Wilson 2012 Pro Tour BLX

[cknobman]

Nice to hear virtua! I loved my k pro tours and was very disappointed when they changed to 18x20 for the blx.

[cknobman]

I recieved my 2 2012 Pro Tour BLX racquets last nite and intend on taking them out for their first hit tonight.

Some initial observations:

• They are indeed a 16x20 string pattern
• I did not request special stringing. Both came prestrung (from factory) with Wilson sensation, and a red painted W pattern, and had the cardboard insert/advertisment covering the strings.
• Weighed both and they were very close to each other and practically exact to spec. One racquet was 327 grams and the other 328. Pretty good to see close specs like that coming from Wilson.
• Both appear to have the Wilson Pro Hybrid grip on them, although they are all black with no gold logos or printing on them.
• Paint job/quality is very good with no noticeable flaws.

I was surprised to see the factory string job which is indicative of bargain bin racquets. I can only suppose that it means this racquet is discontinued and Wilson simply has strung remaining stock and priced them low to clear out inventory.

If anyone is interested in this racquet I would suggest getting it ASAP before they are all gone. I will make a decision after my play-test tonight on whether I will be getting more or not.

[Veninga]

Originally Posted by cknobman

I recieved my 2 2012 Pro Tour BLX racquets last nite and intend on taking them out for their first hit tonight.

Some initial observations:

• They are indeed a 16x20 string pattern
• I did not request special stringing. Both came prestrung (from factory) with Wilson sensation, and a red painted W pattern, and had the cardboard insert/advertisment covering the strings.
• Weighed both and they were very close to each other and practically exact to spec. One racquet was 327 grams and the other 328. Pretty good to see close specs like that coming from Wilson.
• Both appear to have the Wilson Pro Hybrid grip on them, although they are all black with no gold logos or printing on them.
• Paint job/quality is very good with no noticeable flaws.

I was surprised to see the factory string job which is indicative of bargain bin racquets. I can only suppose that it means this racquet is discontinued and Wilson simply has strung remaining stock and priced them low to clear out inventory.

If anyone is interested in this racquet I would suggest getting it ASAP before they are all gone. I will make a decision after my play-test tonight on whether I will be getting more or not.

What about swingweight? Can you measure it for us? Big difference between the K Pro Tour and the BLX Pro Tour.. Thanks.

[Virtua Tennis]

Originally Posted by Veninga

What about swingweight? Can you measure it for us? Big difference between the K Pro Tour and the BLX Pro Tour.. Thanks.

Damn hurricane here in NY stopping me from going to the tennis shop. But otherwise the swing weight feels the same.

The only thing though is to change it from the hybrid grip to full leather like the K protour. I did it just because leather is a bit heavier than the synthetic hybrid that came with it.

[Virtua Tennis]

Originally Posted by cknobman

I recieved my 2 2012 Pro Tour BLX racquets last nite and intend on taking them out for their first hit tonight.

I was surprised to see the factory string job which is indicative of bargain bin racquets. I can only suppose that it means this racquet is discontinued and Wilson simply has strung remaining stock and priced them low to clear out inventory.

If anyone is interested in this racquet I would suggest getting it ASAP before they are all gone. I will make a decision after my play-test tonight on whether I will be getting more or not.

I don't think they come strung I got 4 all unstrung and the grommets don't show any wear to it.

Can't wait to play with it but need to get a few leather grips.

[cknobman]

Originally Posted by Virtua Tennis

I don't think they come strung I got 4 all unstrung and the grommets don't show any wear to it.

Can't wait to play with it but need to get a few leather grips.

Hmmm interesting. My two racquets also came wrapped in plastic bags, one was a technifibre and the other prince.

[A_Instead]

Any update on those who received their racquets?

[newton296]

I am fortunate to have MW near me, they had a few demos in stock so I grabbed one. hit some serves and groundies yesterday and was pretty impressed with the racquet considering the price. very comfortable hit, pretty powerful, good control. If I was in market for a 95 sq in, standard length, spinny, powerful stick I would probably get it.

and yah, don't let 66 stiffness scare you off, this racquet is very comfortable and does have some flex. that said, to bad I am not a big fan of 95 sq in these days as I'm getting older and like a bigger sweet spot (100 sq in) or I would grab one of these.

blx pro open for me !

the bad news , I would like to see a more open string pattern. don't get me wrong, the 16x20 is okay, but they way they space the crosses so close makes its look and feel more like a closed pattern. the first cross doesn't even start until the 8th grommet from the bottom. almost 2 inches form the throat.

thats just wrong!

[A_Instead]

newton296

Are you using the BLX Pro Open?
Its my racquet of choice and currently using it my self.
Just wondering how it compares to the BLX Pro Tour???
Can you provide any insight?
Thanks..

[newton296]

Originally Posted by A_Instead

newton296

Are you using the BLX Pro Open?
Its my racquet of choice and currently using it my self.
Just wondering how it compares to the BLX Pro Tour???
Can you provide any insight?
Thanks..

I'm not sure what kind of game you got so I will just give you my take on both sticks.

I have a blx pro open in my bag right now, and I gotta say, as a baseline topspin basher, I like the pro open alot more because of the extra spin and power in generates. (especially serve) the (po) reminds me of the apd and I'm sure thats the racquet wilson had in mind when they designed it.

the blx pro tour feels more flexible, less powerful, and less spinny and has a more closed pattern that offers some pretty good directional control. (especially volleys) but I just couldn't get the spin I wanted with this stick off the ground. I think if your more of a flat ball hitter that likes to go too net, this stick will work pretty good.

both are pretty good sticks, but I got better results with my baseline topspin game with the the (po)

[Virtua Tennis]

The BLX Protour fits neatly between the six one and the pro open. A touch more power than a six one a little less power than the Pro open.

I can hit flat or a lot of spin it maybe the racquet, the strings (using champions choice) or my technique. It's a nice solid racquet, my tennis partners were saying that I was never this consistent with my old KFactor Protours.

[cknobman]

I have not posted a review yet because I am having a little more trouble adapting than I thought I would.

Right now I am having issues with the lack of mass in the head. Its leading to my backhand not getting good depth and power and my volleys at net suffering badly.
When at net any time a good hard or spinny shot is directed at me my volley is very sub par. The pace and spin of shot combined with very little mass in head of racquet make good aggressive volleys difficult.

I also have been trying to play with the Wilson Sensation full bed it shipped with and have found control and spin difficult. I am not going to blame this on the racquet yet because I normally play with a hybrid and put poly in the mains. I plan on restringing this racquet with my normal string setup and then seeing if the spin and control improve.

The biggest benefit of the racquet so far (in comparison to my Dunlop Bio 200 lite) is the serve. I have found (and been told by my teammates) that my serve speed/power goes up significantly with the Wilson vs. the Dunlop. I have also found it very easy to control my serve so in addition to more power I am getting a higher % of first serves in too.

I will post a full review once I play with my regular string setup and that likely wont happen until after the Thanksgiving holiday.

I do agree with newton296 that even though its a 16x20 the frame seems to have a dense string bed the way its spaced.

I can also say that no matter what strings I use that I am going to need to add some lead into the head of this racquet if I want volley well with it and get my backhand back.