I believe this to at least be a good reason if not actually why. 🚚Discounts on Favorite Products!💰 💵10% OFF ReString ZERO - shoprestring.com/?ref=time410s 💵20% OFF Toroline Strings (code: time410s): toroline.com
It also has something to do with those who prefer 18x20 often are flat hitters who focus on BIG hitting (like Del Po). I myself is a flat hitter and have definitely benefited from a heavier racquet since they are more stable at impact, particularly for off center shots, giving me more confidence to swing out. I guess because flat hitters don’t have as much topspin, weight is one way to create more safety margin.
I think weight secures your shot intention a bit by overcoming some of the discrepancy a slightly imprecision might incur. But yeah, I largely now think it's conducive to the playstyle that would come more naturally and or benefit from a tighter pattern.
Have you tested the Blade PRO 16x19, it is one of the few racquets that I have used with that string pattern with a high swingweight (+335), oh and of course Roger's racquet, both generate great heavy top spin and you can also hit flat through the ball, as long as you can move that racket due to its specifications. I think the Blade PRO is a great contender to compare to the Pure Aero 98. I love your videos analyzing racquets, strings, etc. Greetings.
I have but it's been a while. I think open spinny racquets can still hit flat as long as it is pretty stable. The flat shot might not be a strength shot but it can be done well with a bit more precision. I used to hit with an H19 and I recall feeling as though it got quite a lot of spin. I also always felt that way about ProStaffs, good spin and ability to hit flat. I think being able to do both well really requires a higher swingweight, which these all have.
Oh yeah! And that's by design. Shift 99 vs Shift Pro. Percept 97 vs 97D (yeah they have an H model but my point exactly, they don't have a super dense light model) Head Gravity MP vs PRO. The list just goes on... I think this is one reason denser patterns very often tend to be the heavier models in any lineup. Exceptions are rare.
@@time410s there is a limit until how much u can loose it because it will need more and more topsin to keep it in the court and with 18x20 top spin is harder to achieve than with 16x19
Because 18x20’s are for experienced players and for higher level racquets they are naturally heavier which means more SW. How many 18x20’s are considered a “lightweight” racquet? Most likely between 0-1.
Gotcha. Well, that sounds pretty different from your initial answer which sounds like a lot of other answers, claiming it's the extra strings that account for the weight and swingweight.
That could be a QC coincidence haha. But I have had many head light rackets with high sw. The shift pro for example. It's just total weight and swingweight are both higher on these dense boys
The Yonex Percept line is not the best example to verify this. The heaviest racquet (97H) is 16/19. Also, the heaviest Wilson is also 16/19. It is more like half of the heaviest racquets of all the lines are more open and the other half is denser. With some exception not knowing which way and ending in 16/20 or 18/19 or something. Kinda random imo.
Fair. But there are not as many 18x20s so they will be outnumbered. If you think of them relative to the rest of the market, they are definitely heavier.
@@time410s Well, typical beginner racquets are usually not 18/20, because you need a fair amount of skill to tame them. So of course 18/20 will not be applied to the entry level of the line. In fact, I cannot remember any 18/20 frame below 300g (unstrung). But that does not mean that manufacturers make the 18/20 versions heavier. And I would not appreciate them doing it. I would want enough room for customization. And when I used my Blade 18/20 I customized it a lot, but all weight was added to the handle, except one short period during indoor season (bumped it up to 357g, of which 10g was in the head), which was awesome, but hurt my arm. And speaking of Blades, both 16/19 and 18/20 are 305g (cannot remember the SW rating though).
@@time410s Well, from an average player's perspective an 18/20 is very demanding, you need a clean technique. At this point almost half of the players are already out of the game. Secondly, the energy return is worse than on more open strings, you need ful swings all the time. I do like that a lot when I have the initiative, but my Blade demanded ful swings even on the stretch as well. Only with 30g of lead it became playable, but my arm refused to take it. And the margin of error tends to be smaller, there are no high revs to push the ball down. For my backhand it was heaven on earth though, I give the Blades that. Very predictible. Lastly, the string bed felt kinda stiff, although the frame was rated at a moderate RA of 62. Anything else but the very softest poly would hurt my arm (which was a bit overloaded by the weight). At the end I dumped the Blade due to these shortcomings and switched to the Yonex Regna instead. The 100s may be a bit easier (Gravity was quite good), but I am so dialed in to 98 frames, I cannot change. And I can play the Regna stock, which I could not with the Blades, nor could I do so with an Ezone Tour.
