Racket Spa Vancouver

One of the most popular racket/strings combo on the tour: Yonex EZONE and Yonex Polytour Pro yellow strings. This racket is probably one of the best rackets to come out this year. This polyester string is one of the most popular and for good reasons: comfortable, plush yet crisp feel, durable and pre-stretched for longer tension maintenance. It has good control so you can swing hard for that extra spin and a smooth texture for that spin-friendly snapback.

How long do strings last? I recently dug out this beauty, a Prince CTS Precision 110 Oversize to hit. The strings (Ashaway Crossfire II) are 19 years old! The very first ball seemed a bit crusty/crunchy, but it then settled in and felt quite normal. That’s an advantage of Kevlar and syn gut strings. They hold tensions a lot longer than Polyester strings. Still I’d recommend you freshen up your strings more frequently than that!

In another quest for finding a senior-friendly oversized player’s racket: Test driving the Wilson Blade 104 v7. 104 sq inch oversize head, 10.8oz strung weight, 6pt head light. 60RA stiffness, 22mm beam width, 16x19 string pattern. Strung with Luxilon ALU Power rough 16L and Head Sonic Pro 17 at 45x42 lbs. I really love the matte black, grey and green finish. All the specs point to a comfortable, fast, spin-friendly offering. However it is 27.5 inch long, a half inch longer than a regular racket. I wonder if that will make it a bit unwieldy.

Test driving a new racket: Prince Phantom 107G. Classic thin beam like the Prince original graphite with the horizontal stabilizer bar, 107 sq in oversize head, 11.5 oz strung weight, 7 pt head light.l, 64RA stiffness. Strung with Luxilon ALU Power 16L and Luxilon Element 16L. The matte black finish (ala Wilson pro staff) looks hot don’t you think?? Hoping it will work out to be my new weapon as I face aging. :-)

2 of my all-time favourite players talking about the new Wilson Pro Staff rackets they both use, SABR (Sneak Attack By Roger), serve and volleys...etc.

Wilson Clash Roland Garros special edition. Such beautiful colours and so apropos with the French Open going on now.

I feel pretty, oh, so pretty....and fierce!!

3.6 lbs. That’s how much a Costco toilet paper packaging bag weighs when it’s filled with stringing garbage. Doesn’t sound that heavy but it feels substantial (even though it’s mostly strings). I’m sure nobody but me was curious. LOL!

I’ve had the pleasure of stringing the brand new (yet to be released) Wilson Pro staff 97 v13. It’s a beauty!! Legendary design with modern performance. An homage to the racket that so many legends have used. Think Sampras, Federer, Edberg, Evert...

Your racket can get dinged up from scraping the court (hopefully not from throwing the racket in anger). No worries. Put in a set of fresh grommets and it will be good as new!

Simply Rad.... Once in a blue moon a client asks for the tension in kg instead of lbs. No problem. A simple button push and the Wilson stringing machine handles the request easily. The strings configuration is also very interesting:... Mains = Wilson Enduro Tour 18 Crosses = Technifibre X-One Biphase 16 The super thin 18 gauge Main string usually spells a short lifespan but the dense string pattern (18x20) of the Head Radical MP mitigates that. The strings colour combination is pretty radical too, or "rad", as all the cool kids would say. See more

At times you need a bigger bag when you unexpectedly pick up a few rackets to string while playing at the park. Good problem to have!

Red is a powerful color; it is the color of blood, it is associated with power, war, danger, strength, boldness, love, passion, sex, and many other powerful acts. What should we nickname these rackets? Red Devils...Red Rockets...Red dragons...Red Rebels...Red Riding hoods??

Judging from a very small sample size of 2 weeks, I unscientifically declare the Wilson Blade the most popular racket model in Vancouver!! I've strung several variations of them from different generations (some of which I forgot to take photos of).

May be only a racket-phile would appreciate, but this Head Speed Lite looks so sexy with black strings and a white grip.

An interesting experiment. A client wanted to hybrid his own 2 strings (Ashaway Monogut ZX and Luxilon Savage Black) but wasn't sure which to put as the Mains. So we did both combinations. Monogut is by far the softer of the 2 strings. Both rackets' string bed should have similar overall firmness but will play quite differently. In theory, the characteristics of the strings in the Mains will dominate the overall feel. I will try to report what I learn from the client later.

I’ve strung this racket so many times over the years I can probably do this with my eyes closed (but I won’t!). Yonex has such a unique square face (not unlike me haha!).

I wrote this piece in 2000 (20 years ago!) in a newsletter. Everything is still valid today: Sizing up your Equipment Strings are the Soul of a Racquet... ...but to many players they are just an afterthought. Players will spend 6 months "demo-ing" racquets and 6 seconds choosing a string. But think about it. The string is the only part of your racket that comes into contact with the ball. Unfortunately, there's no "perfect" string for all players. Every player has different needs and preferences at different times. Factors to consider in choosing a string are playability (includes power, control and feel) and durability. These are in turn affected by string tension, thickness, construction material and method. With so many factors to think about, how do you go about making a decision? Here's a simple guideline. Like most things in life, plan around your budget. A complete stringing job generally ranges between $10 to $30. Next, try to remember the last time you broke a string. If it was more than 6 months ago, durability is not likely to be a big concern. Your Racket Technician (a more elegant & PC term for a Stringer) can probably recommend the most suitable string & tension for your style of play. (See the table below for a summary). Strings lose their tension and functionality naturally in time (remember these thin fibres are continually being stretched at an average tensions of 60 lbs) regardless of the wear and tear of hitting balls with them. So restringing your racket every few months will help keep its "soul" alive & fresh! Here's a handy table of basic facts about frames & strings: Racket Facts: Heavier frame = more Power Heavier frame = less Vibration Stiffer frame = more Power Stiffer frame = more Shock to the arm (major cause of tennis elbow)!! Longer frame = more Power Larger racket face = more Power Larger racket face = Larger Sweetspot String Facts: Lower Tension = more Power Higher Tension = more Control (for experienced players) Lower Tension = less Vibration Softer string = less Vibration Thinner string = more Spin, Power, Comfort Thicker string = more Durable CK

Customer complained of not liking the basic strings that came with the racket. Replaced them with a softer and livelier Wilson Sensation. Voila. Happy customer.