2011 Wilson Racquet Playtest

TW Staff

Administrator
Playtesters:

Please post all your comments in this thread. Remember to include:

- Your personal racquet of choice
- The color code on the racquet received (identified by the 2 strips of tape on the throat)
- How many hours did you play with the racquet?
- Comments on racquet performance in the following categories: Groundstrokes, Serve, Volley, Serve Returns
- General comments on overall performance

Thank you,

TW Staff
 
Received mine today... Looks like a Henin stick (Wilson Tour 95) with the powerholes™ :)


Specs:

Head size: 95 sq in. (with PWS and Powerholes™)
Pattern: 16 x 20
Length: 27.25-27.50""
Beam: Straight/very slightly tapered 22 mm (measures 21mm at 12 o'clock)
weight: 11.0 oz. / 311 g (strung)
Balance: 4.0 HL (extra length taken into account)
String: Wilson Enduro Tour 16 (poly)
Tape color: Blue/black


Review to come later...
 
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Got mine too. I forgot to count mains/crosses, but it's way lighter than my usual fare: 10.1 oz strung. No PWS either, so I'm at a loss as to what it is. I guess we'll see how it does tonight.

Edit 1:

Okay, I have some more educated guesses/measurements (taking a cue from Bud above):

Head Size: ~100 sq in (No PWS, no Powerholes™)
Pattern: 16 x 20
Length: Either 27" or 27.25"
Beam: Straight (or pretty close), ~23mm
Weight: 10.1 oz strung
Balance: Pretty close to even, if my crude methods are to be believed
String: Wilson NXT 16

Conclusions? The lack of PWS/Powerholes leads me to think Blade (it could even be 98 sq in), but if it is, it's pretty different from any current incarnation. Maybe a BLX Blade 98 Lite (in the same vein as the Six.One Lite)? Anyone else have a guess?
 
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TW - how do you get in on this playtest? I currently use both a KPS 88 and Kblade Tour and would love a chance to hit with the 2011 line of racquets?
 
Ditto. Would love to get in on this playtest. Is it still possible to be added to the list? Thanks in advance! :)
 
probably the blade lite

there's a couple midplus frames that are close. the pro lite blx is 102' 9.6 oz , 27' , even balance, 16x19 , 27.5 dual taper, i think you have the blade lite blx that's 100' , 10.2 oz, 27' , 1pt hl , 16x20 , 23 flat beam, the tour lite blx but that's significantly shorter in length , 103' , 9.3 strung , 26.75 , 2pts hh , 16x20 , 23.5 flat beam , or the bold blx thats 100' , 10 oz , 27 ' , 1pt hl , 16x20 , 22 flat beam
 
The Talk Tennis members participating in the the Wilson playtest were selected based on a variety of criteria. We did not take sign-ups for the Wilson playtest.

However, we are currently also running a string playtest. If you would like to participate in the string test, please email your username, name and address to discussadmin. You can do so by clicking on the Contact Us link at the bottom of the page.

More info on the string playtest: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=353022

Tiffani, TW
 
Mine's a 18x19, black color tape, ~11.0 oz, I'm guessing 22 mm straight beam, ~100 sq inches, HL. 27.25".

Will test out tonight.

EDIT: Tested it for a few days now. I'll probably comment more after I test it again tomorrow.

Main racquet: Dunlop m-Fil 400
Color code: Black
Hours tested: 7 hours

This racquet is not as powerful as my main racquet, but that was expected as this has a thinner beam. It took me about two different practice sessions to generate the power I'm used to. Once I got better acquainted with this racquet I was able to feel comfortable playing with it. It is a sturdy racquet and should hold up well in baseline rallies.

Groundstrokes
This racquet seems designed for control rather than power. I get good directional control, even when hitting off-balance. Because it is a dense pattern, I tried maybe too hard to generate topspin. Once I compensated, I noticed I got a good amount of spin off the forehand. One of my hitting partners commented that some of my shots were coming heavy and high. It took me some time to get my backhand slices to work properly, but that could have been due to the strings. The forehand slice on the run worked well.

Serves
I was impressed with the amount of spin I can impart. The racquet performed well with my slice and kick serves. Flat serves were good too. It made me realize I was trying too hard to get my serves in. Took a little pace off and I was getting serves in at a good rate.

Return of serve
When I first returned serves, I had a problem with hitting the top of the net. It tended to be a low trajectory return of serve for me. I find myself having to make a bit more of an effort to clear the net. Otherwise, the directional control was quite good

Volleys
I was very impressed with it. I felt I could land most of my volleys with it. I felt comfortable making contact and placing the ball in the vicinity I wanted. I think a good serve-and-volleyer or all-courter would enjoy it.

In general
I have had a good time playing with it. It didn't impress me so much at first, but after 60-90 minutes of practice I got a better idea of how it can fit my style of play. You can play different styles with this racquet with the appropriate strings. An all-purpose racquet that holds it own from the baseline or up close to the net. It's similar in weight, balance, and pattern of a Microgel/Youtek Radical.
 
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Got mine yesterday and played with it last night.

Color Code: Red (thin) and blue (wide) taped stripes
Headsize: ~ 93 sq. in. (No PWS)
Weight: 11.9 oz. (12.2 oz with overgrip and small "O" dampener)
Balance: Feels like around 7-8 pts. headlight
String Pattern: 18 x 20
Beam Width: 20mm straight flat beam (flat on outside and curved on inside, not box beam)
Length: 27 in.
Flex: Feels like around 65
Swingweight: Feels like around 323
Grip: Wilson leather grip, 4 3/8
Butt Cap: Black "W" BLX

My guess is that this is the new BLX Blade Tour.

Unfortunately, it's strung with a poly (Wilson Enduro Tour 16) pretty tight (or tighter than what I usually string my racquets with multis) so I was only able to play with it for about 15 minutes before I felt twinges in my elbow so I had to stop. I'm not taking any chances these days as I've had elbow problems in the past.

I'll post a short review later.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OK, so here are my comments about the prototype racquet I received.

My usual racquet is the Asian K90 (Wilson K-Factor Six-One Tour 90) which has a 90 sq. in. head, 17mm beam width, 16x19 string pattern, and weighs about the same as this prototype.

The prototype definitely swings a bit easier. I think the reasons for this are threefold: 1.) It has a different weight distribution than my AK90. 2.) It is balanced slightly more headlight. 3.) Although the beam width from the side is wider than that of my AK90, the beam width of the hoop, throat, bridge, and yoke face-on is quite a bit thinner than the AK90, which makes the prototype much more aerodynamic and move through the air faster and easier when swinging face-on.

Overall, this is a very solid feeling racquet (even without PWS). It feels slightly firmer than my AK90 but this may be due to the denser 18x20 string pattern and the poly strings. I could hit the ball very hard and still maintain control and it feels like it has a pretty large sweetspot (much bigger than on my AK90, which is about the size of a dime). It has a pretty decent feel to it, nothing jarring or anything.

So here's the breakdown by strokes:

SERVES

I could blast bombs with this racquet. I mean I think I gained like 15mph on my serves with this racquet, mostly due to the larger sweetspot and how much faster it moved through the air (see above). Directional control and power were excellent on first serves and spin was pretty good on second serves (despite the dense string pattern). I'm sure I could blast more aces and service winners with this racquet than with my AK90.

GROUNDSTROKES

On the forehand, I could just pick a spot on the other side of the court and blast a forehand right to that spot. The control was excellent (probably helped by the poly strings). My hitting partner told me I was hitting the ball harder than with my regular racquet. Down-the-line forehands were laser-like with lots of pace and never swayed wide. I hit mostly flat and the dense string pattern worked well just blasting flat forehands. When I did hit some shots with more topspin, that worked well, too.

I hit a one-handed backhand and this prototype was not as solid on the backhand as my AK90 (but very few racquets are). I could still rip backhands with it but if I didn't hit it exactly in the center, it felt a bit less stable than my AK90 (which is rock solid on the backhand). Slices also worked well with the prototype.

VOLLEYS

Great on volleys. The prototype is very maneuverable at the net and I couldn't miss a volley if I tried. Very easy to get the racquet at the right spot to block or punch a volley and the racquet felt very stable on impact, which made it easy to direct the volleys with pace in the direction or angle I wanted. High volleys, low volleys, reflex volleys, etc. - no problems at all with any of them.

SERVE RETURNS

Since the prototype is so maneuverable and easy to get into position, it was easy to get the racquet on a lot of serves, whether I was blocking the returns back or taking a full swing. Also easy to slice back or use underspin to control the returns.

CONCLUSION

Great racquet. I think a lot of people will like this one. People who like player's racquets but find the standard BLX Six-One Tour 90 to be too heavy and demanding should give this one a try. It provides a high level of both control and power but in a very maneuverable package and good solid feel.


Here are some pics:

16742rp.jpg


sgijcz.jpg


2j3lfs1.jpg


rgywc9.jpg
 
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Unfortunately, it's strung with a poly (Wilson Enduro Tour 16) pretty tight (or tighter than what I usually string my racquets with multis) so I was only able to play with it for about 15 minutes before I felt twinges in my elbow so I had to stop. I'm not taking any chances these days as I've had elbow problems in the past.

I'll post a short review later.

That's my only complaint as well... it's strung with a poly (which I rarely use). Hard to get a real feel for the racquet unless strung with a nice multi.


Here are a few pics:

P1070440.JPG


P1070443.JPG


P1070444.JPG


P1070445.JPG
 
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Ok I'll probably get mine in a couple days as all of you are in CA where TW is located.. :D Darn you west coasters! :P
 
That's my only complaint as well... it's strung with a poly (which I rarely use). Hard to get a real feel for the racquet unless strung with a nice multi.


Here are a few pics:

P1070440.JPG


P1070443.JPG


P1070444.JPG


P1070445.JPG

What kind of strings are these?? Looks like they are two different ones?
 
That's my only complaint as well... it's strung with a poly (which I rarely use). Hard to get a real feel for the racquet unless strung with a nice multi.
The ironic thing is that I asked TW to please string it with a soft multi and not a poly since I had just gotten over a bad case of tennis elbow not too long ago. Oh well. :(
 
What's with the Powerholes ???????? Henin single handedly bringing back the powerholes into modern rackets ????
She isn't even playing that well......i hope its at least extended length..
 
What kind of strings are these?? Looks like they are two different ones?

Nope... same string on mains and crosses... just take the light differently from the camera flash.

Wilson Enduro Tour 16 poly

What's with the Powerholes ???????? Henin single handedly bringing back the powerholes into modern rackets ????
She isn't even playing that well......i hope its at least extended length..

See my original post for the specs. It's 27.5" long. I've never used the Wilson Tour 95 with the Powerholes™ so it should be interesting.
 
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Just got mine today in ATL... keep checking fellas. Received from 11am - 2pm. I'll be taking it to practice tomorrow and writing a review at the end of the week. Along with some pics. My racquet has 2 blue strips.
 
Nope... same string on mains and crosses... just take the light differently from the camera flash.

Wilson Enduro Tour 16 poly



See my original post for the specs. It's 27.25" long. I've never used the Wilson Tour 95 with the Powerholes™ so it should be interesting.

I had tried the original powerhole rackets and what it does is to Add to the Trampoline effect the stringbed already,,,so ball will come off with More power. I really didnt' see the extra control it claims on those rackets. I only noticed more power and little bit of loss of control.
 
Here's a quick summary of the racquet I received today.....

Color Code: 2 thin red taped stripes over a matte black paint job

Headsize: 95-98 sq. in. (No PWS, no powerholes)
Length: 27 in.
Strung Weight: 11.4 oz. (no overgrip, no dampener)
Balance: ~2 pts headlight
Swingweight: ~335 (using the TW tool)
Stiffness: ?????
Beam Width: 20-21mm straight beam (yoke is flat on outside and curved on inside, hoop is relatively flat on the inside and curved on the outside)
Grip: Wilson ProHybrid grip, 4 3/8 with a BLX buttcap
String Pattern: 18 x 20 (skip 8&10, H&T)
Tension reading on Stringmeter 40-45
Strings are Wilson Endurance Tour 16 strung one piece, bottom up.

Initial thought is it looks a lot like a KBlade 98

Will play with it this weekend and post impressions.
 
String appears to be Wilson NXT Demo on mine.
Appears to be the same racquet as the one posted in pics above.
Feels pretty head heavy
 
for those of us who aren't a part of this playtest, would those who are please post pics of your particular racquets (thank you, Bud)? Thanks.
 
I wouldn't have minded get to try out the Blade Tour Prototype. I traditionally haven't liked the blade line (I always thought there was room for improvement) but would be interested to see how the new ones play.
 
Got mine yesterday and played with it last night.

Color Code: Red (thin) and blue (wide) taped stripes
Headsize: ~ 93 sq. in. (No PWS)
Weight: 11.9 oz. (12.2 oz with overgrip and small "O" dampener)
Balance: Feels like around 8 pts. headlight
String Pattern: 18 x 20
Beam Width: 20mm straight flat beam (flat on outside and curved on inside, not box beam)
Length: 27 in.
Flex: Feels like around 65
Swingweight: Feels like around 323
Grip: Wilson leather grip, 4 3/8
Butt Cap: Black "W" BLX

My guess is that this is the new BLX Blade Tour.

Unfortunately, it's strung with a poly (Wilson Enduro Tour 16) pretty tight (or tighter than what I usually string my racquets with multis) so I was only able to play with it for about 15 minutes before I felt twinges in my elbow so I had to stop. I'm not taking any chances these days as I've had elbow problems in the past.

I'll post a short review later.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OK, so here are my comments about the prototype racquet I received.

My usual racquet is the Asian K90 (Wilson K-Factor Six-One Tour 90) which has a 90 sq. in. head, 17mm beam width, 16x19 string pattern, and weighs about the same as this prototype.

The prototype definitely swings a bit easier. I think the reasons for this are threefold: 1.) It has a different weight distribution than my AK90. 2.) It is balanced slightly more headlight. 3.) Although the beam width from the side is wider than that of my AK90, the beam width of the hoop, throat, bridge, and yoke face-on is quite a bit thinner than the AK90, which makes the prototype much more aerodynamic and move through the air faster and easier when swinging face-on.

Overall, this is a very solid feeling racquet (even without PWS). It feels slightly firmer than my AK90 but this may be due to the denser 18x20 string pattern and the poly strings. I could hit the ball very hard and still maintain control and it feels like it has a pretty large sweetspot (much bigger than on my AK90, which is about the size of a dime). It has a pretty decent feel to it, nothing jarring or anything.

So here's the breakdown by strokes:

SERVES

I could blast bombs with this racquet. I mean I think I gained like 15mph on my serves with this racquet, mostly due to the larger sweetspot and how much faster it moved through the air (see above). Directional control and power were excellent on first serves and spin was pretty good on second serves (despite the dense string pattern). I'm sure I could blast more aces and service winners with this racquet than with my AK90.

GROUNDSTROKES

On the forehand, I could just pick a spot on the other side of the court and blast a forehand right to that spot. The control was excellent (probably helped by the poly strings). My hitting partner told me I was hitting the ball harder than with my regular racquet. Down-the-line forehands were laser-like with lots of pace and never swayed wide. I hit mostly flat and the dense string pattern worked well just blasting flat forehands. When I did hit some shots with more topspin, that worked well, too.

I hit a one-handed backhand and this prototype was not as solid on the backhand as my AK90 (but very few racquets are). I could still rip backhands with it but if I didn't hit it exactly in the center, it felt a bit less stable than my AK90 (which is rock solid on the backhand). Slices also worked well with the prototype.

VOLLEYS

Great on volleys. The prototype is very maneuverable at the net and I couldn't miss a volley if I tried. Very easy to get the racquet at the right spot to block or punch a volley and the racquet felt very stable on impact, which made it easy to direct the volleys with pace in the direction or angle I wanted. High volleys, low volleys, reflex volleys, etc. - no problems at all with any of them.

SERVE RETURNS

Since the prototype is so maneuverable and easy to get into position, it was easy to get the racquet on a lot of serves, whether I was blocking the returns back or taking a full swing. Also easy to slice back or use underspin to control the returns.

CONCLUSION

Great racquet. I think a lot of people will like this one. People who like player's racquets but find the standard BLX Six-One Tour 90 to be too heavy and demanding should give this one a try. It provides a high level of both control and power but in a very maneuverable package and good solid feel.


Here are some pics:

Thanks for the review and pics, BP.

I'll be hitting with my frame for the first time in about 45 minutes.
 
My friend I toured with still uses the Hyper Carbon and said it's being re-released, so I'm guessing that second set of pics is that model.
 
My racquet arrived yesterday and here is what it looks like so far.

Here's what I got:

Color Code: 2 black taped stripes over a matte black paint job

Headsize: 100 sq. in. (No PWS, but with powerholes)
Length: 27 7/16 in.
Strung Weight: ~11.5 oz. (no overgrip, no dampener)
Balance: ~4 pts headlight
Swingweight: ~325
Stiffness: they are supposed to be 57 on the RDS
Beam Width: 21-22mm straight beam
Grip: Wilson ProHybrid grip, 4 3/8 with a BLX buttcap
String Pattern: 18 x 19
String and tension unknown.

The approximates are compared to what it feels like versus my Dunlop AG 4D 300's (non tour).

This racquet looks a lot like the Kobra Tour but with a thinner beam. Also, this is one of the most rounded heads I have seen for a 100 in racquet. The head reminds me a lot of the Prince Vortex of the mid 90's. Even though it is an 18x19string pattern, it is fairly open.

Will play with it this weekend and give my initial impression.
 
I got what looks to be the new blade 98 as well...
Specs and review will come later.
I hit with it already a bit. (Okay, well 3 hours.)
To be honest, I really disliked the feel at first, but that was obviously going to happen coming from a Ti.Rad, which feels nothing like it at all. So keep in mind that things I say in my review might be a little biased just because it isn't like what I usually use, and if you've previously liked the blades this will probably be a must demo, because it did feel like an improvement on the old blade.
002-6.jpg

003-7.jpg

004-4.jpg

005-3.jpg
 
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Got mine yesterday and played with it last night.

Color Code: Red (thin) and blue (wide) taped stripes
Headsize: ~ 93 sq. in. (No PWS)
Weight: 11.9 oz. (12.2 oz with overgrip and small "O" dampener)
Balance: Feels like around 8 pts. headlight
String Pattern: 18 x 20
Beam Width: 20mm straight flat beam (flat on outside and curved on inside, not box beam)
Length: 27 in.
Flex: Feels like around 65
Swingweight: Feels like around 323
Grip: Wilson leather grip, 4 3/8
Butt Cap: Black "W" BLX

My guess is that this is the new BLX Blade Tour.

Unfortunately, it's strung with a poly (Wilson Enduro Tour 16) pretty tight (or tighter than what I usually string my racquets with multis) so I was only able to play with it for about 15 minutes before I felt twinges in my elbow so I had to stop. I'm not taking any chances these days as I've had elbow problems in the past.

I'll post a short review later.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OK, so here are my comments about the prototype racquet I received.

My usual racquet is the Asian K90 (Wilson K-Factor Six-One Tour 90) which has a 90 sq. in. head, 17mm beam width, 16x19 string pattern, and weighs about the same as this prototype.

The prototype definitely swings a bit easier. I think the reasons for this are threefold: 1.) It has a different weight distribution than my AK90. 2.) It is balanced slightly more headlight. 3.) Although the beam width from the side is wider than that of my AK90, the beam width of the hoop, throat, bridge, and yoke face-on is quite a bit thinner than the AK90, which makes the prototype much more aerodynamic and move through the air faster and easier when swinging face-on.

Overall, this is a very solid feeling racquet (even without PWS). It feels slightly firmer than my AK90 but this may be due to the denser 18x20 string pattern and the poly strings. I could hit the ball very hard and still maintain control and it feels like it has a pretty large sweetspot (much bigger than on my AK90, which is about the size of a dime). It has a pretty decent feel to it, nothing jarring or anything.

So here's the breakdown by strokes:

SERVES

I could blast bombs with this racquet. I mean I think I gained like 15mph on my serves with this racquet, mostly due to the larger sweetspot and how much faster it moved through the air (see above). Directional control and power were excellent on first serves and spin was pretty good on second serves (despite the dense string pattern). I'm sure I could blast more aces and service winners with this racquet than with my AK90.

GROUNDSTROKES

On the forehand, I could just pick a spot on the other side of the court and blast a forehand right to that spot. The control was excellent (probably helped by the poly strings). My hitting partner told me I was hitting the ball harder than with my regular racquet. Down-the-line forehands were laser-like with lots of pace and never swayed wide. I hit mostly flat and the dense string pattern worked well just blasting flat forehands. When I did hit some shots with more topspin, that worked well, too.

I hit a one-handed backhand and this prototype was not as solid on the backhand as my AK90 (but very few racquets are). I could still rip backhands with it but if I didn't hit it exactly in the center, it felt a bit less stable than my AK90 (which is rock solid on the backhand). Slices also worked well with the prototype.

VOLLEYS

Great on volleys. The prototype is very maneuverable at the net and I couldn't miss a volley if I tried. Very easy to get the racquet at the right spot to block or punch a volley and the racquet felt very stable on impact, which made it easy to direct the volleys with pace in the direction or angle I wanted. High volleys, low volleys, reflex volleys, etc. - no problems at all with any of them.

SERVE RETURNS

Since the prototype is so maneuverable and easy to get into position, it was easy to get the racquet on a lot of serves, whether I was blocking the returns back or taking a full swing. Also easy to slice back or use underspin to control the returns.

CONCLUSION

Great racquet. I think a lot of people will like this one. People who like player's racquets but find the standard BLX Six-One Tour 90 to be too heavy and demanding should give this one a try. It provides a high level of both control and power but in a very maneuverable package and good solid feel.

Pretty stellar review. Blades were always amazing to serve with, so glad to see that quality appears to have been retained. Breakpoint, can you go into a bit further detail on the feel of the hit? Does it have that slightly more dampened feel of other BLX frames, or the more raw/stiff feel of K-Factors?
 
Those blades look amazing!

TW I was wondering what I can do to qualify to playtest some of these rackets? I am a college bound junior player with a one handed backhand and grinding playing style.

I play with a MicroGel Prestige MP, and I would be a great candidate for some of these 18x20 frames!

Thanks,

Gino
 
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