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.
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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: