Demo 1st Impressions: Graphite 100, 6.1 95S, PB 10 Mid, Organix 10 325...

Got my demos in and headed out for several hours of doubles. Specs for each:

Prince Classic Graphite 100:
Strung Weight: 338g (+6g from listed spec)
Balance: 7 pts HL (1 point more headlight than listed spec)
As Demoed (overgrip/rubberband): 344g and 8 pts HL

Wilson Six.One 95S:
Strung Weight: 326g (spot on with listed spec)
Balance: 5 pts HL (spot on with listed spec)
As Demoed: 333g and 6 points HL

Volkl Organix 10 325:
Strung Weight: 342g (-1g from listed spec)
Balance: 8 HL (1 more point headlight than spec)
As Demoed: 349g and 9 pts HL

Volkl Power Bridge 10 Mid:
Strung Weight: 342g (-1g from listed spec)
Balance: 9 HL (1 point less headlight than listed spec)
As Demoed: 350g and 10 pts HL

Prince Classic Graphite (strung with Prince Tour XC 16L poly):
The review of this racquet was spot on when it said this racquet has that classic Prince feel; plays more flexible (as it should 62 vs 66) than my Prince Original Graphite Mid; better serves than the other three racquets here…especially flat serves where I found more power than with other shots; kick serves had good kick but seemed to lack a little pace; fantastic topspin and slice but I would say both lacked pace; absolutely loved this racquet at net…not as solid of feel as the 325 but the touch is just unbelievable; along that same line, drop shots were absolutely fantastic; maneuverability was very good and I had no problem whipping my forehand or disguising my shots; a much more solid feel than I was expecting after reading the T-W review; overall I like a lot of things about this racquet…probably tied for first place right now

Wilson Six.One 95S (strung with what looks like Luxilon 4G 16L poly):
I was a little skeptical about the great spin I was supposed to get with the 18 mains, but spin technology is for real….amazing spin with this racquet, both top and slice, I could really hit dipping shots at my opponents feet….there were a couple times our opponents thought the ball was going out only to have it land a foot in; I struggled on serve with this racquet…2nd serves were a bit better than average but I could never find the pop I was hoping for on flat serves; groundstrokes felt solid and control seemed to be spot on; I will say at times, I got a bit too much spin and balls fell shorter than expected; some people have said there is a 'higher launch angle' with this racquet and I would agree...I left some high easy volleys for our opponents until I adjusted for the higher ball flight: at net I wasn't overly impressed…a little bit of instability in the head and I had a problem getting my touch dialed in with this racquet; maneuverability was the best in the bunch; overall probably 3rd place in this group of racquets right now due to problems on serve and not as solid feeling as the Prince or Volkl 325

Volkl Organix 10 325 (strung with what looks like Volkl VPro 17 poly):
This was the big surprise for me…this was the last demo I threw in the group and I about didn't order it; probably one of the most solid feeling racquets I've played with in many years---groundstrokes, serves, volleys…all rock solid; the topspin was probably the least in this group but slices were just amazing…low, hard, and no bounce; I didn't get in as much time serving with this racquet but seems to offer good pop and about average spin potential; maneuverability was excellent, especially compared to the PB 10 Mid; great feel to this racquet…could really feel the flex…seemed even more flexible than the Prince (which is supposed to be 2 points more flexible); I think this racquet was made to volley…crazy solid feel and excellent touch; right now I'd say this racquet is tied with the Prince as my favorite…if I can find more spin and a good kick serve with this racquet it would probably be ahead of the Prince just due to the solid feel - but my game is built around spin so if I had to choose a racquet right now I'd probably go with the Prince (luckily I've got at least 3 more hitting sessions to figure it out)

Volkl Power Bridge 10 Mid (strung with what looks like Volkl VPro 17 poly):
Disappointing first night out with this racquet; I tried this racquet a couple years ago and absolutely loved it; now it feels slow, has a small sweetspot, and feels way too flexy; still solid feeling if you find the sweetspot; has very good spin potential (especially slice) and control was great; first serves offered good pop due to the weight but I had some trouble getting the racquet moving fast enough to get the kick serves I normally have; but overall I felt like I just had to work too hard to play with this racquet; definitely in 4th place in this group

Again, just first impressions…I'll add more once I get a chance to play a couple more times with these racquets.

TripleB

Before you buy, try o10 325 mid+. You may need a little lead in the head. Same solid feel as mid but a little easier power. Organix line has unique feel - I really like it - solid thump - no ping - crisp head and throat. You might get a little more spin out of the mid+ too especially if you put a couple of gram at noon.

Volkl organix v1 pro has loads of spin too. Crisp frame but softer string bed due to big grommet tech.

good review, it's funny how one frame differs from another for each individual. The six one 95s is the best racket i've ever served with very solid & easy to swing, seem to get more kick and swerve on my 2nds & a flat 1st is very accurate and heavy

Good stuff!

Not surprising that the 95S wasn't as "zesty" as you like, just because it's somewhat head-light and only 11.6 oz. in its stock layout. Not quite enough beef there to hit the ball with enough authority it you're coming from some heavier alternatives.

Happy demos and thanks for the updates...

TennisCJC said:

Same solid feel as mid but a little easier power. Organix line has unique feel - I really like it - solid thump - no ping - crisp head and throat. You might get a little more spin out of the mid+ too especially if you put a couple of gram at noon.

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I was actually happy with the power level of the 325...moreso than the Classic 100 which I felt was a bit underpowered at times.

The feel was absolutely amazing with the 325...like I said, probably the most solid feeling racquet I've tried in a while - even more solid feeling than my 12.5 ounce 6.1 95 16x18. The racquet never moved on any volley I hit. I'm not sure what the string is in both Volkls, looked like CyberFlash to me but I assume it was a Volkl string. Not fond of whatever it is...so that's saying a lot for this racquet if I didn't like the string but still liked the racquet.

ed70 said:

good review, it's funny how one frame differs from another for each individual. The six one 95s is the best racket i've ever served with very solid & easy to swing, seem to get more kick and swerve on my 2nds & a flat 1st is very accurate and heavy

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Maybe it was the fact that I tried the Graphite 100 and PB 10 Mid before I tried the 95S so my timing was a little off moving from the heavier racquets to the lighter 95S. I'll start out with the 95S tonight and see if I get different results. As with the Volkls, don't really care for the string in the racquet.

fuzz nation said:

Good stuff!

Not surprising that the 95S wasn't as "zesty" as you like, just because it's somewhat head-light and only 11.6 oz. in its stock layout. Not quite enough beef there to hit the ball with enough authority it you're coming from some heavier alternatives.

Happy demos and thanks for the updates...

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Thanks!

I like the 6 points head light and the 95S felt really great in hand...and to be honest I had very good results with this racquet from the baseline (serves and volleys not quite as good...at least for the first time out). Given a different string and tension I might could learn to really love this racquet...but like you said, the lack of 'beef' is noticeable especially when you're hitting with it next to the Graphite 100, Organix 325, and PB 10 Mid...three heavier (and more solid) racquets. And to be honest it's maneuverability was probably only the third best in the group...Organix 325 felt absolutely perfect as far as quickness is concerned and the Graphite 100 is quicker as well.

I'll be back out tonight....give an updated review tomorrow.

TripleB

Give the pure control tour a demo, it is pretty boss and sort of in the ball park of the other raquets you demoed. It will give you the pop on the overheads and serves you found lacking with the 6.1 95s.

I just hit with the Prince Graphite 100. It's a great racquet. At first I struggled to keep the ball deep, but then I started to hit a little flatter, and that got the depth dialed in. I was still hitting returns a little short, but the upside is that you can really go for it without worrying about hitting long. The bigger you hit, the better the control and results. It really shines on putting away short balls and any other shots when you can get your feet set and put some weight into the ball. Slices, dinks, touch lobs, etc were also amazing. "Modern" racquets just don't have that same controlled feel. Serves were nice, but you have to let the racquet do the work. I was surprised the grip isn't leather, but I actually like it better than the hard leather on my POG OS and POG LB. It's cushy, but you can feel the bevels hard underneath.

After hitting with the 27in 100, I picked up my POG LB, also 100si. The LB feels much softer and more powerful. It doesn't volley as crisply as the 27in version, and it's not as precise on touch shots or put-aways. But it's much easier to hit deeper with the LB, and you can crush a 2-handed backhand.

I'm interested to hear more thoughts on the new Graphite 100. In particular, I'm wondering if some led tape might help increase the power level. If I just played singles, I'd use the LB, but the 100 is much better around the net.

Z-Man said:

I just hit with the Prince Graphite 100. It's a great racquet. At first I struggled to keep the ball deep, but then I started to hit a little flatter, and that got the depth dialed in. I was still hitting returns a little short, but the upside is that you can really go for it without worrying about hitting long. The bigger you hit, the better the control and results. It really shines on putting away short balls and any other shots when you can get your feet set and put some weight into the ball. Slices, dinks, touch lobs, etc were also amazing. "Modern" racquets just don't have that same controlled feel. Serves were nice, but you have to let the racquet do the work. I was surprised the grip isn't leather, but I actually like it better than the hard leather on my POG OS and POG LB. It's cushy, but you can feel the bevels hard underneath.

After hitting with the 27in 100, I picked up my POG LB, also 100si. The LB feels much softer and more powerful. It doesn't volley as crisply as the 27in version, and it's not as precise on touch shots or put-aways. But it's much easier to hit deeper with the LB, and you can crush a 2-handed backhand.

I'm interested to hear more thoughts on the new Graphite 100. In particular, I'm wondering if some led tape might help increase the power level. If I just played singles, I'd use the LB, but the 100 is much better around the net.

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yep...nice summary of the garaphite 100. awesome racquet. i love this stick. after a few hits, it's now on my all time fave racquets list. super, duper solid on volleys. and yes, lead tape at 12 bumps up the power but still swings very quickly.

Z-Man said:

I just hit with the Prince Graphite 100. It's a great racquet. At first I struggled to keep the ball deep, but then I started to hit a little flatter, and that got the depth dialed in. I was still hitting returns a little short, but the upside is that you can really go for it without worrying about hitting long. The bigger you hit, the better the control and results. It really shines on putting away short balls and any other shots when you can get your feet set and put some weight into the ball. Slices, dinks, touch lobs, etc were also amazing. "Modern" racquets just don't have that same controlled feel. Serves were nice, but you have to let the racquet do the work. I was surprised the grip isn't leather, but I actually like it better than the hard leather on my POG OS and POG LB. It's cushy, but you can feel the bevels hard underneath.

After hitting with the 27in 100, I picked up my POG LB, also 100si. The LB feels much softer and more powerful. It doesn't volley as crisply as the 27in version, and it's not as precise on touch shots or put-aways. But it's much easier to hit deeper with the LB, and you can crush a 2-handed backhand.

I'm interested to hear more thoughts on the new Graphite 100. In particular, I'm wondering if some led tape might help increase the power level. If I just played singles, I'd use the LB, but the 100 is much better around the net.

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I was going to say try leading it up, when i tried it it felt awesome, very solid and controlled, loved it on serves, but felt a little underpowered on the groundies. I attributed this to the SW since i stick i normally use has a SW 20 points higher.

I had a chance to get out and play 4 sets of 4.5/4.0 doubles last night with my demos: Wilson Six.One 95S, Volkl Power Bridge 10 Mid, Volkl Organix 10 325, and Prince Classic Graphite 100. Instead of going through each racquet this time I thought I’d pick my favorite racquet on different shots.

1st serves: Volkl Organix 10 325 – good power, pinpoint control, solid feel, smooth motion yields great results, probably got 75% of my first serves in with this racquet (typically, when going for a flat serve I’m probably at 40%)

2nd serves: Prince Classic Graphite 100 – excellent kick, pretty good power, a lot of confidence in going after second serves due to the open string pattern, excellent control

Forehand (my weaker side) Returns: Prince Classic Graphite 100 – the maneuverability is what really made this one the winner on this shot, I was able to get the racquet moving quickly, being able to hit heavy topspin as well as a flat ball gave me a lot of options, good stability helped with blocking back harder serves as well

Backhand Returns: Volkl Organix 10 325 – this is my stronger side and the solid feel of the racquet really made my backhand returns solid, controlled, great accuracy, and anything I got my racquet on offered a solid reply

Slice: Volkl Organix 10 325 – solid, low, powerful, and the ball never bounced made this racquet extraordinary at slices; excellent maneuverability also allowed me to disguise the slice, up the line cross court, short, deep.I could do it all with basically the same motion

Topspin: Prince Classic Graphite 100 – at times the 95S may have offered more topspin, but consistent topspin is what made the Graphite 100 stand out; with the Prince, when I made contact, I pretty much knew exactly how much topspin I had applied and how deep the ball was going to land; I could hit heavy topspin or I could take a little off with no problem at all; loved hitting crosscourt backhand ‘dippers’ at the net man with this racquet

Volleys: tie Volkl Organix 10 325/Prince Classic Graphite 100 – I wanted to pick a winner here but just couldn’t; the Volkl gave such a solid feel that every volley I hit was easily put away with a punch…all I had to do was hold the racquet…most solid volleys I’ve hit in year; with angle volleys and touch volleys the winner was the Prince…touch was so incredibly with this racquet, angles/drops all easily executed; if I was forced to pick a winner here I’d give the edge to the Prince by .0000001 points---better touch/feel and almost as good of stability

Pick Up Volleys: Volkl Power Bridge 10 Mid – this was the really the only shot I preferred this racquet, just get the racquet down and let the heft and solid feel guide the ball back over the net

Overheads: Volkl Organix 10 325 – as with first serves, something just clicked with this racquet and overheads, solid feel and good pop lead to a lot of easy putaways with spot on control

Touch Shots: Prince Classic Graphite 100 – dropshots, short angles, and anything that required a delicate touch were amazing with the Prince; a combination of great spin, excellent control, flexible racquet, and maneuverability made touch shots (even with a full poly) a blast to hit

Forehands/Backhands overall: Prince Classic Graphite 100 – of the four the Prince just offered the best combination of control, spin, maneuverability, and solid feel…ie: it fit my needs better at the baseline than the others

‘On the Run’ Shots: Wilson Six.One 95S – Chris was right when he said you could go from defense to offense with this racquet in a split second; the whipability was nice and on the dead run it was the racquet I felt gave me the most options due to its lighter weight

Overall: right now if I were made to choose just one, it would probably be the Prince Classic Graphite 100 by a small hair. Mainly because of the spin it gives (which my game relies on heavily) and because it has a familiar feel (play POG Mid a long time) to me. That being said, I’d really like to try the Volkl Organix 10 325 with some Tour Bite 1.20mm in it…to give it a more crisp feel and to get a bit more extra spin out of it.

Again, only 2 times out with the racquets so far so take these thoughts for what they’re worth.

TripleB

Thanks for the reviews, TripleB. Very nice.

The POG 100 is a sweet racket. If I could have got a bit more power on serve, it would definitely be my new stick of choice. I was thinking GUT would solve the power issue, but this racket is a string eater (synth gut and multi popped in 2 hrs!) and the long term cost of that option also took it out of my running.

tennisinoc said:

The POG 100 is a sweet racket. If I could have got a bit more power on serve, it would definitely be my new stick of choice. I was thinking GUT would solve the power issue, but this racket is a string eater (synth gut and multi popped in 2 hrs!) and the long term cost of that option also took it out of my running.

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yeah. mine came strung w/ a fresh bed of nxt tour 17 and it broke in ~2 hrs. i've since strung it w/ poly and finding it to be lower powered but far more durable. i plan to experiment with poly/multi next. have a feeling a poly/syn gut or poly/multi hybrid will offer the perfect blend of power and durability.

Great night out (3 sets of doubles) with the Volkl Organix 10 325 yesterday. Right now I've go so much confidence in many areas of my game with this racquet. The top 4 that really stand out for me are:

Volleys: so solid and last night I was finally able to dial in my touch with it; one volley I didn't think was coming over the net, then when I realized it did I lowered my racquet quickly, the ball somehow found the strings and the racquet was so solid it went back over the net for a clean winner; never felt a more solid racquet at the net; with the weight I thought maneuverability up there would be a problem but it hasn't been yet

Serves: best first serves (when my toss is in the right spot) I’ve had in probably 10 years; more pop than I’m used to; pinpoint control; percentage wise I bet I’m 25% higher with first serves than normal; second serves don’t have the spin that the Prince offers but the control is much better and the speed is greater

Control: from everywhere on the court, and with every shot, this racquet offers practically pinpoint control; whether you are hitting with spin, flat, serves, groundstrokes, volleys, etc. the ball is like laser guided with this racquet

Feel: absolutely rock solid (even compared to my heavier Six.One BLX 95), but yet with the ability to allow you to feather the ball when needed…just uncanny; this racquet seldom flutters on any shot; get the racquet in position and you can block back every hard shots…direct them exactly where you want

What surprises me about the four areas above is that ‘Spin’ isn’t one of them. My game has been reliant on heavy spin for so long I never thought I’d find a racquet I loved that didn’t offer insane spin. Don’t get me wrong, this racquet gives a lot of spin (plenty enough for me to be successful with it), but when I think about what stands out to me about this racquet, the other four areas are what come to mine.

I’ve been out with these demos 3 times with still 3 more times to go so we will see if this love lasts through those 3 sessions.

TripleB

Interesting... I'm actually considering de-tuning one of my O10's in the spring to see how differently it compares to the others that I modified. I just remember not liking its feel and movement in its stock layout. Can't remember what sort of spin it gave me, probably because I didn't hit well with it in general.

GLAD that you're having a good time with that frame so far for sure. It's a bit more lean that the good ol' C10, which could be a plus for whupping out the racquet head speed, but maybe I do better with the added HL balance to really get the ball turning. In either case, no more spin deficiencies in "Camp Fuzz" these days.

Like I said, interesting... and thanks again for the updates.

tennisinoc said:

The POG 100 is a sweet racket. If I could have got a bit more power on serve, it would definitely be my new stick of choice. I was thinking GUT would solve the power issue, but this racket is a string eater (synth gut and multi popped in 2 hrs!) and the long term cost of that option also took it out of my running.

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Using 17g cyclone in the POG 100 right now at 56lbs. I am having no problems finding power. The demo I used before I purchased the POG 100 had a 15L poly in it and it was underpowered.

TripleB, you seem to really be loving both the x10 and graphite. I find it interesting that you used to play with aeropro style rackets and a ton of spin and now you've transitioned to lower powered, slightly more heavy rackets. Ive been using my pro open pretty exclusively but there's always the lack of stability and a little control. I may have to dip into this new class of rackets that your trying.

Rackets that come mind are the Ai 98, pcg 100, x10, and super G 9

TripleB said:

After moving to 11.4- ounce racquets a few years ago I never felt like I would ever move back up above the 340 gram mark....but I think that may just be what's going to happen.

TripleB

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Did you get to check any of those demos on a scale? The first O10 that I sampled only weighed in at 11.8 oz with syn. gut and a Toura Grip added on. Didn't know whether it was a product of bad quality control until I found that my second one weighed in about the same.

That's probably half the reason that the O10 325 was so not right for me right out of the box. Coming from my old C10's tuned up to around 12.5 oz., I figured that this one would be a little less stable, etc. if it weighed only 12.1 oz. That's right at the bottom edge of my comfort zone, but the actual 11.8 oz. frame just didn't put the amount of beef behind the ball that I wanted.

If it's cozy and "right" in its stock form, don't fix what isn't broken. Just curious about what actual weight and balance this demo is giving you to work with. If it's also an 11.8 oz. frame after stringing, that's still a move into a heftier package (with room to tune if you want).

fuzz nation said:

Did you get to check any of those demos on a scale? The first O10 that I sampled only weighed in at 11.8 oz with syn. gut and a Toura Grip added on. Didn't know whether it was a product of bad quality control until I found that my second one weighed in about the same.

That's probably half the reason that the O10 325 was so not right for me right out of the box. Coming from my old C10's tuned up to around 12.5 oz., I figured that this one would be a little less stable, etc. if it weighed only 12.1 oz. That's right at the bottom edge of my comfort zone, but the actual 11.8 oz. frame just didn't put the amount of beef behind the ball that I wanted.

If it's cozy and "right" in its stock form, don't fix what isn't broken. Just curious about what actual weight and balance this demo is giving you to work with. If it's also an 11.8 oz. frame after stringing, that's still a move into a heftier package (with room to tune if you want).

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Buy 2, get TW to match them, and then you can add a wee bit of lead under the bumper to get to the weight, SW, and balance you want. My opinion is it is worth the extra $10 per racket to get matchs on static wt, SW, and balance. Then you starting point on both frames is the same so you can add a little lead in to both frames in the same amounts and locations to get what you want.

fuzz nation said:

Did you get to check any of those demos on a scale?

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Yes...I've got a kitchen scale that measures in grams and ounces.

Volkl Organix 10 325:
Strung Weight: 342g (-1g from listed spec)
Balance: 8 HL (1 more point headlight than spec)
As Demoed (overgrip and rubber band): 349g and 9 pts HL

TripleB

Hi Guys, I'm currently playing with the O10 325 and looking for a change, although is a great frame but I'm looking for something just a little lighter and that will getting more spin and long rallies on clay. The ones I'm looking after are the POG100 and the Prince Tour 100 16x18, according to wha't I've read both are great frames.

As I said baseliner who plays most on clay usually have long rallies from the baseline and that's why I think on the tour 100 16x18 while on the other hand I don't consider myself as a grinder and like to hit hard, my best shots are serve, parallel 1HBH that's where I believe the POG100 would be better due to its plow.

I would appreciate your comments and suggestions

Thanks!

Prefer a more dampened feel and a little less weight: Tour
Prefer traditional feel and more heft: POG

I played with the EXO Tour 100 (older version of Tour) and it is more maneuverable and has a very dampened feel. I prefer the balance and traditional grommet feel of the POG100. Much better on volleys in my opinion. You're going to get more power on the Tour but the POG takes low tension well and you can get plenty of zip from a multi at <55 lbs.