must be really close to my specs. Everything else very very similar.
galapagos
Hall of Fame
TOURNAMENT OF RACQUETS xd getting hotter!
Diadem Elevate Tour vs Tecnifibre TF40 315 16x19 (2022 version)
Elevate Tour:
-more power
-higher launch
-more forgiving but less consistent in response
-more spin
-good on serves
-good on counterpunches
TF40 315 (customized):
-amazing feel,touch,comfort
-great control
-easy to accelerate
-lower launch angle
-not that easy to push back the opponent from defensive situations
-could have a bit more free power on serves
both frames could be more stable. Elevate could be more consistent in response, TF40 could be more stable in stock form (or at least higher starting SW would be nice)
Diadem Elevate Tour vs Tecnifibre TF40 315 16x19 (2022 version)
Elevate Tour:
-more power
-higher launch
-more forgiving but less consistent in response
-more spin
-good on serves
-good on counterpunches
TF40 315 (customized):
-amazing feel,touch,comfort
-great control
-easy to accelerate
-lower launch angle
-not that easy to push back the opponent from defensive situations
-could have a bit more free power on serves
both frames could be more stable. Elevate could be more consistent in response, TF40 could be more stable in stock form (or at least higher starting SW would be nice)
galapagos
Hall of Fame
Final 8 racquets!
-My sparing partners usually mention that I should be playing with either prestige racquet or vcore 95.
-Head coach of the academy said my game with the yonex vcore tour is most „spectacular” (heavy and fast ball)
-my heart somehow is with the tfight 305 but my brain is telling me that probably I should pick something more headlight.
-outside the tournament i also have Percept 97 and TF40 315 16x19 recent release (very similar sticks)
i will pick the racquet that will give me more wins and this usually means ability to maintain quality on every shot from every position especially transitioning from defense to offense (good at counter attacks)
So basicly we have few groups of frames:
„Modern control”:
Gravity Pro, Tfight 305, Percept 97D, Elevate Tour, Prestige MP
„Ultimate control”:
Prestige Pro
dont know how to call this group? „Middle grounders”, „spinny houdini” , „Sneaky B” ? :
Whiteout 16x19, Vcore Tour
- Tecnifibre Tfight 305 18x19 (modern control)
- Head Prestige Pro (ultimate control)
- Yonex Percept 97D (modern control)
- Diadem Elevate Tour (oldschool meets modern)
- Yonex Vcore 98 Tour (TOMMMY the blade killer)
- Head Prestige MP 18x19 (Djokovic's retirement)
- Solinco Whiteout 16x19 ("let's do some damage!")
- Head Gravity Pro (modern control)
-My sparing partners usually mention that I should be playing with either prestige racquet or vcore 95.
-Head coach of the academy said my game with the yonex vcore tour is most „spectacular” (heavy and fast ball)
-my heart somehow is with the tfight 305 but my brain is telling me that probably I should pick something more headlight.
-outside the tournament i also have Percept 97 and TF40 315 16x19 recent release (very similar sticks)
i will pick the racquet that will give me more wins and this usually means ability to maintain quality on every shot from every position especially transitioning from defense to offense (good at counter attacks)
So basicly we have few groups of frames:
„Modern control”:
Gravity Pro, Tfight 305, Percept 97D, Elevate Tour, Prestige MP
„Ultimate control”:
Prestige Pro
dont know how to call this group? „Middle grounders”, „spinny houdini” , „Sneaky B” ? :
Whiteout 16x19, Vcore Tour
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galapagos
Hall of Fame
landcookie
Semi-Pro
Once you decide on a winner I would love to see you compare it to your Angell TC95.Final 8 racquets!
Some key notes that I can share with you:
- Tecnifibre Tfight 305 18x19 (modern control)
- Head Prestige Pro (ultimate control)
- Yonex Percept 97D (modern control)
- Diadem Elevate Tour (oldschool meets modern)
- Yonex Vcore 98 Tour (TOMMMY the blade killer)
- Head Prestige MP 18x19 (Djokovic's retirement)
- Solinco Whiteout 16x19 ("let's do some damage!")
- Head Gravity Pro (modern control)
-My sparing partners usually mention that I should be playing with either prestige racquet or vcore 95.
-Head coach of the academy said my game with the yonex vcore tour is most „spectacular” (heavy and fast ball)
-my heart somehow is with the tfight 305 but my brain is telling me that probably I should pick something more headlight.
-outside the tournament i also have Percept 97 and TF40 315 16x19 recent release (very similar sticks)
i will pick the racquet that will give me more wins and this usually means ability to maintain quality on every shot from every position especially transitioning from defense to offense (good at counter attacks)
So basicly we have few groups of frames:
„Modern control”:
Gravity Pro, Tfight 305, Percept 97D, Elevate Tour, Prestige MP
„Ultimate control”:
Prestige Pro
dont know how to call this group? „Middle grounders”, „spinny houdini” , „Sneaky B” ? :
Whiteout 16x19, Vcore Tour
I have been hitting with the 95 recently while my 100s were getting restrung. I got my 100s back today and struggled with them! I found I wanted more whip which the 95 is able to give me. Balls were going long on my 100 and I found the feedback not as direct compared to the 95.
Both strung razor soft 50/48. Both same swing weight. The 95 felt more polarised though.
What do you make of this?
galapagos
Hall of Fame
Razor soft can sometimes shoot a little too far. It grabs the ball in unique way. 100” will only enhance it. Would never use it in angell to be honest. Razor code faster. If you want 1.25 then maybe Alu power ice blue / blue are good direction.
For you I will come back here later and try to compare it to my last frames in the tournament. So you will have a clear picture of my position and my frames in the tournament
And here is my tournament update
galapagos
Hall of Fame
just for you my friend!
racquets that are still in my tournament of racquets and compared to my previous main racquet - Angell tc95 16x19 with the specs: 320g/310mm/295 SW and 1.30 strings
1. Tecnifibre Tfight 305:
I already said - it kinda reminds me of the tc95 in some ways. It is similarly "solid" on impact. Not soft, not harsh. Solid. I think all Angell TC95 users might know what I am talking about since TC95 is far from being a "muted" frame compared to let's say Ezone Dr which was much more "pillowy" but less "solid" and dare I say - a little unstable. So this is feel. When it comes to the performance obviously tfight much lower launch so I kinda have to use thinner gauges. Something between 1.23 and 1.27 is nice. Thicker strings were making tfight too demanding. So with thinner strings I can shape the ball nicely but I think the biggest similary is me being to stay locked in the zone. Use the mass of the frame to do the work and out-grind the opponent. With thinner strings I can shape the ball but still the launch is more controlled but with less spin.
2. Diadem Elevate Tour:
this one is the closest to the angell tc95 16x19. with 16x20 however I feel like im not sure which string should work best because the mains are spreaded quite wide but more cross string is limiting the movement and power potential so the sweet spot is also smaller. I can get similar shapes (slightly lower) and similar fire power (with same strings but strung slightly lower to balance the extra cross string). Elevate Tour is also a bit stiffer and "hotter" through the court. Kinda similar to Radical Pro that has similar "jump" from the stringbed. Actually as I am typing I would say Elevate Tour is kinda closest to TC97 but slightly softer in feel.
3. Solinco Whiteout 16m
the stiffest of the foam filled options. I customized it quite heavy and with more mass the comfort improved - enough to even use 1.30 tour bite! This is probably the closest frame to TC95 when it comes to launch angle and spin potential. Still somehow it feels closer to something like a blade when it comes to control but you don't have the touch and feel of the tc95. maybe because of the stiffer feel I have better sense of how high the ball is going to jump. Despite the beam is not that thick it kinda feels close to speed mp. and the feel is also kinda depolarized similarly to speed mp. TC95 is more polarized I think (I mean lower twistweight)
4. Head Prestige Pro 18x20 - obviously the control is here the best and the launch is much lower. Prestige shares similar feel of the swing. Similar loop.
5. Gravity Pro 18x20 - this one feels most different compared to tc95. I guess thin beam is something similar. But someone who hates the launch from the tc95 might find this frame refreshing because the dwell time is kinda similar but it's still a tight 18x20 pattern and very low powered. Yet gives you more options to shape the ball compared to let's say Prestige 18x20
6. Head Prestige MP - this one is the easiest of the bunch. Very forgiving, very stable. A lot of control. AMAZING on returns, not so good on serves IMO. Very soft, softer than tc95 but at higher tensions can change into board. This has quite wide toolbox to work with from the baseline. You can shoot high, low, spin, flat. Very fun to play with but you have to string it low like 21kg to unlock the spin. Lacks a little mass and plow through so I will be testing it soon against the Whiteout 16m to see which is going to the next round
7. Yonex Vcore 98 Tour - similar jump from the stringbed, similar spin potential but can't take 1.30 strings. with leather grip it can play a very heavy ball and some coaches in the academy mentioned that I play the heaviest with this racquet. But the control goes down quite a lot. Kill or get killed kinda vibes. It was easier to tame the aggressiveness of the tc95.
something like that
I play the T Fight 305 with Gamma Base Grip instead of the original Tecnifibre Base Grip which shifts the balance to more head light and gives a kinda leather feel. I strung it with Signum pro Firestorm 1,25mm, which compliments the racket in the best possible way. With Overgrip Wilson Weight is 335g, Balance is 33 and SW is 343. Thats a dream setup which took me lots of experimentation and a long journey. Tha racket gives you controllable power, its a sledgehammer to be honest but with lots of control and feel. Also easy on the arm no harsh stiffness or weird vibrations. Stable as **** for volleys. You can shap the balls but its not an easy spin racket with a high trajectory but an easy for laser beam through the court or aggressive put away shots but also great for dropshots cause the feel is great, its not a stiff racket. Power comes from high swingweight, not stiffness.
galapagos
Hall of Fame
Great string selection ! What I found insteresting is that I perform better with thicker overgrips on the tfight. Slices stay lower and i have better backhand. What grip size do you have ? I use L3 but who knows. Maybe L4 is the way to go? I tried also L2 but it didnt help me on backhand.
