Wilson Steam 99S - My Full Review

[Fuji]

Originally Posted by Rabbit

Excellent review. I can vouch for 4.5/5.0 players as many are using this around here. For the record, I'm a 54-year old 4.5 who plays mostly doubles now and hits/drills more than he plays.

Public Notice
To add my 2 bits, it you currently use poly in an 18X20 string pattern and break strings, this racquet is definitely not for you. If you use a 16X19 string pattern and use poly and break strings in under 5-6 hours (or any time you feel borderline too soon) this frame is definitely not for you.


My experience
My experiences echo yours directly. I was most surprised by 1) volleys are this frame felt more solid than any I've used in quite some time -- almost like a wood racquet at net 2) serves are way better than I've been getting, almost on par with the K90 I used for 6 months, 3) service returns are really smooth once you make a little adjustment and 4) my topspin backhand is killer both down the line and crosscourt.

I think this frame will help me recover some of the racquet head speed I lost since I developed tennis elbow. (My strokes have never fully recovered) While my arm feels great now, the pain way back has caused me to adjust in a not-so-good way that resulted in my drop from 5.0 to 4.5. I do not expect to get back to 5.0, nor do I want to at this point, but strictly from a playing standpoint, I would love to start hitting the ball like I used to again.

I should also note that I have always really, really liked open pattern frames way more than closed pattern and this frame is about as open as you can get so it's really up my alley.

So the guys who break poly in under 2-3 hours in an 18x20 shouldn't even enter the same room as the 99S? That's disappointing!

-Fuji

[Mick3391]

Originally Posted by Fuji

So the guys who break poly in under 2-3 hours in an 18x20 shouldn't even enter the same room as the 99S? That's disappointing!

-Fuji

The two guys at the pro shop broke strings in a couple hours, many on the review board broke strings, and when I played the strings frayed like crazy.

They'll sell a ton of them and make a bunch of dough for a short time, then it will die out, you'll never see a pro play one, good players can get as much spin with most top of the line racquets.

[Fuji]

Originally Posted by Mick3391

The two guys at the pro shop broke strings in a couple hours, many on the review board broke strings, and when I played the strings frayed like crazy.

They'll sell a ton of them and make a bunch of dough for a short time, then it will die out, you'll never see a pro play one, good players can get as much spin with most top of the line racquets.

That's too bad. The frame seems like a lot of fun, but not overly practical. One of the guys I hit with quite frequently, breaks full ALU in his Prestige Mid in just under 2 hours on average. I doubt he'll be demoing this stick! Haha!

That does make sense though, they'll make a ton of cash on 4G because they are basically marketed hand in hand with each other, but I wonder if the Steam will stand the test of time till the next release. I did hear however, that they want to have the S pattern in player frames next cycle. I'd love to try a 6.1 95 in the S pattern.

-Fuji

[Mongolmike]

The 99s and 105s may not be for everyone, and that is ok... but I gotta say that yesterday using a 105s is the first time I hit a solid kick serve that broke the other guy's strings. It made me smile.

[srvnvly]

Jack -how does the 99S compare to the Head Extreme 2.0 MP?

[Mick3391]

Originally Posted by Fuji

That's too bad. The frame seems like a lot of fun, but not overly practical. One of the guys I hit with quite frequently, breaks full ALU in his Prestige Mid in just under 2 hours on average. I doubt he'll be demoing this stick! Haha!

That does make sense though, they'll make a ton of cash on 4G because they are basically marketed hand in hand with each other, but I wonder if the Steam will stand the test of time till the next release. I did hear however, that they want to have the S pattern in player frames next cycle. I'd love to try a 6.1 95 in the S pattern.

-Fuji

Yea, and heh I don't want to discourage anyone, but well try it, you might like it, it's just weird. If you can generate your own spin, this racquet is not necessary. I don't like to blanketly say "This is just a marketing thing", but again I don't think you'll ever see a pro using it, then again they carry 10 racquets with them!

[JackB1]

Well unfortunately I am feeling a little unsure about this racquet lately. The control is sometimes not so great and i don't have confidence to swing out all the time. The 99s really only works with a full swing and sometimes it's all or nothing for me on full swings. Either I'm hitting winners or committing UEs. There are times when I'm hitting great and there are times when I struggle to keep the ball inside the lines. I don't have any of these issues with my 200g. I think my main issue with the 99s is the power level. Not sure if the poly is losing tension or if the racquets too too powerful in general? I have only logged around 8 hours with my current stringjob and played most consistently the 1st 2 hours. At first I thought it was just that I needed more adjustment time for the 99s and it still may be that? But if the extreme ups and downs continue, I won't be able to stick with it. Every time I switch back to my 200g I seem to regain consistency and the errors stop. Anyone else have this issue and did things smooth out?

[yonexRx32]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Well unfortunately I am feeling a little unsure about this racquet lately. The control is sometimes not so great and i don't have confidence to swing out all the time. The 99s really only works with a full swing and sometimes it's all or nothing for me on full swings. Either I'm hitting winners or committing UEs. There are times when I'm hitting great and there are times when I struggle to keep the ball inside the lines. I don't have any of these issues with my 200g. I think my main issue with the 99s is the power level. Not sure if the poly is losing tension or if the racquets too too powerful in general? I have only logged around 8 hours with my current stringjob and played most consistently the 1st 2 hours. At first I thought it was just that I needed more adjustment time for the 99s and it still may be that? But if the extreme ups and downs continue, I won't be able to stick with it. Every time I switch back to my 200g I seem to regain consistency and the errors stop. Anyone else have this issue and did things smooth out?

You better hurry and sell it quickly before others write their experiences and the used market price drops below $8.99.

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Well unfortunately I am feeling a little unsure about this racquet lately. The control is sometimes not so great and i don't have confidence to swing out all the time. The 99s really only works with a full swing and sometimes it's all or nothing for me on full swings. Either I'm hitting winners or committing UEs. There are times when I'm hitting great and there are times when I struggle to keep the ball inside the lines. I don't have any of these issues with my 200g. I think my main issue with the 99s is the power level. Not sure if the poly is losing tension or if the racquets too too powerful in general? I have only logged around 8 hours with my current stringjob and played most consistently the 1st 2 hours. At first I thought it was just that I needed more adjustment time for the 99s and it still may be that? But if the extreme ups and downs continue, I won't be able to stick with it. Every time I switch back to my 200g I seem to regain consistency and the errors stop. Anyone else have this issue and did things smooth out?

Similarish to myself ^. Found when I went to my Pure Control a lot of stuff was back in sync more. Still not sure this will (or won't) come just with more hours logged. Not giving up yet though as there's so much I like about it.

[Buford T Justice]

Originally Posted by yonexRx32

You better hurry and sell it quickly before others write their experiences and the used market price drops below $8.99.

I'm publicly posting here ill buy all 99S frames in one piece offered for $8.99!

[Buford T Justice]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Well unfortunately I am feeling a little unsure about this racquet lately. The control is sometimes not so great and i don't have confidence to swing out all the time. The 99s really only works with a full swing and sometimes it's all or nothing for me on full swings. Either I'm hitting winners or committing UEs. There are times when I'm hitting great and there are times when I struggle to keep the ball inside the lines. I don't have any of these issues with my 200g. I think my main issue with the 99s is the power level. Not sure if the poly is losing tension or if the racquets too too powerful in general? I have only logged around 8 hours with my current stringjob and played most consistently the 1st 2 hours. At first I thought it was just that I needed more adjustment time for the 99s and it still may be that? But if the extreme ups and downs continue, I won't be able to stick with it. Every time I switch back to my 200g I seem to regain consistency and the errors stop. Anyone else have this issue and did things smooth out?

Perhaps its because your strings are likely not snapping back after the first few hours ?

Try lubricating the strings next time out and if the frame magically feels like it did when you first used it, you'll know your answer.

[jackcrawford]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Well unfortunately I am feeling a little unsure about this racquet lately. The control is sometimes not so great and i don't have confidence to swing out all the time. The 99s really only works with a full swing and sometimes it's all or nothing for me on full swings. Either I'm hitting winners or committing UEs. There are times when I'm hitting great and there are times when I struggle to keep the ball inside the lines. I don't have any of these issues with my 200g. I think my main issue with the 99s is the power level. Not sure if the poly is losing tension or if the racquets too too powerful in general? I have only logged around 8 hours with my current stringjob and played most consistently the 1st 2 hours. At first I thought it was just that I needed more adjustment time for the 99s and it still may be that? But if the extreme ups and downs continue, I won't be able to stick with it. Every time I switch back to my 200g I seem to regain consistency and the errors stop. Anyone else have this issue and did things smooth out?

I didn't like the feel of the frame on impact - in tennis, you can hit the ball thousands of times in a day; unless you're Ben Hogan , that's not so in golf. My V1 Classic has much better feel for the ball, more power, better stability, and nearly as much spin.

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by jackcrawford

I didn't like the feel of the frame on impact - in tennis, you can hit the ball thousands of times in a day; unless you're Ben Hogan , that's not so in golf. My V1 Classic has much better feel for the ball, more power, better stability, and nearly as much spin.

Feel on impact is also very important to me and was one of the reasons I recently moved away from tweeners and was enjoying hitting so much with my Dunlop Maxx 200G and Donnay Pro 1. I made the mistake of trying the 99s again and had a great session with it and that changed all my plans. I don't think the 99s has a "bad" feel in impact and it is better than most other tweeners, but it doesn't have the rewarding feel of the P1 or 200G.

Now I have to figure out how I want to proceed? Back to the 200g or keep experimenting with the 99s? I have to say though, when I am "on" with the 99s, it's the best I can play. But when I "lose it", it can be very tough to win with and I lose confidence. One other thing....i started feeling some throbbing in my elbow the other night after hitting with the 99s. That has me a little concerned. I have never used full poly before (always a hybrid with soft crosses) and even though the 99s doesn't "feel" stiff, there has to be some residual effects of a 69 rated frame on your joints?

Like Ross, I am not giving up just yet. But lets just say, I'm not sure the "S" will be a long term resident in my bag or not? I am still trying to figure out if the inconsistencies are due to the racquet's stringbed or due to me?

[Rabbit]

I gotta say, I played a lot of tennis this weekend. The more time I spend with the 99S, the more I like it. My serves are as good as they've been since I played with the K90. I can hit the corners, spin is good, surprisingly, my kick serves aren't as kicky as they were, but time will solve that.

I played with my usual complement of 5.0s last night, and I held serve pretty easily. My slice out to the ad court completely confounded one of the 5.0s to the point that he kept saying "I've missed 100% of those damn serves". After the match, he said that the ball basically shot away from him. BTW, he's one of the 5.0s who plays with the 99S as well.

From the backcourt, I won every rally with this guy again to his chagrin. At net, I did miss a few, but this frame feels so solid.

I have 7 sets of play on a set of Wilson Spin Cycle which is more than acceptable to me; it is though near breaking. The frame does give me more spin, obviously, but I prefer to think of it not as a game changer, but more as an the open pattern that I've always been wanting!

Everyone who plays with it comments one way or the other, but all feel it is supremely comfortable. The 5.0 I mentioned says it has cured his sore arm which he got from a Babolat Aero Pro Drive.

[SC in MA]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Feel on impact is also very important to me and was one of the reasons I recently moved away from tweeners and was enjoying hitting so much with my Dunlop Maxx 200G and Donnay Pro 1. I made the mistake of trying the 99s again and had a great session with it and that changed all my plans. I don't think the 99s has a "bad" feel in impact and it is better than most other tweeners, but it doesn't have the rewarding feel of the P1 or 200G.

Now I have to figure out how I want to proceed? Back to the 200g or keep experimenting with the 99s? I have to say though, when I am "on" with the 99s, it's the best I can play. But when I "lose it", it can be very tough to win with and I lose confidence. One other thing....i started feeling some throbbing in my elbow the other night after hitting with the 99s. That has me a little concerned. I have never used full poly before (always a hybrid with soft crosses) and even though the 99s doesn't "feel" stiff, there has to be some residual effects of a 69 rated frame on your joints?

Like Ross, I am not giving up just yet. But lets just say, I'm not sure the "S" will be a long term resident in my bag or not? I am still trying to figure out if the inconsistencies are due to the racquet's stringbed or due to me?

I feel for you JackB1. I've been a long time 12oz+ racket user. Around 7 or 8 years ago I went thru a long tweener racket trial process. I ended up using the original APD (pre-yellow) version for a year or 2. I actually liked it a lot, but I missed the more solid feel of the 12oz racket. So I gave it up. Since then I've been mainly a Wilson 6.1 nCode and now BLX (the first one) user.

I was intrigued by the 99s write-ups, so I acquired one. I've only used it twice - once in drills and once in competitive doubles. While its pretty solid for its weight, it doesn't have the solid feel of the BLX.

Beside the feel, the other main negative of the 99s for me is the need to use poly strings. During the period I experimented with tweener rackets, I also gave poly strings a try, mostly in a full poly setup. While I loved the poly playability, they slowly and gradually wrecked my elbow and shoulder. So, I gave up poly for a natural gut/syn gut setup, which brough my arm back around. For the 99s, it's strung with Pacific Tough Gut in the mains and 4G in the crosses at 58/52. Both are 16g. I already see fraying of the gut in the 2 middle mains. I haven't really played enough with it to know how the 4G in the crosses would affect my arm.

Not to be all negative on the 99s....on the plus side, I did find it easier to play with overall than the BLX, although I totally struggled with my forehand, which is my strongest shot. This was during the doubles. I just couldn't get the timing right. On the other hand, my backhand was really good, especially hard slice returns in doubles. Serves were really nice with the 99s, especially spin serves. A lot more action than with the BLX, but not as forceful. Volleys were surprisingly good during drills. However, during the doubles, I wasn't getting any weight behind them and hit a number of sitters. Definitely a technique problem on my part. Overheads are much easier with the 99s than the BLX. Around the net, the 99s is a lot more manuverable than the BLX, which I really liked.

Anyway, for me, I've decided to stick with the BLX and maybe hit/drill with the 99s once in awhile to get a better feel for it. I think the transition to this racket would be more time consuming for me than the transition I went thru with the APD way back when (it was actually very seamless). Also, I'm guessing that the 99 (non-s) would likely suit me better than the 99s, but I don't currently have any plans to acquire one.

Good luck with however you proceed.