Racquet Playtest Comparison:
| About the play tester | About the racquets |
Name: BreakPoint on the Talk Tennis message boards
Playing Level: 4.5
Regular racquet, string & tension: Wilson nSix-One Tour 90 (Asian version), Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16g @ 59lbs., cable grommet "O" dampener, and Gosen Ripple overgrip over Wilson leather grip.
Tell us about your game: All court player playing both singles and doubles, serve and volley one third of the time. Long, loopy, fast swings on both sides. Can hit flat, topspin, and slice off of both sides, and will mix things up during rallies. One-handed backhand, semi-western forehand Strengths are serve and backhand.
Initial Impressions:
Yonex RDS 001 Mid: The first thing you notice about this racquet, even from a distance, is its "day-glo" fluorescent yellow color. Not that it's a bad thing but it will definitely get you noticed on the courts. My guess is that some people will like it, while some people won't. I happen to like the paintjob. It's a very solid feeling racquet when you first pick it up and appears to have a very high quality fit and finish, as is typical of most Yonex racquets. The size, shape, and beam appear to be very similar, if not identical, to its predecessor, the RDX 500 Mid. It also has the same 16x18 string pattern. You notice the substantial swingweight when you first swing it, and seems to be higher than its predecessor. I'd say TW's swingweight rating of 325 is on the mark. With dampener and overgrip, it was 12.5 oz. on the scale, whereas the RDX 500 Mid I playtested before was 12.1 oz.
Volkl DNX 10 Mid: This racquet feels and swings fairly light when you first pick it up and start swinging it. Although TW rates its swingweight at 331, based just on feel when I swing it, I would have guessed its swingweight to be closer to 321. The thin beam seems to enhance its aerodynamics and add to this feeling of maneuverability. This racquet also does not feel like it's 12 points headlight as TW's specs state, but feels more like it's 7 to 8 points HL in my hand. The headshape appears to be similar to that of previous Volkl 10-series racquets with its "kidney" shape that is flatter on the two sides (3 and 9 o'clock) and slightly wider at the bottom than at the top. With dampener and overgrip, the static weight came out to 12.3 oz. Has a very high-quality looking, glossy metallic gold (or dark yellow) finish.
Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid: Another solid feeling racquet with a fairly substantial swingweight. The first thing I noticed is that the head looked smaller than its indicated 93 sq. in. I superimposed it over my nSix-One Tour and they seemed to be identical in size (although the nSix-One Tour was a hair wider while the Flexpoint Prestige was a hair longer), so I'd say this racquet looks about 90 sq. in. It has the CAP grommet/bumper typical of the Prestige series that goes all the way around and down to the throat. It has the two small indentations at 3 and 9 o'clock for the Flexpoints, but I could not see through the two plastic rivets in the center. With dampener and overgrip the weight came in at a hefty 12.8 oz. It has the familiar candy apple red paintjob of the Prestige series, but the current graphics cheapen the look of the racquet in my opinion.
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Power
Yonex RDS 001 Mid: A relatively low powered player's racquet that has a very solid feel. The power level is a bit higher than that of its predecessor (RDX 500 Mid) but this is by no means a "tweener". This is probably the lowest powered of the three here. You really do need to take a full swing to get any juice out of it on groundstrokes. However, I could serve pretty hard with this as compared to its predecessor, probably due to the RDS 001's added weight and stiffness. Even so, I found it is still the least powerful on serves out of the three tested here. Blocked returns of serve tended to land somewhat short so I found I was better off taking a swing at my returns. However, the low power meant that it had excellent directional and depth control.
Volkl DNX 10 Mid: This was easily the most powerful of the three. This kind of surprised me as most Volkl racquets I've played with in the past all tended to be fairly low-powered. I think the power comes from the stiffness of the DNX material that's located on the two sides of the hoop, from about 2 to 4 o'clock on the right side and from about 10 to 7 o'clock on the left side. When I swung this racquet, it gave me the sensation of the momentum of the head pulling my stroke through which helped to accelerate my swing, sort of like swinging a hammer. The ease of swing of this racquet also made for increased racquet head speed which contributed to generating extra power. I could serve as well as hit my groundstrokes harder with this racquet than I normally can with my regular racquet or with the other two racquets in this playtest. It was also easy to put volleys away at the net due to the extra punch.
Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid: This is a classic low powered player's racquet requiring full, long strokes. In fact, I would say it is only a hair more powerful than the RDS 001 Mid due to the extra weight. This is also the most flexible feeling of the three racquets, which along with its dense string pattern (18x20) may also rob the racquet of some of its power. I needed to be in good position to hit the ball well with this one. Blocking the ball doesn't really work very well, and I needed to take a fast, full smack at the ball to generate good pace. Serves, however, were pretty powerful due to the extra weight as I could nail serves into the corners at will. The Prestige series has always been great serving racquets and this one is no exception. I'm not sure if the Flexpoints added any power as I could not really feel them doing anything.
Control
Yonex RDS 001 Mid: This racquet has excellent, almost pinpoint, control. It has a very large sweetspot for its headsize which made it quite forgiving and allowed me to pretty much hit my spots where I aimed. The excellent control extended to all shots including groundstrokes, serves, and volleys. Placement on serves was very accurate and it seemed like I couldn't hit a serve outside the service box even if I tried. When I served and volleyed, I was able to place my first volleys very accurately into the corners. One thing I particularly noticed is that I was able to hit laser-like one-handed backhands down-the-line that stayed parallel to the sideline throughout its trajectory. The heft of this racquet also made it hard for it to get pushed around even by hard-hitting opponents.
Volkl DNX 10 Mid: This was a hard racquet for me to figure out. Many times when I hit the ball, even in the sweetspot, it felt as if I didn't hit the ball very well or that I may have mis-hit the ball, but then I see the ball go pretty much exactly where I was aiming. So although it may not "feel" like it has great control to me, the net result is that it actually does. I think it's just that I'm not used to this kind of feel and feedback. Personally, I prefer racquets that I can "feel" how and where I hit the ball before I "see" how and where I hit the ball. This peculiar sensation was pretty much true with all the shots including groundstrokes, serves, returns, and volleys. I think the unique mix of stiff and flexible "zones" along the beam from top to bottom may have something to do with this. The sweetspot size felt about what one would expect from a 93 sq. in. frame, and off-center hits can feel somewhat stiff.
Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid: This racquet had decent control, but not great control. This racquet flexed more than I'm used to which I felt threw some of my shots off by just a hair, but the dense string pattern added an element of control, so I think the net result was a wash. From hitting with this frame, I think I've decided that I just don't really like dense string patterns. It makes for a stiffer feeling stringbed and seems to take away some bite and pop from my shots. It also makes the racquet feel a bit more boardy. However, the hefty weight of this racquet makes for very good "plow-through" which helps to enhance control on groundstrokes. Control on serves and volleys were above average, again thanks to the weight of the racquet. It handles hard hit shots from my opponent very well. This is what I call a full-bodied racquet.
Maneuverability
Yonex RDS 001 Mid: This racquet had pretty good maneuverability, but not quite as good as the RDX 500 Mid due to its heavier weight. However, it's also balanced more headlight which is a good compromise and makes it fairly easy to get around, although its swingweight is noticeably heavier than its predecessor. I'd say the maneuverability is right in-between the other two racquets in this playtest. It had a real "beefy" feel when I cradled the throat in my left hand perhaps due to the unique hexagonal shape of its beam. Even with the increased swingweight, I had no trouble volleying with the racquet up at net or getting the racquet back in time to hit groundstrokes. Maneuverability was also not an issue on serves, in fact, the added weight was welcomed as it added some juice to my serves.
Volkl DNX 10 Mid: This racquet swung much easier than its rated swingweight of 331 would indicate. Perhaps due to the thin beam, the balance, the relatively lower static weight, and/or the aerodynamics or a combination thereof, but this racquet felt very light to me so it was very maneuverable in my hands. I had no problems whatsoever in getting this racquet in position to hit any of my shots, whether I was on the baseline or up at the net. In fact, this racquet was very easy to hit volleys with because it was so easy to maneuver around the net so I was always able to get my racquet up and in front of the ball. The ease of swing also resulted in higher racquet head speed on serves and groundstrokes for me. This was easily the most maneuverable of the three.
Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid: This was the least maneuverable racquet of the three mostly due to its higher static weight. I felt I really needed to have good footwork to get into the proper position to be effective with this racquet. It's not the kind of racquet that you can just flick at the ball with. However, once you get your swing going, it wasn't bad at all. I could still get the racquet head up pretty fast to hit decent volleys and swing fast enough to generate good topspin on my groundstrokes. Although I felt I couldn't generate as much racquet head speed on my serves, I was still able to hit bombs thanks to the added weight. It's interesting to note that although this racquet has the lowest rated swingweight at 323, I still felt it was the least maneuverable of the three.
Stability
Yonex RDS 001 Mid: I felt this was the most stable feeling out of the three. The sweetspot seemed huge for a 90 sq. in. head and it seemed like I couldn't mis-hit the ball even if I tried. This is one solid feeling racquet that's in the same league as the ProStaff 6.0 and the nSix-One Tour/95. The hexagonal shaped beam, as well as the unique rectangular Yonex head shape appeared to be effective in minimizing twisting, expanding the sweetspot, and making the racquet very stable. The excellent stability was noticeable on all shots, including groundstrokes, serves, and volleys.
Volkl DNX 10 Mid: This one did not feel quite as stable as the RDS 001 Mid and was probably the least stable of the three racquets mostly due to its lighter weight and very thin beam. The thin beam (not just from the side but straight-on) makes for a fairly flexible throat and shaft and can result in making the racquet feel like it twists on hard hit shots at times, although not nearly as much as previous Volkl 10-series racquets like the C-10 Pro, Tour 10, Tour 10 V-Engine, and Tour 10 Gen II do. Although some shots may have felt a bit unstable to me, it didn't seem to affect the resulting shots at all. The balls still pretty much went where I was aiming. So although I didn't like the feel all that much, the results were great. The stiff DNX material on the side of the hoop definitely stiffens the hoop and helps to stabilize the head, as compared to previous generations of the 10-series.
Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid: A pretty stable racquet as expected given its hefty weight, but it's also a fairly flexible feeling racquet so it doesn't have that rock solid stable feel like, for example, the Wilson Six-One 95 does. The sweetspot doesn't feel very large and the dense 18x20 string pattern doesn't help. I did not feel the hoop flexing along its two Flexpoint indentations at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions whatsoever, so I tend to think it's more of a marketing gimmick than anything else. However, the racquet did feel very solid most of the time and produced some solid feeling shots, although I didn't really like the stiffer stringbed feel of the dense string pattern.
Comfort
Yonex RDS 001 Mid: Although this racquet felt noticeably stiffer than its predecessor, the RDX 500 Mid, it is still a very comfortable racquet. Both shock and vibration were well dampened which resulted in a very solid feel. The large sweetspot also made it tough to mis-hit the ball so I never felt any jarring. However, it does have a fairly substantial swingweight so those used to lighter swinging racquets may have some trouble getting it around at first, although I doubt most advanced players would have any trouble at all. Also, if you're not used to a heavier racquet, it may cause some shoulder discomfort after a lot of serving. I would say this is the most comfortable out of the three racquets.
Volkl DNX 10 Mid: This racquet has a very unique feel to it in that it can feel stiff and flexible all at the same time. I think this is caused by having the very stiff DNX material at the sides of the hoop and also at the collar at the top of the handle which stiffens those areas while leaving the rest of the frame very flexible. The net effect is that, although you can feel the stiffness in the head, the rest of the frame flexes and compensates for it so the overall feel is not very harsh. However, I found that this racquet tends to have more of a higher pitched or "ping-like" sound to it when you hit the ball rather than the low-pitched "thud" that I'm more accustomed to with my ProStaffs and nCodes. I could also sometimes feel the higher frequency vibration on off-center hits in my tender elbow. I would say this racquet was the least comfortable of the three. Also, if you're used to rounder or more octagonal shaped grips (e.g., Wilson, etc.), you may find the Volkl shaped grip takes a little getting used to because it's more rectangular and flatter. I found that this caused me some discomfort on my Eastern one-handed backhands as it never felt like I had the entire palm of my hand touching the grip.
Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid: A pretty comfortable racquet due to its relatively flexible beam. It does have a somewhat "plush" feel to it, although you can still tell that it's a "modern" racquet and not an "old school" racquet like the original Prestige Classic was. As mentioned above, the dense 18x20 string pattern in a head that's really only 90 sq. in. can make the stringbed feel a little stiffer than if it had a more open string pattern. And although it has the lowest rated swingweight of the three at 323, I actually felt it swung the heaviest of the three, perhaps due to the higher static weight but I'm not really sure. So if you're not used to swinging a heavier racquet, it may cause some shoulder soreness after a long session. However, it was still noticeably easier to swing than its predecessor, the Liquidmetal Prestige Mid. I did notice a slight hint of wobbling on off-center hits on a few occasions, but I felt the same thing with its predecessor. I heard that Head has made their grip shapes a bit rounder with this new Prestige, and indeed I felt that this grip was less rectangular feeling than the grip on Volkl DNX 10 Mid.
Spin
Yonex RDS 001 Mid: Pretty easy to generate spin with this racquet due to its relatively open (16x18) string pattern and large sweetspot. I'd say spin potential was on par with its predecessor, the RDX 500 Mid. Both topspin and slices were easy to produce. Slice and kick serves were also easy to generate. I would say this one has the most overall spin potential out of the three racquets tested.
Volkl DNX 10 Mid: This racquet felt like it was a bit better at hitting flat than at hitting extreme spins to me. Perhaps it had something to do with the flat grip shape which I was not used to or perhaps it was the way the racquet head gains momentum as you swing and really tends to pull your stroke through the ball rather than brushing up on it. Slicing was decent with this racquet and had pretty good bite. I also had no problems with hitting spin on my serves with this racquet. But compared to the other two, I'd say this was the least spin friendly out of the three.
Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid: I was pleasantly surprised that I could actually hit pretty decent topspin groundstrokes with this racquet given the dense string pattern and the seemingly high swingweight. Slices, however, were a problem, which surprised me. This is the kind of racquet that normally should be great for hitting slices, i.e., heavy, flexible, thin-beamed, etc., but I found it frustrating trying to hit deep, penetrating slices with this racquet. The balls would land short and with very little bite, and it also didn't feel very good. I was really baffled by this. Serving with spin was relatively easier than hitting groundstroke slices, though, and I had no problems with slice or kick serves.
Final Thoughts:
Yonex RDS 001 Mid: Although this racquet is similar to its predecessor, the RDX 500 Mid, there are enough differences to make this racquet distinctive. I think I still like the softer feel of the RDX a little better but this RDS does offer more power and is better for serving. The added weight also makes it feel a bit more stable. Overall, this is a great racquet and would appeal to users of "old school" player's racquets looking to change to something more modern and forgiving. Bottom line: A modern player's racquet with a huge sweetspot best suited for 4.5 to 6.5 players looking for a solid feeling and stable racquet with very good control.
Volkl DNX 10 Mid: A very unique feeling racquet that can feel both stiff and flexible all at the same time. It feels like it has individual "zones" of flex throughout the frame. Has a higher pitched sound and sensation on impact than with most other "old school" type player's racquets which may take some people (like myself) some time to get used to. Overall, it's a very maneuverable racquet that's easy to swing and offers quite a bit of power. Bottom line: A very good racquet for 4.0 to 6.0 players that are looking for a midsized, thin beamed, flexible racquet that's easy to use and has a lot more power than the typical midsize player's racquet.
Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid: This is a fairly demanding racquet that requires sound strokes to maximize its potential. It's basically a "no frills" player's racquet that you get as much out of as you put into it. I found it similar to its predecessor, the LM Prestige Mid, except that it felt a little stiffer which gave it a bit better directional control, and it was also much easier to swing. If you like hefty player's racquets with a small head and a dense string pattern, this is definitely one to look at. Bottom line: Best suited for 4.5 to 7.0 players with honed and grooved strokes that can generate their own power, and don't really want the racquet to add too much.
A Last Word:
All three of these racquets are definitely in the player's racquet category for more advanced players. They are all midsize racquets for those that prefer the control of a smaller head over the power and forgiveness of larger headed racquets. The only common theme I can think of here is that all three of these racquets are slightly stiffer and more powerful versions of their respective predecessors, i.e., RDS 001 Mid vs. RDX 500 Mid, DNX 10 Mid vs. Tour 10 Mid/VE Mid, and Flexpoint Prestige Mid vs. Liquidmetal Prestige Mid. Other than that, each is unique in its own way and is very different from each other with each having its own particular feel. I suspect all three will be very popular racquets.
| Comfort
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| Yonex RDS 001 Mid | 80 |
| Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid | 79 |
| Volkl DNX 10 Mid | 77 |
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| Control
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| Yonex RDS 001 Mid | 84 |
| Volkl DNX 10 Mid | 79 |
| Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid | 78 |
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| Groundstrokes
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| Yonex RDS 001 Mid | 79 |
| Volkl DNX 10 Mid | 77 |
| Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid | 75 |
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| Maneuverability
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| Volkl DNX 10 Mid Mid | 85 |
| Yonex RDS 001 Mid | 78 |
| Head Flexpoint Prestige | 75 |
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| Power
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| Volkl DNX 10 Mid | 80 |
| Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid | 75 |
| Yonex RDS 001 Mid | 74 |
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| ServeReturns
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| Volkl DNX 10 Mid | 82 |
| Yonex RDS 001 Mid | 77 |
| Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid | 75 |
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| ServesandOverheads
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| Volkl DNX 10 Mid | 83 |
| Yonex RDS 001 Mid | 81 |
| Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid | 79 |
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| Slice
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| Yonex RDS 001 Mid | 78 |
| Volkl DNX 10 Mid | 77 |
| Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid | 74 |
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| Stability
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| Yonex RDS 001 Mid | 84 |
| Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid | 78 |
| Volkl DNX 10 Mid | 76 |
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| Topspin
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| Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid | 78 |
| Yonex RDS 001 Mid | 77 |
| Volkl DNX 10 Mid | 76 |
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| Touch/Feel
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| Yonex RDS 001 Mid | 79 |
| Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid | 77 |
| Volkl DNX 10 Mid | 76 |
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| Volleys
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| Volkl DNX 10 Mid | 80 |
| Yonex RDS 001 Mid | 77 |
| Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid | 74 |
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| Overall
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| Yonex RDS 001 Mid | 81 |
| Volkl DNX 10 Mid | 79 |
| Head Flexpoint Prestige Mid | 77 |
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| Playtest date: July, 2006. |
| All content copyright 2007 Tennis Warehouse. |