Artengo TR960 Management Tour 16 x 19 Overview & 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 consumer of the Wilson Professional Employees 97 V13, the TR960 is my kind of racket because it’s headlight, skinny beamed and straightforward to swing, so I used to be wanting ahead to attempting 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 Employees, Pure Strike, Status and so on.? 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 an aesthetic look. It’s a bit Professional Employees-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 received’t bounce off the racket wall like some designs on the market, it’s nonetheless one that may catch your eye.

Artengo TR960 Management Tour Specification

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

Earlier than I overview any racket, I pay attention to the specs as a part of a top quality management verify noting the unstrung weight, steadiness and swingweight after which taking the identical specs when I’ve strung it.

Those that learn my TR960 Precision racket overview 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 steadiness, 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 anticipate, as strings add round 30 swingweight factors.

You possibly can see Artengo’s quoted specs and the specs of my precise TR960 Management Tour within the desk under:

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 aside from I believed black and pink would look good within the racket and complement the paint job.

It could additionally present a really snug setup as each these strings are mushy polyesters. Joker Core has a double building with a mushy exterior and a stiffer core. Artengo TR990 Energy is without doubt one of the softest polyesters and gives lots of free energy however doesn’t maintain rigidity very properly.

Stringing was fairly simple, however the tie-off holes may have been put in higher areas; you find yourself with strings crossing one other foremost. 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 like a premium racket. After a couple 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 the air.

The racket additionally seemed nice visually with the white overgrip and pink stringbed. The paint job has a little bit of a glint (not a shiny end like some Professional Shares), however it shimmers within the mild, 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 neater. General it’s a fantastic-looking racket, and when paired with the appropriate color strings appears even higher. However how does it play?

Artengo TR960 Management Tour Playtest

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

Throughout the preliminary ‘lazy’ sort warm-up, the place swing speeds are a bit slower and the tennis nearly lackadaisical, I additionally acquired a style of how this racket received’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 whenever you put within the effort with full, quick swings. In case you are able early and might generate good racket head velocity, you’ll have the ability to 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 along with your photographs barely making it over the web or overhitting by ballooning the ball in the direction of the baseline as you’ll open up the racket face to compensate for that lack of depth.

For extra critical 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; whenever you discover the ‘candy spot’, photographs fly, and the directional management is outstanding.

Something off-centre, although, and it doesn’t supply a lot forgiveness, the twist weight is low at 11.62, so in the event you don’t center the ball, it is going to 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 executed as they bumped into the identical points.

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

Up on the web, volleying is nice when reacting shortly and with the ability to modify, however it does lack some stability in the event you get a flat ball pinged at you.

Overheads and smash putaway have been nice, as I may generate a ton of racket head velocity. Throughout one other observe, I hit a full 150-ball basket of overheads and backhand smashes on the ball machine. With heavier frames, I normally 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 properly for my fashion of service, as I used to be capable of whip the racket by shortly, 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 Count on From the Artnego TR60 Management Tour

Who Is The TR960 Management Tour For?

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

Whereas it’s extra suited to increased intermediate and superior gamers because of the management facet, I believe additionally it is a great purchase for the youthful athletic newbie who has no points choosing up ball sports activities shortly after a little bit of tuition.

Whereas it received’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 in search of 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 be a wonderful platform racket to customize to your style, due to the low swing weight and headlight steadiness.

With that unstrung swingweight of 285, you have got 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.

Ultimate Ideas

The Artengo TR960 Management Tour 16 x 19 performs exceptionally properly. 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 Employees 97, Blade 98 and the older Microgel Status rackets.

Meaning it gives wonderful management, an ideal really feel and loads of manoeuvrability for top intermediate and superior gamers.

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

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

Execs

Cons

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