I can only use qualitative analysis, but I feel the difference between the two grips and its affect on the balance of the racket is very noticable. original "finger" balance point of AT500: Before the 5 in the "Armortec 500" logo. towel grip I tried used towel grip for a few weeks over my original grip, and while it felt fatter and more comfy, I could never generate much power or racket speed. You can check out a thread about my net play somewhere in the general forum. I couldn't smash as fast as the older, cheaper racket that my sister let me borrow. I didn't feel quick on smash catching/driving either. Additionally, I felt like I was putting a strain on my wrist/forearem during "wristy" shots which require quick pronation/supination and a loose wrist. I never experienced this with my sister's old racket (which had only grap on it too). balance point: the last zero in the "Armortec 500" logo on the shaft. yonex grap While the grip with thinner and I bit more uncomfortable, I decided I could bare with it (size wise). The reason is, I have an AT500 4U/G5, and my hand is a little bit bigger than what is optimal for a G5. anyway...the reason I changed to grap was the racket balance. balance point: the 5 in the "Armortec 500" logo on the shaft. I didn't think it would really affect me too much since I still had a head-heavy racket. After reading a lot of posts about this, I just had this idea that there wouldn't be too much of a performance change. But I wanted to experiment and see the differences anyway. I was very wrong. Using the grap with as little overlap as possible (I had about 1ft+ of grap left from 1 of 3 pieces), the balance point changes only slightly to the number five in "500." I played today, and my smashes were more powerful than ever (the results I expected with the racket originally) and my net play and catches were much quicker and less straining to all parts of my arm (wrist, forearm, and shoulder cuff). Personally, I surprised myself since I generated an relatively extreme amount of speed with a yonex mavis 500 plastic shuttle. conclusion I wrote this whole analysis very quickly because I'm just excited to let it all out. My power is back. Reason? By adding more weight to the grip, even though you still have the original weight of the head, you also add weight near the pivot point of the racket (your wrist area) and it makes it MUCH harder to accelerate the head-heaviness that the racket was designed for. If anything, I would want to get a G3 or G4 in the future and sell the one, but for now, its fine. As I originally believed before I bought the racket, it's very important to choose a grip size that fits you, because adding or layering more grips is not the answer. You will disrupt the balance and I fully stand behind my statments since I play about 4-5 times a week. I am so ecstatic about this...I hope it was informative to everyone. please look at the pic uploaded for your visual/conceptual convenience
What is the balance point of your racquet. Use the blunt edge of a pocket knife to balance your racquet and then measure it from the butt end. The AT-500 is a head-heavy racquet and the balance point is somewhere around 30.5cm. You can still use a towel grip. To use it you must strip away your original grip. Do not overlap the towel grip and stretch the grip as you wrap it. Estimate the length of the towel grip, weigh it, and then compare its weight with the stripped original grip. If it is still heavier than the original grip, then take out the butt cap with a stapler remover, and then take out some glue from the hole in the handle to reduce the weight. The glue taken out from the handle plus the weight of the original grip should roughly be about the same as the new towel grip. Replacing the butt cap is just as easy; you just use the original 4-5 staples to lock the cap again. I do this all the time for friends who can be persuaded. I suggest you experiment with different balance points before deciding on one that is suitable for you. You can do this experiment by using plasticine weighing 0.5gm per piece and place them on the butt end. You can increase this butt end weight by 0.5gm increment, starting with 0.5gm first.
could you illustrate some of that? hów do you remove the green-cap? how do you put it back in? i got an mp 77(already broken) without teh but cap..but all i see is wood and white-plastic..
