65 sq in racquets had a higher sweetspot because the head was a lot smaller and at the top. So the natural contact point of wood and old aluminum racquets was higher. Today we need XL frames to get the sweetspot back to where it was in the old days. I've been playing with an XL Prestige for the past ten years and love it. I just wish it were a little longer.
if only the made racquets similar to the Prince Diablo Midplus. That was my go to racquet because I personally prefer lighter racquets but everything now is heavy, heavy, heavy. Nobody has made a modern racquet remotely close to the Prince Diablo Midplus. Used that racquet for 13 years and had to switch due to frame cracking
People often think that longbody racquets by definiton have heavier swingweights. Not all do! For example, according to TW the Babolat Pure Drive Plus has a 325 SW, about the same as the regular length Pure Drive. Wilson Blade V8 104 has a 317 SW. The Serena, however is up to 349 and the Prince Isner 351, even. So always check the specs before demoing or buying any racquet.
Recently gravitating towards extended racket due to lower weight but still high swingweight, easier power and stability. Playing with Vcore98+ now and dont find issues when switching between vcore95 and this one. Also has nice feel, comfort, easy to swing and spin also comes easier (as I generally play more flatter) but still can flatten very nice.. main drawback for me is one handed backhand but I can choke a little and its fine...
@Ian Houk, Hmmm...Not sure which orange or red grip you are referring to. Most often we use Wilson Pro Overgrip in White but definitely use others from time to time. You can find Wilson Pro here, and yes there are other colors available: Wilson Pro Overgrip 3 Pack www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpage-PROGC.html Michelle, TW
I have a longbody racquet that wasn't even sold as one! My Wilson Profile 95 is only 2 to 3 millimeters shorter than my Blade V8 104. And that one is sold as 27.5 inches! Wilson Blade V8 104 is 6 to 7 mm (about half an inch) shorter than my Babolat Pure Drive Plus (2018) BOTH racquets are supposed to be 27.5 inches. So it's clear that manufacturers are playing fast and loose with even the LENGTH specs.
Edited: my question got asked... Not sure it was fully answered? Boone started talking about return of serve against Troy to justify sticking with extended length, but not sure what that explains about choking up on the handle.
Discussing your question with Mark, he explained and I agree, that we prefer the option of being able to hold the grip at the bottom, or choke up on certain shots if wanted or needed. We agreed that when serving or hitting ground strokes, we tend to hold the grip closer to the bottom, like most players would, but when coming to net, and kind of playing more touch or dink shots, we might choose to choke up a bit, maybe similar to how Rafa Nadal, or Mardy Fish would if you watch them practice their volleys. Mark even said that he feels more comfortable holding closer to the bottom on his forehand, but chokes up a bit on his one handed backhand. So I guess it is a preference thing, for example playtester Brittany uses a 27" racquet but her hand on the forehand hangs off the bottom somewhat, like the butt cap kind of sits in her palm slightly. For me, I do not like how that feels. Hope that helps. Troy, TW
@@tenniswarehouse thanks Troy! I had thought the buttcap sitting within the base of the palm was pretty standard and widely taught, at least for forehands, so I'm pretty surprised! I would say that what Mark and I guess you do (I hadn't noticed) constitutes choking up compared to what gets taught these days, if the butt cap is visible peeking out of the bottom of your hand? I'm sure it offers better control, but don't you lose some whippy-ness and range of motion?
That may be the case, but maybe just isn't how I, or Mark likes to hold the grip. I would say definitely at a certain point of chocking up, that it will restrict the range of motion, but I find on my forehand, the bottom of the butt-cap is usually close to flush with the bottom of my hand, and I find that it works well. Troy, TW
Have any of you tried custom extension either via the buttcap method (like XTP) or via a more involved molding? Troy, you could, for example, make an extended VCP 97 just by putting an XTP buttcap on. It works but adds about 7.5g of weight to the handle. There’s an outfit that does extends using balsa wood and double epoxy; but I haven’t tried that one.
Hi TW, can you please compare the Tecnifibre 300 RS and Head Radical MP in terms of feel? How does the foam-filling feel compared to the spiralfibre? Do these rackets feel hollow at all?
The foam filling will provide a more dampened feel, but the Radical MP feels a bit more solid on contact, a bit closer to the TFight 305 RS in terms of a solid feel. The 300 RS provides a bit easier power, and a bit less solid on contact, but still fairly comfortable. Troy, TW
@@tenniswarehouse That’s understandable as the Radical has more weight in the head right? So the 300 RS I guess is a bit more whippier and easier to manouver. Also the foam filling is only in the throat (RS section) or is it distributed in the hoop as well? Does the foam dampen the feel like Yonex’s VDM because I don’t like it at all, I prefer a more direct / raw feel.
@@cd8145 The foam is located in the throat and in regions of the head. It does help dampen vibrations, but sort of different than the VDM from Yonex since that is located in the handle. I would say the performance isn't far off from the VCORE 98, pretty similar beam width, and as I mentioned before a lot of our testers would compare it the Pure Strike 98 16x19, but a bit more maneuverable. Troy, TW
@@tenniswarehouse I noticed that the 300 RS seems to have 6 mains in the throat and the Radical MP has 8 (not sure if I’m right). If this is the case what would be the result of this difference in string spacing? Higher launch angle with the 300 RS? Ps: I’m looking for something to switch to from the Pro Staff 97L, I like the control but want more “Oomph” and more forgiveness. Also used the Ezone 98 for a while but didn’t gel with it, the feel was off, too launchy for me.
On the ones I am using now, it is just handle weight. I used a half size shrink sleeve, and then a leather grip on top of that, with overgrip. I used the half size shrink sleeve because I wanted to build up the 4 1/4" grip just a bit, and add some weight. The combo of the sleeve and the leather grip likely added somewhere near 17 grams of weight to the handle. Troy, TW
Being playtesters? How hard is it to pick your own equipement like finding your forever racket, strings and shoes? You get to try so many different items and find pros and cons to each, how do you guys really say this is mine and i will only play with this brand or setup? It cant be easy with all the new products coming out ever few months and then all the blackout/blind testing you guys get to do.
@Jovanni Garcia, Great question! I think we can all agree, once you find "the one" there are a lot of reasons you choose it, so it always feels like "home." However there are definitely things that make you question "the one" but when you go back, you remember why you love it so much and why it works best for you! However, we all evolve and sometimes preferences change, so it is fun to test allllll the things to know we are using what we love. I know for me personally, I will use friday hits to just play with "my gear" rather than necessarily playtest anything, which is always a nice reminder on why I love what I choose as my go-to! Some playtesters switch more often than others, but some of us stick with stuff for longer, it's just like you guys :) But we do get pretty dialed in and each of us has certain things we gravitate toward more, so it can make for some fun chatter. One fun fact, we've done some blind testing as a group and more often than not, we are all pretty aligned (whether it's racquets, shoes or strings!) so I would say despite all the choices and our different styles, we all sort of can all agree on what is "good" and will do well with other players. Michelle, TW
@Jovanni Garcia, I will agree with what Michelle said, and just add that I find it a privilege to have access to so many racquets, shoes, strings, stinging machines to resting my racquets on. Sometimes I do think that if I didn't have so much choice on a daily basis, that choosing equipment would be easier by process of elimination. A good problem to have though haha. That said, if I didn't work here and test products, I would likely narrow my selection to the best bang for your buck type stuff, as I am usually trying to be frugal, but still want good performance. I would probably have stuck with a racquet like the Head MicroGEL Radical MP, which I used to play with, it is trusty, feels good, and readily available at a great price. Or maybe search through the clearance racquets when being phased out, or good deals in the TW used section, that would be my realm. With a few leather grips, and a reel of lead tape, I would match the specs on a few racquets, and likely be set for a while. Anyhow as I am done typing this, I will probably go string up another racquet that I am thinking about switching to, and add a little weight to the hoop, and continue the constant cycle of finding the Holy Grail!!! hahaha Troy, TW
@@tenniswarehouse So funny Troy, thats actually what i do. The first and only time i have bought new was with my Technifibre 305 but i took lessons for a coach who is sponsered by technifibre and got an even better deal than new.. im still searching for a racket that works with my game and serve. Play testing the Prince phantom 100 and the Prince tour 100p. Crossing my fingers...
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
It's the girth of the racquet that really matters! 😉
Broke my 2009 version Pure Drive Roddick GT Plus in two years ago, love playing it and it was a beast.
65 sq in racquets had a higher sweetspot because the head was a lot smaller and at the top. So the natural contact point of wood and old aluminum racquets was higher. Today we need XL frames to get the sweetspot back to where it was in the old days. I've been playing with an XL Prestige for the past ten years and love it. I just wish it were a little longer.
I'm looking for an ultra-light and head-light 29" racquet. What's your recommendation?
maybe a 28" and a half and inch extender buttcap would be as long as you could get without going custom.
if only the made racquets similar to the Prince Diablo Midplus. That was my go to racquet because I personally prefer lighter racquets but everything now is heavy, heavy, heavy. Nobody has made a modern racquet remotely close to the Prince Diablo Midplus. Used that racquet for 13 years and had to switch due to frame cracking
People often think that longbody racquets by definiton have heavier swingweights. Not all do! For example, according to TW the Babolat Pure Drive Plus has a 325 SW, about the same as the regular length Pure Drive. Wilson Blade V8 104 has a 317 SW. The Serena, however is up to 349 and the Prince Isner 351, even. So always check the specs before demoing or buying any racquet.
Recently gravitating towards extended racket due to lower weight but still high swingweight, easier power and stability. Playing with Vcore98+ now and dont find issues when switching between vcore95 and this one. Also has nice feel, comfort, easy to swing and spin also comes easier (as I generally play more flatter) but still can flatten very nice.. main drawback for me is one handed backhand but I can choke a little and its fine...
Is the "orange" red wilson grip tape you guys have for sale.. its red right?
@Ian Houk,
Hmmm...Not sure which orange or red grip you are referring to. Most often we use Wilson Pro Overgrip in White but definitely use others from time to time. You can find Wilson Pro here, and yes there are other colors available: Wilson Pro Overgrip 3 Pack
www.tennis-warehouse.com/descpage-PROGC.html
Michelle, TW
@@tenniswarehouse wow fast reply. It says orange but looks red....then u guys have a different one thats called neon orange
I have a longbody racquet that wasn't even sold as one! My Wilson Profile 95 is only 2 to 3 millimeters shorter than my Blade V8 104. And that one is sold as 27.5 inches! Wilson Blade V8 104 is 6 to 7 mm (about half an inch) shorter than my Babolat Pure Drive Plus (2018) BOTH racquets are supposed to be 27.5 inches. So it's clear that manufacturers are playing fast and loose with even the LENGTH specs.
Edited: my question got asked... Not sure it was fully answered? Boone started talking about return of serve against Troy to justify sticking with extended length, but not sure what that explains about choking up on the handle.
Discussing your question with Mark, he explained and I agree, that we prefer the option of being able to hold the grip at the bottom, or choke up on certain shots if wanted or needed. We agreed that when serving or hitting ground strokes, we tend to hold the grip closer to the bottom, like most players would, but when coming to net, and kind of playing more touch or dink shots, we might choose to choke up a bit, maybe similar to how Rafa Nadal, or Mardy Fish would if you watch them practice their volleys. Mark even said that he feels more comfortable holding closer to the bottom on his forehand, but chokes up a bit on his one handed backhand. So I guess it is a preference thing, for example playtester Brittany uses a 27" racquet but her hand on the forehand hangs off the bottom somewhat, like the butt cap kind of sits in her palm slightly. For me, I do not like how that feels. Hope that helps. Troy, TW
@@tenniswarehouse thanks Troy! I had thought the buttcap sitting within the base of the palm was pretty standard and widely taught, at least for forehands, so I'm pretty surprised! I would say that what Mark and I guess you do (I hadn't noticed) constitutes choking up compared to what gets taught these days, if the butt cap is visible peeking out of the bottom of your hand? I'm sure it offers better control, but don't you lose some whippy-ness and range of motion?
That may be the case, but maybe just isn't how I, or Mark likes to hold the grip. I would say definitely at a certain point of chocking up, that it will restrict the range of motion, but I find on my forehand, the bottom of the butt-cap is usually close to flush with the bottom of my hand, and I find that it works well. Troy, TW
When are you going to release the podcast talking about the new prince racquets and answering questions on them?
@john smith,
Stay tuned in the next couple weeks, we JUST recorded it and it will probably go live a week from Tuesday!
Michelle, TW
Have any of you tried custom extension either via the buttcap method (like XTP) or via a more involved molding? Troy, you could, for example, make an extended VCP 97 just by putting an XTP buttcap on. It works but adds about 7.5g of weight to the handle. There’s an outfit that does extends using balsa wood and double epoxy; but I haven’t tried that one.
Hi TW, can you please compare the Tecnifibre 300 RS and Head Radical MP in terms of feel? How does the foam-filling feel compared to the spiralfibre? Do these rackets feel hollow at all?
The foam filling will provide a more dampened feel, but the Radical MP feels a bit more solid on contact, a bit closer to the TFight 305 RS in terms of a solid feel. The 300 RS provides a bit easier power, and a bit less solid on contact, but still fairly comfortable. Troy, TW
@@tenniswarehouse That’s understandable as the Radical has more weight in the head right? So the 300 RS I guess is a bit more whippier and easier to manouver. Also the foam filling is only in the throat (RS section) or is it distributed in the hoop as well? Does the foam dampen the feel like Yonex’s VDM because I don’t like it at all, I prefer a more direct / raw feel.
@@cd8145 The foam is located in the throat and in regions of the head. It does help dampen vibrations, but sort of different than the VDM from Yonex since that is located in the handle. I would say the performance isn't far off from the VCORE 98, pretty similar beam width, and as I mentioned before a lot of our testers would compare it the Pure Strike 98 16x19, but a bit more maneuverable. Troy, TW
@@tenniswarehouse I noticed that the 300 RS seems to have 6 mains in the throat and the Radical MP has 8 (not sure if I’m right). If this is the case what would be the result of this difference in string spacing? Higher launch angle with the 300 RS?
Ps: I’m looking for something to switch to from the Pro Staff 97L, I like the control but want more “Oomph” and more forgiveness. Also used the Ezone 98 for a while but didn’t gel with it, the feel was off, too launchy for me.
Troy, how much lead tape did you put on your Ezone 98+, that's if you did ?
On the ones I am using now, it is just handle weight. I used a half size shrink sleeve, and then a leather grip on top of that, with overgrip. I used the half size shrink sleeve because I wanted to build up the 4 1/4" grip just a bit, and add some weight. The combo of the sleeve and the leather grip likely added somewhere near 17 grams of weight to the handle. Troy, TW
Anyone from tw crew try radical tour zebra xl?
Being playtesters? How hard is it to pick your own equipement like finding your forever racket, strings and shoes? You get to try so many different items and find pros and cons to each, how do you guys really say this is mine and i will only play with this brand or setup? It cant be easy with all the new products coming out ever few months and then all the blackout/blind testing you guys get to do.
@Jovanni Garcia,
Great question! I think we can all agree, once you find "the one" there are a lot of reasons you choose it, so it always feels like "home." However there are definitely things that make you question "the one" but when you go back, you remember why you love it so much and why it works best for you! However, we all evolve and sometimes preferences change, so it is fun to test allllll the things to know we are using what we love. I know for me personally, I will use friday hits to just play with "my gear" rather than necessarily playtest anything, which is always a nice reminder on why I love what I choose as my go-to! Some playtesters switch more often than others, but some of us stick with stuff for longer, it's just like you guys :) But we do get pretty dialed in and each of us has certain things we gravitate toward more, so it can make for some fun chatter. One fun fact, we've done some blind testing as a group and more often than not, we are all pretty aligned (whether it's racquets, shoes or strings!) so I would say despite all the choices and our different styles, we all sort of can all agree on what is "good" and will do well with other players.
Michelle, TW
@Jovanni Garcia,
I will agree with what Michelle said, and just add that I find it a privilege to have access to so many racquets, shoes, strings, stinging machines to resting my racquets on. Sometimes I do think that if I didn't have so much choice on a daily basis, that choosing equipment would be easier by process of elimination. A good problem to have though haha. That said, if I didn't work here and test products, I would likely narrow my selection to the best bang for your buck type stuff, as I am usually trying to be frugal, but still want good performance. I would probably have stuck with a racquet like the Head MicroGEL Radical MP, which I used to play with, it is trusty, feels good, and readily available at a great price. Or maybe search through the clearance racquets when being phased out, or good deals in the TW used section, that would be my realm. With a few leather grips, and a reel of lead tape, I would match the specs on a few racquets, and likely be set for a while. Anyhow as I am done typing this, I will probably go string up another racquet that I am thinking about switching to, and add a little weight to the hoop, and continue the constant cycle of finding the Holy Grail!!! hahaha Troy, TW
@@tenniswarehouse So funny Troy, thats actually what i do. The first and only time i have bought new was with my Technifibre 305 but i took lessons for a coach who is sponsered by technifibre and got an even better deal than new.. im still searching for a racket that works with my game and serve. Play testing the Prince phantom 100 and the Prince tour 100p. Crossing my fingers...
A bit naughty there team TW 😂
It’s knowing how to use it properly ;)
I've never seen TW - Zoom edition before.
I Love your streams Michelle
go go gadget ? 😊
😂