Plough Thru City (pic)

plasma · 02-08-2009, 12:29 PM

Pls post pics of racquets that give that sweet plough thru and dwell time: 200g, F200, PS 85, Prestige Pro, U2, anything which came from the days when graphite looked like long soft thin strands of coarse horse tail hair...and produced masterpieces of touch, control, power and feel...

chicago ultra 2

ps85 St. Vincent (got in trade from a good friend and mentor)

Virginia · 02-08-2009, 04:08 PM

Sorry to go a bit off topic, plasma, but I believe you mentioned a while back that the carbon fibre (graphite) used in today's racquets is inferior to that used, in the 1980's. When did the quality deteriorate and in what way?

khw72004 · 02-08-2009, 05:42 PM

The paint on the Ultra 2 looks extremely nice but i don't like the split where the frame meets the grip. IMO the mold of the PS 85 looks a lot nicer.

Princegod · 02-08-2009, 06:57 PM

I've hit with the Ultra 2 standard for a few minutes. Pretty solid frame and fairly hefty as well, not a whole lot of power though with the small head.

There are some reproduction Ultra 2's midsize available in Asia, though I doubt they have the same feel of the originals with different graphite used today.

plasma · 02-08-2009, 09:05 PM

I remember seeing Aaron Krickstein in person as a kid. He would jump balls over opponents heads as a young pro, using the ultra 2 standard. The Ultra 2 mid is a far superior frame to the ps 85...far, far better....regardless of frame shape the materials in the Ultra 2 is much more forgiving and far more powerful than the ps 85! Only the original Wilson Keubler Profile and the Yamaha Secret 04 are as powerful as the U2...
Hey Virginia, as far as the info on graphite: a trusted source at one of the top raq companies for over 15 years talks of the thick coarse strands of horsetail like graphite. Apparently it is no longer available and thats why modern racquets feel like stiff crap!!!

galain · 02-08-2009, 10:38 PM

I remember when they both came out - the Ultra 2 was Wilson's flagship model. It was marketed - pricewise at least - as the better frame (vs the Pro Staff)

Deuce · 02-09-2009, 12:43 AM

I read somewhere that, for the past 10 or 15 years, the airline industry has been buying up all of the high quality graphite - which leaves only the lower quality graphite for racquet companies, etc.

I can't qualify that as being true or untrue, though.

plasma · 02-10-2009, 06:32 PM

an insider told me of how it used to be and how it is now. what they call "graphite" is not the same material it used to be...

Deuce · 02-10-2009, 08:47 PM

What they call a "tennis racquet" is not the same thing it used to be, either.

Bud · 02-10-2009, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by galain

I remember when they both came out - the Ultra 2 was Wilson's flagship model. It was marketed - pricewise at least - as the better frame (vs the Pro Staff)

I believe the U2 was the most expensive racquet in the lineup, too.

plasma · 02-10-2009, 09:42 PM

How did the wilson ceramic fit in??? it played great!!! is it a consumer stick or also top of the line in its day, pre or post ps85??? ultra 2 mid feels like the power of two prostaffs smashed into one, ultra standard is best standard ever, better than dunlop 150g by far, feels so strong, stiff but crisp, not harsh feel, great touch have to try rossignol F100...how did the ultra 2 mid get lost in the great history of wilson??? probably should match my last U2 mid, would love to try the st. vincent u2 mid or the wide throat version (for laughs), chicago U2 mid is best racquet ever, I have countless PS 85 sv's, china's and taiwans and play them all extensively...ultra 2 is a better racquet...

retrowagen · 02-11-2009, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plasma

How did the wilson ceramic fit in??? it played great!!! is it a consumer stick or also top of the line in its day, pre or post ps85??? ultra 2 mid feels like the power of two prostaffs smashed into one, ultra standard is best standard ever, better than dunlop 150g by far, feels so strong, stiff but crisp, not harsh feel, great touch have to try rossignol F100...how did the ultra 2 mid get lost in the great history of wilson??? probably should match my last U2 mid, would love to try the st. vincent u2 mid or the wide throat version (for laughs), chicago U2 mid is best racquet ever, I have countless PS 85 sv's, china's and taiwans and play them all extensively...ultra 2 is a better racquet...

The Ceramic was introduced in 1987 at the same time as the Jack Kramer Staff, IIRC. The Wilson model heirarchy at the time, according to their catalogue, was:
Ultra 2
Pro Staff
Jack Kramer Staff
Ceramic
Graphite Matrix

The U2 seems to have been mostly forgotten as the main pros who used it were Mandlikova and Kohde-Kilsch on the WTA side and Krickstein and David Pate on the ATP side, good players, albeit not exactly household names. It was not a huge seller due to its price and stiffness being beyond what most could bear. But it too is my favorite Wilson model (the Mid, that is); the tapered beam lent the frame a really special feel. The later Ultra FPK was not finished nearly as well, but brought the tapered beam into the 1990's and struck a compromise between the U2 and PS in terms of feel and playability.

fuzz nation · 02-15-2009, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deuce

I read somewhere that, for the past 10 or 15 years, the airline industry has been buying up all of the high quality graphite - which leaves only the lower quality graphite for racquet companies, etc.

I can't qualify that as being true or untrue, though.

A friend of my Dad's used to work with the biggest carbon producing company in the world (graphite, etc. - not greenhouse emissions) and he's also a tennis player. I'll remember to ask him about this stuff when I see him next and hopefully get some good dirt on the good graphite.

plasma · 02-15-2009, 12:33 PM

racquets off the shelf feel terrible nowadays, no where near these:

Virginia · 02-15-2009, 09:48 PM

I was talking to someone today, who restores motor bikes. He actually restores my racquets too!

Anyway, he was saying that there are different grades of carbon fibre, the best going to Cadillacs and other American cars and the airline industry. I'm guessing that what they put into tennis racquets these days is just the inferior grade.

Rorsach · 02-15-2009, 10:31 PM

According to that guy from Vantage (forgot his name, but he also used to work for Dunlop during the IMF years) the quality of the used graphite has just changed over the years, due to demand of the airline industry. It's actually superior to the old stuff considering it's market, it's just not that great for the racquets we like.

Rorsach · 02-15-2009, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plasma

Only the original Wilson Keubler Profile and the Yamaha Secret 04 are as powerful as the U2...

I knew there was a reason i've kept that old workhorse from the 80's:

(Compared to the old PK Micro Ace which is a hugely flexible frame)

plasma · 02-15-2009, 10:51 PM

Keubler is a genius, have you visited him yet??? I hope to someday, it would be an amazing honor...

Bud · 02-15-2009, 10:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plasma

racquets off the shelf feel terrible nowadays, no where near these:

Lovely Team Pro/Graphite Pro family pic!

plasma · 02-15-2009, 11:23 PM

the team pro is a stiff shotmaker, an incredible racquet, any idea which 89.5 has the sam flex as the graphite edge, though? the edge was perfect!

02-08-2009, 12:29 PM	#1
plasma Banned Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 2,360	Plough Thru City (pic) Pls post pics of racquets that give that sweet plough thru and dwell time: 200g, F200, PS 85, Prestige Pro, U2, anything which came from the days when graphite looked like long soft thin strands of coarse horse tail hair...and produced masterpieces of touch, control, power and feel... chicago ultra 2 ps85 St. Vincent (got in trade from a good friend and mentor)

02-08-2009, 04:08 PM	#2
Virginia Professional Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 1,486	Sorry to go a bit off topic, plasma, but I believe you mentioned a while back that the carbon fibre (graphite) used in today's racquets is inferior to that used, in the 1980's. When did the quality deteriorate and in what way? __________________ See my racquet collection at www.80s-tennis.com/pages/virginia-crawford.html and my addition to the Borg collection of the now rare Donnay Diamant.

02-08-2009, 06:57 PM	#4
Princegod Rookie Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 240	I've hit with the Ultra 2 standard for a few minutes. Pretty solid frame and fairly hefty as well, not a whole lot of power though with the small head. There are some reproduction Ultra 2's midsize available in Asia, though I doubt they have the same feel of the originals with different graphite used today. Last edited by Princegod : 02-08-2009 at 06:59 PM.

02-15-2009, 09:48 PM	#15
Virginia Professional Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Auckland, New Zealand Posts: 1,486	I was talking to someone today, who restores motor bikes. He actually restores my racquets too! Anyway, he was saying that there are different grades of carbon fibre, the best going to Cadillacs and other American cars and the airline industry. I'm guessing that what they put into tennis racquets these days is just the inferior grade. __________________ See my racquet collection at www.80s-tennis.com/pages/virginia-crawford.html and my addition to the Borg collection of the now rare Donnay Diamant.

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