Overview
Packing a new cosmetic and more stability for 2021, the Ki Q+5 continues to be ideal for the intermediate player who wants a lively and spin-friendly racquet with impressive comfort. Featuring Kinetic Quadfocus Technology, this stick deploys movable mass in the racquet's head to give you greater stability, power and arm-protection. With its Comfort Cap technology, ProKennex extends its Kinetic system to the butt cap, resulting in even greater arm-protection against harsh impact vibrations. This racquet also features a firm SpiralTech Carbon layup, which removes impurities and air pockets from the graphite layers in order to provide extra strength and dampening. On groundstrokes the KiQ+5 delivers a solid feel at impact. Compared to the previous generation, it packs a higher swingweight, which means it does a slightly better job redirecting pace and driving the ball through the court. The stability continues at net where the Ki Q+5 feels solid at impact, and it packs enough pop to turn simple blocks into penetrating shots. This racquet also shines on serve where the combination of power and precision will enable you to force weak replies. Ultimately, with a nice boost in stability and power, the KiQ+ 5 is a great option for aggressive ball strikers looking to turn up the heat. The arm-friendly comfort is a nice bonus.
Specs based on one sample.
Specs based on one sample.
Specifications
| Head Size: 100 in² / 645.16 cm² | ||||
| Length: 27in / 68.58cm | ||||
| Strung Weight: 11.1oz / 315g | ||||
| Balance: 13.18in / 33.48cm / 3 pts HL | ||||
| Swingweight: 329 | ||||
| Stiffness: 65 | ||||
| Beam Width: 21.5mm / 21.5mm / 21.5mm | ||||
| Composition: High Modulus Graphite/SpiralTech Carbon | ||||
| Power Level: Low-Medium | ||||
| Stroke Style: Medium-Full | ||||
| Swing Speed: Medium-Fast | ||||
| Racquet Colors: Yellow/Black | ||||
| Grip Type: ProKennex Synthetic | ||||
String Pattern:
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| String Tension: 50-65 pounds |
Other Items to Consider
Customer Reviews
Not flexible as expectedRacquet is supposed to be ideal for players with tennis elbow, but my impression was not positive. The string pattern indicates a harder racquet (16x20) which is the opposite of what was expected. This drives the player to make more effort to hit the ball even with a lower tension.
Recovered from tennis/golfers elbowI stopped playing tennis for about 10 years, when I started back I got tennis and golfers elbow. I was not able to play continuously for about 2 years until I bought this racquet. It is not only a great racquet but I have been playing now for 4 months without getting injured! The best thing is that I can use Luxilon Alu Power 125 on the mains and Luxilon Element 125 on the crosses.
Fits my needsReally good racquet for me. I'm a flat hitter playing 4.0 singles and doubles everyday in Florida. Full swing with 1HB. Love the relatively high swingweight, maneuverability and control. Slightly more power than my Blade 100 v7 and despite the higher stiffness, absolutely no arm pain. Strung with a full bed of Hyper-G 17 at 52 and still great. I added a total of 1.5 grams at 3 & 9 and 3 grams under the grip plus overgrip. Now it weighs 327 grams with a SW of approx 328 and balance of approx 6 pts HL. Very stable and swings fast with the thinner beam. Love it.
Swingweight and Comfort dominateComing off a Prince Warrior 100, I noticed the higher swingweight. For a 4.0 senior player such as myself, generating head speed with this stick has not been so easy. Strung and with a dampener, the racquet is almost evenly balanced, so not very headlight at all. The stick seems to reward a focus on technique and as I play more hours with it, I am able to generate enough topspin on my FH. On proper shots I get enough power without having to muscle my swings, actually I tend to go long if I over swing, so it forces me to control my swing a bit. On both sides, when I go through the shot, the racquet is doing what I want it to do. Compared to previous racquets, I particularly love my 1HBH because of the swingweight. When I struggle with my shots, or am short of time, sometimes the balls are a bit short. On balance, I'd say I have lost a bit of swing since moving to this racquet. The best shot, for me, is the volley. Plenty of control and stability for me and I generate more consistency with my volleys using ample backswing. Similarly, the slice backhand has benefitted. I haven't served much, but so far I'd say I find it easier to generate spin particularly when slicing the serve. The serve is my weakest shot overall and I sometimes struggle with getting enough head speed irrespective of the racquet, but this stick seems to help me a bit with this. Even on relatively slow swings, there is noticeable spin. Overall, I'd say that for me there is a touch too much swingweight and the focus is on stability. The comfort seems to really work. So far, I feel no pain at all in arm or shoulder and I have to admit that I am injury prone even on the best of days. So how that develops after a singles and doubles match and simply after spending more time on court remains to be seen. Overall, for me, this is money well spent so far. To avoid problems with arm or shoulder is worth a lot to me.
Previous Feedback
Comments: I demoed this along with the 315g. I really wanted this to be the one. It is much more head light than I personally want as a 4.5 baseliner. Even with a lot of lead, it was still a little too head light. It was also a little more flexible than I wanted. Now, this all sounds negative, but it's not. In reality, of all the racquets I have tried in the past 3 years (20+ frames), this was my 3rd choice. I love the comfort and control. It is great for anyone who wants control and doesn't crave a ton of power while having a comfort frame with a large sweetspot.
From: Jon, Union 9/8/21