Which is Yonex best “Tour/Heavy” Racket?

[Rdrizzla]

Yonex offer a heavier (315g+) racket in all their lines, something not all brands do.

My question is, which one do you think is best and why?
- Ezone 98 Tour
- Percept 97H
- Vcore 98 Tour
- Vcore 95 (310g)

From my opinion, the most “pro-stock feel” racket out of all of these is the Percept 97H.

 

[artdeco]

Percept 97D is good.

 

[ozbikebuddy]

I've got eZone 98Tour, and have had Vcore Pro 97D, I've kept the EZone, as they were bigger grips, but the 97d was really nice too. To me the EZone just feels a little better. If the 97Dshave been 1/2grips I probably would have kept them and sleeved them up to my preferred 5/8, but the EZone gave more spin which was what I was looking for, and you only need so many racquets.

 

[Rdrizzla]

I've got eZone 98Tour, and have had Vcore Pro 97D, I've kept the EZone, as they were bigger grips, but the 97d was really nice too. To me the EZone just feels a little better. If the 97Dshave been 1/2grips I probably would have kept them and sleeved them up to my preferred 5/8, but the EZone gave more spin which was what I was looking for, and you only need so many racquets.

I’ve always been curious about the process of using a sleeve to increase grip size - but does this not seriously affect the balance/weight distribution?

 

[Rdrizzla]

Percept 97D is good.

True!

I didn’t consider it personally as for me 18x20 feels a bit outdated, being much harder to generate spin with.

 

[Injured Again]

I’ve always been curious about the process of using a sleeve to increase grip size - but does this not seriously affect the balance/weight distribution?

Typically, a one grip size thickness sleeve will add 18-20 grams and make the racquet from 3-5 points more headlight.

 

[BallBasher247]

Yonex offer a heavier (315g+) racket in all their lines, something not all brands do.

My question is, which one do you think is best and why?
- Ezone 98 Tour
- Percept 97H
- Vcore 98 Tour
- Vcore 95 (310g)

From my opinion, the most “pro-stock feel” racket out of all of these is the Percept 97H.

VC98 Tour for me. That’s my stick of choice so I’m biased, but I think its extra weight has the biggest upside for its playability among YY’s heavy sticks. It fixes the flimsiness & most of the launchiness of the reg VC98, but it’s fast for a 315.

VC95 and Percept 97H tied for 2nd IMO. The VC95 is special, crazy how they made a playable midsize in this generation. Percept 97H is an 11/10 for the right player, but most people using a Percept prolly want smth between 310 and 330 unstrung.

EZ98 Tour last place for me. It’s super solid & powerful, but it loses the reg EZ98’s speed & versatility. I think the tradeoffs are worse than w/ Percepts bc EZ98’s are already so playable stock vs Percept 97’s

 

[Rdrizzla]

Typically, a one grip size thickness sleeve will add 18-20 grams and make the racquet from 3-5 points more headlight.

That would require adding total weight to the racket if you wanted to counteract those changes to keep the stock balance no?

[Edit] [Corrected] I have now been informed that adding weight to the handle does not affect swingweight - the more you know!

 

[Rdrizzla]

VC98 Tour for me. That’s my stick of choice so I’m biased, but I think its extra weight has the biggest upside for its playability among YY’s heavy sticks. It fixes the flimsiness & most of the launchiness of the reg VC98, but it’s fast for a 315.

VC95 and Percept 97H tied for 2nd IMO. The VC95 is special, crazy how they made a playable midsize in this generation. Percept 97H is an 11/10 for the right player, but most people using a Percept prolly want smth between 310 and 330 unstrung.

EZ98 Tour last place for me. It’s super solid & powerful, but it loses the reg EZ98’s speed & versatility. I think the tradeoffs are worse than w/ Percepts bc EZ98’s are already so playable stock vs Percept 97’s

Very insightful response, much appreciated. Rare to find someone who has experience with all of these rackets.

While the Percept 97H did feel extremely plush to me, it's hard to deny that the VC98 Tour offers comparable feel but also all the benefits of modern racket technology. The VC95 is an interesting one, which I've yet to try, but the mega-teardrop head-shape just looks so off-putting to me.

I'm surprised the EZ Tour ranks last for you - did you not find the spin comparable to the VC98 Tour?

 

[esm]

That would require adding so much total weight to the racket if you wanted to counteract those changes to keep the stock balance.

Then you’d have to increase loss of swingweight (about 3SW points per grams at 12 o’clock…)

 

[ramb]

Been using vcore 98 tour for 8 months now, before that used gravity pro for maybe 3 years. Really like to hit flatter forehands with 98tour. I can tolerate it sometimes launches the ball if the contact is too low on the stringbed. Also 98tour it's bit tough to handle pace if you opponent is a hard hitter, it's not a frame for directing incoming pace with lower racquet head speed.

My specs: grip size 2, 2 overgrips, total 3g lead 10&2, static weight 448g and swingweight must be like 330-335 (really hard to measure without proper tools). Had the 3g at 12 o'clock but some days serving was too demanding (compact motion) but still got necessary top spin for defending. Unsure of the high launch angle so I ordered Tecnifibre 305s to compare if it's an issue for me. Liked most Toroline otoro tour 1.23 mint 53/51 fullbed, also tried poly tour strike 1.25 and tour bite round 1.25.

 

[ramb]

Then you’d have to increase loss of swingweight (about 3SW points per grams at 12 o’clock…)

That much weight on the handle doesn't reduce swingweight. Maybe keeps it the same or slightly higher. Youtuber Zerolove busted this myth on his video.

 

[GodlessEndeavor]

That much weight on the handle doesn't reduce swingweight. Maybe keeps it the same or slightly higher. Youtuber Zerolove busted this myth on his video.

Correct. The only way to reduce swing weight is to remove things from the racket.

 

[esm]

That much weight on the handle doesn't reduce swingweight. Maybe keeps it the same or slightly higher. Youtuber Zerolove busted this myth on his video.

Damn autocorrect. Should have read “loads” not “loss”…

 

[ozbikebuddy]

That would require adding total weight to the racket if you wanted to counteract those changes to keep the stock balance no?

[Edit] [Corrected] I have now been informed that adding weight to the handle does not affect swingweight - the more you know!

And in my case for yonex I put and extra small bit of sleeve just on the butt cap to make it bigger, then I rap on a leather grip as well. So mine are a bit heavier than most. But being in the handle ita very different to adding it elsewhere. Also I'm a old school kinda player with modern forehand and a ohbh with and aggressive all court game ( that gets me into trouble as I can out hit my legs ability to keep up lol).

 

[BallBasher247]

Very insightful response, much appreciated. Rare to find someone who has experience with all of these rackets.

While the Percept 97H did feel extremely plush to me, it's hard to deny that the VC98 Tour offers comparable feel but also all the benefits of modern racket technology. The VC95 is an interesting one, which I've yet to try, but the mega-teardrop head-shape just looks so off-putting to me.

I'm surprised the EZ Tour ranks last for you - did you not find the spin comparable to the VC98 Tour?

Glad that helped you! I thought the Percept felt crisper + less muted than the VC, I’m just not using a 350gm player’s frame. It took a bit to adjust to the VC’s head shape, but I got way more leverage-based power once I did. It’s almost like playing w/ an xtendo stick.

EZ’s nowhere close to the v7 VC’s for spin. I used the EZ98 for ~2yrs on/off. EZ’s pretty hard to get spin with already and the Tour was worse, especially on kick serves and loopy defensive FHs where I want RHS. They have a dense pattern & long central main grommets that decrease string mvmt. I like the EZ98 Tour though bc it’s satisfying to destroy the ball with it

 

[Injured Again]

That would require adding total weight to the racket if you wanted to counteract those changes to keep the stock balance no?

[Edit] [Corrected] I have now been informed that adding weight to the handle does not affect swingweight - the more you know!

Yes, but probably the serve is the only stroke that closely mimics the rotation around the 10 cm mark like how swingweight is measured. Groundstrokes have a significant translational motion, where the entire racquet is accelerated forward. There, the weight you feel is influenced to a significant degree by the static weight of the racquet. And on strokes like the volley, where there is no rotation around the 10 cm mark, it is entirely translational motion and static weight (and balance) are what you feel.

 

[Rdrizzla]

Glad that helped you! I thought the Percept felt crisper + less muted than the VC, I’m just not using a 350gm player’s frame. It took a bit to adjust to the VC’s head shape, but I got way more leverage-based power once I did. It’s almost like playing w/ an xtendo stick.

EZ’s nowhere close to the v7 VC’s for spin. I used the EZ98 for ~2yrs on/off. EZ’s pretty hard to get spin with already and the Tour was worse, especially on kick serves and loopy defensive FHs where I want RHS. They have a dense pattern & long central main grommets that decrease string mvmt. I like the EZ98 Tour though bc it’s satisfying to destroy the ball with it

Phahaha I like that term “xtendo stick”.

I’d heard other opinions saying the Ezone 98 lacked spin, but helpful to hear an actual explanation why (the denser pattern and long central main grommets).

Fair enough you think the Vcore is the ultimate Yonex line. Although I am curious , why do you prefer the VC98Tour over the VC95? More Spin + more forgiveness, or for other reasons?

Appreciate all the help so far. I’ve used mainly Head/Babolat sticks my tennis career, so nice to get some advice on the heavier Yonex rackets.

 

[Rdrizzla]

Yes, but probably the serve is the only stroke that closely mimics the rotation around the 10 cm mark like how swingweight is measured. Groundstrokes have a significant translational motion, where the entire racquet is accelerated forward. There, the weight you feel is influenced to a significant degree by the static weight of the racquet. And on strokes like the volley, where there is no rotation around the 10 cm mark, it is entirely translational motion and static weight (and balance) are what you feel.

Wow! I hadn’t realised there was such in-depth science to racket customisations.

 

[Injured Again]

Wow! I hadn’t realised there was such in-depth science to racket customisations.

It is really why racquet customization is an art that needs to be tailored to each individual user. General recommendations will get you in the ballpark, but to be able to really help someone you need to be able to see how they swing the racquet. It's also why a longer racquet swings differently than a shorter racquet with the same swingweight, or two identical length racquets with the same swingweight can feel different from each other.

 

[Rdrizzla]

It is really why racquet customization is an art that needs to be tailored to each individual user. General recommendations will get you in the ballpark, but to be able to really help someone you need to be able to see how they swing the racquet. It's also why a longer racquet swings differently than a shorter racquet with the same swingweight, or two identical length racquets with the same swingweight can feel different from each other.

Yeah I do find racket customising quite intimidating as a result of this - it’s really hard to improve the racket and not hamper it unless you know what you’re doing (which I do not).

I tried customising an Extreme Tour by +30g (distributed across handle and head) and completely threw off the sweetspot, racket felt terrible to hit anywhere on the strings. Haven’t tried customising since aha.

 

[eric42]

VCore Tour 89 is on the ATG list. On your list, 97H is by far the best IMO.

 

[Injured Again]

Yeah I do find racket customising quite intimidating as a result of this - it’s really hard to improve the racket and not hamper it unless you know what you’re doing (which I do not).

I tried customising an Extreme Tour by +30g (distributed across handle and head) and completely threw off the sweetspot, racket felt terrible to hit anywhere on the strings. Haven’t tried customising since aha.

What I've noticed is that players who use a lot of wrist on their groundstrokes don't benefit from having weight at the 12 o'clock position on the hoop, but instead do better with a bit more weight distributed lower around the hoop. I think what happens with a lot of weight on the tip of the hoop is that it's like trying to use a hammer with only your wrist. If you take a person who more or less locks their wrist and swings forward through the ball, that's way more similar to how people use a hammer, by moving the entire hammer and not rotating it around where the hand grips it.

Of course, someone with a lot of wrist lag could still use weight at 12 o'clock - it just depends on if they want to keep the static weight low. Like I said, it's kind of an art where you figure out what works for different playing styles from experience.

 

[pbb]

What I've noticed is that players who use a lot of wrist on their groundstrokes don't benefit from having weight at the 12 o'clock position on the hoop, but instead do better with a bit more weight distributed lower around the hoop. I think what happens with a lot of weight on the tip of the hoop is that it's like trying to use a hammer with only your wrist. If you take a person who more or less locks their wrist and swings forward through the ball, that's way more similar to how people use a hammer, by moving the entire hammer and not rotating it around where the hand grips it.

Of course, someone with a lot of wrist lag could still use weight at 12 o'clock - it just depends on if they want to keep the static weight low. Like I said, it's kind of an art where you figure out what works for different playing styles from experience.

Both Sinner and Nadal have a lot of weight at 12, Nadal way more though, both on a light platform racquet. And both use a lot of wrist on their forehand. But both also use grip 2, which allows for easier wrist movement. Dimitrov, just as tall as Sinner, uses grip size 5, uses less wrist but still a lot, a lot of lag on both forehand and backhand. His racquet is around 320g though, but it used to be 335g unstrung until 2023. Sinner's is 304g and Nadal's 317g unstrung

Hammer has a much larger mass disparity tip-rest, we only contract our muscles to get it going because it ideally falls on its own, gravity, we basically just hold onto it so that it doesn't fall out our hands on impact, same with digging tools, axe etc, but we twitch much more to get a racquet going fast enough and also to keep it going , and we swing through. Hammer is slow twitch and just guiding, only until impact, but a forehand is fast twitch all the way

 

[pbb]

Yeah I do find racket customising quite intimidating as a result of this - it’s really hard to improve the racket and not hamper it unless you know what you’re doing (which I do not).

I tried customising an Extreme Tour by +30g (distributed across handle and head) and completely threw off the sweetspot, racket felt terrible to hit anywhere on the strings. Haven’t tried customising since aha.

Maybe try customizing your Extreme Tour just like Musetti plays his, that's what it was engineered for. 340sw strung and 320g unstrung. Basically that's full bumper guard length of lead tape, and then it's easy to add lead or other tape at the top of the handle or lead below the base grip to get it to 318-320g. Easy and predictable.

Then you string it with Hawk Rough in mains and Lynx Tour in crosses at a lower tension and enjoy

 

[mctennis]

I prefer the feeling/weight/heft/control of the VCore Pro HD.

 

[Injured Again]

Both Sinner and Nadal have a lot of weight at 12, Nadal way more though, both on a light platform racquet. And both use a lot of wrist on their forehand. But both also use grip 2, which allows for easier wrist movement. Dimitrov, just as tall as Sinner, uses grip size 5, uses less wrist but still a lot, a lot of lag on both forehand and backhand. His racquet is around 320g though, but it used to be 335g unstrung until 2023. Sinner's is 304g and Nadal's 317g unstrung

Hammer has a much larger mass disparity tip-rest, we only contract our muscles to get it going because it ideally falls on its own, gravity, we basically just hold onto it so that it doesn't fall out our hands on impact, same with digging tools, axe etc, but we twitch much more to get a racquet going fast enough and also to keep it going , and we swing through. Hammer is slow twitch and just guiding, only until impact, but a forehand is fast twitch all the way

That may well be true, but I have never had the experience of hitting with or examining the racquets of Nadal, Sinner, Dimitrov, or any other pro player. What applies to them does not apply to rec players. If you train like them and have skill like them, then I’m sure with that ability they can make anything work.

 

[BallBasher247]

Phahaha I like that term “xtendo stick”.

I’d heard other opinions saying the Ezone 98 lacked spin, but helpful to hear an actual explanation why (the denser pattern and long central main grommets).

Fair enough you think the Vcore is the ultimate Yonex line. Although I am curious , why do you prefer the VC98Tour over the VC95? More Spin + more forgiveness, or for other reasons?

Appreciate all the help so far. I’ve used mainly Head/Babolat sticks my tennis career, so nice to get some advice on the heavier Yonex rackets.

“Xtendo stick” copyrighted now lol

Tbh I like the EZ line better than the VC. The 100 and 98 both make tennis easy, just in diff ways—the 100 is the most accessible tweener IMO and the 98 is better at low wt/sw than any other control tweener/pleener I can think of. I think VC’s have more targeted appeal than EZ’s—the 100 and 98 need spin to control them, and the 95 is niche.

I prefer VC98T over 95 for the forgiveness, plow, and swing-feel from the more even balance. I wish it was 16x20 like the 95 though—I’d trade 5% more free spin for 5% less launchiness, but the 98T does what you expect the other 95% of the time.

What do you use at the moment, and are you trying to switch to a YY?

 

[Rdrizzla]

“Xtendo stick” copyrighted now lol

Tbh I like the EZ line better than the VC. The 100 and 98 both make tennis easy, just in diff ways—the 100 is the most accessible tweener IMO and the 98 is better at low wt/sw than any other control tweener/pleener I can think of. I think VC’s have more targeted appeal than EZ’s—the 100 and 98 need spin to control them, and the 95 is niche.

I prefer VC98T over 95 for the forgiveness, plow, and swing-feel from the more even balance. I wish it was 16x20 like the 95 though—I’d trade 5% more free spin for 5% less launchiness, but the 98T does what you expect the other 95% of the time.

What do you use at the moment, and are you trying to switch to a YY?

I've had a bit of a tumultuous racket career . Growing up as a kid I used to compete in singles, and every time I got a new racket I would choose a completely different racket instead of getting two of the same, silly me.

This has sort of stuck with me now as an adult player, switching rackets often, and I haven't get found a "dream racket" that makes me want buy four of and never switch.

As a college player I used Gravity Pros (before that Speed MP, Pure Control, Radical MP), but now as a less-serious player I use the Boom MP. However, I've started playing for my local club in the league again and so need to actually get two of the same rackets for the long term (I only have a single Boom MP, and find it a bit lacking in Swingweight + spin - but the softness and feel are great on it). Therefore I am trying to make sure I look at all the offerings/brands if I'm going to stick with a set of rackets for the foreseeable.

As for why specifically Yonex, I remember demo'ing a Yonex Vcore Pro 97H and the grip pallet shape feeling great in my hand (compared to Head or Babolat) and the racket being BUTTERY smooth. Unfortunately I can't demo any Yonex in the area I am so I'm going to have to blind-buy a set of Yonex rackets - hence all the questions. The one thing I know is that it needs to be a Tour model/be a heavier swingweight frame