Best items you found at thrift stores (Goodwill)?

[Grafil Injection]

Couple Princes I picked up in the weeks past. I'm not sure about the positioning of the Synergy Tour DB in Princes racket price hierarchy but I'm fairly certain the Comp Sport was entry level. I found about 3 other examples of models in their Sport Widebody series, a couple are aluminum, a couple are graphite fusions, and the Comp Sport appears to be a graphite fiberglass mix, while the Graphite Sport is apparently 100% graphite. Probably sold for under $100 in the mid 90's. Both of these frames are at the start of the trend where Prince stopped labeling the copyright year for when each frame debuted. Much to my timeline-oriented brain's disappointment, as I loved that feature on their frames.

As for the Synergy Tour DB, It hits like a good widebody aught to. Very little flex, good dampening and power when you start swinging out, and feels excellent on serves, perhaps thats what the DB does, or is that the Liquid Crystal Polymers job, or maybe that's me having no idea what either of those things actually are supposed to do. That's probably it. Has some of that ever common old school Prince syn gut in yellow. Didn't feel the need to rip it out. I guess I got distracted and forgot to take a top down photo of this one, whoops. Hopefully you get the idea.

Next is of course the Comp Sport. Aesthetically looks pretty nice, I like the darker blue grommets, buttcap, and head guard, and the fade is nice as well. I miss when decent paint work was also applied to cheaper sticks rather than solely the highest end models. It outweighs the Synergy Tour DB by a whole 2g. (352g strung vs 350g). 352g is certainly hefty for any entry level stick particularly one from this era. Initially fell into my hands with whatever Prince nylon came from the factory, I found it somewhat unpleasant to hit with. I felt it had a bit too much wobble on anything outside the sweetspot, it reminded me a little of the original USA version of the Prince Classic except not made of metal. Additionally it had a bit too much power and lacked spin generation in any meaningful sense, so I decided to rip out the strings and put in some of the just-released Gamma AMP Sapphire 16g at 55lbs. The difference was night and day for the better. Suddenly it became a spin machine and the feel improved 10 fold. Good enough that I plan on using it in a league match next week. Plus the color matched the frame so well that I went from being on the fence about selling it to putting it in my main gearbag.

I can't find any listings in 1990s adverts for either of these, so I'd agree the first was probably premium-mid-range, the second low-mid-range. What's the beam of the CTS, it looks to be a subtle taper? And it seems to have all the Prince tech, so I wonder if it's a rebadge of the CTS Synergy DB 24, which was about 21mm to 24mm. The denim-newsprint design suggests mid-late 90s to me.

 

[kevin qmto]

@Sanglier would probably know for sure.

In other backlog news here's this. I think I've narrowed it down to a 1981 Pro Kennex Black Ace 98 (I still don't know what the 98 stands for, as I don't think it means graphite percentage or headsize, it says 100% graphite fibers on the hoop). But back to the year of sale, if it was a '79, I'm pretty sure it would just say Kennex on it, and I noticed on some of the other Red lettering Pro Kennex badged models, the throat shaft logo is still the Stars and Stripes K logo, instead of the stylized Pro Kennex logo on my frame that they still use to this day. So I'm assuming those capital K models are 1980, so this one must be 1981, maybe the serial number on the side would confirm this? Because in 1982 they changed the graphics, and now the text was in gold, the font updated and the racket cover was changed. As seen in this photo from Wimbledon 1982.

So here's the one I picked up. It was found at a St. Vincent de Pual thrift store, among the children's toys. Usually I walk right past this section so it's lucky I spotted the handle sticking out from a pile of foam swords.

Firstly, it became clear this racket had not been removed from its vinyl head cover in a long time. A VERY long time. I had to peel it out from the cover, it didn't' take much effort, but that's probably a sign it was left in a hot garage for a decade or two. Both zippers are corroded in place, the side one is stuck closed, luckily the main one was open at the bottom so getting it out wasn't a huge hassle. If you look closely, you can see the weave of the case fibers transferred to the gloss finish on the racket itself. I've never seen anything like that before.

As for how it hits, initially it had been strung with some Leoina 66, and it hit pretty well. About 30 mins into rallying I struck a hard forehand and it snapped two mains. with a gap between them, and then I did what all coaches tell you to do in that situation and rush the net to put away the next ball with a volley, and it snapped a 3rd string on that hit! Never in all my life did I think I'd break three strings in one point. the first breaks were in the middle, and the left most break was the final one. I have video of this happening but haven't clipped it yet.

I have since had the frame restrung with some Gamma TNT 17g. Here's the pics of how it looked when I bought it.

 

[Sanglier]

The 1979 "Black Ace" had the old Sheraton-inspired "K" logo on the grip collar and butt cap decal. This abstract sail-shaped logo was created at the end of 1980. The "patent pending" text refers to a Kunnan patent that was applied for in May 1980, and granted in October 1981; so your estimate of "1981" was right on the money.

 

[kevin qmto]

The 1979 "Black Ace" had the old Sheraton-inspired "K" logo on the grip collar and butt cap decal. This abstract sail-shaped logo was created at the end of 1980. The "patent pending" text refers to a Kunnan patent that was applied for in May 1980, and granted in October 1981; so your estimate of "1981" was right on the money.

I’m learning Sensei! Im learning!

But do you know the answer to any of the other questions posed? What on earth is the 98 in the name supposed to signify if not graphite percentage or headsize?

And have either of the Princes on the previous page ever appeared on your radar?

 

[Grafil Injection]

I’m learning Sensei! Im learning!

But do you know the answer to any of the other questions posed? What on earth is the 98 in the name supposed to signify if not graphite percentage or headsize?

And have either of the Princes on the previous page ever appeared on your radar?

Although the upside-down 86sqi theory could hold water from an era where globalisation was far lower, and typographical errors were less likely to be picked up, it kind of falls apart when you think about the various other numbers that are correctly written on 1000s of other rackets and Taiwanese products. Moreover, there are at least 4 different paintjobs with the 98 written, with the text changing slightly in each, and hardly any grammatical or punctuation mistakes. Does the size give us any clues? Although I think the upside-down theory can't be true, it would be nice to know the precise internal (graphite to graphite) dimensions?

 

[Sanglier]

But do you know the answer to any of the other questions posed? What on earth is the 98 in the name supposed to signify if not graphite percentage or headsize?

To my knowledge, no one has come across irrefutable evidence that these numbers meant anything tangible. A standard-sized companion model, made only in 1979 as the "Black Ace II", had "G 94" emblazoned on its side in the same light bulb matrix font. If there had been a logic behind the numbering system, it manifestly had nothing to do with headsize, whether right-side up or upside down.

Absent better theories, I lean towards the hypothesis that Kunnan simply wanted to make these racquets look more serious and cutting-edge by giving them vaguely technical but nonsensical numbers, possibly inspired by how some performance cars were named. The matrix font also wants you to think that some sort of computer was involved along the way.

 

[kevin qmto]

To my knowledge, no one has come across irrefutable evidence that these numbers meant anything tangible. A standard-sized companion model, made only in 1979 as the "Black Ace II", had "G 94" emblazoned on its side in the same light bulb matrix font. If there had been a logic behind the numbering system, it manifestly had nothing to do with headsize, whether right-side up or upside down.

Absent better theories, I lean towards the hypothesis that Kunnan simply wanted to make these racquets look more serious and cutting-edge by giving them vaguely technical but nonsensical numbers, possibly inspired by how some performance cars were named. The matrix font also wants you to think that some sort of computer was involved along the way.

This is why I love PK lol.

 

[Sanglier]

Another appealing (yet highly unlikely) possibility is that Kunnan chose the number for its auspicious connotations - in Chinese, as "9" is homophonic with "long lasting", and "8" with "prosperity", making "98" the numerical agnate of the Vulcan salute "live long and prosper", or perhaps more likely - "may this racquet sell for a long time and make me a ton of money".

This neat little construct falls apart however, when you take into account the "94" that came with the "Black Ace II", as "4" is a homophone of "death" - making it the one digit that Chinese-speakers go to great lengths to avoid using unless they have no other choice. If "98" is the Vulcan salute, then "94" would be equivalent to telling the condemned "may your death be slow (and presumably painful)".

On the other hand, the "Black Ace II" did die almost as soon as it was born...

 

[Casey 1988]

Another appealing (yet highly unlikely) possibility is that Kunnan chose the number for its auspicious connotations - in Chinese, as "9" is homophonic with "long lasting", and "8" with "prosperity", making "98" the numerical agnate of the Vulcan salute "live long and prosper", or perhaps more likely - "may this racquet sell for a long time and make me a ton of money".

This neat little construct falls apart however, when you take into account the "94" that came with the "Black Ace II", as "4" is a homophone of "death" - making it the one digit that Chinese-speakers go to great lengths to avoid using unless they have no other choice. If "98" is the Vulcan salute, then "94" would be equivalent to telling the condemned "may your death be slow (and presumably painful)".

On the other hand, the "Black Ace II" did die almost as soon as it was born...?

Now the Black Ace is its own lineup in Tennis from ProKennex, still surviving to this day but not really as anything like the longest lineup. The longest lineup of ProKennex Ace models was the Pro Ace and Power Ace made in early 1980's that survived into the 2000's becoming an adult/Jr Aluminum line for both with Power Ace staying around a few more years into 2004 in an early Titanium Jr model 23/25 inch versions with tapered widebody so wide the model beam width was 2.75 inches at the wide top 11 am to 1 pm area. The Power Ace Jr racquet needed this really wide beam becuse the model was made of a Stiff Titanium with a thicker almost standard beam design and only a shallow notch for the strings/grommets to fit in that less then what Aluminum racquet models used at the time and what only some Lite/light Aluminum models use today.

 

[kevin qmto]

Stopped by the local Salvation Army which contained mostly crapola, but among it was this piece of interesting crapola! Actually I don't know if it is either interesting or crapola, but it is different than the usual finds for sure. My first proper Austrian Kneissel, a Blue Star Twin, my other two being made in Singapore at Yamaha's factory, and speaking of Yamaha, this Blue Star Twin has that beveled edge along the frame similar to their frames despite this being a proper Austrian variant. What does the Twin label mean again? Bizarrely there appear to be three models in the Twin color range, Red, Blue and White. This thing looks like it might be about 80-82 sq in, and comes in at 384g strung so its a hefty one for sure. The silver synthetic gut looks near the end of its useful life, I give it 30 mins or less of rallying before it gives up the ghost, that is if I can muster the strength to wield it for that long.

I do wonder what the "PU Compound" this racket is supposedly made from is? I suppose PU doesn't have the same aromatic connotations in Austria as it does in the English speaking world...

 

[LeoFulgencio]

There is a 1979 Black Ace ad on the e. Bay. picture (395951728679).

I wonder if the brand KINDY had anything to do with Kunnan Lo.

+

2 rare "A" stenciled rackets from 1979:

Aldila Cannon (Tim Gullikson)

Ascot (Mark Cox)

+ Edit

Pro Kennex Black Ace history

 

[Grafil Injection]

Stopped by the local Salvation Army which contained mostly crapola, but among it was this piece of interesting crapola! Actually I don't know if it is either interesting or crapola, but it is different than the usual finds for sure. My first proper Austrian Kneissel, a Blue Star Twin, my other two being made in Singapore at Yamaha's factory, and speaking of Yamaha, this Blue Star Twin has that beveled edge along the frame similar to their frames despite this being a proper Austrian variant. What does the Twin label mean again? Bizarrely there appear to be three models in the Twin color range, Red, Blue and White. This thing looks like it might be about 80-82 sq in, and comes in at 384g strung so its a hefty one for sure. The silver synthetic gut looks near the end of its useful life, I give it 30 mins or less of rallying before it gives up the ghost, that is if I can muster the strength to wield it for that long.

I do wonder what the "PU Compound" this racket is supposedly made from is? I suppose PU doesn't have the same aromatic connotations in Austria as it does in the English speaking world...

Adverts show the Blue Stars at the bottom of the main Kneissl Austria range, excepting weird models like the Magic. We know that most rackets with foam handles and foam cores used Poly-Urethane at the time (and still today), and polyurethane is available in various densities including boards. So assuming it doesn't say Graphite or any other substance somewhere else on the frame, I would guess that Blue Star is either fibreglass with a PU foam core, or aluminium with a PU wrapping.

 

[Grafil Injection]

There is a 1979 Black Ace ad on the e. Bay. picture (395951728679).

I wonder if the brand KINDY had anything to do with Kunnan Lo.

+

2 rare "A" stenciled rackets from 1979:

Aldila Cannon (Tim Gullikson)

Ascot (Mark Cox)

+ Edit

Pro Kennex Black Ace history Italian

Those Ascot 2070s look pretty solid to me. Thick beam and profile. I wonder what they hit like.

 

[retrowagen]

Stopped by the local Salvation Army which contained mostly crapola, but among it was this piece of interesting crapola! Actually I don't know if it is either interesting or crapola, but it is different than the usual finds for sure. My first proper Austrian Kneissel, a Blue Star Twin, my other two being made in Singapore at Yamaha's factory, and speaking of Yamaha, this Blue Star Twin has that beveled edge along the frame similar to their frames despite this being a proper Austrian variant. What does the Twin label mean again? Bizarrely there appear to be three models in the Twin color range, Red, Blue and White. This thing looks like it might be about 80-82 sq in, and comes in at 384g strung so its a hefty one for sure. The silver synthetic gut looks near the end of its useful life, I give it 30 mins or less of rallying before it gives up the ghost, that is if I can muster the strength to wield it for that long.

I do wonder what the "PU Compound" this racket is supposedly made from is? I suppose PU doesn't have the same aromatic connotations in Austria as it does in the English speaking world...

Kneissl’s “Twins” were all +20% head size and featured longer, two-handed leather grips. There’s two twos in the design brief to explain the nomenclature…
… and “PU” means polyurethane.

 

[kevin qmto]

Black Ace, a legend from 1979 to the present day - ProKennex Racchette e Accessori

Mauro Monesi, CEO of ProKennex Europe, tell us about the origins of the Black Ace project that revolutionized the world of tennis and today still lives thanks the launch of the new series on the market.

www.prokennex.eu

Good write up, thanks for sharing this Leo. Always neat to hear old company reps talk about this time in tennis. Though even a budding historian like myself read a couple of the dates listed here and thought. “That can’t be right…”. Especially the line about the black Ace being the first 100% graphite racket. Didn’t the trabert c6 predate the black Ace by at least 3 whole years lol? I don’t think the Kinetic system came out in ‘94 either. Umm, perhaps they envisioned it then?

Like my other hobby, paintball, sometimes even the people who work at the actual companies forget the timeline of their own brand. Famously, the large paintbal brand Empire, had this big anniversary series of clothes and bunker sets, saying “Empire Paintball - est. 2003” When the brand was actually established in 2002 and there’s plenty of old magazines and photos proving that lol.

 

[Sanglier]

I wonder if the brand KINDY had anything to do with Kunnan Lo.

Kindy is a French brand, nothing to do with Kunnan. Interestingly, the brand was created in 1966 as a contraction for “Kennedy” (whereas Kunnan didn’t even bother with that, and just used the name straight). Apparently JFK had lots of fans around the world.

 

[Grafil Injection]

Black Ace, a legend from 1979 to the present day - ProKennex Racchette e Accessori

Mauro Monesi, CEO of ProKennex Europe, tell us about the origins of the Black Ace project that revolutionized the world of tennis and today still lives thanks the launch of the new series on the market.

www.prokennex.eu

Good write up, thanks for sharing this Leo. Always neat to hear old company reps talk about this time in tennis. Though even a budding historian like myself read a couple of the dates listed here and thought. “That can’t be right…”. Especially the line about the black Ace being the first 100% graphite racket. Didn’t the trabert c6 predate the black Ace by at least 3 whole years lol? I don’t think the Kinetic system came out in ‘94 either. Umm, perhaps they envisioned it then?

Like my other hobby, paintball, sometimes even the people who work at the actual companies forget the timeline of their own brand. Famously, the large paintbal brand Empire, had this big anniversary series of clothes and bunker sets, saying “Empire Paintball - est. 2003” When the brand was actually established in 2002 and there’s plenty of old magazines and photos proving that lol.

Not to mention the first POGs were 1977-78 I believe. What's interesting is the Black Max was also launched in 1979, and that was also made by Kunnan Lo, and it had the, ultimately more successful, closed neck design. The Black Max also describes the use of 'long continuous fibre graphite' in its layup, albeit not 100%, and both are foam filled, so I do suspect Dunlop and KL worked together on BA and BM. Dunlop/Slazenger already having Standard size 100% graphite sticks in the market in 1977, and Dunlop mentioning the laborious processes involved in compression moulding that they wanted to avoid when setting up the IMF research centre in 1978.

No mention of the origin of the '98' label either. I wonder if that was a top grade of the Dupont Graphite they mention.

 

[kevin qmto]

Woah never knew this. So apparently at some time in 2006 (Two thousand and friggin six!!!), Wilson just straight up remade the original Profile 2.7? At first when looking at the listing I thought the seller just put a random Wilson paper sheet thing on this NOS frame. But look at the sticker on the grip, and the text on there too, it all seems legit, even has the flex comparison pictures on the throat. I wouldn’t be surprised if it still said designed by Siegfried Kuebler of West Germany lol. Was there really such a demand or nostalgia that they felt the need to make a 1:1 remake of the Profile? I guess so?

You know what to change the stars to…

https://www.e***.com/itm/226477896943?_skw=wilson+profile+tennis&itmmeta=01JE9S960S1YV1G39PJSAKN1B3&hash=item34bb2274ef:g:TOAAAOSwEYtnThuM&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKlr3%2BqqkYi53XJKIYsBIReDvdIqtOMaBFsC0Xi54nyXUMUkgHOs9DqMRGmxHxHKChSFuxty3TAZipn%2Bhymq5bQp0ga3g%2B%2BfBoxj0CKsuc3KnHjPojkuFaATB2gWZUVFCTwf4oyAWp0okf0Hc%2BKhA4DGu7nUv0ntitXDvbDvs%2FLbew5%2FlfeSjbZwBwURlSifEAWE5VYCJNcMthqbFA%2BRHkuT3o4AG%2FPhCBSptggi5whgjc3mkVpBiH8UAPPCTo%2B0WG82d6wdiMVVzsKRAVnKC8Xc%2BQP8b9Ya5YAleq8wr9HC6w%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR7zgpLnyZA

 

[Sanglier]

Pro Kennex Black Ace history

Mr Monesi tells a nice tale, but even a cursory look at the publications from that period shows that his memory is a bit faulty when it comes to the birth of Gen I “Black Ace”. This is why even first hand recollection cannot be fully relied upon without supportive evidence, especially on topics that are decades old.

Kunnan Lo was a visionary businessman with enormous ambition and zero fear, but he had no engineering background. He most certainly didn’t come up with the idea of an all plastic graphite racquet, because he learned about it while attending a trade show in the US, where he was able to sample Gen I graphite models offered by Aldila, Dura-Fiber, and Fansteel (which OEMed for Tony Trabert and Slazenger). He already had a presence in the US and enjoyed excellent industry contacts in the San Diego area, which helped him with marketing and provided him with a source of very high quality resin; which were instrumental in his early success.

The “Black Ace” is arguably the first properly midsized all graphite racquet of its kind, and definitely the first to come out of Taiwan. It was an entirely in-house effort, with no involvement from Dunlop or anyone else.

 

[Grafil Injection]

Woah never knew this. So apparently at some time in 2006 (Two thousand and friggin six!!!), Wilson just straight up remade the original Profile 2.7? At first when looking at the listing I thought the seller just put a random Wilson paper sheet thing on this NOS frame. But look at the sticker on the grip, and the text on there too, it all seems legit, even has the flex comparison pictures on the throat. I wouldn’t be surprised if it still said designed by Siegfried Kuebler of West Germany lol. Was there really such a demand or nostalgia that they felt the need to make a 1:1 remake of the Profile? I guess so?

You know what to change the stars to…

https://www.e***.com/itm/226477896943?_skw=wilson+profile+tennis&itmmeta=01JE9S960S1YV1G39PJSAKN1B3&hash=item34bb2274ef:g:TOAAAOSwEYtnThuM&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKlr3%2BqqkYi53XJKIYsBIReDvdIqtOMaBFsC0Xi54nyXUMUkgHOs9DqMRGmxHxHKChSFuxty3TAZipn%2Bhymq5bQp0ga3g%2B%2BfBoxj0CKsuc3KnHjPojkuFaATB2gWZUVFCTwf4oyAWp0okf0Hc%2BKhA4DGu7nUv0ntitXDvbDvs%2FLbew5%2FlfeSjbZwBwURlSifEAWE5VYCJNcMthqbFA%2BRHkuT3o4AG%2FPhCBSptggi5whgjc3mkVpBiH8UAPPCTo%2B0WG82d6wdiMVVzsKRAVnKC8Xc%2BQP8b9Ya5YAleq8wr9HC6w%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR7zgpLnyZA

Looks like a 1990 ish model (when they added the 2.7 label) has just been regripped to me, by someone with 2006 placards and wrapping plastic.

 

[kevin qmto]

Looks like a 1990 ish model (when they added the 2.7 label) has just been regripped to me, by someone with 2006 placards and wrapping plastic.

I mean, that’s what I thought, but the plastic over the grip, complete with the #1 in tennis slogan plastic shrink wrap, sure there’s a small tear, but look at the buttcap picture, it hasn’t been cut and reapplied, and with a barcode sticker. It has the 2000’s era black buttcap with a China sticker, it just seems like waaay too far to go to make it seem newer than 1990. and there are subtle differences between an original example and this one. Namely the tension text, which is in a different font and format than the old profile, and is in line with other 00’s Wilson’s, which is where the kuebler disclaimer would have originally gone.

I honestly think they really made a run of these in the 2000’s. Like they do with the pro staff 85 every few years, maybe someone at Wilson thought there was some demand for these.

 

[Grafil Injection]

I mean, that’s what I thought, but the plastic over the grip, complete with the #1 in tennis slogan plastic wrap, 2000s era black buttcap with a China sticker seem like waaay too far to go to make it seem newer than 1990. and there are subtle differences between an original example and this one. Namely the tension text, which is in a different format than the old profile, and is in line with other 00’s Wilson’s, which is where the kuebler disclaimer would have originally gone.

I honestly think they really made a run of these in the 2000’s. Like they do with the pro staff 85 every few years, maybe someone at Wilson thought there was some demand for these.

I'm not sure specifically, but changing the butt cap and re wrapping is standard practice for fake NOS. Just like when you buy a good fake Rolex, it comes with a genuine Rolex cloth cleaner. Both are easily available in China, and plenty of people pay silly money for what they think is NOS.

 

[kevin qmto]

I'm not sure specifically, but changing the butt cap and re wrapping is standard practice for fake NOS. Just like when you buy a good fake Rolex, it comes with a genuine Rolex cloth cleaner. Both are easily available in China, and plenty of people pay silly money for what they think is NOS.

Yeah but like I said, they’d also have to repaint the entire racket, and then change the lettering, which lines up with other rackets from 06ish. It’s totally different from the original Profile.

You really think that’s more likely than Wilson doing another run of these?

 

[Grafil Injection]

Yeah but like I said, they’d also have to repaint the entire racket, and then change the lettering, which lines up with other rackets from 06ish. It’s totally different from the original Profile.

You really think that’s more likely than Wilson doing another run of these?

The lettering is the same as a 1990 model, because it is a 1990 model. Nowhere is it claimed to be 2006. It was probably lightly used and so to sell as nos a new butt cap, placard and wrapper has been added. Note that the placard is clearly too small for a 110 frame and doesn't mention profile. People will be more like to think it is 1990 nos because it has the wrapper, and won't spot that it has been applied later.

 

[kevin qmto]

The lettering is the same as a 1990 model, because it is a 1990 model. Nowhere is it claimed to be 2006. It was probably lightly used and so to sell as nos a new butt cap, placard and wrapper has been added. Note that the placard is clearly too small for a 110 frame and doesn't mention profile. People will be more like to think it is 1990 nos because it has the wrapper, and won't spot that it has been applied later.

Alright I’m not saying you’re wrong. But all I’m saying is I’m looking at every example I can find of a 110 Profile, with the 2.7si labeling that apparently was added in 1990. And I can’t find any (so far) that have a text format identical to the one in the above auction site listing. They all have white buttcaps with Taiwan stickers. Yes I haven’t forgotten you saying that is apparently standard practice for fakers switching them out. But this is also Tennis Haven, a collector that usually is knowledgeable enough to mention when items are clones or refurbished.

As for the placard, I do think it is a bit odd. In fact, I’ve never seen any Wilson placard that doesn’t mention what model it’s for specifically, even super cheap models. I don’t know if that’s more evidence for or against it being a small run remake or not. I could see them being too lazy to make a new one and just slapping a generic one on there.

 

[Grafil Injection]

Alright I’m not saying you’re wrong. But all I’m saying is I’m looking at every example I can find of a 110 Profile, with the 2.7si labeling that apparently was added in 1990. And I can’t find any (so far) that have a text format identical to the one in the above auction site listing. They all have white buttcaps with Taiwan stickers. Yes I haven’t forgotten you saying that is apparently standard practice for fakers switching them out. But this is also Tennis Haven, a collector that usually is knowledgeable enough to mention when items are clones or refurbished.

As for the placard, I do think it is a bit odd. In fact, I’ve never seen any Wilson placard that doesn’t mention what model it’s for specifically, even super cheap models. I don’t know if that’s more evidence for or against it being a small run remake or not. I could see them being too lazy to make a new one and just slapping a generic one on there.

If Wilson did a 2006 rerun, I'm sure Haven would mention it. As it is I think it is a vgc 1990 or nos 1990, which the grip and butt cap were a bit damaged so have been replaced. It's not fakery, it's just a 1990 nos in less than perfect condition.

Whether Haven made the changes or that's how he got it we can't tell, but I can buy today 50 brand new aluminium Wilsons for £50 with generic placards, butt caps and grips plastic, which I could easily transplant if I wanted to.

The fonts on the frame are the same as my 1988 version except that doesn't have the 2.7.

 

[kevin qmto]

If Wilson did a 2006 rerun, I'm sure Haven would mention it. As it is I think it is a vgc 1990 or nos 1990, which the grip and butt cap were a bit damaged so have been replaced. It's not fakery, it's just a 1990 nos in less than perfect condition.

Whether Haven made the changes or that's how he got it we can't tell, but I can buy today 50 brand new aluminium Wilsons for £50 with generic placards, butt caps and grips plastic, which I could easily transplant if I wanted to.

The fonts on the frame are the same as my 1988 version except that doesn't have the 2.7.

Good points, but the only text I’m referring to is on the inner throat with the tension range and string/grip recommendions, and the lack of any mention of Seigfried Kuebler anywhere on the frame.


Unrelated: Played a league match with the Black Ace... Had to play a different game than I'm used to. Crazy scoreline but I clutched the hell out of match point.

 

[Grafil Injection]

Good points, but the only text I’m referring to is on the inner throat with the tension range and string/grip recommendions, and the lack of any mention of Seigfried Kuebler anywhere on the frame.


Unrelated: Played a league match with the Black Ace... Had to play a different game than I'm used to. Crazy scoreline but I clutched the hell out of match point.

Nice match.

I'm definitely no Profile expert but you do see it on sale through to the mid-90s alongside more modern variants like the Hammer, which had that style of tension wording; and the patent numbers are still there, so it's probably just one of the last ones, with a 2000s placard added for some reason.

Production went StV (1987)- Taiwan {1988) - China like the ps85, but by the time it got to China (1991-2?) it had already been supplanted by the less stiff 3.6 and the lighter Hammer, so wasn't selling greatly thereafter.

 

[kevin qmto]

Backlog continues. Savers found me walking out with this rather attractive but not really my specs ex-demo Prince. I like that they're doing combos of both old and new tech like the DB and the O3 ports, and 14x16 string patterns are always fun too. I’ve never see a graphite racket that recommends only 15 gauge string(!), something the original owner has decided to ignore because it’s currently got Gamma Livewire 16g in it. This Premier ESP is only a few years old too, in fact they still make it with a slightly altered paint job. Might actually be possible to sell it for double digit money!

 

[kevin qmto]

Nextly, which isn't a word but I'm rolling with it anyways - is a frame that I nearly spent $45 by ordering it off the bay, but held off for about a year to find it for $3.50. To 99.9% of people this is a frame to overlook, but I really wanted this, the last and technically most advanced racket ever sold by Rawlings, the good as gold, Big R70, dated from around 1980 or shortly after. Despite having Big in its name its maybe 85-90sq in. It's their only midsize offering to my knowledge and I had to have one since Rawlings is my hometown brand of course. I'll have to go to the RacketMan store to use their original Rawlings stencil on this thing to make it truly proper. Will update photos once its restored to it's full glory.

 

[Grafil Injection]

That Rawlings looks rather close to the PK Top Flex, regarding shape, size, bridge, grommet strip.

Just after @LeoFulgencio piqued my latent interest in the Ascot 2070, up popped a nice condition one. As suspected it comes in a healthy 412g strung for M4. Fortunately it's 31.5cm balance, very HL for a wood. The layup looks to be a simple ash and maple mix, but as well as the fibre neck overlay running under the wood reinforced shoulders, the top lamination around the hoop appears to be fibre too. Dead straight is the result after 45 years. Nice handling with a rolled neck all the way down to the handle. The feel is very solid and consistent, with a large sweet-spot and any flutter off-centre being very well controlled. An interesting combination of rather tasteful colours, and the 1970s computer font. Tempted to add an 'A' stencil next time I visit my stringer.

 

[kevin qmto]

I love that computer font lol

 

[Grafil Injection]

I love that computer font lol

'Data 70' font I believe, designed by Bob Newman in 1970. I'm sure I've seen it in a sci-fi movie. Rather classily, the tiny appendages on each letter and number of '2070 model' are in gold paint, like the whole of the 'Number 5'.

 

[kevin qmto]

First hits with the Kneissl Blue Star Twin. For a heavy beast it felt pretty good. Low launch angle and very flat, I really had to whip it if I wanted anything resembling modern spin. I started trying that around 2:21. The strings didn't break! Held out longer than I figured! Here's me slappin around playing one on two against some oldsters on a cold December day, hence the pants.

 

[kevin qmto]

Tried playing for the first time with a 2015 Pure Strike that I bought about a year ago and never used it before tonight and just wasn’t having it. Maybe it’s the strings, which were Babolat pro hurricane full bed at what felt like mid 50s tension, who knows how long they’ve been in there, could be over 5 years. Boardy, stiff, high launch angle and lacked pocketing.

Switched to what’s quickly becoming my favorite box beam pro kennex, the little racket that could, the Copper Ace. Immediately, I played better and started actually winning some points against the two college kids who sometimes invite me to hit with them. (These are the same guys that when I previously showed them this frame, they guessed it had to be “over 10 years old”, which I suppose is technically true) Funny how I blame the strings of the Pure Strike when the strings in this Copper Ace are also Babolat (Fine Play 16) and are probably 3 times as old as the pro hurricane or even longer. But it’s old synthetic gut, and old strings like that can play just about as good as they ever did. Not so for poly.

 

[Grafil Injection]

First hits with the Kneissl Blue Star Twin. For a heavy beast it felt pretty good. Low launch angle and very flat, I really had to whip it if I wanted anything resembling modern spin. I started trying that around 2:21. The strings didn't break! Held out longer than I figured! Here's me slappin around playing one on two against some oldsters on a cold December day, hence the pants.

Did you establish what the 'layup' is? Is it aluminium wrapped in PU?

 

[kevin qmto]

Did you establish what the 'layup' is? Is it aluminium wrapped in PU?

one of the deeper scratches on the head does seem to imply it’s an aluminum core with a PU mold encasing/reinforcing it. I’d love to read a design doc stating what the idea behind such a layup is. Searching for a better playing metal based frame? Perhaps this is one of the earliest examples of a fusion frame?

 

[Grafil Injection]

one of the deeper scratches on the head does seem to imply it’s an aluminum core with a PU mold encasing/reinforcing it. I’d love to read a design doc stating what the idea behind such a layup is. Searching for a better playing metal based frame? Perhaps this is one of the earliest examples of a fusion frame?

Certainly looks like an aluminium core from the beam profile. I would guess that Kneissl were trying to distinguish it from basic models. A premium aluminium, which is also easier to add colours too.

 

[kevin qmto]

Certainly looks like an aluminium core from the beam profile. I would guess that Kneissl were trying to distinguish it from basic models. A premium aluminium, which is also easier to add colours too.

Yes the unconnected throat with nylon bridge is usually a give away, but this was made during the time when other brands sold entry level graphite frames that also had split throats with disconnected throat bridges. Prince with the Precision line, Pro Kennex with the Bronze Ace, Spalding made one too I recall. Wilson had the Galaxy. I’m sure there were others.

 

[Grafil Injection]

Yes the unconnected throat with nylon bridge is usually a give away, but this was made during the time when other brands sold entry level graphite frames that also had split throats with disconnected throat bridges. Prince with the Precision line, Pro Kennex with the Bronze Ace, Spalding made one too I recall. Wilson had the Galaxy. I’m sure there were others.

Yeah, it could be but it also looks like the beam is in I-beam style at least on the outside (and possibly under the PU on the inside), which is characteristic of extruded aluminium, where the metal is heated and forced through a die producing that indented profile. Most graphite split shafts like the Bronze Ace and Precision Graphite are round-sided, being compression moulded in the normal way.

Some aluminiums like Prince Pro and Slazenger Panther have rounded profiles because they are drawn aluminium. The metal being not heated, but rather rolled through a process taking the diameter down to the required shape.

 

[kevin qmto]

In trying to search the web for info on my Kneissl Blue Star Twin, (mostly in vain) I did notice there’s multiple versions of the colored star models that don’t appear to share much in common. Like there’s the Blue Star Mid that is a mono shaft graphite similar to a Fischer in appearance. There’s multiple types of Red Star, and many frames that start with White Star. Wonder why they did this?

 

[10sbeast888]

catch of the day - Dunlop Black Max II

 

[Grafil Injection]

In trying to search the web for info on my Kneissl Blue Star Twin, (mostly in vain) I did notice there’s multiple versions of the colored star models that don’t appear to share much in common. Like there’s the Blue Star Mid that is a mono shaft graphite similar to a Fischer in appearance. There’s multiple types of Red Star, and many frames that start with White Star. Wonder why they did this?

Don't think they were super strict, but generally I think it followed the composition. Blue Stars usually graphite composite, the Red Stars add some boron and the White Stars add some Kevlar. You can get the current Blue Star (110sqi, 290g) on the UK Kneissl site.

 

[kevin qmto]

Disastrous news (for me): I stopped by one of the tennis pro shops on the way home after work to borrow their original Rawlings stencil for my R70 (they use it frequently to stencil an ‘R’ on all their demos standing for RacketMan). And they informed me one of the employees pushed a little too hard on it and broke it. Snapping the inner peg off the R and they threw it out. I tried to conceal my anger as best I could and resist blurting out if they knew how rare those damn things must be by now, it was at least 45 years old, and maybe older. And cursed myself for not just taking it when they offered me a bunch of their other seldom used old brand stencils.

 

[Bambooman]

There's a Pro Kennex Golden Ace sitting at my thrift shop. Minty. did I mess up by leaving it?

 

[Grafil Injection]

There's a Pro Kennex Golden Ace sitting at my thrift shop. Minty. did I mess up by leaving it?

If it's like the similar Dunlop models made by Kunnan Lo: A-Player, Galaxy, Mach V etc, then yes. Run back and get it!

 

[kevin qmto]

There's a Pro Kennex Golden Ace sitting at my thrift shop. Minty. did I mess up by leaving it?

You know the answer is yes.

 

[Bambooman]

You know the answer is yes.

It's a beautiful frame but will it play well? It sort of felt like it would.

 

[kevin qmto]

It's a beautiful frame but will it play well? It sort of felt like it would.

Hell yeah it does.

 

[kevin qmto]

I've been starting this thing on an upper shelf of my PIAS for literally 2 years. I snapped a pic of it back in 2022 and still had it on my phone, but they dropped it into the 2.99 bin so at that point they might as well just drop it off at my house. I'm actually surprised it remained in basically 10/10 condition for 2 years considering how rough a lot of customers are as they rummage through the used junk on the same shelves. So anyways, here we have the Spalding Pro Flite Plus. Not sure what the plus means as its a 90sq in head. Maybe that was plus back then in 198?. The beam profile and head guard shape are extremely similar to the Taiwanese made Yamaha Graphite Composite 90 I have (and love). I'm assuming they're from the same maker.

I was, and still am perplexed at the makeup of this frame. It doesn't feel metal, but there's text in unattributed quotes (Spalding LOVED their unattributed quotes in this era!) that says "Graphite Reinforced Throat". But that bridge is clearly nylon/plastic. And usually when it comes to fusion frames, you see a somewhat noticeable joining section at the hoop, but here its smooth as glass. My only speculation is perhaps its mostly fiberglass with some graphite in the layup? Mostly around the throat region? Like many other lower end 80's graphites, the beams connect below the grip collar.

But anyways, nice leather grip with wonderful bevels, great vibrant color, and should be a fine hit.