By Richard Lucas
My first Volkl racquet was back in 2002, when I made the switch away from Babolat to a racquet still made today in order to save my arm. After experiencing the dreaded tennis elbow from Babolat, I made the move to the much more comfortable, and much lower powered C-10 Pro. Of course they had a different paint scheme back then, but other than that not much has changed. In a world of ever changing technologies and racquets, the fact that this racquet and the V1 Classic are both still around is a testament that even relatively simple technologies can have great impacts.
Anyone that has kept up with racquets in the recent past know that while racquets are replaced every 2 to 3 years, many do not change significantly. The popular Babolat Pure Drive GT still uses the exact same mold as it did back in 2002, but now has the added Cortex insert and tungsten filaments. The same can even be said for Volkl, whose new Organix 10 shares a number of similarities to the previous PowerBridge 10 and DNX 10. Before we can talk about the new racquets, we first have to understand the name, Organix.
Volkl has chosen the name Organix as a way of combining the theory behind their DNX material with organic additives. In the case of their racquets, the organic component is cellulose, which makes up 90% of cotton, and approximately 33% of all plant matter. In the Organix racquets, the cellulose additive is used in conjunction with what Volkl is claiming to be "the most advanced material in tennis... so far", carbon nanotubes. My personal opinion on that claim is one of general disbelief. The fact is that carbon nanotubes have been made for years, with another company using them in their racquets as early as 2008 by Yonex. The difference is, of course, the application, with Yonex using the carbon nanotubes in a cup stack arrangement for flexibility, while Volkl is using them in their pure tube form as a carrier for the cellulose organic compound.
The idea behind the nanotube/cellulose is to increase the elastic properties of the typical graphite layup. From my engineering research experience, cellulose is a very soft material, while the carbon nanotubes provide flexibility. In essence, this means that at impact, the nanotubes are able to deform, storing energy, and then quickly rebound, providing additional power, while at the same time using the cellulose to dampen vibration for comfort. Volkl claims of up to 30% more dynamic power from the Organix material.
The initial 2011 line will consist of a total of six adult racquets, which is accompanied by two junior frames and a new addition to the Becker line. For those that do not know, Becker racquets are designed and made by Volkl under the Becker label as Boris is part owner of Volkl. The technology is a bit different in the Becker frames, but they feature similar specs to corresponding Volkl offerings. The Organix line includes the Team Speed, 4, 6, 8, 10 (295), and 10 (325). While the numbered frames are mainly updates to the PowerBridge predecessors, the Team Speed is a newly designed tweener frame. It has the same 102 headsize that the previous 5 had, but comes in at a very light 9.2oz unstrung weight. My guess is that it is designed to be primarily a transition frame for juniors moving into their first adult sized racquet. A nice addition to the category of lightweight tweener racquets as there are only a few frames that compete with this one in terms of specs.
The Organix 4 comes with identical specs to the PowerBridge 4, while the new 6 does offer a few changes from the predecessor. The PowerBridge 6 was an Attiva model, which means that it was designed especially for women, with a lighter weight than most similar headsize models. Another major difference that accompanies the Attiva name is that the handle features a more rounded shape than the typical rectangular Volkl grip. The new Organix 6 has a flat 23mm compared to the tapered 22-24mm beam from the PowerBridge series.
After the somewhat disappointing reaction to the PowerBridge 8, Volkl has made some changes to their standard tweener frame to create the Organix 8. The PowerBridge 8 used the same mold as the 6, while the Organix models both share a mold as well. This means a flat 23mm beam instead of the tapered beam. The weight was also bumped from 295g to an even 300g, bringing it inline with the Pure Drive GT it is competing against. After testing the PowerBridge, I'm definitely hoping that they soften the feel for the Organix by quite a bit. The PB model not only felt stiff for a Volkl, but just plain stiff, which is not something that Volkl has ever been known for.
One of the racquets with the most interest has to be the new Organix 10 models. These models share almost all of the specs of the predecessor, but one major change has been put into place. While I personally do not enjoy dense string patterns, since the introduction of the DNX10, the 98 headsize has been associated with an 18x20 pattern while the 93 head used a more spin friendly 16x19 pattern. Well that is changing as now the Organix 10 in both 295 and 325 weights will come with a 16x19 pattern, the same as the still currently made C10 Pro. Do not worry too much fans of the PB10, the new Becker frame, the Melbourne, will feature the same specs as the Organix 10 325, but with the denser 18x20 pattern.
Set to be released in March, it will be interesting to see how much different they feel with the inclusion of carbon nanotubes and cellulose. Based on the specs, Volkl has taken a fairly minimalist approach and not chosen to make any drastic changes, but the only way to know will be to get out there and playtest these new Organix racquets.