****Asian K90/nCode 90/PS Tour 90/K95/nCode 95 Club ****

BreakPoint

BreakPoint

Bionic Poster
OK, since everyone seems to be starting a club for the racquets that they use, I guess I'll start one, too. :D

This is a club for the users of the Asian (lighter) versions of Wilson's players racquets, which includes: the Asian K90 (AK90), Asian nCode 90 (AN90), Asian PS Tour 90 (AT90), Asian K95 (AK95), and the Asian nCode 95 (AN95).

You can talk about your experiences with these racquets here. How you have them customzied, how well you play with them, how you feel they compare to the standard (US) versions, anything that you would like to discuss pertaining to these Asian versions, etc.

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I'll start with my own experience. I've been using the AN90 for about two years now. Prior to that I used the PS 6.0 95 for about 3 years. I've recently acquired a AK90 so I've been playing with that alongside my AN90. I play with all of my racquets stock with no lead tape, just an overgrip and a small "O" dampener.

So far, I find quite a few differences between the AK90 and the AN90. The AK90 swings lighter and has much more feel and touch. It also generates more spin more easily and hits a better kick serve. It feels more headlight and more flexible than the AN90 does. OTOH, the AN90 has a bit more power due to the heavier swingweight and a different weight distribution which puts more weight closer to the hoop. It has the same "strange" weight distribution and muted feel that the US nCode 90 does. However, I've become so used to the muted feel over the past two years that it doesn't seem to bother me as much as it used to.

The bottom line is that the Asian versions of these two racquets are exactly the same as the US versions of the same two racquets EXCEPT that they are lighter, which is exactly what they are supposed to be. The AK90 and US K90 have the same feel, flex, touch, and spin potential but the AK90 is just an easier to use and easier to customize package. The AN90 and US N90 have the same muted feel and same weight distribution, but again, the AN90 is just an easier to use and easier to customize package. The interesting thing I found is that although both Asian versions are 0.7 (20 grams) lighter than their standard (US) counterparts, they are both still quite stable and nearly as stable as the US versions.

Both my AK90 and AN90 weigh exactly the same at 12.2 oz. strung with an overgrip and small "O" dampener, but like I said, the AK90 just feels lighter in actual play.

Wilson's specs (UNSTRUNG):

__________Weight________Balance___________Swingweight
AK90 ........11.3 oz. (320g), 9 pts. HL (31.5 cm), 318 (my estimate)
US K90.......12.0 oz. (340g), 12 pts. HL (30.5 cm), 328 (my estimate), 336 (TW spec)

AN90..........11.3 oz. (320g), 9 pts. HL (31.5 cm), 322 (my estimate)
US N90.......12.0 oz. (340g), 12 pts. HL (30.5 cm), 332 (my estimate), 326 (TW spec)


Wilson Asian version Club Member #1
 
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Great Thread Breakpoint.

I have the Asian version of the following:

K-Factor Tour 90
nCode Tour 90
Tour 90 (St. Vincent Process on the Throat)

My lightest racket is the Tour 90, both my AK90 and N90 weight the same.

My main racket now is the AK90, lots of feel and spin.
 
Great thread BP.

I currently have two USk90's, and 2 Asian k90's. I am very pleased with the asians, but have been hitting with both versions. Haven't made up my mind if I'm switching to the Asian, but the serve is so good it is going to be hard not to switch.
 
I am having a hard time choosing between the AK90 and the ATour 90. I like the groundstrokes better with the AK90, but the serve, netgame is better with the ATour 90. I am in limbo HELL!! The good news is they all weigh and the SW feels about the same. I guess whatever feels good will work...for now.
 
ok..found the weights (in grams) of all three:
No overgrip and no "O" dampener

#1: ATour 90 = 331 grams
#2: ATour 90 = 330 grams
#3: AKF = 332 grams

I recently sold another AKF 90 and it weighed 335 grams.

So I decided to keep #3 because it weighed closer to the other Tour 90's and also felt the SW was close. I guess the QC is a little off with the AK90's compared to the ATour 90's.

How many here have hit with the Asian Tour 90?
 
slappano, you are not going to believe this. I went with the guys of TWSF chapter this Tuesday to have a hit. We were hitting for about 10 minutes when it started raining. Then yesterday, I was scheduled to hit with power play21 from the boards (huge hitter). So I decided to cut out your strings in the morning and string it up in with lux mains and gosen crosses. I was so excited to take it out and hit. On the last cross string, my pathfinder guiding awl broke while in the grommet. I had to use small pliers to get the hollow aluminum piece out. When I pulled it out, it sawed the last main breaking it. Complete string job waisted. First time I ever pop a string when stringing a racquet. :(

YOU HAVE SOLD ME A CURSED RACQUET!! LOL - Just Kidding :)

Anyway, I didn't have time to restring it so I just hit my USk90, and did very well against a big hitting Babolat Pure Drive user. :)

I could tell you this, as you told me in the emails we had >>>>>it is definitely more head heavy than my other asian k90 (maybe a couple points?), but it is still lower in SW than my USK90's.

I am going to try and take all of my K90's and have all the specs measured this weekend. I will post them here and on CC's thread. I have already strung it up again today, and will be hitting with it this weekend. I will post my thoughts on this thread when I have hit with it. I will also have a heat shrink sleeve put on tomorrow to build up the grip to 4 1/2.

By the way, what kind of strings did you have it strung with??
 
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drakulie said:
On the last cross string, my pathfinder guiding awl broke while in the grommet. I had to use small pliers to get the hollow aluminum piece out. When I pulled it out, it sawed the last main breaking it. Complete string job waisted. First time I ever pop a string when stringing a racquet. :(
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The exact same thing happened to me last year when I tried to string my Asian nCode 90 for the first time on my new stringer. It was also the very first time I had used the pathfinder tool that came with my ATS SuperStringer II. That last cross on the Tour 90's (all of them) is always a b!tch since the stringhole is always blocked. Anyway, the tip of my new pathfinder awl actually broke off inside the grommet without me realizing it. So when I pulled that last cross...SNAP! The string broke right inside the grommet due to the sharp broken metal tip that was in there. But I didn't know that's what caused it at the time, so I strung up all the crosses again, and when I pulled the last cross, yup...SNAP again! :mad: Finally, I realized what was happening and restrung the whole racquet from the beginning but not before wasting a lot of good string and time. :-(
drakulie said:
I am going to try and take all of my K90's and have all the specs measured this weekend. I will also have a heat shrink sleeve put on tomorrow to build up the grip to 4 1/2.
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drakulie, don't forget to have the weight measured BEFORE and AFTER you add that heat shrink sleeve, as heat shrink sleeves can add quite a bit of weight. I had one added to one of my racquets once to build it up from 4 3/8 to 4 1/2 and I was shocked to find out afterwards that it added a whopping 0.7 oz. (20 grams) to the weight of my racquet. :-o
 
BP, your story is worse than mine. I rarely, if ever use the pathfinder awl, but for some reason was having a really hard time (more so than other times)on that last cross. Stuck it in there, and bingo! It busted. I was so pissed when that main popped. I could just imagine how you felt after having it bust on you two times in a row.

and yes, thanks for reminding me about weighing it before placing the sleeve on it. I'm having it done at a local tennis shop, so I'm taking all the racquets tomorrow.
 
Hey drakulie,
You may want to repost some of your comments on the Asian K90 here in this thread from CC's thread as they're probably more appropriate here. This way we'll have a single thread as the source for information on the Asian versions as it seems people are always asking about the various Asian versions and how they differ from the US versions.

I'm going to repost my posts from CC's thread as well. :-D
 
Reposted from another thread. Original post dated 5/12/07.

BTW, I had my first real chance to have a hit with my Asian K90 today (separate shipment) for about a half hour and here are my initial thoughts so far.

It certainly feels and swings lighter to me than the US K90. In fact, it even feels and swings lighter than my Asian nCode 90. Remember that the nCode 90 has that weird weight distribution whcih makes them feel and swing heavier than they really are and this applies to the Asian verison as well. Thus, the Asian K90 feels much more headlight to me than the Asian nCode 90. The Asian K90 (AK90) also feels more flexible to me than the Asian nCode 90 (An90). To me, the closest racquet that feels like the AK90 to me is the Euro HPS 6.0 95 Tour that TW sold here 4 years ago in limited quantities.

On serves, the AK90 swung through the ball much easier than the An90. It also put more spin on the ball on slice and kick serves than the An90. On groundies, the AK90 generated more spin more easily then the An90 does, but the An90 seemed to allow me to hit the ball harder and with more penetration due to the denser string pattern in the middle and the greater mass in the head.

The AK90 definitely has more feel than the An90 but I'd say control between the two was about the same. The AK90 swung so much easier than the An90 that my timing was a bit off. I think it'll take me a few more outings to readjust my timing.

Oh, and I also noticed that the grip shape seemed to be a hair different than on the An90 in that it seemed just a tad flatter to me, a bit more towards the Head-like shape. I don't know if this was just in my mind or if it was really there but I got used to the slight difference rather quickly.

Both racquets have a bit of a "pop" off of the stringbed but in a different way. While the An90 has a muted but crisp pop, the AK90 has more of a "raw" pop.

Anyway, that's all I have to say for now. I'll probably have more to add after a couple of more outings with it.
 
Reposted from another thread. Original post dated 5/14/07.

OK, so I just got back from playing 2 1/2 sets of doubles with my Asian K90. Here are some additional comments:

Groundstrokes:
This racquet definitely swings lighter than both the An90 and the US K90. It even feels lighter than both just holding it without even swinging. This allowed me to whip through my groundies much faster, generating much more racquet head speed. However, my timing was thrown off just a bit due to this so I'll need some more time to readjust to the faster swing speed. Due to the lighter weight in the head, the plow-through wasn't as good as with the An90 but spin was easier to generate due to the faster racquet head speed and the more open string pattern. It seemed easier to hit topspin and slices than to hit totally flat shots. Nice crisp feel and less muted feeling than the An90.

Serves:
Seems to come through much faster on serves. Both flat and spin serves were easy to hit. Slice and kick serves had much more bite and spin on them than with my An90. Very easy to serve with, but I have yet to find my big flat bomb with it so far. I'm sure that will come as I play with it more. No stress on the shoulder whatsoever from serving as there may be with the heavier US K90 after lots of serving.

Volleys:
The maneuverbility was simply incredible. I could get my racquet very quickly onto every ball. The stability was quite impressive for such a light feeling racquet. I don't have my US K90 anymore to compare it to, but I'm sure the US K90 must be more stable as that would follow the laws of physics. However, the stability of the AK90 really surprised me and I had no trouble easily putting away volleys whether they were high or low or soft or hard. It really felt like a scalpel at the net.

Returns:
On returns I could feel the lightness and flexibility of the AK90 as compared to the An90 the most. I sometimes wished I had a little more weight in the head to really pound the returns. However, it was easy to hit some loopy returns with lots of topspin which dipped at the feet of the incoming net rusher that forced him to hit a tough volley or to volley up.

Conclusion:
So as of now, I would say that I need to get used to the lighter swingweight of this racquet a bit more. After playing, I weighed my AK90 at the pro shop and it came out to 12.2 oz. strung and with an overgrip and a small "O" dampener. To compare, I also weighed my two An90's on the same scale at the same time, and the first one was 12.2 oz. and the other was 12.1 oz., both also have the same overgrip and dampener on them as the AK90. Surprising as the AK90 plays and feels much lighter than the An90, and without weighing them, I would have guessed the AK90 to be at least 0.5 lighter than the An90s.

This is going to sound like I'm really picky and a complainer, and that I'll never be happy, but I wish Wilson made a version that is exactly in between the AK90 and the US K90. This AK90 is 12.2 oz. and my US K90 was 13.2 oz., so something right around 12.7 oz. with overgrip and dampener would be perfect. Remember that these weights are all based upon the scale that I used, which may be off, so I list them just for relative comparison purposes as the absolute numbers on their own may be different than what others have found. I know most people will just say I should add some lead to the AK90, but I really don't like fooling around with lead tape and prefer to play with racquets stock. So, how about it Wilson? How about a "European" or "South American" version? :wink:

Lastly, I should add that, so far, I prefer the AK90 to the An90 because it has a less muted feel and better feedback. I should also say that the AK90 is a really easy racquet to play with due to the lighter feel and the tremendous maneuverability from both the very headlight balance/low swingweight and the small head/thin beam. It also absorbs shock and vibration extremely well for a racquet of its weight. Definitely one of the most enjoyable racquets I've played with in some time. :grin:
 
Reposted from another thread. Original post dated 5/19/07.

Yes, there was a difference. The Asian K90 swings easier but I seem to be able to put more behind my shots with the more head heavy nCode 90. However, the Asian K90 has more feel and spin which was the big difference today. I played a guy who didn't really hit the ball hard but used a lot of spin and drop shots and lobs and in the windy conditions, he was making my life very difficult indeed. I needed more feel to counter his touchy feely type of game. Had I been playing someone that hits the ball harder, I may have stuck with the nCode 90. The better feel of the K90 allowed me to keep the ball in play longer with the windy conditions and play a more patient game versus my usual go-for-broke power game.
 
drakulie said:
slappano, you are not going to believe this. I went with the guys of TWSF chapter this Tuesday to have a hit. We were hitting for about 10 minutes when it started raining. Then yesterday, I was scheduled to hit with power play21 from the boards (huge hitter). So I decided to cut out your strings in the morning and string it up in with lux mains and gosen crosses. I was so excited to take it out and hit. On the last cross string, my pathfinder guiding awl broke while in the grommet. I had to use small pliers to get the hollow aluminum piece out. When I pulled it out, it sawed the last main breaking it. Complete string job waisted. First time I ever pop a string when stringing a racquet. :(

YOU HAVE SOLD ME A CURSED RACQUET!! LOL - Just Kidding :)

Anyway, I didn't have time to restring it so I just hit my USk90, and did very well against a big hitting Babolat Pure Drive user. :)

I could tell you this, as you told me in the emails we had >>>>>it is definitely more head heavy than my other asian k90 (maybe a couple points?), but it is still lower in SW than my USK90's.

I am going to try and take all of my K90's and have all the specs measured this weekend. I will post them here and on CC's thread. I have already strung it up again today, and will be hitting with it this weekend. I will post my thoughts on this thread when I have hit with it. I will also have a heat shrink sleeve put on tomorrow to build up the grip to 4 1/2.

By the way, what kind of strings did you have it strung with??
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No way...that sucks. Hope you hit it soon!

Yes, the hh was not like the US version, but you did notice how different the SW was compared to the other Asian racquets.

The racquet had Asterik on the mains and Kirsch Comp on the the cross. I will be changing my set uo to have Poly on the mains and syn gut cross.

I will wai to hear how you hit w/it.
 
As requested by BP. Here was my initial review of the asian k90.

During this review I will not go into great detail on many aspects of the racquet, as I do not feel the need to repeat the similarities between the US and Asian version. For those interested you could read my reviews in post 898, and 976. I will focus more on the noteable differences I experienced.

Had a hit with the Asian K90 over the weekend. On Saturday I played a match and was unable to get a good overall feel for the racquet compared to the US version. Sunday, I went out and did drills for nearly two hours, including groundstrokes, volleys, serves, returns, etc, and was able to get a better feel in the differences of the two racquets.

I strung the Asian with Luxilon Big Banger Alu (mains), and Gosen (crosses) on Friday night.


SWINGWEIGHT

First thing I noticed is I did not feel a difference in the weight of the two. The Asian weighs in at 11.7 ounces, and the US version (both) weigh in at 12.6 ounces. However, I am a bit skeptical about the weight as I believe the scale at the post office may be off. I was going to have them weighed at the local pro shop yesterday, but being mother's day>>> they were closed. I will try again later this week and post the weights here for those interested. That said, I have never been into weight, rather go by how the racquet feels in my hand when I swing it.

Many people who have demoed/played with the k90, and ps85 have noted that the 85 swings much lighter. I am no exception. I also noted in my earlier reviews that the only dissapointment I felt in the K90 was the swingweight feeling heavier than the 85. I also feel the weight distribution on the k90 is not the same as the 85. The K feels more head heavy than the 85, even though I place lead in the head at 3 and 9 on my 85. For this reason I do not add lead to the k90. Additionally, the US and Asian version are supposedly both 9pts headlight. This was not my experience. The Asian verion felt much more headlight than the US. As noted by BP, and myself earlier, it definitely feels much more headlight than the US version.
I feel the Asian version swings much lighter than the US K90 and the weight is more properly distributed making it's swing feel much more like the 85.

I did not note any difference in stiffness.

GROUNDSTROKES.
There is no drop off in groundstrokes between the Asian or US version. Like the US version, I was able to hit flat and heavy topspin. My shots were landing deep and heavy. Control was also outstanding and I did not notice a drop off in this department. My playing partner did not notice a difference in my shots between the two versions. Like the US version, it still retains what I consider one of the most important things in a racquet and that is how the racquet feels at contact. "Feel" and "feedback" delivered to your hand at contact again was extremely close to the 85. Contact felt solid, and very crisp. Very comfortable.

SERVE
The feel of the racquet on serves at impact was identical to the US version. I was able to to generate the same amount of pace and spin as with the US version. Only noteable difference WAS THE RIDE TO IMPACT. The swing felt much closer to that of the beloved 85. It definitely has a more familiar feeling than the US version on the swing when comparing them to the 85. I WAS IN HEAVEN AND LOVED IT!

VOLLEYS
Volleys are where I experienced the only drop off. Although the feel at impact is the same, the US version is more stable, resulting in better control off of hard hit balls, and has more pop. This does not mean the Asian does not volley well. It does an extremely good job. It has great feedback, good control, and pop. Additionally, it feels more maneuverable. Size of the sweetspot feels the same, not only on volleys, but on groundstrokes as well.

CONCLUSION

Because I have already become use to the US version, and am really enjoying hitting with it, I will be hitting with this racquet a few more times before I make a decision as to whether it is worth it for me to switch. I will be adding some lead at 3 and 9, and see if that makes a difference in volleys. If all goes well, that would most likely be the determining factor whether I buy another.


In closing, I have had two great experiences hitting with this racquet and unlike the US version don't have any negative comments. All was well. Still, I wonder why Wilson does not make these racquets available to US buyers???

Hope everyone enjoyed the review, and I look forward to reading BP's, and CC's review when they get a chance.
 
Follow-up to the weight issue. Had my racquets weighed and measured this morning at a local srpost shop. They were being a real pain about it so they didn't want to do the swing weight for me. I'll go back another day and add those numbers here.

These numbers are strung weights, with no dampener, lead tape, over grips etc.

Both of my US k90's weigh 12.6 ounces, and 9.03 & .05?? pts head light. Not sure how the guy got the ".03 and .05 measurement, but that is what he told me. Anyway, this didn't surprise me as they both feel identical. Like CC, I suppose I got lucky with the whole "Wilson Quality Control Issue."

The First Asian K90 (bought from BP) weighs 11.9 ounces and is 9.75 pts head light.

The second Asian K90 (bought from slappano), weighs 11.8 ounces and is 9.14 pts head light.

Note: I had them put a heat shrink sleeve on the second Asian to be built up from 4 3/8 to 4 1/2 and it then weighed 12.3 ounces. But as I said, they were being a real pain so I didn't ask them to calculate the balance again.
 
Thanks BP for sharing your experience with AK90 and POG Mid. Also, for allowing me to post my questions here.

BreakPoint said:
Hey jasonbourne,
No problem with posting these types of questions in the Asian version Club thread as that's where I expect users of the Asian versions to hang out, which are the people that can answer questions like these. So you're welcome to post it there as well.

In short, the AK90 swings easier than the POG Mid and is more maneuverable. It also serves better than the POG Mid. I've always had problems serving well with the POG Mid personally. Both have solid, old school feels to them. The POG Mid may be better suited to a pure baseline game, whereas, the AK90 may be better suited to an all-court type game. Hope that helps.
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My concern with your comment on the AK90 swinging easier on all strokes compared to POG93 is I had to add 4oz of lead at the top of the handle of my POG93 to comfortably handle the pace and spins of my opponents - especially at service returns. The n90 feels more stable and handles pace better in stock. It sounds like I would have to add weight to an AK90.

From your experience it sounds like the the feel between the two are similar, which is one aspect pog93 has n90 does not. However, which between pog93 and ak90 was more comfortable and stable to you?

Also, with pog93s you can spin opponents out of balance/position easily and play very aggressive transition shots from mid-court. Does the AK90 match or exceed that?
 
BP,
nice post! I now have three An90s, one is completely stock and unused (plastic on handle). the other two each has about 15 g lead under the leather and about 4 g at 3 and 9 s'clock. Those two each weighs 339 g unstrung. I usually put an overgrip and dampner. Strung they are usually 357-358 g. I actually like the way they feel strung with NXT Tour 17 or Gamma Pro 17 at 55lbs. had a chance to play with my friends AK 90 in Hong Kong a month ago. Maybe I was really jet-lagged that day but it felt heavier to swing than my An 90s, even though it was stock. I did feel it had a nicer feel than the An90. I will try it again next time I am there. so far had a great experience playing with my An90s but have not played with them lately (experimenting with an used M-Pro No.1 I picked up and am now customizing). have a good weekend
 
jasonbourne said:
My concern with your comment on the AK90 swinging easier on all strokes compared to POG93 is I had to add 4oz of lead at the top of the handle of my POG93 to comfortably handle the pace and spins of my opponents - especially at service returns. The n90 feels more stable and handles pace better in stock. It sounds like I would have to add weight to an AK90.

From your experience it sounds like the the feel between the two are similar, which is one aspect pog93 has n90 does not. However, which between pog93 and ak90 was more comfortable and stable to you?

Also, with pog93s you can spin opponents out of balance/position easily and play very aggressive transition shots from mid-court. Does the AK90 match or exceed that?
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Hi JB,
Yes, I would say you would probably want to add a bit of lead to the head of the AK90 since you also add lead to your POG.

Frankly, it's been several years since I demoed the POG Mid so it's hard for me to recall with enough accuracy to compare the feel with a new racquet I've only just started playing with like the AK90, so it's hard for me to compare the comfort and stability.

The AK90 does have more spin potential than the AN90 due to the wider string spacing and the more headlight balance. Not sure how the spin would compare with the POG Mid though.

Have you tried he US K90 yet? If so, what did you like and not like about it? I think it would be easier to go from there.
 
Thanks again for your inputs BP! I appreciate your efforts to recollect your experience with the pog93.

I have not tried the K90 yet because from what I read on our boards from others, especially from you since we have similar styles of play and racket preferences, I'm not convinced the $200 racket would help me from my current racket supply.

Well - at this point I hope drakulie chimes in on this comparison.
 
Craig Clark's Asian K90 Mini-Review

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THE EXPERIENCE: My Asian K90's, 1/2 grip size, arrived courtesy of BP. Thanks BP! I've now hit them a half dozen times or so in a variety of settings, including drilling (Rod Laver drill previously described), tie-breaks, and a competitive league (doubles) match. I even played them TWICE on clay, and one of these times the clay was SO bad that it was a joke, with all manner of squirrely bounces! So adverse conditions request has been addressed!!

APPEARANCE: Fit and finish are excellent. I've even grown to love the paint, especially since I've been so happy with my play since changing to the US version.

SPECS: I weighed them 'stock' and unstrung at 11.3 oz each, or SPOT ON SPEC. That's kind of nice in and of itself!!! I seem to be on a 'roll' with Wilson QC. Once strung w/ Klip Legend 17g gut mains and Head RIP Control Crosses (I still can't find Isospeed Pro 17) they tipped the postal scale at 11.9oz and balanced 6 pts HL.

SWINGWEIGHT

There is a marked 'percieved' difference in SW between the US and Asian K90!The AK90 swings MUCH lighter. In fact, so much so that I was having some trouble timing my groundies in particular, and found myself WAY early on service returns. It got better with time, but clearly a period of adjustment will be necessary for those who make the switch.

On the other hand, I do NOT think the AK90 is anything even close to a 59 flex. It felt about the same to me as the US K90. Crisp, but not stiff is how I would describe it.

GROUNDSTROKES.

It hit the ball better off the ground on my FH side with the AK90. Hands down, period. I found I was hitting deeper, with more pace, and better spin control. Unfortunately, my 1HBH was not so happy. The timing on that side was off. When I DID catch one 'just so' it was SCHWEEET. But alas, the change would require patience and dedication to the frame, I fear. Why can't Wilson install that push button BP was talking about!!???

SERVE

I found the AK90 served better for me than the US K90, and I think I serve pretty darned well with the US version. In short, I could knock the snot out of the ball with the AK90 on the flat first ball, and kickers were every bit as good, if not better. No adjustment period here, strangely enough.

VOLLEYS

The AK90 is VERY maneuverable at net, and solid too. However it does NOT have that elusive 'sweet' feel of either the PS 85 or US K90. Especially against hard struck balls I was noticed a difference, and that difference favored the US version. I think the sweetspot may actually be SMALLER on the Asian K90. Again, VERY good, but not as good as the US K90 (for me).

CONCLUSION

In some ways I wish I hadn't hit the Asian K90. Not that it wasn't fun, because it was!! Rather, now I have to make a tough call. Namely, make the change, work on ironing out my timing on the 1HBH, return, and 'tweak' the frame to be a bit more stable at net, perhaps thereby regaining some of the 'feel' I think I lost on the volley in comparison with the US version. OR, just stay put, where I am frankly pretty darned pleased. I think I will do the latter.

Happy Hitting,

CC
__________________
"Everywhere I go, there I am."
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by BreakPoint
Wow, Craig! Thanks for the mini-review of the Asian K90.

Your first comment about it a few days ago sounded like you didn't like it nearly as much as your US K90, but this review sure sounds like you like the AK90 more than I thought you did.

Yeah, it's a tough call as you said, since both the AK90 and the US K90 have their pros and cons. (I'm also playing around with both myself.) But I think the one thing that the AK90 offers that the US K90 cannot is the additional room for customization. The US K90 starts off so heavy that it's hard to add much lead tape to it, to the places that one may want to, without making the racquet too heavy in both static weight and swingweight. The AK90, on the other hand, starts off at a low 11.9 oz. strung so one can add lead tape to desired locations to customize the racquet to one's tastes and still keep the weight and swingweight within a reasonable range.

In fact, another board member here - onehandbh, has customized his two Asian K90's to match the weight, swingweight, and balance of his beloved PS 6.0 85's by adding weight mostly to the handle and making the racquets very headlight and easy to swing while still maintaining stability. It would be interesting to hear how that worked out for him and how close his customized AK90's play to his PS 6.0 85's.

BTW, Craig, if you serve much better with the AK90 than the US K90, wouldn't that give your overall game a major boost, since as we all know that the serve is the most important shot in tennis? Has that helped you to hold serve more often and win more matches? Just curious.

Anyway, please keep us updated if you decide to play with the AK90 more and/or if you decide to customize it.



Dear BP,

I DID like the Asian K90, and I liked it ALOT!! In fact, my serve and FH were, simply put, remarkably better with it in comparison to the US K90. And I couldn't agree more with you about the 'platform for customization' concept as it relates to these two frames, as well as your observation that the serve is indeed the most important shot in the game.

However, in truth, I have grown weary of 'The Hunt'. If onehandBH can give me detailed instructions with regard to how to customize the AK90 to play more like a PS 6.0 85, I will break out my scales, Viper board, and lead tape once again. If not, I am playing some pretty strong T right now...........

Best,

CC
__________________
"Everywhere I go, there I am."
 
jasonbourne, like I said in the POG thread I started they are different "animals". Both equally amazing.

A switch from the POG mid to the ak90 or even the usk90 would neither be gaining much, nor losing much.

As BP stated, the POG mid is simply put >>> a beast from the baseline. However, unlike BP, I really enjoyed serving with it as well, and enjoyed the solid feel on volleys. I feel the POG Mid has a legitimate claim to perhaps be the best all-around stick. If I hadn't grown so dependent on the feel of the Pro Staffs, this would be my mains stick >> hands down. I have actually been hitting with one quite a bit lately, when I'm just hitting groundstrokes.

Still, for people like myself, BP, and others we feel more comfortable with the Pro Staff line because of their "special feel", ability to really crack serves with amazing placement, and solid all court play potential.

Agasin, not that the POG doesn't have a classic feel >> it sure does. Just different than the pro staff line. Here is what I said in the POG thread:

"I would say the biggest difference is the stiffness. To me the POG was rock solid (in a very good way), where as the k90 is stiff, but feels softer. I would imagine a lot of people enjoy this type of feel the POG offers, as it provides excellent feedback to your hand at contact>>> just different than the K. It is a much more raw feel.

In the end, I think for guys like us we could appreciate the different play characteristics of all the classic racquets like the 85, POG mid, PC600 etc. The problem comes down to which one feels more comfortable in your hand when you crack that sweetspot. They each have a unique feel.

Oh what to do, what to do??? :roll:
 
Hey Criag,

Thanks for re-posting your reviews of the Asian K90. I think they will be very helpful to others that want to know more about the AK90 by having them also in this Club thread.

Cheers! :D
 
i've a 40 min. match play with my friend's AK90 y'day, since my old string on T10 was broken by a spin doctor's ball (and i didn't bring a spare racket)

The AK90 is heavy (SW wise) and surely makes my preparation a little late, esp on the forehand backswing. It's easy to serve relatively flat serve i guess. FH G/S is very stable, even if i play some Nadal's style, maybe because i was late :grin:. Once i seemed to have hit it on the 12 o'clock frame, but it felt not at all shocky ! Volley on the run (i play double) isn't that easy for me. It takes full concentration and some effort.

Then i hit some single rally with his old An90.
To my surprise, after one yr, this same stick felt much easier to hit, lighter, softer... I hated it when i tried it 1 yr ago. But now, its "bad" things (mainly stiffness) seem all gone and it is easier to swing than the new AK90 although not as stable. (a little only)

My friend abuses his rackets regularly. Maybe that's a good way to tame your AK90 :grin:
 
Last edited:
ps60,

Are you absolutely positive that your friend's K90 is an Asian version and not a US version? Did you look at the spec label inside the throat? If so, did it read "320 grams" or "340 grams"?

I hit for about 2 hours today with the AK90, US K90, and AN90, and the AK90 was easily the easiest to swing with the lowest swingweight. Easier to swing than my AN90 and much easier to swing than my US K90. In some ways, I find that the AK90 may even swing "too" easy, but that's probably because I'm so used to swinging my AN90 which has a higher swingweight.
 
BP,

it is for sure AK90. (i am a R freak !)
BTW, it has "Made in China" at 6 o'clock. Like Chris (inJapan) has shown. But local stores have some without any such marking on the frame.

it's heavy for me b/c i am 120 lb. only. But i am used to heavy rackets, just more HL. My T10 mid is also 340g strung, i don't have problem with it.

My first impression of it (a few wks ago) compared to AN90 i played 1 yr ago was the same as yrs. But in a yr his An90 seems to have lost some wt, and i no longer feel its stiffness when swinging (esp at the turning point of backswing). It is surely "not the same stick" i played 1 yr ago. my friend's abuse may have some effect on it, on top of the scratched bumper, frame tip. its molecule bondings must also have suffered and it's now a much better stick ! :grin:

If u don't like the n90 stiffness, abuse it lightly :D
 
ps60 said:
it is for sure AK90. (i am a R freak !)
BTW, it has "Made in China" at 6 o'clock. Like Chris (inJapan) has shown. But local stores have some without any such marking on the frame.
Click to expand...
Hmmm....interesting, as all the AK90's that I have seen in person DO NOT have "Made in China" printed anywhere on the frame. However, the first production of the US K90 had "Made in China" printed at 6 o'clock (bottom of the throat bridge).

Hmmm...it's sounding more and more to me like your friend's K90 may be a US version?
 
BP,

have U seen photos posted by Chris, they have made in China at 6 o'clock, just as my friend's one. and it is 320g version. although he's not put it on scale yet. Frankly i'd like to swing the US version too, as i like ps6.0 95 so much. But now after the An90 experience, i'd wonder was it the 6.0 that i played briefly also had a lot of abuse so that it felt so sweet (as it looked a very very well beaten one)
 
BreakPoint said:
Hey Criag,

Thanks for re-posting your reviews of the Asian K90. I think they will be very helpful to others that want to know more about the AK90 by having them also in this Club thread.

Cheers! :D
Click to expand...

My pleasure. I hit the AK 90 this morning and am 'warming up', at least a bit. We'll see how I handle the serve from some of Tim's HotShot juniors, then I will decide. ;)

CC
 
Hi Craig,

I played a couple of sets of singles with my AK90, USK90 and AN90 yesterday and I can also now confirm that the AK90 does indeed serve better as you mentioned. It surprised me as I would have thought that the heavier USK90 would allow me to serve harder but that wasn't really the case. I guess the weight slowed down my swing just enough to reduce the pace just a bit.

The AK90 also definitely serves better than the AN90 IMHO. I've always had some trouble serving long more often than I would like with the AN90 because, I assume, of the weight distribution which makes it harder to bring the head down quickly on the serve. With the AK90, it was much easier to bring the head down quickly and put pace on the serve without serving long. I could pretty much slam my flat first serve into the box everytime without worrying about serving long. It was sweet. :D
 
drakulie, I appreciate your comparison comments and referencing your pasts posts between pog mid and k90. I know that takes time and effort.

I do remember your comments in your pog mid thread where you compared it with the K90. In my response to BP earlier in this thread, I hoped and wondered if you had distinctions between the pog mid and AK90.

drakulie said:
jasonbourne, A switch from the POG mid to the ak90 or even the usk90 would neither be gaining much, nor losing much.
Click to expand...

This comment above is very helpful to know coming from you. :p

Still, for people like myself, BP, and others we feel more comfortable with the Pro Staff line because of their "special feel", ability to really crack serves with amazing placement, and solid all court play potential.
Click to expand...
I agree with you and BP about the all-court play potential of the PS rackets. I find my best results in match play with my n90 than the pog mid. I only wish the n90 had the raw feel of the pog mid.

In the end, I think for guys like us we could appreciate the different play characteristics of all the classic racquets like the 85, POG mid, PC600 etc. The problem comes down to which one feels more comfortable in your hand when you crack that sweetspot. They each have a unique feel.
Click to expand...
I agree with you here as well. Thanks for sharing your comments.
 
Hi all, is Asian version K90 has the "Silver Wilson Quality sticker" ?
I know the racquet produced in Vietnam don't have this sticker, not sure why.

many thanks
 
k90tour said:
Hi all, is Asian version K90 has the "Silver Wilson Quality sticker" ?
I know the racquet produced in Vietnam don't have this sticker, not sure why.

many thanks
Click to expand...
Yes, the AK90 has the Wilson Quality hologram sticker with the barcode on it inside the throat.

All Wilson racquets are made in China so none are produced in Vietnam. If you've seen an AK90 that was either made in Vietnam or does not have the Wilson Quality hologram sticker on it, it is most likely a fake.
 
BP - glad to see you a member of a K club - even if it's with an A in front! I'm still loving my US K90's, I am playing my best tennis in years. Unfortunately, I tried a friend's k90 with a gut hybrid, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to start using it instead of my tried and true (and cheap!) luxilon hubrid...With the gut, I get the perfect amount of zip added to my shots that was lacking with the luxilon - not that I didn't play well with the luxilon, but I think the gut gives me just a little something extra in the spin and pace category. I LOVE these racquets, I have NO desire whatsoever to hit with another racquet...
 
drakulie said:
Follow-up to the weight issue. Had my racquets weighed and measured this morning at a local srpost shop. They were being a real pain about it so they didn't want to do the swing weight for me. I'll go back another day and add those numbers here.

These numbers are strung weights, with no dampener, lead tape, over grips etc.

Both of my US k90's weigh 12.6 ounces, and 9.03 & .05?? pts head light. Not sure how the guy got the ".03 and .05 measurement, but that is what he told me. Anyway, this didn't surprise me as they both feel identical. Like CC, I suppose I got lucky with the whole "Wilson Quality Control Issue."

The First Asian K90 (bought from BP) weighs 11.9 ounces and is 9.75 pts head light.

The second Asian K90 (bought from slappano), weighs 11.8 ounces and is 9.14 pts head light.

Note: I had them put a heat shrink sleeve on the second Asian to be built up from 4 3/8 to 4 1/2 and it then weighed 12.3 ounces. But as I said, they were being a real pain so I didn't ask them to calculate the balance again.
Click to expand...

When I weighed it, I got 11.82 oz. on a science class gram weigh scale...not bad. I wonder why it "felt" so hh?
 
^^^ slappano, it is more head heavy that the other asian I have. When I first swung it, I could immediately tell from the feel of swinging it. It's not off by much, but there is a noteable difference. I don't mind too much because I am going to lead up BP's asian at 3 & 9, and then I will match them.

By the way, I played with it exclusively yesterday >>> beautiful. I love it. Incredibly solid, and was really popping my serve >> especially my second serve. Was getting some super tight spin.

This morning, I played a match with it against a real solid 4.5 player who won the last league he played in. Won the first set 6-3, and was up 3-0 when the rains came. I was cracking backhand, forehand winners, had a few volley winners, and 4-5 aces. I was really "on", and the swing and feel of the racquet felt awesome.
 
drakulie said:
^^^ slappano, it is more head heavy that the other asian I have. When I first swung it, I could immediately tell from the feel of swinging it. It's not off by much, but there is a noteable difference. I don't mind too much because I am going to lead up BP's asian at 3 & 9, and then I will match them.

By the way, I played with it exclusively yesterday >>> beautiful. I love it. Incredibly solid, and was really popping my serve >> especially my second serve. Was getting some super tight spin.

This morning, I played a match with it against a real solid 4.5 player who won the last league he played in. Won the first set 6-3, and was up 3-0 when the rains came. I was cracking backhand, forehand winners, had a few volley winners, and 4-5 aces. I was really "on", and the swing and feel of the racquet felt awesome.
Click to expand...

Great to hear that. It was a great racquet to play with...my problem was the hh was too much of a concern for me. Now all three of my racquets feel the same.

The racquet was a monster on the serve...especially topspin and hard slice serves.

OK...I was putting new Tournagrips over all of my sticks and found something funny..maybe you or BP could shed a little light:

As we all know the throat is longer in the new KF 90's. But I just matched up the KF and the Tour 90 and the only difference was the grip length. I then measured the pallet and the spacing is exactly the same. The grip on the KF 90 was the same size (length) as the grip on the St Vincent. I then checked the grips to the Tour 90 and the Tour 90 grips are longer. I am a bit confused a very annoyed. It seems as if the grip length is the only thing that has changed from the Tour 90, Ncode 90 and now the KF 90....
 
slappano said:
OK...I was putting new Tournagrips over all of my sticks and found something funny..maybe you or BP could shed a little light:

As we all know the throat is longer in the new KF 90's. But I just matched up the KF and the Tour 90 and the only difference was the grip length. I then measured the pallet and the spacing is exactly the same. The grip on the KF 90 was the same size (length) as the grip on the St Vincent. I then checked the grips to the Tour 90 and the Tour 90 grips are longer. I am a bit confused a very annoyed. It seems as if the grip length is the only thing that has changed from the Tour 90, Ncode 90 and now the KF 90....
Click to expand...
slappano,
Yes, the handle pallet/grip length is shorter on the K90 than on the nCode 90 and on the PS Tour 90. The K90 also has the wider string spacing in the middle (4 crosses at PWS) than the nCode 90 (5 crosses at PWS). I'm not sure about the PS Tour 90 as I've never owned one and when I demoed it a few times I never took notice, however, I know Federer's PS Tour 90 first had the denser spacing and then had the wider spacing, so he may have tried the retail version first (denser spacing) and then switched to his customized racquet (wider spacing)? Does your PS Tour 90 have the denser spacing?

Also, the other difference between the three racquets is, of course, the composition and the layup, as all three feel very different from each other. And then don't forget about the different weight distributions between the three.
 
BreakPoint said:
slappano,
Yes, the handle pallet/grip length is shorter on the K90 than on the nCode 90 and on the PS Tour 90. The K90 also has the wider string spacing in the middle (4 crosses at PWS) than the nCode 90 (5 crosses at PWS). I'm not sure about the PS Tour 90 as I've never owned one and when I demoed it a few times I never took notice, however, I know Federer's PS Tour 90 first had the denser spacing and then had the wider spacing, so he may have tried the retail version first (denser spacing) and then switched to his customized racquet (wider spacing)? Does your PS Tour 90 have the denser spacing?

Also, the other difference between the three racquets is, of course, the composition and the layup, as all three feel very different from each other. And then don't forget about the different weight distributions between the three.
Click to expand...

OK...so the longer throat is because the Wilson just shortened the grips. Thanks.

Yes...they all feel different. The Tour 90 (IMO) feels almost as good as the KF 90. The ncode to me felt like a board.

The Tour 90 has the denser spacing (5 strings across the PWS).
 
slappano said:
OK...so the longer throat is because the Wilson just shortened the grips. Thanks.

Yes...they all feel different. The Tour 90 (IMO) feels almost as good as the KF 90. The ncode to me felt like a board.

The Tour 90 has the denser spacing (5 strings across the PWS).
Click to expand...

Yes, that's right. The mold used with the three racquets are the same so the throats have to be identical with all three. The throat only appears to be longer on the K90 because they shortened the handle pallet/grip on it to make it more like on the PS 6.0 Originals. This also gives the racquet more flex in the shaft, and many 1HBH players didn't like the longer pallet/grip on the PS Tour 90 and the nCode 90.

Yes, I thought the PS Tour 90 also has the denser string spacing (5 at PWS) but I recently saw a pic of one with only 4 crosses at the PWS so I got a bit confused. Perhaps that was a pic of Federer's customized PS Tour 90 paintjob? Don't know.
 
BreakPoint said:
Yes, that's right. The mold used with the three racquets are the same so the throats have to be identical with all three. The throat only appears to be longer on the K90 because they shortened the handle pallet/grip on it to make it more like on the PS 6.0 Originals. This also gives the racquet more flex in the shaft, and many 1HBH players didn't like the longer pallet/grip on the PS Tour 90 and the nCode 90.

Yes, I thought the PS Tour 90 also has the denser string spacing (5 at PWS) but I recently saw a pic of one with only 4 crosses at the PWS so I got a bit confused. Perhaps that was a pic of Federer's customized PS Tour 90 paintjob? Don't know.
Click to expand...

One of my friend (Tennis Pro shop owner, he was Pro's stringer before) he showed me a real Federer's racquet to me the other day (the racquet from his friend and still working as Pro's stringer), it looks just like PS Tour 90 paint job but I am sure it is 85sq head size with 4 crosses at the PWS.

When I hold it, it feel like Pro Staff 6.0 and my friend told me he got it free from that stringer in year 2003 or 2004. I looked closer on the racquet throat inside, there is Roger Federer's name tag on it, and the string setup was Wilson Natural Gut/Luxilon ALU Power Rough. I remember the racquet got some lead taps at inside of throat.

I believe this is 100% Roger's racquet in year 2003 or early 2004~ I want buy it from my friend but he want keep it for his collections :P By the way, my friend was helped Stefan Edberg and Patrick Rafter string their racquets before. Hope he can get me another Roger's racquet for me one day :P
 
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