syke
Professional
Tell me about it... TW keeps delaying them...
Yonex Vcore Tour 89 and 97 specs
- Thread starter scx
- Start date
Tell me about it... TW keeps delaying them...
syke
Professional
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
Took a little time to get the right set up but I'm certainly close. The yonex at my usual balance (7pts) feels more head heavy than usual, in some ways I've had to go heavier for it to swing thro the way I like. Just adding leather grip sorted it but it has put the weight up with og and other mods to 374g and about 11pts hl. It swings real nice. I
I've also just tested the yonex poly tour spin and after an initial bedding in it had played very very well. Strung at 47lbs.
Played 3 sets of doubles and 1 set of singles over 3 hours, here are my initial thoughts of 89t. Since most of us have already known of the plus points of this racket, I will just focus on the comparison between 89t and Qtour.
Stability: If I have not used Qtour before 89t, I will definitely find 89t's stability pretty special. However, Qtour's stability is quite outstanding as well, so I will think they are much on par with 89t giving a bit firmer feel.
Power: Qtour has much more power where you will not get penalized as badly as 89t for hitting a short swing when you are not in the right position or when you mistime the ball. The sweetspot of Qtour seems much bigger to me as 89t really forced me to focus on every shot to hit in the centre of the frame. On the whole, Qtour just feels much more forgiving to get the decent depth and power.
Control: This is where 89t has the advantage over Qtour. Being lower powered, 89t offers better control at the net and groundstrokes, provided you have well controlled long swings. Sometimes, due to the low power, you may just end up losing control of the swing when forcing the issue. This should be less of a problem for more skillful and stronger players.
Serves: Both rackets seems to be equally capable for flat serve with good accuracy. Slice and kick serves are decent for me, nothing as spectacular as some of the open string pattern rackets that I own like BC20 and Donnay Pro1. I do have to put in more effort to serve with 89t though.
Slice: While I am able to keep the slice low with 89t, I struggled with getting the depth especially when I was defending with the slice. Again, I have to say Qtour allows me to defend with the slice on both side a lot better.
Spin: Flat forehand with 89t is the money shot, but Qtour is no slouch in that department with its 18x20 string pattern. What I feel that it is lacking in 89t, is my ability to hit heavy balls with spin. Most of the balls which I tried to hit with more spin, either fell short or just lack in the speed department. As a result, I ended up hitting flatter balls most of the time. Qtour on the other hand I feel, offers the extra component of heavy deep spinning balls.
Comfort: This is the surprise here, I actually found 89t more comfortable for my arm than the Qtour. As for my shoulder, not much difference as both rackets weighs almost similarly at 357 to 359g, so same bit of soreness in my shoulder after the session.
Overall: I feel that if one is skillful (able to hit at the smaller sweetspot of 89t most of the time) and strong (to be able generate power with full fast swings over 3 to 4 sets of competitive tennis), then 89t should be a better choice as it offers better control overall. For the rest, I will say Qtour is a more forgiving racket and will probably allow you to play more effectively. Anyway, this is just my humble opinion. Most importantly is that you play what you prefer and enjoy most.
(One last note, I'm not ready to give up on 89t yet after just 3 hours. I will probably lower the tension further to see if it could improve things.)
Stability: If I have not used Qtour before 89t, I will definitely find 89t's stability pretty special. However, Qtour's stability is quite outstanding as well, so I will think they are much on par with 89t giving a bit firmer feel.
Power: Qtour has much more power where you will not get penalized as badly as 89t for hitting a short swing when you are not in the right position or when you mistime the ball. The sweetspot of Qtour seems much bigger to me as 89t really forced me to focus on every shot to hit in the centre of the frame. On the whole, Qtour just feels much more forgiving to get the decent depth and power.
Control: This is where 89t has the advantage over Qtour. Being lower powered, 89t offers better control at the net and groundstrokes, provided you have well controlled long swings. Sometimes, due to the low power, you may just end up losing control of the swing when forcing the issue. This should be less of a problem for more skillful and stronger players.
Serves: Both rackets seems to be equally capable for flat serve with good accuracy. Slice and kick serves are decent for me, nothing as spectacular as some of the open string pattern rackets that I own like BC20 and Donnay Pro1. I do have to put in more effort to serve with 89t though.
Slice: While I am able to keep the slice low with 89t, I struggled with getting the depth especially when I was defending with the slice. Again, I have to say Qtour allows me to defend with the slice on both side a lot better.
Spin: Flat forehand with 89t is the money shot, but Qtour is no slouch in that department with its 18x20 string pattern. What I feel that it is lacking in 89t, is my ability to hit heavy balls with spin. Most of the balls which I tried to hit with more spin, either fell short or just lack in the speed department. As a result, I ended up hitting flatter balls most of the time. Qtour on the other hand I feel, offers the extra component of heavy deep spinning balls.
Comfort: This is the surprise here, I actually found 89t more comfortable for my arm than the Qtour. As for my shoulder, not much difference as both rackets weighs almost similarly at 357 to 359g, so same bit of soreness in my shoulder after the session.
Overall: I feel that if one is skillful (able to hit at the smaller sweetspot of 89t most of the time) and strong (to be able generate power with full fast swings over 3 to 4 sets of competitive tennis), then 89t should be a better choice as it offers better control overall. For the rest, I will say Qtour is a more forgiving racket and will probably allow you to play more effectively. Anyway, this is just my humble opinion. Most importantly is that you play what you prefer and enjoy most.
(One last note, I'm not ready to give up on 89t yet after just 3 hours. I will probably lower the tension further to see if it could improve things.)
I have a suggestion since you'll be changing the tension. Try to lower the tension of the crosses by 5% compared to the tension of the mains. So if you string poly at 50 mains, you'll string at 48 crosses.
When I got my rackets in, they were strung by the previous owner. I noticed that they didn't hit as forgiving as I have remembered. As I was cutting the strings out I noticed the racket was loosening up on the sides.
My local stringer(a yonex fan himself, swings the 98d) strongly recommends to string a full bed with 5% lower crosses to accommodate the isometric head shape. My experiences tell me that it has indeed made the sweetspot wider and more forgiving.
Please disregard this if you've already tried this method out.
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
Good point but I string 1 piece and the stringbed settles and is forgiving. Cos I have added mods with weight at top of hoop I have no problems with power.
If I had any advice I would string a couple of pounds lower, add a leather grip and put a couple of grams between 10 & 2, its a completely different beast than stock.
If I had any advice I would string a couple of pounds lower, add a leather grip and put a couple of grams between 10 & 2, its a completely different beast than stock.
syke
Professional
I have a suggestion since you'll be changing the tension. Try to lower the tension of the crosses by 5% compared to the tension of the mains. So if you string poly at 50 mains, you'll string at 48 crosses.
When I got my rackets in, they were strung by the previous owner. I noticed that they didn't hit as forgiving as I have remembered. As I was cutting the strings out I noticed the racket was loosening up on the sides.
My local stringer(a yonex fan himself, swings the 98d) strongly recommends to string a full bed with 5% lower crosses to accommodate the isometric head shape. My experiences tell me that it has indeed made the sweetspot wider and more forgiving.
Please disregard this if you've already tried this method out.
Yonex used to recommend 5% lower on the crosses due to the isometric shape. The crosses are shorter compared to other regular racquets.
Are you suggesting that they do not recommend it anymore? Or are we just going in a circle because I think we said the same thing.
You're all over the place!
I hit with a Rdis 200 as one of my first yonex demos but it's been too long for me to recall anything about it.
Thanks filphil and Meaghan for your suggestions. I have replaced the replacement grip with wilson shockshield, and with an overgrip and the yonex dampener, the racket now already weighs 359g. I know putting lead will increase the power, just not too sure if my shoulder can take a 360+ grams racket. I will try all the suggestions anyway, thanks. By the way, 89t is really kind to my arm and wrist.
syke
Professional
Are you suggesting that they do not recommend it anymore? Or are we just going in a circle because I think we said the same thing.
Just reiterating what you have said.
For the newer frames, Yonex claims it is fine to be stringing both mains & crosses at the same tension.
But I will stick with the 5% lower on crosses.
Matchball
Semi-Pro
Confirmed in praxis !
I am happy to hear that. In one of my posts I suggested (after having tried it myself) that one can string mains and crosses at the same tension on the new Vcore 89 Tour frames. In fact it's one of the very few mid frames where I did exactly that and they played lovely.
I am happy to hear that. In one of my posts I suggested (after having tried it myself) that one can string mains and crosses at the same tension on the new Vcore 89 Tour frames. In fact it's one of the very few mid frames where I did exactly that and they played lovely.
Heads up in case anyone finds an urge to try NXT in the 89T. Plays well for about 3 hours. After that you will find yourself changing your swing to keep the ball in. The demo I was using was freshly strung at about 60lbs I believe. Looking forward to using this racket with a copoly
fundrazer
G.O.A.T.
Reviews were posted to youtube. I still don't know if I'll be demoing the 97 tour or not. I try to dominate play with a flatter forehand, seems the general consensus on the 97 Tour is that it's more of a spinny player's stick. Of course, I recently busted out my rdis 200 which is also a bit of a spin friendly stick and I loved hitting 1hbh's with that one again.
And I still can't get over how awkward Mark's technique looks in the review videos. I guess it works for him though.
And I still can't get over how awkward Mark's technique looks in the review videos. I guess it works for him though.
I play with some fellas that definately have their own thing going and never miss. It is nice seeing unique strokes.
Redflea
Hall of Fame
mykoh
Rookie
PB,
what's making you choose the 95d over the 310 97t and the PIMP?
i'd imagine the 97t would play closer to the rdis200..
Everyone,
i also may soon obtain a half set of tough gut and it will be my virgin experience with nat gut. planning to string it in the mains.. any ideas what to cross this with for my 89t? i'd imagine a soft round co-poly would be good. no idea about what tension i should string it with too..
If you'd like you can wait for my feedback. I have a set of pacific classic 16l and will be stringing it with Signum Pro Poly Plasma 1.18 as the cross. Tension will probably be 53/45.
Depending on when the strings come in on friday I may have a play test ready for the weekend. If not I'll have feedback the following week.
Let me know what you think.
mykoh
Rookie
fil,
you know i love your reviews. i will be waiting patiently. huge gap between 53 and 45.. really curious how it would play.
thinking the consistency and linearity of silverstring might make a good cross..
ahhh never thought i'd be this excited to finally get my hands on some cow innards.
you know i love your reviews. i will be waiting patiently.
huge gap between 53 and 45.. really curious how it would play.thinking the consistency and linearity of silverstring might make a good cross..
ahhh never thought i'd be this excited to finally get my hands on some cow innards.
fil,
you know i love your reviews. i will be waiting patiently.
thinking the consistency and linearity of silverstring might make a good cross..
ahhh never thought i'd be this excited to finally get my hands on some cow innards.
The gap is a sum of the 10% lower poly tension when compared to a multi or gut and an additional 5% for the isometric head shape yonex is known for. So in total I'll be taking 15% off from my gut main tensionwhich is where I get the 53/45. It may or may not work. It's really a trial experiment for now to get some kind of reference to work with.
I have done this before with mamba supra/iontec hybrid for my brother's RDIS 300 but that ended up being a rocket launcher after the first week. It was really nice when freshly strung though. Hopefully the Pacific Classic/SPPP hybrid will give me a more consistent bed I can work off of. I would have ordered co-focus but TW didn't have the gauge I wanted in stock.
cmendez79
Semi-Pro
Both the tour spin and the tour pro (below) yonex strings play superbly well in the 89t as well as Id expect in anything. An attack on the senses, maybe, but great performance string non the less. Cheap too!
Hi Meaghan,
How do you feel the Tour Pro in terms of comfort and feel in the 89T ?
I´m currently using Silverstring, and its great but it lack a little bit for crispiness or feel.
Thanks
Wanna see the Polytour spin! That would match the vibe damp
Blue actually goods good in a red racquet. Nice contrast. I have BHBR in a black/red BLX 6.1.
MayDay
Semi-Pro
It runs small on the tours with the stock grip (it's very thin). On my L3 97tour I feel like I'm holding a L2 (4 1/4) - coming from wilson and babolat sticks.
i think so, but i have not tried the 89..
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
Yonex grips tend to be round similar to Wilson, I find them to feel larger as I prefer the rectangular grip shape for my western grips. Saying that, Yonex seem to have slightly rectangularized the 'tour' grip shape compared to the normal Vcores, so my tour grip felt smaller than my 95d grip.
Tozza I agree but there is a reason. I did have a red O but Im colourblind red and green, so playing on astro a lot if it pings off Ive got no chance finding it. Also its all a bit too square to go with red or black, if there was a orange/golden bab O then Id probably go with that, the yellow is rather insipid.
It seems I always play better with the blue anyway
Wanna see the Polytour spin! That would match the vibe damp
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
Very comfortable, but its relative, my arm has no problems with full kevlar! I would probably say if you are using SS and you are fine then you shouldnt have a problem with the Tour Pro. Its worth a try as its much better than SS imo.
Ive used SS a couple of times and found it a decent string without any real highs. Both the Yonex polys have a lovely crisp feel, I felt really connected to the ball with both, the TP is particularly grippy considering its round, although I think its a little more oval in shape. Ive strung them both at 47lbs, after my initial hit with the TS the power felt low but the conditions were wet and heavy. I went out a couple of days later and ok the tension had dropped a touch but it played superb. The TP felt great from the off in overcast, fairly humid weather. The TS is still playing very well after about 10 hours with little degradation of the edges, a very consistent string.
tistrapukcipeht
Professional
I have said these Yonex strings are on par in feel with Luxilon and Tecnifibre, of course it's different, but it is very, very good, the performance though is better, I'm glad you guys have jumped on the bandwagon of Poly Tour Spin, it really is one of the best polyester out there, the price is a joke, the fair price for such string should be about $15 bucks per set, I'm glad Yonex has given us these strings for nothing.
Meghan, better late than never, right?
Cheers guys.
Meghan, better late than never, right?
Cheers guys.
Just got back from a hitting session with my new 89T strung up with PLII 17g at 50lbs. No tension difference between the mains and crosses. Plays beautifully. Probably will go a little lower next time I string it but even at this tension I do not have any complaints. I love this racket
tistrapukcipeht
Professional
I was told by the guy at my shop to string 2-3 Lbs less on crosses.
I checked on Yonex facebook, one of the guys who is an expert told me to use 3-4 Lbs less:
His reply to my message was:
"With Yonex racquets due to the Isometric head shape for you to have the benefit of the same you should string it 3-4 Lbs less. I have been stringing all my Yonex racquets for the past 4-5 years like this.
Lately I changed the way I string mid sizes, if my usual tension is 54-51 for the old RDS mid, I now string 55-51 LBS, you get more comfort, more power, yet more control since the mains (your main work horse) are tighter.
For you and your Xi (btw, great reackets) I suggest you to keep 3 Lbs only, since yours has a bigger head size.
My VC Tour 89 I have with 56-52 full bed with Poly Tour Pro graphite.
Regards,
-------
I checked on Yonex facebook, one of the guys who is an expert told me to use 3-4 Lbs less:
His reply to my message was:
"With Yonex racquets due to the Isometric head shape for you to have the benefit of the same you should string it 3-4 Lbs less. I have been stringing all my Yonex racquets for the past 4-5 years like this.
Lately I changed the way I string mid sizes, if my usual tension is 54-51 for the old RDS mid, I now string 55-51 LBS, you get more comfort, more power, yet more control since the mains (your main work horse) are tighter.
For you and your Xi (btw, great reackets) I suggest you to keep 3 Lbs only, since yours has a bigger head size.
My VC Tour 89 I have with 56-52 full bed with Poly Tour Pro graphite.
Regards,
-------
Meaghan
Hall of Fame
Yeah tbh the colour put me off and I was in the middle of some poly hybrid testing, then wanted to go back to Tour Bite to give me a reference point, so yeah got there in the end and really like both the TS and TP. Its still fairly early so we'll see how they get on but all good so far.
Pure Babs
Rookie
For those of you who have kept up with my racket ordeal, I have decided on a frame between the 97T 310g, IG Prestige MP, and the 95d. And the winner is...... the Yonex Vcore 95d! It really has grown on me the more I playtested it, and does everything on the court very well. Especially serving, which is an area where I need extra pop. Really excited to start playing exclusively with this frame and improving my game and not worrying about the racket!
Pure Babs
Rookie
Congrats on picking the correct racket! Well done.
XFactorer
Hall of Fame
Last night, I had the chance to hit with an RDX 500 MP HD. It hits and feels pretty much like the VCT89 that I have. It was strung @ 51 w/ Red Code. I'm currently using Concept Pure at 55. Man oh man, this is going to be the racquet that people will be wanting even after it's discontinued - just like the RDX 500s!
mykoh
Rookie
hey guys quick question! i may be able to get a 2nd hand but almost new 89t, but its one size down from my size L3. just wondering whether taking out the thin stock grip and adding a replacement, say a wilson pro hybrid, would it work?
hmmm.. then one stick would have the stock grip while the other has pro hybrid. the lack of symmetry would bug me out..
hmmm.. then one stick would have the stock grip while the other has pro hybrid. the lack of symmetry would bug me out..
lol.
On another note I have one of my 89 tours going for sale so keep an eye on the B/S/T theads if you want one in L4. Can't play enough now where it's even justifiable to have two rackets. I'm pretty content with leaving the racket with my stringer for a week to pick it up the next. That's how little time I have to play.
An even better side note is that my pacific classic half set is coming in today. Can't wait to try out the gut/poly hybrid.
On another note I have one of my 89 tours going for sale so keep an eye on the B/S/T theads if you want one in L4. Can't play enough now where it's even justifiable to have two rackets. I'm pretty content with leaving the racket with my stringer for a week to pick it up the next. That's how little time I have to play.
An even better side note is that my pacific classic half set is coming in today. Can't wait to try out the gut/poly hybrid.
Redflea
Hall of Fame
Made my decision...not going to the 89T. Just not comfortable w/the additional stiffness, that's really my only complaint.
I will miss the additional easy power provided by the 89T, especially on serves, over my RDX Mids.
Got the QTour and PB10Mid coming in to try next, but thinking more and more that I have a good thing going w/my RDX mids and will stick with 'em for a while longer.
I will miss the additional easy power provided by the 89T, especially on serves, over my RDX Mids.
Got the QTour and PB10Mid coming in to try next, but thinking more and more that I have a good thing going w/my RDX mids and will stick with 'em for a while longer.
Made my decision...not going to the 89T. Just not comfortable w/the additional stiffness, that's really my only complaint.
I will miss the additional easy power provided by the 89T, especially on serves, over my RDX Mids.
Got the QTour and PB10Mid coming in to try next, but thinking more and more that I have a good thing going w/my RDX mids and will stick with 'em for a while longer.
Qtour should feel stiffer than 89T if there is your complaint. PB mid on the other hand could just be the one you are looking for. Enjoy your demo!
Made my decision...not going to the 89T. Just not comfortable w/the additional stiffness, that's really my only complaint.
I will miss the additional easy power provided by the 89T, especially on serves, over my RDX Mids.
Got the QTour and PB10Mid coming in to try next, but thinking more and more that I have a good thing going w/my RDX mids and will stick with 'em for a while longer.
PB10 mid is a great racket for me. Solid performer with good footwork. Very comfortable racket even with a poly in it.
Redflea
Hall of Fame
Thanks, Korso and Januslow...I keep hearing really good things about the PB10 Mid, so had to try it. Waiting for it to arrive from TW. Threw in the QTour just because it sounded interesting, and I think I added a Prince as well for the sake of getting three for the $10 demo fee. Hopefully it'll be here Monday in time for my Tuesday night doubles match!
Hopefully it'll be here Monday in time for my Tuesday night doubles match!I'm currently using the Yonex RQiS 1 Tour XL (95) Im just wondering if anyone has used this racket and moved to the V Core89 and how they found it. My one concern is that there is going to be a big drop in power and I wont be able to control points as well. Should I not bother with the 89 and just go with the 95?
