WILSON PS 85 - replacing leather question

[ASH1485]

any one tried to replace the leather grip on the PS 85 , i need to know how does it play when you replace leather with a synthetic grip ?

Any one got the specs after replacing the leather ? i believe it will reduce the weight of the racket by 0.5 oz , wht about swing weight and head balance ?

thanks

[ASH1485]

so everyone is holding on to their leather grips

any one to help ?

[hoodjem]

Have you tried saddle soap?

[Mister drool]

I cant say for the ps85 (wish i could!)
But I tried that in my k90 once, and got better cushioning for the hand, and overall feel of the racquet is what you could expect, it became a little more head heavy in feeling, not by much. It made the forehand a bit deeper in court, a bit slower headspeed made the serve a little slower too, but better for kick, again not by much, more a question of feeling than actual results, ended up by licking the racquet with a leather grip and an over grip again for more headlight balance and better touch. power went down by a notch compared to just the synthetic grip, but i can do everything else with less effort.

for a ps85 i might not be such a drama, as the newer version swingwheight is in the 320's so you might get better plow and still keep the frame manouverable.

not experimented, just an opinion

[Say Chi Sin Lo]

Originally Posted by ASH1485

so everyone is holding on to their leather grips

any one to help ?

Yep, pretty much.

[Bdarb]

It becomes a bit more head heavy right? Why don't you just try it, it's like a twenty minute project tops if you take your time and do a good job.

[power level 800]

I currently have the Pacific Masters Grip Classic 1.8 and I really love the feel and comfort it provides.

[ASH1485]

Originally Posted by Bdarb

It becomes a bit more head heavy right? Why don't you just try it, it's like a twenty minute project tops if you take your time and do a good job.

wish i could man,i bought the PS 85 rackets and then went to a serious wrist injury ( which i believe caused by the PS BLX 95 )
just looking forward to get back to the court and hit with the 85

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by ASH1485

any one tried to replace the leather grip on the PS 85 , i need to know how does it play when you replace leather with a synthetic grip ?

Any one got the specs after replacing the leather ? i believe it will reduce the weight of the racket by 0.5 oz , wht about swing weight and head balance ?

thanks

I replaced it with a Shockshield grip.

Difference should not be 0.5 oz. In fact, I weighed the Fairway leather grip and the Shockshield grip and they were almost the same.

[ian27]

Hi ASH1485,

The following pictures may help address your question regarding specs.

This grip replacement was done on a "late and last" model Chinese PS 85 (silver specification decal, with stock Wilson leather grip).

FYI, I weighed the stock Wilson leather grip off of this racquet: about 22 grams.





As for the synthetic replacement grip, I was aiming for a 2 pt HL reduction with at least an 8 gram reduction in the handle area so I narrowed down my choices to:

- Babolat Syntec (17.4 g, Babolat spec, assuming uncut)
- Babolat SKin Feel (16.6 g, Babolat spec, assuming uncut)
- Head Hydrosorb Tour (~16 g trimmed, Talk Tennis forum info)

I went with the Babolat Skin Feel. At that point after trimming, I'd estimate that I had on the racquet at the very least (most?), a 14 g Skin Feel grip. (Actually, it may have been less than 14 g)

(I did come across one of Sureshs' old Talk Tennis posts on the equivalent weights of the Shockshield grip and Fairway leather in order to maintain specs - Thank you Sureshs for posting that good info )

Here are the actual weight differences I noted down for this racquet immediately after the replacement:

- Strung, with stock Wilson leather grip - 12.6 oz
(without dampener or Wilson Pro Overgrip)

- Strung, with Babloat Skin Feel grip - 12.3 oz
(without dampener or Wilson Pro Overgrip)

**NOTE: The two pics above show the static weights and specs WITH BOTH a Babolat dampener AND a Wilson Pro Overgrip on the racquet, as I wanted these included in calculating the final swingweights. Not sure where any discrepancies may have occurred but everything is as measured. Also, I know the first pic doesn't show 13 oz. exactly but I took a few measurements and it was 13 oz.

Regarding your first question on "how does it play", I'd say the resulting racquet is less "whippy" (being slightly less HL) yet just as maneuverable, slightly easier-serving perhaps and a little quicker on reaction-type volleys at the net. Groundstrokes feel about the same to me. Of course, this is just my opinion and my preference is a more moderate HL setup.....Actually that's an interesting question considering the final static weight and HL spec achieved is very close to that of the TW reissued PS 85 (which I have not tried) so I wonder how close these two versions are really....

As for maintaining grip sizes, I am used to the 1.5 mm TW leather grip with a Wilson Pro OG on top so the Babloat Skin Feel (1.55 mm) with Wilson Pro OG on top suits me just fine. Of course, bevels feel better with a leather grip but no issues there for me.

Funny you mentioned wrist injury....I had a wrist injury about seven months ago. (Almost positive it was a TFCC/ulnar-side wrist injury) It took a good 3-4 months before my wrist slowly gained full strength again. I'd wait for a full recovery on the wrist before hitting that sweetspot on those PS 85s again....As you probably already know, it's an experience that's well worth the wait...

[robbo1970]

I was just going to suggest the Wilson Shock Shield but I see it has already been mentioned.

All depends if you want to keep your same balance/weight. I have found that the weight difference between a standard synth grip and a Wilson Premium Leather grip is 10g.

[ASH1485]

Originally Posted by ian27

Hi ASH1485,

The following pictures may help address your question regarding specs.

This grip replacement was done on a "late and last" model Chinese PS 85 (silver specification decal, with stock Wilson leather grip).

FYI, I weighed the stock Wilson leather grip off of this racquet: about 22 grams.





As for the synthetic replacement grip, I was aiming for a 2 pt HL reduction with at least an 8 gram reduction in the handle area so I narrowed down my choices to:

- Babolat Syntec (17.4 g, Babolat spec, assuming uncut)
- Babolat SKin Feel (16.6 g, Babolat spec, assuming uncut)
- Head Hydrosorb Tour (~16 g trimmed, Talk Tennis forum info)

I went with the Babolat Skin Feel. At that point after trimming, I'd estimate that I had on the racquet at the very least (most?), a 14 g Skin Feel grip. (Actually, it may have been less than 14 g)

(I did come across one of Sureshs' old Talk Tennis posts on the equivalent weights of the Shockshield grip and Fairway leather in order to maintain specs - Thank you Sureshs for posting that good info )

Here are the actual weight differences I noted down for this racquet immediately after the replacement:

- Strung, with stock Wilson leather grip - 12.6 oz
(without dampener or Wilson Pro Overgrip)

- Strung, with Babloat Skin Feel grip - 12.3 oz
(without dampener or Wilson Pro Overgrip)

**NOTE: The two pics above show the static weights and specs WITH BOTH a Babolat dampener AND a Wilson Pro Overgrip on the racquet, as I wanted these included in calculating the final swingweights. Not sure where any discrepancies may have occurred but everything is as measured. Also, I know the first pic doesn't show 13 oz. exactly but I took a few measurements and it was 13 oz.

Regarding your first question on "how does it play", I'd say the resulting racquet is less "whippy" (being slightly less HL) yet just as maneuverable, slightly easier-serving perhaps and a little quicker on reaction-type volleys at the net. Groundstrokes feel about the same to me. Of course, this is just my opinion and my preference is a more moderate HL setup.....Actually that's an interesting question considering the final static weight and HL spec achieved is very close to that of the TW reissued PS 85 (which I have not tried) so I wonder how close these two versions are really....

As for maintaining grip sizes, I am used to the 1.5 mm TW leather grip with a Wilson Pro OG on top so the Babloat Skin Feel (1.55 mm) with Wilson Pro OG on top suits me just fine. Of course, bevels feel better with a leather grip but no issues there for me.

Funny you mentioned wrist injury....I had a wrist injury about seven months ago. (Almost positive it was a TFCC/ulnar-side wrist injury) It took a good 3-4 months before my wrist slowly gained full strength again. I'd wait for a full recovery on the wrist before hitting that sweetspot on those PS 85s again....As you probably already know, it's an experience that's well worth the wait...

thanks alot ian27, these are the exact same specs i try to reach ...
just experimenting with my mind before i go back to the court , i dont wanna rush playing before i fully recover ... and yes its worth the long wait

[xFullCourtTenniSx]

Originally Posted by ian27

Hi ASH1485,

The following pictures may help address your question regarding specs.

This grip replacement was done on a "late and last" model Chinese PS 85 (silver specification decal, with stock Wilson leather grip).

FYI, I weighed the stock Wilson leather grip off of this racquet: about 22 grams.





As for the synthetic replacement grip, I was aiming for a 2 pt HL reduction with at least an 8 gram reduction in the handle area so I narrowed down my choices to:

- Babolat Syntec (17.4 g, Babolat spec, assuming uncut)
- Babolat SKin Feel (16.6 g, Babolat spec, assuming uncut)
- Head Hydrosorb Tour (~16 g trimmed, Talk Tennis forum info)

I went with the Babolat Skin Feel. At that point after trimming, I'd estimate that I had on the racquet at the very least (most?), a 14 g Skin Feel grip. (Actually, it may have been less than 14 g)

(I did come across one of Sureshs' old Talk Tennis posts on the equivalent weights of the Shockshield grip and Fairway leather in order to maintain specs - Thank you Sureshs for posting that good info )

Here are the actual weight differences I noted down for this racquet immediately after the replacement:

- Strung, with stock Wilson leather grip - 12.6 oz
(without dampener or Wilson Pro Overgrip)

- Strung, with Babloat Skin Feel grip - 12.3 oz
(without dampener or Wilson Pro Overgrip)

**NOTE: The two pics above show the static weights and specs WITH BOTH a Babolat dampener AND a Wilson Pro Overgrip on the racquet, as I wanted these included in calculating the final swingweights. Not sure where any discrepancies may have occurred but everything is as measured. Also, I know the first pic doesn't show 13 oz. exactly but I took a few measurements and it was 13 oz.

Regarding your first question on "how does it play", I'd say the resulting racquet is less "whippy" (being slightly less HL) yet just as maneuverable, slightly easier-serving perhaps and a little quicker on reaction-type volleys at the net. Groundstrokes feel about the same to me. Of course, this is just my opinion and my preference is a more moderate HL setup.....Actually that's an interesting question considering the final static weight and HL spec achieved is very close to that of the TW reissued PS 85 (which I have not tried) so I wonder how close these two versions are really....

As for maintaining grip sizes, I am used to the 1.5 mm TW leather grip with a Wilson Pro OG on top so the Babloat Skin Feel (1.55 mm) with Wilson Pro OG on top suits me just fine. Of course, bevels feel better with a leather grip but no issues there for me.

Funny you mentioned wrist injury....I had a wrist injury about seven months ago. (Almost positive it was a TFCC/ulnar-side wrist injury) It took a good 3-4 months before my wrist slowly gained full strength again. I'd wait for a full recovery on the wrist before hitting that sweetspot on those PS 85s again....As you probably already know, it's an experience that's well worth the wait...

You need to be more strict in your readings or get a more accurate scale.

That's closer to 13.3 or 13.4 ounces than 13 ounces. Second reading is 12.5 or 12.6 ounces. That would probably change the swingweight calculation to be more accurate, since the lighter racket should have a slightly lower swingweight. Putting in 13.3 ounces, you get the swingweight to be 325, which seems much more likely for a 13.3 ounce racket.