They like the raw feedback of the ball impacting the strings. But I don't. When I test their rackets, I put on a dampener so I could better compare their sticks with mine.
Most of the time, we would forget about the dampener as the rackets go back and forth.
After hitting with one for a while, and then removing it, these friends started wondering if something was missing. And it was not the vibrations!
It was the swingweight difference!!!
A small dampener, like the yellow face or red ring (above pic) weighs 2 grams. The Babolat, Dunlop and Wilson dampeners weigh 5 grams each. And the tennis ball dampener, 7 grams.
When placed at the strings above the throat of the racket, every gram adds approximately one swingweight point. At the top of the stringbed, one gram adds about three swingweight points.
How perceptible would a few swingweight points be?
Very!!! The difference in weight of using 1.22mm strings versus 1.30mm strings could be felt by most. And that difference is merely 3 to 5 grams.
Keep in mind, the racket is swung with an axis about 10cm from the butt. When the racket is in motion, the dynamic feel of the weight difference is highly magnified, compared to the tiny extra few grams when it is stationary.
Another important thing to note, is the trend of heavily polarized racket weights. That leaves the middle of the racket light and hollow, and very prone to vibrations.
They ended up adding a few grams of lead tape at the hoop.
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