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

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Deleted member 23235

Guest
Thanks.
Just curious, what level are you guys and how long are your strings lasting?
With my last setup (Kirschbaum 16), I can almost count how many (hard) strokes I hit before it broke... in this scenario, I'm hitting co-op cc drills, but basically trying to throw my body weight into each shot...
 
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Deleted member 23235

Guest
I'm a 5.0 but am using a Prince Warrior 100 ESP (14x16).
thx, yeah, similarly open string pattern.
The baseline string is $40/660ft reel,... god I hope i love it :p
Ripspin is a bit pricey ($150/66ft reel ~ $10/set), but i suppose it's offset by the fact you only need 12-13ft of it for the crosses.
How many hours of drilling does this combo last for you?

I plan to pick up a couple sets of each today.

EDIT: interesting,... read on ttw that ripspin was rebranded as revolve (which explains why tenniswarehouse doesn't carry ripspin).
 
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grip

Rookie
I use Ripspin(1.35m) as a main and Baseline(1.35) as a cross. Wilson says that Revolve has better tension maintenance and snapback than Ripspin but I haven't bought a reel yet. Prices are better in Europe. I probably get about 12-15 hours out of this setup with a combination of playing singles, doubles and drilling. I also string the crosses 4lbs lower to promote more snapback. It will be interesting to see if I can use a thinner cross in the future and still get as many hours out of the string bed as I currently do. What's your level?
 

g4driver

Legend
I just started putting 15G Revolve mains / 16G Revolve Crosses in one of my teammates. He was breaking strings in three frames every two weeks. 6 frames a month stringing fee is $60 a month in stringing fees alone, with near half price stringing fee of $10 per frame. I was trying to cut his stringing labor to $30 a month + price of strings.

If he had to pay $35 for two frames, or $17.5 per frame, he would be paying $105 in stringing labor per month, excluding the string.

Just remember 6 (13'4') frame lengths off of a reel = the 99S Crosses while 8 frame lengths off a reel = the 99S mains.
 
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Deleted member 23235

Guest
Lol, I'm interested to see how many hours I get from various setups mentioned here.
I sucked it up and bought the (expensive!) Lux 4g, just so I have a comparison to what appears to be the "best" string for the 99S.
 
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Deleted member 23235

Guest
lux 4g 15g @ 54: 60min (including 10min of mini tennis)
kevlar 16g/syn gut 16g @ 54/64: ~4.5h
revolve 15g @ 54: ~3.5h
kevlar 16g/revolve 15g @ 58/64
 
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D

Deleted member 23235

Guest
Where in the pattern are you breaking the strings? Mains or crosses?
dead center of 2nd main... where I usually break...
rest of mains were heavily notched.
If I did use (expensive) Lux4g regularly (it did feel really good compared to say the kevlar/syngut hybrid i'm using now)... I would definitely use string savers, but now I'm spending $25/stringing vs. $6-7 (eg. for kevlar/syngut, cheap poly, etc...).
I need to teach my kids how to string (god, i hate stringing),... and make them earn their xbox/3ds/etc games :p Maybe I should start a thread, "How young is too young to string?"
 

grip

Rookie
It's probably best starting a new thread in the rackets section and seeing if any of the string gurus can help. I, unfortunately, am not one.
 

racket king

Banned
this racquet is going to absolutely dominate public courts everywhere. This frame truly is a SPIN monster. Wilson absolutely knocked it out of the park with this one and Hit a Home Run.

Just ridiculous exaggerated hyperbole.

3 years later, you don't see these anywhere, let alone "absolutely dominating public courts everywhere."
 
Just ridiculous exaggerated hyperbole.

3 years later, you don't see these anywhere, let alone "absolutely dominating public courts everywhere."

Well this racket sure was a fit for my game. I tested numerous other rackets and it wasn't even close. It was one of those "ah ha" moments as soon as I started hitting this racket. Might have just been a perfect fit for me. The original statement was exaggerated though.
 
Thanks.
Just curious, what level are you guys and how long are your strings lasting?
With my last setup (Kirschbaum 16), I can almost count how many (hard) strokes I hit before it broke... in this scenario, I'm hitting co-op cc drills, but basically trying to throw my body weight into each shot...

4.5, and probably 10 hours or so of solid play. I don't hit a ton of topspin.
 
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Deleted member 23235

Guest
4.5, and probably 10 hours or so of solid play. I don't hit a ton of topspin.
Hmm... i bet that makes a big difference.. I'm usually drilling with folks that are hitting hard/heavy topspin,... and I tend to hit hard/heavy back... making for a violent impact every time (as I'm reversing the ball spin every time).

I suppose I could switch to S&v if I really want to save money on strings :p but then I wouldn't be using this racquet!

Based on my testing so far, leaning towards using Kevlar 16g/Revolve 15g hybrid for 4-6hrs of drilling.
 

dman72

Hall of Fame
So I just got my ESP 100 Tour from TW, strung with 16g Ashway Kevlar mains and 16g Black widow crosses.

The reels I have are a brand new 17g Ashway Kevlar and about half a reel of 17g gosen polylon black.

How much less do you think the 17G will last vs the 16g in this 16x16 frame? I worry about breaking a string during a league match..right now I only have on ESP frame but I will get more.
 
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Deleted member 23235

Guest
So I just got my ESP 100 Tour from TW, strung with 16g Ashway Kevlar mains and 16g Black widow crosses.

The reels I have are a brand new 17g Ashway Kevlar and about half a reel of 17g gosen polylon black.

How much less do you think the 17G will last vs the 16g in this 16x16 frame? I worry about breaking a string during a league match..right now I only have on ESP frame but I will get more.
Lol, obviously a SWAG (scientific wild ass guess)... but if my 16g kevlar/15g wilson revolve hybrid lasts say 6hrs of drilling... I'd guess 17g will last a 4hrs (~30% less).
I tried 17g a long time ago on a different racquet,... while I got more spin with it, I found the mains still still break way before the crosses... I was looking for a combo where the crosses would break before the mains (or close to it)... 16g kevlar was the best I could do (not aware of 15g kevlar being sold anywhere).

That said, the best chance of having strings last a match is to keep rotating a fresh set of strings as often as you can... there are not guarantees even then.
 

g4driver

Legend
nytennisaddict,

Two questions :

1) have you or anyone you know tried TB 15L (1.35 mm)?

2) if you had 15g Revolve in the crosses with 16g Kevlar, are you breaking the Kevlar first still?

I am only stringing for 4.0 guys using 99S Frames, not any 4.5 guys, so hopefully the 15L TB or 15G Revolve gets this one guy 10 hours or so with his 99S frames. He is breaking three CT 16 mains ever 14 days like clockwork. I strung up a 15g Revolve / 16g CT frame him last night and will get the 15L TB in on Tuesday.
 

g4driver

Legend
How about gamma infinity 15L...anyone try that?

Any type of multi (even a multi with poly fibers like Tech HDX Tour and Wilson NXT Control) in a 99S is a departure from what the 99S's 16x15 frame was specifically designed to do: That being produce more spin by limiting the number of crosses and allowing for more movement of the mains on fewer crosses. Multis are tacky and almost gummy. Multis in a 16x15 frame don't act like polys and natural gut which both slide easily on 15 poly crosses.

A full bed of multi in a 16x15 pattern in both counterproductive and a waste of multi. Look at just how fast nytennisaddict is breaking 15G Lux 4G.

15L multi wouldn't last him 15 mins.

lux 4g 15g @ 54: 60min (including 10min of mini tennis)
kevlar 16g/syn gut 16g @ 54/64: ~4.5h
revolve 15g @ 54: ~3.5h
kevlar 16g/revolve 15g @ 58/64
 

g4driver

Legend
That is correct.

I was wondering if I was the only guy who hits less topspin but who likes to flatten out balls who truly appreciates what the 99S can do for a flat hitter.

It's funny when guys say "you hit really flat", and then they get they see how much spin a 99S is capable of producing when you stop hitting flat.
 
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Deleted member 23235

Guest
nytennisaddict,

Two questions :

1) have you or anyone you know tried TB 15L (1.35 mm)?

2) if you had 15g Revolve in the crosses with 16g Kevlar, are you breaking the Kevlar first still?

I am only stringing for 4.0 guys using 99S Frames, not any 4.5 guys, so hopefully the 15L TB or 15G Revolve gets this one guy 10 hours or so with his 99S frames. He is breaking three CT 16 mains ever 14 days like clockwork. I strung up a 15g Revolve / 16g CT frame him last night and will get the 15L TB in on Tuesday.
I've tried a full set of solinco TB... lasted a couple hrs, max, I think.

I have played Kevlar 16g/15g revolve... the Kevlar mains break first (center strings,... seriously notched),... mains weren't too far behind though... lasted about 6-8hrs.

new fave is Kevlar 16g mains/baseline 15g crosses... plays similar enough to revolve, but it's a waaaay cheaper.

I'm basically still stuck stringing weekly but at least it's not daily/hourly like some full poly setups (ahem lux 4g!!)

keep in mind my style of play is not a s&v or counter puncher.,.. you give me any ball I can set up for and I'm going for it on my fh... heavy topspin to keep it in. high risk shots. my practice sessions are with 4.5/5.0 guys that hit similar heavy topspin so racquet collisions are violent (vs someone slicing or pushing it back)... our drills also maximize hits per hr (cc consistency drill since we only have an hour to play at lunch time)
 
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Deleted member 23235

Guest
Any type of multi (even a multi with poly fibers like Tech HDX Tour and Wilson NXT Control) in a 99S is a departure from what the 99S's 16x15 frame was specifically designed to do: That being produce more spin by limiting the number of crosses and allowing for more movement of the mains on fewer crosses. Multis are tacky and almost gummy. Multis in a 16x15 frame don't act like polys and natural gut which both slide easily on 15 poly crosses.

A full bed of multi in a 16x15 pattern in both counterproductive and a waste of multi. Look at just how fast nytennisaddict is breaking 15G Lux 4G.

15L multi wouldn't last him 15 mins.
I haven't tried any multis on this but i agree it would probably last 15ish minutes. kirschbaum super spiky, I went through in 25m.
 

dman72

Hall of Fame
Any type of multi (even a multi with poly fibers like Tech HDX Tour and Wilson NXT Control) in a 99S is a departure from what the 99S's 16x15 frame was specifically designed to do: That being produce more spin by limiting the number of crosses and allowing for more movement of the mains on fewer crosses. Multis are tacky and almost gummy. Multis in a 16x15 frame don't act like polys and natural gut which both slide easily on 15 poly crosses.

A full bed of multi in a 16x15 pattern in both counterproductive and a waste of multi. Look at just how fast nytennisaddict is breaking 15G Lux 4G.

15L multi wouldn't last him 15 mins.


Gamma Infinity is Kevlar mains with 15L syn gut crosses.

In my 100 tour pro ESP, I have about 7 hours on an Ashway Kevlar 16/Dunlop black widow 16 job, with the Kevlar about half sawn through. Black widow was a mistake as it has very sharp edges. The next job will be Kevlar 17/polylon 17 as those are the reels I currently have. I'm expecting similar life as there should be less sawing with the smooth poly, but obviously thinner strings so it should even out.

I can live with stringing every 2 weeks but will stretch to 3 when I get a second frame.
 
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Deleted member 23235

Guest
Gamma Infinity is Kevlar mains with 15L syn gut crosses.

In my 100 tour pro ESP, I have about 7 hours on an Ashway Kevlar 16/Dunlop black widow 16 job, with the Kevlar about half sawn through. Black widow was a mistake as it has very sharp edges. The next job will be Kevlar 17/polylon 17 as those are the reels I currently have. I'm expecting similar life as there should be less sawing with the smooth poly, but obviously thinner strings so it should even out.

I can live with stringing every 2 weeks but will stretch to 3 when I get a second frame.
Ah. I have done kevlar with syn gut;... lasts decently, 3-4hrs, but kevlar/poly lasts longer.. and at my rate of play (~4x/week 6-8hrs/week)... I'd rather pay slightly extra for poly (though baseline is pretty cheap for a reel), if it means I don't have to string as much (eg. 1x/week).
Downside of poly as cross (vs. syn gut), is that it could be harsh on your arm if you don't have good technique or need to build arm/wrist strength... syn gut cross is softer on the arm.
 

dman72

Hall of Fame
Ah. I have done kevlar with syn gut;... lasts decently, 3-4hrs, but kevlar/poly lasts longer.. and at my rate of play (~4x/week 6-8hrs/week)... I'd rather pay slightly extra for poly (though baseline is pretty cheap for a reel), if it means I don't have to string as much (eg. 1x/week).
Downside of poly as cross (vs. syn gut), is that it could be harsh on your arm if you don't have good technique or need to build arm/wrist strength... syn gut cross is softer on the arm.

I have used Kevlar mains and poly crosses for about 3 years straight and never had arm issues. I generally string around 55lbs or under.

The only time I had a TE flare up was when I used a full poly job for a league match, and I was then shot for 2 weeks. So much for Kevlar being worse for your arm then poly.
 

g4driver

Legend
Gamma Infinity is Kevlar mains with 15L syn gut crosses.

.

Ok. Prince does a much easier job of making Kelvar stick out than Gamma who uses the words : Mains: Multifilament Resilyamid/Resilyalon (Aramid).

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Prince_ProBlend_Duraflex_String/descpageACPRINCE-PROBL.html

Pretty easy to read Kevlar on Prince's description compared to Gamma Infinity 15L

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Gamma_Infinity_15L_Natural_String/descpageACGAMMA-GI15.html

Product Details
This durable, high performance hybrid offers players enhanced feel for extra control. Ideal for frequent string breakers.

Gauge: 15L (1.40mm)
Length: Mains: 22 feet (6.7 meters) / Crosses: 20 feet (6.1 meters

Composition: Mains: Multifilament Resilyamid/Resilyalon (Aramid).

Crosses: Elastalon center core and outer wraps (Synthetic Gut).

Available Colors: Natural
 

dman72

Hall of Fame
Ok. Prince does a much easier job of making Kelvar stick out than Gamma who uses the words : Mains: Multifilament Resilyamid/Resilyalon (Aramid).

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Prince_ProBlend_Duraflex_String/descpageACPRINCE-PROBL.html

Pretty easy to read Kevlar on Prince's description compared to Gamma Infinity 15L

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Gamma_Infinity_15L_Natural_String/descpageACGAMMA-GI15.html

Product Details
This durable, high performance hybrid offers players enhanced feel for extra control. Ideal for frequent string breakers.

Gauge: 15L (1.40mm)
Length: Mains: 22 feet (6.7 meters) / Crosses: 20 feet (6.1 meters

Composition: Mains: Multifilament Resilyamid/Resilyalon (Aramid).

Crosses: Elastalon center core and outer wraps (Synthetic Gut).

Available Colors: Natural

I have it in an old Dunlop DP Revelation 95 that I used back in 06/07.

This frame used to break synthetic gut every other match (offset grommets meant shanks=breaks.)

The Infinity lasted about 10 matches before I switched to different frames.

Too bad Gamma doesn't sell the thick Kevlar in a reel.
 

drakulie

Talk Tennis Guru
Glad to see this thread is still being utilized. I still string quite a few of these where I work, and see quite a few people still using them at the club. Many players were upset that Wilson discontinued the frame in order to get more people to look at their spin racquets from other lines (juice, burn, blade, pro staff's, etc).
 

g4driver

Legend
Glad I have five Steam 99S frames ! And that they are still available for purchase although Wilson has made the unfortunate decision to discontinue the 99S. No thank you to the Burn, Juice, PS and Blade lines. No interest in them.

At least Head makes the Speed MP with it's Adaptive String Patten (ASP) which lets you string the same frame either 16x16 or 16x19

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Head_Graphene_XT_Speed_MP_A/descpageRCHEAD-GXSMP.html
 

Nostradamus

Bionic Poster
I think Drakulie likes mostly Baseliner's frames...sold of good weight in the head to produce heavy groundies... but I dont' think he likes lightening quick doubles rackets much...
 

dct693

Semi-Pro
Glad I have five Steam 99S frames ! And that they are still available for purchase although Wilson has made the unfortunate decision to discontinue the 99S. No thank you to the Burn, Juice, PS and Blade lines. No interest in them.

At least Head makes the Speed MP with it's Adaptive String Patten (ASP) which lets you string the same frame either 16x16 or 16x19

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Head_Graphene_XT_Speed_MP_A/descpageRCHEAD-GXSMP.html
That's an interesting Head racquet. Thanks for sharing.

I've got two 99S frames. One strung with Cyclone Tour 16 and the other with Revolve 15, both at 53 pounds. I feel like the CT gets me a bit more spin - but only until the gear shape wears away, then they feel roughly the same. I just got a set of Revolve 16 that I"ll string up next time. Revolve 15 lasts me about twice as long as CT16 before the strings stop moving back into place.
 

g4driver

Legend
dct693,

Thanks for the Revolve 15g info. I put 15g Revolve / 16g CT in a buddy's 99S because he is going through six 99S frames per month. I am trying to get him more than two weeks per three frames.
 

g4driver

Legend
Cyclone 16g 54 Mains / Cyclone Tour 16 g 55 crosses seems to last longer than a full bed of Cyclone Tour 16g at 57m/55 crosses for my chronic string breaker.


Not sure if the various colors of Cyclone play differently or last longer than another. Going go have to search some old threads to see if I can find any info.

CT plays equally well in Red or Anthracite- no difference between the two IMO.
 

g4driver

Legend
I'm trying out the Volkl V-torque 16 gauge right now. Just strung them up but like it a lot so far.

16g Volk Torque / Head Hawk 17g lasted me five sets of singles and eight sets of doubles. :(

Once the VT moved and stuck out of place, it always broke in that set or the next set. At least the break was predictable. ;)
 
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