Yonex VCore Pro 97 HD review...

[matchpoint9]

With the HD, I’ve noticed immediate improvement in volley quality and surprising ability to react at net and get the racket in position in time that has surprised my playing partners when they think they have smoked it by me.

Strung it with Klip Legend 17g mains at 53 and Yonex Poly Tour Fire 17g crosses at 45 and am really liking this combo.

Well-said! It's a really maneuverable frame for its weight. I used Blade V7 for about a month; it was a great stick but felt sluggish for quick exchanges at the net. For doubles, it's really just serve, volley, overhead, return of serve. Repeat. The HD is perfect for this.

I've been thinking about putting gut / poly on one of my HDs, glad to hear it's working out for you. With my current setup, I usually cut up the strings every 2 weeks (about 18 hours of play); that way I get to use fresh string more often. My hesitation with gut / poly is, since I don't break strings, I wouldn't want to cut gut and I don't want to restring just the crosses. But maybe if I put 53 lbs on gut I might be able to break it. With poly at 46lbs it will just outlast my elbow if I don't cut it.

 

[bngbox]

Odd, I have two of the VCore Pro 97 HD, and strung with dampener and one overgrip on top of the original grip, my racquets both measure nearly 8 pts HL. Unstrung, they measure even more HL. If your frame is measuring 4 pts HL, that would seem very unusual to be that far out of spec (I think TW lists the frame at 7 pts HL when strung).

I think I should measure them again. But they do feel more balanced like my Pure Strikes before I customized with lead tape. I am definitely going to look into getting a leather grip soon or just adding a bit of lead tape to the handle to make it just slightly whippier. I love how stable the head is already so I think it can handle a little bit more weight at the grip side.

 

[hurworld]

I've been thinking about putting gut / poly on one of my HDs, glad to hear it's working out for you. With my current setup, I usually cut up the strings every 2 weeks (about 18 hours of play); that way I get to use fresh string more often. My hesitation with gut / poly is, since I don't break strings, I wouldn't want to cut gut and I don't want to restring just the crosses. But maybe if I put 53 lbs on gut I might be able to break it. With poly at 46lbs it will just outlast my elbow if I don't cut it.

With gut mains, you don't need to cut out crosses to restring even if the poly cross goes dead. Just play til the gut main string breaks and then restring. Further more the HD is supposed to be flexy sexy, so that should counter the poly stiffness.

 

[matchpoint9]

With gut mains, you don't need to cut out crosses to restring even if the poly cross goes dead. Just play til the gut main string breaks and then restring. Further more the HD is supposed to be flexy sexy, so that should counter the poly stiffness.

Maybe I'll give it a shot, thanks. It does make some sense that dead poly crosses have little effect since the mains contribute maybe >80% of overall feel and performance. I'm just cautious with leaving strings on too long because I had a bad TE a couple of years back that took almost a year to fully heal.

Do you do your own stringing? If you do, do you cut the gut in 21' / 19' or evenly split? It's just a mildly annoying issue. For 18x20, generally I use 21' for mains. 20' is possible, just need to be creative I guess. Last time I used gut I forgot about this so I cut 21/19 and ended up putting the shorter piece for crosses for my 2nd racquet and I felt that that was a waste.

 

[hurworld]

Maybe I'll give it a shot, thanks. It does make some sense that dead poly crosses have little effect since the mains contribute maybe >80% of overall feel and performance. I'm just cautious with leaving strings on too long because I had a bad TE a couple of years back that took almost a year to fully heal.

Do you do your own stringing? If you do, do you cut the gut in 21' / 19' or evenly split? It's just a mildly annoying issue. For 18x20, generally I use 21' for mains. 20' is possible, just need to be creative I guess. Last time I used gut I forgot about this so I cut 21/19 and ended up putting the shorter piece for crosses for my 2nd racquet and I felt that that was a waste.

Understandable that you want to be cautious. Perhaps try gut main + multifilament (eg Head Velocity) or Monogut ZX as cross?

As for how long to cut the gut string, I think best to ask in the Stringing Techniques section. I don't do my own stringing. Not a frequent string breaker.

 

[Daniel Waters]

Do you do your own stringing? If you do, do you cut the gut in 21' / 19' or evenly split? It's just a mildly annoying issue. For 18x20, generally I use 21' for mains. 20' is possible, just need to be creative I guess. Last time I used gut I forgot about this so I cut 21/19 and ended up putting the shorter piece for crosses for my 2nd racquet and I felt that that was a waste.

I have a drop weight stringer, and I have strung my HD up twice now using a hybrid of poly / synthetic gut and once with a gut / poly. With the poly main strings, I have been able to barely get by using 20' for the mains, but it's really close. In fact, I think you might need to use a bridge with your starting clamp depending on what type of stringing machine you have and its distance from the frame to the tensioning mechanism. When using gut mains, 20 feet is plenty. As far as cross strings, i don't remember having any issues, but I was using 20 feet. Given the excess I had with my synthetic gut crosses, I would be perfectly fine using 19 feet length. With a poly cross that doesn't stretch as much, I'm not as certain on the 19 feet.

If I'm using natural gut, I like to use it just in the mains and just split it evenly 20 feet in 2 sections. This way, I can get two gut / poly string jobs from one pack of gut, as I favor a hybrid of gut mains / poly crosses versus a full bed of gut.

 

[matchpoint9]

I have a drop weight stringer, and I have strung my HD up twice now using a hybrid of poly / synthetic gut and once with a gut / poly. With the poly main strings, I have been able to barely get by using 20' for the mains, but it's really close. In fact, I think you might need to use a bridge with your starting clamp depending on what type of stringing machine you have and its distance from the frame to the tensioning mechanism. When using gut mains, 20 feet is plenty. As far as cross strings, i don't remember having any issues, but I was using 20 feet. Given the excess I had with my synthetic gut crosses, I would be perfectly fine using 19 feet length. With a poly cross that doesn't stretch as much, I'm not as certain on the 19 feet.

If I'm using natural gut, I like to use it just in the mains and just split it evenly 20 feet in 2 sections. This way, I can get two gut / poly string jobs from one pack of gut, as I favor a hybrid of gut mains / poly crosses versus a full bed of gut.

I have a table top electronic machine (gamma). I have used drop weight previously. With electronic, the distance to the tensioner is longer so 20' is not going to reach it and so I would need to, like you said, bridge it with starting clamp. That's easy to do except that with soft strings like multi, sometimes the clamp loses grip on the string while pulling tension and damage the tail end of the string. I've had it where I broke the string in the process so had to redo the whole thing. I'll reach out to some of the stringing experts on this forum to see if they have other insights. Thanks!

 

[Medicine69]

Thanks for the review, I'm going to demo one as I currently have the 2018 Vcore Pro 97 310, Ezone 98 and Vcore 95 but I like 18x20 sticks.

What don't you like with the ezone? I am thinking between vxore pro310 and that ezone.

 

[Kozzy]

I really have enjoyed a syngut/poly hybrid, as well as full poly at low tension (40lb). I think I might stick with the latter because of the quality/ease of the spin, combined with the excellent feel. It's also quite powerful. Still hitting more unreturned serves and groundstrokes than ever before.

 

[achapa8807]

I'm starting to gel with this racquet more and more. I've now got it strung at 57/55 lbs with PTD and I just added a leather grip to it (Gamma) and man, did it make a difference. This added some more weight to it and you can tell. The grip is also a little bigger than the stock grip that comes with the HD. I feel even more connected to the ball now. I honestly didn't think that it would make this big of a difference but I have a feeling that this frame is very sensitive to any change.

 

[Medicine69]

If someone said that vcore pro 310 is low powered... just got 2 of them, leather grip pacific 344g all. It is a monster pro stick... as an ex pro I say it is a hammer with stability, and power you put in and put out like a hurricane the ps97 without cv was rubbish compare to this beast

 

[Daniel Waters]

I'm starting to gel with this racquet more and more. I've now got it strung at 57/55 lbs with PTD and I just added a leather grip to it (Gamma) and man, did it make a difference. This added some more weight to it and you can tell. The grip is also a little bigger than the stock grip that comes with the HD. I feel even more connected to the ball now. I honestly didn't think that it would make this big of a difference but I have a feeling that this frame is very sensitive to any change.

@achapa8807 so you settled on the HD versus the 330 gram version? Any particular reason? I couldn't swing the 330, and the 310 I felt needed more mass in the upper hoop. I could have leaded it up, but I found I liked the HD in stock form as it was. So I went with the HD as well. I'm at 348 grams strung with dampener and one overgrip (approximately 8 pts HL). Your comments about adding a leather grip making such a big change really interest me. What exactly about adding the leather grip did it do for you? Was it just the extra weight provided more plow, or was the extra weight in the handle made it more head light and easier to swing? Or perhaps you like leather grips in general or prefer a bit heavier racquet? The reason I ask is because I know you liked the 330 gram version, which was just too much for me to swing. I wouldn't mind trying a leather grip, but I'm afraid I might just be transforming the racquet more into the 330 type frame. Curious your thoughts if you have any more insight.

 

[matchpoint9]

@achapa8807 so you settled on the HD versus the 330 gram version? Any particular reason? I couldn't swing the 330, and the 310 I felt needed more mass in the upper hoop. I could have leaded it up, but I found I liked the HD in stock form as it was. So I went with the HD as well. I'm at 348 grams strung with dampener and one overgrip (approximately 8 pts HL). Your comments about adding a leather grip making such a big change really interest me. What exactly about adding the leather grip did it do for you? Was it just the extra weight provided more plow, or was the extra weight in the handle made it more head light and easier to swing? Or perhaps you like leather grips in general or prefer a bit heavier racquet? The reason I ask is because I know you liked the 330 gram version, which was just too much for me to swing. I wouldn't mind trying a leather grip, but I'm afraid I might just be transforming the racquet more into the 330 type frame. Curious your thoughts if you have any more insight.

Interesting.... both of my HD are 348 and that’s with leather grip, dampener, overgrip. One strung full poly 18g, the other one strung with poly 18g / multi 16g. Unstrung stock weight were 318 and 320. The leather grips are Fairway and Wilson.


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[Daniel Waters]

Interesting.... both of my HD are 348 and that’s with leather grip, dampener, overgrip. One strung full poly 18g, the other one strung with poly 18g / multi 16g. Unstrung stock weight were 318 and 320. The leather grips are Fairway and Wilson.

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@matchpoint9 I bought two racquets from two different vendors. One was right at 320 grams unstrung, and the other was 323 grams unstrung, which I felt was pretty good tolerance, as I've had some frames as much as 10 grams static weight difference. I added lead to the lighter one to get the specs virtually identical for the two frames. I also use a 16L poly / synthetic gut hybrid, so the thicker gauge string provably accounts for our racquets static weight being equal despite no leather grip for me.

How much extra weight did the leather add versus the stock grip? I'm kind of already at my upper end on preferred static weight, but I might consider a leather grip based on feedback I'm reading.

 

[matchpoint9]

@matchpoint9 I bought two racquets from two different vendors. One was right at 320 grams unstrung, and the other was 323 grams unstrung, which I felt was pretty good tolerance, as I've had some frames as much as 10 grams static weight difference. I added lead to the lighter one to get the specs virtually identical for the two frames. I also use a 16L poly / synthetic gut hybrid, so the thicker gauge string provably accounts for our racquets static weight being equal despite no leather grip for me.

How much extra weight did the leather add versus the stock grip? I'm kind of already at my upper end on preferred static weight, but I might consider a leather grip based on feedback I'm reading.

Leather added 6-7g for me. Honestly, to me leather is mostly a feel thing. You can feel the bevels more, maybe that’s a good thing, but I’m just used to having it on just like overgrip and dampener. So in your case I don’t know what benefits leather can offer (it will make your frame heavier and more HL, both of which are not your objective). Maybe someone else can be more helpful. If you decide to give it a try, I think Fairway is relatively lighter than others.


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[EasternRocks]

This frame certainly has more free power than the VCP 97 310, even when I weighted that thing up to 317.

 

[Aussie-pro]

Hey all, what are all of your final strung specs for the HD with OG? Please include swingweight.

Cheers

 

[Daniel Waters]

Hey all, what are all of your final strung specs for the HD with OG? Please include swingweight.

Cheers

I have one frame that was 320 grams unstrung and another that was 323 grams unstrung. With 16L poly / synthetic gut strings and one overgrip, my specs were 342 and 345 grams strung. Almost 8 pts HL on each. No idea on swingweight, but I'd guess around 330, which would be slightly higher than the published specs on TW.

 

[mad dog1]

finally got around to trying the vcp97 HD. for me, this racquet definitely needs to be strung with lower tension. since it's the same headsize as the Ultra Tour which I string w/ a full poly hybrid at 47/45 on an electronic constant pull machine, i used the same tensions for the HD which I strung with Volkl Cyclone 1.25 black/Luxilon 4G 1.25. The black and yellow strings coordinate incredibly well with the paint job of the HD - looks pretty sick. upon the first 2 hits, the racquet did not impress. it was good, but nothing special. definitely felt like the string bed needed some time to lose some tension and settle in. i pulled it out of the bag yesterday and the tension had indeed dropped more and sure enough, the racquet felt so much better. no issues with power, spin and control levels. the vcp97 HD does all of these things very well. it's a very solid racquet on volleys. while it is quite HL in balance, the 12+ oz with OG static weight does detract from it's maneuverability compared my modded UT which has an 11.7oz static weight. This is more apparent on faster volley exchanges at the net. Overall, very impressed with this offering from Yonex.

 

[Kozzy]

I've had great success with full poly at low tension as well. I have cheap poly in there strung at 40lb, and I'm sure it's now down much lower. Have been playing with that string job for about a month and it still feels and performs quite well. Pretty awesome to get excellent playability and durability for about $4 per string job...

 

[mad dog1]

I've had great success with full poly at low tension as well. I have cheap poly in there strung at 40lb, and I'm sure it's now down much lower. Have been playing with that string job for about a month and it still feels and performs quite well. Pretty awesome to get excellent playability and durability for about $4 per string job...

love tighter 18/20 patterns for string longevity.

 

[Internety]

I tested the vcore 310 and loved it. However I want something with more flexb and was wondering if the HD version plays similar/user friendly as the vcore 310.

 

[Daniel Waters]

I tested the vcore 310 and loved it. However I want something with more flexb and was wondering if the HD version plays similar/user friendly as the vcore 310.

The HD has a much lower stated RA than the 310 version (59 versus 64), but I felt like it felt very similar in terms of stiffness despite the considerable lower RA rating. It feels only slightly less stiff than the 310 in my opinion, so don't mistake the 59 rating thinking it's going to feel like a super flexy wet noodle compared to the 310. While the racquets are similar, the 310 swings a bit easier and allows for easier access to spin. I suspect this is partly due to the different string pattern and partly due to the lower static weight which might make it a bit easier to whip up through the ball. For me, the advantage of the HD was the slightly extra static weight that i felt like the 310 version needs in the upper hoop.

Some other more flexible racquets you could try would be the new Wilson Blade v7 (16x19), Wilson Clash, Head Gravity Pro, and Prince Phantom racquet lines.

 

[Syfo-Dias]

What tension are you guys liking for a gut/poly hybrid in this racquet? I'm going to try Luxilon NG 1.25 mains & Max Power 1.20 crosses. My usual tension with this combo is 58/55, but I'm wondering if I should go lower with the denser string pattern?

 

[Addxyz]

What tension are you guys liking for a gut/poly hybrid in this racquet? I'm going to try Luxilon NG 1.25 mains & Max Power 1.20 crosses. My usual tension with this combo is 58/55, but I'm wondering if I should go lower with the denser string pattern?

Curious as well. I was about to get mine strung around 53/50-55/52.

 

[mad dog1]

What tension are you guys liking for a gut/poly hybrid in this racquet? I'm going to try Luxilon NG 1.25 mains & Max Power 1.20 crosses. My usual tension with this combo is 58/55, but I'm wondering if I should go lower with the denser string pattern?

I can see going with 50/45 or even 48/44 in this stick. I string my UT up with gut poly at 52/47.

 

[Syfo-Dias]

Think I'm going to go with 53/50 and see how that feels. Always tough to guess the first time stringing up a new racquet.

 

[aehjmeyer]

Can anyone help me by comparing the Angell K7 Lime to the VCore Pro 97HD?

I demoed VCP HD recently and really liked it. I’m curious how Lime compares as it’s a bit lighter, which I think might be beneficial. Particularly I’m interested in comparing power, spin (how closed string pattern is), maneuverability.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Addxyz]

I can see going with 50/45 or even 48/44 in this stick. I string my UT up with gut poly at 52/47.

Why lower than the UT? Aren't they similar pattern / size?

 

[Daniel Waters]

What tension are you guys liking for a gut/poly hybrid in this racquet? I'm going to try Luxilon NG 1.25 mains & Max Power 1.20 crosses. My usual tension with this combo is 58/55, but I'm wondering if I should go lower with the denser string pattern?

I've strung up with klip legend 1.30 mains with ALU power soft (1.25) crosses twice now, one at 49/45 and another at 48 / 48. For reference, I usually string at around 58 / 54 but that is with a more powerful racquet and warmer temperatures. Next time I string, I'll probably go 49 mains with the gut and 52 for the poly crosses. I normally always string my polys lower than the gut mains, but the last two times I have strung, the frame is shortening by about 3 mm when crosses were 4 lbs lower and 1.5mm when I strung them equal tension. I'm attributing this shortening to not enough tension in the crosses and the soft frame flex of the HD (but could just be something I'm doing or not doing when stringing, although I've never had this issue on any other frame I've strung...but this is by far a more flexible frame than my previous 66 and 67 RA frames). I'm hoping the higher cross string tension also helps when the poly drops tension so it's not so far from the gut mains. I can definitely feel the frame getting "launchy" over the past month as I've played and the crosses have loosened up substantially.

I do think going lower is the right idea. Hard to know how much lower, but I'd say go 4 lbs lower. I find the natural gut keeps it soft feeling pretty well even at higher tensions. With polys and cooler playing temperatures, I try to keep polys as loose as I can tolerate.

 

[PD1978]

Been playing with the Gravity Tour last few months, like the frame but don’t love it. Thinking the HD might be the next logical step looking at the specs and comments from folks here.

 

[mad dog1]

Why lower than the UT? Aren't they similar pattern / size?

They are so I initially strung up the HD at the same tension as the UT. Usually it takes about 30 mins or so of spirited hitting for the strings to settle in nicely on the UT. With the HD, i had to leave it in my bag for 2 weeks after hitting with it a few times before the tension dropped enough to feel right. This tells me I should start the HD at a lower tension to begin with.

 

[soundofatrain]

This is on my demo list as well having been a former dr98 player I did notice visually the 97 hd looks a lot squarer in headhsape- a little more like the Yonex rackets of old.

 

[Addxyz]

They are so I initially strung up the HD at the same tension as the UT. Usually it takes about 30 mins or so of spirited hitting for the strings to settle in nicely on the UT. With the HD, i had to leave it in my bag for 2 weeks after hitting with it a few times before the tension dropped enough to feel right. This tells me I should start the HD at a lower tension to begin with.

What are you using as your gut / poly? I tried out lux / maxpower and the stringbed was still stiff (though I can only compare it to Champion's Choice which felt like a pillow).

 

[mad dog1]

What are you using as your gut / poly? I tried out lux / maxpower and the stringbed was still stiff (though I can only compare it to Champion's Choice which felt like a pillow).

Volkl v-icon 1.30 with poly like rs lyon, prince tour xr, Volkl v-pro, prince tour xc 1.23-1.25. Basically any control poly with predictable response.

 

[Nate7-5]

What tension are you guys liking for a gut/poly hybrid in this racquet? I'm going to try Luxilon NG 1.25 mains & Max Power 1.20 crosses. My usual tension with this combo is 58/55, but I'm wondering if I should go lower with the denser string pattern?

Just got my new HD this weekend. I've gone from 55->56->58 with my gut hybrid jobs and I went 59/55 this time (with Klip gut 1.25 & Max Power 1.25). I might go 60/56 next time. The feel isn't drastically different than my 16x20 Duel G (I have 16gauge Vökl gut in that at 58/55 so I thought slightly higher for thinner gauge). No idea how some of you are talking about gut at lower 50s - maybe you have much better technique than me to handle that power.

I hear Lux gut is on the stiffer side - I've only tried Wilson, Klip and Vökl so far.

 

[Addxyz]

Just got my new HD this weekend. I've gone from 55->56->58 with my gut hybrid jobs and I went 59/55 this time (with Klip gut 1.25 & Max Power 1.25). I might go 60/56 next time. The feel isn't drastically different than my 16x20 Duel G (I have 16gauge Vökl gut in that at 58/55 so I thought slightly higher for thinner gauge). No idea how some of you are talking about gut at lower 50s - maybe you have much better technique than me to handle that power.

I hear Lux gut is on the stiffer side - I've only tried Wilson, Klip and Vökl so far.

I'm just basing it off of my last stringing of Champions Choice in a RF97. At 57/54 in the summer it was at the bottom end of what I liked. Probably would do 59/56 in the future. Since the HD is the same size, just denser, I figure I'd probably do 54 or 55 in the summer, then looser in the winter. Mostly playing in high 50 and low 60s so thought I'd go down 1-2#. Full poly I was doing 46-47 so to me it feels right.


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[Syfo-Dias]

I've strung up with klip legend 1.30 mains with ALU power soft (1.25) crosses twice now, one at 49/45 and another at 48 / 48. For reference, I usually string at around 58 / 54 but that is with a more powerful racquet and warmer temperatures. Next time I string, I'll probably go 49 mains with the gut and 52 for the poly crosses. I normally always string my polys lower than the gut mains, but the last two times I have strung, the frame is shortening by about 3 mm when crosses were 4 lbs lower and 1.5mm when I strung them equal tension. I'm attributing this shortening to not enough tension in the crosses and the soft frame flex of the HD (but could just be something I'm doing or not doing when stringing, although I've never had this issue on any other frame I've strung...but this is by far a more flexible frame than my previous 66 and 67 RA frames). I'm hoping the higher cross string tension also helps when the poly drops tension so it's not so far from the gut mains. I can definitely feel the frame getting "launchy" over the past month as I've played and the crosses have loosened up substantially.

I do think going lower is the right idea. Hard to know how much lower, but I'd say go 4 lbs lower. I find the natural gut keeps it soft feeling pretty well even at higher tensions. With polys and cooler playing temperatures, I try to keep polys as loose as I can tolerate.

Just got mine back from the stringer today and can confirm what you said. I had it strung at 53/50 and the frame has shortened by about 3mm. Not a huge deal, but I do find that kind of weird. I guess next time I'll up the cross tension to be even or a little higher than the mains.

 

[Daniel Waters]

Just got mine back from the stringer today and can confirm what you said. I had it strung at 53/50 and the frame has shortened by about 3mm. Not a huge deal, but I do find that kind of weird. I guess next time I'll up the cross tension to be even or a little higher than the mains.

Thanks for the info. Interesting and nice to have someone confirm the same experience on the slight distortion due to the lower cross string difference. For what it's worth, I can't tell any difference between the frame that is 3 mm shorter than the one that is 1.5 mm shorter, so I don't think it's enough to cause any concerns. I'll probably be ready to restring my racquet in January, so I'll try to remember to post back and let you know how my next gut / poly strung job works out. I did 48 / 48 last time and going to probably do 49 / 52 with the poly being higher tension this time. I think it will fix the distortion but I'm concerned how the stringed will feel with the poly being tighter.

 

[PD1978]

Just got mine back from the stringer today and can confirm what you said. I had it strung at 53/50 and the frame has shortened by about 3mm. Not a huge deal, but I do find that kind of weird. I guess next time I'll up the cross tension to be even or a little higher than the mains.

Could it be from the isometric head shape?

 

[Nate7-5]

Sorry but it sounds ridiculous to change the tension on your cross strings because you think it's the causing the frame size to distort slightly. You dont think Yonex is aware that people string main and cross strings at different tensions? Even if that is the cause, why would 3mm matter? The feel of the stringbed should be your primary concern and raising the cross strings tension might adversely affect how it plays.

 

[Syfo-Dias]

@Nate7-5 It doesn't really bother me. I was just confirming what @Daniel Waters had observed.

 

[Dansan]

Can anyone help me by comparing the Angell K7 Lime to the VCore Pro 97HD?

I demoed VCP HD recently and really liked it. I’m curious how Lime compares as it’s a bit lighter, which I think might be beneficial. Particularly I’m interested in comparing power, spin (how closed string pattern is), maneuverability.

Thanks in advance.

I have both. I have played equally with both and I think they are both excellent frames for someone who has good mechanics and technique to generate your own power since both are somewhat lower powered. I've added leather grips and lead to both, so they swing about the same.

The biggest difference to me is the feel. The K7 Lime is really buttery and soft feeling, while the HD to me feels a bit stiffer especially in the upper hoop. The HD has a bit more natural spin because the string spacing is a bit more open. HD can be jarring if string tension is not low enough or if you mishit in the upper part of the hoop. Now that could be that I'm not adjusted to the yonex shape but I felt that the K7 plays more forgiving on mishits, and "feels" softer, has a larger sweet spot.

Both are very control oriented. Fit and finish/quality is about equal. Paint on the K7 Lime is very smooth and nice feeling, but it's a bit thin. I play with the K7 Lime more overall, and I think they both could benefit from mid 40s full poly, or hybrid string setup.

 

[PD1978]

I have both. I have played equally with both and I think they are both excellent frames for someone who has good mechanics and technique to generate your own power since both are somewhat lower powered. I've added leather grips and lead to both, so they swing about the same.

The biggest difference to me is the feel. The K7 Lime is really buttery and soft feeling, while the HD to me feels a bit stiffer especially in the upper hoop. The HD has a bit more natural spin because the string spacing is a bit more open. HD can be jarring if string tension is not low enough or if you mishit in the upper part of the hoop. Now that could be that I'm not adjusted to the yonex shape but I felt that the K7 plays more forgiving on mishits, and "feels" softer, has a larger sweet spot.

Both are very control oriented. Fit and finish/quality is about equal. Paint on the K7 Lime is very smooth and nice feeling, but it's a bit thin. I play with the K7 Lime more overall, and I think they both could benefit from mid 40s full poly, or hybrid string setup.

I was ready to order the HD, but I might hold off after reading your comments. I have a K7 Lime, and to be honest I don’t particularly like the frame. Used it for a week and then put it away. The spacing in the K7 is very closed and perhaps that it my issue with it. It was very plush though.

 

[Dansan]

I was ready to order the HD, but I might hold off after reading your comments. I have a K7 Lime, and to be honest I don’t particularly like the frame. Used it for a week and then put it away. The spacing in the L7 is very closed and perhaps that it my issue with it. It was very plush though.

Yeah, I got into a thing where I was trying a lot of heavy/soft 18x20 frames, older school type stuff. They feel great when hitting, but for match play I'm finding I gravitate to something with more power and spin. I like to push my opponents back on the baseline and create shots that have more depth. So the HD and K7 are more like scalpels. They can really give you some incredible directional control and feel lovely, but lack on depth and spin for a player like me.

It's really a close toss up between the HD and the K7. To me they are very similar. They do feel great....and there are days I prefer the HD. I have added a fairway leather grip and a bit of lead on my HD and hits a heavier ball than the K7. But if you already know that the K7 isn't really your type, then you may feel the same about the HD.

 

[PD1978]

Yeah, I got into a thing where I was trying a lot of heavy/soft 18x20 frames, older school type stuff. They feel great when hitting, but for match play I'm finding I gravitate to something with more power and spin. I like to push my opponents back on the baseline and create shots that have more depth. So the HD and K7 are more like scalpels. They can really give you some incredible directional control and feel lovely, but lack on depth and spin for a player like me.

It's really a close toss up between the HD and the K7. To me they are very similar. They do feel great....and there are days I prefer the HD. I have added a fairway leather grip and a bit of lead on my HD and hits a heavier ball than the K7. But if you already know that the K7 isn't really your type, then you may feel the same about the HD.

Thanks for the input.

Been playing with the Gravity Tour lately, slightly weighted up in the handle.

 

[aehjmeyer]

I have both. I have played equally with both and I think they are both excellent frames for someone who has good mechanics and technique to generate your own power since both are somewhat lower powered. I've added leather grips and lead to both, so they swing about the same.

The biggest difference to me is the feel. The K7 Lime is really buttery and soft feeling, while the HD to me feels a bit stiffer especially in the upper hoop. The HD has a bit more natural spin because the string spacing is a bit more open. HD can be jarring if string tension is not low enough or if you mishit in the upper part of the hoop. Now that could be that I'm not adjusted to the yonex shape but I felt that the K7 plays more forgiving on mishits, and "feels" softer, has a larger sweet spot.

Both are very control oriented. Fit and finish/quality is about equal. Paint on the K7 Lime is very smooth and nice feeling, but it's a bit thin. I play with the K7 Lime more overall, and I think they both could benefit from mid 40s full poly, or hybrid string setup.

Much appreciated! I did notice the upper hoop stiffness but I wasn’t sure since it was my first Yonex experience and the demo had RPM blast 16g of unknown age.

I enjoy the spin of 16x19 pattern so I’m currently weighting my ASL2 to the HD specs. I might try the same approach with a K7 Red given the glowing Lime reviews regarding comfort and feel.

 

[Daniel Waters]

Sorry but it sounds ridiculous to change the tension on your cross strings because you think it's the causing the frame size to distort slightly. You dont think Yonex is aware that people string main and cross strings at different tensions? Even if that is the cause, why would 3mm matter? The feel of the stringbed should be your primary concern and raising the cross strings tension might adversely affect how it plays.

@Nate7-5 , not sure if your post was directed to me or @Syfo-Dias , but since I was the one who initially mentioned about changing my cross string tension because of the distortion, I thought I would clarify since you said it "sounds ridiculous". "Ridiculous" is defined as "deserving or inviting derision or mockery; absurd" I really dislike when posters use inflammatory language on message boards like this, so I'm going to provide full background detail on the cross string tension comment so that others can more readily determine if this falls into the realm of absurb that you imply.

First off, I don't "think" it's distorting the frame length, I know it is. Three different stringings by me, and I've had others confirm the same experience when using lower tension crosses versus mains for this frame. It's a soft frame, so this is not unexpected and within reasonable tolerance levels for a frame I suspect.

Secondly, I think Yonex makes a lot of different frames at various stiffness ratings, and they provide a range of suitable tensions and probably aren't going to get more detailed than that. Obviously, a 3 mm distortion is not a big deal, but to me it is an indication that the frame is not in an ideal equilibrium in regards to the mains and cross string tensions. Stringway has a nice tool that provides recommended main and cross string tension, and it's calculations recommend the crosses at about a +2.5 lb margin for this frame's shape as well. Not sure the "science" behind it (if any), but this was part of my rationale for wanting to increase the cross tension.

Thirdly, feel of the string bed is certainly a major concern, but feel has to be balanced with playability. In my case, the poly cross strings drop a lot more tension versus the gut mains and over time this large tension differential results in the string bed getting a little launch like for me. Thus, raising the cross string tension a few more pounds above the mains should help with this, so it's not just about the frame distortion. Furthermore, this is a new frame for me, so I'm still in the process of finding my preferred tension set up. I have used higher cross string tension versus mains quite often in other frames, so this isn't some random experiment for me. I'm familiar with the effect and feel it typically has, but I have not tried this setup on this frame yet to see how I like it. Thus, I may like the feel better than the other setups, but there's no way for me to know without trying it out. Besides, increasing the crosses from 48 lbs to 52 pounds is still within an acceptable range for me where the poly still feels fairly responsive and soft (as far as polys go), so the impact on overall feel should be very minor.

Lastly, I understand the point I think you were trying to make, and it's very valid. People should not be changing their string setups if it is providing them the feel they are wanting (barring some other issue like it causing tennis elbow). In my case, I have my own stringing machine, so it seems I'm always tinkering with things and I enjoy it, as ridiculous as it may seem.

 

[Nate7-5]

Yonex has been making frames since the 1940s. You think they just released a brand new frame and didn't consider that people string mains and crosses and minor or significantly different tensions? Why TF does it matter if the frame is 3mm shorter after stringing - I doubt it affects the playability of the frame. I have no idea why someone would bother measuring. Have fun man.

 

[Nate7-5]

"inflammatory language" lol