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- The most important things about the Yonex Percept
- The new Yonex Percept is the new name for the old VCore Pro
- “Stiff Racket Face Design” (SRFD) makes the Yonex Percept more responsive
- Little change from the predecessor Yonex VCore Pro
- Updated design with a very modern matte look
Table of Contents
What’s new with the Yonex Percept?
The new Percept is not a new mold, but a new technology called “SRFD” is added for a much better feeling racket. The specs are pretty much identical to the old VCore.
The real innovation next to the name change is the “SRFD”-Technology which give the Percept a much better feeling on contact with the ball compared to the VCore Pro. The ballpocketing is now much better while the Percept is not as muted as the old VCore.
The Percept looks much better than the VCore in my opinion. It is now a greenish matte finish that looks much cleaner than the VCore.
Here is an overview of the new and old technologies in the Percept compared to the old VCore Pro.
| Technologies | Yonex Percept | Yonex VCore Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Stiff Racket Face Design | ✓ | ✗ |
| Lock Booster | ✓ | ✗ |
| Isometric | ✓ | ✓ |
| Servo Filter | ✓ | ✗ |
| Flexcon System + 2G-NAMD Flex Force | ✓ | ✓ |
Yonex Percept 97
What’s a “Percept”?
The Percept is the predecessor of the VCore Pro which means that it is Yonex control racket. The Percept is in all his variants (97, 97D, 97H, 97L, 100, 100D, 100L) made for players with better technique that know what they are doing and play tennis for a longer time.
Technologies in the Yonex Percept
Here are once all the technologies in the Yonex Percept easily understandable explained:
Stiff Racket Face Design (SRFD)
How does Stiff Racket Face Design work?
SRFD means that the frame has many more layers of graphite to make the face of the racket stiffer.
What does SRFD do for me?
According to Yonex SRFD makes the face of the racket 3% more stable resulting in more consitency in your shots.
Servo Filter
How does Servo Filter work?
The Servo Filter technology is an additional vibration dampening system in the racket developed by Mitsubishi. It reduces vibration and makes the throat a bit more flexible while the whoop stays more stiff.
What do I get out of Servo Filter?
The flexible throat increases the dwell time of the ball (aka. ballpocketing) which makes it easier for you to control and place shots. The reduced vibration makes the racket even more arm-friendly.
Isometric
How does ISOMETRIC RACQUET SHAPE work?
The trademark of Yonex rackets, the isometric racket head shape. This somewhat “angular” racket head shape makes the sweet spot 7% larger.
What are the benefits of ISOMETRIC RACQUET SHAPE?
“But a racket with a 750 head also has a larger sweet spot?!”. Yes, that is correct, but this racket has all the disadvantages of a 750 head and none of the advantages of a 630 head.
The Yonex rackets are easier to hit in the middle and do not lose power due to the larger sweet spot, because only the sweet spot and not the entire racket head is larger.
Flexcon System
How does Flexcon System work?
The Flexcon System extends the length of the shaft while shortening the end of the shaft (close to the grip). This makes the shaft a lot more flexible. Yonex states that the shaft is 15% more flexible due to Flexcon.
What do I get out of Flexcon System?
Flexcon System extends the ball-pocketing and therefore increases the control you have over your shots.
2G-NAMD
How does 2G-NAMD™ FLEX FORCE work?
NAMD describes a specific method of producing graphite and strengthens the frame at high impact speeds.
What does 2G-NAMD™ FLEX FORCE do for me?
The high racquet head speeds are mainly achieved on topspin shots. A stiffer frame allows you to play more topspin.
Design
Yonex has opted for a matte greenish tone, which is similar to the VCores colors (Yonex calls it “olive”). The new color looks very modern and fits much more to such a great racket.
Variants
So far, you can buy the new Yonex Percept in the following variants:
- Yonex Percept 97
- Yonex Percept 97 D
- Yonex Percept 97 L
- Yonex Percept 97 H
- Yonex Percept 100
- Yonex Percept 100 D
- Yonex Percept 100 L
- Yonex Percept Game
Specs
| Percept 97 | Percept 97 D | Percept 97 H | Percept 97 L | Percept 100 | Percept 100 L | Percept 100 D | Percept Game | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head (cm²) | 626 | 626 | 626 | 626 | 645 | 645 | 645 | 645 |
| Head (in²) | 97 | 97 | 97 | 97 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 97 |
| Length (cm) | 68.58 | 68.58 | 68.58 | 68.58 | 68.58 | 68.58 | 68.58 | 68.58 |
| Length (in) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 | 27 |
| String Pattern | 16 x 19 | 18 x 20 | 16 x 19 | 16 x 19 | 16 x 19 | 16 x 19 | 18 x 19 | 16 x 19 |
| Balance Point | 310 mm | 310 mm | 310 mm | 325 mm | 320 mm | 335 mm | 315 mm | 335 mm |
| Unstrung Weight (g) | 310 | 320 | 330 | 290 | 300 | 280 | 305 | 270 |
| Unstrung Weight (oz) | 10.9 | 11.3 | 11.6 | 10.2 | 10.6 | 9.9 | 10.8 | 9.5 |
Pro Players
These players “play” or promote the Yonex Percept:
Please note that the rackets are most likely special frames that are not available in stores. They simply look like the Yonex Percept as the racket has been given the matching paint job by Yonex.
- Stan Wawrinka
- Hubert Hurkacz
- Frances Tiafoe
- Soonwoo Kwon
- Jack Sock
- Gustavo Fernandez
- Pierre-Hugues Herbert
- Dayana Yastremska
- Clara Tauson
Yonex Percept Review
Finally, let’s get to the important part that you’re probably here for. The test!
Independent & Unbiased
All products featured on FourtyLove are tested independently by me. I do not favour any brands nor do I receive any money from brands influencing my results. I might earn a small commission if you buy products through my affiliate links.
Rackets Tested
Hits per Racket
Hours Tested
Readers
Groundstrokes
The Percept feels a lot like its predecessor. Groundstrokes are very easy to control and bring a lot of spin.
It surprised me with much more power than expected especially when comparing it to the old VCore Pro. If you consider that the control is at least as good as with the VCore the added power makes this racket absolutely great for groundstrokes.
You can defenitly feel the new technologies added to the Percept since the ball stays longer in the strings, is even more arm-friendly but somehow managed to bring more power.
The Percept 97D which is the most control-oriented member of the Percept family due to its 18×20 string pattern was an absolute beast in terms of control. Basically every shot went exactly where I wanted it to if I put in the work. Don’t get me wrong, the other Percept rackets are extremely precise too!
Volleys
The extreme precision of the Yonex Percept is especially evident on volleys. The racket is very stable during impact. As most control rackets this one is made for players that like to attack and finish the point.
Serves
Serving feels really good with all the Percepts. It has enough mass to go through the ball and since the Percept brings more spin with it the kick and slice serve also got better in my opinion.
What I like about the Percept
Percept 97
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
Many manufacturers seem to love this approach for their best selling rackets but Yonex switched it up this time. The Percept 97 is still a racket that is very very similar to the VCore Pro but since many players weren’t happy with the mushy feeling of the VCore Pro they fixed it. The new technologies make it a no-brainer upgrade which is easier to control AND brings more power.
There this racket feels much more dangerous when you are attacking.
The added technologies making the frame stiffer while still feeling soft work great in the new Percept. Similar to HEADs Auxetic or Wilsons Braid 45 it is an addition that will be really welcomed to Yonex rackets by many players.
Apart from the racket which is just better in every aspect it now doesn’t require and modifications through led tape to make it work. Great rackets off the shelf.
Well played Yonex.
Percept 100
Everything mentioned above also goes for the 100-versions. Definitely worth an upgrade.
What I do Not Like about the Percept
I tried to find negatives about the Percept and I was only able to find one tiny thing. For some players the swing weight (315) on the Percept is possibly a bit too low.
Who is the Percept for?
A really tough question to answer but let me try. The Percept 97 brings almost as much control as the legendary HEAD Prestige Pro but is much much easier to play and not even close to the level of demand of the Prestige.
If you like control rackets, redirect shots, dictate rallies with precision but for whatever reason feel like a Prestige or Pro Staff is too much for you the Percept is perfect for you.
Similar to the Gravity the Percept feels like a modern version of the Prestige with more spin, power and forgiveness.
Who is the Percept not for?
Players that rely on heavy spin on every shot should try other rackets first.
Additionally if you are happy with the control a racket like the Prestige or Pro Staff brings you there is no reason to change since not even the huge amount of precision and control of the Percept comes close to them.
Should I switch or upgrade to the new Percept?
Yes you should.
Normally I do not recommend changes from one generation to the next. If you can upgrade two or three generations it’s a different story. Since the Percept is better in every category while not getting worse in any other category while looking much better than the old VCore Pro I’d say an upgrade is a no-brainer.
Questions?
Of course you can also ask me questions about the new Yonex Percept in the comments.
I’m happy to help you out.
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