The pro stock to end all pro stocks: The Fed racket

[FEDERERNADAL13]

Prologue:

As a few of you may know, I had the luck of coming in to possession of a Custom Wilson 93 racket, and I gave a review of it. In this thread, I will include a review of the 93 as well as a new racket.

Anyway, back on topic:

I managed to get a hold of one gem of a racket, a racket that is simply extraordinary! That’s right, an actual Federer frame, right from the Wilson pro room (not customized by P1 yet). It still has a Wilson leather grip (the best grip I’ve ever seen, far superior to retail BTW). The racket has a custom grip mold, which makes a few shots easier than with a regular grip (more on that to follow). In addition, the head guard is the same as the nicer K factor head guards, much nicer than the retail plastic 2012 ones.

As you can see in the pics, this racket is a 2012 Fed frame, with the current (and best, IMO) paintjob. The grip seems slightly shorter than usual 90 square inch grip, but the racket is still 27 inches long.

I strung it with Babolat VS and ALU Rough (51 lbs./48 lbs.), added a Tourna Tac XL over grip, and added Power pads (just for fun).

Then, the fun began! I hit with it for 6.5 hours, and was impressed (obviously). Here’s a detailed review of Fed’s and the 93:

Pictures!!!:

This picture illustrates the difference between the Federer grommet and the retail grommet of a PSBLX95

A look at the butt cap of the frame (note: it is a trap door butt cap, used since the racket hasn’t been sent to P1 yet)

[Prostaffer]

Oh Man!

Do Leprechauns or mini swiss guards come out of the trap door once released?

Really look forward to seeing what you notice. That's awesome.

[FEDERERNADAL13]

Just a pic to let you guys see that it is in fact a 90, not a 93




A view of the custom grip mold. It was hard to get a good picture, but this kind of shows how one side is “jutting out” more than the other.

Specs:

Weight: 358 grams (12.6 ounces)
Balance: 6 pts. HL
Swing Weight: 332.33 (I took 3 measurements with the TW swing weight calculator, 309, 337, and 351 were the readings)
Grip size: 4 3/8
*Note: Swing weight measurement is inexact, as I could only measure to one tenth of a second, not one one-hundredth of a second as the instructions suggest

Manoeuvrability:

Fed’s: This racket is a 12.6 oz, 6 pts HL frame, a 90 square inch racket, but is more manoeuvrable than any 90 I’ve ever played with. In fact, it’s more manoeuvrable than my BLXPS 95! This was really nice, as I could whip around my strokes very easily, a luxury that I didn’t enjoy with my Wilson 93 frame.

The 93: this racket weighs 12.3 oz, 1 pts HL, and feels far heavier in comparison! The balls carry more weight than with Fed’s, but it is difficult to keep up over a long match.


Groundstrokes:

Fed’s: In a word: Amazing! The racket is fantastic off the ground. My backhand suffered no ill effects from the manoeuvrability; my slice was noticeably more poisonous; the only thing that suffered was the forehand. I noticed a lack of pace off the FH wing, but increasing racket head speed fixed this quickly. In fact, I was able to hit harder and more efficiently on the FH, since the ball always seemed to go in! So, I found myself going for far more than I am used to, and reaping the rewards.

The 93: This racket is a beast off the ground. Unbelievable pace, spin, and control. It trumps the Fed frame here, except for one issue: this thing is SO heavy! It’s only 1 point headlight, and 12.3 ounces, but it feels like it weighs 15 ounces after a set and a half. It is great to hit for short bursts, but I can’t get it consistently. Also, I miss a LOT more with this racket; it doesn’t always seem to find the line like the Fed frame.

Volleys:

Fed’s: Nothing amazing here. Plenty of spin on drop volleys, good pop on overheads, but it’s obviously not tailor made for volleying.

The 93: Again, nothing special here. These pro stocks were not meant for serve-and-volleyers!

Serving:

Fed’s: Lower pace than my BLXPS 95, but very very precise. I felt like I could place a dime in the service box and hit it. Also, the custom grip changed my serve a bit. It is molded differently then stock, which caused me to grab the racket with a spin-serve grip more than a flat serve grip. The result: Plenty of spin serves, not very many flat ones.

The 93: A lot of power! Serving with this was the exact opposite of the Fed frame in my opinion. I found it difficult to place the ball well, but got a lot of pace without much effort. This could be due to the head-heavy balance. Once again, hard to keep up good serves over a whole match.

Returns:

Fed’s: Due to the manoeuvrability, I found it very easy to return with this stick. I could place it well, and really put my opponent in a tough spot on the return. Very fun to return with this stick.

The 93: Returns are very powerful with this stick! It takes good timing, but when you hit it well, you know it instantly.

Spins:

Fed’s: This racket is great for slicing off the BH wing. It just feels natural! I also found topspin easily accessible on the FH. I could flatten it out when necessary as well. The slice was unbelievable though!

The 93: Flat shots are the best, but topspin, not so much. Slicing was good, though not as good as the Fed frame. This racket is good for power, but it is not for spinny strokes.

Touch/Feel:

Fed’s: Fantastic feel, drop shots seemed easier, lobbing was good. I expected this from a pro stock, and was not disappointed.

The 93: once again, fantastic feel! Very similar to the Fed frame here, which I am quite happy about.

Overall:

Fed’s: I love this frame! I feel like I could play 12 sets with it and not get tired, I never seem to miss, and it’s Fed’s! What’s not to love?

The 93: If I could use it for a whole match, this frame might be better than the Fed frame overall. The weight just kills it for me, it demands so much!

Final Thoughts:

The biggest thing about these pro stock frames is that the reward good play. If I hit the centre of the Fed frame it hits like a dream, but if I miss by a little bit it does not feel good at all. The same can be said for the custom 93. I hope I’ve answered all questions you guys have about the frame, but I will still try my best to answer any others.

[smoledman]

I'd like to see Federer upgrade to a 93 square inch.

[stronzzi70]

Federer has 93 inch for a time ago.

[OldFedIsOld]

Originally Posted by stronzzi70

Federer has 93 inch for a time ago.

Nope, used 85, then 90. May have played around with 93 or 95, but never changed from 90.

[FEDERERNADAL13]

Originally Posted by OldFedIsOld

Nope, used 85, then 90. May have played around with 93 or 95, but never changed from 90.

QFT........................

[smoledman]

A 93 sq in would lead to fewer mishits, but less feel for his touch shots and slice.

[BreakPoint]

Originally Posted by smoledman

A 93 sq in would lead to fewer mishits, but less feel for his touch shots and slice.

Um...no, it wouldn't. What would lead to fewer mishits is if Federer stopped standing on the baseline half-volleying everything on the rise and if he stopped swinging with so much racquet head speed. But if he stopped doing those things he would lose a lot more than he wins. An extra 3 sq. in. on his racquet isn't going to stop the mishits. He still needs to hit the center of his stringbed regardless of how big his racquet is.

[FEDERERNADAL13]

Ok, I'm gonna have to ask the 93 vs 90 guys to stop de-railing the thread (thanks to BP and others who sorted out that 3 inches=nothing though)

Let's stay on topic guys! Any questions about the racket?

[red rook]

I applaude you for actually playing with it. Thanks fo your post and for sharing!

[FEDERERNADAL13]

Originally Posted by red rook

I applaude you for actually playing with it. Thanks fo your post and for sharing!

No problem! I'm just happy to share my findings with the TTW community.

[ENJOY TENNIS]

Tell us the difference between the pro room and stock models....... I see that Federer dos not use the pro room, but the modified pro room, by P1, is that right?

[ENJOY TENNIS]

Could You review the pro room and the stock PS90 and tell us the differences?

[フェデラー]

I would do terrible things to get another wilson racket with a 93 inch head. The kblade tour was such a good racket.

Have you used other wilson frames in the past (blx 6.1 tour, k factor 6.1 tour, et al.)? How would those compare?

You also mentioned that you lost some power, have you thought about adding any lead tape to the top of the hoop, as P1 would have done for Roger since you said it was yet to be customized?

You also stated that this was a Federer frame, how close do you think it is to retail? Many here speculate that Roger just hand picks his and then has them customized, do you think that could be the case here? Is there anything that would indicate that it is NOT really a BLX PS?

And a non-racket related question, how do you feel about power pads? Do they really do anything for your game, or is it merely cosmetic or do you notice a more dampened feel?

[FEDERERNADAL13]

Originally Posted by フェデラー

I would do terrible things to get another wilson racket with a 93 inch head. The kblade tour was such a good racket.

Have you used other wilson frames in the past (blx 6.1 tour, k factor 6.1 tour, et al.)? How would those compare?

You also mentioned that you lost some power, have you thought about adding any lead tape to the top of the hoop, as P1 would have done for Roger since you said it was yet to be customized?

You also stated that this was a Federer frame, how close do you think it is to retail? Many here speculate that Roger just hand picks his and then has them customized, do you think that could be the case here? Is there anything that would indicate that it is NOT really a BLX PS?

And a non-racket related question, how do you feel about power pads? Do they really do anything for your game, or is it merely cosmetic or do you notice a more dampened feel?

I've used the K90, BLX90, BLXPS90, BLXPS95, Custom 93, and the Fed racket. The Fed racket seems to me to be a cross between the K90 and the BLXPS90. The BLXPS90 didn't have the feel of the 90 IMO, but the Fed racket has the K90 feel. I just can't put my finger on which one it's more like though!

I think this racket is VERY similar to a retail 90. Other than the shorter grip (which is a very slight difference), the racket is the same mold for sure. This racket feels like it could just be a stock racket with weight in the handle changing the specs! It feels like it must be made with better materials than retail though (more graphite-ish feel, like a frame from the 80's/90's).

I have though about adding lead there! Fabfed has clocked his Fed sticks at 364 grams, compared to my 358, so I may try that later!

In terms of the powerpads, I haven't noticed too much of a difference in feel. They are very similar to a dampener IMO, but with less of an impact, and a slightly different feel IMO. They look cool though, so I'm gonna use them more

Any other questions?

[FEDERERNADAL13]

Originally Posted by ENJOY TENNIS

Tell us the difference between the pro room and stock models....... I see that Federer dos not use the pro room, but the modified pro room, by P1, is that right?

Pro room rackets are (generally) stock rackets at perfect specs. Also, it is speculated that pro room rackets have better quality ingredients (I agree with this after trying these two rackets).

Yes, modified pro room P1 is the best, so I can see why Roger would want to use them!

[aimr75]

Originally Posted by FEDERERNADAL13

Yes, modified pro room P1 is the best, so I can see why Roger would want to use them!

Maybe you should send this one to P1 and ask them to mod it per their number 1 client

[FEDERERNADAL13]

Originally Posted by aimr75

Maybe you should send this one to P1 and ask them to mod it per their number 1 client

I asked them about doing a retail racket to that spec, but they said that they don't customize to pro player specs

[aimr75]

Originally Posted by FEDERERNADAL13

I asked them about doing a retail racket to that spec, but they said that they don't customize to pro player specs

hmm, if they customise for the general public, and you provide the specs you desire, then they should do it. Just dont ask for the Fed spec and use the numbers provided by FabFed