2020 Prostaff update

zizaozazi

New User
can we consider the ncode or kfactor version as classic so that the upcoming(maybe next year haha) pro staff will have that kind of paintjob haha. I miss those paintjob and still using my asian K90 up until now haha
 

TennisManiac

Hall of Fame
By the way, Brittany, given how the anticipation is building up for the new Pro Staff, is there any possibility of pushing up the test review, or at least the video review? Wilson's website is now showing a release date of Sep 14, so wondering if the video review could be uploaded by around that date?
Not likely. From what I've seen, it usually takes TW a couple of weeks to post video reviews. And sometimes even longer. I don't think it really matters anyway. Everyone has their own opinion on frames and strings. The only playtester that I could ever trust was Andy. And now that he's gone, the playtests are no longer accurate imo. They seem to love every racket and every string on the market. Sometimes I think they're just blowing smoke up our butts because they don't want to bash a racket or string and upset management or the manufacturer. So basically they're mostly fake reviews. So why do we care anyway?
 

TW Staff

Administrator
Sogho,

For all major racquet launches, we typically post the video review the day of launch. We will have a Pro Staff and Pro Staff RF97 Autograph video ready for launch will be around the third week of September for us.

Thanks,
Brittany, TW
 

Vicious49

Legend
Kind of a D move if you ask me. Basically forcing people to buy the new racquet if they want a Pro Staff instead of just liquidating the old inventory first.

No business is going to intentionally pull stock and have it sitting in their warehouse collecting dust. Can we please use some common sense here instead of tossing around accusations?

Yes, I suspected that pricing differential came from Wilson, not you guys.

I wasn't checking everyday, but I vaguely remember you guys having a healthy stock in early August. So, if you say that you're sold out, then you're sold out. I just find it difficult to believe how all of the sudden, you guys are completely "sold out" just in time for the new frame to arrive.

All the while, your competitors still have a substantial amount of the old frames available even to this day...

But hey, you said they're sold out, then they're sold out.

What competitor sites still have them? TE doesn't have any and MW only has it available in 4 5/8. Could you please provide some links as I'd love to pick up a few in 4 3/8.
 
No business is going to intentionally pull stock and have it sitting in their warehouse collecting dust. Can we please use some common sense here instead of tossing around accusations?



What competitor sites still have them? TE doesn't have any and MW only has it available in 4 5/8. Could you please provide some links as I'd love to pick up a few in 4 3/8.

I need to correct myself and that they appear to be sold out as well. (They were available I think 2 weeks ago)
 

Lavs

Hall of Fame
Still both RF97A and PS97 from first realease 2013 (red and black) are the great and might be the best from this line. I tried once PS97 and it shines. Great honest feedback (not muted like last releases), fairly crisp but not stiff. Small sweetspot though, which forced me to put it away.
 

asifallasleep

Hall of Fame
The all black RF97 is perfection and IMO can never ever be improved upon. LOL. I get it that company's need folks to keep buying new sticks. This new pj is nice but the all black still trumps it IMO. I'd be a sucker to sell my better looking all black sticks to just get a new pj.

Of course if Fed switches to the new pj and is losing and switches back to the all black, it's another fiasco for Wilson like the black and white RF97.

I actually just bought two more of the all black. Appears they are out of stock everywhere.

Is the RF97 the longest running frame with paint job after paint job release with the same original specs in history? Wilson is really milking that cow.
 
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ryushen21

Legend
That's the racket I first started playing tennis with about 16 years ago. That was a pretty heavy racket if I can remember correctly. Also pretty stiff. But it was a nice racket.
It was a bit string dependent. I wouldn't go full poly in it but it hit a mean ball with a good gut/poly hybrid.
 

terminator97

New User
There are pics of the new RF97 v13 on the net..

Same specs and composition,, same elastic paint,, some exposed carbon fiber weave with gloss at the tip (like other Wilson rackets) with subtle grey and silver stripes on the throat..

Not a big cosmetic change, a slight evolution to gloss tip rather than sides..

Will be a good seller...
 

asifallasleep

Hall of Fame
The only way to preserve the velvet paint on the Wilson frames is to never have two frames side by side in your bag. Each frame needs to have it's own compartment. Kind of crazy, lol. The most damage is done when the frames are in your bag being "protected" from the elements.

I still love my all black RF97, beautiful, but.................................

Imagine if the 1st generation RF97 was all black instead of the black and red.
 

PMF

Semi-Pro
Does anyone remember how much the retail packaging on a typical new frame weighs? I think the plastic wrap on the handle and paper insert within the hoop might weigh several grams? I just want to be prepared before I buy :)
 

McGradey

Hall of Fame
Whoever is leading the designs of these Wilson frames for the last couple of years seems severely averse to: 1) making any sort of design statement or 2) bringing back Wilson's classic design motifs in anything but the most half-baked and inhibited way

So every Wilson racquet has a large grey band on the hoop—concrete grey. Exciting
And the Pro Staffs bring back the classic red and yellow—but it's so understated it's almost invisible
Then the RF97 is just black, with some miniscule white and grey stripes

Dullest PJs on the market
 
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USPTARF97

Hall of Fame
Whoever is leading the designs of these Wilson frames for the last couple of years seems severely averse to: 1) making any sort of design statement or 2) bringing back Wilson's classic design motifs in anything but the most half-baked and inhibited way

So every Wilson racquet has a large grey stripe on the hoop—exciting
And the Pro Staffs bring back the classic red and yellow—but it's almost invisible
Then the RF97 is just black, white and grey.

Dullest PJs on the market

Completely anti-climatic and they wanted to keep the release of pics under wraps? Much to do about nothing. H22 and H19 are the most exciting frames that Wilson has to offer regardless of the paint.
 

asifallasleep

Hall of Fame
Wait, the last thing i'd ever want on my RF97 is a denser string bed? Wow, are you kidding me? Sounds like they are trying to make it more user friendly for folks who aren't good enough to be using it. If the top of the string bed is more dense, Fed clearly won't be using this puppy. Although I believe this denser string bed is only for the Pro Staff and the RF specs aren't changing at all. So in addition too the original RF, you can have it in red, blue, black and now black with stripes. Surely in a couple years the all white stick will be released.
 

LeftyJunk

Rookie
Wait, the last thing i'd ever want on my RF97 is a denser string bed? Wow, are you kidding me? Sounds like they are trying to make it more user friendly for folks who aren't good enough to be using it. If the top of the string bed is more dense, Fed clearly won't be using this puppy. Although I believe this denser string bed is only for the Pro Staff and the RF specs aren't changing at all. So in addition too the original RF, you can have it in red, blue, black and now black with stripes. Surely in a couple years the all white stick will be released.
That description is only listed under the PS97 not the RF... edit - I replied to the wrong post. Damned technology!
 

USPTARF97

Hall of Fame
Wait, the last thing i'd ever want on my RF97 is a denser string bed? Wow, are you kidding me? Sounds like they are trying to make it more user friendly for folks who aren't good enough to be using it. If the top of the string bed is more dense, Fed clearly won't be using this puppy. Although I believe this denser string bed is only for the Pro Staff and the RF specs aren't changing at all. So in addition too the original RF, you can have it in red, blue, black and now black with stripes. Surely in a couple years the all white stick will be released.

I may be wrong but from what I understood is that the RF97 string pattern is the same and the PS97 has the more dense string pattern. This would be be much needed to give the PS97 more control.
 

John

Semi-Pro
The only way to preserve the velvet paint on the Wilson frames is to never have two frames side by side in your bag. Each frame needs to have it's own compartment. Kind of crazy, lol. The most damage is done when the frames are in your bag being "protected" from the elements.

I still love my all black RF97, beautiful, but.................................

Imagine if the 1st generation RF97 was all black instead of the black and red.
You are supposed to use bubble bag to protect each racquet... look at Roger... he always putt his racquet from a plastic even pulling from his bag...haha
 

Lazyydays

New User
Will it be available on TW immediately after the realise?

Out of topic question, I played with PS 97L and loved the feeling and how it played but bit weight was missing, does the 315g version play same or there are any notable differences?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

brownbearfalling

Hall of Fame
I thought the picture Maverick posted was a troll post until I noticed the subtle differences. Wilson definitely needed to clean up the prostaff line up. It is hard to explain to people that the "older" version is more popular and more expensive than the "newer" version tuxedo.

This also might be the only time where I would require the single racquet cover with the racquet.

2020 seems to be a year of homage to the Agassi/ Sampras era. Nike went ALL out with the retro Tech Challenge Agassi Clothing. Now Wilson with the PS85 cosmetic.
 

lim

Professional
Whoever is leading the designs of these Wilson frames for the last couple of years seems severely averse to: 1) making any sort of design statement or 2) bringing back Wilson's classic design motifs in anything but the most half-baked and inhibited way

So every Wilson racquet has a large grey band on the hoop—concrete grey. Exciting
And the Pro Staffs bring back the classic red and yellow—but it's so understated it's almost invisible
Then the RF97 is just black, with some miniscule white and grey stripes

Dullest PJs on the market

The issue here is that they used the PS6.0 85 PJ on a round beam frame so the pin stripes around the hoop would have looked awful anyway... instead they put it on the throat and under the tip LOL. They really should have used the PSC6.1 95 PJ durrr :rolleyes::rolleyes:
 

Rob2D

Rookie
My pictures got removed :-D

I don't see why. All you have to do is a simple Google image search and there it is.
 

Ash Tennis

Professional
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21st nice. I’m not a big pro staff user but I know some people who are. I’m going to give them a gift by preordering it for them.
 
Actually there are a couple of changes that include the string mapping (drill pattern) and layup of the Pro Staff 97. I hit with the Pro Staff 97 yesterday for a couple of hours and can easily say the racquet maintains the classic Pro Staff feel. The changes have the strings denser in the top of the hoop which should extend string life. The layup changes (but not the string mapping) are also present in the 97L. The RF97 has no changes as reported in other posts and threads.

Geoff, reading wilson's description aside from a change in teh kevlar positioning of teh weaves they speak of a different buttcap that will be more ergonomic. Have you noticed anythign like that? Does it refer for example that they dropped the current one with sharp edges and instead used a buttcap to the likes of a one used in the blade series with more rounded edges, or the buttcap has a different shape? (don't know how this can be of course...)
 

Sogho

New User
It was mentioned earlier in this thread that the v13 RF will have the squared butt cap, while the 97 and 97L will have the rounded butt caps!
 

Vicious49

Legend
It was mentioned earlier in this thread that the v13 RF will have the squared butt cap, while the 97 and 97L will have the rounded butt caps!

why does wilson insist on keeping the sharper butt cap on the RF97 when Roger himself has the rounded ones on his racquets?
 

SaaKha

Semi-Pro
why does wilson insist on keeping the sharper butt cap on the RF97 when Roger himself has the rounded ones on his racquets?

To keep the classic Pro Staff feel I guess lol. I put the rounded buttcaps on both my RF97s and they feel much more comfortable in hand. Glad Wilson decided to do it with the new PS97 since I plan on trying it out.
 

ohiostate124

Professional
To keep the classic Pro Staff feel I guess lol. I put the rounded buttcaps on both my RF97s and they feel much more comfortable in hand. Glad Wilson decided to do it with the new PS97 since I plan on trying it out.
Hmm. Might have to get the PS97 a shot. What is underneath the velvet paint anyway? Could you scrap it off?
 
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