Today I’ll review the Yonex EZONE 98 tour and compare it to the Yonex Ezone 98 305 2020.
The Yonex EZONE 98 tour is one of the famous Yonex racquets.
After reading this article you will get to know all the characteristics as well as the pros and the cons of this amazing racquet.
Yonex Ezone 98 tour Quick review
If you are in a hurry and you don’t wanna read the full Yonex EZONE 98 tour review, we made it easy for you, just read this quick review to check out the characteristics of this amazing racquet.
| Head Size | 98 in² / 632 cm² |
| Length | 27in / 69cm |
| Strung Weight | 11.7 oz / 332 g |
| Unstrung Weight | 11.1 oz / 315 g |
| Balance | 12.99 in 33 cm |
| Swingweight | 330 |
| String Pattern | 16 Mains / 19 Crosses |
| Power | 8.7 |
| Serves | 8.8 |
| Control | 8.7 |
| Groundstrockes | 8.8 |
| Maneuverability | 7.9 |
| Returns | 8.9 |
| Stability | 8.6 |
| Slice | 8.8 |
| Comfort | 9.0 |
| Topspin | 8.5 |
| Touch/Feel | 8.9 |
| Volleys | 8.9 |
| Overall | 8.7 |
| Pros | Cons |
|
✅Powerful shots. ✅Great Control ✅Good stability. |
⛔ Hard to control for beginners. |
Who is The Yonex Ezone 98 tour For
Yonex EZONE 98 tour is for intermediate and advanced players who are looking for a controlled racquet with a solid feel and a nice spin potential.
The Yonex EZONE 98 tour generally lives up to the hype for how it was promoted but be warned this racquet is not for the faint of heart if you want this to work for you make sure that 330 swing weights are not foreign to you this is definitely a player’s frame and should not be purchased without that consideration strong at a low tension with a spin-friendly poly.
Yonex Ezone 98 tour Specs
specs
The Yonex EZONE 98 tour is a heavier version of the Yonex Ezone 98 and comes in at 315 grams unstrung, a 33-millimeter balance which is around four points headlight with a 16 nine-inch ring pattern, and the average swing weight is at 330g.
Yonex claims that the Yonex EZONE 98 tour is made up of a softer layup and whether that’s true or not or if it’s just added weight to the frame is debatable as they’re both currently listed at 64 RA.
I think Yonex has achieved what they set out to with the frame that’s geared towards high intermediates to advanced players the 305-gram version had some insane raw power but it was hard to control for long rallies and not for a sustainable period of time whilst making contact with the center of the racquet you would get a nice plush response anything on the outer hoop would send some slight shock through your wrist and at the stock weight it was not that great in terms of stability in my opinion.
Yonex Ezone 98 tour Full review
feel and stiffness
for the feel and stiffness the 305 felt only good within the center the tool maintains a similar plushness but throughout the entire string bed creating a much more dampened feel the only con I would say that it is a more muted feel but not as much as a blade version 7 and something along the lines of the pure strike gen 3.
personally, I’m not bothered by it but there are people that will not like it very much I always play with a dampener but the Ezone tour is probably one of the racquets I would say that is more enjoyable to play with that one
overall I think the comfort has improved quite a lot but if you have wrist or elbow issues you should aim for lower tensions hybrid setups or softer polish to be on the safer side I have wrist issues but the pure strike gen 3 is totally comfortable rack for me with the right string and tension and the same goes for the Yonex EZONE 98 tour and actually, I had a lot more issues with the 305 instead
power
the power is maintained if you swing these 330 plus swing weight racquets at full speed if you can’t handle the weight you will find a lower-powered response in comparison to three or five but if you insist on using it I would recommend lowering the tension on what you usually play however the upside is that with the added swing weight there is a ton of increased plow through.
Spin potential
surprisingly topspin potential for me felt very mediocre if I use the firmer string like head links tour it was a little bit better with poly tour pro but it wasn’t that kind of heavy paced spin so I would recommend using a spin-friendly poly to make up for it the launch angle is about what you’d expect from general open patterns and as for slice it was easy to get depth but it was nothing too special.
control
this brings us to the biggest difference between the Yonex Ezone 98 and the Yonex EZONE 98 tour I was far more in control and I was able to hone in that power and shots were so much more predictable and the kind that you would expect from an actual Yonex Ezone 98 unlike the 305 where it was entirely difficult to keep any longer rallies and I would continually overheat way more than any other racquet I’ve ever used on power shots.
Serves
honestly, both Yonex EZONE 98 tour and Yonex Ezone 98 are great for serving but the tour had much more plow through from the swing weight in my opinion it makes one of the best serving racquets above 95 square inches next to the prestige mp and the blade v7 did not take me long at all to start dialing in my serve hitting my spots and hitting with heavy pace something that I struggled with the extreme tour.
Stability & forgiveness
the second biggest difference was the stability it was so stable throughout all the contact points in the frame and had a much larger sweet spot making a very forgiving racquet off-center shorts were just as plush as the center and I never felt any of that firmness that I did on the outer hoop as I did with the Yonex Ezone 98.
Volleys
The Yonex EZONE 98 tour made it a joy to volley with because I thought the added swing weight vastly improved the feel and stability didn’t really ever shaken my hand and handled heavier shots really well and the improved response also provides you with the touch and finesse that you need.
maneuverability
For me, maneuverability is where it lacked a lot already being over 335 grams and almost up to 340 grams with an overgrip and dampener four points headlight was not something comfortable for me and I don’t like to bring up the tail weight to improve the balance because extra static weight tends to slow me down too much.
I’m usually accustomed to 20-millimeter beams so to me this is considered a thick beam and you need a good deal of strength and a fully capable swing to really get the best out of this frame.
surprisingly serves and volleys were fine for me but my one-handed backhand struggles and with over one and a half hours in a single play session I became quite sluggish it’s nothing that you couldn’t fix by using the racquet full time for a month but for me, that was probably the hardest thing about The Yonex EZONE 98 tour.
summary
in summary, The Yonex EZONE 98 tour is essentially what the original 305 was hyped up to be something that could potentially replace any old dr98 fans that found it too hard or too expensive to get their hands on new ones.
You can get a racquet that plays reminiscent of a combination between the dr-98 and the dr-98 plus a mid-powered frame with an amazingly plush feel excellent stability and an absolute beast to serve with while some may argue it’s nowhere near as good I think this is one to look at given the way the last two 305 releases have gone.
Alternatives to The Yonex Ezone 98 tour
Graphene 360+ Gravity Pro
This racquet is a good alternative to the Yonex Ezone 98 tour, it’s an arm-friendly racquet with a great balance and stability it’s also easy to control, with its 100-square inch head size and 332g swing weight this racquet generate a good amount of power.
| Pros | Cons |
|
✅More Power. ✅Great Control ✅Good stability. |
⛔ Nothing we could agree on. |
Tecnifibre tf40 305
This frame is for players who are looking for a racquet with a classic feel but still perfect for the modern game, it’s an extremely comfortable racquet with a great mix of power and control.This racquet is a perfect choice for intermediate tennis players who are looking for more control to improve their tennis game.
| Pros | Cons |
|
✅Connected feel. ✅Great Control ✅Good stability. |
⛔ Nothing we could agree on. |
Head Graphene 360+ Speed Pro
This racquet is a great option for advanced players who are looking for a mix of control and power, it’s one of the famous racquets in the market and it’s a good alternative to the Yonex Vcore 97 HD.
The Head graphene 360-speed pro provides easy access to spin with good maneuverability it’s not powerful as the other racquets but for someone who is looking for more control, this may be the best choice.
| Pros | Cons |
|
✅more control and power. ✅good maneuverability ✅ Create more spin. |
⛔Nothing we could agree on.
|
Wilson ultra tour
This racquet offers a great level of comfort and stability, it’s a perfect choice for players who want more control, It has a combination of the classic feel with the control-oriented performance with the speed needed for the modern game.
| Pros | Cons |
|
✅Great Feel ✅More control ✅Arm friendly |
⛔ Underpowered |
Summary
So guys Here is the complete review of the Yonex EZONE 98 tour, which part of this article do you like most? Let me know in the comment section!
Now is your turn to pick one up and to take your game to the next level.
And don’t forget “Talk with your racquet, play with your heart”.