To be honest. I think that's just how it works. People who like Fed (national allegiances excluded) will enjoy that style of tennis, and if they are tennis players themselves they will tend to play that style of tennis meaning they'll gravitate towards similar racquets. Plus, Federer himself played with a Pro Staff because Sampras and Edberg played with Pro Staffs. We are all susceptible to that. So, yes, I can't imagine a Rafa fan playing with RF97, not only because it's Fed's racquet but because they probably prefer a completely different game style. RF97 is a little heavy, however, it doesn't feel nearly as heavy as I was led to believe. I know it's heavy because it says so on the frame, when I play I don't notice it that much. It might affect me long term, but so far, I'm having a blast playing with it. Oh, and the sweet spot is not that small at all, I find.
I hear that about Wilson QC all the time, although I haven't experienced it personally. At the pro shop where I buy my equipment, I took 4-5 random RFs and none of them were above 340g. First I got one that was 336g unstrung, but then I replaced it for the one that was 339g (when the handle cellophane was off) because the balance and swing weight were exactly on spec. Unstrung balance was 305mm on the dot. The others weren't far off either. When I tested the Blade 16x19 it was exactly 305g without strings. I guess I was just lucky. So far, I don't mind the stiffness that much because it's strung at 22kg.
It is not the total weight difference, 5-6g is not the bad part, swingweight is the real problem, i measured 7 and they ranged from 330 to 370 !!
I agree, i wished they just made one 330g and a bit softer...
370!? That's crazy! The ones I measured ranged from 305-308g unstrung. Mine was I believe 305-306g unstrung, and now it's 332g. That's swing weight, not static weight of course.
Exactly right. I have a pair of matched RF97s that play super easy. They're overspec on static weight but wonderfully enough are under 330 swing weight when strung.
This was strung
Did you use a string with a lead core?
No , all 7 same stringDid you use a string with a lead core?
Seconding this. I'm in love with this setup.Just a small addition - playing with Lux 4G Soft 1,25 24/23kg in the RF97 for some time now and it works really well. If someone wants to try it as well, not a bad choice at all
At 370SW strung, you looking at around 335-338SW unstrung with a heavy 16 gauge string. That's pretty absurd. Are you sure there wasn't any lead under the grommet?
When I started playing tennis, I was a Delpo fan. I play with eastern forehand and double handed backhand. In those days, my racket of choice was the regular pro staff 97. After some years, I tried the RF97. For me personally, I find it better in every way compared to my pro staff 97.
Nice! What a beaut.I found the most perfect RF97
2014/15 Model V10
295 SW / 12HL / 335.5g
=> should end up =>
325SW / 10HL / 355g including OG!
As good as it gets from a usability standpoint i guess
I'm planning KB Syngut 16 mains / Poly 17g cross @ 58lbs/54lbs
Mine stock without mods and champs choice and single OG comes out to 361g total. I would like to give this mod a try and make it much lighter than yours if possible. But if it only yields -4gms I don’t think it’s worth it.
Well, I can tell you, that switching to a 1.20 string from 1.25 mmm does make a noticable difference.
Yes I also have the Blade Pro (h22) and this is a very good alternative with more room for customization! It's jsut a bit softer than the RF97, but one gets used to it.
It already has a leather grip originally, what do you mean?
What did you say to them to get this result? Would like to get the same service.
just call the MRT line in the contacts section. they are racquet techs that have always been super knowledgeable and helpful in my experience. Just ask for something closest to that spec
Cool, thanks!
How does it play vs a full spec 12.5 oz RF? Do you give up some plow through, stablity, power?
What is the swingweight after stringing? I'm trying to figure out how much SW is added by stringing an RF97, so I know what to order. My target is 340-345 after stringing.
Rule of thumb is +30 SW, -3 BP, +17g so his strung specs assuming no additional weight (lead, overgrip, dampener, etc) is about 332 SW, 9HL, 12.61 oz.
A while back, a friend loaned me one for a couple of weeks, strung hybrid like the Fed specs, the racquet had great plough thru and it seemed i could hit with extra pace on both sides, volleying was a bit of a control issue for me.
plays great. doesnt seem to play as heavy as the SW suggests due to being so head light i think. I hit a really heavy ball with it, I was just playing a heap and developed some shoulder soreness so switched off it and that seemed to help me. I will probably go back to them at some point though and this is unstrung so @Rally would be on the money for strung spec.
That's good to know , it probably swings like a slightly heavy regular pro staff 97, which is what I want.
somehow my Red Laver Cup RF plays better than the Regular RF or even the Blue Laver Cup RF.Sounds like problems I had. I can hit the most unbelievable shot, and I feel like the ball did not even touch the racquet
I could not get any other RF97 to play close to it. Only thing it seems there was a bad paint job on one side of the racquet. Only this got chipped, and over time...
