Customer feedback on ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G Racquets

Comments: I bought a Kinetic 5G and really like it. My elbows no longer hurt after long playing and it is a good all-around racquet. From: Juris Krikis, Riga, Latvia 2/03 Comments: I suffered from wrist injury when playing soccer. My wrist hurts so much that I stopped playing for 6 months. The resting period help but more importantly, the ProKennex 5G cured the wound. There is significantly less pain when playing with the 5G than with my regular Yonex RD-50. The 5G is a bit too head light to generate the power and control I used to have. I put a little lead tape on the racquet side and it is just a sweet racquet to play with now. For those with wrist/arm problems, this racquet does help to improves your condition. Now that my wrist is almost 100%, I have a tough time choosing between my good old reliable RD-50 or my wrist saver, 5G. One thing though, the string pattern of the 5G is a bit denser than you did expect from a 16x20 racquet, so string with 17gauge strings is more suitable. From: Patrick, China 1/03 Comments: One word, "COMFORTABLE". For anyone who has gotten any wrist or elbow problems from long hours of playing tennis, you've got to give this racquet a go. From: Alan, Vallejo, CA. USA 1/03 String type and tension: Tecnifibre NRG 16g. @ 64lbs. Comments: I have played with the 5G for about 9 months. I had been using a Yonex Ti 700 but had tennis elbow problems (age 42- playing 3-4x/wk). With the 5G, I string it at 64lbs but use a soft string, Tecnifibre NRG2, 17 gauge. I find it has ample power and excellent control. The only shot I have trouble with is hitting the sweet spot on my returns of serve, against a hard server. No arm troubles anymore so I got what I needed from this racquet. 4.5 all court game From: Paul, Burbank, CA. USA 10/02 String type and tension: Tecnifibre NRG2 17g. @ 64lbs. Comments: This 5g racquet stands true to what researchers say. I recently switched from Babolat Pure Control due to elbow problems (too heavy on the swing while serving). 5g gave me the answer. This racquet is considered heavy & very headlight, which sacrifices power on your serve. Yet, you can solve that by juicing it up w/ lead weights at 10 & 2 o'clock. I added 6 grams (total) on the head and served as strong as my previous Babolat. 5g is worth buying or if not, worth trying. An A++++++ racquet From: Paul, Hillside, NJ. USA 9/02 String type and tension: Wilson Adrenaline 16g. @ 60lbs. Comments: I bought the ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G in 1999 to replace a Wilson Pro Staff 6.0. I like it very much. It has a good balance of power and control and absorbs shock better than any racquet I have used. I tried the 2002 model and was very disappointed. I can feel much more shock and vibration and I think they changed the material. From: John, Los Angeles, CA. USA 9/02 Comments: A previous contributor warned against stringing the ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G over 60#. As for my experience, I have been playing with the 5G strung at 65# for nearly two years and have never experienced a problem with structural frame damage. I am a heavy hitter and love how the 5G tames my groundstrokes -- making them more consistent. However, I do have one problem with the racquet. I have lost nearly 10mph on my serve and cannot seem to understand why this is happening. I can rip serves with a Babolat Pure Drive and the like but the overall control, accuracy and consistency that the 5G gives my overall game is just too significant to give up. After all, you can still ace your opponent with a well placed 105mph serve rather than the less consistent 120mph serves. One more thing, I currently adjusted my 5Gs with lead tape to suit my needs. You may want to try the same ... Oh, and my arm has never felt better thanks to the kinetic technology ... It sounds like a gimmick, but I am glad to report it really works! From: Hector, Maitland, FL. USA 9/02 String type and tension: Gamma Extreme Spin 19g. @ 65lbs. Comments: I got a USRSA certification in 1989, and have been stringing racquets ever since. The 5G has a nice feel, but I caution you to avoid the upper end of the the string tension range. The frame just can't take it. Over the years, I've seen more Pro Kennex structural failures than Head, Prince, and Wilson combined. My mixed doubles partner uses the 5G, but has had two of them self destruct in the past year. (They fail in the hoop at about the four o'clock position.) She doesn't hit that hard. The frame just can't handle more than 60 pounds. Stay around 55 to 60 pounds and you should be OK. From: Tom, Denver, CO. USA 8/02 String type and tension: Prince Synthetic Gut Duraflex 16g. 55-60lbs. Comments: I previously used the Prince Titanium Approach and unlike most of your reviewers had no elbow problems - I just get bored of rackets after about 5 years ! The ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G is similar, a player's racket that does what you tell it to do and no more. I reduced the string tension to increase power but have made no other adjustments to my game. Karen from LA was ill-advised to buy such a racket given she has a short swing. I love it. From: Toby, Richmond, England 8/02 String type and tension: Gamma Live Wire XP 16 @ 55lbs Comments: Joint problems? Join the ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G club. I love this racquet! If you are a hard-hitting player with ache, this 5G is worth a trial. Pain will be your past. I had to make a few adjustments before I got comfortable with the racquet. My gradings: Volley:A+; Baseline:A-; Serving:B-; Control:A; Power:c. Power is on the weak side; but if you crank it up it will deliver the pace! Excellent feel and control. This racquet has potential. From: Song, CA. USA 8/02 Comments: I've been playing with ProKennex racquets for 20 years. When my last model "died", I tried out almost every other brand on the market. Wilson Hammer series came close but nothing could compare and I bought the ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G. I am extremely satisfied and can recommend this to any player that likes to generate his or her own pace. Heavy hitters will enjoy the control this racquet provides. It's also great for volleys. I'm a 5.0 NTRP rated player. From: Emilia, Jackson, MS. USA 6/02 String type and tension: Wilson Extreme Control 16g @ 63lbs. Comments: I have major shoulder problems caused by tennis. I tried the Wilson Triad 4.0 thinking the triad technology would dampen the vibration and help me, but my shoulder still hurt. I tried the ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G and now I can play all I want with no problems at all. This racquet is head light and heavy (11.5 ounces) which is what you want if you have arm problems - see raquetresearch.com. The micro-pellets really absorb the shock when you hit and make the impact feel "soft". ANYONE with arm problems should at least try this frame - I tried the 15G too but had problems with that because it was head heavy. From: Paul, La Crosse, WI. USA 6/02 String type and tension: Gamma TNT Rx 17g. @ 60lbs. Comments: The ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G is truly a player's racquet. Despite the "dampened" feel, the Kennex offers sufficient power for most players. In addition, this racquet is the most comfortable player's racquet I have ever felt. Serves felt wonderful yet lacked enough "umph." This power shortage was very easily made up on the superior power gain on groundstrokes. This racquet is for someone who wants to attack the ball, rather than let the racquet do all the work. If you are this kind of hitter and wants an amazingly stable and comfortable racquet, the ProKennex 5g is for you. From: Jesse, Bainbridge Island, WA. ÜSA 6/02 Comments: Wilson ProStaff 7.1 was my very first tennis racquet, and although having a great overall feel, it proved to be too 'hardcore' for a 17 year-old beginner. In an attempt to find a perfectly suitable racquet for myself I tested a few racquets and learned to specify my needs. I went and turned Tennis Warehouse upside down and fell in love with Yonex MP-5i HS. The MP-5i was a bit too costly of a choice so I looked out for similar racquets and found the ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G. I didn't hesitate with the decision and bought one, without even demoing it! Luckily enough, I wasn't disappointed with the racquet at all. On the contrary, I found it very easy to adapt to. Impacts feel more comfortable than with the ProStaff, even though I never had problems with joints when playing with ProStaff at all. But I guess there's no such thing as a flawless racquet, on flaw is my serves feel somewhat powerless. This seems a bit odd as I used to hit aces every once in a while with my ProStaff and I have definitely developed myself in that area since then. The other glitch is that I can't generate enough spin to keep the ball on court when hitting the ball hard, but I guess it's nothing that a set of thinner strings couldn't fix. In the end, I have been a happy owner of a Kinetic Pro 5G for more than a year and wouldn't trade it for another racquet too easily. From: Janne, Oulu, Finland 6/02 String type and tension: Head Intellistring 16L @ 58lbs. Comments:I've been using the ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G 2001 now for about 4 months. I previously used the old Wilson Hammer 2.7. I've a moderate swing and like my racket to generate the power. To me this racket has a very dampened, really tinny feel to it, I find myself having to generate all the power myself, unlike my old Wilson. It's great on your elbows and wrists, but overall, I'm not happy. From: Karen, Los Angeles, Ca. USA 5/02 Comments: Add me to the growing list of true-believers in The ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G 2001. After having developed acute tennis elbow from using a lighter, stiffer, head heavy racquet I was forced to consider alternatives. Although Triad technology from Wilson did dampen a lot of the shock, it also removed too much feel. Like others on this list, I reviewed www.racquetresearch.com and other sites that all listed The ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G 2001 as the absolute best racquet for tennis elbow sufferers. Candidly, my devotion to more established brand names like Wilson and Prince made me hesitant to consider the Kinetic Pro 5G. Finally, worn down by the feedback from Tennis Warehouse customers, I demoed the Pro 5G and was blown away. The following morning, for the first time in 6 months my arm not only did not hurt as much as usual, it actually felt much better. I have just bought a couple and look forward to forgetting about tennis elbow. The ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G 2001 is a great combination = a players racquet that is therapeutic for your arm. From: Will, Jacksonville, FL. USA 5/02 String type and tension: Wilson NXT 17g. @ 61lbs. Comments: The best one-word summary of the ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G 2001 is this: "SWEET". Like many of the folks here, I came to the 5g because of tennis elbow problems. I had been using a Prince TT Attitude Oversize for about a month, and it was killing my elbow. Every mis-hit was zapping my arm, and it got to the point where I feared hitting a backhand. (The Attitude was fine for serving and at the net, however it's an okay racquet if your arm can survive it.) I would recommend the ProKennex 5g for just about any relatively experienced tennis player, bad or good arm. A lot of people call it a "player's" racquet, and I disagree with that. It's not particularly powerful, but it isn't weak. And power isn't hard to generate because you can simple whack away at the ball and it goes where you want it. The control is excellent. That's what makes this racquet a blast; you can swing away, crush the ball, and still keep control, and your arm feels almost no shock, even on mis-hits. Another thing about power: The 5g is more powerful than the Attitude on baseline groundstrokes, because it is so much easier to take a full swing. I am much better at the baseline with this racquet. It is a very easy racquet to adapt to -- that's why I think even relative beginners would have no problem with it. I have my racquet strung at 52lbs, the lowest tension, and I still get great control. At that tension, the power is plenty adequate. The head-light design is very maneuverable at the net. And at 11.7oz, the weight is easily manageable. The Attitude made me grimace. This racquet makes me smile. The one negative -- I can't generate much speed on the serve. I'm still working on the optimum swing and spin. From: David, Charlotte, NC. USA 5/02 String type and tension: Gamma TNT 16g. @ 52lbs. Comments: I'm a 4.0 NTRP level player who incurred a severe wrist injury a year ago during a match. I was playing with a Head Ti. S6. Although I can't say for certain if it was the racquet's fault, after getting advice from a few stringers, I decided to look for a "safer" player’s racquet. I read the reviews on the ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G 2001 and decided to try it. It took some getting used to (the feel is totally different from the Head), but now I truly like this racquet. I've since picked up a 2nd one. I have to generate the pace more myself, but I always liked to take full swings anyway - and now I hit with power AND CONTROL. My technique on my groundstrokes has actually improved since I no longer have to try to 'hold back' on my shots (and I'm still getting plenty of aces with my serve). Also, the wrist has only gotten better since switching to the 5G. This is a very good racquet - I highly recommend it. From: Joe, Milford, CT. USA 4/02 String type and tension: Gamma TNT 18 @ 60lbs. Comments: The ProKennex Kinetic Pro 5G 2001 is a great racquet! I never thought you could have good power and great control off the same frame but this is the racquet that gives it all, including great comfort to the arm. I like to hit hard with a lot of topspin from both sides from baseline and this racquet fits the bill perfectly. It also helps my volleys due to nice controllable power in the racquet. From: Dan, Brooklyn Park, MN. USA 4/02 String type and tension: Prince Topspin Plus 16g.