Is my Prostaff Classic 6.1 95 legit?

mmaster · Jan 1, 2010

so i've been reading about the proliferation of fake racquets, especially on e-bay and it got me thinking about a pair of prostaff classics i bought as new several years ago on e-bay that i still use and are in great condition. i really wanted to get them at the time because they weren't making them anymore but sometimes i wonder if mine are legit.

the only thing i know is this is the latter model, due to the black butt caps but other than that, i don't know how to identify the racquet.

i took some pictures, maybe someone can help me find out if they're legit.

according to the analog kitchen scale, it is about 12.5oz with 2 overgrips, unstrung.

instead of 95 SQ. IN. seen on some models, this one says MIDPLUS in white, same on the other side.

here's the side with the hologram, looks like a real hologram and the black #s on it (you can't really see it there) are different on each racquet.

mmaster · Jan 1, 2010

continued...

notice there is no "si" after the 6.1 as seen on some.

red dot in the middle and the psc 6.1 lettering on both sides.

and finally the black butt cap. there was no "made in china" sticker on it from what i remember. above the W logo, there is a very faint "XFU" letters.

so what do you guys think?

tennis005 · Jan 1, 2010

If it's a fake, it is a very good one. Usually the fake ones are very sloppy but this one seems quite neat. Not sure if it is a fake.

tribunal4555 · Jan 1, 2010

I agree. They do seem quite detailed for fakes...

But I'm no Prostaff guru. I'm sure someone more skilled can help!

Mick · Jan 1, 2010

i bought this racquet from tennis warehouse. it looks like yours, except there is a "china" text on the butt cap

mmaster · Jan 1, 2010

on second thought then, it could be that i removed that sticker from the butt caps. i do vaguely remember removing some tiny sticker, i wasn't sure though if it was these racquets.

do you see a very faint looking "XFU" above the Wilson logo? it can only be seen at a certain angle.

when i break the strings on my other one, i will try to see if both of the racquet balance falls within the original specs.

btw, when were these last sold at TW?

Virginia · Jan 1, 2010

If you bought them "several years ago", my guess is that they are genuine. I may be quite wrong, but I get the impression the plethora of fake racquets around these days, was of fairly recent origin.

mmaster · Jan 1, 2010

i bought them november 2004.

i am very suspicious of buying racquets on e-bay now because i bought a pure drive cortex not too long ago and i think it might be a fake. something just didn't feel right about that racquet and all the grommets were falling apart.

from now on, i am going to save myself from second guessing and just buy from reputable authorized dealers like TW. it's not worth saving some money and risk getting a fake.

but yeah, you might be right, fake racquets might have not been so widespread back then as it is now so i might have genuine ones. i don't really feel anything is wrong with them feel-wise.

Mick · Jan 1, 2010

supermin99 said:
on second thought then, it could be that i removed that sticker from the butt caps. i do vaguely remember removing some tiny sticker, i wasn't sure though if it was these racquets.

do you see a very faint looking "XFU" above the Wilson logo? it can only be seen at a certain angle.

when i break the strings on my other one, i will try to see if both of the racquet balance falls within the original specs.

btw, when were these last sold at TW?

i looked very closely but i didn't see the text "XFU"
i don't know when TW last sold this racquet but i bought 2 in June 2006.

FedererClone · Jan 2, 2010

It's legit - the "si" designation came on later models of the 6.1 PSC

mmaster · Jan 2, 2010

FedererClone said:
It's legit - the "si" designation came on later models of the 6.1 PSC

i thought mine were the later models as they have a black butt cap.

mmaster · Jan 3, 2010

last night, i hit with one of the older classics, with the white buttcap. it felt very different than mine, felt much more maneuverable and i played so much better with it. i even weighed it on a scale afterwards after swearing it was a lighter racquet and the weight was nearly the same. but the white buttcap definitely played very differently compared to my black buttcap ones.

and yeah, the old white buttcap one has the "si" after 6.1.

audioaffliction · Jan 4, 2010

The "si" showed up in the first batch with the white buttcaps. I know this because my brother and I both played with these racquets back in 1988/89. He still has one left and it's still his favorite stick to this day.

Bud · Jan 4, 2010

audioaffliction said:
The "si" showed up in the first batch with the white buttcaps. I know this because my brother and I both played with these racquets back in 1988/89. He still has one left and it's still his favorite stick to this day.

I thought the PSC 6.1, with this PJ, was introduced in the early to mid 90's... :-?

big bang · Jan 4, 2010

sorry to say this but cant show any pics..
I got all the versions of psc

pretty sure they came in this order:
1. pro staff classic, white cap, made in Taiwan, fairway leather.
2. pro staff 6.1 classic, white cap, made in china, aircushion grip.
3. pro staff 6.1 classic s.i, white cap, made in china, aircushion grip.
4. pro staff 6.1 classic, black cap, made in china, aircushion grip.

the one you showed in your pic is #4, and I agree it does play different from the others. there are differences between all the versions and the best by far is the first edition, it has so much more feel to it, best frame ever made

mmaster · Jan 4, 2010

is the balance point same for all of them? i swear the white buttcap felt more maneuverable but on the scale it was the same weight as black buttcap. got me very puzzled.

Meaghan · Jan 4, 2010

big bang said:
sorry to say this but cant show any pics..
I got all the versions of psc
pretty sure they came in this order:
1. pro staff classic, white cap, made in Taiwan, fairway leather.
2. pro staff 6.1 classic, white cap, made in china, aircushion grip.
3. pro staff 6.1 classic s.i, white cap, made in china, aircushion grip.
4. pro staff 6.1 classic, black cap, made in china, aircushion grip.

the one you showed in your pic is #4, and I agree it does play different from the others. there are differences between all the versions and the best by far is the first edition, it has so much more feel to it, best frame ever made

Sure you dont want to swap me a black butt cap version for one of my beauties. Im looking for a psc in the wanted section.

big bang · Jan 4, 2010

well I havent put them on a balance board, but its very close!
was the one you tried same gripsize? or else that could be it..

big bang · Jan 4, 2010

Meaghan said:
Sure you dont want to swap me a black butt cap version for one of my beauties. Im looking for a psc in the wanted section.

are you looking for 1 with black cap?

mmaster · Jan 4, 2010

big bang said:
well I havent put them on a balance board, but its very close!
was the one you tried same gripsize? or else that could be it..

well the white one was 1 grip size smaller. you think that makes difference?

big bang · Jan 4, 2010

supermin99 said:
well the white one was 1 grip size smaller. you think that makes difference?

hmm.. normally I would say it should have been the other way around. but the balance could have been wrong with one of them or it could be a combination of the added weight of grip and strings

mmaster · Jan 4, 2010

yea that's what i felt too. smaller grip, lighter at the handle so it should've been less head light. i dunno... maybe it was something else. or maybe my feeling of maneuverability came from it being lighter at the handle, lol. the strings were at a higher tension though on the white one so maybe that had something to do with it too.

big bang · Jan 4, 2010

it can be very difficult to point out exactly what made the difference, but the different versions sure feels different in play..

audioaffliction · Jan 4, 2010

Bud said:
I thought the PSC 6.1, with this PJ, was introduced in the early to mid 90's... :-?

Hmm...I'm thinking it's got to be 1989 or maybe 1990 at the latest when I switched to the PSC 6.1. The reason I say this is because I was still using the original PS85 in 1988 and one of mine started cracking along the grommet holes in the throat. I was in a Wilson sponsored junior program at the time and sent the PS85 back to Wilson. This would have been at the end of 1988 or maybe sometime in 1989. They ended up giving me a PSC 6.1 in exchange because the PS85 had been "discontinued" by then. This was the white buttcap version. They also gave me back my old PS85 and I hit with that thing until the frame completely collapsed.

big bang · Jan 4, 2010

audioaffliction said:
Hmm...I'm thinking it's got to be 1989 or maybe 1990 at the latest when I switched to the PSC 6.1. The reason I say this is because I was still using the original PS85 in 1988 and one of mine started cracking along the grommet holes in the throat. I was in a Wilson sponsored junior program at the time and sent the PS85 back to Wilson. This would have been at the end of 1988 or maybe sometime in 1989. They ended up giving me a PSC 6.1 in exchange because the PS85 had been "discontinued" by then. This was the white buttcap version. They also gave me back my old PS85 and I hit with that thing until the frame completely collapsed.

bet that one had fairway leather and pro staff classic written on the side right?

mmaster · Jan 4, 2010

could it have been a prostaff original with a classic PJ?

Bud · Jan 5, 2010

audioaffliction said:
Hmm...I'm thinking it's got to be 1989 or maybe 1990 at the latest when I switched to the PSC 6.1. The reason I say this is because I was still using the original PS85 in 1988 and one of mine started cracking along the grommet holes in the throat. I was in a Wilson sponsored junior program at the time and sent the PS85 back to Wilson. This would have been at the end of 1988 or maybe sometime in 1989. They ended up giving me a PSC 6.1 in exchange because the PS85 had been "discontinued" by then. This was the white buttcap version. They also gave me back my old PS85 and I hit with that thing until the frame completely collapsed.

In another thread... VSBabolat states it was released in 1991.

Meaghan · Jan 5, 2010

big bang said:
are you looking for 1 with black cap?

not looking anymore thanks........

big bang · Jan 5, 2010

Bud said:
In another thread... VSBabolat states it was released in 1991.

I agree, I had a sponsorship with wilson and got my first bunch of them in 91

big bang · Jan 5, 2010

Meaghan said:
not looking anymore thanks........

ok if you change your mind I may consider selling you one brand new, never strung and still plastic on the handle

Meaghan · Jan 5, 2010

big bang said:
ok if you change your mind I may consider selling you one brand new, never strung and still plastic on the handle

Thanks BB but ive decided to go will vantage instead as I prefer the softer feel and the fact that I can get hold of them when i wish. Its also easier to mod them somewhere near my 88s, they are to be used in the colder, wetter weather when my 88s feel like giant logs hitting wet brick like balls !!

big bang · Jan 5, 2010

Meaghan said:
Thanks BB but ive decided to go will vantage instead as I prefer the softer feel and the fact that I can get hold of them when i wish. Its also easier to mod them somewhere near my 88s, they are to be used in the colder, wetter weather when my 88s feel like giant logs hitting wet brick like balls !!

actually Im thinking about going with vantage as well, the 70 ra 95" model sounds sweet

Meaghan · Jan 5, 2010

big bang said:
actually Im thinking about going with vantage as well, the 70 ra 95" model sounds sweet

Very similar to the psc95 IMO, slightly thicker at the top of handle more like the kps88 adds stability. I think your tiawanese psc's were all foam filled werent they? the later china models its just in the handle, so these i expect have that older feel that you are probably looking for.
Great sticks. Also i like flared grips and added extras that Im sure if you speak to them they will accomodate.

origmarm · Jan 5, 2010

big bang said:
actually Im thinking about going with vantage as well, the 70 ra 95" model sounds sweet

Very similar to the PSC in many respects. The big difference for me was that the Vantage felt more comfortable (perhaps even muted) compared to my long suffering white buttcap PSCs and the flex was different. It was different in two ways, firstly it just wasn't as stiff and secondly it flexed in a different place, the upper hoop on the Vantage in particular felt less stiff. I ended up getting a pair lighter than I wanted them and adding some lead at 10 and 2 to sort this. I "customised the custom"

. If you spec them right though once you have them dialed in they play like a flexier PSC with a softer feel. More string sensitive though I thought.

Cheers, Orig

origmarm · Jan 5, 2010

Meaghan said:
Very similar to the psc95 IMO, slightly thicker at the top of handle more like the kps88 adds stability. I think your tiawanese psc's were all foam filled werent they? the later china models its just in the handle, so these i expect have that older feel that you are probably looking for.
Great sticks. Also i like flared grips and added extras that Im sure if you speak to them they will accomodate.

Meaghan, can't email you as it's switched off on your profile but if you are after 95 vantages give me a shout.

Cheers, Orig

MichaelChang · Jan 5, 2010

big bang said:
sorry to say this but cant show any pics..
I got all the versions of psc
pretty sure they came in this order:
1. pro staff classic, white cap, made in Taiwan, fairway leather.
2. pro staff 6.1 classic, white cap, made in china, aircushion grip.
3. pro staff 6.1 classic s.i, white cap, made in china, aircushion grip.
4. pro staff 6.1 classic, black cap, made in china, aircushion grip.

the one you showed in your pic is #4, and I agree it does play different from the others. there are differences between all the versions and the best by far is the first edition, it has so much more feel to it, best frame ever made

Thanks for the list.
I think the leather grip of #1 would have made it more head-light.
See the one in my picture.

Meaghan · Jan 5, 2010

origmarm said:
Meaghan, can't email you as it's switched off on your profile but if you are after 95 vantages give me a shout.

Cheers, Orig

richardmeaghan@hotmail.co.uk

copy and paste in your email

big bang · Jan 5, 2010

MichaelChang said:
Thanks for the list.
I think the leather grip of #1 would have made it more head-light.
See the one in my picture.

nice collection you got there

I agree the leather add a little extra weight to the handle, that psc plays sooo sweet

big bang · Jan 5, 2010

Meaghan and origmarm
thanks for sharing your experiences with vantage, that was just what I wanted to hear as I have been looking for something to replace my psc´s for quite some years now, thanks to both of you

Meaghan you might be right about the the chinese psc´s not being foam-filled, i cracked a bunch of the taiwanese over the years and they sure are foam-filled..

Meaghan · Jan 5, 2010

big bang said:
Meaghan and origmarm
thanks for sharing your experiences with vantage, that was just what I wanted to hear as I have been looking for something to replace my psc´s for quite some years now, thanks to both of you

Meaghan you might be right about the the chinese psc´s not being foam-filled, i cracked a bunch of the taiwanese over the years and they sure are foam-filled..

i did the knock knock test on the china psc and its deffo filled in the throat but it sounds hollow in the hoop.

I got a phone call off Vantage today and it feels great that that personal touch is there never mind their great quality products.

With them weighted up in the hoop I can get the racket I want with all the added QC i need, unlike Wilson, although my 3 kps88s are all similar weights, 1 is off by 2 balance pts. I can deal with it but its still a pain!

big bang · Jan 6, 2010

Meaghan said:
i did the knock knock test on the china psc and its deffo filled in the throat but it sounds hollow in the hoop.

I got a phone call off Vantage today and it feels great that that personal touch is there never mind their great quality products.

With them weighted up in the hoop I can get the racket I want with all the added QC i need, unlike Wilson, although my 3 kps88s are all similar weights, 1 is off by 2 balance pts. I can deal with it but its still a pain!

good luck with your new vantage´s when they arrive, I gotta order a few before the summer season starts, they sound very promissing

it doesnt sound good with those kps, hate when the balance is off..

audioaffliction · Jan 8, 2010

big bang said:
bet that one had fairway leather and pro staff classic written on the side right?

Yep. And that's exactly the one that my brother still has. I haven't seen it in a couple of years, but the Fairway grip is still intact if a little gross!

Is my Prostaff Classic 6.1 95 legit?

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