Tennis Racket Recommendations

[dakata24]

been awhile since i've played tennis and am out of the loop on good tennis rackets. i'd like to get a mid-sized racket in the ~$100 price range.

i currently have a prince cts synergy db26 mid-plus that i got 5 or so yrs ago. thanks.

 

[BigSmooth]

What's wrong with your current racket? I remember that being a pretty nice one. Has racket technology advanced a lot in the last 5 years?

 

[dakata24]

love my prince racket, just wanted to get one as a backup.. and so that a girl friend i know can use.

 

[Jinny]

Prince graphite OS, Triple Threat Graphite, Yonex muscle power

 

[huey1124]

i have a couple of Wilson 'Hammer' series rackets. i bought them when they were $250+ right when they came out, which is awhile ago. i've seen the same ones at Big 5 and other places on sale for under $100 this year. i really like these rackets.

right now i'm using a Head SI 6. although it retails for $299, i was able to get it for around $100 during July 4th sale.

 

[rocadelpunk]

triple threat

go with the yellow one : P. Got good-great reviews in tennis magazines and is only around 100 bucks.

 

[TheeeChosenOne]

For a g'friend, get her a light, big racquet. Prince is the no-brainer in this category. They have the most selection choices here. Yonex is also good but more expensive in general.

Grip size is VERY important. If it's for a female, get a smaller grip than the one you're comfortable with.

My wife simply can't use my racquets b/c the grip is too thick. The wrist cramps.

Best thing is to go with her to a sports store. Have her try different racquets. Then surprise her with the gift later on.

 

[BG4533]

Wilson Hyper Hammer 5.6? or something. One on the ones with Rollers. I love it and it was about $100 a year or so ago.

 

[dakata24]

thanks for the recommendations. ill check it out when i get a chance. i think im leaning towards the prince triple threat graphite though.

 

[Jeraden]

You can't really get good racket recommendations as they all differ greatly depending on your playing style. On one end of the spectrum you have ones that deliver great power at the expense of control, and at the other end of the spectrum you have ones with great control but little power. Your choice of racket depends on exactly how big of a swing you take and how much power you can generate on your own. For example the Hammers generate a lot of power, so you can hit hard with little effort but you lose a lot of control in the process. On the other side, there are weaker rackets where you can pinpoint your shots well, play the net easily, but you really have to have a nice hard swing to really get any power on the ball.

One of the best resources on the net for tennis rackets is http://www.tenniswarehouse.com
They have pretty much every racket out there along with their specs and some professional and user reviews. The user reviews are somewhat worthless though as 95% of them are always positive, and the 5% that are negative are usually because the person is using the wrong racket for their style. So the goal is really to find the best racket for your style, although you can always adapt your style to your racket to some degree.

I used to play with a racket that was more on the power end of the scale than the control end. I'd hit hard, but I'd also hit a lot of balls deep and had trouble coming to the net. I switched to more of a control racket and the opposite started happening, I'd hit a lot of balls into the net as I wasn't used to having to hit the ball so hard, but playing the net was a bit easier as I could make balls die easier. Eventually you get used to either of them, but now I prefer more on the control side. I'm currently using a Prince More Approach racket, which is more of a control racket, but has a bit more power than the previous control racket I used (Prince Triple Threat Warrior).

But really, its just a matter of finding one suitable to your tastes. Most tennis shops let you demo rackets, so you can try a few out before buying so you can see the subtle difference and figure out which you like best. I wouldn't recommend just buying a racket blindly - try a few out to see which suits you the best.