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[paolo987]

im a power hitter. im hitting the ball on the rise. im not much of a spinner
im currently using toalson cyberblade tour at 54 lbs. but im still not satisfied.
can you pls give me suggestions on what string to use? and tension?

[renald]

Hi,
May I ask why you are not satisfied with your current string? What changes do you want on your new string?

[paolo987]

Hi,
May I ask why you are not satisfied with your current string? What changes do you want on your new string?

tumatapon kc minsan kahit solid patama ko.
kelangan ko bang babaan tension ko?
parehas xa kc katigas ng luxillon

[Nadale]

Hi,
May I ask why you are not satisfied with your current string? What changes do you want on your new string?

tumatapon kc minsan kahit solid patama ko.
kelangan ko bang babaan tension ko?
parehas xa kc katigas ng luxillon

At 54lbs, dapat ok na yun di dapat tumatapon.... Review your swing again...
Probably sometimes your hands get numb during series of ball hits... Para sigurado, always relax your hitting arm.....

Going further below 54lbs might sacrifice control....

[paolo987]

ok tnx. 

[racketwiz]

This year, I came across an old friend who let me into the stringing room during the US Open qualies.  Two of the few things I learned while chatting with stringers: (1) the only notable player using the K61 90 Federer stick is, well, Federer; and (2) the K61 90 stick you buy off the shelf is not the same as the one Federer uses. Apparently, while the stock K61 90 shares the same string pattern as the Federer K61 90, the spacing of the strings are not the same; it’s slightly wider on Federer’s. The length of the grip pallet is shorter on Federer’s stick and Wilson uses a slightly different grip mold. Point I’m trying to make is that even seasoned pros seem to believe that the K61 90, whether the Federer or the stock version, is too demanding unless you’re name is Roger. Pros who use the K61 models opt for the 95 sq in variant with either the open or dense string pattern versions. Having said that, I see regular hackers playing the Roger stick with the thought that if it's good enough for Roger, it's good enough for them.

Some 20-odd years ago when a kid named Andre was transitioning from Donnay to Head, the Head people came to Prince for some advice on how to make a new stick for him, one that had some of the attributes of the original Prince Graphite oversize (Andre’s original stick). I was a stringing apprentice at Prince around that time and I learned why Andre’s new Head stick (soon to be called Radical) was designed the way it was. As we all know by now, Andre has a gift of incredible hand-eye coordination and he liked taking the ball on the rise. Among other things, he favored an oversize (107 sq in) because it gave him a greater margin of error on his on-the-rise strokes. To offset the inherent power potential of oversize heads, he wanted a dense string pattern to give him control on his shots. He also favored a stiff Kevlar hybrid stringjob for additional control (he would switch to Luxilon toward the end of his career). I happen to mention this because like Andre, you like taking the ball on the rise.

Without having seen your game and not knowing what your skill level is, I may be way off-base here. Even with the little information you provided, it’s obvious that this is an equipment issue. Again, I could be wrong, but my initial assessment could change as you provide more detailed info regarding your equipment issues. Please don’t take any offense to my comments.

First off, what was your primary reason in buying the K61 90? Was it because of Federer’s reputation, Wilson’s marketing, or actual racket performance during a playtest? If the main reason comes from anything other than a solid playtest, I would say that it could have been a mistake. Player endorsement, marketing hype, fancy cosmetics etc. does not guarantee optimum performance for any particular type of player.

In the absence of a high degree of skill, a small 90 sq in head does not lend itself well to on-the-rise shots. A stringbed with a small sweetspot requires precision and is unforgiving even on slightly off-center shots.  Smaller heads are also susceptible to racket twisting, or torque. Loss of control increases as torque increases. In this regard, Agassi’s choice for an oversized head makes sense.

Full poly strings on a small head presents a very stiff stringbed, even at 54 lb. On a small head, a too-stiff stringbed exacerbates the potential for increased torque that results in loss of control and power. This is one of the reasons why Federer chooses to pair his Luxilons with the unmatched elasticity and “softness” of natural gut. In fact, most if not all pros who use a poly hybrid choose natural gut.

In your case, I think a racket with a mid-plus head of somewhere around 100 sq in might be a better fit. In the Wilson line, I’m thinking the KBlade 98 is a good place to start. Obviously, this might be a tough one since you already have two K61’s, which leaves the strings as the only other variable. For whatever its worth, I think you should at least try a good quality high-performance synthetic. A multifilament like a Wilson Sensation would be an ideal test, but you may also try a quality single-wrap monofilament like a Prince Duraflex. With a small racket head and relatively flat strokes (you said you’re not much of a spinner), your strings should have relatively much better than average durability. Tension-wise, your normal tension would be a good starting point then you can just go up or down from there. If it doesn’t work for you, you can start trying out a poly/synthetic hybrid setup. It’s a matter of finding the right balance of playability and durability. Right now, with a small head and stiff poly strings, I’d say you have minimum playability and maximum durability. Unless you’re only pursuing the social aspect of the sport, that’s not a good balance. Experimentation can be tough especially on a tight budget, but it’s the only way to actually find out what works and what doesn’t.

[whizzard]

Nice post racketwiz!  Very informative!

[altodds]

Matagal ko nang dapat sabihin yan, kaya lang hindi ko kayang inglisin, French din at German bagsak ako, kaya na save ako ni Racketwiz, that's  my man!!!
Seriously I'm from Wilson, got those Fed sticks too, but....gusto sirain ang braso ko, medyo nasira ng konti, recovering now, using K pro open with lead tapes on it.
 

[altodds]

Racketwiz,
By the way correct me if I'm wrong, you've mentioned Andre Agassi used the Prince graphite, but when I've first saw him he uses the Aluminum with plastic throat by Prince with dark bluish color and forgot the model,( Just before he change to Prince Graphite)

And an information, Oldskul and BoyJorge were same age as Andre and they're in the US open during their Junior days, while Oldskul is competing in the age group while Andre is in the Pro tour.
Just proud that Oldskul and BoyJorge are also in the PTO

[renald]

May I know what your old racket, string and tension before you swithced?

[racketwiz]

Racketwiz,
By the way correct me if I'm wrong, you've mentioned Andre Agassi used the Prince graphite, but when I've first saw him he uses the Aluminum with plastic throat by Prince with dark bluish color and forgot the model,( Just before he change to Prince Graphite)

And an information, Oldskul and BoyJorge were same age as Andre and they're in the US open during their Junior days, while Oldskul is competing in the age group while Andre is in the Pro tour.
Just proud that Oldskul and BoyJorge are also in the PTO

The original Prince aluminum with the green plastic wedge was called the “Prince Advantage”. This was the most popular and widely sold model at that time. After that, Prince came out with another aluminum with the dark blue plastic wedge. This was called the “Prince Pro”. I think this is the one that you are referring to. Except for the color, it looked identical to the original. If my memory serves me right (sorry, my brain cells are deteriorating with age), the difference in the “Pro” version was the composition of the aluminum alloy. I also remember that there was another aluminum racket with a brown plastic wedge. I don’t recall what aluminum alloy they used on that one, but they all looked identical. Collectively, these Prince aluminums are referred to as the “Prince Classic”, although the green Advantage is often publicized because it was the first of its kind.

Great to see that we have real players in our membership. Definitely diamond assets to the organization.

[Fabs]

Thanks for the info racketwiz!!!

[racketwiz]

whizzard, Fabs
You're welcome

[altodds]

I think the brown was the Prince pro II, may isang model pa gamit ni Andre, I forgot it, not the green one, medyo may pag ka bluish ang color with dark plastic wedge

[SLP888]

Forget the Old PRINCE GRAPHITE because the new PRINCE GRAPHITE o3 just launch today in tokyo and next week here in Osaka. For those Prince Graphite lovers your racket has arrived!!!!!!!

[Fabs]

Wow bagong racket!!!

[Darkwing]

Now this is one racket worth waiting for, di gaya nung racket ng PHILTA. Diba fabs? 

[Fabs]

Haha ibang classeng racket yun, luma na pero panay labas ng bago, haha!

[jov]

ya, i picked a lot of infos from your posts guys, thanks so much

[penny_hardaway]

      Mga partners kita ko sa net un bagong prince graphite...

      Sir SLP eto po ba un???

     

Forget the Old PRINCE GRAPHITE because the new PRINCE GRAPHITE o3 just launch today in tokyo and next week here in Osaka. For those Prince Graphite lovers your racket has arrived!!!!!!!

[penny_hardaway]

kung eto nga un dalawang headsize un lalabas 93 and 100...lagay ko sana un ibang specs kaya lang sulat hapon e...

kelan kaya dating nyan sa pinas???

ABANGAN!!!

[altodds]

Simple, abangan ninyo pagdating ni SLP 

[Darkwing]

      Mga partners kita ko sa net un bagong prince graphite...

      Sir SLP eto po ba un???

     

Forget the Old PRINCE GRAPHITE because the new PRINCE GRAPHITE o3 just launch today in tokyo and next week here in Osaka. For those Prince Graphite lovers your racket has arrived!!!!!!!

Ganda naman nyan. Panaginip nalang ata na magka ganto ako.

[paolo987]

solved na problema ko. tinapakan ko yung string para lumambot ng konti.  ayun di na tumatapon tira ko. sarap pala gamitin ng string na to. kelangan lang pala bawasan pa tension para madali icontrol. bago ko bilhin yung k90, i tried to play using nsix.one 90. at nagustuhan ko xa. la naman ako problema sa small head size. matagal ako gumamit ng wooden racket na mas maliit pa head size sa racket ko ngayon. anyway, salamat sa mga infos.