Yonex EZONE Ai 98 Racquets vs Wilson Stream 99s

[JJam2112]

Hello,

I am Intrested if anyone has tried both of these rackets and what your experience and thoughts were. I currently play with a Wilson Steam 99s with RPM blast in it. I love it and it has good feel and touch when I'm fresh, but have shoulder issues and I found over a match my shoulder gets sore. I think it may be related to the stiffness of the racket and the poly strings. I thought about switching to the steam 99 and using a softer string like a multifilament but Im also considering the Ai 98 as it is less stiff but want to know how it compares to the steam 99s.

Thanks

 

[Moveforwardalways]

Hello,

I am Intrested if anyone has tried both of these rackets and what your experience and thoughts were. I currently play with a Wilson Steam 99s with RPM blast in it. I love it and it has good feel and touch when I'm fresh, but have shoulder issues and I found over a match my shoulder gets sore. I think it may be related to the stiffness of the racket and the poly strings. I thought about switching to the steam 99 and using a softer string like a multifilament but Im also considering the Ai 98 as it is less stiff but want to know how it compares to the steam 99s.

Thanks

According to your sig, you are using Lux at 60lbs. That is a recipie for arm and shoulder problems. Lux is made to be strung at around 40lbs. If you really like the Wilson Steam, keep it and drop the tension on that Lux by 20 lbs. You are going to kill your arm/shoulder at 60.

 

[Moveforwardalways]

Oh, and I will also say this: I think the Ai98 is a much better racquet. Just my opinion.

 

[Surion]

Both are completely different frames...not even close.

The Ai98 offers a way better control, less power, more feel, less spin, much more comfort.
The Steam 99s is great for spin, but for nothing else in my opinion.
Stiff, powerful, no control.

 

[TobyTopspin]

According to your sig, you are using Lux at 60lbs. That is a recipie for arm and shoulder problems. Lux is made to be strung at around 40lbs. If you really like the Wilson Steam, keep it and drop the tension on that Lux by 20 lbs. You are going to kill your arm/shoulder at 60.

Sorry to correct you, but that is not the case at all with the Steam 99s. Mid is 59 lbs with full poly recommended. These open patterned sticks needs higher tension and 60 still feels pretty comfortable with this stick. With low tension, the launch angle is too high and can lead to control issues in this stick.

Now the debate of what tension poly was designed for is often misunderstood. While there are some that say poly was designed to be strung low, that is really false. Poly was originally strung fairly tight by the first poly users and the recommended tension with these strings were only slightly lower than with a non-poly string. It's become more in vogue to string it lower due to certain pros using it at a lower tension, but it's really just up to the preference of the player.

It is true that a lot of players prefer poly strung at lower tensions, but there are still a great many that still enjoy poly strung fairly tight. I've experimented with both and see merits for both, but I usually end up stringing poly somewhere in the middle of the tension range. With low tension, I don't get the feeling of the ball flattening out against my stick face and I very much prefer that feeling verses the wollowey feel of low tension poly.

 

[JJam2112]

Thanks for the tip, I'll try less tension first. I used to use Luxion but switched to rpm blast as I felt there was more power and spin with it.