Compared to a few years ago, is there any recent material/design/technology that you are able to feel is actually better and not just a gimmick?
I like that staggered single hole grommets at the top of the racket are becoming more common. They make stringing way easier! Also like the quick response of the Yonex NAMD rackets while still not insanely stiff and keep some feel, a nice balance. AB is an amazing combination-string and my current favorite! Glad hybrid got accepted in mainstream. Would like to know if the Victor non-wood handles are any good?
The Victor Freecore handles does significantly decrease the racket vibration feel. I do feel that the handle also feels more solid and stable as compared to the tradition wooden handle. Will it be the next big thing. Probably just within Victor for now
The problem with wooden grips is that sometimes they get these hairline cracks if you hit hard enough, and that makes the racket get these weird vibrations. I'm glad they're addressing the grip, so much tech is going into frames but the other end of the racket has for the most part been unchanged for decades.
The funny thing is, 20 years ago, all my rackets had composite handles: a mid-range Carlton Aerogear 800HT with a carbon handle, and two cheap Brownings, of which one had a carbon handle and the other had one made of a slightly translucent, off-white composite material (I guessed fibreglass), that looked very much like Victor's freecore (and that racket was so cheap it even had an aluminium head).
Let’s not be fooled by the marketing show. The main reason for Victor to go for a plastic handle is, that they are cheaper. And they are easier to produce at a constant quality level - wood is a living material with more structural variance.
I would not be surprised at all if the real reason was that they were experimenting with using plastic because it was cheaper, and found that it helped a bit, thus allowing them to market it as new revolutionary tech. Sent from my Pixel 4a using Tapatalk
Heh - "Our chocolate bars being smaller means that they are cheaper to make healthier. You're welcome!"
And then they noticed that the trouble with warranty issues due to broken handles went down to zero. And that was that.
Did they? I've seen a couple of complaints and pictures about the handle just slipping off the rest if the racquet.