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What Technologies are you selling? (Part 3 of 3)

Have you and your staff ever wished you had a list of all the major racquet technologies, all in one place? Well, with the help of material from the U.S. Racquet Stringers Association, here it is.

This is the final installment of an alphabetical compilation of information taken directly from industry product and marketing catalogs and technical manuals. The claims made come directly from the manufacturers, not from RSI or the USRSA, and no endorsement of any product or claim is intended. You can see all of the manufacturers’ technologies (which we’ve also run in the June and July issues) on our website.

Yonex

• 3D Carbon Sheet — By weaving carbon fibers in 3 directions, the pulling strength is equalized in 3 directions, meaning the shaft has greater resistance to twisting forces.
• 3D Shaft — The shaft is sculpted into a surfboard-like shape to provide advanced face stability.
• 4XP Isometric — Developed for a wider sweetspot. By indenting the 4 corners of the frame, a greater number of main and cross strings are equalized to enlarge the sweetspot by 13%.
• Aero-Box Vari-Frame — Combines the aerodynamic profile of a frame head that is pared on the sides with a squared upper and lower frame section and additional Tungsten IPS weighting. Reduces wind drag by 10%.
• Aero Shape — Creates more frame thickness for higher repulsion.
• Cup-Stack Carbon Nanotube — Applied in the racquet frame, which enables the frame to give players the right amount of flex to stay with the ball, and quick repulsion to make the full energy available for power return.
• Dual 3D Stabilizer — Integrates 3D Carbon Sheet into the shaft to provide more face stability and more racquet maneuverability.
• Dual Power Structure — Utilizes different frame cross-sections in the frame (Power Frame) and shaft (Power Shaft) of a racquet.
• Elastic Ti — Nanoscale alloy that combines extremely low elasticity and high strength. It has 44% lower elasticity and 8% higher strength compared to previous best titanium alloy.
• F2Filter Grommet — By combining a metallic powder with the grommet, the unnecessary vibration and sound at impact will be reduced.
• Feel Control Grommet System — Has an 18% deeper channel at the top and side of the frame, thicker grommet that adds a cushioned feel with crisp response.
• Flex/Torsion Control Shaft — Widened front width of the shaft by 14% compared with an ordinary racquet. This width advantage increases the racquet’s ability to provide high repulsion power and maneuverability.
• Hexagon Cross Section — By uniting box and triangular shape sections, a solid feeling at impact via better head speed and maneuverability.
• Integrated Power Weight System (IPS) — Places weight at 3 and 9 o’clock to help reduce torque and compensate for off-center hits.
• Isometric Head Shape — Allows for more strings of equal length, creating a larger sweetspot.
• Metal Hybrid IPS — Utilizes a metal hybrid 10 times heavier than high-modulus graphite.
• Nano Silver Grip — Utilizes a nano-scale silver compound in the grip itself that provides a combination of comfort and anti-bacterial elements.
• Nano Technology Matrix C60 — Utilizing nano-technology, resin is compounded with fullerene to create “Matrix C60.” This is used to bind individual carbon fiber filaments and increase the mutual attraction power of resin and carbon fibers.
• Oval Pressed Shaft (OPS) — Gives a racquet more spin, control, and feel for the ball by flexing on impact and increasing the time the ball is on the strings.
• Power Frame — The new aerodynamically-contoured upper section of the racquet head reduces air resistance and allows a crisp follow-through. It also gives the ideal amount of head flex to store the power and hit the ball with maximum speed.
• Power Isometric — A wider Isometric area that increases the already large Yonex Square Head sweetspot by 20% compared with a conventional round-head racquet. The construction yields more power and more repulsion.
• Power Shaft — The nano-science process concentrates more fibers in the lower third of the head and throat to provide the ideal stiffness for high stability, high repulsion, and maximum return of energy to the ball. The channel at the side of the shaft is a new structure to prevent torque at impact. This helps to make a thinner, but stiffer, frame, so full power is transferred directly to the ball.
• Soft Grommet — There are soft grommets located at the four corners of the frame. These grommets are designed to reduce the shock from off-center hits, widening the sweetspot still further.
• Soft Grommet II — Construction featuring Soft Grommets plus an additional high-strength plate for greater durability and protection against damage when the frame strikes the ground.
• Shockless Grommets — Soft grommets placed in the throat and the 3 and 9 o’clock positions to absorb vibration, reduce shock, and optimize feel.
• Super Cushion Grip — The cushioned underside layer of this grip reduces vibration, further enhancing the soft feel at impact provided by Shockless Grommets.
• Titanium Mesh — used to increase power and maneuverability without increasing the weight of a racquet and ensure a racquet frame resists twisting.
• Ultimum Ti — A racquet material that delivers twice as much responsive energy as carbon fibers and is three times stronger than Titanium.

Yonex also recommends that racquet technicians string its racquets at different tensions for different grip sizes. The recommended tension range for a racquet will be found in the throat of the racquet because even with the same model, a 4½" grip will have a higher recommended tension range than a 4¼" grip.

Wilson

• Double hole — Bigger holes on the entire racquet, resulting in a smoother feel, softer string bed and a little extra power.
• FX — The next generation of Wilson [K] Factor racquets. An innovative Quad Shaft frame geometry developed to provide greater stability, distributing weight to 4 pillars instead of 2.
• Hammer — Weight is taken out of the handle of the racquet and maintained in the head of the frame. The result is increased power and stability for lighter weight racquets, as well as a higher and larger sweetspot.
• Iso-Zorb Grommets — Grommets made out of softer shock-absorbing material (generally placed at 6 o’clock) provide a more comfortable and cleaner playing racquet.
• [K]arophite Black — A next generation structure created through a unique process at the nanoscopic level resulting in more feel and a stronger and more stable racquet.
• [K] Factor — Combines the next generation in nanotechnology and unique frame engineering innovations, that result in the ultimate line of [K]ontrol racquets for all player types. Made up of 4 key technologies: [K]arophite Black, [K]onnector, [K]ontour Yoke, and [K]ompact Center. Not all frames utilize all 4 technologies.
• [K]ompact Center — New industrial design innovation that improves handling, maneuverability and provides additional feel.
• [K]onnector — 2 external wings molded into each side of the hoop to increase dwell time. This provides greater control and comfort with a larger sweetspot.
• [K]ontour Yoke — New frame-engineering technology that enhances stiffness at key stress points on the racquet for improved torsional stability.
• Nanofoam — A new exclusive foam material used to fill the frame at specific points for a quieter and better feeling frame.
• nCode — Nano-sized silicon dioxide crystals are used to permeate the voids between carbon fibers. The result is a racquet that is 2x stronger, 2x more stable and up to 22% more powerful.
• nZone — Building off of the heritage of Wilson’s PowerHole patented technology, nZone are keyhole-shaped holes strategically placed (usually at 3 and 9 o’clock) for increased sweetspot, more forgiveness and power.
• Perimeter Weighting System (PWS) — Extra weight placed at 3 and 9 o’clock for increased torsional stability.
• Triad — Frames are made up of 3 separate pieces. The hoop and the handle are separated by a shock absorbing material called Iso-Zorb. The technology is designed to stop the shock of impact from reaching the handle.
• Volcanic Cross Section — Frame geometry with large, flat surfaces. It provides more stability in lightweight frames while maintaining maneuverability and power. Especially designed for nCode racquets.
• X-Loop Geometry — Unique flat and rounded frame geometry, which is inverted at the hoop and yoke transition. Results in increased stability.

Wilson labels most of its racquets with a swing index (S.I.) rating, which is generally higher on softer frames.

Volkl

• Attiva — A racquet concept gender-focused for the ambitious serious female tennis player. Attiva features 3 properties: optimized weight and balance, rounder and softer grip anatomy, and Sensor Plus Handle System.
• Big Grommet — Allows greater string movement for an increased sweetspot. This results in more power, especially on off-center hits. Big Grommets can increase the sweetspot by up to 15 square inches.
• Catapult — Frames utilize graphite springs built into the grommet strip to increase power, improve comfort, and reduce shock and vibration. The graphite springs increase the “receive-time” for more control [“control-phase”] and because of a faster resetting of the springs [“power-phase”], power is increased. End result is 30% more power and control.
• DNX — Unique material structure featuring high-strength micro-tube construction that is 25 times stronger than regular carbon fibers. It is integrated in strategic areas to add strength to the frame.
• DNX Power Arm — Being structurally decoupled from the racquet head, the Power Arm is pulled backward upon ball impact. The ball plunges deeper into the string bed. At the moment when the ball changes direction, the Power Arm recoils dynamically and leads to extreme acceleration of the ball.
• Dual Dampening Grip — Offers protection of arm, elbow and shoulder by utilizing a two-part racquet shaft to balance torsional impacts and thermo-plastic dampening shell. Reduces torsional shock by 80% and vibration by 50%.
• Dynamic PCP (Power Control Pattern) — Provides a dense string pattern in the racquet’s sweetspot and ensures that power is controllable. Balls hit outside the sweetspot maintain optimal power thanks to the more open string bed.
• Power Bridge — Innovative construction integrating DNX material and increased specific material density that increases stability in the yoke (6 o’clock). It makes the entire racquet more powerful and dynamic.
• Sensor Handle System — The interaction of two materials, TPR and EVA in the handle, ensures comfort, with excellent vibration and shock absorption properties.
• Sensor Tour Handle System — A Sensor Handle System with a thinner layer of EVA to give players greater feel.
• Twin Absorber Handle System — Specially developed for tournament racquets, it is comprised of a two-part racquet shaft injected with an integral foam. Reduces torsional shock by 60% and vibration by 40%.
• V-Engine — V-shaped yoke-bridge construction. It creates longer main strings for more power and control, and a deeper string pocket for more power, control and feel. It expands the sweetspot along the mains strings, as opposed to cross strings as with Catapult. Due to a stiffer yoke area and by that region being stiffer, the result is an increase in power and improved stability. It also creates more torsional stability.
• Vibration Absorber — TPR material in handle for shock dampening.
• Vibration Control Handle System — Features an EVA (Ethyl Vinyl Acetate) sheath surrounding the handle. Designed to help dampen vibration and provide some added protection for arm muscles and joints. This technology can be seen through the butt cap of the racquet.

From the August 2009 issue
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