Yonex Vcore Tour 89 and 97 specs

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?

I haven't used RQiS 1 Tour so I can't compare with 89T But one thing I can tell you is that 89T is very powerful racquet. I don't know how much RQiS is powerful. I demoed several racquets and 89T is one of the most powerful racquets. Just because of small racquet face doesn't mean less power unless you shank all the time. It is control oriented racquet as well. You will be surprised.
 

awhalan

New User
I hit through the ball with a pretty flat shot (Eastern Grip) so I rarely shank shots. Thanks for your feedback. I think Im just looking for some confidence to go for that smaller head size.
 

seacard

Rookie
I think Im just looking for some confidence to go for that smaller head size.

I've been demoing this racquet. I generally play with 100 and 107 square inch heads, hit with a western forehand and a two-handed backhand, so I know this is probably not the right racquet for me, at least on paper. But in the two matches I played, I didn't shank any more shots than I shank with the bigger head sizes. (Having said that, I was probably a little more focused and careful.)
 

borgpro

Semi-Pro
Can anyone compare the 97t 330 and 310 version yet. I've been playing with the 330 version for some weeks now and like everything about it except for the fact that it is a tad heavy to swing somehow (whereas I have been used to heavy players rackets all my life). The weight and SW seem ok by numbers but there is something in the weight distribution that makes it a bit slow..

Now does anyone has experience with the 310 grams version in comparison? What is the strung swingweight? Isn't it more unstable? How would it play with a leather grip to add some weight?
 

Greg G

Professional
I've been demoing this racquet. I generally play with 100 and 107 square inch heads, hit with a western forehand and a two-handed backhand, so I know this is probably not the right racquet for me, at least on paper. But in the two matches I played, I didn't shank any more shots than I shank with the bigger head sizes. (Having said that, I was probably a little more focused and careful.)

I came from an RQ1500 to the 89T. 105 to 89 sq inches, and to my surprise, there was no shankfest during the transition. I could hardly note any difference. I will say though that on my first shot, I managed to hit the throat :oops:

After I got that out of the way, it's been smooth sailing :)
 
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filphil

Rookie
I have pacific classic 16l sitting on my table right now. I'm getting it strung on tuesday and will be able to play on thursday. After that weekend I'll have something to contribute on the gut/poly front.

I'm probably going classic/sppp @ 53/45
 

januslow

New User
Just wondering, does anyone here play competition with the 89 and enjoy good success? Personally, I just find the sweet spot too small for me to feel comfortable to use it in competitions. While 89T feels great and fun to hit around during practice, where you can get away with any short balls, I find it very demanding during competition where any short ball will be punished. The smaller sweet spot compared to other midplus rackets does not help in the defensive aspect as well.
 

mykoh

Rookie
I have pacific classic 16l sitting on my table right now. I'm getting it strung on tuesday and will be able to play on thursday. After that weekend I'll have something to contribute on the gut/poly front.

I'm probably going classic/sppp @ 53/45

nice. i have half sets of tough gut and klip legend coming my way as well. can't bloody wait. :)

getting some yonex poly tour spin and pros coming as well, would love to hybrid gut with those and see how they play..
 

Korso

Semi-Pro
Just wondering, does anyone here play competition with the 89 and enjoy good success? Personally, I just find the sweet spot too small for me to feel comfortable to use it in competitions. While 89T feels great and fun to hit around during practice, where you can get away with any short balls, I find it very demanding during competition where any short ball will be punished. The smaller sweet spot compared to other midplus rackets does not help in the defensive aspect as well.

I know what you are saying. I am still dialing in my forehand. My backhand is stronger with the 89T but my forehand is my weapon so hopefully I will get it going soon. No problems keeping the ball in but my put aways and offensive strikes are not as clean on the forehand compared to my PB10 mid. I still feel with the proper string set up this racket will be a winner for me.
Have not started messing with string set ups yet... Going to put some Iontec Black next week at 45/43. PLII at 50 feels comfy but not really grabbing the ball the way I like on touch shots at the net. The PLII came free with the racket so I gave it a go.
 

Meaghan

Hall of Fame
Just wondering, does anyone here play competition with the 89 and enjoy good success? Personally, I just find the sweet spot too small for me to feel comfortable to use it in competitions. While 89T feels great and fun to hit around during practice, where you can get away with any short balls, I find it very demanding during competition where any short ball will be punished. The smaller sweet spot compared to other midplus rackets does not help in the defensive aspect as well.

In the main Ive been struggling a little with lollipop doubles, although a lot of that is down to indecision and not the racket. On the other hand I had a league match the other day against a pair of county level players, we lost 6-4 6-4 but we had them rattled in the second set only to lose out in two very tight sets that could have gone either way. Yes some balls came up short but my length in general was real good with the 89t. Yes I did struggle with the big kicker to my 1hbh especially first set until I started to nail a few and the server mixed it up a bit. Doubles is hard when there is not a lot of warm up time and you need to get straight on it. It gave me an added confidence boost as I was tired from a long day with the baby, hadnt played for about a week with the weather and spent the first match which we won and the first set of the second with a little brain freeze!!

Ive had no problem with the sweetspot, mid 40's tension poly is real nice for me. As usual tho Im finding my singles play easier than doubles, this tbh is a factor whatever racket, I like the options singles gives and on the backfoot Im finding this stick great at getting me back into play esp from wide bh slice.

As for power Im finding that with the change in tension im hitting as big as the 95d which was around 10lbs tighter. Not really struggling with it
 

Roforot

Hall of Fame
Meaghan, now that you've had time w the 89t and adjusted strings and weight, have your thoughts on the differences between the 95d changed?

From what I've read, the 89 is a bit better on serves, slice bhs, and one handed bhs. The 95d has an advantage on overall groundstrokes and returns. Sounds like the power levels can be made similar with strings.

I'm using an rqis tour 1 light and would like to upgrade as I've started adding weight to the frame.
 

Meaghan

Hall of Fame
Meaghan, now that you've had time w the 89t and adjusted strings and weight, have your thoughts on the differences between the 95d changed?

From what I've read, the 89 is a bit better on serves, slice bhs, and one handed bhs. The 95d has an advantage on overall groundstrokes and returns. Sounds like the power levels can be made similar with strings.

I'm using an rqis tour 1 light and would like to upgrade as I've started adding weight to the frame.

The main advantage of the 95d imo is that its superb at redirection, something about the uniform flex and throat size/vector shaft........

Other than that its a personal preferance in the way both rackets swing. The 95d swings in a very uniform manner, like a modern tweener, the 89t with a heavier head and longer throat swings like a flexier mid, it feels longer, head lags behind, there's dwell time and you feel like you hold the ball on the strings (another factor of tension too).

Personally I liked the results with the 95d but actually the swing never felt right. I like the way the 89t swings, with the added weight top and bottom it flows through the gears, angles better too. Serves where as good, I found the big flat one easier with the 95d, not significantly so tho, the mid is more comfortable at the net, although I really have to attack overheads...
 

skeeter

Professional
Can anyone compare the 97t 330 and 310 version yet. I've been playing with the 330 version for some weeks now and like everything about it except for the fact that it is a tad heavy to swing somehow (whereas I have been used to heavy players rackets all my life). The weight and SW seem ok by numbers but there is something in the weight distribution that makes it a bit slow..

Now does anyone has experience with the 310 grams version in comparison? What is the strung swingweight? Isn't it more unstable? How would it play with a leather grip to add some weight?

I demo'd the 97T 330 along with some other Yonex racquets (98, 95) and really liked it; except the weight just felt sluggish to me at times. But I played well enough with it (including against my IGP MP) that I took a chance and purchased the 310 version. Ended up being perfect; great feel, balance and weight felt just right, easy on the arm, decent pop, excellent control and feels easy to swing. I ended up putting 2grams at 12 and another two at the top of the handle to get a bit more stability and oomph on serves and groundies. Highly recommend doing that as it feels and plays about perfect for me right now. With the lead, overgrip, and dampner, comes in at around 11.9 ounces (don't know what stringweight is) and around 9 pts HL. Couldn't be happier at the moment.
 
I demo'd the 97T 330 along with some other Yonex racquets (98, 95) and really liked it; except the weight just felt sluggish to me at times. But I played well enough with it (including against my IGP MP) that I took a chance and purchased the 310 version. Ended up being perfect; great feel, balance and weight felt just right, easy on the arm, decent pop, excellent control and feels easy to swing. I ended up putting 2grams at 12 and another two at the top of the handle to get a bit more stability and oomph on serves and groundies. Highly recommend doing that as it feels and plays about perfect for me right now. With the lead, overgrip, and dampner, comes in at around 11.9 ounces (don't know what stringweight is) and around 9 pts HL. Couldn't be happier at the moment.

I hope your honeymoon period last forever :)
 

Roforot

Hall of Fame
The main advantage of the 95d imo is that its superb at redirection, something about the uniform flex and throat size/vector shaft........

Other than that its a personal preferance in the way both rackets swing. The 95d swings in a very uniform manner, like a modern tweener, the 89t with a heavier head and longer throat swings like a flexier mid, it feels longer, head lags behind, there's dwell time and you feel like you hold the ball on the strings (another factor of tension too).

Personally I liked the results with the 95d but actually the swing never felt right. I like the way the 89t swings, with the added weight top and bottom it flows through the gears, angles better too. Serves where as good, I found the big flat one easier with the 95d, not significantly so tho, the mid is more comfortable at the net, although I really have to attack overheads...

I can relate... I used to play with the RDS002 and although I produced great shots, it wasn't a good fit for my strokes... I never felt comfortable approaching or attacking short balls.

Unfortunately, everything you say in favor of the 89 is what I'm looking for. I rarely hit a flat serve so the 95d's advantage isn't that great for me. I'll have to see about tracking down demos of the 89 and the 95d.
 

borgpro

Semi-Pro
I demo'd the 97T 330 along with some other Yonex racquets (98, 95) and really liked it; except the weight just felt sluggish to me at times. But I played well enough with it (including against my IGP MP) that I took a chance and purchased the 310 version. Ended up being perfect; great feel, balance and weight felt just right, easy on the arm, decent pop, excellent control and feels easy to swing. I ended up putting 2grams at 12 and another two at the top of the handle to get a bit more stability and oomph on serves and groundies. Highly recommend doing that as it feels and plays about perfect for me right now. With the lead, overgrip, and dampner, comes in at around 11.9 ounces (don't know what stringweight is) and around 9 pts HL. Couldn't be happier at the moment.

Thanks, sounds pretty good!
 

Meaghan

Hall of Fame
I can relate... I used to play with the RDS002 and although I produced great shots, it wasn't a good fit for my strokes... I never felt comfortable approaching or attacking short balls.

Unfortunately, everything you say in favor of the 89 is what I'm looking for. I rarely hit a flat serve so the 95d's advantage isn't that great for me. I'll have to see about tracking down demos of the 89 and the 95d.

The 95 is a great stick, I added weight to it and balanced it out but when I found my sw zone it felt a touch loggy, I struggled to find the right spec to make it swing naturally for me, I came to the conclusion that if you have a long swing then this is a strong mans stick ala wawrinka, I like something more maneuverable. My 89t its around 374g yet its much more maneuverable than the 95d.

I remember trying a pure drive roddick, I couldn't get it thro the air. I think I'm just old school rythym with western grips :)
 

Korso

Semi-Pro
I know what you are saying. I am still dialing in my forehand. My backhand is stronger with the 89T but my forehand is my weapon so hopefully I will get it going soon. No problems keeping the ball in but my put aways and offensive strikes are not as clean on the forehand compared to my PB10 mid. I still feel with the proper string set up this racket will be a winner for me.
Have not started messing with string set ups yet... Going to put some Iontec Black next week at 45/43. PLII at 50 feels comfy but not really grabbing the ball the way I like on touch shots at the net. The PLII came free with the racket so I gave it a go.
Found my forehand :). Played some doubles today. Lost the first set 3-6 won the next two 6-2, 6-3. I am not sure if it is me or what but Kirchbaum strings tend to play better after they are dead. I cut them out when I got home and decided to throw some Klip Legend 16 in the mains and cross them with Iontec Black 1.20 at 54/50 instead of full Iontec Black. There is no way I am taking a chance with my shoulder playing with dead polys for any length of time. Going out in the morning to play with my 14 year old son who has some strong ground strokes. I will be playing some competitive doubles again on Wed. Hopefully this a good batch of Klip... and I get atleast 20 hours in on them.
 

djnemo

Rookie
Been hitting with the 97 tour for the past week. Great racquet on my 2hbh, serves and volleys, but a little too hefty for my western forehand. I just couldn't get the racquet speed I wanted to on that shot (and I use the youtek radical pro so used to a high swingweight). Also the trajectory of the ball off the strings is a little low for my tastes. I would say this racquet is best for doubles players and flat hitters with 2hbh.
 

Korso

Semi-Pro
Just got back from a hour and half practice session with the gut/poly set up at 54/50 in the 89T. As expected it is the standard to shoot for. Quality with every shot :). Great power, spin, and control from the baseline. Complete control at the net. Easy power and spin with serves. Highly recomend this setup in this racket.
 

Torres

Banned
Does anyone know where I might be able to get a reel of PolyTour Spin 17 from in Europe? I think someone mentioned Germany? All the usual places including TWE don't seem to stock it.

If so, could someone PM me the details? Thanks.
 

syke

Professional
Does anyone know where I might be able to get a reel of PolyTour Spin 17 from in Europe? I think someone mentioned Germany? All the usual places including TWE don't seem to stock it.

If so, could someone PM me the details? Thanks.

Yeah it was me...

You are switching over to the YPTS for good?

Check your mailbox
 

borgpro

Semi-Pro
I demo'd the 97T 330 along with some other Yonex racquets (98, 95) and really liked it; except the weight just felt sluggish to me at times. But I played well enough with it (including against my IGP MP) that I took a chance and purchased the 310 version. Ended up being perfect; great feel, balance and weight felt just right, easy on the arm, decent pop, excellent control and feels easy to swing. I ended up putting 2grams at 12 and another two at the top of the handle to get a bit more stability and oomph on serves and groundies. Highly recommend doing that as it feels and plays about perfect for me right now. With the lead, overgrip, and dampner, comes in at around 11.9 ounces (don't know what stringweight is) and around 9 pts HL. Couldn't be happier at the moment.

One more question was the lighter version still stable, in particular with volleys, in your opinion?
 

TonLars

Professional
Hit briefly with the VCore 97 Tour today, definitely liked it, good all around racquet. I will continue to try it and may consider switching
 
Received. Thank you!



Tony - are you still doing work on your serve? If so, PM me, I've got something Jeff Salzenstein related that might interest you.

Torres - Did you purchase his serve videos and if so, what do you think? I am thinking about purchasing it but would like your input as to whether they are worth the admission price. I am looking for drills and progressions that will improve my serve.

The serve is really complicated with so many parts and muscles and trying to find an instructor who can break it down to the simple minutia has been challenging.
 

Torres

Banned
^ I think Salzenstein is fantastic. Not least because he's the only coach I've seen that genuinely concentrates on technique issues. It's even more pertinent when you realise that he did so much work developing his own serve as a result of which it was at its most powerful when he was 30 than when he was a youngster.

I was skeptical at first given that the course is $180 but I thought what the heck, that's a cost of 1 racquet and I've easily spent more on that on serve lessons diagnosing technique issues over the years, without satisfactory results. For example, I've known for years that I have too low an elbow (just like TW Chris), an insufficient shoulder turn and something 'not quite right', but 'solutions' suggested by other coaches just don't seem or feel right or they throw off the rest of my timing. I went for the Salzenstein course because I still want to stay relatively competitive in open tourney singles even though I'm in my late 30s so I'm all for anything that can help me get free points. And the fact that he has the credibility of having been there, seen it and done it.

I'm still trying to get my head around the content - he's focuses on alot of technique issues which have never been suggested to me before. I'm surprised how many technical aspects there are. I'm liking what I see so far - some of the things he's said have been like a lightblub moment for me though I've only just started to work on a couple of things. He's someone who genuinely "gets it" as far as I'm concerned rather than so many online 'coaches' who just trot out platitudes without really understanding the contribution of each part of the technique to the overall service motion or understanding how to diagnose and correct technique issues. Those sort of coaches make it sound like anyone can serve like Sampras. I like the Salzenstein course for its attention to detail/technique, how he gets straight to the issues, and how its so BS free. Alot of things to look at and work on.

If you genuinely want to work on your serve and are prepared to put the time and work in, I'd highly recommend it. You'll probably need a slow mo camera though because he quite rightly points out that the motion is usually too fast to see what needs to be corrected. He does alot of slow mo videos (John Yandell is also involved) and comparisons between students and himself etc. I also opted for the 1-to-1 consultation as well which I think its going to be useful once I've spent the winter trying to re-groove certain aspects of my serve.
 
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westside

Hall of Fame
Played a few sets last night with the 97 310g. Strung up with Head natural gut in the mains and Alu Power in the crosses.

Was a thing of beauty.
 

mykoh

Rookie
Just got back from a hour and half practice session with the gut/poly set up at 54/50 in the 89T. As expected it is the standard to shoot for. Quality with every shot :). Great power, spin, and control from the baseline. Complete control at the net. Easy power and spin with serves. Highly recomend this setup in this racket.

nice one korso, can't wait for my sets of nat gut to arrive so i can get my 89t restrung too! hopefully i won't like it too much, money is hard to come by these days.. :D
 

Meaghan

Hall of Fame
More 89t mods.....

For those interested in mods, Ive been trying to get the balance right, I like leather/og and having 4g top of handle already it made my racket quite headlight and handle heavy. Ive had a couple of league matches with it and played well without ever feeling totally comfortable esp on overheads.

Ive taken the leather off as I want to get back to mid 360g and get closer to my usual balance. I needed to lose 10g so Ive put the yonex light grip back on and added another 5g top of handle (total 9g). Balance is now at 9pts hl which feels closer to 7/8pts on these yonex sticks similar to my preference on other rackets.

The racket feels noticably lighter in hand although the head feels more substantial which is what I like. The differences in the mods I have done from the start may seem insignificant but they have an amazing affect on how it swings, you adjust naturally but what we are all looking for is a racket that feels manouverable but with enough meat in the head to do damage in relation to your swing speed. This takes a little time and the rewards are great. Some sticks are rather easy and some not, these yonex with their squarer headshape fall into the more difficult catagory imo but tweaking is fun and if anyone had seen my recent overheads (something that is not usually a problem) then they would say "Meags get a Bab" :)
 

filphil

Rookie
For those interested in mods, Ive been trying to get the balance right, I like leather/og and having 4g top of handle already it made my racket quite headlight and handle heavy. Ive had a couple of league matches with it and played well without ever feeling totally comfortable esp on overheads.

Ive taken the leather off as I want to get back to mid 360g and get closer to my usual balance. I needed to lose 10g so Ive put the yonex light grip back on and added another 5g top of handle (total 9g). Balance is now at 9pts hl which feels closer to 7/8pts on these yonex sticks similar to my preference on other rackets.

The racket feels noticably lighter in hand although the head feels more substantial which is what I like. The differences in the mods I have done from the start may seem insignificant but they have an amazing affect on how it swings, you adjust naturally but what we are all looking for is a racket that feels manouverable but with enough meat in the head to do damage in relation to your swing speed. This takes a little time and the rewards are great. Some sticks are rather easy and some not, these yonex with their squarer headshape fall into the more difficult catagory imo but tweaking is fun and if anyone had seen my recent overheads (something that is not usually a problem) then they would say "Meags get a Bab" :)

Hit around with a gut/poly hybrid in my 89t. One of the comments I got was asking if I hit with a babolat. I kindly replied, "nope it's 89 inches".
 

filphil

Rookie
Just got back from a hour and half practice session with the gut/poly set up at 54/50 in the 89T. As expected it is the standard to shoot for. Quality with every shot :). Great power, spin, and control from the baseline. Complete control at the net. Easy power and spin with serves. Highly recomend this setup in this racket.

Hit for two hours with the setup in the sig. Very powerful set up and it took some micro adjustments to dial in my strokes. I've found that taking a nice easy swing gives me about 80% of the results with 20% of the effort. When hitting winners my racket does shoot a rocket though. Just have to keep those winners in within the lines. :twisted:
 

Korso

Semi-Pro
Hit for two hours with the setup in the sig. Very powerful set up and it took some micro adjustments to dial in my strokes. I've found that taking a nice easy swing gives me about 80% of the results with 20% of the effort. When hitting winners my racket does shoot a rocket though. Just have to keep those winners in within the lines. :twisted:
2 sets of doubles this morning 6-0, 6-1. Only one ace but a lot of easy put aways for my net guy :). Found the open court a lot today. It was a good day.
 

mykoh

Rookie
i have a confession, i'm cheating on my 89t.

20120809-_JKB4438-Edit.jpg
 

rader023

Rookie
Been using the 89 for a few weeks now. Have had most good days and some bad days with it. It's always fun to use though. One thing is for sure, this is the best serving stick I have ever used. I make of for the miss-hits by winning more service games.
 

Roforot

Hall of Fame
Mykoh,

Do you have anything to add to the discussion/feedback Meaghan provided comparing the 89t to the 95D? Are you going back to the 95D?
 

mykoh

Rookie
i actually have not brought out the 95d for a proper hit (just an hour at the tennis wall), but RE the 95d vs 89t debate, the best (and most obvious) answer is that they are really 2 different sticks. they have the same balance with the 95d slightly lighter than the 89t to accomodate for the bigger headsize. similar setup as the 89t - 2g at the top of the hoop and 2g around the middle of the handle.

first of all, the thing that stuck out the most for me was that they swing very differently. the 95d felt like it was stiffer in the throat and did not flex as much as the 89t. think its kinda like what meags said with about the 95d having a more uniform flex. had grooved my swing with the 89t and the same swing did not really work with the 95d. i sorta had to swing the racquet as a whole unit as opposed to swinging the handle with the racquet head coming along for the ride (hope that made sense). can't say which i prefer right now but the 95d does have some potential. didn't get going with it at the wall initially, but there were a few :shock: moments when i decided "okay, killshot" and POW. just a brutal brutal drive. the wall just kept returning everything i threw at it though. it was quite frustrating..

can't really comment objectively on the differences in feel cos my 89t has a poly/syngut setup while my 95d is full poly (feel is personal anyway), but the 89t feels better to me. on off-center hits the 95d had some vibrations, nothing too harsh, but with the 89t it was really really solid and plush. don't think i can go full poly in the 95d, so natgut/poly should be next in line.

most importantly, i got a lot more confidence getting RHS with the 95d. the 89t is forgiving mind you, but when i get a little tired i start worrying about shanks and my RHS tends to drop.

another thing, i switched the stock 95d grip out for a yy leather and og, and i was getting blisters on the left side of the heel of my palm. is this typical? or is it because of the built up buttcap? used a bab leather before with no problems.

to summarize, the 89t is like a katana, and the 95d is a broadsword. each stick has qualities that i like and i'm torn between whether i'm more samurai or knight. now if only i can find a way to combine them into a yonex 93 tour drive..
 

Greg G

Professional
Had a really good day hitting with the 89T. Been a few weeks already, but it still feels like the honeymoon phase. OHBH still an absolute joy to hit, topspins were deep and heavy, slices were just knifelike. Forehand is getting dialed in (am messing around with it a bit). Spin generation is just amazing with the 89T and Tour Bite 17. I am starting to entertain thoughts of getting a 3rd one...
 

Meaghan

Hall of Fame
Had a really good day hitting with the 89T. Been a few weeks already, but it still feels like the honeymoon phase. OHBH still an absolute joy to hit, topspins were deep and heavy, slices were just knifelike. Forehand is getting dialed in (am messing around with it a bit). Spin generation is just amazing with the 89T and Tour Bite 17. I am starting to entertain thoughts of getting a 3rd one...

The TB is great but the Yonex strings are close and worth a try greg. Ive just put the tour spin in @43lbs, pretty low i know but I was liking the feel of it when i was getting that trampoline plushness, it will be interesting to see if it feels like that at 43lbs but with the added bite and control of fresh strings. Going out now for a test, some slightly competitive doubles before my league match tonight.

I played yesterday in the heat of the english summer!!!, playing with some used balls, they were flying thro the air but I felt like I couldnt put them away....wierd, probably confused by the sunlight bouncing off my bluey white skin :confused:
 
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