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

[LeeD]

..and the sayings go...
For every positive, there is a negative..
You don't gain something without losing something...
Ying and yang.
Something gotten for free is not free in the long run....

[mad dog1]

Originally Posted by LeeD

..and the sayings go...
For every positive, there is a negative..
You don't gain something without losing something...
Ying and yang.
Something gotten for free is not free in the long run....

well, not always...

the new cars are alot faster, get better gas mileage, handle better, and have alot more features than the ones from the 60's and 70's. so where's the negative?

[mad dog1]

Originally Posted by LeeD

Different points of view.
Draks is hyping this racket.
I've seen hype in more sports than most of you have ever tried, working in sports stores for 30 odd years, skiing, biking, tennis, snowboarding, windsurfing, surfing, motorcycles, kiteboarding.
I"m also 63, and a pessimist at heart. The glass is half empty.
I don't promote anything, especially stuff that is BRAND NEW, but really a second reincarnation of something tried in the past. That goes for every single innovation in the sports I've mentioned, and I can give examples if you care.
How to promote your new product? You find an enthusiastic high profile person to try your stuff for free! It's done in every sport. You DON'T look for a pessimist or old timer (old timer in mental thinking, not in years) for your spokesperson. Said enthusiastic person spreads the word, it catches with a certain element of the sport (notice some hard hitters don't embrace this racket), and the element snowballs until it's HYPE, lots of players buy it, use it, LOVE IT for a few years, then DISCARD the idea as something NEW comes into the scene.
But remember this, most important. The old concepts that were supplanted by this NEW IDEA ...... they were the new ideas 5 years ago!
Think about this.
It's hemlines again. Shorter, longer, shorter, longer.

LeeD admits that he's just a cranky old fart!

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by LeeD

Different points of view.
Draks is hyping this racket.
I've seen hype in more sports than most of you have ever tried, working in sports stores for 30 odd years, skiing, biking, tennis, snowboarding, windsurfing, surfing, motorcycles, kiteboarding.
I"m also 63, and a pessimist at heart. The glass is half empty.
I don't promote anything, especially stuff that is BRAND NEW, but really a second reincarnation of something tried in the past. That goes for every single innovation in the sports I've mentioned, and I can give examples if you care.
How to promote your new product? You find an enthusiastic high profile person to try your stuff for free! It's done in every sport. You DON'T look for a pessimist or old timer (old timer in mental thinking, not in years) for your spokesperson. Said enthusiastic person spreads the word, it catches with a certain element of the sport (notice some hard hitters don't embrace this racket), and the element snowballs until it's HYPE, lots of players buy it, use it, LOVE IT for a few years, then DISCARD the idea as something NEW comes into the scene.
But remember this, most important. The old concepts that were supplanted by this NEW IDEA ...... they were the new ideas 5 years ago!
Think about this.
It's hemlines again. Shorter, longer, shorter, longer.

So how does the Drak conspiracy work? Something like this:

Wilson rep: Promote my stick on TTW and I'll give you x percent of all profits?
Drak: Cool, I'll try and be subtle so LeeD does not catch on.

I get a new "green" user hyping something and being suspicious but when people get to our posts counts, c'mon man.

[Mongolmike]

Originally Posted by mikeler

So how does the Drak conspiracy work? Something like this:

Wilson rep: Promote my stick on TTW and I'll give you x percent of all profits?
Drak: Cool, I'll try and be subtle so LeeD does not catch on.

I get a new "green" user hyping something and being suspicious but when people get to our posts counts, c'mon man.

So Mikeler, you're saying you are being paid by Wilson too? Dang... how do I get on that train with only a handful of posts??

[mikeler]

Originally Posted by Mongolmike

So Mikeler, you're saying you are being paid by Wilson too? Dang... how do I get on that train with only a handful of posts??

I'm only being paid by the top 10 string companies on my Mikeler's Multis list thread.

[mad dog1]

Originally Posted by mikeler

So how does the Drak conspiracy work? Something like this:

Wilson rep: Promote my stick on TTW and I'll give you x percent of all profits?
Drak: Cool, I'll try and be subtle so LeeD does not catch on.

I get a new "green" user hyping something and being suspicious but when people get to our posts counts, c'mon man.

the conspiracy idea does seem rather farfetched.

how exactly does the Wilson rep track what sales are attributed to Drak's review vs the other ones such as TW's own Andy Gerst.

or are these guys now sponsored by Wilson and have an equipment endorsement contract ala Fed?

[Broly4]

Originally Posted by Power Player

This racquet is a total TT GOAT thread for multiple reasons :

A detailed Drak review

The wilson promo described by different posters who experienced it all over the country.

A moment of Suresh

Exciting racquet tech that gets everyone rabidly curious

JackB1 switches sticks

Naysayers and doubters step in

UK guys find each other online and make friends while feverishly tracking down a demo

RossK claws his eyes out in a raw 'holic lust.

Green posters from both sides of the pulpit rise to the occasion with pros and cons

Full poly at over 55#s of tension is totaly accepted as ok

LeeD leaves the technqiue forum and steps in to question and antagonize

Honestly, this thread should be stickied as a HOF thread and made required reading for anyone new to the Racquet forums.

Totally! I'm still following this thread, even though I honestly think that a 18x20 frame is the best option for getting pushing heavy top-spin, provided that you have the power, and a western forehand grip.

[Broly4]

Originally Posted by mad dog1

LeeD admits that he's just a cranky old fart!

Really low, dude...

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by racertempo

That's nice....but Fed does not play with a frame with only 15 crosses, that is the point.

You should have mentioned head sizes - that is even more of the point.

But my point was that these days pros are stringing low compared to club players. Used to be the other way around.

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by LeeD

..and the sayings go...
For every positive, there is a negative..
You don't gain something without losing something...
Ying and yang.
Something gotten for free is not free in the long run....

Isn't it yin, not ying?

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by LeeD

I"m sorry, Draks, but here you're jumping the gun and coming to conclusions.
Say your wife is correct, you hit harder..more spin, same pace.
But that is ONE person talking, a tiny sampling of something you will soon find out doesn't matter at all, except for player's who can't handle men's pace....and doesn't hit men's pace.
She might be a former Div1 woman's player, I give you that, but she is NOT hitting like a strong 5.0 MAN, which is the division close to your level.
Once you start to run, once you face a real strong incoming ball, once you hit with someone who can run down your shots, you will find a slight gain in spin is NOT anything big, and you'll soon find it's bad points....control, YOUR biggest serves, something.
Don't act like the 14 year old your mentality is at right now over this Wilson thing. Unless you're paid by them, which you sound like you are.

If she cannot give correct feedback after 2 hours of play because she is not a strong 5.0 man, how can you say anything about the impact of the added spin, being a 4.0 man who hasn't hit with the racket for 1 second, or played against anyone who was using the racket?

And how are you so confident that she is not hitting like a 5.0 man or better? Seems like you are taking potshots at somebody's wife for no valid reason.

[LeeD]

LeeD IS a cranky old dude. And jaded from years of listening to the marketeers, who are wrong at least 80% of the time.
LeeD is also unread, so yes, yin...
Wilson rep doesn't bother to keep track of who sells what. Why? Don't you know marketing and salesmanship? You throw out a net, the net catches what it does, and you reap those benefits. A net doesn't delineate what part does the catching. Like a spider's web, you weave it, it reaps whatever it reaps, but if you don't, you go hungry.
Cars. Modern cars cost more, cost more money and resources to make, people make less money making them (the workers, not the queenbees), make you poorer and make the executives richer.

[klementine79]

Originally Posted by Power Player

This racquet is a total TT GOAT thread for multiple reasons :

A detailed Drak review

The wilson promo described by different posters who experienced it all over the country.

A moment of Suresh

Exciting racquet tech that gets everyone rabidly curious

JackB1 switches sticks

Naysayers and doubters step in

UK guys find each other online and make friends while feverishly tracking down a demo

RossK claws his eyes out in a raw 'holic lust.

Green posters from both sides of the pulpit rise to the occasion with pros and cons

Full poly at over 55#s of tension is totaly accepted as ok

LeeD leaves the technqiue forum and steps in to question and antagonize

Honestly, this thread should be stickied as a HOF thread and made required reading for anyone new to the Racquet forums.

Oh man!!!!!!

My lunch milk just squirted out my nose...... and the last time I had lunch milk was 20 years ago!

Spectacular. Poast.

[LeeD]

Whoa there.....
I'm saying a female hitting against a male, and ONE example total, does NOT a study make.
Against a ball machine, some racket perform really great, but against another player, maybe the results are different.
Doubt a 5.5 female can really hit with a 5.0 male, but can be more consistent with better placement.. Powerwise, edge goes to the male. Argue that one.

[sureshs]

There is indeed one problem with modern cars. It is the excessive use of the battery for all the smart electronics, even when the car is not running. I don't drive much to recharge it fully, and have had to change my battery several times. There are complaints from people with high-end cars who go on a vacation for a month and arrive to a dead battery.

That is why I am thinking of getting an electric car with an added gas engine for safety. I assume that charging the battery for driving will automatically take care of the electronics drain problem. Is that true? What is a good one to buy?

[sureshs]

Originally Posted by LeeD

Whoa there.....
I'm saying a female hitting against a male, and ONE example total, does NOT a study make.
Against a ball machine, some racket perform really great, but against another player, maybe the results are different.
Doubt a 5.5 female can really hit with a 5.0 male, but can be more consistent with better placement.. Powerwise, edge goes to the male. Argue that one.

Well, ZERO examples from you make even less of a study.

[LeeD]

Mine is not an attempt at a study.
Mine is an opinion expressed by a jaded old fart who's seen this hype and marketting a few more times than most.
Kindal like what your grandpa says. You know he's a cranky old fart, you know his memory is suspect, yet you KNOW he does have some valid points and also more experience in most subject matters.
Sure, it possible this racket will be great for the player's it was designed for, and also for players who play into it's style. But overall, every few years, every racket company makes some outrageous attempt at swaying the consumers in their favor, and this one is Wilson's attempt right now.

[sureshs]

Everyone knows that. So let them decide. There are people who swear by O ports, and there are those who believe they do nothing or actually do something negative. There are those who believe in PWS while others think it is a hollow structure which does nothing.

[LeeD]

Thank you for adding another point to my view. O-ports. The rackets were good, played well, but not for the hype.