Artengo TR960 Control Tour 16 x 19 Review & Playtest

After playtesting the Artengo TR960 Precision racket, the subsequent racket from the Decathlon I made a decision to check out was the Artengo TR960 Management Tour 16 x 19.

The TR960 Management Tour is Artengo’s ‘superior’ participant body and is utilized by Gael Monfils, albeit in an 18 x 20 sample and customised to his spec.

As a fan and person of the Wilson Professional Workers 97 V13, the TR960 is my type of racket because it’s headlight, skinny beamed and straightforward to swing, so I used to be wanting ahead to making an attempt it.

Given it has a price ticket of $159.99 or £99.99, how would it not examine to different flagship choices just like the Professional Workers, Pure Strike, Status and many others.? Let’s have a look.

Artengo TR960 Management Tour Cosmetics & Design

GET THE ARTENGO TR960 CONTROL TOUR

Like most of Artengo’s rackets, the TR960 Management Tour is a straightforward design, with black being the dominant color of the body, offset by a metallic gray across the throat space and a few small purple particulars.

I like easy colour-blocking designs, and the TR960 has a cultured look. It’s a bit Professional Workers-esque and appears like a premium racket.

The form of the ring is fairly much like a few of Wilson and Head Professional Inventory rackets, which isn’t any actual shock given Monfils transitioned to Artengo from Wilson.

General it’s a slick design, and whereas it gained’t bounce off the racket wall like some designs on the market, it’s nonetheless one that can catch your eye.

Artengo TR960 Management Tour Specification

The TR960 Management Tour comes unstrung with a weight of 305g and a stability of 31.5mm. This can be a very headlight racket mixed with the skinny 22m straight beam design; it’s fast by means of the air and straightforward to manoeuvre.

Earlier than I evaluation any racket, I be aware of the specs as a part of a high quality management examine noting the unstrung weight, stability and swingweight after which taking the identical specs when I’ve strung it.

Those that learn my TR960 Precision racket review will know there was a considerable swingweight discrepancy, however the TR960 Management Tour was bang on the cash.

On the scales, it weighed in at 305g, and on the stability, board got here in at 315mm. Spot on.

Utilizing my Briffidi SW1 swingweight machine, it got here in at 282 kg/cm2, simply three factors beneath the 285 kg/cm2 goal, which is spectacular. 

When strung with an overgrip, it got here in at 327.8g and had a swingweight of 315 kg/cm2. Precisely as you’d count on, as strings add round 30 swingweight factors.

You may see Artengo’s quoted specs and the specs of my precise TR960 Management Tour within the desk beneath:

Stringing the TR960 Management Tour

I made a decision to string the TR960 Management Tour with a hybrid setup of Toalson Joker Core and Artengo’s TR990 Energy String. 

This had no rhyme or motive apart from I believed black and crimson would look good within the racket and complement the paint job.

It might additionally present a really snug setup as each these strings are comfortable polyesters. Joker Core has a double building with a comfortable outdoors and a stiffer core. Artengo TR990 Energy is without doubt one of the softest polyesters and provides quite a lot of free energy however doesn’t maintain rigidity very effectively.

Stringing was fairly simple, however the tie-off holes may have been put in higher places; you find yourself with strings crossing one other fundamental. A Yonex Loop would repair this, however that’s a compromise, not an answer.

First Impressions

Regardless of the low price ticket, the TR960 appears to be like like a premium racket. After a number of shadow swings earlier than hitting the primary ball, I may really feel extra weight within the deal with, and the body felt quick by means of the air.

The racket additionally seemed nice visually with the white overgrip and crimson stringbed. The paint job has a little bit of a glint (not a shiny end like some Professional Shares), nevertheless it shimmers within the gentle, so I used to be wanting ahead to hitting with it.

Just like the TR960 Precision, I additionally just like the rubber ring, which covers the grip tape, because it appears to be like neater. General it’s a fantastic-looking racket, and when paired with the proper color strings appears to be like even higher. However how does it play?

Artengo TR960 Management Tour Playtest

It didn’t take many photographs to grasp I might be a fan of the TR960 Management Tour. The racket cuts by means of the air tremendous quick and felt extremely manoeuvrable. It jogged my memory of the Professional Workers 97, however with much less energy and a softer feeling. So it sits someplace between the Blade 98 and Professional Workers 97.

Throughout the preliminary ‘lazy’ sort warm-up, the place swing speeds are a bit slower and the tennis virtually lackadaisical, I additionally received a style of how this racket gained’t work for sure gamers because it doesn’t provide you with any free energy or help. 

The TR960 Management Tour will solely reward you once you put within the effort with full, quick swings. In case you are ready early and might generate good racket head velocity, you’ll be capable of hit exact groundstrokes with loads of spin on them.

Nevertheless, if you’re a participant who takes shorter swings and is extra of a bunter, the TR960 can be far too underpowered; you’ll both find yourself together with your photographs barely making it over the web or overhitting by ballooning the ball in direction of the baseline as you’ll open up the racket face to compensate for that lack of depth.

For extra severe sort hitting, from the baseline, I discovered the TR960 tremendous straightforward to swing, and I felt like I may simply use it for a great few hours on the court docket with out fatiguing.

Nevertheless, it’s a racket that requires good footwork; once you discover the ‘candy spot’, photographs fly, and the directional management is phenomenal.

Something off-centre, although, and it doesn’t provide a lot forgiveness, the twist weight is low at 11.62, so in the event you don’t center the ball, it can drop quick.

This may be tweaked by including some lead tape, which, in the event you learn extra in regards to the racket on the boards, you’ll see many TR90 Management customers have accomplished as they bumped into the identical points.

For the opposite photographs in my sport, the slice was improbable with the TR960; the body’s weight distribution let me chop by means of the ball and out of my backhand nook, I discovered some exact cross-court angles.

Up on the internet, volleying is sweet when reacting rapidly and having the ability to modify, nevertheless it does lack some stability in the event you get a flat ball pinged at you.

Overheads and smash putaway had been nice, as I may generate a ton of racket head velocity. Throughout one other follow, I hit a full 150-ball basket of overheads and backhand smashes on the ball machine. With heavier frames, I often really feel fatigued in my shoulder after hitting that many in a row, however I felt nothing with the TR960 Management Tour.

Serving with the TR960 additionally labored effectively for my type of service, as I used to be capable of whip the racket by means of rapidly, and it was a racket that the longer I served with it, the higher I served. Whereas some rackets can tire you out, this one didn’t.

What You Can Anticipate From the Artnego TR60 Management Tour

Who Is The TR960 Management Tour For?

On the time of writing, the TR960 Control Tour is £99.99 in the UK and $159.99 in the USA, making it extremely accessible for a lot of gamers.

Whereas it’s extra suited to greater intermediate and superior gamers as a result of management side, I believe it is usually a great purchase for the youthful athletic newbie who has no points choosing up ball sports activities rapidly after a little bit of tuition.

Whereas it gained’t provide you with free energy, the specs are suited to studying good stroke mechanics with full swings with all the proper fundamentals.

This isn’t the racket for senior gamers or leisure gamers on the lookout for a bit extra assist from the body, however when you have good footwork, health and good strokes, you’ll get pleasure from it.

The TR960 can also be a wonderful platform racket to customize to your style, due to the low swing weight and headlight stability.

With that unstrung swingweight of 285, you’ve loads of leeway so as to add some weight to bump the specs up do you have to need extra stability or a bit extra energy behind your photographs.

Remaining Ideas

The Artengo TR960 Control Tour 16 x 19 performs exceptionally effectively. The extra I’ve used it, the extra it jogs my memory of the older Head Status rackets, and it sits someplace between the Professional Workers 97, Blade 98 and the older Microgel Status rackets.

Which means it provides wonderful management, an ideal really feel and loads of manoeuvrability for prime intermediate and superior gamers.

Not solely does it carry out at an analogous degree to these iconic rackets, however it is usually unbeatable worth for cash.

£99.99 is a whole steal, and the one adverse I might have is the tie-off holes are poorly positioned, and the paintwork is just not the very best high quality, because it chips simply. However given it’s a 3rd of the worth of the rackets it competes with, this isn’t an enormous situation.

Execs

Cons

Have you ever tried the Aertengo TR960 Management Tour? Something I missed within the evaluation or questions? Let me know within the feedback.