People would refrain from buying current model if they see new ones cling soon.
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Yonex Vcore Pro 97
- Thread starter stealthfighter69
- Start date
People would refrain from buying current model if they see new ones cling soon.
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graycrait
Legend
I got to hit a Vcore Pro 97 310 tonight. I loved and coveted "my neighbor's property." I told him I would trade him 5 Prince Chang Longbodies for his racket. He actually laughed in my face, the nerve! I was really impressed with the Pro 97 over the Ezone DR 100 I purchased 9 months ago, subsequently trading the DR 100 for a nice Prince Mono, seeing that the DR 100 wasn't "doing it" for me. Oddly enough it was raining Yonex at the courts tonight and I also hit with a 310g Yonex Vcore SV Lite 98 strung with Prince Premier Control x Genesis Black Magic. I hit more crap shots with that somewhat maligned SV 98 than I ever do: squash shots, half volleys too numerous to mention, serve returns, stabs, reaches, last second slices, etc. Then the guy who had the Pro 97 says he got a good deal on a Dual G 97 310 on the big auction site which I can hit this coming Weds.
I am going to be eyeballing the used market for some Yonex 97/98 rackets. And here I thought the Chang Ti LB 95 was the best racket made
I wonder if Yonex makes a longbody?
I am going to be eyeballing the used market for some Yonex 97/98 rackets. And here I thought the Chang Ti LB 95 was the best racket made
I wonder if Yonex makes a longbody?
Power Player
Bionic Poster
The 97 is really, really good. Something about the feel of the Vcore series, it's just awesome, and amplified more with a leather grip.
It kind of reminds me of a Blade with better balance to it. Wilson lost their way with the whole Countervail and S Tech stuff on the Blades and that's when Yonex slid in the Orange Stan Wand. I see a lot of college players using the 310, where 5-6 years ago they were using Blades.
It kind of reminds me of a Blade with better balance to it. Wilson lost their way with the whole Countervail and S Tech stuff on the Blades and that's when Yonex slid in the Orange Stan Wand. I see a lot of college players using the 310, where 5-6 years ago they were using Blades.
AndyBarronMuzza
Rookie
How does the 310 compare to a Pure Strike (16x19) and Blade 2015 (18x20)?
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
Better than both. I have plenty of experience with all 3. Still own all of them and the vcp97 310 is my main stick now.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
And I agree with you.
ProRadTour
Semi-Pro
The 310 is more maneuverable and has better feel than both the Pure Strike and Blade 2015. The Blade can feel a bit clubby with the high swing-weight and even balance. The Pure Strike is nice, however outside the sweet-spot it's brassy and has a hollow feel.
The 310 with the thin beam, nice headlight balance and open pattern is a true modem players frame with some old school feel mixed in there. I think the 310 has broader appeal, the Blade is a great stick but not for everyone and the Pure Strike is more a hybrid frame that lacks that smooth response across the board.
They all have their place, the 310 is great all rounder IMO and nice base to also customize from.
AndyBarronMuzza
Rookie
Thanks for the input. I currently use the 2015 Blades, but need new racquets. I tried the 330 recently and loved it, but felt it didn't leave room for me weight wise to even up the balance a little (I use about 5 grams @ 3/9 on my Blades).
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fundrazer
G.O.A.T.
It's not a rocket launcher but I felt the 310g had adequate power, even strung with a poly. My demo from last year was strung up with poly tour strike I think.
ProRadTour
Semi-Pro
Yeah I think you will be surprised, the 310 packs some punch. I think the thin beam allows for for additional RHS as it cuts through the air really well.
it's a control oriented racquet.. power is fine... it's plenty... if anyone looking for a racquet where the main attribute is power, look elsewhere... if you can generate your own power (and not even to the massive extent)... if you have proper full strokes and looking to gain control then this is one awesome racquet.
Sometimes people say their forehands kept landing in the net... seriously.. there is not a single racquet in the world that is that anemic in power... that's a different problem.. either they need to adjust to launch angle or an indication that they need to work on their strokes. if you are that much of beginner then yes do not get this racquet or get it and go through a frustrating couple of months to learn strokes on this racquet to be rewarded later on.
Sometimes people say their forehands kept landing in the net... seriously.. there is not a single racquet in the world that is that anemic in power... that's a different problem.. either they need to adjust to launch angle or an indication that they need to work on their strokes. if you are that much of beginner then yes do not get this racquet or get it and go through a frustrating couple of months to learn strokes on this racquet to be rewarded later on.
graycrait
Legend
As someone who has around 40 19-20mm Prince rackets the 310 97's thin beam, coupled with its playability is, what sold me. However, even with synthetic grips all those Princes I have play around 340 to 360g and I am not getting younger and stronger.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Ive got leather on both 310s now. The next decision will be if I keep lead on it or go bare. Currently have 1 of each going against each other. If I decide to go with lead I will probably do 2 v 3 grams at 12 and then end the mini experiment. This stuff is always the toughest call because we are talking a few grams of lead. It can take some time to figure out, but the cool thing is that I am finding that the 310 really doesn’t need much to be a great playing racquet.
I suggest you also try 2 and 10 for lead. Personally it worked out better than at 12
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Ok I can do that. It's a pretty subtle change though. What did you like better about it?
I felt like I was losing some of the natural charm of this racquet, making it a little too hard to control.
Meanwhile at 2 and 10 it felt perfect. But that may be a personal thing. I’m used to having weight at 12 on other racquets but something about this iso shape made it feel strange
Meanwhile at 2 and 10 it felt perfect. But that may be a personal thing. I’m used to having weight at 12 on other racquets but something about this iso shape made it feel strange
How much weight did you add?
HolyMountain
Rookie
Loving the ALU Power at 56lbs, I will say though after 16hrs or so it has dropped in tension to 48lbs (as per the Racquet Tune) and feels a little dead. Not getting the angles I used to, placement, sailing a little more long. I think maybe that is just the nature of Luxilon?
At 2 and 10 I had done 2 grams each and at 12 I had tried 1,2,3,4
HolyMountain
Rookie
Oh also, I love the 330g over the 310g. I actually demoed the 310g first and just felt it was overall lacking, ended up buying a Ezone 98. The 330g, to me, is an easier to wield RF97.
Agreed I realized that after I bought a set of the 310s and hence the lead
HolyMountain
Rookie
Funny how a few grams just completely changed the feel of it
Power Player
Bionic Poster
So 4 grams total at 2 and 10? cool, I will try something like that.
Yup, 2 and 10 was the best clock representation I could come up with but it’s on the earliest curved portion
Jakesteroni
Semi-Pro
It is the corners...
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Im really digging it with 2 grams at 12. Easy to snap through the ball and get a lot of tip speed. Ill compare to no lead and see whats better. The main story is that a leather grip pretty much rules on these frames.
Leather grip really enhances the feel of the racquet imo. I been rocking mine for about 2 months. Don't want to go back to synthetic grips anymore.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Im in the same boat. The frame feels incredibly good plus its a lot easier to find the bevels. That really helped my slice backhand out a lot today and i was hitting my forehand a little cleaner. Its trickier to hit clean with the extra racquet speed from the lighter frame but the rewards are worth the risk.
So playing with no overgrip over the leather grip? How would the leather fare if your palm sweats a lot?
Power Player
Bionic Poster
No i always use an og. I meant bare - no lead.
I play with an overgrip on mine as well. But the leather makes the bevels more prominent on the handle. The over grip on top adds comfort and tack to my hand.
I did not enjoy the PS one7 - head heavy and swing weight was too high for my liking. Didn't get the same comfort as I did from my Vpro 97. Frame was also super stiff imo.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
Both are good sticks in my book but the VCP97 is the most good for me.
The vcp97 is definitely more comfortable. Has better feel. Both are similarly powered. The vcp97 just feels like an extension of the arm from all areas of the court.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Im going to move the lead to the corners tonight and try your setup to see if i notice a difference. Il probably go with 3 grams total just to keep it consistent.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Also the buttcap flare on the vcores is really good compared to other yy frames i have. I have no issues with it, wonder if they made a change there.
When you wrap the leather grip make the second wrap almost directly over the first with just a bit of a slope. Then the third wrap should be normal with just a little overlap like you’d usually do. It feels perfect like this. Just make sure to pull the leather pretty tight each wrap. I had about 8 inches of spare leather once i cut the grip at the top.
I also wrap my overgrips the same way. Other benefit for me is the leather absorbs sweat so much better than the synthetic.
When you wrap the leather grip make the second wrap almost directly over the first with just a bit of a slope. Then the third wrap should be normal with just a little overlap like you’d usually do. It feels perfect like this. Just make sure to pull the leather pretty tight each wrap. I had about 8 inches of spare leather once i cut the grip at the top.
I also wrap my overgrips the same way. Other benefit for me is the leather absorbs sweat so much better than the synthetic.
zettavaska
Rookie
3g total at 12 is a higher swingweight than 3g total at 10 and 2. Would be curious what you find out though. I’m at 1.5g at 12 currently
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Yeah, i have 2 grams at 12, thats why I’m going with three in the corners.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Had a nice hit with Mscream, who has the 330 version and dr98s. It was super humid on the beach and we went pretty hard, so it was a really nice workout on clay against heavy shots. My initial thoughts are that I really like the frame with a little lead at 2 and 10. The spin does not drop off and I don’t have to swing as fast, but I still get a lot of racquet head speed. I dont need more than 3 grams.
So now while I wait for more grommets to show up, Ill mess with weight on the other one. 2 grams at 2 and 10 or at 12, just to fine tune it, see what I like, and that should do it.
Basically, my suspicions were right. I really like this frame at 320 grams. It feels awesome and still keeps the whippiness that makes the frame easy to swing. The lower SW in stock form still hits a big ball and doesn’t get pushed around by big shots, but it’s more about me - I just swing it a little too fast since I am so used to higher SWs.
So now while I wait for more grommets to show up, Ill mess with weight on the other one. 2 grams at 2 and 10 or at 12, just to fine tune it, see what I like, and that should do it.
Basically, my suspicions were right. I really like this frame at 320 grams. It feels awesome and still keeps the whippiness that makes the frame easy to swing. The lower SW in stock form still hits a big ball and doesn’t get pushed around by big shots, but it’s more about me - I just swing it a little too fast since I am so used to higher SWs.
pastashop42
Rookie
That’s been my experience, too. In “coming back” I found my PS85 challenging, so demoed some sticks and clicked with / bought a pair of light RA70 Dunlops — and no problems. Gradually leaded them up from 10 oz to 12+ oz as I “got the rust off,” and still fine comfort-wise. Unfortunately, the shots started sailing, and I lost control on every stroke but the volleys.
Figured I should go with a better stock stick, switched to DG97/330, which felt amazing — power, control,.. off the charts. Like a more user friendly PS85 (ok, maybe a bit less spin...)
But then I started getting forearm soreness / GE symptoms. Stringing with NG at 50-53 lbs didn’t help.
I blame the increased volume and intensity mostly, but I know I am also very sensitive to grip shape — e.g., couldn’t play with Volkl for more than 5 mins, same with Head. Best is Wilson grip shape for me. The YY lack of flare is very noticeable, so now I’ve built them up almost like Gasquet. Gonna stay off the courts for another few weeks, and then try again...
Anyone that has experience with Luxilon Element Rough in this frame? The 310 is my main stick and I'm letting it string now with Element Rough at 23kg. My normal setup is Alu power & Wilson syn gut at 24kg. I wanted to try a poly so I start with a softer one, very curious how it's going to play.
What's the total static weight now with all your modifications (leather grip, lead, OG)? By the way, tried some lead at 10 and 2 (on my 310 version) and really noticed a difference (positive) in stability and plow-through. Only used about 1.5 grams and still felt a pretty substantial difference. Liken it.
Are you guys putting it where the center of the tape lines up right on top of the 5th cross from the top?
Power Player
Bionic Poster
344 with 3 grams total at 2 and 10. This is with a leather grip too. I use the Sampras dampener and a supergrap and not the yonex dampener.
