While waiting for the next availabe court, I was sitting talking to my friend about equipment. She started off as a kid just using whatever her parents gave her. Then for a few years she played with an ISO97VF bought her. During tournament play, she broke her strings quite frequently and was quite frustrated. Being her stringer, I talked to her about the possibility of needing a second racquet as she was more regularly breaking strings. She ended up purchasing another MP99 hoping to maximize her smashing capability. So a year later the MP99 has broken and she's borrowed an NS8000 from a friend who wasn't very fond of it. She's used it for a few months and seemed to play quite well with it. I thought it was natural since the balance is more like the ISO97VF she used for many years. Anyway tonight she told me how she felt like she played better with her MP99. The thought of purchasing another one was not extremely appealing since the racquet is likely to be phased out in another year or two. Due to the popularity of it, it is likely to be like another Ti-10 and we really didn't want to ourselves into that. So then I thought, has Yonex come up with a worthy of succeeding this classic? Almost nobody on the professional circuit uses an MP99 anymore, yet there isn't really a racquet that seems to rightfully take its place. Perhaps the AT800DE and AT900T? Or the NS9000X/S? Still, I didn't feel like I found a satisfactory answer to my question, or maybe there isn't one. I turn to you BC folks for some insight.
Yes, sort of. The Cab 30MS, but only if Yonex would: +Increase the stiffness of the shaft +Provide the following weights: 4U endloaded, 3U moderate, and 2U balanced
if the racket is good and it is popular and it is near perfect, why does yonex wants to stop producing it. if it were my decision, i would keep producing mp99 and market it as the classic racket. evergreen version. it will have a niche of its own. maybe in the future it will be cheaper to make and more people can afford to own it and enjoy its capabilities.
Well, as long as MP90/99 is sold, I don't see a problem.. Just buy it (and a couple of spare ones as well), and postpone the decision, until its definitive that she can get one that she likes better, or there are no MPs for sale.. That said, I don't think MP90/99 is "that" great, by todays standard... But the important stuff is really what she feels comfortable with, and if she likes MP90/99, then I see no reason NOT to go for it.. /Twobeer
yup, don't fix what ain't broke. get 3 or 4 as spares, and play them till they all break. the new ti-10 might be a solution, it has a nice balance though some would argue it's not quite even.
i'm not too sure about this, something about oval racquets and isometric ones having a significantly different feel.
A reason Yonex may want to stop producting MP99 just like the Ti-10 is for future production lines. Example: MP100 and AT700 sales were not extremely hot until the Ti-10 became a near-extinct creature on the market. Why buy another racquet when my Ti-10 plays just as well and maybe even better? Phasing out the MP99 would help Yonex when trying to promote new lines for example the Nanospeed 9000. Normally, my friend would have said, MP99 works fine for me, I won't even bother. Now, even if she had not broken her racquet she would be forced to think. Hmm the MP99 is getting phased out, I may have to start looking into newer replacement models like the Nanospeed line. We're students so buying 3 - 4 racquets at a time isn't really an option. Personally, I felt the NS9000X in 2U felt pretty nice and solid and although it was headlight, the extra heft made it feel like an even balanced racquet.
Like Dinkalot said in his review, mp99 is the "benchmark". But it isn't extraodinary at anything, so those who are seeking more of a "thrill" in their racket might want something with ex more power, control, etc.
agree but instead of changing the 30MS, yonex should tweak the cab22 and make a CAB30 POWER or CAB 33 (long, box frame with MP bumps, ultimum shaft). i will be all over it like ......hmm, no comment This racket can be considered the pinnacle of the cab series. Maybe I should ask eggroll to pass this onto yonex. Keeping in topic, ya, mp90/99 is very close to being a best overall racket for novice to pro level, both double and singles plays
I sold my mp99 about 1 year or so because couldn't generate a good smash from it. Other than that, everything was really nice. Even though it was a 2u, it was really manuerable. I guess a 3u would be much better. I play doubles. IMO a racquet which closely resemble the mp99, if I can recall how it plays, is at900t which I also own. But the mp99 might be a bit easier to manuevre than the 900t.
Personally, I think MP99 should be easily to be obtained for the next few years, through local or online resources. Therefore, if she loves MP99, just get it or a few if $$$ is not an issue. Everything will come to an end sooner or later, but there's no point to worry about it like 3-5 yrs in advance. By then, there should be other new alternate solutions coming by itself.
To date, for me, nothing beats quality graphite with a balance and shaft stiffness to match the player's perference.
Lots but mostly older rackets: Astec: Pro 850 RSL: 4900, 5900, Diamond X-1 SOTX Woven 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12 Victor: PW 11 and PW12 Yonex:Ti10, MP88, MP99, MP100 There are probably a few more but those come to mind. The new "nano" rackets for me feel "hollow" relatively speaking. They are not as stable, not as solid.
Personally I feel the AT500 is quite similar too although it's a bit on the heavy side but then since you're including MP100 and Ti-10 I guess it's fair. The MP88 would've been good for her, I personally think many players are using stiff or extra stiff racquets because it's top of the line but aren't really well suited for it.
The at500 was one of my favourite racquet until I lost it one day. Frankly speaking it is nowhere close to mp99 even though it was a 4u
IMO, AT500 is similar in charactoristics (power, control, manuverability, etc) but the feel is completely different. Also, the sweetspot on the MP99 is lower on the face, so it's hard to adjust.
