Good news, guys! I was able to reduce my grip with 1 size down. So from 4 1/2 to 4 3/8. I was using Wilson feather thin (Feel), but I guess Babolat Skin Feel will do the job as well (in case if anyone is principally want to use Babolat only 😉). Overall speaking, using the aforementioned 2 grips will definitely reduce the size of the grip, if not will full size down then definitely 0.8 - 0.9 of the size. But, there's always but! When I swapped the old grip to the new thin one the racket lost around 10 gr, which I thought it should not affect it a lot, but it did change the swing and the filling overall, the racket got lighter and the balance moved a bit towards the head. I am planning to add a bit of silicone in the handle and possibly a strip of lead on the head. Haven't using 2 overgrip option yet, and I think it should reduce the grip size even more. Next grip change I'll try 2 overgrips, just want to try Rafa Nadal's way!
To more effectively shave here are two tips: - use marker on each bevel to make sure that you are evenly reducing the surface - it a digital caliper on eBay (less than $10) to measure to the 0.1 mm
You can customize your Racquet in special shops. They take of the grip and the white material of the handel and then you select your new grip size and with a mold they make it to your racket. Unstrong custom in IG have videos.
I personally believe it’s possible to shrink the grip down one size, my racquets has been done by a pro shop in Melbourne called Prelli, although I don’t know how they did it but definitely not changed to thinner replacement grip.
does anyone else watch his videos at 2x playback speed? that's max playback speed. it's incredible how normal it sounds at that speed. It's mind-boggling. I sure do love this channel, though! Love the videos and his insights. But I suggest bumping up the playback speed to absolute max.
Toiletpapir is cellulose. You can put on a single layer of toiletpapir and then an overgrip. This way you can also downsize the handle and you have some cushioning.
My RF97 had a gripsize of 4 1/2 and it was to big.. I manage to sandpaper it down to 4 3/8 and it feels great.. it became a little bit rounder but I like that.. also the buttcap was to high up on the handle and it was bothering my littlefingers grip and I couldnt hold properly during my hits with the racket.. I cut of two mm of the butcup with a sharp knife and now it feels great..you dont even have to take the butcup of when you do that..Now I am very happy with my racket..test it👍
Thanks! Never thought of how temperature affects the ball and strings. Here in Oklahoma it could be 40’s one day and 90’s on another. It also gets hot here. We sometimes play with temps over 100 degrees
Harry, seems to me a way to use one overgrip, or maybe the skinfeel, but not shave down the handle, might be to just sand down the bevels a little. Just round them off a little, like a router to round an edge of a piece of wood. Since just the bevels, it's easier to eyeball, and though it's only a very marginal amount, it will get the size down while reducing the need for as much padding from the grips. I think I'll try that on a couple racquets I have. Incidentally, I think Nadal taping his fingers is counterproductive as it would effectively increase the sum of the circumference of the handle.
Great topic, I agree with your approach of replacing a grip with two overgrips to reduce down 1 size. The average overgrip is 0.55mm thick, and the average grip is 1.65mm thick, so you would think to reduce down a grip 1 size would work by replacing the grip with two normal overgrips. But as you showed, since there's a bit of extra thickness from the overlapping, it works ideally if you use one normal overgrip and one thin one. I recently used the Wilson Pro Overgrip Soft (0.6mm) as the bottom layer, with Pro Overgrip Sensation (0.4mm) as the top, to reduce a 4/1/2 to 4/3/8. Worked fine, just a little bit less comfort than a normal grip. BTW, Kirschbaum Touch It overgrips (0.5mm) are the best!
I tend to do the opposite, intentionally buy a grip that's too small (about a 2), then use a babolat xcel gel replacement grip (2.6mm) and an overgrip of around 0.5mm to bring it up to a 4 or so. Gives WAY more comfort and allows me to play around with the layup (another one I found works well is tourna super thin replacement grip, then tourna grip then a normal overgrio with pores, gives plenty of comfort, with the absorption of tourna grip without the sandpaper feel)
Not all construction is the same for racket handles. I was going to reduce a Pro Kennel Redondo and it actually has plastic pallets that can be removed. It's easy enough to find out what's in your racket by googling it to determine whether yours has a foam handle or pallets etc. Pallets can be ordered and replaced. There are also Pro shops that have the capability to cast a new handles just like the pros get.☮️
Removing the original grip and adding two over grips will unbalance the racket. Two over grips will weigh 6g, original grip will weigh around 10-15g. Personally I don’t like just using two over grips, you feel the bevel more and like Nadal can corse blisters. I have shaved pallets by using sand paper or sanding machine. Another great vid btw. 👍🏻
Great channel keep up the good work! With regards to shaving down the grip - what about coloring the composite surface and then sandpapering it down on a flat surface? That way you maintain control on how much you take off evenly
Ive made a couple of changes to my equipment ..Smaller grip size I use a 4 - 1/4 grip size as opposed 4-3/8 and and half a size bigger shoe size which gives my toes more wiggle room and less stress of running laterally and linearly ..Wilson feather grip is great but you cant pull on like you did with the Babolat grip....A change in overgrips can make a big difference also!
Hi, putting one or two overgrips instead of a replacement grip would change the balance of the racket a little I would think. This is because the balance of the racket is based on the overall weight which includes the weight of the original grip mounted. To a degree, even the swingweight may be affected. This is based on my experience. Can you confirm? Thanks
I would have removed the “finishing tape.” The clear tape although very thin still adds to the circumference of the handle. When using the two over grip method I’d start the first one with the minimum of overlap needed to hold it in place on the butt cap. Then just butt the edges against each other with no overlap. The reason for this is that the overlap creates a raised edge that adds to the felt circumference of the handle. It also means that done your way there is a spiraled ridge circling the handle that is 4 layers thick. The second over grip can be overlapped the traditional way to better secure it against shifting due to hand friction. You might try not overlapping the second layer too. With a tacky type over grip it might stay in place without the overlaps but I’ve never done this so I can’t say outright that it would work. This would give you a grip only 2 layers thick with no ridges. Remember that tape measure diagonally crossed a ridge 4 layers thick adding to the measurement you got.
Yes Sir definitively if you shave you got a rounded grip. I made with my rackets. I used sandpaper either by hands and with a sander machine. The stuff is very hard. Of course very difficult to obtain same ''faces'' like the original. Thanks for your videos from Italy.
Wow, I’m so glad to see this video because my racquet grip is bigger which I bought 2 or 3 years ago with not much knowledge of tennis and I like the Wilson Juice 100, up to last year end of Summer, one of instructor told me my racquet grip was larger. This year, due to Covid19, Summer is short, but I have the racquet re-shrunk with Solinco Hyper G(from your video) and I changed my replacement grip to Head Hydrosorb Pro( Only in store-Sporting Life). After watching your video, I will use the Wilson Prosensation with Wilson Comfort in the future. Thanks 🙏
Good afternoon, along with greeting you I would like to know your opinion on something The problem is the following, I should use grip 4 but only grip 3 racquet arrive in my country. I don't want to use shrink sleeve and at the moment I use 2 OG and sometimes with sweat it get slippery. I don’t know how to fix that: 1- Maybe 2 OG get the bevels to round, and it would be better to try a thicker replacement grip with OG. 2- Choose 2 OG with better absortion capacity My racquet is a wilson clash 100 tour that comes with the wilson pro performance grip 1.72mm and 15.4 grams. (Heat shrink sleeve doesn’t reach my country either, so it is not an option) I would appreciate any opinion on this, since I would not want to alter the specs of the racket if possible
Can you do a video explaining what all the different specs mean and how they affect the racket such as racket weight, swing weight, andBalance length? Thanks love your channel and all the great tips you’ve given.
Nice video, dude! Hello from Russia btw. So, if i wrap 2 overgrips, should I replace both of them when the time comes or only the one my hands contac with?
Is there ANY specific characteristic, which clearly separates a grip from an overgrip? Or is it basically the same - just that grips are usually a bit thicker? (and maybe feature an adhesive layer to stick better?)
Kimony leather grips will literally make your grip 1 size smaller. It's super thin. You may not like the harsh feel if you're not used to playing with leather grips tho. Also since the weight is less than your average grip you would want to put weight under the butt cap or something. That's what I've always done when I've had a racquet with a bigger grip size.
I realized 4 1/2 grip was too big for me so I’m going to do the 2 over grip trick is it going to be really uncomfortable? I use a babolat pure aero banana yellow
Tech question - sometimes my overgrip gets greasy in humid weather due to sweat. Do you know if hand sanitizer can dry out the overgrip since it contains alcohol?
Most are not top 100 in the world. Buy another racquet, if it's too big. You shouldn't be screwing around with hands or shaving racquets at non-"professional" levels, that only play for money. Nadal does that for ultra feel but, has to wear finger tape to prevent his hands from being shaven down. He's not you or anybody watching this video. His hands can take a beating for 100s of millions if dollars. He's not Sally Housecoat or Joe Sixpack buying a retail off the rack Wilson Clash 100 and wanting to save 50 dollars. It's more time and effort than it's worth. If someone said the grip is too big, I'd said buy another racquet. You're not saving it for 20 years to grow into. Only humans that shouldn't be spending money on tennis or bought the incorrect racquet on an impulse buy, don't obtain the proper grip size. Research before one buys. A hand me down at the improper grip size is like wearing shoes to play basketball that are 4 sizes too big. You wouldn't do it, just to use those sneakers.
This is literally my favorite channel about tennis gear. Thank you!
Same
Good news, guys!
I was able to reduce my grip with 1 size down. So from 4 1/2 to 4 3/8. I was using Wilson feather thin (Feel), but I guess Babolat Skin Feel will do the job as well (in case if anyone is principally want to use Babolat only 😉).
Overall speaking, using the aforementioned 2 grips will definitely reduce the size of the grip, if not will full size down then definitely 0.8 - 0.9 of the size.
But, there's always but! When I swapped the old grip to the new thin one the racket lost around 10 gr, which I thought it should not affect it a lot, but it did change the swing and the filling overall, the racket got lighter and the balance moved a bit towards the head. I am planning to add a bit of silicone in the handle and possibly a strip of lead on the head.
Haven't using 2 overgrip option yet, and I think it should reduce the grip size even more. Next grip change I'll try 2 overgrips, just want to try Rafa Nadal's way!
To more effectively shave here are two tips:
- use marker on each bevel to make sure that you are evenly reducing the surface
- it a digital caliper on eBay (less than $10) to measure to the 0.1 mm
You can customize your Racquet in special shops. They take of the grip and the white material of the handel and then you select your new grip size and with a mold they make it to your racket. Unstrong custom in IG have videos.
I personally believe it’s possible to shrink the grip down one size, my racquets has been done by a pro shop in Melbourne called Prelli, although I don’t know how they did it but definitely not changed to thinner replacement grip.
does anyone else watch his videos at 2x playback speed? that's max playback speed. it's incredible how normal it sounds at that speed. It's mind-boggling. I sure do love this channel, though! Love the videos and his insights. But I suggest bumping up the playback speed to absolute max.
😂yes I agree
Toiletpapir is cellulose. You can put on a single layer of toiletpapir and then an overgrip. This way you can also downsize the handle and you have some cushioning.
This is the answer I couldn't find till this video!
Thanks a lot! Great explanation!👍👍👍👍🙌
My RF97 had a gripsize of 4 1/2 and it was to big.. I manage to sandpaper it down to 4 3/8 and it feels great.. it became a little bit rounder but I like that.. also the buttcap was to high up on the handle and it was bothering my littlefingers grip and I couldnt hold properly during my hits with the racket.. I cut of two mm of the butcup with a sharp knife and now it feels great..you dont even have to take the butcup of when you do that..Now I am very happy with my racket..test it👍
Kjell I have the same issue you had. Just don't have the courage or hability to do what you did 😟. I'm afraid I might ruim my racket
Tourna Pro Thin is one of the thinnest replacement grip to go one size smaller. Thinner than Babolat Skin Feel.
yep.. tourna is the best option :)
Thanks! Never thought of how temperature affects the ball and strings. Here in Oklahoma it could be 40’s one day and 90’s on another. It also gets hot here. We sometimes play with temps over 100 degrees
If I knew it was going to be 100 degrees, I AIN'T PLAYIN! 🥵
Thanks for watching!
Harry, seems to me a way to use one overgrip, or maybe the skinfeel, but not shave down the handle, might be to just sand down the bevels a little. Just round them off a little, like a router to round an edge of a piece of wood. Since just the bevels, it's easier to eyeball, and though it's only a very marginal amount, it will get the size down while reducing the need for as much padding from the grips. I think I'll try that on a couple racquets I have. Incidentally, I think Nadal taping his fingers is counterproductive as it would effectively increase the sum of the circumference of the handle.
Great topic, I agree with your approach of replacing a grip with two overgrips to reduce down 1 size. The average overgrip is 0.55mm thick, and the average grip is 1.65mm thick, so you would think to reduce down a grip 1 size would work by replacing the grip with two normal overgrips. But as you showed, since there's a bit of extra thickness from the overlapping, it works ideally if you use one normal overgrip and one thin one. I recently used the Wilson Pro Overgrip Soft (0.6mm) as the bottom layer, with Pro Overgrip Sensation (0.4mm) as the top, to reduce a 4/1/2 to 4/3/8. Worked fine, just a little bit less comfort than a normal grip. BTW, Kirschbaum Touch It overgrips (0.5mm) are the best!
Did you also try thin on bottom layer and thicker one on top?
I tend to do the opposite, intentionally buy a grip that's too small (about a 2), then use a babolat xcel gel replacement grip (2.6mm) and an overgrip of around 0.5mm to bring it up to a 4 or so. Gives WAY more comfort and allows me to play around with the layup (another one I found works well is tourna super thin replacement grip, then tourna grip then a normal overgrio with pores, gives plenty of comfort, with the absorption of tourna grip without the sandpaper feel)
but do you still have feel with 3 layers of grip?
@@rebecacyrineu1529 yeah, more I'd say than only having one tbh
Use a milling machine to take off material for a precise grip size reduction.
I like to take the grip off of 4 1/2 for two over grips. It's slightly smaller and it saves some grip weight for a more head heavy feel.
Awesome stuff. This guy deserves more subs.
I used skin feel to reduce the grip size before, but the weight also went down, racket felt less stable
Not all construction is the same for racket handles. I was going to reduce a Pro Kennel Redondo and it actually has plastic pallets that can be removed. It's easy enough to find out what's in your racket by googling it to determine whether yours has a foam handle or pallets etc. Pallets can be ordered and replaced. There are also Pro shops that have the capability to cast a new handles just like the pros get.☮️
Removing the original grip and adding two over grips will unbalance the racket. Two over grips will weigh 6g, original grip will weigh around 10-15g. Personally I don’t like just using two over grips, you feel the bevel more and like Nadal can corse blisters.
I have shaved pallets by using sand paper or sanding machine.
Another great vid btw. 👍🏻
Why not remove the original grip and then add a single over-grip?
Great channel keep up the good work!
With regards to shaving down the grip - what about coloring the composite surface and then sandpapering it down on a flat surface? That way you maintain control on how much you take off evenly
Kimony Leather grip will shrink it more than Skin Feel. And it’s actually lighter so you can add weight to the handle beforehand
Ive made a couple of changes to my equipment ..Smaller grip size I use a 4 - 1/4 grip size as opposed 4-3/8 and and half a size bigger shoe size which gives my toes more wiggle room and less stress of running laterally and linearly ..Wilson feather grip is great but you cant pull on like you did with the Babolat grip....A change in overgrips can make a big difference also!
Hi, putting one or two overgrips instead of a replacement grip would change the balance of the racket a little I would think. This is because the balance of the racket is based on the overall weight which includes the weight of the original grip mounted. To a degree, even the swingweight may be affected. This is based on my experience. Can you confirm? Thanks
Great work once again..I use the tourna pro thin when I need to go down in size..
I would have removed the “finishing tape.” The clear tape although very thin still adds to the circumference of the handle.
When using the two over grip method I’d start the first one with the minimum of overlap needed to hold it in place on the butt cap. Then just butt the edges against each other with no overlap. The reason for this is that the overlap creates a raised edge that adds to the felt circumference of the handle. It also means that done your way there is a spiraled ridge circling the handle that is 4 layers thick. The second over grip can be overlapped the traditional way to better secure it against shifting due to hand friction. You might try not overlapping the second layer too. With a tacky type over grip it might stay in place without the overlaps but I’ve never done this so I can’t say outright that it would work. This would give you a grip only 2 layers thick with no ridges. Remember that tape measure diagonally crossed a ridge 4 layers thick adding to the measurement you got.
Yes Sir definitively if you shave you got a rounded grip. I made with my rackets. I used sandpaper either by hands and with a sander machine. The stuff is very hard. Of course very difficult to obtain same ''faces'' like the original. Thanks for your videos from Italy.
Thank you so much for these informative videos, I’ve learnt heaps about tennis now.
Wow, I’m so glad to see this video because my racquet grip is bigger which I bought 2 or 3 years ago with not much knowledge of tennis and I like the Wilson Juice 100, up to last year end of Summer, one of instructor told me my racquet grip was larger. This year, due to Covid19, Summer is short, but I have the racquet re-shrunk with Solinco Hyper G(from your video) and I changed my replacement grip to Head Hydrosorb Pro( Only in store-Sporting Life). After watching your video, I will use the Wilson Prosensation with Wilson Comfort in the future. Thanks 🙏
Shouldn't you have mentioned about adding weight to the handle to recover the racquet's balance?
Good afternoon, along with greeting you I would like to know your opinion on something
The problem is the following, I should use grip 4 but only grip 3 racquet arrive in my country. I don't want to use shrink sleeve and at the moment I use 2 OG and sometimes with sweat it get slippery. I don’t know how to fix that:
1- Maybe 2 OG get the bevels to round, and it would be better to try a thicker replacement grip with OG.
2- Choose 2 OG with better absortion capacity
My racquet is a wilson clash 100 tour that comes with the wilson pro performance grip 1.72mm and 15.4 grams.
(Heat shrink sleeve doesn’t reach my country either, so it is not an option)
I would appreciate any opinion on this, since I would not want to alter the specs of the racket if possible
Good video "COACH"!!! THANKS!
Very useful, tanks
Hi friend please can you explain how do you customise your racket with lead weight in año your racket. Please it Will be a very good video
Can you do a video explaining what all the different specs mean and how they affect the racket such as racket weight, swing weight, andBalance length? Thanks love your channel and all the great tips you’ve given.
copy and paste your comment into the youtube search box, and hit enter.
Nice video, dude! Hello from Russia btw. So, if i wrap 2 overgrips, should I replace both of them when the time comes or only the one my hands contac with?
what do you use to shave the foam handle...regular sandpaper?
Question . . . .can you shave all the casting foam off and completely build it back up with several heat sleeves? . . . would that work better?
100 grit sandpaper may do the trick?
Brilliant video. How do I shave the grip on a wooden racquet? I have one which seems to have a misshapen grip and I need to correct it.
Can someone advise on the weight difference between that of a tourna pro thin and a normal replacement grip?
So if I would put two Wilson over grips on it would it then feel nice and soft instead of one?
Can I replace babolat handle pallets with head pallets?
Is there ANY specific characteristic, which clearly separates a grip from an overgrip?
Or is it basically the same - just that grips are usually a bit thicker? (and maybe feature an adhesive layer to stick better?)
Is a Head leather grip as thin as that replacement grip?, in the package it shows the same size..
Kimony leather grips will literally make your grip 1 size smaller. It's super thin. You may not like the harsh feel if you're not used to playing with leather grips tho. Also since the weight is less than your average grip you would want to put weight under the butt cap or something. That's what I've always done when I've had a racquet with a bigger grip size.
Всем kimony хорош!! Только ну очень жёсткий он!!🤣🌺🤣
black knight rad mesh replacement grip is thinner than the skin-feel
I file them down and no problem so far. But it takes over an hour to get it done.
I have to fill mine out, my grip is 4 3/4!
I realized 4 1/2 grip was too big for me so I’m going to do the 2 over grip trick is it going to be really uncomfortable? I use a babolat pure aero banana yellow
Optimum playback speed over every clip I've seen: 1.75X. enjoy these
3/8 is bigger than 1/2 right? do you mean 4 1/8?
Tech question - sometimes my overgrip gets greasy in humid weather due to sweat. Do you know if hand sanitizer can dry out the overgrip since it contains alcohol?
4 3/8 with a thin grip for me
НАМОТАЛ ОВЕР НА ПЕНУ И СДЕЛАЛ 2ку ИЗ 4ки!??🤣🌺🤣 НУ БЛИН ТЫ И МАСТЕР!!
where is your storefront? Are you in Cali?
Greenbrae, CA
1:19 That's a 7/16ths dude.
4:18 the line "that's above 3/8" is 7/16.....golly.
Or, just buy a Head racquet. hahaha.
Best solution ever, jajajaja.
isn't that your racket? lol
Most are not top 100 in the world. Buy another racquet, if it's too big. You shouldn't be screwing around with hands or shaving racquets at non-"professional" levels, that only play for money. Nadal does that for ultra feel but, has to wear finger tape to prevent his hands from being shaven down. He's not you or anybody watching this video. His hands can take a beating for 100s of millions if dollars. He's not Sally Housecoat or Joe Sixpack buying a retail off the rack Wilson Clash 100 and wanting to save 50 dollars. It's more time and effort than it's worth. If someone said the grip is too big, I'd said buy another racquet. You're not saving it for 20 years to grow into. Only humans that shouldn't be spending money on tennis or bought the incorrect racquet on an impulse buy, don't obtain the proper grip size. Research before one buys. A hand me down at the improper grip size is like wearing shoes to play basketball that are 4 sizes too big. You wouldn't do it, just to use those sneakers.
Ive never heard a man say he wants to shrink his grip, 😂
Maybe when somebody buys a used racquet which comes with the grip size?
"TOO" big. Spelling matters. So does size.....of your grip.