YONEX EZONE 98 & 100 - 2020 Version Playtest and Review 

What does having the weight more in throat so compared to head and handle?

Given that the swingweights are similar, then the difference is mainly about the feeling for me. Personally, with more weights at the throat, I feel easier to maneuver, easier to control the swing. With polarised option, I feel more solid at impact. It feels like it punches the ball more. The Vcore Pro 330gr vs Pro Staff RF97 is a good example for this. 😊

Yes I do agree with your thoughts on the Vcore. The racquet likes us to spin the ball, like Wilson Clash (except the 95). The Ezone has better balance 😊.

I never like Babolat because of stiffness. Ezone is better for your flatter style comparing to the Aero. You may also check Prokennex Q+ Tour or Q+ 5. Prokennex is very underrated 😊

@@TenniswithAlex Thanks for your reply! What strings and tension do you recommend for the Ezone? Thanks!

It's very hard to generalise as it depends a lot on each player. To make it easier, you can use the same string that you use for pure aero, but lower the tension by 1kg (as Ezone 98 has smaller head size) to compare your setups 😊.

@@TenniswithAlex Okay i see, thank you so much for your information! Keep up the good work!

How do you feel after all? 😀 For me it feels somewhere in the middle between the Dr and 2017 Ezone.

So how does new 100 compare to dr100? I have dr100 and wonder if i should switch

If you get used to with the Prestige of Pro Staff then I think the V Core Pro is more suitable for you than the Ezone. The VCP is like the Pro Staff of Yonex, for players who like to control the swing, swing fast and like to attack. Without customisation, the VCP doesn't feel similar to PS at all. I guess because of throat heaviness and no PWS like Pro Staff. So I just add weight at 3 and 9 o'clock and it's much closer to PS, but better feel than new PS. About new Ezone comparing to DR, I think you might not like it either. Main thing I notice is it's slightly firmer than DR. Flexier throat and firm racquet head are iconic for Ezone 😀.

The difference is big enough to affect how I play. The 98 gives me confidence to play an all-court style as it has better touch. The 100 encourages me to rally from baseline more. The stringbed is less consistent than the 98, less feel, but much more power. That's why I like to stay from baseline to spin the ball more. I didn't check the RA until you told me 😀 I didn't know RA of the 100 is "that high". The 100 does feel stiffer than the 98 though, but not as stiff as the RA 69 suggests. String also plays the role of stiffness but unfortunately I couldn't try different strings. If you're willing to commit on practise to improve your game, then I always recommend "harder" racquet, like the 98 in this case. As the skill level suggests, I wildly guess you don't split step regularly. If it's true, focus on split step until you do it subconsciously. You'll raise your level right away 😁.

@@TenniswithAlex thanks a lot! I don't know exactly the equivalent in level between my country and US rating. I said 3.5 but it's maybe 4.0. I split step each time but I think it's more about my forehand and backhand technic (be really relaxed and really go through the ball, accelerate head of the racquet to generate power and topspin etc.). I'm currently playing with the previous version of Ezone 100L and find it very powerful for it's lightweight and quite stable also. But I'm very curious about this 98 305g version. It's more heavy than mine but looks quite manoeuvrable. The only concern I have is if I can handle this weight and generate enough power with this 98 version. I hope I would have the opportunity to playtest it soon ☺️. Anyway thank you for you video and review about these racquets! :-)

Thanks for your feedback. I also tried the 100L. When I switch to heavier racquets, the main differences in techniques are: I have to prepare earlier, otherwise I hit the ball late. With light racquets, I can mess around and be lazier to prepare the shots. Backswing is more compact. I notice when I tried the 100L, my backswing was bigger to generate racquet head speed. When I tried the 100, I hit the first few balls late. I just need shorter backswing to execute the same shots because the 100 has more mass to put the ball away already. So just prepare early, compact the backswing (visually it doesn't look much different before and after you adjust) and you'll find the heavier racquets aren't that demanding 😀.

@@TenniswithAlex thanks a lot! I guess your backswing is bigger also with the 98 to generate power? 100 looks more easy to play with, as you don't have to full swing to generate power. Yes with lighter racquets I realized I had to backswing bigger to generate power cause I don't have the weight and stability of heavier racquet. It's easy to play with cause it's more manoeuvrable and less tiring in long sessions but as you said to generate agressive shots I have to full swing. So maybe in this regard light weight are also demanding sometimes and we can force our shots, do some faults and tiring also. I would try heavier model, put your advice into practice and see how it's work and if I can handle it :-). Thanks!

I don't know if my backswings are different from the 98 and 100. Sometimes we need not to think and just play 😁. About the technique, if you watch Hsieh Su-Wei, she uses VCore Duel G 330gr extended to 29 inches, and she's not as athletic as other players. Her swing is compact but powerful and she disguises her shots so well. The hefty weight of the racquet helps her execute those shots. If the racquet is not heavy enough, we have to swing faster to compensate the lack of weight. Hence might cause more errors and feel difficult to return fast balls. No way Djokovic is able to return the serve that well if he uses 300gr racquet. But how heavy is enough? We can only try to know what suits us best 😀.

The 98 is softer than the 100. It feels softer at the throat. But string is also very important. Using soft strings or low tension helps a lot. 😀

I tend to agree with you, for the 98 at least (haven't hit the 100, nor the 2018 versions). However, I have weighted up my 98 to about 312g and it really starts to come alive, like a different racquet altogether, more solid and muted but quite different to the soft springiness of my DR98. Nevertheless you could argue whether you should have to modify a $200+ stick in the first place in order for it perform as it should. It's a nice racquet but I haven't decided whether to keep mine.

I use the 98 and I agree it kind of floats. Espically when compared to my pure drive 2021

The 2020 is softer at the hoop / top of the racquet head. It's the main difference. 😀 So 2020 may give you more feedback, comfort, but less power. It depends on what you prefer to have 😊. I do agree that for these racquet, polyester string works better to lower down the linear power and get more spin.

Ezone 98L is okay, though I don't think it would help you lessen your arm pain more than the standard Ezone 98. The 98 is a lot more solid, stable than the 98L because of the weight. It also means the 98L is easier to maneuver than the 98. Both have better maneuverability than the Aero PD. Power really depends on your stroke mechanics. If you can prepare early, the standard 98 gives you easier power (because of the weight) The DR version is plusher the the stringbed. So your arm would feel better with the DR for sure. If you don't mind trying VCore Pro, then try VCore Pro 97HD. Very nice, soft feeling and your arm will thank you for that. It might feel heavy at first though and could cause arm fatigue if you don't get used to with the extra weight. 😀

@@TenniswithAlex thanks for helping me choose... I will go with the Ezone 98 305g., I plan to string with hyper G @ 51 lbs..., would u suggest a different set up..?

Give 44lbs a try. One contribution to arm pain is we string stiff string at high tension. It's just stiff. I suggest that you play at lowest tension as you comfortably can. It takes time to adjust 😊 If I have the same setup as yours, I will try at 40lbs.

@@TenniswithAlex Thanks. Will try at 45 lbs... Should get racket next week. Will post feedback after knocking with it 😊

I prefer the 98, just because I prefer the smaller head size. It doesn't mean the 98 is better than the 100. If you prefer to hang around the baseline, spin the ball more, the 100 is more suitable. The 98 has more versatility. It give you less free power and spin but better feel to execute finesse shots and go to net 😀.

I don't have any of them. But if I can choose, I'll take the DR100 😄

I prefer the Ezone. Babolat is too stiff that I dislike. The Ezone still gives me power but better feel, and I like the feel of the throat flex from the Ezone 😁.

@@TenniswithAlex thanks for your help

I personally think no racquet is better for specific players. If we are patient and get used to with the racquet, then we can handle any racquet well. About these two racquets, Wilson Clash is much softer than Yonex Ezone. They both feel explosive, feel like the ball is exploded and shot off the racquet. The Clash lacks feel for touch shots like volleys, slice, drop shot. I feel like it promotes bashing the balls from baseline all the time. The Ezone is more balanced.

The flex of Pure Strike is more like the V Core Pro, the throat is stiffer. Overall stiffness of Pure Strike is much higher than V Core or Ezone though. Ezone 100 is certainly more similar to Pure Strike than the 98, in terms of stiffness, power. Because of the slim throat, the Ezone has distinctive pop when striking the ball cleanly.

@@TenniswithAlex thanks a lot for the quick response. I’ll give both of the Ezones 100&98 and the Pure Strike 100 a demo. Coming from Wilson, I’ll also try to test the new Pro Staff SixOne 100.

Hi there, I haven't unfortunately and I don't intend to try them soon :-()

@@TenniswithAlex is that because you are happy with your own frame, or don’t like the looks of the new one?

@@galahad2000 I don't have much time to try new racquets and I'm happy with several Angell racquets I have right now :-D I focus on improving the game more. I may try a ProKennex as it's a completely new experience for me.

It really depends on what type of strings and players' techniques, strength. For me, if it's Hyper G then I'll try at 19-20kg 😄

@@TenniswithAlex If you have time, please share your experience on various tennis strings.