hope you could be the 1st one to try currently 88 hole frame: http://squashmart.myweb.hinet.net/XPQ88.JPG (these are just trial sample, not ready to launch recently)
Thanks for the pictures, now string it and let us know how it plays! The finish is very good, which is something I value a lot. I also wonder about why the bigger frame? It appears much larger than the MX80.
Yea well it is certainly longer than mx80's frame. Too bad im going to relax in florida for 2 weeks, but i will post a review after
received the Xp70, very nice. The head of 295bp 83g feels much heavier and solid than the red Pro9000 295bp 83g. It seems that it is a very powerful offensive racket but I don't have a chance to try in this year.
Interesting... xp series look sleeker and more aerodynamic than pro 9000, so would've thought the reverse.
Hi Eric, my first impression of PRO9000 is great and after a few mths of using it, it is still awesome and is my go to racquet. Quite keen to get the bp 310mm one if you do consider releasing it in future !
RKEP Professional XP-70 Review The RKEP racket range has always been something that has intrigued me. On several occasions I've came close to purchasing either the Pro 6000 or 9000, but have decided that I didn't really need another racket. I've purchased now on a number of occasions from Eric, and the service has always been first class. The RKEP grips that I've purchased have also been great quality, and there really is nothing I can say against them in a negative manner. As many will know already, I'm a long time Victor fan. Their product quality is always very impressive and their rackets are excellent, I've been a user of the SuperWaves 35 racket for almost 3 years now, and I've found nothing that has came close for my preferences in that time. The Meteor X80 did come close though, for me, there was something just missing, possibly it being a bit too stiff. Recently, I had been looking to try something new, but can't really justify spending £120-170 on a racket when the one I already use is perfect for me) Onto the racket in question, the XP-70 is designed to be similar to the MX-70 from Victor. This is one of the things that lured me into trying. After experience with the MX-80 frame, it was definitely something I felt had potential to work for me. The 80 grommet frame was something that intrigued me from the start, but I felt that with a reduction of stiffness, it might give me a bit more whip. This is all theory, written before testing. On to the review. To keep things fair, I tested the racket using my standardised gripping and string/tension. Frame: RKEP XP-70 Frame Weight: 85g (unstrung) Balance Point: 295mm (unstrung) String: Victor VS-850 Tension: 26lbs Grip: (original grip removed and replaced with RKEP Towel Grip) As usual, parcel came promptly and well protected. 4 days to travel over 6000 miles at this time of year, is really good, as I didn't think I'd get it before Christmas. Initially, on taking the rackets out the box, I thought they were potentially too light for me, however after setting them up to how I like them, it turns out this isn't the case. Now I've only got about 2 hours of testing done so far but here's some initial thoughts. Firstly, the frame is as thick as the MX80, just from general swinging, you can feel this thing is quick. Definitely quicker (whippier) than the SW35 and MX80. It's not as stiff as either of the two Victor rackets I've mentioned either. Starting off just clearing baseline to baseline with this racket is easy as it is with all good quality rackets. The "lightness" that I referred to earlier doesn't seem to have any negative effect on the power aspect. Moved on to playing some net shots which again there was a nice touch and feel around the net. Moved on to some singles games after this. I was interested to see how the racket would perform in a game like situations. The racket packs a relatively good punch, comparing its frame and overall weight it performs really well. The one thing that I was impressed with was the defensive capabilities. It's quick (sometimes too quick) as i haven't fully adjusted yet, making defensive play really quite straightforward. Quicker than both the MX80 and SW35 in this aspect here. For those who only play doubles out there, this racket I reckon would excel in flat play. At first when I took it out the package I felt it was maybe a doubles only racket due to its weight, but so far I feel more than comfortable using in singles play. I'm not going to do some generic number rating here, I will try and compare it with some of my other rackets though, just take the comparisons as my opinion only though. Power: SW35>AT700>MX80=XP70>NS9900>AT900T Swing Speed: NS9900>XP70>AT900T>MX80>SW35>AT700 Ease of use: XP70>AT900T>SW35>NS9900>MX80>AT700 So, potential to replace SW35? Maybe, it's too early to tell yet, but I'll definitely be buying some more XP70's when they come back into stock in the New Year!
resistance is futile ....hopefully ill be reviewing one at then end of the week... compared to mx70, pro 9000 of same specs
Excellent review. Too bad you have no experience with the pro9000, I have been keen to see if there are enough differences to justify buying this racket.
Look forward to your analysis I would just give it a go if I was you, you're not really losing a lot money wise if you don't like it. I think one of the reasons I like it, is because it feels like a quicker easier to use MX80. The MX80 is extremely stiff. The XP70 while being stiff is not in the same level of stiffness. Combine this with it being lighter than my MX80, and we have a nice easy to use racket. Like I said, give it a go Edit: I'm tempted still with the PRO9000, but then I'm more interested in buying a lot more XP-70's
I am actually interested in the XP80. I already have a MX70 for singles games, it is stiffer than the Pro9000. I find that when I smash with the MX70 a lot in doubles games, my elbow would hurt. I don't really want a MX70 replica.
I think that I could answer that: his XP70 is 85g 295mm BP but most VICTOR racket is actually much heavier than they stated 3U mostly is between 88-93g 4U mostly is between 85-88g
