Yonex ezone AI 98 or EXO 3 racquet.

[Bobo96]

Have had a rough road with injuries past year. elbow tendon as well as a upper bicep/shoulder injury. I am finally working with an excellent physical therapist, after seeing several mediocre ones. We are working on a lot of things, but I will not go into it.

He says he believes there isn't much damage left to the tendons from the signals I am showing. As I have relatively no pain throughout the day, just when doing more intensive activities- certain exercises and moderate level of tennis. I am doing very slow eccentric wrist drops multiple times a day, to help heal if there is slight damage, But we are working on my nervous system, breathing mechanics, core/ shoulder blade function, and more recently on asymmetries, and movement efficiencies using the functional movement screening etc. He believes that as we correct these deficiencies, instabilities, compensations the pain will gradually decrease. He is going to have me begin to make on court progressions in the near future...

I am also going to D1 tennis this fall, And I need to look into a temporary or permanent racquet. I had switched to the yonex ezone Ai 98 in a small block of time in which I was healthy. I havent played with it much, let alone competitively, but for the 2 weeks I was playing hard with it I loved it. So as of now It's probably between the yonex, or a Prince O port racquet. So I guess my question is whether or not it is worth it to use a prince for it's notable comfort. or stick with the yonex? I only have one yonex, so it is not a huge deal if I go with the prince.

Will it make much of a difference? or is the the yonex already easy enough?
I am just not sure what the best route is. Any help is appreciated

Edit: I messed up in title. Primarily speaking about the Prince tour(not exo)

 

[donquijote]

EXO3 has 52 flex rating where Ai I believe is like 63?
Why take chances with your health? EXO3 is an excellent racquet with tons of spin. You can switch to another racquet once you are 100% with your elbow.

 

[el sergento]

I'm in physio for what sounds like something pretty similar, shoulder impingement, torn labrum, possible tear/inflammation on my supraspinatus.

Anyway, I used the EXO 3 Tour for years, and it's a wonderfully soft racquet, but I still got pain.

What I'm saying is that your rehab will have a much much larger impact on your healing and recovery than whatever racquet you choose.

The EXO is a safe choice, and will never be the source of any kind of pain or discomfort, but the Yonex isn't a super stiff frame either.

My suggestion is to go with whichever gives you the better results on court, however, stay away from full poly for a while. String, in my experience with my injury, has a larger impact on pain and discomfort than the racquet.

Good luck buddy, keep up the good work with the rehab and I hope you come back stronger than ever.

 

[smalahove]

I had both the 16x18 and 18x20 versions of the original Tour 100s (with EXO3 ports), and really enjoyed them at the time. I've also owned the AI98, a great frame as well but very different.

The Tour 100's are thin beamed players frame, with a very soft feel and huge sweetspot (at least in the 16x18 afair) - sometimes labeled as "muted" or "Plush", which imo, depends on how you experience the EXO3 ports.

The AI 98 has a similar superplush feel and perhaps a bit more pop. It is nowhere as easy to move around as the Tour 100's, especially at net - and it has that Yonex feel & look to it.

If I were to buy one of these frames again, it would be the Tour 100.

That being said, I wholeheartedly agree with El sergento. My ventures with TE and wrist/arm/shoulder tenderness and strain, have been more attributed to tight patterns and stiff strings at high tension.

Esp. the combo of the Graphene Speed Pro (tight 18x20 pattern) paired with a stiff, 16 g poly @56 lbs (stiffness in the 230+ range, which is rather high) gave me my first feel of TE after only an hour's practice.

When choosing a frame, look at both RDC and frame vibration freq. These are often very different, but together they give you a pretty good idea on how impact will be absorbed by the racket (or not). F.inst. my RF97A's clock in at 70 RDC which makes them among the highest rating frames on the market. However, their have a vibration frequency of 150, which, in addition to the weight, explains why they feel comfortable playing. In comparison, the Pure Drive Roddick has an RDC of 70sh, and a vibr freq of 170sh hz.

Also look at string pattern and how tight that pattern is. F.inst. the AI 98 is a 16x19 pattern, but a very tight one in the sweet zone, which gives you good control (for such a pattern), but will aggrevate the effect of a stiff poly f.inst.

When it comes to strings, I tend to prefer polys, even if I'm not really a string breaker. I just prefer the feel of a poly over syntgut and multi. I always look at the string stiffness rating, and consider low tension on polys. Natural gut/poly hybrid (besides all natural gut) are the only way to go if you feel you need a high tension (50-60 lbs).

 

[SJSA]

EXO 3 is the right answer for your arm.
It is definitely more comfortable than Ai 98. You can try either Rebel 98 or Tour 100 (16x18).

 

[Bobo96]

I'm in physio for what sounds like something pretty similar, shoulder impingement, torn labrum, possible tear/inflammation on my supraspinatus.

Anyway, I used the EXO 3 Tour for years, and it's a wonderfully soft racquet, but I still got pain.

What I'm saying is that your rehab will have a much much larger impact on your healing and recovery than whatever racquet you choose.

The EXO is a safe choice, and will never be the source of any kind of pain or discomfort, but the Yonex isn't a super stiff frame either.

My suggestion is to go with whichever gives you the better results on court, however, stay away from full poly for a while. String, in my experience with my injury, has a larger impact on pain and discomfort than the racquet.

Good luck buddy, keep up the good work with the rehab and I hope you come back stronger than ever.

Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate it! and same to you. It's a long frustrating road, but hopefully we both make it out wiser!

 

[fuzz nation]

If you love the Yonex, that's probably a "safe" option since you've already had a good ride with that one. Don't just make a blind switch to a Prince - test drive one before you jump in with both feet. If it's a bad fit for you, it won't matter what flex rating it has or what sort of reputation it's earned. It needs to work for you.

Also agree with the recommendation to keep your string beds on the soft side for a while, at least until you're good and healed up. If you can live without poly or poly hybrids, you'll be stacking the odds more in your favor. A snug bed of synthetic gut may give you a significantly more arm-friendly setup than even a relatively soft co-poly.

I've also been experimenting lately with tournament nylon, which is insanely affordable and also rather soft and cozy. Ashaway Liberty has come in very handy for me, both in my gear and for some clients. I'm also picking up a couple reels of Forten nylon (different gauges) to see what I might get with those.

 

[Bobo96]

I had both the 16x18 and 18x20 versions of the original Tour 100s (with EXO3 ports), and really enjoyed them at the time. I've also owned the AI98, a great frame as well but very different.

The Tour 100's are thin beamed players frame, with a very soft feel and huge sweetspot (at least in the 16x18 afair) - sometimes labeled as "muted" or "Plush", which imo, depends on how you experience the EXO3 ports.

The AI 98 has a similar superplush feel and perhaps a bit more pop. It is nowhere as easy to move around as the Tour 100's, especially at net - and it has that Yonex feel & look to it.

If I were to buy one of these frames again, it would be the Tour 100.

That being said, I wholeheartedly agree with El sergento. My ventures with TE and wrist/arm/shoulder tenderness and strain, have been more attributed to tight patterns and stiff strings at high tension.

Esp. the combo of the Graphene Speed Pro (tight 18x20 pattern) paired with a stiff, 16 g poly @56 lbs (stiffness in the 230+ range, which is rather high) gave me my first feel of TE after only an hour's practice.

When choosing a frame, look at both RDC and frame vibration freq. These are often very different, but together they give you a pretty good idea on how impact will be absorbed by the racket (or not). F.inst. my RF97A's clock in at 70 RDC which makes them among the highest rating frames on the market. However, their have a vibration frequency of 150, which, in addition to the weight, explains why they feel comfortable playing. In comparison, the Pure Drive Roddick has an RDC of 70sh, and a vibr freq of 170sh hz.

Also look at string pattern and how tight that pattern is. F.inst. the AI 98 is a 16x19 pattern, but a very tight one in the sweet zone, which gives you good control (for such a pattern), but will aggrevate the effect of a stiff poly f.inst.

When it comes to strings, I tend to prefer polys, even if I'm not really a string breaker. I just prefer the feel of a poly over syntgut and multi. I always look at the string stiffness rating, and consider low tension on polys. Natural gut/poly hybrid (besides all natural gut) are the only way to go if you feel you need a high tension (50-60 lbs).

Thanks for the thoughtful response! I definitely want to be on the safe side with my arm! My main concern about the yonex is that I always have felt that the vibration is high, even though it is soft, and most recently strung at 50 with natty gut and excel.
I would like to use the prince 100 16x18 but want to make sure I can compete at the highest levels with it, and would rather not use a racquet in the summer that I plan on switching from come time for college.

Here is my game style

6,1
righty
two handed backhand
like to rip(swing aggressively)
forehand and serve are(was) strengths
I'd say quite a bit of topspin,
hard to explain, I am aggressive, but also welcome(enjoy) grinding out points.

does it sound like a decent fit? I know I'll have to try to make sure

 

[el sergento]

Thanks for the thoughtful response! I definitely want to be on the safe side with my arm! My main concern about the yonex is that I always have felt that the vibration is high, even though it is soft, and most recently strung at 50 with natty gut and excel.
I would like to use the prince 100 16x18 but want to make sure I can compete at the highest levels with it, and would rather not use a racquet in the summer that I plan on switching from come time for college.

Here is my game style

6,1
righty
two handed backhand
like to rip(swing aggressively)
forehand and serve are(was) strengths
I'd say quite a bit of topspin,
hard to explain, I am aggressive, but also welcome(enjoy) grinding out points.

does it sound like a decent fit? I know I'll have to try to make sure

EXO sounds like a good fit, it's a joy from the baseline, but quite bad at net due to the super low flex, it's very hard to stick a good volley with it.

 

[sma1001]

Thanks for the thoughtful response! I definitely want to be on the safe side with my arm! My main concern about the yonex is that I always have felt that the vibration is high, even though it is soft, and most recently strung at 50 with natty gut and excel.
I would like to use the prince 100 16x18 but want to make sure I can compete at the highest levels with it, and would rather not use a racquet in the summer that I plan on switching from come time for college.

Here is my game style

6,1
righty
two handed backhand
like to rip(swing aggressively)
forehand and serve are(was) strengths
I'd say quite a bit of topspin,
hard to explain, I am aggressive, but also welcome(enjoy) grinding out points.

does it sound like a decent fit? I know I'll have to try to make sure

I have had TE/GE for a while now (one after the other). Firstly I agree with comments regarding rest and recuperation. I have always come back too fast - the lure of playing being too much for me. If you can resist playing until you are 100% that is the best medicine. After that the strings and racquet come in. I have an EXO3 Tour 16*18 among my collection and believe it would be ideal for you. I have played with it extensively and it really is as soft and forgiving as it gets. Don't put poly in it though - or in any other racquet - until you really are sure you are back and pain free. Note that i put a little weight in the hoop to get the necessary plough through. This also prevents overswinging - which can happen if you feel that you aren't getting enough out of the racquet - and is damaging for the arm. So demo the EXO3 or more recent Tour models, and see how you go. I agree with Fuzz that you shouldn't switch if it doesn't suit you. And the Yonex with soft strings could also work for you. Note: I find the Tour G 310 softer in play than the ai98, with an easier swing, but it's marginal and could just be the specs of the racquets i've tried.

So at the moment i have and use both the EXO3 and Tour G on and off. Both good for the arm in my experience. But do demo the EXO3/Tour model and see how you go. It would be the safer choice if you like it.

 

[smalahove]

Thanks for the thoughtful response! I definitely want to be on the safe side with my arm! My main concern about the yonex is that I always have felt that the vibration is high, even though it is soft, and most recently strung at 50 with natty gut and excel.
I would like to use the prince 100 16x18 but want to make sure I can compete at the highest levels with it, and would rather not use a racquet in the summer that I plan on switching from come time for college.

Here is my game style

6,1
righty
two handed backhand
like to rip(swing aggressively)
forehand and serve are(was) strengths
I'd say quite a bit of topspin,
hard to explain, I am aggressive, but also welcome(enjoy) grinding out points.

does it sound like a decent fit? I know I'll have to try to make sure

I guess 6.1 is your NTRP rating? For ref. my rating would be around 4.5 and I play/train reg. with 6.0+'s.

The Tour 100's (with EXO3 ports) are an acquired taste, and the combo low frame flex, exo3 ports and low tension might be too muted for many, and it will def. drain a lot of power, esp. compared to a stiffer frame. The feel might be compared to the feel of a spin pattern, i.e. great ball pocketing and a noticeable trampoline effect. Not really suited to rip'ing flat shots

You might be able to compensate this by stringing at higher tensions, but that will probably be a step backwards when it comes to TE prevention, with the possible exception of natural gut or nat.gut/poly hybrid.

Whilst I had some acclimatization issues with my RF97As, I looked at softer rackets, and besides the Tour 100s, I was planning on buying/testing the Pacific BX2 X Force Pro (which is now being replaced with the X Force Pro No1).

As you write you like topspin, I would try out the Tour 100 16x18, leaded up to your specs (my pref. would be a leather grip with lead at 6&9, to preserve the HLness), with a natural gut/poly hybrid. But again, the EXO3 ports are not for everyone ;-)

Btw. if you are interested in Prince rackets, bare in mind the Tour/Rebel 100 shape is more rounded than the Tour/Rebel 95/98 (oval) shape; I've never really been comfortable with the 95/98 shape (kind of like Blade vs Pro staff 97/6.1 95)

 

[Bobo96]

I guess 6.1 is your NTRP rating? For ref. my rating would be around 4.5 and I play/train reg. with 6.0+'s.

The Tour 100's (with EXO3 ports) are an acquired taste, and the combo low frame flex, exo3 ports and low tension might be too muted for many, and it will def. drain a lot of power, esp. compared to a stiffer frame. The feel might be compared to the feel of a spin pattern, i.e. great ball pocketing and a noticeable trampoline effect. Not really suited to rip'ing flat shots

You might be able to compensate this by stringing at higher tensions, but that will probably be a step backwards when it comes to TE prevention, with the possible exception of natural gut or nat.gut/poly hybrid.

Whilst I had some acclimatization issues with my RF97As, I looked at softer rackets, and besides the Tour 100s, I was planning on buying/testing the Pacific BX2 X Force Pro (which is now being replaced with the X Force Pro No1).

As you write you like topspin, I would try out the Tour 100 16x18, leaded up to your specs (my pref. would be a leather grip with lead at 6&9, to preserve the HLness), with a natural gut/poly hybrid. But again, the EXO3 ports are not for everyone ;-)

Btw. if you are interested in Prince rackets, bare in mind the Tour/Rebel 100 shape is more rounded than the Tour/Rebel 95/98 (oval) shape; I've never really been comfortable with the 95/98 shape (kind of like Blade vs Pro staff 97/6.1 95)

Thanks! 6,1 is my height, but yeah I am also about a 6.0.. how does the 18x 20 compare? is it as arm friendly? lower powered?

 

[EasternRocks]

I'm an Ai 98 user so obviously that's what I would recommend

 

[Bobo96]

I'm an Ai 98 user so obviously that's what I would recommend

If it weren't for injuries I would stick with the AI, but I would much rather be playing 100% in a few months, than be injured and have the best racquet

 

[smalahove]

Thanks! 6,1 is my height, but yeah I am also about a 6.0.. how does the 18x 20 compare? is it as arm friendly? lower powered?

The Tour 100 18x20 is very similar in feel to the 16x18 version, and as you would expect, offers more control and a lower launch angle. In this respect the difference is comparable to other racket series with two string patterns offered on the same frame shape, such as the 6.1 95.

However, ime, the Tour 100 18x20 feels and plays very different than any other 18x20 frame; more so than the Tour 100 16x18 compared to other 16x18 frames. if I remember correctly, it plays/feels more like a plush 16x19 pattern (maybe comparable to the AI 98 in that respect, but it's been such a long time so that would only be guessing from my part).

I played these two frames (the first iteration) side by side for a while, and had no problem going from one to another. Just like with the 6.1 95, my final choice would depend on the importance of easy access to spin. Comfort wise, the two patterns felt identical.

 

[ricki]

The Tour 100 18x20 is very similar in feel to the 16x18 version, and as you would expect, offers more control and a lower launch angle. In this respect the difference is comparable to other racket series with two string patterns offered on the same frame shape, such as the 6.1 95.

However, ime, the Tour 100 18x20 feels and plays very different than any other 18x20 frame; more so than the Tour 100 16x18 compared to other 16x18 frames. if I remember correctly, it plays/feels more like a plush 16x19 pattern (maybe comparable to the AI 98 in that respect, but it's been such a long time so that would only be guessing from my part).

I played these two frames (the first iteration) side by side for a while, and had no problem going from one to another. Just like with the 6.1 95, my final choice would depend on the importance of easy access to spin. Comfort wise, the two patterns felt identical.

It plays exactly like a "plush board" - I have 2 pcs of these and I quite like them, but they dont offer much pop if any...

 

[Bobo96]

The Tour 100 18x20 is very similar in feel to the 16x18 version, and as you would expect, offers more control and a lower launch angle. In this respect the difference is comparable to other racket series with two string patterns offered on the same frame shape, such as the 6.1 95.

However, ime, the Tour 100 18x20 feels and plays very different than any other 18x20 frame; more so than the Tour 100 16x18 compared to other 16x18 frames. if I remember correctly, it plays/feels more like a plush 16x19 pattern (maybe comparable to the AI 98 in that respect, but it's been such a long time so that would only be guessing from my part).

I played these two frames (the first iteration) side by side for a while, and had no problem going from one to another. Just like with the 6.1 95, my final choice would depend on the importance of easy access to spin. Comfort wise, the two patterns felt identical.

Thanks.

I have used primarily two racquets for the last 3 years. Boris Becker London modified, and a blade 98 18X20

I used the BB, then switched to the blade, and a year later switched back to the Becker. Over the long haul(aside from honey moon) I performed much better with the boris Becker.

I could rip the ball with heavy topspin, and felt like I barely ever missed from the baseline if I was setup with the Becker, I felt so confident in my ability to out rally while also ripping the ball. It really suited my personality, aggression, and competitiveness. The main downside, was that it was hard to end the point against exceptionally fast players, not the best serving(not bad though). Also, it could produce spinny deep balls, but I had to expend a lot of energy to get that heavy plow through feeling rip. + mine weren't very arm friendly. Loved the extension of the arm feeling though.

I really ended up hating the blade. It was very good on first serves, but that ended up feeling like all I could rely on. I felt like the racquet was controlling me, rather than the other way around. It felt un forgiving, yet powerful and uncontrollable at times. maneuverability poor (HH), and spin was hard to come by. It really turned me into a slow, flat slapper. did not have very much confidence in how I was going to play when I got on the court...

From what I hear the prince seems to sound much more like the becker, Yet much more comfy. That is a good thing. I hope a little better on serve, and more plow(heavy shots with ease). I like putting a ton of effort into the shots, just don't want to be required to on every one to get decent depth and heaviness( feel like I should be able to get that good rally ball with just my technique, and proper footwork).

As of now hoping to buy the tour 100 16x18 cheap for an extended demo. better to be competing in august, than owning the best racquet either way. + the possibility of using full poly when healthy is enticing. can't imagine using full gut in a college match right now.

 

[phanker]

I too am looking for arm-friendly racquets with similar requirements as you. You should consider demoing the AI100 also if you loved the AI98. It's super comfy even with a full bed of stiff poly and added leather grip. It's a very plush frame but is still crisp. I wouldn't call it flexy.
I've demoed the 100T and just found it way flexy and weird feeling. Couldn't really get used to it. An extended demo with some different strings trial could be the ticket.
Bought myself some AI98 now but have yet to hit with. I'm really hoping it's as comfy with poly as my modded AI100 is.

 

[Bobo96]

I too am looking for arm-friendly racquets with similar requirements as you. You should consider demoing the AI100 also if you loved the AI98. It's super comfy even with a full bed of stiff poly and added leather grip. It's a very plush frame but is still crisp. I wouldn't call it flexy.
I've demoed the 100T and just found it way flexy and weird feeling. Couldn't really get used to it. An extended demo with some different strings trial could be the ticket.
Bought myself some AI98 now but have yet to hit with. I'm really hoping it's as comfy with poly as my modded AI100 is.

Please let me know what you think about Ai100 comfort vs ai98 comfort. I felt the AI 98 was a good middle ground of the two other racquets I've used through my last few years. It gave me some extra power, but also good control and decent spin. It is flexy, but i will say there seems to be a generous amount of vibrations.

 

[ace18]

I'm a new user of the Ai98, about 2 months. I demo'd the Ai100. Although I liked the Ai100, it was too stiff for me. I like flexy racquets and came from the IG Rad Pro, which I feel is very flexy. For the Ai98, I did notice some vibrations when using a standard vibration dampener. I've always used the snake type dampener so I've been using that and the vibration is less harsh and comfortable. I do like a muted frame, some people do, some people don't. There is only one area that I can find a little discomfort when using the Ai98, but its getting better the more used to it I get, that would be serving. I used to use the Prince Ozone Tour 16X18, which may have been the earlier version of the Prince mentioned above? I liked it ok, but it was a bit too flexy for my tastes. Great comfort, but played very inconsistently for my liking. Strange thing about the ai100, when i played dubs matches, it felt find, but when I played singles, it felt harsh to me. Singles, hitting more balls, I guess makes sense.

 

[phanker]

Played with the AI98 today. It plays nothing similar to the AI100. Frankly, I'm not even sure why they're in the same line. They're very different in comfort with the AI98 being flexy while the AI100 being plush due to the bigger stringbed. Long term, I would think the AI98 is slightly better for the elbow and shoulder.

Will have to try a few different strings with the AI98 as my preference is definitely with the AI100. I just wish it swings easier like the AI98 which I really was hoping it to be like a baby AI100. Oh well.

 

[sam02135]

Thanks! 6,1 is my height, but yeah I am also about a 6.0.. how does the 18x 20 compare? is it as arm friendly? lower powered?

6.0 ntrp? Then you're a pro? I'm a 4.5/5.0 player and hard hitters don't phase me a bit. Kicking the ball around will cause hard hitters to hit out. D1 players are good; mostly European recruits for the state colleges.

I use the Prince Tour ... great racquet. I just bought the Babolat AeroProDrive and I just strung it to about 61 lbs... It feels tight. I like my Hybrid Hornet too.. great racquet and they don't make that anymore.

 

[DJTaurus]

6.0 ntrp? Then you're a pro? I'm a 4.5/5.0 player and hard hitters don't phase me a bit. Kicking the ball around will cause hard hitters to hit out. D1 players are good; mostly European recruits for the state colleges.



I use the Prince Tour ... great racquet. I just bought the Babolat AeroProDrive and I just strung it to about 61 lbs... It feels tight. I like my Hybrid Hornet too.. great racquet and they don't make that anymore.

What's your string/tension setup with Prince tour 100?

 

[tistrapukcipeht]

Tour G is pretty soft too.

 

[tistrapukcipeht]

But being soft with good power the Ai 98 is the way to go.