Author Archives: RacquetQuest
The Racquet Quest Podcast…update!
Thank you for listening to the Racquet Quest Podcast!
I am posting here to make an addition and a correction to a previous podcast, and this is quicker than waiting for a week or so for a new episode.
The “Stringing and Racquet Data” podcast was cut short, so I will finish it here.
We were talking about the three (3) scale system we use to determine the torsional balance. The racquet is weighed at the midpoint of the head at the “top” and “down,” and the butt cap is resting on the third scale, and that is called the “butt.”
I don’t recall the podcast numbers right off, so I will use numbers from another racquet to explain. The racquet is a Wilson Ultra 100. The “top” weight is 95.3 grams, the “down” weight is 96.0 grams, and the “butt” is 119.9 grams for a total of 311.2 grams (10.97 oz.). So you can see the difference between the “top” and “down” number is only .7 grams, which is about a quarter of the weight of a vibration damper!
However, if this number was over 5 grams, we may want to “match” the numbers a little more closely! But, what if we wanted to increase the “top” weight by a lot to have the head heavier on one side than the other side? Why? Maybe a “training” aid to remind the player to keep the head lower, for example. Our experience shows that a difference between the “top” and “down” of 6 grams is noticeable.
On the Yonex VCore Pro 97 – Racquet Review, I noticed after the fact that I had indicated the Ereca System calculated the balance (CG) to within one-tenth of a centimeter! That would be pretty good, but in fact, the Ereca System calculates to within a tenth of a millimeter! Very precise! As of now, the Ereca System does not calculate swing weight as I tried to correct on the podcast but wanted to confirm that point.
Thank you for visiting the Racquet Quest website and listening to the Racquet Quest Podcast! Please let me know if you have any questions and suggestions for exciting topics!
Head Graphene 360+ Gravity Tour
Head is adding another racquet to the very popular Gravity Series! This racquet is the Gravity Tour and in a nutshell, is a lighter version of the Gravity Pro. Both are 18 x 20 string patterns and, the Gravity Tour is a 22mm beam as opposed to a 20mm beam for the Gravity Pro.
Head Graphene 360+ Gravity Tour
You would think the 22mm beam would be stiffer (power?) than the Gravity Pro, but in this case the extra weight of the Gravity Pro makes it a little more power forward. Our tests show the RDC stiffnesses to be the same (60), and the FlexFour shows the Gravity Tour slightly stiffer in the shaft, 51 as opposed to 46 for the Gravity Pro.
From a numbers standpoint this racquet (14 grams lighter) will fit a player wanting a little more maneuverable racquet but not as powerful as the Gravity Pro. ← Click on this link to see the review.
This review is of a “play ready” racquet. That is an over grip, and vibration damper. These accoutrements do contribute to weight and swing weight to a minor degree.
| Manufacturer | Head |
|---|---|
| Racquet Model | Head Graphene 360+ Gravity Tour |
| Reference Tension | 55 lbs - 24.9 kg |
| String | Pro Evaluation String 1.20mm |
| Machine Used | True Tension Professional |
| ASPS, RDC | 58 |
| ASPS, FlexFour | 70 |
| Racquet Flex, RDC | 59 - After stringing |
| Racquet Flex, FlexFour | 51 |
| Weight, Grams | 324 |
| Weight, Ounces | 11.43 |
| Balance, mm | 329 |
| Balance, Inch | 12.87 |
| Length, Cm | 68.6 |
| Length, Inch | 27.008 |
| Head Width | 9.92 |
| Head Length | 12.86 |
| Head Area, cm2 | 646.6 |
| Head Area, Sq. Inch | 100.2 |
| Beam Width, mm, Shaft, Center, Tip | 22, 22, 22 |
| In Plane Stiffness, Pounds/In | 319.1 Lbs/In. |
| In Plane Stiffness, Kg/cm | 144.7 Kg/cm |
| Number of Main Strings | 18 |
| Number of Cross Strings | 20 |
| Ratio Cross/Mains | .694 |
| Main String Grid | 7.87 |
| Cross String Grid | 9.80 |
| Density (% of head filled with string) | .763 |
| Average Cross String Space | .490 |
| Average Main String Space | .433 |
| Dynamic Tension, Kp, ERT | 38 |
| Dynamic Tension, Lbs/in | 212.54 |
| First Moment, Nm | .797 |
| Polar Moment | 329 |
| Torsional Stability | 15 |
| Swing Weight, Kg/cm2 | 314 |
| Swing Weight, Ounces | 11.08 |
| Swing Weight Calculated | 337.9 |
| Power, RDC | 40 |
| Control, RDC | 62 |
| Manueverability, RDC | 77 |
| Power, Calculated | 1856.8 |
| Head Points | 4.88 (negative = head heavy) |
| Head Weight, % | 47.7% |
| Center of Percussion | 21.2 |
| Dwell Time, ms, No Swing | 8.35 |
| Efective Stiffness - lbs | 29.2 |
| K, Lb/In (SBS) RDC | 185.9 |
| Recoil Weight | 153.46 |
| Twist Weight | 232.2 |
| End Weight | 125.9 |
| Tip Weight | 192.8 |
| 9 O'Clock | 98.4 |
| 3 O'Clock | 97.2 |
| Butt Cap | 122.0 |
New Head Racquets on the Way!
While we are not supposed to publish any specifications or images, we can certainly let you know that some new things are coming from Head.
Frequently we are asked, “when is a new Prestige coming”? Now we can answer that by telling you it will be in January 2020. Of course, you will be able to try them before then, but January is the ship date.
We have seen and worked on the racquets, and I can tell you the graphics package is incredible, in my opinion!
In addition to the new Prestige in January, a new Speed is coming in March 2020.
We will post more information as we can so stay tuned!
Yonex VCore Pro 97 – 330
It should be no surprise that this model is the heaviest of the VCore Pro Series! However, I can’t stress enough the need to demo this racquet and feel what the weight will do for your game!
Of course not everyone will want a racquet of this weight but just trying it will give you some idea of what weight can do for you. Maybe not 330 (unstrung) but a little added weight nonetheless.
That makes the 310 (unstrung) version of this racquet a “standout”, and you can see the review here.
About this racquet, Yonex says “for intermediate to advanced players looking to play aggressively with control and feel”.
To achieve this combination Yonex has incorporated a “lock booster” grommet system that promotes string contact for effecient energy transfer”.
Namd™ graphite fibers are incorporated into the throat area allowing the racquet to flex even under the heaviest of hits!
To top it off Yonex has added a vibration damping mesh in the grip pallet area to filter out unwanted vibrations.
All said, this thin beam (20.0mm) racquet with a 16×19 string pattern is a players dream! So, don’t dream about it…demo it and decide for yourself!
| Manufacturer | Yonex |
|---|---|
| Racquet Model | Yonex VCore Pro 97 |
| Reference Tension | 55 lbs - 24.9 kg |
| String | Pro Evaluation String 1.20mm |
| Machine Used | True Tension Professional |
| ASPS, RDC | 53 |
| ASPS, FlexFour | 66 |
| Racquet Flex, RDC | 62 - After stringing |
| Racquet Flex, FlexFour | 48 |
| Racquet - In Plane Stiffness | 373.2 lbs/Inch |
| Weight, Grams | 344 |
| Weight, Ounces | 12.13 |
| Balance, mm | 321 |
| Balance, Inch | 12.64 |
| Length, Cm | 68.6 |
| Length, Inch | 27.008 |
| Head Width | 9.56 |
| Head Length | 12.62 |
| Head Area, cm2 | 611.3 |
| Head Area, Sq. Inch | 97 |
| Number of Main Strings | 16 |
| Number of Cross Strings | 19 |
| Ratio Cross/Mains | .638 |
| Main String Grid | 7.00 |
| Cross String Grid | 9.62 |
| Density (% of head filled with string) | .709 |
| Average Cross String Space | .505 |
| Average Main String Space | .438 |
| Dynamic Tension, Kp, ERT | 34 |
| Dynamic Tension, Lbs/in | 190.16 |
| First Moment, Nm | .847 |
| Polar Moment | 342 |
| Torsional Stability | 15 |
| Swing Weight, Kg/cm2 | 327 |
| Swing Weight, Ounces | 11.53 |
| Swing Weight Calculated | 354 |
| Power, RDC | 49 |
| Control, RDC | 51 |
| Manueverability, RDC | 69 |
| Power, Calculated | 1940.1 |
| Head Points | 6.93 (negative = head heavy) |
| Head Weight, % | 46.8% |
| Center of Percussion | 20.9 |
| Dwell Time, ms | 8.74 |
| Efective Stiffness - lbs | 28.6 |
| K, Lb/In | 169.87 |
| Recoil Weight | 161.48 |
| Twist Weight | 235.86 |
| End Weight | 144.4 |
| Tip Weight | 201.5 |
| 9 O'Clock | 102.6 |
| 3 O'Clock | 104.8 |
| Butt Cap | 138.0 |
Yonex VCore Pro 97 – 310
Yonex continues to introduce upgrades to the most popular racquets they have produced recently and these new VCore Pro series is a great example of positive changes.
This series continues to be made in Japan and it is obvious in the consistency of their racquets. The deep Forrest Green and Gold graphics creates a “strong” looking racquet which will appeal to players.
This model is the 310 gram (10.9 oz) version (unstrung)which gains about a ½ ounce when strung and presents a very usable 315 kg/cm² swing weight. Right out of the box this will suit a lot of players. Of course a little customization can be done if required.
When looking at racquets it is clear that this Yonex Series all look alike! A closer look at the head will give you the weight and head size.
The 16×19 string pattern in the Isometric Head Shape creates a large “comfort zone” area and long main strings near the edge of the racquet face which contributes to that “comfort”.
| Manufacturer | Yonex |
|---|---|
| Racquet Model | Yonex VCore Pro 97 2019 |
| Reference Tension | 55 lbs - 24.9 kg |
| String | Pro Evaluation String 1.20mm |
| Machine Used | True Tension Professional |
| ASPS, RDC | 49 |
| ASPS, FlexFour | 65 |
| Racquet Flex, RDC | 61 - After stringing |
| Racquet Flex, FlexFour | 46 |
| Racquet - In Plane Stiffness | 368.1 lbs/Inch |
| Weight, Grams | 324 |
| Weight, Ounces | 11.43 |
| Balance, mm | 323 |
| Balance, Inch | 12.72 |
| Length, Cm | 68.5 |
| Length, Inch | 26.968 |
| Head Width | 9.55 |
| Head Length | 12.54 |
| Head Area, cm2 | 607 |
| Head Area, Sq. Inch | 97 |
| Number of Main Strings | 16 |
| Number of Cross Strings | 19 |
| Ratio Cross/Mains | .641 |
| Main String Grid | 7.00 |
| Cross String Grid | 9.75 |
| Density (% of head filled with string) | .766 |
| Average Cross String Space | .542 |
| Average Main String Space | .438 |
| Dynamic Tension, Kp, ERT | 33 |
| Dynamic Tension, Lbs/in | 184.57 |
| First Moment, Nm | .804 |
| Polar Moment | 329 |
| Torsional Stability | 14 |
| Swing Weight, Kg/cm2 | 315 |
| Swing Weight, Ounces | 11.11 |
| Swing Weight Calculated | 338 |
| Power, RDC | 48 |
| Control, RDC | 50 |
| Manueverability, RDC | 77 |
| Power, Calculated | 1807.7 |
| Head Points | 6.14 (negative = head heavy) |
| Head Weight, % | 47.2% |
| Center of Percussion | 21.1 |
| Dwell Time, ms | 9.09 |
| Efective Stiffness - lbs | 27.2 |
| K, Lb/In | 157.05 |
| Recoil Weight | 156.18 |
| Twist Weight | 221.85 |
| End Weight | 133.7 |
| Tip Weight | 190.6 |
| 9 O'Clock | 97.6 |
| 3 O'Clock | 95.9 |
| Butt Cap | 131.1 |
Racquet Quest, LLC
