Which one of these racquets is the most forgiving?

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deme08

Professional
Choosing a racquet for my old man. 55 years old, 5 foot 7, 150lbs. Fairly fit for his age. Plays tennis as a means of exercise. Twice a week, an hour and half every time. Baseline rallys only. Topspin forehand and 1 hand slice backhand. Good controll and consistency but needs a racquet that provides power.

Considering the following racquets due to availability and cost locally. Which would be the most forgiving for him?

Prince POG mid
Wilson n61 95 16x18
Wilson nTour 2 95
Yonex RDS001 mid
Yonex RDS001 midplus

Thanks for the input.
 
I've never played with any of the racquets your considering, but I would think the racquets with the larger headsizes would be more forgiving?
 
Well, you certainly won't get any extra power from the POG mid. I've used the Yonex RDS001 mid and mid plus and the mid has a very large sweetspot. My groundies were spot on with it. The mid plus was way too powerful for my taste. You may like that much power though, who knows. I would demo both and take it from there.

No experience with those Wilsons, hopefully someone else will chime in about them.
 
well the k6.1 isnt too forgiving. it has a really lively sweet spot but really punishes you for missing the sweet spot. the ntour2 works well with a little lead. not as much pop as the k but pretty forgiving.
 
None of those will win any awards for forgiveness. The nTour 2, I suppose, although it's not going to provide the control or feel of the others, and IMO is not very arm friendly. The 6.1 is actually pretty agreeable and arm friendly if he can provide a good swing at 12.2 oz and 330 SW. The 001 MP is a sweet stick, I hear, but very stiff, small sweet spot, could be trouble for someone without strong mechanics. The mids you list are all superb racquets that will really be demanding, no way around it.

Just out of curiosity, why are you thinking about these particular racquets for someone who apparently doesn't serve or compete? If it's kind of a zen thing - just finding the sweet spot on his own terms, who cares about winning the point - which I can get, I'd recommend a buttery baseline oriented stick, no smaller than a MP, think POG OS, Donnay OS, Prince TT Warrior OS, Diablo MP, or maybe a PK Redondo, for starters. And of those, the Donnay or the TT Warrior seem like the picks for their price, apparently universal respect, and arm friendliness.
 
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Mmm, are there any other options in regards to rackets? I'm not a good tennis player by any means, but none of those rackets are forgiving to me. Have you thought about and RDS003? That's the racket I use now and it provides much more power and fair amount of control when compared to the RDS001.
 
if youre looking for forgiving rackets.
look inbto pro kennex rackets.
you cant go wrong with the redondo
 
I'll second the 6-1 95 line. Don't know if he can handle the weight though... Although at 1:30 min, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
 
The K6.1 95 (16x18) is a great racquet, the whole frame is a sweetspot. It starts to feel a little heavy if you play longer than two hours. If you are fairly strong the heavyness should not matter. It is quite stiff and powerful.
 
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backhand said:
None of those will win any awards for forgiveness. The nTour 2, I suppose, although it's not going to provide the control or feel of the others, and IMO is not very arm friendly. The 6.1 is actually pretty agreeable and arm friendly if he can provide a good swing at 12.2 oz and 330 SW. The 001 MP is a sweet stick, I hear, but very stiff, small sweet spot, could be trouble for someone without strong mechanics. The mids you list are all superb racquets that will really be demanding, no way around it.

Just out of curiosity, why are you thinking about these particular racquets for someone who apparently doesn't serve or compete? If it's kind of a zen thing - just finding the sweet spot on his own terms, who cares about winning the point - which I can get, I'd recommend a buttery baseline oriented stick, no smaller than a MP, think POG OS, Donnay OS, Prince TT Warrior OS, Diablo MP, or maybe a PK Redondo, for starters. And of those, the Donnay or the TT Warrior seem like the picks for their price, apparently universal respect, and arm friendliness.
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Why do you say the 001MP has a small sweet spot? From what I've read, Yonex generally has larger sweet spot than other brands given the same head size?

Considering these particular racquets mainly because they (n61, ntour2, 001mp) are on clearance sales at my local shop and by shop owner's recommendation. I use the pog mid and 001mid myself and have a few spares for Dad to try but afraid the small head size might be unforgiving for him. He generally doesn't like oversize racquets either for various reasons, maybe I should try to convince him?
 
StunLock said:
MP is generally more forgiving than mid. Does he have a preference in weight?
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He should be able to handle 12oz racquets, I mean I have been using my rds001 weighing 12.1oz for a long time and he has got bigger arms than me:)


Djokovicfan4life said:
Well, you certainly won't get any extra power from the POG mid. I've used the Yonex RDS001 mid and mid plus and the mid has a very large sweetspot. My groundies were spot on with it. The mid plus was way too powerful for my taste. You may like that much power though, who knows. I would demo both and take it from there.
Click to expand...

How much more powerful do you think was the 001MP compared to 001mid?
 
Djokovicfan4life said:
A lot more powerful. I had to use a lot of spin to keep the ball in play with the MP. The mid is a great stick, and the sweet spot is pretty large for it's headsize.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. 001MP sounds right for him then, needs a racquet that provides power. Did you find the midplus has bigger sweetspot than mid given the bigger head size?
 
Flyingpanda said:
Mmm, are there any other options in regards to rackets? I'm not a good tennis player by any means, but none of those rackets are forgiving to me. Have you thought about and RDS003? That's the racket I use now and it provides much more power and fair amount of control when compared to the RDS001.
Click to expand...

Yes RDS003 would be a good choice but its not on sale at my local store and the extra length would need some time to adjust to. He prefers standard length.

meowmix said:
I'll second the 6-1 95 line. Don't know if he can handle the weight though... Although at 1:30 min, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
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Weight won't be a problem he should be able to handle 12oz racquets for two hours but has it got a large/forgiving sweetspot? Many says the K95 doesn't?
 
definitely the RDS001 MP among your list.

and it is funny that u put POG mid and RDS001 mid there, to look for forgiving rackets.
 
In order from least to greatest sweetspot, I would say it's:

Yonex RDS001 mid
Prince POG mid
Wilson n61 95 16x18
Wilson nTour 2 95
Yonex RDS001 midplus

I would go with the RDS001MP. Because of its isometric shape, it has a large sweetspot. It has decent power, good spin, and a sufficient headsize. Its swingweight isn't so brutal, either.
 
deme08 said:
Choosing a racquet for my old man. 55 years old, 5 foot 7, 150lbs. Fairly fit for his age. Plays tennis as a means of exercise. Twice a week, an hour and half every time. Baseline rallys only. Topspin forehand and 1 hand slice backhand. Good controll and consistency but needs a racquet that provides power.

Considering the following racquets due to availability and cost locally. Which would be the most forgiving for him?

Prince POG mid
Wilson n61 95 16x18
Wilson nTour 2 95
Yonex RDS001 mid
Yonex RDS001 midplus

Thanks for the input.
Click to expand...

I have to say and I think many agree that the most forgiving racket on the market today is the HEAD RADICAL (esp. in OS) The sweetspot on that frame extends 3 feet outside the racket. I thought the FXP Radical was awesome, but then they came out w/ Microgel line and it simply blew away the competition for good. Based on my personal experience, I also have to say that The HEAD Prestige line (in both head sizes) is also a very "forgiving" compared to Yonex RDS001. I love Yonex rds frames - they will always hold a special place in my heart, but Prestige is so smooth, so refined. It's like comparing Rolls Royce to an Acura.

As far as Wilson goes: check out the KPro Open - that frame should've been named (k) Easy. I liked it way more than (K)tour or n6.1 95.

You have to remember that choice of the string in your frame can also make it more "desirable." Sometimes I can't even Demo the new frame because of the poor string job. My personal preference now are hybrids: Yonex Tough Brid $8 or Luxilon Big Banger ALU Touch Hybrd $15 strings. I love the way my frames sound when I hit the ball, just love it. It holds the tension well, very durable and the strings don't even move.


Almost forgot about Babolat offerings: Pure storm 98 in both "light" and Tour version is a very solid and forgiving racket. I have not tried the new Babolat Pure Storm Ltd 95 frame but maybe you should.
 
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tennis_hand said:
definitely the RDS001 MP among your list.

and it is funny that u put POG mid and RDS001 mid there, to look for forgiving rackets.
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I just thought I'd put them in there since I use both myself and they are quite forgiving for me:twisted: Anyway, it was interesting one poster in here said 001MP has a small sweetspot:confused:
 
I'm the poster that said the 001MP had a small sweetspot. That's admittedly based on one demo session, and I'm not a regular Yonex player.

That said, most of this depends on what you mean by a "big" sweetspot. ALL sweetspots are exactly the same size (the mathematical center of percussion). What posters really mean is either how the racquet feels on an off-axis hit - jarring or dead or smooth - or how much power it delivers even if the ball strikes off center.

For instance, Prince Ozones and Speedports have enormous sweetspots if you mean how well they can deliver a wrong-footed off axis recovery shot, but some people hate how they feel (or don't feel) right on-axis. With the 001MP I tried, it had a wonderful crisp sweet spot, and it delivered pretty good pace on mishits, but at the cost of a fair amount of vibration. With a flex of 68, that could do interesting things to your arm if you hit off axis very much. Don't know what level your dad is, but thought it was worth noting. Not unlike other Yonnies I've hit with, and if you look at the feedback sections for several of them, you'll see similar comments. Contrast this to most classic Wilsons or Volkls, where mishits, especially higher up, just feel dead and powerless. All depends on what you want from a "sweetspot"...
 
My old man is even older. 64.
he plays with a triad (sometimes 2.0 or 3.2)
its got a big headsize and has tons of power. forgiving yeah prety dang forgiving. plus its like 8oz really light but head heavy so it shouldnt be very difficult to use.
i dont know if you can find a new one but i would really bet on this stick as the right thing for your dad.
 
I would agree with the RDS MP if he's not bothered by a bit of stiffness. String it up with a softish string and it should be gold.
It's pretty easy to swing and does most things well...a well balanced racket I would say.
 
deme08 said:
Choosing a racquet for my old man. 55 years old, 5 foot 7, 150lbs. Fairly fit for his age. Plays tennis as a means of exercise. Twice a week, an hour and half every time. Baseline rallys only. Topspin forehand and 1 hand slice backhand. Good control and consistency but needs a racquet that provides power.

Considering the following racquets due to availability and cost locally. Which would be the most forgiving for him?

Prince POG mid
Wilson n61 95 16x18
Wilson nTour 2 95
Yonex RDS001 mid
Yonex RDS001 midplus
Click to expand...

I believe that the most forgiving is the Yonex RDS001 midplus. I hit with a TW demo of this racquuet this last week. It's stiff and should provide plenty of power, but don't string it too high.

IMO the Prince and Wilsons you listed are not particularly forgiving.
 
RDS 001 Midplus is the most forgiving in my opinion. Then the n6.1.

If you could use the racket effectively, then 001 Mid.
 
deme08 said:
Choosing a racquet for my old man. 55 years old, 5 foot 7, 150lbs. Fairly fit for his age. Plays tennis as a means of exercise. Twice a week, an hour and half every time. Baseline rallys only. Topspin forehand and 1 hand slice backhand. Good controll and consistency but needs a racquet that provides power.

Considering the following racquets due to availability and cost locally. Which would be the most forgiving for him?

Prince POG mid
Wilson n61 95 16x18
Wilson nTour 2 95
Yonex RDS001 mid
Yonex RDS001 midplus

Thanks for the input.
Click to expand...

stick with either the n6.1 or the RDS001 mp, I would chose the N6.1
 
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