Wilson Defyer 98 Pro V1

FuzzyYellowBalls said:
Got it, as others mentioned Wilson feel too. What impact do you think it being a platform racket will have on success? I mean surely they didn't design it to be so, even if it is, the general buyer isn't savvy enough to customize at a level of sales that will make a profit, generally speaking.
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Some of them don't need customization. Only the ones with sub 320 strung SW's do. I play mine stock at 320 SW and it holds up fine against heavy hitters.
 
Got a good 2 hours of doubles yesterday with the defyer with my typical set up, klip Gut / wasabi x at 52/48. Quick comparison against the prostock PJ that have foam in the handle.

Defyers are 329g, 324sw. Wilson OG + 2g total 3 & 9.
Python PJ, same specs with lead at 3/9 & 12.

Defyer:
  • slightly firmer/stiffer
  • more pop
  • bigger sweet spot
  • Grip is a touch bigger with a more flared buttcap
  • more stable
  • slightly more muted
  • unmodified came in at 322g and 320sw. I still felt like a little lead was needed at 3 & 9.

I will be selling my pair of python pj. Retail defyer is just more user friendly and I need that extra forgiveness.
 
Well I'm made the leap onto the hype train. basically traded my Vcore 95s for the Defyers.

It's the best offering Wilson has put out in years IMO. Ive never been the biggest blade fan personally, but I do consider it the standard starting frame for any advanced player when demoing new sticks. I have them start with the blade, but virtually everyone ends up on a more powerful stick.

That being said, the Defyer 98 is not some wonderful magic frame. I do see it settling into that spot as the gold standard for newer "modern spin+control" frames. It's very middle of the of road in power/control for the current modern trend of lighter frames and lower swing weights. But I see many players trying this and wanting either more power (a la Aero 98 or Vcore) or more classic feeling control/mass (Blade , Pro staff, etc)

If you want more pop, go Aero, Vcore, or FX series.
If you want more control, the Blade, Pro Staff, Prince tour is the way to go.
 
FuzzyYellowBalls said:
Got it, as others mentioned Wilson feel too. What impact do you think it being a platform racket will have on success? I mean surely they didn't design it to be so, even if it is, the general buyer isn't savvy enough to customize at a level of sales that will make a profit, generally speaking.
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Yeah the thing I don’t know is what percentage of the tennis population are tennis nerds that customize their equipment.

I only have anecdotal observations based on what I see on the forums and with the handful of people I hit with, so my perspective isn’t very wide.

I imagine the racquet will have long term success due to the hype leading up to its release and many pros actually playing with the frame/pro stock versions - people tend to follow trends or imitate what they see on TV.

I see the playability stock resulting in:
a. people tinkering with it and finding their mojo with it
b. people complaining it’s a bad racquet and dropping it/selling theirs off




At the very least I see ver. 2 being released in 3-4 years unlike the shift that was put out to pasture without any respect lol

Being a Wilson racquet is another thing that it has going for it as people have been missing a Wilson frame that’s generally very playable and fits a niche. Look at the RF series for example, it had the hype but was missing the general playability for the masses.

I’d be curious to see if the market share of tennis racquet sales shifts more towards Wilson in the upcoming months, that’d really be an indicator of this line’s success.
 
Djinn said:
Anyone have experience with Pure Strike 98 16*19 and Defyer 98? I would love a comparison.
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Yes. I had the Pure Strike 98 16x19 for a wile. Great racquet... but... The SW on them can get up to 330 making them hard to maneuver. I was lucky to find one with a 325 SW and it was still hard to maneuver probably because of the balance. If you can swing it for a full 2 hour match then it's a great racquet that hits a huge ball with control and spin with rock solid stability. I ended up selling mine and getting a Pure Strike Team that I customized to my liking. I played with those for a while but they ended up hurting my arm a bit, maybe because of the leather grips I put on them and it being a somewhat stiff racquet, but I eventually sold those as well. The Teams were nice to play with but I just couldn't swing the Pure Strike 98 for a full hitting session. Compared to the D98 it feels quite different as it is more solid. Spin probably better with the D98 if your technique is good but power goes to the PS98 because of it's rock solid stability. Control might be better with the PS98 as well but not by much.
 
In some ways this is better to me than the pure aero 23. I have both in the bag. It really matters what you want. I tend to miss long more than short in match pressure. If we are only allowed to rate a frame when playing ranked matches im not going to be able to comment there because im not able to play UTR or usta for a little while. So I've been playing ladder matches at the local tennis club. Ironically it’s almost all guys I played in usta and UTR anyway.

The pa23 has more power. It’s a great frame. The feel matters to me, but it’s not the only thing either. If you don’t like the feel of a racquet it’s tough to stick with it. Some people don’t care but many others do. The advantage is the confidence you get when you can feel the ball in the way that you want. It also is more motivating for many of us to play when the contact feel is really enhanced. The comfort piece is huge. It’s much more fun to play with a racquet that is easy on the arm. The Defyer seems to be very good there as well (so far).

Defyer is also is beastly on serve, better than the pa23 for me.

The ezone is a very low trajectory frame, with a hollow feel and no buttcap flare. It’s not for everyone. The trajectory of the Defyer is much better to me and it also has a much better grip shape. Power is similar.

I think the Defyer easily competes with the pa23 and the ezone for anyone that likes those frames but wants an alternative because they don’t like the yonex or babolat. A lot of people like Wilson frames and want to use those racquets so switching to another brand is not in the cards. So this is another player that will love the Defyer.

It’s also just rec tennis so there is no need to stress about this so much. It’s a fun way to get exercise and compete. If someone wants to switch frames every week who really cares?

I will say that you don’t have to be the highest level to use this frame. But you need to have or aspire to have good technique. This is a frame for someone who wants to put in the work on fitness and technique. You need to be able to swing fast throughout a match. If that is something you can do or are working on doing then this racquet will reward you heavily for loose and relaxed swings with high tip speed. You will know where the ball is going and there won’t be any nasty surprises that can happen with a more powerful frame.

It’s just very well balanced and all around great at everything. It easily can slot in with the pure aero and ezone but it has its own vibe, which is really nice too. Im pleasantly surprised. Not sure if the 100 I have coming is going to unseat it but we shall see.
 
Power Player said:
In some ways this is better to me than the pure aero 23. I have both in the bag. It really matters what you want. I tend to miss long more than short in match pressure. If we are only allowed to rate a frame when playing ranked matches im not going to be able to comment there because im not able to play UTR or usta for a little while. So I've been playing ladder matches at the local tennis club. Ironically it’s almost all guys I played in usta and UTR anyway.

The pa23 has more power. It’s a great frame. The feel matters to me, but it’s not the only thing either. If you don’t like the feel of a racquet it’s tough to stick with it. Some people don’t care but many others do. The advantage is the confidence you get when you can feel the ball in the way that you want. It also is more motivating for many of us to play when the contact feel is really enhanced. The comfort piece is huge. It’s much more fun to play with a racquet that is easy on the arm. The Defyer seems to be very good there as well (so far).

Defyer is also is beastly on serve, better than the pa23 for me.

The ezone is a very low trajectory frame, with a hollow feel and no buttcap flare. It’s not for everyone. The trajectory of the Defyer is much better to me and it also has a much better grip shape. Power is similar.

I think the Defyer easily competes with the pa23 and the ezone for anyone that likes those frames but wants an alternative because they don’t like the yonex or babolat. A lot of people like Wilson frames and want to use those racquets so switching to another brand is not in the cards. So this is another player that will love the Defyer.

It’s also just rec tennis so there is no need to stress about this so much. It’s a fun way to get exercise and compete. If someone wants to switch frames every week who really cares?

I will say that you don’t have to be the highest level to use this frame. But you need to have or aspire to have good technique. This is a frame for someone who wants to put in the work on fitness and technique. You need to be able to swing fast throughout a match. If that is something you can do or are working on doing then this racquet will reward you heavily for loose and relaxed swings with high tip speed. You will know where the ball is going and there won’t be any nasty surprises that can happen with a more powerful frame.

It’s just very well balanced and all around great at everything. It easily can slot in with the pure aero and ezone but it has its own vibe, which is really nice too. Im pleasantly surprised. Not sure if the 100 I have coming is going to unseat it but we shall see.
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I've been comparing my PA98s to the Defyer 98 as well. In some aspects I like the Defyer, but I do notice a few things between the two that are different than your experience and maybe it's the spec'd version on mine vs yours.

My 23 PA98 came in around 326 SW with just a dampener and poly strings in stock form, with static weight around 327.5 grams with an overgrip. I played the same setup with poly strings, dampener and overgrip on my Defyer/Redline 98 and I got a SW around 328.5 with similar static weight around 328 grams. The biggest difference was the Twistweight numbers. The D98 was only 13.0 and my PA98 was 13.5.

A few things I noticed was that the D98 didn't stand up to pace as well as my PA98, especially if you aren't swinging fully at the ball. Some shots from the baseline where you are rushed for time can be tougher with the D98 than the PA98. Spin potentital is less with D98 as well. I found that it's better to drive through the ball where as the PA98 wants you to brush the ball a little more. I think there's a little more drop off in playability outside the sweetspot with the D98 than the PA98 as well.

I think if maybe I got a lower spec'd D98 I wouldn't be as hesitant to maybe add a little weight (2 grams) to 3 and 9, but given that it's already at the edge of my preferred SW range, I'm not wanting to add weight and push that SW up over 330 because then it may feel harder to use with less control than I want.
 
Big_Dangerous said:
I've been comparing my PA98s to the Defyer 98 as well. In some aspects I like the Defyer, but I do notice a few things between the two that are different than your experience and maybe it's the spec'd version on mine vs yours.

My 23 PA98 came in around 326 SW with just a dampener and poly strings in stock form, with static weight around 327.5 grams with an overgrip. I played the same setup with poly strings, dampener and overgrip on my Defyer/Redline 98 and I got a SW around 328.5 with similar static weight around 328 grams. The biggest difference was the Twistweight numbers. The D98 was only 13.0 and my PA98 was 13.5.

A few things I noticed was that the D98 didn't stand up to pace as well as my PA98, especially if you aren't swinging fully at the ball. Some shots from the baseline where you are rushed for time can be tougher with the D98 than the PA98. Spin potentital is less with D98 as well. I found that it's better to drive through the ball where as the PA98 wants you to brush the ball a little more. I think there's a little more drop off in playability outside the sweetspot with the D98 than the PA98 as well.

I think if maybe I got a lower spec'd D98 I wouldn't be as hesitant to maybe add a little weight (2 grams) to 3 and 9, but given that it's already at the edge of my preferred SW range, I'm not wanting to add weight and push that SW up over 330 because then it may feel harder to use with less control than I want.
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Yeah the d98 is for sure a timing frame so if you are hitting out in front it will stand up to pace well. But it’s not as stable as the pure aero. I agree. Advantage to the Defyer is it’s much faster and easier to maneuver. The babolat plays a bit clunkier due to the higher twistweight.

You can make the Defyer more stable with lead at 3 and 9 so that is a nice mod. I’m holding off as long as I can there though. I like this in stock form so far.

The beam is thicker and that does help. It’s 23.5 or so and that does matter. I think that’s another key part of the frame. Thicker beam that swings like a thin beam would.
 
EDias said:
I have a Blade 18x19 and I bought a Defyer, but I haven't had a chance to test it yet. I've only used Python two or three times; I felt it generated spin, but the ball didn't have much weight after the bounce. It could be my technique or just a matter of adjustment. Initially, I felt that the Blade 18x19 really produced a heavier ball for the opponent, but — as I said — I really think it's necessary to adjust my technique or the racket (the Defyer), because the thicker beam and higher RA should, in theory, deliver a heavier ball. Korda himself seems to have switched to achieve that heavier ball, and commented on a podcast that it took him a while to adapt (he hated the Python at first — his words).
I used the same string and tension on both when I tested the Python.
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Yes, that is basically exactly how I feel.
Since I'm not a pro, I may just stick with the Blade and let the heavier but flatter ball push my opponent back.
Seems like too much trouble for me to try and adjust my technique and I'm not sure I would be able to play as confidently long-term.
We'll see
 
Cayenne321 said:
I've found this as well. The more weight I add to the hoop, the more it becomes sluggish at a rate that feels faster than I'm used to. Still tinkering but I might drop the lead from 3&9 and just watch the ball better / hope for better contact.
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Yeah, I can’t figure it out, Why would a frame that has the same static weight, same balance and a LOWER swingweight feel more sluggish? The only thing I can think of is the thicker beam throughout the frame. Could be the larger feeling grip as well?
 
einca13 said:
Yeah, I can’t figure it out, Why would a frame that has the same static weight, same balance and a LOWER swingweight feel more sluggish? The only thing I can think of is the thicker beam throughout the frame. Could be the larger feeling grip as well?
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Twistweight has a huge impact on how sluggish a racquet feels. Do you have a way to measure that?
 
einca13 said:
Yeah, I can’t figure it out, Why would a frame that has the same static weight, same balance and a LOWER swingweight feel more sluggish? The only thing I can think of is the thicker beam throughout the frame. Could be the larger feeling grip as well?
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I feel it's the beam. Just takes a bit of time getting used to if you're coming from a thin box beam.
 
WNCSRVVLLY said:
Twistweight has a huge impact on how sluggish a racquet feels. Do you have a way to measure that?
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Nah it doesn't. Check this slow-mo video. Zero racquet movement along the twist axis from wrist lag to ball contact. No potential for twist weight to impact maneuverability.

 
jklos said:
Yes. I had the Pure Strike 98 16x19 for a wile. Great racquet... but... The SW on them can get up to 330 making them hard to maneuver. I was lucky to find one with a 325 SW and it was still hard to maneuver probably because of the balance. If you can swing it for a full 2 hour match then it's a great racquet that hits a huge ball with control and spin with rock solid stability. I ended up selling mine and getting a Pure Strike Team that I customized to my liking. I played with those for a while but they ended up hurting my arm a bit, maybe because of the leather grips I put on them and it being a somewhat stiff racquet, but I eventually sold those as well. The Teams were nice to play with but I just couldn't swing the Pure Strike 98 for a full hitting session. Compared to the D98 it feels quite different as it is more solid. Spin probably better with the D98 if your technique is good but power goes to the PS98 because of it's rock solid stability. Control might be better with the PS98 as well but not by much.
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Thanks for the input, very helpful. I'm currently playing with the Pure Strike 98 16/19 with SW increased to 335 and a leather grip. Honestly I have no problems with them currently except for a minor issue with the buttcap flare being too small. If I were to get Defyers, I'd still want to push SW up to 330-340 range, which is normal for me, so it should be no problem. Thanks again.
 
Soundbyte said:
Well I'm made the leap onto the hype train. basically traded my Vcore 95s for the Defyers.

It's the best offering Wilson has put out in years IMO. Ive never been the biggest blade fan personally, but I do consider it the standard starting frame for any advanced player when demoing new sticks. I have them start with the blade, but virtually everyone ends up on a more powerful stick.

That being said, the Defyer 98 is not some wonderful magic frame. I do see it settling into that spot as the gold standard for newer "modern spin+control" frames. It's very middle of the of road in power/control for the current modern trend of lighter frames and lower swing weights. But I see many players trying this and wanting either more power (a la Aero 98 or Vcore) or more classic feeling control/mass (Blade , Pro staff, etc)

If you want more pop, go Aero, Vcore, or FX series.
If you want more control, the Blade, Pro Staff, Prince tour is the way to go.
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just out of curiosity, do you have a one handed or two handed backhand? Wondering if that affects your decision between VC95 vs D98. I have an OHBH and I found myself always gravitated towards the VC subconsciously.
 
eric42 said:
Nah it doesn't. Check this slow-mo video. Zero racquet movement along the twist axis from wrist lag to ball contact. No potential for twist weight to impact maneuverability.

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It might not for djoko but it does for a lot of current pros like sinner
 
I've played extensively with my P98 now. As a flatter long-term Blade user, a few observations:

I seem to be getting much better shape on the ball. So my net clearance is higher and I can see the ball kicking up. However the ability to hit flat on short balls remains.

According to my opponents, my serve is much harder. Volleying with the P98 is powerful and easy. So playing dubs is fun. My backhand is now becoming more of a weapon.

All in all, it's a keeper. Which is quite something as I love my V10s.
 
Frogman69 said:
It might not for djoko but it does for a lot of current pros like sinner
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Still no. From the moment the racquet face begins to move forward, there is virtually no racquet movement along the twist axis. Not sure how this idea got started that twist weight affects maneuverability.

 
eric42 said:
Still no. From the moment the racquet face begins to move forward, there is virtually no racquet movement along the twist axis. Not sure how this idea got started that twist weight affects maneuverability.

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It affects maneuverability at the net, mainly. A very high twistweight can then also make the backswing/takeback part of a forehand more annoying depending on your stroke type as well.
 
eric42 said:
Nah it doesn't. Check this slow-mo video. Zero racquet movement along the twist axis from wrist lag to ball contact. No potential for twist weight to impact maneuverability.

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Try playing doubles with Novak's spec then tell me how maneuverable it is.
 
WNCSRVVLLY said:
Try playing doubles with Novak's spec then tell me how maneuverable it is.
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Looking at his racket when I see him play, he adds a ton of lead strips running from like 10/2 all the way down the side of the racket. Probably increases the TW by a considerable margin and SW as well.
 
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Ok, I tried the Defyer again and this time I took out my normal H22 setup of 1.25 Lynx Tour/1.22 Ghostwire and went 1.25 Sync/1.22 Ghostwire at 48/46. By switching out Lynx Tour the SW dropped from 326 to 324.

Wow, it played great. I don’t usually play at such a low swingweight, but the sluggishness was gone and it had plenty of power, spin without sacrificing too much control. I am guessing because of the thick beam it needs to play at a lower swingweight versus my H22’s at 330SW. The thin flexy box beam needs the mass for power whereas the Defyer gets it from the thicker beam and stiffness.

Everything was improved over the linear, but very consistent H22 with the exception of touch shots. I never thought I would consider dumping my H22’s but I am really considering it now. I can see why so many Blade/H22/Blade Pro users have switched over.
 
I would add to the above that anyone coming out of the honeymoon phase and realizing it lacks a bit of juice, launch angle and power relative to the PA98 should give it a try with a thinner gauge than they’re used to. I just threw in conf soft 1.20 at 49 full bed and man is it fantastic. More depth, same fast swing, and great control preserved. It is back to pole position relative to the acrostrike and the PA98!
 
evalir said:
It affects maneuverability at the net, mainly. A very high twistweight can then also make the backswing/takeback part of a forehand more annoying depending on your stroke type as well.
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Yeah especially for people who "pat the dog" on their stroke, there is certainly a twisting motion.

There's also twisting on a serve too. That's where I notice a big difference between my Blade 98 with 12.5 TW and other racquets with 13.5+.

There's also twisting motion just in general moving the racquet around.
 
I don’t know if it has been commented, or if it’s comming from being stringed at 4 knocts, but I feel more vibrations in the racket when I hit the ball close the top of strings. I’ve got other 16x20 frases and never felt the same.

Anybody else has felt the same?
 
Big_Dangerous said:
Looking at his racket when I see him play, he add a ton of lead strips running from like 10/2 all the way down the side of the racket. Probably increases the TW by a considerable margin and SW as well.
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The slight extension of the frame also brings the SW up a bit.
I believe DR325 or whatever his user name was said the stock balance had a naturally higher SW too. So apparently there isn’t weight added under the bumper? I’m just going off his comments so I can’t truly confirm.
 
sebash said:
I want to try a nice softer round poly, either Element which I liked on my demo, Alu Rough, or Razor Soft white. Anybody tried either one on the D98?
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I tried Element at 52 pounds (not my choice got it free with the Racket), felt good and played great, was very middle of the road, good on everything but not exceptional at anything. I did develop tennis elbow which I think could have been due to changing my exercises lifting weights, but I changed my strings to Gut Vs mains and Ghostwire cross to try and fix it. I think Razor white will be great I really like the feel of that string.
einca13 said:
Demo’s are non-existent so I was thinking of just buying one to tinker with it. As someone who has played pro stock Wilson H22’s 16x19 (335g, 32.5mm, 330SW, Head Lynx Tour) for a long time, will the D98 be something I may like? Tried a Pure Aero once, wasn’t for me.

Ex-college player with heavy topspin game. Been thinking about finding a little easier power and spin, but hard to move on from the H22 control and god-like raw feel.

Any feedback from H22 and/or Blade Pro users who made the switch would be appreciated.
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I switched to D98 and my main was a H22 16x19, like you I discovered it was better to find a spec which suited each racket individually rather than try and match the spec's. I didn't like the H22 with a spec to light I needed it 330g or more, D98 plays much better at a lighter spec than the H22. I also didn't like the D98 with weight above 3 and 9. D98 plays fine weighted up at 3 and 9 and weight in the throat for me, but if I added weight to 12 it was very limited to how heavy I could take it before losing it's great maneuverability aspects I like.

Although H22 has better feel I didn't lose anything playing touch shots with the D98, I'm getting more points with drop shots and short spin serves etc especially using gut strings the dropshots with D98 are exceeding my expectations. Direction control I can't really speak on because I used to love 18x20 rackets the most and was thinking of switching to V10 Blade 18x20 but I compared my H22 16x19 to my Blade Pro 18x20 I switched my preference to 16x19, similarly with D98 I know it should have less directional control but it just doesn't seem to matter as much for my game as it once did. D98 gives me enough directional control where I retain full confidence, which is why I switched to it, I feel confident to try serve variations and shot variations without making unforced errors. I could happily use H22 still the only major area I would miss the D98 is serving especially kick serves, spin serves slice serves, I feel the D98 is a major upgrade for this. When I'm playing the D98 I don't miss anything about the H22, even though it's got better feel and I'm a feel racket kind of guy I don't mind the D98 feel and like the way it sounds.
EternalEnvy said:
Anyone added weight to the throat / would recommend?
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I've added a lot of weight to the throat and slowly reduced it to see how it feels and I really liked it, if you want to add weight without messing with the maneuverability to much (which the D98 is sensitive to) the throat seems ideal for this frame to me.
FuzzyYellowBalls said:
So, this racket isn't better than an Aero, Ezone, Vcore, or whatever Head's darling racket is, is it? I see the good and bad here in the thread, seems mostly positive but no one is going so far as to declare it that level.
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Out of that list I woud imagine I like the Speed Tour best but I haven't tried it as it isn't sold in my Country. I tried the others and liked Ezone 98 best and I did compare back to back over a game or two D98 and Ezone 98 and I prefer the D98.
einca13 said:
Everything was improved over the linear, but very consistent H22 with the exception of touch shots. I never thought I would consider dumping my H22’s but I am really considering it now. I can see why so many Blade/H22/Blade Pro users have switched over.
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Worth keeping at it, I think touch shots are amazing with D98, but I have used my Redline a lot and did get it the day the Redline version first arrived.
 
RF leather grip transforms this thing into a serious racquet. Much easier depth and heavier shots adding 5g to the handle. And so much better connection compared to that horrible mushy base grip it came with. Don’t think it needs anything in the hoop at or above the 320 sw pt.

Really like 334g, 320 SW, 32 cm balance
 
Bottle Rocket said:
I got one of these for funsies. Not blown away, but still intrigued. Wilson has managed to muster unreal amounts of hype for this, not too dissimilar than what they pulled off for the RF 01, albeit in a very different way, and this time with some actual college/pro player proof points.

Maybe due my style, but I found it sort of unplayable in stock form due to the lack of weight in the head. My spec with confidential 1.30 and an abzorb overgrip came in at a SW of 318 and total weight of 332g. I strung it at 50 lbs. I usually struggle with strung swingweights under 325.

Reminds me a little of the current 305S from Technifibre in feel and feedback, but a bit lower powered and softer feeling. Also noticeably different grip shape than my other Wilson's, but not hugely significant. Reminds me a little of the 2012'ish Aeropro which also had a fairly low swingweight and round head, but this feels softer and more stable. Doesn't feel like a huge revelation in comparison to the original aero pros, which were arguably ahead of their time.

Messing around with some weight in the head and wondering if a leather grip is warranted, but even with some lead at 3 and 9 to match my Blade V10 18x20's SW, I'm not convinced it is a more powerful racket, which is also a surprise. So far it's making me appreciate just how great the blade is, but I also think I see the appeal here for younger players with insane swings and the modern game, i.e. I hit some ridiculous shots with it when swinging like a maniac, but my rally ball wasn't stronger.

(I'm arguably still playing 4.5 tennis and was hitting with a former college player)
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Played a few more with a few different configs ending with just a bit of lead at 3 and 9. My high level take now is that this racket makes you feel better than it makes you play. As in, it's lightweight and easy to play/super forgiving, but that doesn't necessarily correspond to a better ball. It does if the confidence enables you to swing out more often with less fear, which is a big deal in match play, but shot for shot I don't think the Defyer 98 generates a faster or more spinny ball than my default Blade 18x20. It is a ton of fun though and I understand the appeal.

I think a lot of these more modern spin / power rackets enable that style of play more than they directly contribute to it.
 
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JeanF said:
Yesterday I had a good practice session on clay and had enough time and possibilities to test and compare the Defyer 98 after some relevant changes in my set-up.
As already mentioned here my first impressions with the Defyer 98, strung with Alu Power (soft) were not really convincing and absolutely not accordingly the overwhelming positive impressions of many youtube reviews.

Compared to one of my current favorite rackets (Head Speed Tour 97) I found the Defyer 98 feeling very muted and therefore I was really missing some good ballcontact feel, and furthermore it took me a lot of effort to achieve the same amount of court penetration and acceleration as I can hit easily with my Speed Tour 97's.
Despite the fact that so many people seems to pretend that the Defyer 98 - Alu Power combi should be ''a match made in heaven'' I could not get convinced about it at all after my first impressions, so I chose to change the string to one of the strings that worked out almost perfectly in all the rackets I have played with in the past and that's Head Lynx Tour (grey) 1.20 mm.
My personal experience with the 1.20 mm. version compared to the 1.25 mm. version is that it gives me better ball pocketing and feeling less stiff. Another advantage is that the 1.20 mm version is comparable with other 1.25 mm. strings with regard to weight and therefore will not add more swingweight.

The results of this string change can be called impressive... away was the heavily muted feeling (now comparable with the slightly muted feel of the Speed Tour 97) and what appeared was a really good ballcontact feel with lots of bite and grip on the ball.
Something what also stood out during my session yesterday was the ability to easy accelerate the ball, which resulted in a lot of court penetration.
Besides the string change I also lowered the weight of the leadtape on the 3/9 h position and that resulted in an even more higher swingspeed and handling feel.
I'm convinced that the Defyer really needs some weight customization to make it enough stable for good intermediate and advanced players.
My hitting partner was serving well yesterday and generated a lot of speed and pressure in his strokes and during the ball impact moments of my return strokes it was clearly noticeable that the frame was twisting, even with the addition of leadtape on the 3/9 h position.
This effect was also noticeable at the net when I blocked and volleyed some heavy passing shots of my hitting partner.
During heavy hit groundstrikes I have not really experienced excessive frame twisting in the hoop, but felt that the throat was flexing quite a lot, something I like and which gives me a better touch and feel.

I still have to get used to the red color, but after these result giving set-up changes I have to admit that the Defyer is growing on me a lot....
Based on this I ordered a second one and will continue to play and experiment with the Defyer 98 the upcoming time.
Click to expand...
I like you found it too muted (with Confidential 1.25). I was going to try ALU Power to try and get a stiffer response and more feedback.

You used ALU power soft? Surprised you found Lynx felt better as it should be more muted than normal ALU power.
 
Another reason for the lower swingweight and feeling of early/easy timing is almost certainly also due to the fact that mine is 3-5mm shorter than my blade and 1-2 shorter than some other standard 27" rackets, and that's excluding the wilson logo on the buttcap
 
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