[ilendl]

Hi guys,

I'm an intermediate player (at best) and want an opinion ASAP (the racquets I am interested in are on sale).

The choice I've got is:

Wilson K Factor K4 105 OR: Yonex RDX 120 G3.

I used to use a Yonex R22 back in the 1980s and liked its lightness (much preferred it to the R-27 - that may give you experts more of an idea about what would be good for me).

Thanks in advance for your help.

[shell]

Originally Posted by ilendl

Hi guys,

I'm an intermediate player (at best) and want an opinion ASAP (the racquets I am interested in are on sale).

The choice I've got is:

Wilson K Factor K4 105 OR: Yonex RDX 120 G3.

I used to use a Yonex R22 back in the 1980s and liked its lightness (much preferred it to the R-27 - that may give you experts more of an idea about what would be good for me).

Thanks in advance for your help.

Well, ilendl, I am not too familiar with either of these racquets (in fact, I have never heard of this Yonex), but if you played with an R22 then neither of these are anything like the R22.

The Wilson is a very stiff, head heavy racquet that is very light. It is made for folks that do not have full strokes and need the racquet to do most of the work. It also has the makings to do a number on your arm (tennis elbow) if you are not careful.

Have you hit with either of these? If not, and you are just looking at them because they are on sale, then remember that around Aussie Open time most racquet companies come out with their new models. There may be many other racquets that go on sale. Many of them have already started.

But most important is to try and demo, or hit with one before you buy it. Look around for a pro shop that will allow this, or hit with your friends racquets to get an ideal what you like. I would not recommend just buying one without trying one. And I really wonder if either of your two choices are right for you given your racquet history.

Hope this helps!

[shell]

One more thing I thought of...

Your R22s were the racquet of choice for Martina Nav. and even Johnny Mac used them for a bit. They are both serve and volley players. When you mention you liked the "lightness" of the racquet, you are probably feeling the head light balance (easy to move around - hence serve and volley players use them).

You will probably want to keep your search narrowed down to even balance or slightly head light balance. A good pro shop will be able to point out some great "tweener" racquets for you. Tweener (between heavy and light) racquets are going to be a good weight and balance for you. They are the most popular catagory of racquets. Every brand will have several offerings in that range. Look for the previous year models for good buys.

[miffedmax]

Second the above.

Play test before you buy. A racket you are not comfortable with can more than wipe out the cost savings in medical bills (tennis elbow or other complications if you throw your swing off), or if you end up ditching the racket. Both have happened to me--when I got back into tennis after a long layoff about 6 years ago, I got a racket that was way too stiff and hurt my arm. Got another that was way to head-heavy for my game and ditched it. Got smart and playtested and have used the same racket for years now.

You can still find rackets you can playtest on sale in my experience.

[northern lad]

tenniswarehouse.com

they've got a great demo program and tons of info on finding the right racket

[ilendl]

Much appreciated everyone. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

[marliss1122]

Can't help you much in that area, but if you are ever in need of tennis accesories such as headbands / wristbands, sunscreens, gloves, grips, etc., check out this site. The service is unbelievable!

http://www.uniquesportsaccessories.c...=110&catId=110

[mojoo999]

My favorite is the Kfactor, demo it before buying though.