ProKennex Redondo Midsize Review (under construction)

I've been mainly using the Dunlop Revelation Pro Tour for the last decade and have been mostly happy with it but was intrigued with the specs of a fairly new racquet in the ProKennex Heritage Type C Redondo Racquet family. I chose the Midsize (93 sq. in.) over the Midplus (98 sq. in.) as I generally prefer smaller-headed racquets. I bought the racquet based on specs that you can see at Tennis Warehouse and comments at a poll on wrist, elbow and shoulder pain with flexible racquets at Tennis Warehouse. I discovered that my Dunlops were not in the most flexible racquets category even though they are considered players racquets.

I was interested in heavy, flexible and headlight racquets to minimize the potential for injury after reading the research at the RACQUET RESEARCH website which details aspects of racquet and how they contribute to injury or help to prevent injury.

Tennis Warehouse gives you the ability to look at the specs of a racquet and racquets that are similar and I found that the Redondo was in the category of the most flexible racquets that they sell with an RDC flex rating of 56. My Dunlops, by comparison have a rating of 64. A Volkl model also has a flex rating of 56 but for some reason, the Redondo caught my eye. It might have been the cost difference as the Volkl is thirty bucks more or that the Redondo is available in a 93 sq. in. head size.

There's also a Redondo "club" that's a thread at the Tennis Warehouse Forums with the title #1 Redondo Talks Thread. That link links to many other discussion threads about the Redondo that started in January 2006.

Pro Kennex Going Out of Business?

There are rumors that Pro Kennex is going out of business on the Tennis Warehouse forums that started on January 29, 2007. I checked the online stores for Redondos and it looks like most online stores have been cleaned out. I ordered a 4 5/8 Mid when I heard but found out that they didn't have them in stock but they did have a 4 1/2 in stock so I asked them for that stick with a shrink-wrap so I have two which should be enough for the time being. We can then see if they reorganize or if they go under. If that's the last of these racquets, then I'll look to pick up another used one or may consider something else. There's nothing out there like the Redondo unfortunately.

Discussion Threads

I'm going to go through the Tennis Warehouse threads and write short summaries of them for those that wish to glean information from them without reading through the entire threads. This will most likely take some time to do.

Recommended NTRP Level: 4.5+

The Redondo is a heavy racquet by current standards though middle-of-the-road to light by wooden racquet standards many years ago so those used to the light racquets of today may find that it's heavy to lug around compared to their current racquets. The racquet does have a high static weight but a low swingweight which may mean that it feels lighter when you actually play with it.

The racquet also demands good preparation. If you don't have good preparation, fairly classical strokes and good timing, you will most likely be disappointed with this racquet. You also need the ability to generate your own power but this should flow from the previous requirements. And you need good footwork. Laziness in preparation results in an unpleasant experience.

I've seen many reactions regarding the issue of power. There are some that say that these are very low-powered racquets, and others that say that these are quite powerful if you know how to get the power (I fall into the latter category) and some that indicate that it is just right. I do feel that you can swing out with the racquet though I'm going to try to tame mine a little by using less lively strings in the future.

The Laser

Many players that have tested the Redondo report experiencing the "laser" effect where you hit the sweetspot with just the right stroke which results in a ball that feels like it moves in a straight line with a tremendous amount of power.  In general, it can take an hour or a few times out hitting with the Redondo to experience this feeling. I'd say that you'll know it when you feel it but that it's generally hard to describe outside of the word: WOW!

Arm Comfort

I haven't run into anyone that has complained of arm issues with this racquet which is unusual as I've read of complaints of many other players racquets including the nCode 6/1, the Dunlop players racquets and of course, the Babolets. The RDC flex rating indicates that this racquet is among the most flexible currently sold which is a confirmation that this racquet should be easy on the arm.

Midsize vs Midplus

I've only hit with the Midsize model so I'm not in a position to compare the two from experience. But from what I've read from those that have compared the two, the Midplus is generally more forgiving, generates more pace and spin and is a little less maneuverable. The Midsize is firmer on the volley and hits a bit heavier.

I've been a little surprised at the number of people that have bought both to try them out. This may seem an expensive way to go but if you go with one and can find someone else that goes with the other, you can simply swap the racquets that you don't want. Another approach would be to use one racquet for singles and the other for doubles.

Specifications

It's gotten a little harder to find specifications for these racquets as some online retailers have removed these racquets from their menus. So I'm going to reproduce them here. The Midsize is 93 sq in, 27 inches, 12.1 oz strung, 10 pts head light, 320 swingweight, stiffness 56, beam width 20 mm, 100% high modulus graphite. The Midplus is 98 sq in, 27 inches, 12.1 oz string, 10 pts head light, 324 swingweight, stiffness 57, beam width 20 mm, 100% high modulus graphite.

March 28, 2007

I've spent some time trying to order a Redondo Mid as ProKennex deals with its distributor problems and have attempted to have one drop-shipped via Golfsmith's service. The disadvantage of this approach is that you can't order it strung. The idea was that they should get a response from the vendor as to whether or not they can do this in a short period of time so I should know if this route works. Anirut at the Tennis Warehouse Forum indicates that he just ordered a Core #1 so racquets can be ordered in other parts of the world.

Clintspin at the Tennis Warehouse forum indicated that ProKennex is looking for a US distributor and that Don Laing at 973-738-6941 is handling orders and deliveries. I left a message at his number to see if he will take individual orders and hope to hear back from him later today.

Tennis Warehous apparently doesn't allow you to name their competitors in their forums so I will have to post my purchase experiences in this blog. Other places to purchase ProKennex racquets are Holabird Sports and www.tennisexpress.com. Hopefully ProKennex gets its distributor line back up and running soon. I'm disappointed in that Tennis Warehouse, a full-service provider, hasn't been able to procure these racquets for their customers.


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Updated March 28, 2007. For comments and questions, send email to Vector.x64@gmail.com. Contents of this blog are Copyright 2007. Fair use portions may be copied with a link back to this vector64.com.