Wilson ROK - 1st impressions

[vandyer]

hi all,

I've been playing with the ncode six-one 95 for the past 18 months, i thought it as time for a change and bought a brand new ROK for only £45 (about $90)

I played for the first time last night. The resuts were suprising.

Although this seems to go against most peoples view, i thought there was tones more power with the ROK, but the sweet does feel smaller.

Serving was good too.

The only donwside was how heavy it felt, i think we call this the "swing weight"

Although my original intention to change racket was to find somthing a touch lighter (which i think the ROK is on paper) it actually feels heavier when playing. My guess is that this extra swing wight is where i'm getting the power from.

Overall i think this will be a fustrating racket for me. When playing well i think it will be excellent, but on an off day i think i might struggle.

Anyone got any suggestions on what other racket possibilities are they?

I thought about the Head Prestige, both the 93 and 98 sq.in versions.
Thanks

[anirut]

Give the Redondo mid or the MG Prestige mid a try.

[AlpineCadet]

Originally Posted by vandyer

hi all,

I've been playing with the ncode six-one 95 for the past 18 months, i thought it as time for a change and bought a brand new ROK for only £45 (about $90)

I played for the first time last night. The resuts were suprising.

Although this seems to go against most peoples view, i thought there was tones more power with the ROK, but the sweet does feel smaller.

Serving was good too.

The only donwside was how heavy it felt, i think we call this the "swing weight"

Although my original intention to change racket was to find somthing a touch lighter (which i think the ROK is on paper) it actually feels heavier when playing. My guess is that this extra swing wight is where i'm getting the power from.

Overall i think this will be a fustrating racket for me. When playing well i think it will be excellent, but on an off day i think i might struggle.

Anyone got any suggestions on what other racket possibilities are they?

I thought about the Head Prestige, both the 93 and 98 sq.in versions.
Thanks

I would experiment with hybrids in this frame, since it's a very dense pattern with a lot of flex in the upper hoop. I would use poly mains, and a soft multi in the crosses, though I'm not sure how long that setup will last. The frame does have some power since it lacks bite. Also, this frame suits faster/loopy swings than say, the KBlade Tour, which is pretty similar in spec, but just not quite as demanding.

[treblings]

I´ve played with the rok for 5 years, loved it but it isn´t easy to play.
definitely lower string tension and hybrid strings help. both the redondo and the head mg prestiges are really great rackets, but i am not sure, that they are easier to play. my best suggestion would be to find a good tennis shop and demo a lot before you buy.

[officerdibble]

You sound like a prime candidate for a Vantage custom frame; keep the elements of the Wilson that you liked and make a proportion of the adjustments that the ROK gave you. You can get the perfect blend

The first Vantage I tried I basically matched the Wilson n6.1 95 18x20 specs to compare them and I MUCH preferred the Vantage; the best way I can describe it is that the Wilson felt like a bit of a toy in comparison; a bit less feel, a bit less involvement, a bit less solid.

[db379]

Which string/tension did you guys use to get the most power and bite of the ROK? I really like the racquet but I'd like to get as most power as possible with it.

[eman resu]

Has anybody here played with the black and red Graphite Matrix or the FXP Radical Mp? Can you compare them to the rok?

[AlpineCadet]

The Rok is a horrible stick that can't compare to the Prestige Mid. FXP Radical MP is not even close to the Rok, it's a 98 with a stiffer feel.

[rallyguy]

The ROK may not be for everyone and does have drawbacks but calling it a horrible stick may be pushing it. I feel I need to defend it some as I just strung mine up with 17g soft poly mains and 17g multi and it plays so plush, has amazing touch but as you would expect lacks punch and spin. It is just a heck of a lot of fun to take out for kicks and volleys wonderfully. It has a real nice classic soft feel that you just don't find much anymore. My 2 cents!

[AlpineCadet]

Pushing it? It's a horrible stick, it's my opinion. I actually hated it and wanted to break it so no one else would experience what a failure it was of a racket from Wilson.

[rallyguy]

I respectfully disagree but to each his own. IMO one of the best things about our lovely game is the different ways each of chooses to try and beat the other and the equipment they use to do it with. Classic example- McEnroe vs Borg those sticks and games could not have been more different. Cheers-

[AlpineCadet]

All I know is that Wilson won't ever bring back that headsize/flex and incredibly dense string pattern back, ever. It was a failure.

[Jessekershaw]

I am just getting back into tennis after nearly 12 years since playing a set. Played with a pro staff 95 in the early to mid nineties when I was competitive. I bought a new Rebel 98 and once I got my swing started back I found it too powerful. I picked up three Rok's very reasonably priced and much prefer it. The touch works, I get surprisingly solid spin, and can generate reasonable power.....BUT the sweet spot is small and while off center hits rarely fly long they can certainly land short or mis-hit for a high/short/soft bounce. I'm playing multi at 52, 56,and 60. 56 worked well for me. I've tried adding some weight at 10&2 to improve the sweet spot but so far haven't felt a difference and don't want to make it too heavy.

When I'm on I love the racket. When I'm off I can really see why it's not for everyone.

I too am looking for something similar but different. I actually like the Rok weight at high 11oz territory. I personally find 12oz and up too much and below 11 too little.

I'm in the boat with the original poster on this one. Dig the Rok but am demoing like crazy looking for more sweet spot and maybe 5 or 10% more power, just enough to turn good shots into great ones, and off center shots into passable ones.

New Pro Staff 6.1 95 was close but the sweet spot felt small. Dunlop bio 200 was pretty close but felt sort of unstable, I might try this one again. Liked the Rebel 95 strung at max but it was a touch too heavy and killed my shoulder on serves. I've got a Babolat, a Head, and a couple others coming now.

I'll be keeping an eye on this thread to see what happens. Hopefully he finds the perfect mid weight, low power, big sweet spot, flexy touch racquet for him out there. And then I'll demo that!

[Passion4Tennis]

Originally Posted by Jessekershaw

I am just getting back into tennis after nearly 12 years since playing a set. Played with a pro staff 95 in the early to mid nineties when I was competitive. I bought a new Rebel 98 and once I got my swing started back I found it too powerful. I picked up three Rok's very reasonably priced and much prefer it. The touch works, I get surprisingly solid spin, and can generate reasonable power.....BUT the sweet spot is small and while off center hits rarely fly long they can certainly land short or mis-hit for a high/short/soft bounce. I'm playing multi at 52, 56,and 60. 56 worked well for me. I've tried adding some weight at 10&2 to improve the sweet spot but so far haven't felt a difference and don't want to make it too heavy.

When I'm on I love the racket. When I'm off I can really see why it's not for everyone.

I too am looking for something similar but different. I actually like the Rok weight at high 11oz territory. I personally find 12oz and up too much and below 11 too little.

I'm in the boat with the original poster on this one. Dig the Rok but am demoing like crazy looking for more sweet spot and maybe 5 or 10% more power, just enough to turn good shots into great ones, and off center shots into passable ones.

New Pro Staff 6.1 95 was close but the sweet spot felt small. Dunlop bio 200 was pretty close but felt sort of unstable, I might try this one again. Liked the Rebel 95 strung at max but it was a touch too heavy and killed my shoulder on serves. I've got a Babolat, a Head, and a couple others coming now.

I'll be keeping an eye on this thread to see what happens. Hopefully he finds the perfect mid weight, low power, big sweet spot, flexy touch racquet for him out there. And then I'll demo that!

I played with the Rok for 3 years, and I pretty much have the same opinion of it as you do. It didn't play all that well for me in stock form, but when I added some lead to it I really started enjoying it. Still, I was always searching for a racquet with just a touch more power.

I'm now playing with a Head I prestige mid, and I will probably be demoing the Ig mid soon. The I prestige is definitely more solid than the Rok. It is more stable, and it offers that little extra power on my shots. You should demo the Ig prestige mid. It is only a little over 12oz, and its swingweight is around 320, so it should be very maneuverable.

[anirut]

Jessekershaw, give the PK BlackAce a look, either mid or MP. I used to like the Rok too.

[jorel]

TW Granville loved it comparing it to some kinda of bourdeux or watever

[barty9]

I found the ROK a heavy frame with little margin for error but like other posts when you are on, the ball absolutely flew and I really enjoyed using it.