Yonex VCore Tour 97 (310 g) or Tecnifibre TFight 16x19 ATP Ltd.

[zalive]

Hi fellas,

So if you had to choose between one of these two racquets, your goal is to customize either somewhere desired specs range (which are 340-355 SW, 345-355 g, higher TW, HL balance 4-6 pts), and you don't really care much how it plays in stock form (but you're of course interested how it plays customized)...which would be your choice?

Any experience with customizing one of those two?

Advantage is good all court performance, but not at significant expense of baseline hitting quality. Hitting consistency and stability is most important. And having end racquet (customized) not too demanding.

 

[zalive]

Important correction: VCore Tour G (310 g), not 97.

 

[StanAO14]

I own both and would say the yonex. Just add a leather grip and a significant amount of lead ad 12. Twist weight in stock is already quite OK. I think the TEC is more difficult to customize to those specs.

 

[teekaywhy]

I've got both. Customized both.
If you know what you're doing and have clear specs, the TF is easier to modify. It's lighter and the handle lends itself to silicone and lead. The yonex is tougher because a leather grip, overgrip, strings and just a little lead and you're pushing over 345g.

 

[StanAO14]

Yonex static weight is lower and is more head light, has more SW and TW in stock form. So I disagree with the above, but I'm not a prof customizer ; )

 

[zalive]

Well, TBH, I've experimented with heavier grips (not necessary leather but comparable weight), and concluded I get better results using a light grip and distributing lead/mass near the butt capp + at 7'' from the butt cap. Result was always faster/whippier for me. So I plan to replace leather with a light grip, then customize at 0'' & 7'' as much as needed.

Potential problem with Tecnifibre is getting SW and (plus TW) to where I want, where especially stock SW is far from targetted - static weight of 315 g is not little and I've little room to counterbalance on the handle - and I'm surely need some grams at 7'' at least, to compensate slowing down from 11-1 o'clock lead (let's suppose I should not need to tailweight). So, what Stan says makes sense...

On the other hand, I'm a bit worried from reported lack od maneuverability of Tour G, kind of a thing I don't expect from 310 g frame racquet - perhaps this might be compensated.

 

[teekaywhy]

I should mention that I scraped out whatever it is that TF puts in the handle and started with as close to raw hairpin as possible.

 

[dave t]

How do you decide how much at 7" vs the butt? Is there any preferred set up? I know personal preference would factor in...but curious about this. When I first customized my racquet I had maybe 6g in the head and about 10g under the trap door. I then added a few grams at 7" to see if I would notice and I loved it. Tried 4g more at 7" and liked it even more. So I'm wondering is there some of ideal target ratio or if anyone has any experience playing around with this. thanks

 

[zalive]

I should mention that I scraped out whatever it is that TF puts in the handle and started with as close to raw hairpin as possible.

I now realized that I somehow failed to enter correct Tecnifibre's SW when I entered its spec in MgR/I calculation. So actual MgR/I = 21.57 according to TW specs. That makes it very depolarized in stock form...which is logical considering its very low SW (301) compared to 315 g of static weight. So, actually getting its SW 30 units up with 9 grams of lead straight at 12 o'clock doesn't even require any 7'' placement - MgR/I will still be marginally above 21. Yeah, math confirms Limited should not be hard to customize at all. Thanks

What's interesting, you can return Tecnifibre to even distribution - obviously they 'scraped' mass from its tip to lower SW and to make its hoop dead (for hard hitters?). I'm not sure though if there is weight room to go the other way, to lightly polarize it. Perhaps possible around 365 grams? I should calculate.

How do you decide how much at 7" vs the butt? Is there any preferred set up? I know personal preference would factor in...but curious about this. When I first customized my racquet I had maybe 6g in the head and about 10g under the trap door. I then added a few grams at 7" to see if I would notice and I loved it. Tried 4g more at 7" and liked it even more. So I'm wondering is there some of ideal target ratio or if anyone has any experience playing around with this. thanks

You can do this either by your feel or by math MgR/I calculation (while you will do fine tuning by your feel anyway), which is described in MgR/I thread. I calculate to see how much rouglhy I need to add at 7'', then add some at the butt cap until it feels right - I don't calculate the butt cap mass, I go for the feeling so I may end up at different balance points, but it can be calculated as well how much to add to reach desired balance point.

 

[zalive]

I cannot lie, I'd gladly order both and see everything for myself but craziness has to be kept within some acceptable levels, so it's wise to pick one between those two...

 

[joohan]

I have Dunlop Bio300Tour which is very similar to Tecnifibre as it is more of a platform stick begging for lead (I think it's even very similar mold) and a Tour G (albeit 330g). I must admit I prefer Bio300T as I've fine-tuned it perfectly for my needs plus it's inherent low powered/unstable-off-the-sweetspot nature combined with lead tape boost in the right places (and RS Lyon 17L) works surprisingly good.

I've been through the full cycle looking for a perfect frame that would not need any lead but I've come back to appreciate a perfect platform frame that I can adjust to what I need. With Ltd. being praised left, right and centre on these forums, I'd give it a shot...

 

[JohnBPittsburgh]

+1 on the limited. I also removed the small amount of silicone that the factory put in (takes about 5 minutes). Then you have a raw hairpin, and can create whatever you want

 

[dgoran]

I have Dunlop Bio300Tour which is very similar to Tecnifibre as it is more of a platform stick begging for lead (I think it's even very similar mold) and a Tour G (albeit 330g). I must admit I prefer Bio300T as I've fine-tuned it perfectly for my needs plus it's inherent low powered/unstable-off-the-sweetspot nature combined with lead tape boost in the right places (and RS Lyon 17L) works surprisingly good.

I've been through the full cycle looking for a perfect frame that would not need any lead but I've come back to appreciate a perfect platform frame that I can adjust to what I need. With Ltd. being praised left, right and centre on these forums, I'd give it a shot...

It's the same mold same with donnay pro one GT quad 18x20

 

[dgoran]

Also +1 for tec315 BUT 310g was way easier to use and play with...

 

[Arti]

I got a TEC but with the 18x20, Put a bunch of lead all under the bumper, 2 layers. It is like 2 or 3 points headlight and an absolute monster.

 

[zalive]

So, most guys here are for TEC...and in the meantime, sale action has ended for Tour G 310, so...TEC it is.

+1 on the limited. I also removed the small amount of silicone that the factory put in (takes about 5 minutes). Then you have a raw hairpin, and can create whatever you want

Was silicone placed near the butt cap? Because if yes, I won't mind it being there.

 

[JohnBPittsburgh]

IMO, and that is with 3 different 16x19 Tecs. It is placed there only to make each individual frame fall into factory tolerances. Yes, it was put in via the hairpin, close to the buttcap. So, if you are curious, you will have to remove the buttcap (no trapdoor, I always ended up replacing the buttcap with a Head one with a trapdoor). But, when the frame arrives, just take the weight/balance, and if you are happy with it as is, you can just customize from there

 

[zalive]

I believe it JohnB, I've seen little chunks of silicone in Pro Kennex-es and they weren't talking its because of ATP lol...anyway, decent mass of silicone is a huge chunk, whatever they can put in stock (and not too heavy) frame is simply not it. However it's not likely I will mind few grams near the butt - it's more likely I will add even more grams there. And thanks about info regarding butt cap, funny but from the pictures I really thought that was a trap door lol. And of course, everything begins with measured actual specs.

 

[zalive]

In the end, I didn't buy any of two.

For Yonex I got late to get it for the sale price of 80 EUR, but at the same time I had my doubts because of couple of things. Main one was describing this racquet as less maneuverable, which is a bit odd considering its full specs. The other was some quality issues couple has reported for this particular racquet.

As for Tec I thought of ordering it up to yesterday, but then I've read some coment on big 315 thread with few players complaining about upper hoop being too open. Now I understand what this means and that's the very thing I want to avoid - this is why I look into 16x20 racquets like Yonex Tour or Pacific.

I'm still interested in Yonex Tour racquets but I think I'll pass the G Tor 310 and wait for some another sale opportunity for one of newer 310 g models, which I plan to customize.

Nevertheless thanks a lot to everybody who helped with their valuable opinion and experience.

 

[Irvin]

@zalive not that it matters but there is a 18 main version of the Tecnifibre racket, but the 18 main is too tight for me. I find the Ltd frame has a tighter 16x19 pattern than the other Tec 315 frames. Personally I prefer the more open pattern of the 315 Dynacore / DC frames. But rackets are such a personal thing. You must rely more on what you like than the opinion of others.

 

[Hansen]

Nevertheless thanks a lot to everybody who helped with their valuable opinion and experience.

since you bought neither of the two racquets, you should consider the qtour 300 16x19. i tested all 3 racquets, and in my opinion the pro kennex (leaded up) was the best racquet without a doubt, although it wasn´t as comfortable (it feels quite crisp) as expected (otherwise it would be my main racquet). but my arm is really sensitive and the tec ltd felt even less comfortable.
furthermore the qtour has perfect specs for customization and since the new version is coming out, the price for the old version should drop soon.

 

[zalive]

since you bought neither of the two racquets, you should consider the qtour 300 16x19. i tested all 3 racquets, and in my opinion the pro kennex (leaded up) was the best racquet without a doubt, although it wasn´t as comfortable (it feels quite crisp) as expected (otherwise it would be my main racquet). but my arm is really sensitive and the tec ltd felt even less comfortable.
furthermore the qtour has perfect specs for customization and since the new version is coming out, the price for the old version should drop soon.

Oh, I like PK actually, have both two Destiny FCS and KI10 and those are keepers to me. However I did'n consider one additional PK, somehow I'm not convinced they're the best choice at the net? My primarily target is an all court racquet. But nevertheless I do appreciate your recommendation.

And I do understand what you mean by comfort, I'm aware PK's fare much better when it comes to comfort than one might expect - I've no complaint even for Destiny FCS at 69 RA and without Kinetic tech inside - stiff yes, uncomfortable never, at least not customized within my range.

@zalive not that it matters but there is a 18 main version of the Tecnifibre racket, but the 18 main is too tight for me. I find the Ltd frame has a tighter 16x19 pattern than the other Tec 315 frames. Personally I prefer the more open pattern of the 315 Dynacore / DC frames. But rackets are such a personal thing. You must rely more on what you like than the opinion of others.

Well my technique is not enough to make the best of 18x20 racquets. I wanted to try some older Radical though, but concluded that atm I've nothing from it. 16x20 on the other hand represent an excellent compromise for me, and there's a reason why I need more 20 crosses than 18 mains. I simply like dense upper hoop. For some reasons only certain 16x19 work best for my game. I've no problem with Destiny/KI 10 which are pretty open in the upper hoop, because its density distribution is somehow natural to my game. But nevertheless so far none of them beats my old Prince Precision Response 660 MP 16x20 which is nothing short of wonderful for long baseline strokes control.

 

[zalive]

double post