PODCAST: Need to replace the Yonex EZONE DR 98?! Andy DEMOS & reveals his new go-to tennis racquet!🤓

[@sludge86]

One hour later - “I’ve decided to replace my DR98 with the EZone 98” lol

[@nikolasb5111]

I can relate. 😅

[@LegolasD]

vcore 98 plus

[@josephjph1]

V core 95

[@applesforakbar]

You did it! Woot! Loved this guys, kudos! We need to make this an ongoing series every 3 years haha :)

[@nikolasb5111]

Andy and Tennis-warehouse go together like peanut butter and jelly! It's so nice he's back! I got into Yonex rackets in part thanks to him.

[@Nahhmah]

Wait, is he back back?

[@nikolasb5111]

@@Nahhmah not really...its more like a cameo.

[@Nahhmah]

@@nikolasb5111 Whuut?

[@KidInTheHallway]

Finally got a new frame Coach! So cool! Working with Andy has been such an eye opener for my game and cant wait for my next lesson!

[@anthonydabaco8407]

Excellent podcast, thank you. As a more recent (within last 6mth) devotee to the top shelf playability of the DR line, I’d find it hard to move on from the DR98+. Have 2 and reckon will need at least a third that’s also near new to keep me going for some time!

[@michaelp9061]

Appreciated the positivity and familiar voices. Great contents.

[@alfandosavant4639]

I still remember Andy's answer on yonex vcore sv 95 review, i believe. When asked, why didn't he switch to sv95 as it gave better stats than the preferred racquet (dr 98) and he answered, stats isn't everything to choose a racquet for but feels are also needed 😂

[@youngsuit]

43:00 what you came for

[@jonathanchen1026]

51:42 *

[@nightowldickson]

Would have been much simpler for everyone if Yonex would just reissue the DR98 instead of tweaking the Ezone line all the time.

[@hilawes]

that would make too much sense

[@rihanaijiran1404]

Ameen!!!

[@doughaynes8771]

Alright, I have similar story. I played with the Yahama EOS RZ 100, purple, for 23 years. I could not find a frame with the feel or power. The problem was, the fiberglass had finally reached its end. It still, 35 years later, has the most amazing volley feel of any racket that I have ever played with, but, because of the fiberglass breaking down over the years, will not allow me to change direction like it used to. So, I played with it for 23 years. I spent an exhaustive year of trying in excess of 45 frames and ended up with the Volkl Powerbridge 8 315g. I think that this frame is amazing. It has the power that I wanted, but still, does not have the amazing volley feel of the Yamaha. I then hit with a student of mine's racket, a Wilson Ultra 100L V2, which had a 2 year old string job, and I thought that the racket is amazing. Volley touch was the most important thing for me. Ground stroke were pretty good, and serves were right on point. good power and control. I still have not made a final decision, but, i am probably close. Thanks for listening. Doug

[@jonathanchen1026]

I’m staying with my blades, moving on with each new generation, except cv... skipped that and am using the v6 without cv currently along with my v7 blades

[@kgzhu]

Which one of the two do you like more? What are the main differences did you notice? Thank you!

[@eegh1000]

Same question... interested in a non CV V6 version V7 comparison. Thanks.

[@ChowDownDetroit]

I actually got the Yonex 98 DR after Andy said it was his racquet of choice. I loved that racquet.

[@ahmedashraf1485]

I cannot find an alternative and in fact will stop looking for one... will keep using my 3 DRs till they are totally destroyed.

[@Francisyrah]

Fantastic stream! Amazing work guys

[@vasDcrak]

I kinda have the same stick as Michelle, RF97 16L hyperg 57lbs. it just feels good for me

[@VerbalKint]

Glad I have two DR98’s with plastic on the handle 😉. Although I’m trying the previous vcore 95 for more feel.

[@thefridgeman]

I have 6 DR98, the right grip size, no plastic.I rotate every month two of them, new strings, etc. Hope to hold forever.

[@クリームイカ]

@@thefridgeman You are one of them ruin my life, I have none

[@thefridgeman]

@@クリームイカ sorry, but I have also discovered it just as it went out of production. So, with patience, I looked all the time on ebay, online stores, etc. for them. And I also only wanted the DR98 310, grip size 4. I found the 6th one (all were bought "new", don't like risking with "used" frames) last year, in September. So, keep looking, you might get lucky too.

[@クリームイカ]

@@thefridgeman Thx, good luck for me

[@jonathanchen1026]

When you added the tungsten putty to the handle, did you use cotton ball as well? Or just straight putty? And isn’t it a lot to fit into the buttcap? Or was it able to fit all inside?

[@tenniswarehouse]

We used tungsten putty and a bit of cotton ball as well. In these racquets we were able to fit all inside, except for the Tecnifibre, where I used lead tape on the pallet, and covered it with a thin layer of clear office tape to seal it in, since there is not trap door on the butt cap. Troy, TW

[@paulbenninghoff5320]

Loved this. Got to find out a little more detail on how you customized the Ezone. And an obvious follow-up here in May, '22: Has Andy tried the 2022 Ezone '98 update, and what does he think of it?

[@tenniswarehouse]

here is a reply from a while back, that I posted in the comments below: For the EZONE 98 that Andy tested, I had to increase the swingweight by about 12-14 points to get it up to his preferred spec of about 332. From there I used the information from our article in our learning center, basically in this case for every 3 grams added to the 12 o'clock location, it will yield an increase of about 10 SW points, (or 1 gram~a little over 3 points increase). So I then added about 4 grams to the 12 o'clock region which basically got me to the SW I needed. The rest of the weight was essentially all added with tungsten putty inside the handle. After adding the weight at 12 o'clock, I was somewhere close to 325 grams and now at about 2 points HL, (when strung). I basically needed about a 7 point increase to the HL balance, which I calculated to about 21 grams of Tungsten putty at the bottom of the but cap, which got me close to the balance I needed, as well as up to about 346 grams strung, or about 12.2 ounces. So the final specs were roughly, 12.2oz, 332 SW, and and about 9.5/10 pts HL (strung). As far as the 2022 Yonex EZONE 98, not for certain if he's tried it or not yet, but based on how long he stuck with his DR98's, I somewhat doubt it haha. Troy TW

[@BorisBecker1872]

How does one “shave” the bumper guard in order to reduce swing weight? What’s the step by step process?

[@tenniswarehouse]

We don't recommend doing that, being that if the racquet carries any sort of warranty from the manufacturer, it will be voided by altering the bumper or grommets. That said, you if you were to try it on an older frame, that no longer carries a warranty, then I would assume you probably would be better off cutting the bumper off rather than shaving it. Sort of trimming the plastic part that forms the bumper, and leaving the strip that forms the actual grommet holes. Troy, TW

[@javace79]

Welcome to the East Bay Andy. SLO (I went to Cal Poly as well) is pretty hard to beat.

[@johnnacke4134]

Love the podcasts. 😀i’ve been communicating with all of you , and i really appreciate your suggestions. I’m a 4.0 senior ( great shape, though) … SW forehand ; one handed BH… I decided to stop playing with my PS because of elbow problems. Now Using the Head Speed 360 MP… You guys got me interested in the Prince Twist Power…. I tried the clash 100 when it first came out… didn’t connect… Maybe i should wait for the Heavier 100 TP, but i don’t know if i can wait. Should i first try the 100, or the 97? When will your grading review of the 97 be released???🎾🎾🎾

[@tenniswarehouse]

@John Nacke, Awesome! Thanks for the message! We have demos available of the Twistpower X97 Tour if you'd like to try it before committing! Our written review can take a couple weeks to get through editing, but be sure to check out the video review and let us know if you have any further questions! Michelle, TW

[@gauravgayakwad650]

I am new to tennis and I have tried a few of the rackets to test which suits me. I came across 'yonex graphlex ti lite' as old as from 1990. I felt that racket best suited my playing style. The firmness. stability, power. I loved it. Then when I decided to buy I could not find that in market now. I am now confused that whic current yonex racket is similar or same as that. Please helo me with this because I don't want to buy racket which does not give me that confidence.

[@tenniswarehouse]

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find much about the specs of that racquet. Someone had posted online that the version they had was a 105 headsize, but I'm not sure if there was multiple versions or headsizes. Of the current offerings from Yonex, the EZONE 100 is well liked and very versatile. That TI Lite is a fairly old racquet, so the current Yonex VCORE Pro racquets, have more of that classic flat beam type of feel. The VCORE Pro 100 is a good option, for a more classic control and feel, but still fairly user friendly. Troy, TW

[@gauravgayakwad650]

@@tenniswarehouse Thank you for the response. Sure. I will try to match the Ti Lite with these two and see which is similar. Thank you. 😀😀

[@MichaelMilanov]

I don't see anyone asking this but how was the Ezone 98 customized for Andy? Troy? 😃

[@rel7529]

Yes would love to know Andy's spec and see a video on how Troy customized the Ezone to that spec

[@tenniswarehouse]

For the EZONE 98 that Andy tested, I had to increase the swingweight by about 12-14 points to get it up to his preferred spec of about 332. From there I used the information from our article in our learning center, basically in this case for every 3 grams added to the 12 o'clock location, it will yield an increase of about 10 SW points, (or 1 gram~a little over 3 points increase). So I then added about 4 grams to the 12 o'clock region which basically got me to the SW I needed. The rest of the weight was essentially all added with tungsten putty inside the handle. After adding the weight at 12 o'clock, I was somewhere close to 325 grams and now at about 2 points HL, (when strung). I basically needed about a 7 point increase to the HL balance, which I calculated to about 21 grams of Tungsten putty at the bottom of the but cap, which got me close to the balance I needed, as well as up to about 346 grams strung, or about 12.2 ounces. Troy TW

[@tenniswarehouse]

When we actually got Andy's EZONE 98 racquets, after he committed to the switch, we had few of them all matched to that spec, and that work was done in collaboration with one of our racquet expert / MRT service members who does this type of work for our customers on a daily basis, and I just gave some oversight, to make sure that those new frames were in spec with the tester that he hit. One thing that made the process of actually adding the weight easier, but also took a bit of time, was that we went through a few dozen of the new frames in our warehouse, to find a few frames that were all almost identical in spec, so that we would be starting with the same base spec prior to adding the weight. Much easier to do the same calculations for each frame. Troy, TW

[@Phoniq]

I still have my DR98 and not letting it go. Wonder what’s your take on the brand new Ezone 98?

[@tenniswarehouse]

Andy doesn't work for TW anymore, and not sure if he sees these comments very often, but you could try reaching out to him on one of his social media platforms. Troy, TW

[@Phoniq]

@@tenniswarehouse cheers Troy

[@adithyavasudevan4036]

Is there a conflict of interest? Isn't tennis warehouse the distributor for price racquets?

[@tenniswarehouse]

What would the conflict be? We sell all brands of racquets and as you can see, provide many options :) Yes, Tennis Warehouse is the North American distributor for Prince Tennis. Michelle, TW

[@user-tj1zn3wm6g]

Which tennis rackets do you guys recommend for one handed backhands??

[@tenniswarehouse]

There maybe isn't a racquet that necessarily works better for a one-hander vs a two-hander. That said, usually racquets that offer a lot of control and feel seem to work well, such as Pro Staff 97 v13, Yonex VCORE Pro 97 310, Yonex VCORE 95, Tecnifibre TF40, Head Prestige Pro, Head Extreme Tour, if you don't mind a bit higher swingweight the Blade 98 16x19. Troy, TW

[@クリームイカ]

@@tenniswarehouse you are right, a control racquet with more feel power, I think when a player reaches a certain level on his one hander, it's the only answer. I don't know if gravity pro works, have no chance

[@GawdSsani]

Hey, just like Andy I'm looking to switch my racquet. I currently play with the head radical microgel mp and I love it but I'd like something more modern. What racquet would play similar to that?

[@tenniswarehouse]

I would consider the Dunlop CX 200 or 200 Tour, Tecnifibre TF40 305, and Wilson Blade 98 v7. Troy, TW

[@randdom1622]

The most similar style racuqet to the radical mp is the pure strike 98.

[@garethward5010]

Feel like andy would really enjoy the Angell k7 series of rackets both the red and the lime.

[@ameerhosain3431]

Didn’t Andy end up switching to the DR 98 extended for a bit? Why and when did he end up going back to the standard length?

[@tenniswarehouse]

It was a short honey moon phase, and never stuck with the extended. He has used the standard length for a long while. Troy, TW

[@LaSalviaBodysurf]

I wonder what Andy thought about the Speed or Radical pro? I know he usually likes controlled racquets with a little bit of (modern) power but not too much, the speed pro seems like a very good match.

[@jlan6723]

I could recall when he reviewes XT and Touch speed pro. He said they were the best on ground stroke, but not good enough for serve.

[@クリームイカ]

@@jlan6723 100 squa. always not helps me on serve, maybe thin beam like gravity would help, haven't try it yet,

[@LaSalviaBodysurf]

@@jlan6723 that’s interesting, I thought it would be great on serve because of the extra power of a 100sq but has control because of the 18x20. At least the same amount of control as his 16x19.

[@johnkim3184]

did Andy try the new vcore line?

[@tenniswarehouse]

He did try the 2021 VCORE 95 weighted up, as he talks about a bit in this episode, at about @37:11. He has also tried the 98 previously and just noticed that it was a bit harder to control the ball at times compared to the EZONE 98, having that more spaced apart string-bed. The VCORE 98 is great on topspin, and has a pretty good feel to it, but when hitting flatter strokes, it can have a pretty lively feel off the string-bed, which for some is great, but others maybe a bit harder to control. Troy, TW

[@kilmoretimmyg]

Was there any consideration in getting Andy to try the 2021 Vcore 98?

[@tenniswarehouse]

Yeah he had mentioned previously that he tried it in the past, and was more interested in the EZONE line. Troy, TW

[@youngsuit]

Andy Gerst - do you do any video coaching?

[@thelolguy007]

So the EZONE 98 didn’t last long? Andy is using the Head Extreme Tour now?

[@tenniswarehouse]

I mean, this was from Summer 2021, so a change seems to not be too extreme to me 😉 You know how us racquet-geeks can be! Michelle, TW

[@jassielrodriguez2613]

TW- are you not posting these podcast on Apple Podcast? I can't find this episode on there.

[@tenniswarehouse]

@Jassiel Rodriguez, Yes! We seem to be having an issue with iTunes showing our podcast in the tennis category this week, but if you search Talk Tennis, you can subscribe and never miss an episode! Here is this one on iTunes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/need-replacement-for-yonex-ezone-dr-98-andy-demos-ton/id1475845728?i=1000525553339 Michelle, TW

[@jassielrodriguez2613]

@@tenniswarehouse hi! Thanks for the answer , I’m subscribed already and it’s not showing up. Thanks!

[@tenniswarehouse]

@Jassiel Rodriguez, Really?! AGHHH Another email into iTunes. Apologies -- did it show using that link? We also have all the episodes available on TW www.tennis-warehouse.com/podcast Michelle, TW

[@Javi_C]

Was waiting for this!

[@TimTheMusicMan]

Andy take my advice, STOP running long distance, the only thing you will get from it is: damaged knees, damaged tendons, massive inflammation, bone, joint and ligament issues, it's even terrible from a cardio perspective. Hike, ski, cycle, but DON'T run. You really don't want a hip or knee replacement.

[@ljpa5250]

What strings you all use in your Yonex ezone 98s?

[@tenniswarehouse]

Andy likes the Solinco Confidential 16L (1.25mm), at about 45 pounds. We also like Hyper-G, Head Lynx Tour, Volkl Cyclone, and quite a few others. Troy, TW

[@stevekim578]

Vcore95

[@a2casius]

A great company is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within. Which is exactly how Yonex has behaved with its evolution of its best selling Ezone line. The Crazy Yonex designers destroyed the exact reason why Ezone became popular, its soft hoop and feel. It was hailed as an arm-friendly racquet and by 2018 went on to Destroy elbows instead. That's also how you destroy a reputation. One Single Version. For a company so up-its-own-backside not realising they're destroying the very essence of a success, is unforgivable. So its enemies are at the gate. Wilson comes out with the Clash line. Soft hoop. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad for multiple loyal Yonex customers with destroyed elbows. The Japanese are used to Lost Decades and never admitting to mistakes until it's too late. Yonex are no exception.