Wilson Hits Homerun with Wilson Steam 99S (mini review)

jonestim · 01-30-2013, 04:29 PM

My demo from TW came in today strung with 4G 1.25. I hit with it with my ball machine for about an hour and then about 50 serves.

I am an athletic 3.5. SW forehand. OHBH. I have good court coverage and unforced error too often. My usual setup is around 12.4 oz and a 93". Either a Diablo or POG with full poly and swing weights north of 330 on both. I play at about 4000 feet in very little humidity. Balls fly quickly here which is why I have settled on a lower powered setup. Higher powered and I often hit long or have to reign myself in which causes some net shots.

I really dug this frame. It does what it says. I had shots that I felt were poorly hit and were going long just to see them dip in at the last second. Most of my shots were nice and deep with really good bounces. I can get a lot of spin with my POGs, but not this much and not as consistently.

Serves were ok. This has such different balance that it is going to take a bit of work to figure them out. I warmed up with one of my current racquets and was getting better placement, but less pace than with the 99S. I'm sure if I used this exclusively I would have a passable serve for a 3.5.

I didn't volley a ton. Friday I will be doing my weekly hour and a half doubles clinic and will know more about volleys then.

The negative - string life. I don't know why TW put 1.25 string in this. I am not hard on strings. I have never broken a poly in my life and they are often only somewhat notched when I cut them out - usually at around 12 hrs. The 4G is notched more in an hour than I usually see for the life of my strings. I checked a POG that I have used for about 6 hrs that has 1.27 Cyber Twirl mains with OSGM crosses and it is notched about half of what these are after an hour. I won't be surprised to see them snap during my demo period.

The other negative for me is the feel. I like the smoothness of my thin box beam racquets. The reality is though that if I'm playing this much better I can live with the feel.

I have a bunch of racquets for sale in the classifieds and am tempted to picke up a couple of these when those sell.

More later.

01-30-2013, 04:29 PM	#11
jonestim Rookie Join Date: May 2011 Location: Bend, OR Posts: 267	My demo from TW came in today strung with 4G 1.25. I hit with it with my ball machine for about an hour and then about 50 serves. I am an athletic 3.5. SW forehand. OHBH. I have good court coverage and unforced error too often. My usual setup is around 12.4 oz and a 93". Either a Diablo or POG with full poly and swing weights north of 330 on both. I play at about 4000 feet in very little humidity. Balls fly quickly here which is why I have settled on a lower powered setup. Higher powered and I often hit long or have to reign myself in which causes some net shots. I really dug this frame. It does what it says. I had shots that I felt were poorly hit and were going long just to see them dip in at the last second. Most of my shots were nice and deep with really good bounces. I can get a lot of spin with my POGs, but not this much and not as consistently. Serves were ok. This has such different balance that it is going to take a bit of work to figure them out. I warmed up with one of my current racquets and was getting better placement, but less pace than with the 99S. I'm sure if I used this exclusively I would have a passable serve for a 3.5. I didn't volley a ton. Friday I will be doing my weekly hour and a half doubles clinic and will know more about volleys then. The negative - string life. I don't know why TW put 1.25 string in this. I am not hard on strings. I have never broken a poly in my life and they are often only somewhat notched when I cut them out - usually at around 12 hrs. The 4G is notched more in an hour than I usually see for the life of my strings. I checked a POG that I have used for about 6 hrs that has 1.27 Cyber Twirl mains with OSGM crosses and it is notched about half of what these are after an hour. I won't be surprised to see them snap during my demo period. The other negative for me is the feel. I like the smoothness of my thin box beam racquets. The reality is though that if I'm playing this much better I can live with the feel. I have a bunch of racquets for sale in the classifieds and am tempted to picke up a couple of these when those sell. More later. __________________ Prince Tour Diablo Mid - Iontec Black 1.20 @ 45 - Wilson Pro Overgrip

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