Category Archives: Good News!
World Headquarters Update
The World Headquarters of Racquet Quest is very happy to present the latest addition to our headquarters!
My daughter and her family that live in Columbus presented me with the iconic Columbus, Indiana “C” bike rack recently! This bike rack is something I have wanted for a while!
In case you don’t know, Columbus, Indiana is well known for the many architectural buildings and pieces by many very famous people!
World Headquarters
The bike was donated by Davids Cycle World and painted by me! A very close inspection of the paint job should be avoided!
Anyway, we are very happy to have this addition to the World Headquarters!
Thank you!
Pick Your Prestige!
Racquet Quest specializes in high performance tennis racquets and they don’t get more high performance than the Head Prestige models!
We recognize the attachment players have to racquets so we keep a good supply of Head Prestige racquets of all models and even a year or two of prior models.
Here is what is currently available:
| Name | Material | Model | Head Size | Grip Size | String Pattern | Quantity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prestige | Graphene XT | Rev Pro | 93 | 4 | 16x19 | 1 |
| Prestige | Graphene XT | Rev Pro | 93 | 3 | 16x19 | 2 |
| Prestige | Graphene XT | MP | 98 | 4 | 18x20 | 1 |
| Prestige | Graphene XT | MP | 98 | 3 | 18x20 | 1 |
| Prestige | Graphene XT | Pro | 98 | 4 | 16x19 | 1 |
| Prestige | Graphene XT | Pro | 98 | 3 | 16x19 | 2 |
| Prestige | Graphene Touch | Pro | 95 | 2 | 16x19 | 1 |
| Prestige | Graphene Touch | Tour | 99 | 3 | 18x19 | 2 |
| Prestige | Graphene Touch | Tour | 99 | 2 | 18x19 | 1 |
| Prestige | Graphene Touch | MP | 95 | 3 | 18x20 | 1 |
Looking at the Numbers and What They Mean
The following table will shed some light on the numbers we use and hopefully shed some light on what they can mean in terms of your racquet.
| Manufacturer | Yonex | What it Means |
|---|---|---|
| Racquet Model | Yonex VCore Pro 97 HD | Racquet being reviewed. |
| Reference Tension | 55 lbs - 24.9 kg | Stringing machine tension setting. Not, necessarily, the string bed stiffness. |
| String | Ashaway MonoGut ZX Pro | String brand name and gauge (Pro being 17Gauge) |
| Machine Used | True Tension Professional | Stringing machine used. |
| ASPS, RDC | 56 | The stiffness of all the strings as a unit. Normally between 30 and 65. |
| ASPS, FlexFour | 64.5 | The stiffness of the string bed as tested on this device. |
| Racquet Flex, RDC | 57 - After stringing | 50 is low (flexible) and 70 is high (very stiff). Clash 100 is 52 on this device. As is a Head Speed model. |
| Racquet Flex, FlexFour | 50 | 35 is low (flexible) 70 is high (very stiff). Clash 100 is 26 on this device. |
| Racquet - In Plane Stiffness | 353.8 lbs/Inch | This is how stiff the racquet head is across the middle. 300 is soft and 500 is very stiff. This affects the string bed stiffness. |
| Weight, Grams | 336 | 285 is light and 360 is heavy. 315 is minimum target weight for performance. |
| Weight, Ounces | 11.85 | The racquet weight in ounces, typically used in US. |
| Balance, mm | 322 | This is the center of gravity from the butt cap. If you put the racquet on a round rod this would be how much is hanging toward the butt cap. |
| Balance, Inch | 12.68 | This is the CG in ounces for US. Points head heavy or head light is part of this. |
| Length, Cm | 68.5 | This is the total length of the racquet and is the typical standard adult length. |
| Length, Inch | 26.968 | This is length in inches for the US. |
| Head Width, Inches | 9.57 | The inside width of the hitting area. |
| Head Length, Inches | 12.54 | The inside length of the hitting area. |
| Head Area, cm2 | 625.8 | The advertised hitting area in centimeters squared. |
| Head Area, Sq. Inch | 97.0 | The advertised hitting area in inches squared. |
| Number of Main Strings | 18 | The main strings are the vertical strings when looking at a standing racquet. Typically the longest strings. |
| Number of Cross Strings | 20 | The cross strings are the horizontal strings when looking at a standing racquet. Typically shorter. |
| Ratio Cross/Mains | .687 | The natural ratio of the string pattern (calculated). |
| Main String Grid | 7.25 | The total distance between right and left main string. |
| Cross String Grid | 10.18 | The total distance between the first cross string and the last cross string. |
| Density (% of head filled with string) | .783 | |
| Average Cross String Space | .509 | The higher this number the more the string will move. This number is used to help select the best string setup. |
| Average Main String Space | .403 | The higher this number the more the string will move. This number is used to help select the best string setup. |
| Properties of a moving racquet. | ||
| Dynamic Tension, Kp, ERT | 37 | This is the stiffness of a string bed in kilograms per centimeter based on a frequency. |
| Dynamic Tension, Lbs/in | 206.94 | This is the above converted to pounds per inch. |
| First Moment, Nm | .831 | This is how heavy the racquet feels in the hand. The higher the number the heavier the racquet will feel. |
| Polar Moment | 340 | This is the resistance to rotating about the center of the racquet on, say a mimes-hit. The higher the better. |
| Torsional Stability | 16 | This is the derived stability number. The higher the better within reason. Anything below 14 would need some help. |
| Swing Weight, Kg/cm2 | 324 | This is the "inertia" of the racquet and probably the most important number in the review! The higher the number the more momentum through the ball but less manueverability. |
| Swing Weight, Ounces | 11.43 | |
| Swing Weight Calculated | 348.4 | This number will be larger than the previous swing weight because it is calculated from the very end of the racquet as if there is no one holding it. A very important number. |
| Power, RDC | 42 | Calculated by the RDC. High is 100 |
| Control, RDC | 59 | Calculated by the RDC. High is 100 |
| Manueverability, RDC | 71 | Calculated by the RDC. High is 100 |
| Power, Calculated | 1740.5 | This number is calculated based on a bunch racquet properties, Including length. |
| Head Points | 6.46 (negative = head heavy) | This number is how positive or negative the balance is. A "point" is ⅛ of an inch so this racquet is a little over ¾ of an inch head light. |
| Head Weight, % | 47.0% | Calculated based on weight distribution and length. |
| Center of Percussion | 21.0 | This is the spot on the string bed that returns a "solid" hit. |
| Dwell Time, ms | 8.50 | This is how long the ball and string are in contact with no swing. A big swing will reduce this number by about half. |
| Efective Stiffness - lbs | 28.2 | This number is calculated from the string bed stiffness and the racquet stiffness. Anything under 30 will be "soft" feeling and over 35 will be "harsh". |
| K, Lb/In | 179.5 | This is how many pounds it takes to deflect the string bed one (1) inch. |
| Recoil Weight | 160.8 | This number is the racquets resistance to rotating backward. The higher the number the better for volleys. |
| Twist Weight | 230.8 | This is the racquets resistance to twisting in your hand. The higher the better. |
| End Weight | 139.8 | This weight is used to calculate the precise balance of the racquet. |
| Tip Weight | 196.2 | This weight is used to calculate the precise balance of the racquet. |
| 9 O'Clock | 100.4 | This is the weight of that position on the racquet head and is used for precise customization. |
| 3 O'Clock | 99.6 | This is the weight of that position on the racquet head and is used for precise customization. |
| Butt Cap | 135.6 | This is the weight of that position on the racquet and is used for precise customization. |
Dealing with Options, and What are the Options?
The little video you see above is just a reminder that we do not promote polyester based string for underage players! So, what is underage? Oh, under 100 would be a good number, I think!
OK, smart alec what are the options?
- No Polyester
PEEK/Zyex
Well, there are many, however, if the option is only relative to “no polyester” the best option is PEEK material. This material is usually referred to by the brand name Zyex which is the fiber division of Victrex of England and known by the Ashaway name as well. This material is normally found as a monofilament construction as is most polyester materials.
PEEK/Zyex offers exceptional durability and energy!
Multifilament
- Premium Playability
Natural gut still is the number one playing string available. We use Babolat and Luxilon natural gut but there are other options like Pacific, Klip, and others.
- Excellent Playability
Multifilament construction can act as a spring and return both performance, power, and comfort. Typically the more individual fibers the better. These fibers are usually bonded with a soft adhesive and show signs of “fraying” during use.
Strings in this category include Tecnifibre, Ashaway, Babolat, Head, Yonex, and Gosen and others. Expect to pay $42.00 + for these strings installed.
- Playability
These multifilament strings are typically constructed using fewer larger diameter fibers to enhance durability. The same “fraying” occurs with this grade of string as well however the larger diameter will last a bit longer usually.
Strings in the category include Tecnifibre, Babolat, Head, Yonex, IsoSpeed, Gamma, and others. Expect to pay between $35.00 and $40.00 for these strings installed.
Synthetic Gut
- Value
There are probably 10000 strings that fall under this umbrella! 9999 of these strings will be a nylon core with one or two overwraps bonded to the outer surface. This material and construction has been around for many, many years and has offered great service to millions of tennis players…and is still in major use today!
Strings in this category include at least one, and probably many more, set from every major brand! If you are really cost-conscious do not overlook this material. Expect to pay $27.00 to $35.00 for these strings installed.
And lastly, what is our gripe with polyester? Click on the link below to find out!
Click here to go to a comprehensive post that will explain our position.
As always, our position is “there are no bad strings just bad applications!”
Correct Size Does Matter!
Grip size, in this case, does matter! However, for several years the largest grip size available has been a 4 ⅝, or just 5 for short.
This is simply the circumference of the finished grip forward of the butt cap. Of course the butt cap is of a size that will capture the butt of your hand for comfort and control.
But what happens if you need a grip size larger than 4 ⅝? In years gone by a shrink tube was applied to the current grip pallet and the size was increased accordingly. Typically only two (2) shrink tubes could be used and even then the grip facets became “rounded”.
Lucky for us, and you of course, we can now print grip pallets in any size required! The largest one so far is a 5 1/4 for a player in New York using a Babolat Pure Aero.
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- From this to…
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- …This!
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- Pallet with Butt Cap
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- Raw Shaft
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- Previous Grip Pallet
Each printed pallet is made specifically for a racquet, not just a “one size fits all” approach due to very subtle variations in size, especially the inner shaft.
Inner Shaft
In this case the pallets were longer to accommodate large hands so the length of the racquet was increased through the use of these pallets and a printed extender.
The printed pallet must fit securely and the best way to assure the fit is to have the racquet.
Pallet with Butt Cap
Racquet Quest, LLC
