RF97 vs Gravity Pro
- Thread starter pico
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- gravity pro rf97
Played the GP for a couple months when it first came out, but switched back to the RF97. Found the GP more comfortable, but sluggish. Wish the GP would have been more headlight. I prefer the HL feel of the RF97 and IMO it swung easier (quicker). The stiffness of the RF97 allowed for more depth in volleys, bigger serves, and dispersion control in my experience.
pico
Hall of Fame
I put a leather grip on mine and it seemed to help making it HL. Did you try any customisation?
@pico, I have both. I would say the RF97 has more spin and a heavier ball. Also a higher launch angle. The Gravity Pro is lighter so you can swing without having the ball sail when going for flat shots. Slice is good but not as much bite as the RF. Returns are better with the Gravity Pro if being aggressive. With the Gravity Pro I can swing out on ground strokes with more confidence but it is a 18x20 pattern so you do get a tighter feel. The RF is great if you chip or slice more which I tend to do often on returns but on a second serve I'll go for more with the RF. The Gravity Pro has more control on kick serves but the RF had a heavier ball with more height after the bounce on serves. They are both really awesome sticks. For precision I like the RF, but it can get sluggish in a 3rd set match. I prefer the Gravity Pro for doubles as it can produce a low flat attacking ball. I feel I can take the ball earlier with the Gravity Pro, could be that it has a bigger sweet spot in comparison. This is just my observation from using the 2 sticks with my playing style. In the end if I had to pick only one the RF wins. Luckily for me I don't have to decide. Hope this helps you out!!
giantschwinn
Semi-Pro
My everyday racquet is RF97. I demo'd Gravity Pro. Swing weight wise there was little adjustment to go from RF to Gravity Pro. I am not going to comment on how it played because it’s as much a function of string tension as the racquet. On that same day, I also demo’d radical pro and Wilson clash and Shapavlov’s Yonex. Gravity Pro was my favorite and felt the closest to the RF. But not enough to make me switch. Wilson Clash was terrible and too flexy for my taste.
PrinceMoron
Legend
That pretty much sums it up better than the play tests
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exactly.
Isn't RF97 an open pattern 16x19? with higher static weight before any customization?
So, combined with higher stiffness, of course you get more spin and "heavier" ball, provided you can swing with it as long as a tennis match can last.
Let me assume that after adding mass to GPro, to same static weight as RF97, the ball will be heavier. Though can't compare when it will be heavier.
how did you get a 16x19?
I assume that you or your stringer simply skipped some wholes?
One Handed Dynasty
Semi-Pro
They’re pretty opposite in most regards. I used the RF97 for over a year so I’m more familiar than the gravity, which I demoed for a week and played 2 matches with. The RF97 is optimized towards aggressive all court tennis in the modern game. The HL balance, slight polarization, launch angle, and open string pattern all encourage high rhs modern strokes, while the power, stiffness, and swingweight of the frame allow for you to focus on technique and spin and not have to worry about generating enough pace. There’s enough stability for blocking back serves and big shots, but this racquet isn’t made for defensive play styles. It’s made so that the player can generate rhs and spin, while the stiffness and power of the racquet provide pace, until the player has worked the point to get a the ball they want to attack. If you play aggressive tennis and have good technique it’s one of the best racquets out currently. I only went away from it because I’m not playing as much as I used to, but I’ll definitely switch back as soon as I’m able to play more frequently.
The gravity pro isn’t as specialized as the RF97. If I had to specify a play style it’s geared toward I’d say defensive baseliner, but it’s more of a jack of all trades master of none. It has an 18x20 string pattern so the launch angle is lower, spin is slightly less, and accuracy is slightly better. The RA is lower so there’s less shock transmitted to the arm and less power transmitted to the ball. Those two characteristics coupled together mean that at a given RHS the RF97 can generate more power and spin, all other things being equal. For me, this translated into not being able to play as aggressively from a neutral or disadvantaged situation in points because I wasn’t able to get the same level of spin on my shots at a given pace, so the margin for error was lower. I did find that I was able to compensate somewhat by going for lower trajectory shots that recruited less spin control, but this again resulted in a lower margin for error. To me it seemed like the gravity pro would work best for someone who wins with depth and placement from the baseline, slowly building a point through small advantages.
So to summarize, the RF97 is an aggressive all court players racquet where it provides the power and the user provides the spin control, and the Gravity Pro is better for players who like to build points through depth and placement, winning through building up small advantages and consistently defending by returning to a safe target that the opponent can’t attack.
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The gravity pro isn’t as specialized as the RF97. If I had to specify a play style it’s geared toward I’d say defensive baseliner, but it’s more of a jack of all trades master of none. It has an 18x20 string pattern so the launch angle is lower, spin is slightly less, and accuracy is slightly better. The RA is lower so there’s less shock transmitted to the arm and less power transmitted to the ball. Those two characteristics coupled together mean that at a given RHS the RF97 can generate more power and spin, all other things being equal. For me, this translated into not being able to play as aggressively from a neutral or disadvantaged situation in points because I wasn’t able to get the same level of spin on my shots at a given pace, so the margin for error was lower. I did find that I was able to compensate somewhat by going for lower trajectory shots that recruited less spin control, but this again resulted in a lower margin for error. To me it seemed like the gravity pro would work best for someone who wins with depth and placement from the baseline, slowly building a point through small advantages.
So to summarize, the RF97 is an aggressive all court players racquet where it provides the power and the user provides the spin control, and the Gravity Pro is better for players who like to build points through depth and placement, winning through building up small advantages and consistently defending by returning to a safe target that the opponent can’t attack.
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grhcan99
Semi-Pro
As I have. Have gotten it to 363g and that thing had massive almost too much power at that point.
pico
Hall of Fame
I played with both yesterday. I will admit that I cannot consistently handle the weight of the RF97. It is a solid racquet but it just felt I had to put in more to get it going. I had it strung with Cyclone at 50lbs. I am curious to see how it would work for me with say Cyclone at 46. When I switched to my Gravity, I was def able to get more RHS. It might have been the transition from a heavier racquet to a lighter racquet that created that mentally as well. I was able to serve better with my Gravity Pro. While they have comparable swingweights (I have lead at 12 on my Gravity), I think the Gravity Pro works better for me right now. I actually felt I could feel the ball better too with it. Mind you that my Gravity was strung with orange Cyclone which I do find to be different from black Cyclone (which is on my RF97). I also had my Gravity strung at 50 / 47. I think my next step will be to string my RF97 with orange Cyclone at 46 and see how it feels.
Dansan
Semi-Pro
I hit a heavier ball with more depth using the RF97. Gravity pro I'm able to get a little bit better directional control, and easier to use over the course of 3 sets. There's also a bit more forgiveness with using the gravity pro, RF is just more demanding when it comes to footwork and early preparation.
My opponents tell me that when I use the RF, ball kicks more and dives down deep so they are pushed back more which helps set up weak returns and put away volleys by coming into the net. For some reason, I'm still not able to directionally control the ball as well with the RF which is something I am working on. I also struggle with consistently serving well with the RF. I use a natural gut/poly hybrid in the RF 58/55 lbs. If I'm on with the RF, I can finish points fast when playing aggressive. But again, a lot of this is down to how good you are. I'm off and on with it.
Gravity pro was easier to serve with, and easier to play with overall. But the RF is addictive, so I keep trying to master it.
My opponents tell me that when I use the RF, ball kicks more and dives down deep so they are pushed back more which helps set up weak returns and put away volleys by coming into the net. For some reason, I'm still not able to directionally control the ball as well with the RF which is something I am working on. I also struggle with consistently serving well with the RF. I use a natural gut/poly hybrid in the RF 58/55 lbs. If I'm on with the RF, I can finish points fast when playing aggressive. But again, a lot of this is down to how good you are. I'm off and on with it.
Gravity pro was easier to serve with, and easier to play with overall. But the RF is addictive, so I keep trying to master it.
pico
Hall of Fame
What strings do you use on your Gravity and what tension?
iceman_dl6
Professional
I was an RF97 user for many years and now using the Gravity Pro and sometimes the Gravity Tour version.
What I get more with the Gravity Pro vs the RF97:
-Larger sweetspot
-Easier volleys
-Better comfort
-Better spin (weird, but true! Must be due to the bigger headsize)
-Better flat 1st serves
-Better feel
RF97:
-Better directional control due to smaller headsize
-Better slice
-More power
I strung all of my Gravitys and RF97s with the same string and found the RF97 quite jarring outside the sweetspot compared to the pillow soft feel of the Gravity Pro!
There is also the Gravity Tour you might want to demo! Still a nice plow for it’s lighter weight! I have mine stock with a leather grip and it plays awesome! It has a 22mm beam and its 10g lighter than the Pro. Strange to say, but right now, I would alternate between the Pro and the Tour versions depending on the opponent I play against!
What I get more with the Gravity Pro vs the RF97:
-Larger sweetspot
-Easier volleys
-Better comfort
-Better spin (weird, but true! Must be due to the bigger headsize)
-Better flat 1st serves
-Better feel
RF97:
-Better directional control due to smaller headsize
-Better slice
-More power
I strung all of my Gravitys and RF97s with the same string and found the RF97 quite jarring outside the sweetspot compared to the pillow soft feel of the Gravity Pro!
There is also the Gravity Tour you might want to demo! Still a nice plow for it’s lighter weight! I have mine stock with a leather grip and it plays awesome! It has a 22mm beam and its 10g lighter than the Pro. Strange to say, but right now, I would alternate between the Pro and the Tour versions depending on the opponent I play against!
