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

[racertempo]

Originally Posted by Buford T Justice

Racer-

I havent tried that, but I did take a similar (similar as in el cheapo route) for a reel of Gosen Polylon ($33.95 at TW). I played a few sets with it this morning, and honestly, Im sold. Its hard to believe this string is so inexpensive. It really plays great IMO and for the $, its more or less ridiculous. TW seems to agree based on their review of it as well.

Ah, great feedback, that was the other reel I was considering. What color did you buy.....I am assuming it was the 1.29mm/16g reel right? Looks like it is $34.95.....same one?

Sound like it is pretty soft which I like for a thinker gauge.

[Buford T Justice]

Originally Posted by racertempo

Ah, great feedback, that was the other reel I was considering. What color did you buy.....I am assuming it was the 1.29mm/16g reel right? Looks like it is $34.95.....same one?

Sound like it is pretty soft which I like for a thinker gauge.

Yes, I bought 16g in black.

And....I swear it was $33.95. I bought it on 1/25 and just checked my receipt......it was $33.95! So...price has gone up a measly buck....still a bargain!

[racertempo]

Originally Posted by Buford T Justice

Yes, I bought 16g in black.

And....I swear it was $33.95. I bought it on 1/25 and just checked my receipt......it was $33.95! So...price has gone up a measly buck....still a bargain!

Ytex has a 1.30 reel on their website that is marketed as durability for $59.99 which is not too bad....I have had good luck with their string.

http://ytexstrings.com/index.php?rou...ory&path=20_39

Still, not much out there above 1.30 in the Poly category for a reel, and 4gs is an insane price for an individual pack. I might try that Iso just to get the 1.35mm

[tennis_nut]

Originally Posted by JackB1

tennisnut, you seem to be the only one who has tried a gut/copoly setup. What tension did you try? I would think you need to go up to around 63,64 with the gut and around 56-58 with the copoly crosses, sicne the tension range is 55-65 on the 99s. I am not a string breaker, so I am wondering if a gut/copoly hybrid might work better for me than full 4g?

Hi Jack, I tried both gut/4g and gut/rpm in 16 and 17 gauges. They all played fantastic but did not last long. Roughly 5-6 hours of mostly doubles play. The guts were strung around 58-60 and the polys were strung around 54-56. The setups were powerful but still contollable.

I have since moved on to cheaper polys. With Iontec salmon I am getting 6 hours of good playability for only $7, compared to almost $30 for the gut/poly setup.

[Ross K]

I can't remember, did anyone try SPPP in the 99s? A good choice?

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by Ross K

I can't remember, did anyone try SPPP in the 99s? A good choice?

dont think so. SPPP is one of the softest poly's out there and not noted for durabilty.

I would recommend any of these:

Lx 4G 16g or the "S"
Prince Beast 16g
Solinco Outlast 16g
Gamma ZoVerve 16g

these are all durable and hold tension well

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by JackB1

dont think so. SPPP is one of the softest poly's out there and not noted for durabilty.

I would recommend any of these:

Lx 4G 16g or the "S"
Prince Beast 16g
Solinco Outlast 16g
Gamma ZoVerve 16g

these are all durable and hold tension well

Ah, okay... "HE SAYS NOTING IT ALL DOWN."

[racertempo]

Originally Posted by JackB1

dont think so. SPPP is one of the softest poly's out there and not noted for durabilty.

I would recommend any of these:

Lx 4G 16g or the "S"
Prince Beast 16g
Solinco Outlast 16g
Gamma ZoVerve 16g

these are all durable and hold tension well

Any thoughts on Kirschbaum Super Smash 16 (1.30) Orange? TW is offering 4 packs for $16 right now, pretty good deal for Kirschbaum, but does it hold tension well?

Also, One of my favorite all time Polys is now in 1.30 at TW from Yonex, the Poly Tour Pro in black and yellow. I love the 1.25 in yellow, I would imagine that the 1.30 of this string will do well in the 99s.

And for what its worth, Weiss Cannon's Scorpion 16 is a 1.33 which is essentially a 15L gauge, any experience with Scorpion?

Oh, 1 other one, KLIP Hardcore 1.30, looks like it might do well with the Steam, any thoughts?

Sorry for being a little random, going to load up on 1.30-1.35 string soon.

[fibonacci888]

How come nobody ever tried or has tried the Xcite? Is it the price?
I found it a soft poly with easy power. Compared to signum tornado, beast xp and poly force.

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by racertempo

Any thoughts on Kirschbaum Super Smash 16 (1.30) Orange? TW is offering 4 packs for $16 right now, pretty good deal for Kirschbaum, but does it hold tension well?

Also, One of my favorite all time Polys is now in 1.30 at TW from Yonex, the Poly Tour Pro in black and yellow. I love the 1.25 in yellow, I would imagine that the 1.30 of this string will do well in the 99s.

And for what its worth, Weiss Cannon's Scorpion 16 is a 1.33 which is essentially a 15L gauge, any experience with Scorpion?

Oh, 1 other one, KLIP Hardcore 1.30, looks like it might do well with the Steam, any thoughts?

Sorry for being a little random, going to load up on 1.30-1.35 string soon.

yep, been thinking of PTP as well.

Re Scorpion, it stark contrast to what I was expecting, posts I'd read etc, it played just horribly for me in a PD. Just one of those string experiences where your just left dumb-founded.

[Lakers4Life]

Originally Posted by Anton

I'm really waiting for someone to try 15g natural gut mains with 15g poly crosses on this frame at like 65lbs. And see how it works out. Because i think that would be an idea setup for this frame.

I'd do it myself, but I really can't stand high launch angle rackets, so I don't want to spend the big $s on 99s.

I was hitting with it a little today, it pockets real nice. I still did not get a good workout since I had to run some drills with the kids and such. The string did move a bit, but not too bad. I had waxed the gut when I was stringing, it helps a lot. I use some left over Global Natural gut I had laying around, so I'm not too concerned with it breaking ($10 a set). Also it's more like 15G (1.35-1.40) because of it's unevenness. Though I did have trouble tying off the last cross at T7, so I tied off at T11.

As for High Launch angles, as long as you know it's possible, it's easy to adjust. I naturally hit the ball low, so it suits my swing.

[SC in MA]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Since the biggest issue with the 99s seems to be poly tension loss, maybe the optimum setup for it is natural gut mains and copoly cross? Nat gut is the BEST string for retaining tension and will help to "mask" the copoly when it starts losing tension. The key then is to find the best tension for this hybrid, since it will have a lot of power.
I am thinking around 64/58? Has anyone else tried a nat gut/copoly setup and what were your results?

Hey Jack. I'm a USTA computer rated 4.5. I hit with the 99S today using 16g Pacific Tough Gut in the mains and 16g 4G in the crosses strung at 58/52. Today was the first day I was able to hit/drill with another 4.5 player. (I hit briefly earlier in the week with a 3.5 in windy conditions and the 99s was strung with full Wilson Enduro (?) at an unknown tension. The racket played squishy, which I didn't like at all). I thought this gut/poly string setup had great control and good power. I didn't find the 99s to be a rocket launcher at all, though I'm not a player who normally blasts away.

My main stick is the somewhat older Wilson 6.1 BLX (the red/blackish 12+ oz one), which I've played with for at least a couple of years now.

I had no trouble adjusting to the 99s. The gut/poly strings made a huge difference over the full Enduro. However, after just one hit, I don't know how long they'll hold tension or last. I'm not normally a string breaker (I don't hit with a lot of extreme spin). I haven't looked closely at the strings since my hitting session, but I'm thinking of putting in some string savers to try to extend the life of the strings.

I didn't actually get a lot of extra spin on groundstrokes that I noticed, but I did on spin serves. My hitting partner didn't notice that I wasn't using my normal racket (I didn't tell him and apparently he didn't notice). He said I was getting great action on my serves and asked what strings I was using (thinking the strings were giving me the extra action). Volleys were surprisingly good.

Overall, I found the 99s is easier to play with than my 6.1 BLX, though it doesn't quite have the solid feel of the 6.1 BLX. I need more time with the 99s, but it could be a game improvement racket for me, if it doesn't eat the gut/poly strings too quickly and if I can actually use the poly in crosses without having arm issues. (I normally string my BLX with gut/syn gut).

I'll be playing some pretty competitive doubles on Sunday, which should be a good test for me with the 99s.

I kinda rambled, but I hope the little bit of feedback on the gut/poly string setup is helpful.

[Pro_Tour_630]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Since the biggest issue with the 99s seems to be poly tension loss, maybe the optimum setup for it is natural gut mains and copoly cross? Nat gut is the BEST string for retaining tension and will help to "mask" the copoly when it starts losing tension. The key then is to find the best tension for this hybrid, since it will have a lot of power.
I am thinking around 64/58? Has anyone else tried a nat gut/copoly setup and what were your results?

my LUX ORIGINAL WENT SOUTH IN ONE DAY, it was a rocket, indeed you need tension holding setup on the thick side at high tension

[mikeespinmusic]

Its a given that the less strings there are, the more spin and power (lowering durability)...this shouldn't come that much of a shock.

I Want to see how this steam compares to a power angle (Diagonal string pattern 16 x 16). That should be a good test.

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by SC in MA

Hey Jack. I'm a USTA computer rated 4.5. I hit with the 99S today using 16g Pacific Tough Gut in the mains and 16g 4G in the crosses strung at 58/52. Today was the first day I was able to hit/drill with another 4.5 player. (I hit briefly earlier in the week with a 3.5 in windy conditions and the 99s was strung with full Wilson Enduro (?) at an unknown tension. The racket played squishy, which I didn't like at all). I thought this gut/poly string setup had great control and good power. I didn't find the 99s to be a rocket launcher at all, though I'm not a player who normally blasts away.

My main stick is the somewhat older Wilson 6.1 BLX (the red/blackish 12+ oz one), which I've played with for at least a couple of years now.

I had no trouble adjusting to the 99s. The gut/poly strings made a huge difference over the full Enduro. However, after just one hit, I don't know how long they'll hold tension or last. I'm not normally a string breaker (I don't hit with a lot of extreme spin). I haven't looked closely at the strings since my hitting session, but I'm thinking of putting in some string savers to try to extend the life of the strings.

I didn't actually get a lot of extra spin on groundstrokes that I noticed, but I did on spin serves. My hitting partner didn't notice that I wasn't using my normal racket (I didn't tell him and apparently he didn't notice). He said I was getting great action on my serves and asked what strings I was using (thinking the strings were giving me the extra action). Volleys were surprisingly good.

Overall, I found the 99s is easier to play with than my 6.1 BLX, though it doesn't quite have the solid feel of the 6.1 BLX. I need more time with the 99s, but it could be a game improvement racket for me, if it doesn't eat the gut/poly strings too quickly and if I can actually use the poly in crosses without having arm issues. (I normally string my BLX with gut/syn gut).

I'll be playing some pretty competitive doubles on Sunday, which should be a good test for me with the 99s.

I kinda rambled, but I hope the little bit of feedback on the gut/poly string setup is helpful.

Thanks for all that useful info! Please report back how the gut/poly holds up.

[Ross K]

Only third proper outing with it yesterday but a bit disappointed.

Found things generally erratic, a bit out of sync, and of two extremes - I received a total beat down in one set, and proceeded to do the same to my hitting partner in the second.

So, no, I haven't quite got the hang of the unique quirks of this rqt. Much more playing time required then for this here steam room visitor.

[Anton]

Originally Posted by Lakers4Life

I was hitting with it a little today, it pockets real nice. I still did not get a good workout since I had to run some drills with the kids and such. The string did move a bit, but not too bad. I had waxed the gut when I was stringing, it helps a lot. I use some left over Global Natural gut I had laying around, so I'm not too concerned with it breaking ($10 a set). Also it's more like 15G (1.35-1.40) because of it's unevenness. Though I did have trouble tying off the last cross at T7, so I tied off at T11.

As for High Launch angles, as long as you know it's possible, it's easy to adjust. I naturally hit the ball low, so it suits my swing.

15g strings were still moving around (did not completely snap back) at 65lbs?

This why I cannot understand how people are playing with tensions in the 50s.

[v-verb]

I would like to see this string pattern in a different frame. I guess I'll wait to see what Wilson or the other racquet makers come out with

[gplracer]

My 16 year old really likes this racket.

[Dgdavid]

I've been playing with this a bit. Two demo stints for a total of six competitive singles sets and 3 competitive doubles sets plus normal hitting sessions.

Probably against the general opinion here but I am actually liking the frame more than the string pattern if that makes sense. Feels nice in the hand, swings easy, feels solid at its weight. I am considering trying out the non-S 99 now as the 16x18 might be just the ticket. Somewhere between the 99S and a Blade.