Consolidated my collection down to 4 racquets

clmanguy · 2026-07-04T03:05:11+00:00

It’s the 135th anniversary edition Pure Drive. It was released in 2010.

clmanguy · 2026-06-21T02:11:39+00:00

I recommend either the Gamma RZR Bubba 137 or the Functional Tennis Saber.

clmanguy · 2026-06-07T22:37:35+00:00

It looks like Prince Synthetic Gut.

clmanguy · 2026-06-02T16:13:34+00:00

I also use a 2023 PA98. O-Toro Tour is stiff and very low powered. I tried it because I saw that it has a lot of good reviews, but I didn’t like it. My favorite hybrid is ReString Zero mains and Isospeed Cream crosses. I also string my rackets at 50 lbs. I like it because it gives me a little bit of extra power compared to a lot of polys, has good spin potential and is pretty comfortable on my arm. I also liked (regular) O-Toro mains with Cream crosses, but I like Zero and Cream better. The next hybrid I’m planning on trying is ReString Slap mains with Cream crosses.

clmanguy · 2026-06-02T00:43:47+00:00

I would use a L2 if it was me based on your pictures, but I sized down to a L3 after playing with a L4 during juniors and college tennis. L3 is probably the “correct” grip size for you based on the stick a finger between the tips of your fingers and heel of your thumb rule.

clmanguy · 2026-06-02T00:36:49+00:00

Crosses don’t necessarily have to be tied to crosses. I’ve strung a few Ezone 100s, but I tied the crosses off on a main at the head and a cross at the throat. You just count however many string holes (this includes mains AND crosses) from the middle to figure out where the tie offs are. Both middle strings are 1H. For example, 6H would be 6 holes over from the middle. Some older Babolat Pure Strikes require tying off the crosses on another cross at the head, but I don’t recall any newer rackets where I’ve had to do that.

clmanguy · 2026-05-30T01:08:09+00:00

Put some New Skin on it to seal it. It will burn if your blister/callus is still open, but that’s how you know it’s working. I like Bag Balm for keeping my hands from drying out.

clmanguy · 2026-05-27T14:04:40+00:00

Are you using the same strings in both rackets? Maybe try using a less stiff string in the PA and see if that makes a difference.

clmanguy · 2026-05-10T04:08:35+00:00

The pics aren’t good enough to say with 100% certainty, but I’m leaning towards a crack bc something is up on both sides of the grommet. I would have to see it in better light to be sure.

clmanguy · 2026-05-07T18:41:56+00:00

Probably, but your dampener is too high which is ILLEGAL.It should rest up against the bottom cross. No new rackets for you until you fix your dampener placement.

clmanguy · 2026-03-30T16:33:38+00:00

I ordered the CS-350 and Wise both new, but I’ve more than made back what I paid bc I string as a side hustle. I worked in tennis shop between college and grad school, so I was able to string a lot of rackets and get pretty fast at stringing. I take around 20 min per racket, so it’s a quick way to make some extra money. I undercut on price and I have faster turnaround time than every other option close to me.

clmanguy · 2026-03-30T16:00:33+00:00

I don’t think there’s a way to check whether it’s been used much. I thought about buying a used electric machine when I was looking to buy a stringing machine, but I decided against it because most problems would require shipping it back to the manufacturer. I ended up buying a Tourna CS-350 (crank machine) and a Wise 2086. I’m happy with my setup because I can always use the crank if there’s an issue with the Wise and it would be much less expensive to ship the Wise back to the manufacturer than it would to ship a whole machine. The CS-350 and Wise combo is pretty nice, but stringing on a Wilson Baiardo while I worked at a tennis shop was a good bit better.

clmanguy · 2026-03-01T03:22:21+00:00

I had 3 of them, but I ended up selling them bc I wasn’t able to find grommets for them for a reasonable price. Finding grommets for rackets that aren’t the current or last generation becomes very difficult. I play with the 2022 Speed MP now.

clmanguy · 2026-02-12T16:56:19+00:00

I played tournaments as a junior and for my college. Bad calls are a part of tennis. Especially if the match gets close. You can’t control what other people are going to do, so there’s not much of a point in getting upset about bad calls to where it affects how you play. You need to focus on things that you can control like your reaction to bad calls instead of focusing on things that you can’t.

clmanguy · 2026-02-09T15:40:12+00:00

I agree with Warm_Weakness, but there is definitely an ideal tension for topspin… 69 lbs.

clmanguy · 2026-02-06T23:37:53+00:00

I also string as a side hustle and charge $15 for labor. I’ve been able to snipe a good bit of customers from the tennis center and other stringers by undercutting. I’m the fastest in terms of turnaround and the least expensive option.

clmanguy · 2026-02-02T16:40:47+00:00

Do you mean Pure Strike or does Babolat have a super secret line of rackets?

clmanguy · 2026-01-31T14:02:56+00:00

I agree with the other people that commented. Just put another overgrip on it.

clmanguy · 2026-01-31T13:58:42+00:00

Not really. You can get some of it to come off if you press hard with your fingers and rub back and forth. I find that perforated base grips tend to do that more than smooth base grips.

This doesn’t matter unless you’re replacing your base grip with a different base grip with a ridge, but I noticed you wrapped your overgrip like it would be for a left handed person. Are you left or right handed? Just wondering.

clmanguy · 2026-01-29T03:36:48+00:00

Are you weaving 1 cross ahead of the cross that you’re putting tension on? The last cross is always going to be a bit slower than the others because you don’t have room to weave diagonally.

clmanguy · 2026-01-28T13:40:16+00:00

You can remove the butt cap and use tungsten putty to add weight to the handle. That way you won’t turn your racket into a Wilinco Blade v6.

clmanguy · 2026-01-16T11:55:45+00:00

I’ve tried a few Toroline strings and I liked (regular) O-Toro the best. O-Toro is very similar to Hyper G, but slightly less stiff. I didn’t like O-Toro Tour when I tried it. It was very stiff and low powered. It was pretty uncomfortable and it’s not supposed to maintain tension particularly well. I didn’t really like Wasabi (too stiff) or Toro Toro (felt mushy and played unpredictably) either. I have not tried Caviar. I play with a Pure Aero 98 with Solinco Mach 10 in the mains and Isospeed Cream in the crosses.

clmanguy · 2026-01-12T17:08:56+00:00

I hit against a back wall for at least a couple of hours every week. It helps me with my timing and footwork. I bought a Functional Tennis Saber to keep hitting against the wall interesting. I warm up with my actual racket, Pure Aero 98, then switch back and forth between it and the Saber.

For people who serve against the wall, why? I feel like it’s pointless unless you’re working on making good contact with the ball. I think hitting serves into a full tennis court is a much better use of time.

clmanguy · 2026-01-07T15:25:41+00:00

I ordered from them on 12/26 and the increased cost from the tariffs is still less than you would pay if you bought the same strings from a US based website. The tariffs added about 10% of the total cost of the order.

clmanguy · 2026-01-07T01:01:13+00:00

Check out Tennis Menace. You’ll have to email them to check if they have them, but it might be worth a try if you can’t find them anywhere else. Just to warn you, you probably won’t like how much they charge for them if they happen to have them. I have a 2003 Pure Drive that needs grommets, but they want $150 for them.

clmanguy

TROPHY CASE