Volkl Tour 10 V Engine MP 98--Nobadmojo and others

[DANMAN]

I have been interested in this frame for a while and now that the price has dropped, I am extremely interested in buying one for an extended demo. I have been using the Pure Drive + for many years (5 or so). I play very well with it and really do not have a great reason to switch other than the fact that I don't feel like I am hitting a heavy ball. I hit the ball very hard and hit with a lot of topspin. I hit a two handed backhand and have a good slice also; however, having recently picked up a Pure Control + and a Prestige Classic, I realize how much heavier of a ball I can hit with a heavier racket and how much more biting my slice is. I am easily a 4.5 player and on better days may approach 5.0, especially in doubles. I volley well but and do like heavier rackets at the net...like the Pure Control and Slazenger X1 and Liquidmetal Prestige MP, all of which I have tried lately. My main concerns are...return of serve--I can blister returns with the PD+, volleys as I have heard that some do not like this racket as a volley stick, and spin/power. With the Pure Drive, I can hit gobs of both. When I hit with the Prestige, I lost spin on my serve and groundies but didn't lose pace. I am wondering what the spin difference is between the Volkl which I hear is a tight 16 main pattern and the 18 main Prestige. Also, particularly Nobadmojo, I have hit with the Aeropro Drive + as you did and am wondering what you would say the Volkl was in terms of power (1 TO 10) if one rates the Aeropro drive + a 10. I by no means found the Aeropro uncontrollable, I am just trying to have a relative comparison. I am not going to demo the Volkl...I will simply buy it and give it a try based on the advice I receive. Thanks for everyone's time,
DANMAN

 

[El Diablo]

The VE 98 is one of the great racquets around right now....nearly perfect combination of power, control and comfort. I opted for a little less weight with a BB 10 leaded and leathered to about 11.7 ounces, but used the VE on a wretched "90s and humid" day this past summer in a tournament and was still whipping it around pretty well at the end of a 2 1/4 hour match. Spin is not a problem; some racquets have a more open pattern but the Volkl pattern seems to synergize with the flex of this racquet perfectly for slice or top.

 

[NoBadMojo]

aye DanMan,
You dont mention your ability to swing a heavier racquet fast....the VEMP has more swingweight to it than the PD and is harder to swing fast..if you can swing it fast enough, you can get mega spin from thisframe and it does hit a heavier ball. It's been a long tme since I hit the APD+ but if by power you are meaning power from the ground i think they are pretty similar but my shots were more looping with the APD and more piercing w. the VEMP with my normal ralley ball. i dont think the APD+ serves as well as the VEMP and certainly not as big as the PD and doesnt volley nearly as well. You can hit big service returns w. the VEMP too but again it goes to your ability to move more swingweight fast enough. The VEMP does hit a more nasty sliced backhand than either the PD or the APD+, and because it's standard length is a beter vlleying frame and also doesnt get in your way on the service return. If you like your results w. what you have and your arm isnt hurting you after 5 years, you might just want to stick w. what you have since you arent able to demo and are playing good T with what you have..but all i can do is point out what i perceive the differences to be and you decide for yourself

 

[DANMAN]

Nobad,
I have absolutely no trouble generating racket head speed usually. I was looking at the swingweights of the Pure Drive + and the T10VEMP and they are 332 and 320 respectively. It seems like 332 may be a bit too high for the PD+ because I think I saw it elsewhere listed as 322. Do you think the VE swings much heavier than the indicated specs. Let me know. Thanks for the valuable insight you have provided to me and to all on this board,
DANMAN

 

[NoBadMojo]

Hard to imagine the PD would be a higher swingweight than the VEMP..the VEMP swings all of 320 and the PD swings lighter (at least the ones i've hit), but if you have the ability to swing say 322-325 fast, you may really enjoy this frame. cant hit it late though or the balls tend to fly..more so than in other frames from my experiences. good luck

 

[DANMAN]

Nobadmojo and other t10VE MP users,
Thanks for all the advice. I took the plunge and got it shipped 2 day air and will have it Tuesday. I know you are using Klip gut in your 10's. I got your advice on gut a while back and tried it in the Pure Drive but could not get the spin I was getting with Luxilon and coupled with the power, I wasn't too impressed (Tonic + Longevity). What are you stringing your sticks at and would you recommend poly or gut in the frame (want a good first impression). I've got ALU, Timo, BDE Rallye, Plasma, and PSGD lying around. Poly does not bother my arm at all in the PD, so I am figuring that it will be fine in the V-engine given the flex. I am just wondering if I will like the gut more in the flexier frame. I know I probably won't know until I try, but I hate to put $25.00 string in and hate it. Finally, I know you trim down the bumpers to reduce swingweight. Can you give me a run through of the process and how much weight you think it takes off. Thanks a lot for the time and advice.
DANMAN

 

[vin]

t I don't feel like I am hitting a heavy ball. I hit the ball very hard and hit with a lot of topspin.

Isn't that the definition of a heavy ball? Maybe by heavy you're referring to the feel you get from contact with a heavy racket?

Finally, I know you trim down the bumpers to reduce swingweight. Can you give me a run through of the process and how much weight you think it takes off. Thanks a lot for the time and advice.
DANMAN

I just did this myself and I know NoBadMojo has instructed on this many times, so maybe I can save him from some typing.

You want to remove the bumper part of the grommet from the 12th hole down. To figure out the 12th hole, start at the center dot at the head and count holes until you get to 12.

Use a good pair of scissors to cut off the bumper part of this section so that it looks like the thin grommet part at the bottom.

I just did this myself and still have the pieces that I cut off. If I can find a scale, I am going to weight the pieces to see how much it takes off.

NoBadMojo says that it makes the VE swing as light as the Gen 2, but I think it makes it swing even a bit lighter. But then again, I did ask TW to send the lightest/most head light 2 of what they had.

I actually like the look of the racket better with less bumper guard (more yellow), but I scrape the sides a lot on low volleys and low slices, so unfortunately, I'm probably going to beat up the racket pretty good.

 

[NoBadMojo]

thanks Vin. that's how you do it. caveat...unless you have the hands of a surgeon, you will want to do this surgery with the bumper kit off the frame. also, know that used bumper guards are often pretty impossible to reinstall once removed. also, the weight removed is pretty minimal..what changes significantly is the swingweight when you do this. i dont recommend this if you are a racquet scraper on the sides..it will surely ruin the frame. you should be able to tell where you scrape your racquets by examining the bumper guard of a frame you have been using for a while and trim accordingly.

 

[vin]

i dont recommend this if you are a racquet scraper on the sides..it will surely ruin the frame.

I was worried about this, but most rackets don't have the wrap around bumper like the T10s and the Head Prestiges, and the ones that don't usually end around the 12th hole anyway. The C10 ends around 12! Is there something I'm missing?

 

[NoBadMojo]

ya know Vin..i guess not if you look at it that way, but i would think if you have protection for your frame in a needed area, you may want to keep the protection in that area. i'm not a racquet scraper, so havent really given it much tought.

 

[Marius_Hancu]

Use a good pair of scissors to cut off the bumper part of this section so that it looks like the thin grommet part at the bottom.

let me understand: the grommets in the area without the bumper still remain connected to each other by a thin layer of plastic?

 

[NoBadMojo]

yes Marius..all we are doing here is trimming away a portion of bumper and the grommet part remans intact. if you're not familiar, the frames have what Volkl calls P-Rap grommet/bumper kits and they rap around the outside portion of the frame as a conventional bumper might do, but they extend down to the bottom of the hoop. For some reason, removing this little bit of weight from a large area seems to significantly lower the swingweight of these frames, but only lowers the static weight sightly so you dont lose the benefits of mass. i think some would say that the racquet would lose stability since you are essentially taking weight from 3 and 9, but dont experience anything at al like that. If need be, i can send a link to a picture of a T10MP Gen1 which I've done this to...let me know pls.

 

[Marius_Hancu]

Thank you very much NBMJ, I got it now.

And no, I haven't yet performed such surgery, as I've normally used quite HL rackets until recently. But I was confronted with the problem after purchasing a PC600 which as you know, has a "special" bumper. For the time being I decided to keep it, as I've added anyway some extra lead at 3 and 9.

And I've become more interested in Volkls after a recent test of a 10 V-Engine Mid, which is quite impressive in many areas, especially control from the baseline, topspin, as well as volleying, and of course arm comfort.

 

[Kirko]

I finally hit with a volkl last week the c 10 . its marvelous ! I would venture the whole line is similar.

 

[joe1987]

ya know Vin..i guess not if you look at it that way, but i would think if you have protection for your frame in a needed area, you may want to keep the protection in that area. i'm not a racquet scraper, so havent really given it much tought.

What if you put some of that protection tape? Will it help?

 

[NoBadMojo]

sure Joe, but you would be adding weight back on which youv'e just removed, so i dont know how much you would gain.
my pleasure Marius. and i agree the Volkl V-Mid is a great frame and a lot of fun to play because you can take big cuts at the ball and the depth and angle control are pretty terrific.

 

[vin]

I weighed the bumper material that I trimmed off on a cheaper digital postage scale and it came out to be 0.2 oz.

I also weighed a few of the rackets I have right now and found some interesting results.

T10 VE MP (Demo) 12.3 oz
T10 VE MP (trimmed bumper) 11.8 oz

That's a half an ounce difference! The T10 I trimmed is also probably slightly lighter in stock form because I asked TW to send me the lightest of what they had.

The trimmed VE is only 1 pt more HL than the demo. Maybe 1 pt is more significant than I give it credit for.

Here's something that really surprised me, the T10 Gen 2 demo I have weighed in at 12.5 oz!

 

[LMW]

Give the VE Mid a try. It's a much better frame and you will be pleasantly surprised by the size of the sweetspot!

 

[Marius_Hancu]

I finally hit with a volkl last week the c 10 . its marvelous ! I would venture the whole line is similar.

I hit with Cat V1. Good on the arm but the control isn't there, which is to be expected, it's a different class of rackets, more power but ... I'd stick with V-Es, Volkl Tours or PK Heritages for now.

 

[DANMAN]

Interesting findings vin, thanks for the info.

 

[Marius_Hancu]

What if you put some of that protection tape? Will it help?

certainly will. but you have to do it after each stringing, it's somewhat messy/sticky and has weight itself

 

[joe1987]

Ya I know that it'll be messy but it is worth the mess if you can protect the frame.(if you scrap that point regularly)

 

[vin]

Give the VE Mid a try. It's a much better frame and you will be pleasantly surprised by the size of the sweetspot!

I already did ... for a year and a half. Great stick, but a mid plus head size is definitely better for me.

 

[DANMAN]

After hitting with this racket a few times with Timo 18 at 58 lbs., these are my findings: (4.5 serve/volleyer)
This racket is phenomenal. It does everything well. My forehand has good power and spin=really heavy ball. I thought I would lose a fair amount of power coming from the Pure Drive +, but it seems that I did not. I was getting much more depth and spin from this frame. I don't really like flexy rackets, and I was sort of worried about this feeling too flexy. The TW specs say it has a stiffness of 62, but other e-tailers have the flex rated as a 65. It felt more 65ish to me. Volleys were incredible with this frame, pinpoint control and good pop. The sweetspot feels huge. I agree with mojo that one has to be sure to get around early enough--late hit balls fly. What surprised me most was the serve. I was hitting huge kickers out wide for aces to the ad court and to the deuce court I was kicking them right up the t and then mixing in some slice serves out wide. This impresses me the most about the stick because I find it serves better than the PD+, which I almost thought would be impossible. For the price, performance, and the protection from injury this frame offers, I do not know if there is a better deal on the market. Thanks for all the reviews from you Volkl lovers taht forced me to go out and buy one of these without demoing. It appears I have found a friend.

 

[Marius_Hancu]

DANMAN

great. keep reporting on that stick here.

btw, I wouldn't use that TiMo or other harsh strings.
there were bad reports on them in terms of arm.
switch to multis.

 

[DANMAN]

Thanks Marius,
I've been playing with ALu/Big Hitter in my Pure Drive + rackets and did not want to change from poly to multi (couldn't control multis in PD+ as well) while changing rackets. Trying to minimize the variables if you know what I mean. I have some gut lying around I will try next now that I know I like the frame. I will report more as it comes. DANMAN

 

[jonolau]

Give the VE Mid a try. It's a much better frame and you will be pleasantly surprised by the size of the sweetspot!

Agreed! I'm playing both the C10 Pro and VE Mid. What a huge difference it makes. The VE Mid is surprisingly lightheaded and though the headsize looks deceiving, it has a beautiful sweetspot compared to the C10 Pro. I'm getting tremendous spin off my baseline shots, and the control is incredible. I'm able to hook forehand returns to the left and pull single backhand returns to the extreme right. Control on volleys is also great. Best of all, it allows me to generate quite a fair amount of spin for kick serves on my second service. The C10 Pro is also great, but only reserved for my off days ... :mrgreen:

 

[saf]

Volkl Guys,

Really enjoyed reading your comments on this frame. I know you stated earlier that you did not think trimming the bumper material from the 12th hole down did not effect stability.

Danman, would you find that you affirm this and like the stick after playing with it for a while?

I am still in search of a frame that fits me. I need to stick with Volkl or Prince. I want to be true to friends that work for the companies that have been good to me.

For years I've played with the Prince Precision Response Ti. I liked this frame a lot, however, it's probably a shade stiff and powerful for me. I absolutely loved everything else about it. Some days it might have felt a little heavy at 12.4, so as I age I might want to stay closer to 12 or upper 11's. I had to string my PPRti at 72 to get close to the amount of control I need from the ground. I think I need more flex.

I've since hit with the Volkl: Gen 2, C10, and DNX 10. I like the DNX 10 the most. However, at times I'm concerned if I'm strong enough to swing it all of the time. It weighs in at 12.4. I think my control is superb, however, don't know if I have enough pop or top in my game. As soon as I get some more available, I'm going to experiment with thinner guage strings, and trimming the head guard and using head tape instead. I've been told it can drop the swing weight a little. I might just need to try going real thin 18 guage and string real loose???

The Gen2 is GREAT at some things, but not enough pop for me. C10, I felt like the swing weight was a little high for me when serving. When I connected, wow, however I think in time my shoulder would run out of gas.

Prince, I've tried: Graphite origionals, Diablo's and the Tour o3 mid and mid plus. When hitting with the Tour o3 mid, I found I'm not good enough to play with it. GREAT frame, but too demanding. Last week I thought I might have found my new stick when playing with a leaded Tour o3 mp (12 oz). It is awesome from the baseline. I found nice control when serving also. However, when playing some of my opponents commented that my serve is not what it was when playing with my old racquet or the DNX 10.

So, I'm still lost and searching. Any new news on the Volkl V-10 mp since playing with it would be greatly appreciated.

NoBadMojo, thanks for all of the advice you've given me. I read your reviews on the V-10mp from this spring. Just curious if you've hit with it anymore since and if a different set up might have yielded different results. I could see how the surgery would significantly change the way the frame plays.

I've got a V-10 mp to play with tonight. I'll talk to my buddy about the surgery if you'all think it's worth it. I'm sure he'd have no problems with me having some fun =-)!

Thanks Guys!!!

 

[NoBadMojo]

saf. you're welcome and my pleasure. i m still teaching w. the frame, but cant seem to leave the t10mp gen1's which i have set up the same way w. leather and trimmed bumpers. our observations of these frames seem to be very similar. If you havent hit the 10VE-Mid yet and a are a clean ball striker, you will want to take that one out for a dance as welll..it's low swingweighted and a lot of fun to play because it is easy to swing fast and you can take big cuts at the ball and still have excellent control.it may also be underpowered for you.

 

[vin]

I know you stated earlier that you did not think trimming the bumper material from the 12th hole down did not effect stability.

I don't think the trimmed bumper effects stability.

I ended up going back to the full bumper in the interest of protecting the frame in case I end up wanting to play it long after it's discontinued. Turns out that I like it better and I get more power. Maybe I do best with a heavier swingweight than I initially thought. I just had to slow my swing down a bit to realize it.

 

[NoBadMojo]

saf i've lost track of this conversation so forgive me if i am repeating. the surgery will markedly change how the frame swings. the VE's i did this to, brought the static weight down to 12.0 even strung with leather grip, overgrip, and fischer vibrastop and a significantly headlight balance. they swing to me about the way the Gen2 does stock...about a 315sw or so, but they play like a Gen2 on steroids. keep in mind that you will need to have a new bumper kit to do the surgery on, and once you remove used grommets they are most difficult and sometimes impossible to get back in....so you are looking at cutting out strings if strung and the investment in a new bumper kit and then likely another one if you wish to return the frame to stock. i think TW stocks the bumper kits, but if not, i've some around here somewhere. Louis Netman (a fellow poster) says it is possible to cut the grommets down with the racquet strung and bumper kit installed on the frame, but i wouldnt trust myself to not cut thru and into the frame.. my hands are fine for volleying but not for this type of surgery ;O let us know how it goes for you.

 

[saf]

Thanks guys! Look forward to playing with the frame this week. Gen2 on steroids! I might like it then.

Thanks...

 

[El Diablo]

I had used the stick, and didn't like it with trimmed bumper as stability was diminished. One can no more remove weight from the lateral aspect of the racquet and not reduce stability as you could add lead and not increase stability. I went back to the full bumper but summer heat made it a handful and finally I sold it for a BB10 weighted to about 11.7

 

[NoBadMojo]

stability in its' full term is actually 'stability on miss hits'. if someone doesn't miss hit, stability is not an issue. i've trimmed the bumpers down on both the Gen1 and the VE and find no instability issues whatsover by doing so.

 

[jonolau]

Give the VE Mid a try. It's a much better frame and you will be pleasantly surprised by the size of the sweetspot!

I double that. The headsize of 93 si can appear deceiving and it's only a psychological barrier to cross.

It's also very easy to generate amazing angles on serve returns.

 

[saf]

WOW,

I hit with this frame for a while last night (psg duraflex 60 lbs stock with an overwrap). Let's just say I like it a lot! If anything I could see some more weight int he handle. I know I do not want to do any trimming.

This frame has plenty of pop and lost of spin. I felt like it was very controlable. time will tell if too much pop. Do any of you feel it would be detrimental to string over 60 lbs? Recommended tension is 50-60. I use to string my PPRTi's 5 lbs over recommended tension. I am using a Prince/Ektelon Neos and I've strung for many years. I feel my string jobs are pretty true.

This might be the frame for me. It does feel like it would be stiffer than 62 though (TW). have any of you heard otherwise. This feeling is probably attributed to the V-engine. Making it a little stiffer in the throat. It does seem to feel good on my arm and wrists though.

It has a different feeling than the DNX 10. Little more spin and pop. Probably not quite as stable, predictable or control oriented. I am not giving up on the DNX 10 yet. It DEFINETLY is a GREAT frame. I'm going to play with the tension, string type and head guards on the DNX10.

I really loved hitting forehands, serves and volleys with this frame. Time will tell, but my search might be over.

Thanks guys!

 

[saf]

another question...

To those that have hit with the 10 gen 1, how does it compare to the v-engine? Is the power level comparable?

 

[NoBadMojo]

which v-engine? i'm using the Gen1 after expermenting with the Gen2, ve-Mid, and VE-MP. There's lots of info on the Gen1 within the forum if you wish to search. The Gen1 can be set up to play quite powerfully I think based upon ablity to swing it fast. It can also be set up to be a real control frame...i think you could safely string this one up between 45 and 65 and it would play well based upon string choice and your preferences.

 

[saf]

Thanks!

I'll do some homework and talk to my rep to see what he thinks about the Gen1 mp. He might not be able to get a hold of that many anyways??? I just thought if it played similar to the v-engine but with maybe a little more versatility, I might give it a shot. I really liked the v-engine MP. borderline on having too much pop. I think it will work if I get he right string set up though.

I liked the Gen 2, however, just a little too dead for me.

Thanks...

Shawn

 

[buder]

the volkl T10 VE Mid is like the RDX 500 Mid on steroids. Now that I'm moving from clay to hard court, I'm switching from the T10G2 (the first racquet I liked from my long demo list) to the VE Mid, which, after hitting it today, has unreal ball control and head speed; jeez, you can really whip the VE mid through the hitting zone. The headsize would be too small on clay but on hardcourt I might be able to get away with it. I'd prefer 98+ headsize but, for instance, the T10VE MP felt so muted and springy in comparison to the mid...>like wearing a rain coat in the shower > unlike the MP the mid makes me feel like I'm actually throwing the ball to an exat spot whereas the MP plays like one of those ping pong paddles with thick rubber --giving the feeling of being separated from ball

 

[gonzalocatalino]

beautiful

Today i play with my new VOLKL T10VE MP. I play just 1:30 hs with my teaching pro. The racquet was strung with a cheap nylon string at @57 (i don`t want to spend a lot of money in strings for the first time, because i need to find the right tension, but probably 57/60 will be OK).
The racquet is all i was expecting, just great!

I get used instantly and i hit my best shots just after 15 min. of play with it .
The comfort and feel of all volkl racquets is the first thing you will notice, the sweetspot is really big, the off centered shots don`t feel extremely bad, and if you hit the ball a little high in the stringbed (like me), the racquet work pretty good, due the V-engine thing i guess.

The racquet do everything fine, is very powerfull (could be compared in this field with the ncode 6.1 95) but you can control all your shots because is really easy to generate topspin with this stick.
Usually i have problems with my serve when change racquets, but with this one was easy to find my best flats/kick serves.

Great racquet, probably i will play with it for a long time...

 

[gonzalocatalino]

Holy Grail

I play another 2 hs with the T10VEMP. I`m in love with this racquet: do everything perfect. I really like how the racquet feel at impact, have a beautifull "pop" sound and you can feel the ball on the strings. I enjoy the size of the sweetspot, is really big for a 12oz "players racquet".
For those who are looking a great comfort frame, i`m sure that won`t be dissapointed with this one.

The only thing that for some of us will be a problem is the great power of this frame. Mine is strung at 57 with a cheap nylon, but probably, due to the bad quality (the stringer told me that are like PSGD, but isn`t true...), the strings have lost lots of tension (are playing like under 53lbs!!).

Next week i will strung with POLY or another synthetic gut (and with a few more pounds)...ANY SUGGESTIONS?

 

[saf]

I've been playing with this frame a good deal as of late. Played again with it yesterday and really like it.

I strung it at 60m and 62x with Prince synthetic gut with duraflex. This seems to be about how I like it. The duraflex is a stiff synthetic gut. I kind of like this set up best.

I strung another one with the mains at 53 with prince tour poly 17 g (similar to Alu Power). The crosses at 62 with 17 g synthetic gut duraflex. This combo might have added a little extra spin. I've never been a big poly fan though.

I really think this is a frame that needs to be strung slightly above the high end of recommended tenision. 60-63.

I really like the frame also. I'm going to wait and give the DNX 9 a shot. My rep says he'll have me one in a week or two. I have a feeling the DNX 9 might have a little too much pop. We'll see. If that's the case, I'll probably end up making the Tour 10 VEMP my stick and prepare for summer tourney play with it.

Hope this helps, and keep us posted as to what you think.

 

[gonzalocatalino]

I have played a lot with the T10VEMP. Definitively is my racquet of choice, i`m thinking in buy another.
BTW, in some of the previous reviews a few users have talked about "hot spots" in this racquet. At the first time, strung with a soft and cheap nylon string, maybe i have experimented a thing like that. Now, i strung mine with pro hurricane (@58) and the "unpredictable" feel is over. The racquet still plays very comfy, but now have improved a lot the "control department"...the stringbed feel really solid now.
I love my Volkl...