I had the pleasure to see an RF97 Autograph this morning. My Wilson rep has one strung up to Federer's preferences, complete with three black power pads in the throat.
Just like others have already said, the red looks better in person. For whatever reason, none of the digital photos I've seen have been an accurate representation of the color. I quite like the paintjob and details.
Because of a strange set of circumstances, I was able to take the racquet out onto a court for about 15 minutes, but there was nobody free to hit with me. I ended up serving and hitting drop-fed groundstrokes, which wasn't an ideal test, but enough to get me really excited about the frame.
I usually play with a Six.One 95 S that I've customized to be 334g and 13pt HL (unstrung). Wilson lists the RF97 at 340g/12pt, so it's not a big departure from normal.
Compared to the 95 S, the RF97 hits the ball more deliberately. It flexes differently from my Six.Ones and Pro Staffs (85, 88, and 90), and feels right at home driving the ball for heavy, deep shots. When you swing big, it feels like the racquet is actively disrespecting the ball. The K Pro Staff has the same effect, but a very different feel.
I played with the Babolat Pure Storm GT Tour for a while. Of the racquets I've used, it's the closest to the RF97 in terms of the racquet plowing through the zone and getting the ball out of the way. But the Pure Storm always reminded me of the person on a project team who shows up, does their job, and leaves, making it clear that they're not here to be friends. It's vacant and uninterested.
In contrast, the new Pro Staff smacks the ball just the same way, but it feels good doing it. There's an appropriate amount of feedback coming back through the frame. It's stiff, but it's comfortable. And like the all the classic Pro Staffs, it's intensely rewarding to feel the ball rocket out of the sweet spot.
The experience has left me even more excited to demo the lighter versions. I loved hitting with the RF97, and I'm curious how the lighter Pro Staff might do with silicone in the handle. Or maybe the 97 LS with a silicone and tungsten, to also get the Spin Effect pattern? Demo time can't come soon enough.