Boris Becker Delta Core Melbourne racquet
Been hitting with this fella over the last few weeks......
Stock spec is around 341g/7pts hl/ 320sw/ 20mm beam
new modded spec after a bit of tinkering Im now at 367g /32,2cm balance /360sw (8g added between 11-1 in hoop, dampener (2g) overgrip (7g) lead top of handle (9g)) strung with solinco tour bite @49lbs (strings up tight feels like 55lbs)
These were my initial thoughts.........
Had a short hit with a coach who used to have a few atp points this morning.....
Initial thoughts were all about feel and it did not disappoint, very similar to my volkl dnx 10 mids, the feel is old skool graphite, crisp, slightly raw with the tour bite, loads of feedback, you know exactly how well and where you have hit the ball.
My second thought was stiffness, its stiffer than my mids a very compact feel that is great for groundies, it never feels like you get into trouble on the backswing, hard to describe, hits thro your opponents spin, feels like its made of steel but its really comfortable with that volkl softness. Specs say 64ra but it feels closer to 60 imo.
A number of reviews have talked about the low power and dense pattern, well, its not low powered at all its a beast, reminds me of k95 kinda power off the ground without the arm kill. Loads of spin, the stringbed is not particularly dense, i was getting the same spin i do from my open patterned mids. Overlapped the two rackets are not too different. The headsize doesnt feel 98 it feels much smaller in a good way but feels its full size when hitting from the back, very penetrating heavy ball, very noticable, as I said its a bit of a beast.
Volleys great, just so stable, serves bombs, deffo a Becker stick. Slice backhands were unreal. Control as you would expect. Amazing stick!
Its like Becker has taken the power and grunt of the 6.1 line, the manouverability and CAP grommet stability of a prestige, the feel and refinement of a volkl and made the DC Melbourne.
Im playing so well atm with my dnx mids so Im not just gonna switch, it was a short session today so need extra hours and matchplay but all I can say is that its the same as my mids but with some extra grunt and solidness. A true allcourt/S&V players stick if you've got the game.
Had a few more sessions and a couple of matches and everything is still as Ive said, Ive taken a bit of weight off the hoop ( a gram or two) when playing in cold, windy conditions and this has helped with manouverability as your body gets slower but when the weather is ok I will add it back on.
I wasnt really looking for a new racket after playing so well with my dnx 10 mids, read some reviews and the Melbourne seemed like a bigger headed brother so I thought id give it a try, its good to have the extra forgiveness when playing quality, heavy hitters. I used my mids alongside the Melly yesterday and there is a noticable oomph difference, I was hitting slightly long but my tension has dropped and I need to restring. Im very taken with this stick now, my go to racket.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Tim Prapong on
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I was wondering a lot about this racquet. Too bad they've discontinued it already over here in the U.S.. I might've tried it and made the switch. They're selling them for $99 at my shop already! The guy at the shop told me it was a better Prestige Mid and I was like, "Really?" I see on the TW racquet power map application it has alot more sweet spot and power. Thing looks gorgeous. Those are probably the mods I would use on my racquet, Meags, minus the dampener and overgrip.
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Permalink Reply by Meags on
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There is some discussion on the other popular tennis site about why the melbourne hasn't done so well. Imo it has a lot of competition. The 6.1, the prestige line, pure storm tours etc etc, any players MP.......plus the fact that beckers are not so popular in the US. Also its been designed by and for Becker himself which will be considered somewhat old school, it has a dense pattern which goes against volkl/becker new 98" models.
I will have to find out if there will be a new melbourne as I'm very impressed. I've used a prestige mid for a while alongside my vantage over the past couple of years and I can see the relationship but it its definitely more powerful and the string pattern its more open. Its the best all court stick I've used.
I've already been offered a couple for $115 each so I may get back to you tim :)
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Yeah, you would save $30 bucks, but then the shipping to the U.K. is going to kill that savings. Unless those you were offered were already used. What grip size were you thinking?
I have 5 Prestige Mids which I love to death. But I had a great hit with the IG Extreme Pro. It's totally against my usual philosophy on racquets, but I got such a monstrous kick serve out of the stick. lol
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I'm grip 3, $99 its roughly £65 which is half price over here. Shipping and tax take its toll tho......
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Oh, I didn't know you meant 115 pounds. Well, then you would save quite a bit! I'll check the shop tomorrow and see if there are two L3s.
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Hey, so I tried this racquet this afternoon for the first time. I started with it stock with Dunlop Synthetic Gut 16 mains (59) and Alu Power cross (56). I thought to string it lower because I read the TW thread and saw you posted there. So it began pretty board like and there wasn't much power. I didn't like the handle shape, even though it was 4-1/4.
So I took out my pack of lead and ran lead all the way lengthwise along the bevel 1 and bevel 5 down the handle, from buttcap to the top. That solved the handle shape problem big time.
Then I put the same amount of lead at 10 and 2 o'clock. Now, it was a BEAST on groundstrokes!! My Western forehand had a great deal of drive and flattened out, and every time it had a loud walloping sound. Same for my semiwestern backhand. I must've been hitting more than 5 mph faster! And the slice backhand was downright outrageous how low I could drive it.
The only thing is on serves, I was losing some racquet head speed, because of the amount of lead on top. I still serve a good deal better with my Prestige Mid, because I can really whip that 93 head around. This racquet doesn't whip as much for me, but feels like a wide paddle. Well, I'll try to remove some lead at the top and see how it goes next time.
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You're also right about the feel, that it's like steel. That Delta Core material is outrageously stiff and where they place it in the hoop. I think it really makes for less deflection and increases the saber like quality of slashing through the ball at a much lighter weight. The other racquet that comes to mind is the Wilson K 90 for that pure slash/steel feel. The new Fed Pro Staff 90 also has that feel but to a lesser degree, mixed in with a dampened feel.
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There are attiva pallets you can buy that are rounder but I didn't think that would bother you so much as they are not dissimilar to Heads pallet shape.
Maybe put on a cushioned grip or some lighter tape along the bevels instead of lead which means you can take some less off the hoop and keep a nice balance.
I have took a fair bit of lead off the hoop and now have probably 6-8g total in the hoop. I understand that it may be a little unwieldy with you being a little smaller tim but for me it serves absolute bombs! Groundies are great yeah, flattening out and hitting through your opponent is easy but the spin from the dense pattern is surprising. I've been doing a string test of late looking for a slightly softer co poly with a bit more feel than tour bite, its going well, I'll report back later with some surprising results from much cheaper strings. Especially pros pro hexaspin twist....
Good luck with the melbourne, prob getting the grip right will give you more room to get mods right.
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I know that guy "Tennis Maverick" keeps suggesting athletic tape because it is lighter incrementally and can be removed easily. But aesthetically not real nice to look at. :p
Well, yeah, I have a problem with 98 head size when I lead it up. It's harder for me to lift it than a 93 at the same static weight. I like my balance to be at 310 mm, so I might have to remove some lead at the tip and some in the handle,as you suggest and see how it goes.
Let me know about hexaspin twist. I like my usual hybrid, but I'm definitely going to get another Melbourne to fool around with strings.
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I love Head handles, but that Becker handle drives me nuts! lol I'll ask the shop if they have Attiva pallets.
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Attiva are rounder so you may not like that?
Head are the most rectangular, I thought bb and volkl were very close in shape, what's giving you grief?
Ah 31 cm that's about 10 pts hl, did your melbourne come in 340g 7pts hl stock ? So you'll have too add more weight to get your balance right. That's unfortunate. My preferred balance its around 32cm so it actually works out well for me.
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No, I won't like rounder. I like rectangular, Head style because it is more "oval", I can run my thumb back and forth across a smaller bevel 1 and make a more extreme grip change.
When I put lead on bevel 1 and 5 on the Becker handle, it makes it more oval. I might even throw some more lead and double layer it there by the hand, so the balance will change.
I could like a racquet at 31.5 cm balance. 32 is okay, but I don't get the whip effect as much. Gasquet is around 10 pts HL from what I've read.
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