Converting 'Pro Staff 97' to 'RF97'

[Rob the Bard]

Hey, I bought a Wilson Pro Staff 97, but I also really wanted to buy the RF97, but figured I could just mod the 97 with led tape to make it identical to the RF97 if I needed to. From what I know the only difference between the two is weight and weight distribution, since I cant get my hands on a RF97 I was wandering if anyone knows the exact weight distribution of the RF97, and where and how much lead tape I should put on my Pro Staff 97.

Thanks.

 

[pfrischmann]

I'm sorry to tell you but you will not get it to be the same. The RF-97 is a stiffer racquet and I feel the grips are different.

 

[moon shot]

So you can't change the flex of a racquet, if you were able to lead it up to the same swingweight, twistweight, static weight, and balance then RFapples to PSapples you would have less power. Likely the difference would be most noticeable in the upper hoop.

This setup would get you in the ballpark spec wise but they will play differently. To do this right you'd first need to measure the all the specs of your frame since each one made is different. Swingweight and twistweight are the most important differences but also the hardest to measure.

To give you an idea of manufacturing variance the TW average frame has a swingweight of 320 and a static weight of 11.6oz, while the frame TWU measured had a swingweight of 312 and a static weight of 11oz.

http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/customizationReverse.php

 

[pitsquared]

I added lead to 12 o'clock as well as 9 and 3 o'clock on a ps97 and also counterbalanced by adding weight to the handle and it was very similar to an rf97 regarding power and stability even though the overall feel of it was different. I forgot how much I added but it weighed around 350 g strung and about 9 pts headlight and played very nice.

 

[TennisHound]

Well you can add a leather grip to start with, and then get it to about 12.4 to 12.6 oz, and about 8-10pts HL.

You can get some lead tape and measure out some strips to put around the handle to get it to 12oz. Then add the weight at 10&2 (or you could slide the strips underneath the head guard, without taking off the backing) of the head to get it to 12.5 or 12.6oz (and close to 8-10pts HL). This will give you an idea of what the RF hits like. Nothing takes the place of graphite, but you can at least see what it's like swinging a racquet that heavy.