User-Friendly (100 Sq Inch) Racquets

[jarko111]

I've put on some weight the last two years that really has limited the amount of tennis I can play during the summer. Indiana summers are quite brutal with weeks at a time that never get under 98 degrees and the humidity.

But as I try to get stronger and fitter I was wondering which racquets would be the most user-friendly for me.
You see, I played even when I was pretty dang fit, with an oversize prokennex that I got from a thrift shop.
Now, I play with the Prince O3 Hybrid Hornet 110 with the Lightning strings and I have so much more pop, spin, and control than I had with that department store prokennex.

Maybe I shouldn't feel this way, but I kind of think that people might look down on me for playing league tennis with an oversized racquet. No one has ever said that to me, and for all I know they don't even notice.. but they talk about their 98sqinch and 100sqinch sticks all the time.

Should I just go down to a prince hybrid 03 100, I don't think they offer it anymore.. what are some suggestions?
This is only my second ever posting on here. And I hope it's ok.

 

[yangster007]

Babolat Pure Drive, it's plenty user friendly.

 

[Smasher08]

Try the new Yonex Tour G 97 330. Seems to be getting great reviews.

 

[SpinToWin]

User friendly and still prince racquets (so they have a similar feel):
Prince Tour 100 16x18 and the ESP version.

 

[Korso]

I see lots of people playing league tennis with oversize rackets from 3.5 up to 4.5. I would not worry about what anyone thinks especially if your kicking their butt. Anyways The Prince Tour 16X18 is a very easy racket to use in the 100square range.

 

[Sparky]

Babolat Pure Drive, it's plenty user friendly.

+1 for Babolat a Pure Drive = user friendly.

 

[Ace of Aces]

Babolat Pure Drive and Aero Pro are very forgiving. Wilson Juice line is also a good choice, and the Prince o3 white and black will retain the prince feel.

 

[Seth]

Have to add another vote for the Pure Drive. Yeah, it's stiff, but it's one of the most user-friendly frames I've ever swung. Nothing else quite like it when it comes to pick-it-up-and-start-hitting playability.

 

[jarko111]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm already reading the reviews on the main site here for these racquets.

 

[Spin Doctor]

I'm surprised to see two votes for the Prince Tour 16x18. This is a thin beamed, low powered racket according to the TW specs. Given the specs I'm not sure I would consider that a "user friendly" frame??

BTW, I'm asking because I thought about demo'ing this frame but thought it would be too low powered.

 

[ArliHawk]

The new prince warrioir and warrior procould be decent options.

 

[Korso]

I'm surprised to see two votes for the Prince Tour 16x18. This is a thin beamed, low powered racket according to the TW specs. Given the specs I'm not sure I would consider that a "user friendly" frame??

BTW, I'm asking because I thought about demo'ing this frame but thought it would be too low powered.

It is easy to use and does provide power when you want it to be there. Lower string tensions will help the power level if you do not provide your own.
The pure drive would be a better option if you are looking for easy power and can control it.

 

[Spin Doctor]

It is easy to use and does provide power when you want it to be there. Lower string tensions will help the power level if you do not provide your own.
The pure drive would be a better option if you are looking for easy power and can control it.

You're going from one extreme to the other in terms of power/stiffness. Anyone considering the tour 16x18 likely wouldn't be interested in the PDs or APDs. i.e. they either have arm issues or prefer a softer frame.

 

[lwto]

I think Babolat in general are very user friendly, however, if your getting older and don't play a lot, they are not very arm friendly.

Head extreme if not even more user friendly is a lot more arm friendly as well.

 

[Timbo's hopeless slice]

Firstly, not too many looked down on Agassi for playing with an oversize frame.

The pure drive would be fine, I'm sure, but check out the Dunlop Biomimetic 400 Tour.

TW has them on sale. Read the review, maybe give them a go...

Cheers

 

[corners]

Babolat Pure Drive and Aero Pro are very forgiving. Wilson Juice line is also a good choice, and the Prince o3 white and black will retain the prince feel.

For something in the same weight class as Pure Drive and Aero Pro, but with better control and comfort, and just as forgiving, IMHO, I would recommend the Vcore Tour 97 310g (red one). Very easy frame to play with if you put some softer strings in and don't string it too tight (the 16x20 pattern is quite dense so you need lower tensions).

 

[martini1]

Try the Steam 99S. It's not too heavy, nor too stiff. It makes poly strings feels soft as long as you string it at lower tension. And you can always switch back to multi (but may break sooner). I can see even a beginner can play this racket as soon as they can swing.

 

[ryydman]

Yonex AI 100. User friendly and arm friendly.

 

[Timbo's hopeless slice]

Probably help if people stop suggesting thin beamed semi players frames..

Massive adjustment coming from what he has now..

 

[veecee]

Head Extreme Pro 2.0. Very forgiving and easy on the arm as well.

 

[Jay fishpaste]

Prince exo3 hornet 100, warrior db team 100, white.

 

[KYHacker]

Any true tweener frame really. 11-11.7 oz strung with a swing weight of 315-325 and a head size of 100-107 are all user-friendly. While aha plats are easy to swing, they are NOT arm friendly-- especially if you slice and hit late frequently. For a super user friendly Babolat, try Pure Drive 107. Juice 100L is actually a 102 and very user friendly. Top pick is Prince exo3 Warrior, Volkl Organix 8.

 

[pmata814]

First of all, nothing wrong with playing with your current frame if you like it. No one cares. And even if they did, why should you?

Now, if you still want a friendly 100 sq inch frame I highly recommend you try the Exo3 Warrior 100. It has a very generous sweetspot, plenty of power and spin, and it's not harsh on the arm at all. It actually feels pretty plush. To top it off it's on sale on TW for only $80

P.S.
I saw someone recommended the exo3 tour 100. I disagree with this being an easy frame to play with. I used to play with it. It's low powered and requires a very full and fast swing.

 

[Sander001]

I've put on some weight the last two years that really has limited the amount of tennis I can play during the summer. Indiana summers are quite brutal with weeks at a time that never get under 98 degrees and the humidity.

But as I try to get stronger and fitter I was wondering which racquets would be the most user-friendly for me.
You see, I played even when I was pretty dang fit, with an oversize prokennex that I got from a thrift shop.
Now, I play with the Prince O3 Hybrid Hornet 110 with the Lightning strings and I have so much more pop, spin, and control than I had with that department store prokennex.

Maybe I shouldn't feel this way, but I kind of think that people might look down on me for playing league tennis with an oversized racquet. No one has ever said that to me, and for all I know they don't even notice.. but they talk about their 98sqinch and 100sqinch sticks all the time.

Should I just go down to a prince hybrid 03 100, I don't think they offer it anymore.. what are some suggestions?
This is only my second ever posting on here. And I hope it's ok.

I doubt they're thinking that and even if some do, all the more reason to continue irking them.
If it's a friendly league, ask to try one of them when they talk about how good their racquet is. Then you can see what's what.

 

[Tilde of Destruction]

Yonex Ai 100 is a great racquet from what I've been reading.

 

[NLBwell]

Nothing wrong with a Hybrid Hornet.
If you are curious, you can demo some of the suggestions above, but don't give up on something good unless you find something that is truly better.

 

[jarko111]

Hey board mates,
Thanks so much for the suggestions. I really want to thank Sander001. I can't believe I never thought to ask league members.
I am going to try to be as concise as possible with this reply - I do get a bit wordy on these boards. And I'm sorry for the picture quality. We ended under the lights.

I took pictures of most of the racquets I hit with so I could remember them afterwards.
There were three racquets at the event that were suggested here and I was extremely happy about that.

I started off hitting with a lot of red wilsons. I couldn't serve or return that well with any of them and got a bit discouraged. There was a black wilson that I did better with. I play against a lot of wilsons. lol. And there were a lot of babolats. No pure drives, however.

The first racquet I want to show makes me feel better because I am not the only OverSize user or Prince user. His didn't have a stencil like mine so that is why I never noticed. He wears a knee brace so that could account for some of it.. or I am just thinking too much about it all.
The Prince EXO3 Blue 110.

I didn't care for it at all. But I could work with it. The feel is so extremely different but I could probably get used to it. Although, I'm keeping my OS for the summer if I'm going to hit with any OS.

The next was a Babolat Aero Pro Drive 100 and the main issue I had with it was my backhand and getting he racquet on the wide shots.

I felt like it was too compact, like I couldn't extend with it. But I hit some amazing drop shots with it. Serve was ok.

I hit with a red and white Babolat 98.

I could serve great but that was about it.

 

[jarko111]

con..

My two favorites were
The Prince EXO3 Warrior.

I could find the sweet spot on it better than any of the 100 inch racs I hit with; however, it vibrated horridly. I didn't at all like that part of it. I play with a 5/8 and this was a 3/8 so maybe that was why? All the racquets were either 1/2 or 3/8 I think

And the other was a HEAD racquet, the first one I've ever touched. HEAD Graphene Speed.

I absolutely loved how it felt. I felt like it almost melted into my arm; however, I couldn't find the sweetspot at all as easy with the Warrior. It was a 100 sq inches but didn't look as big as some of the 98 sq inches. ahh well.

So I think that might be very helpful for one of you helping me, hopefully. I don't mean to come in here an have you all do the work for me, but I promise you I read a lot of the threads here and hope to contribute to more of them as time goes on. I post a lot at the menstennisforum and tennisforum fan sites with this same username.
I'm 30. All the tennis I know I learned from playing in school. I don't have access to a big club and the closest stringer is Sweet Spot in Lousiville, but I think it closed down.

If I could find a racquet that mixed the sweetspot of the Warrior with the incredible non-vibrating feel of the HEAD Graphene then I really think I'd be in business. What do you all think? I'm sure someone on here knows specs like the back of their hand and could probably tell in no time what racquet would fit.
Maybe the warrior is it.. I don't know if the strings could make it vibrate, etc.. I know very little and even less about strings.

 

[jarko111]

oops can't edit those posts so here are the pics

 

[jarko111]

 

[SpinToWin]

oh dear… do you have pictures with higher resolution? I cannot see the exact model of the racquets like this…
I can only guess as to which exact model you played…

 

[JackB1]

My two favorites were
The Prince EXO3 Warrior.

I could find the sweet spot on it better than any of the 100 inch racs I hit with; however, it vibrated horridly. I didn't at all like that part of it. I play with a 5/8 and this was a 3/8 so maybe that was why? All the racquets were either 1/2 or 3/8 I think

And the other was a HEAD racquet, the first one I've ever touched. HEAD Graphene Speed.

I absolutely loved how it felt. I felt like it almost melted into my arm; however, I couldn't find the sweetspot at all as easy with the Warrior. It was a 100 sq inches but didn't look as big as some of the 98 sq inches. ahh well.

So I think that might be very helpful for one of you helping me, hopefully. I don't mean to come in here an have you all do the work for me, but I promise you I read a lot of the threads here and hope to contribute to more of them as time goes on. I post a lot at the menstennisforum and tennisforum fan sites with this same username.
I'm 30. All the tennis I know I learned from playing in school. I don't have access to a big club and the closest stringer is Sweet Spot in Lousiville, but I think it closed down.

If I could find a racquet that mixed the sweetspot of the Warrior with the incredible non-vibrating feel of the HEAD Graphene then I really think I'd be in business. What do you all think? I'm sure someone on here knows specs like the back of their hand and could probably tell in no time what racquet would fit.
Maybe the warrior is it.. I don't know if the strings could make it vibrate, etc.. I know very little and even less about strings.

Try the Warrior Pro. It is like a mix of the EXO Warrior with the Speed MP.

I agree the Warrior has a huge sweetspot, but I never experienced the vibration you are talking about. Do you mean on mishits? I also agree the Speed is a nice racquet, but the sweetpsot is a bit smaller. Remember the strings that were in these demos have an impact on what you are feeling as well.

 

[Rabbit]

to the OP...you have described the Volkl V1 MP to a tee!

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Volkl_Organix_V1_Midplus/descpageRCVOLKL-VOV1M.html


One of the longest lived racquets out there and the one that invented the category

 

[14ivane14]

Head Extreme Pro 2.0. Very forgiving and easy on the arm as well.

Nice to hear that.

Just got my EP2.0
i couldnt demo it and was a little bit worried it wouldnt be so arm friendly because of the weight and stiffness.

 

[jarko111]

Just a bit of an update. I am hitting really good ball with the Exo3 Warrior 100.
I'm going to demo the Warrior Pro because I think the traditional grommets in this area will be an easier stringing experience.
I'm also demoing the Tour 100T esp just in case I want to stay with the ports.

I put a pure drive roddick on the list too just for grins and giggles.

 

[yangster007]

Just a word of warning, if you are looking for user friendly 100 sq inch racquet, Head Graphene Speed Pro isn't one of them. It has no plow through, and the sweetspot size is tiny. You'll have to hit very hard to get the ball going.