Customizing Weight on a Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph

[USPTARF97]

The problem with removing weight is that it's usually in the grip, so the balance goes awry. Part of the great appeal of the RF97 is the heft that comes in a headlight package. If you are having difficulty handling the heft for more than a set, then the racquet is just too heavy for you

You are right, have to give up something to remove weight. Have a friend that plays with the RF97 and the only thing he has done weight wise is add 3-5 grams of lead tape at 12. Hit with the racquet and it hit well. Made me think that if I took the weight off of the grip that the balance wouldn’t be too dissimilar from his set up and would still be head light. Worked out great, the racquet became easier to serve with and felt quicker with the hands at the net. Agree that if you are tired with the racquet after a set this would be the wrong frame for someone if in fact the racquet is what is causing them to be tired.

 

[KaiserW]

The problem with removing weight is that it's usually in the grip, so the balance goes awry. Part of the great appeal of the RF97 is the heft that comes in a headlight package. If you are having difficulty handling the heft for more than a set, then the racquet is just too heavy for you

I have been fighting switching for about 6 months. After about 1.5 sets I start to notice the weight of the RF97 especially on serve. Have been demoing racquets since last week, I think I am ready to commit to go lighter. Will demo again this week and then try to make a decision.

I think I will keep my RF's though for doubles. Stamina is not nearly as much an issue as it is with singles.

 

[letstakeourshirtsoff]

I have 3 of these rackets - and contrary to what everyone says, they are exactly the same with very tight tolerances. WI have switched the grips to Babolat Skin Feel + Tourna Tac overgrip (i am half way between and 3/8 and 1/2 - so i buy 1/2 and use Skin Feel. I have the rackets strung with Cream, and 2 with Gut/Poly. All three come to 12.5oz strung. I typically play with a Donnay Pro One weighted to 12.2 so i am trying to get to that same weight with this racket if it is possible. My Pro One balance point is about the same 32.5

I will try an 18 gauge string. That might get me to 12.4 or 12.3.

The balance point on all three is 32 - so about where i want it.

bad quality control doesn't mean it's imossible to buy racquets within decent tolerances. it just makes it less frequent. glad you found yourself 3 decent sticks.
I'm still trying to find a K90 that is a bit underspec and well polarized to match my matched pair.

 

[letstakeourshirtsoff]

I have been fighting switching for about 6 months. After about 1.5 sets I start to notice the weight of the RF97 especially on serve. Have been demoing racquets since last week, I think I am ready to commit to go lighter. Will demo again this week and then try to make a decision.

I think I will keep my RF's though for doubles. Stamina is not nearly as much an issue as it is with singles.

pumping iron is the best idea to make a heavy racquet feel not too heavy.

 

[KaiserW]

pumping iron is the best idea to make a heavy racquet feel not too heavy.

I am just not discipled enough to do that though.

 

[letstakeourshirtsoff]

I am just not discipled enough to do that though.

just reread your OP. at 55, it might be best to look for another racquet for health reasons imo. no need of putting in endless hours of working out if you just want to enjoy the beautiful game of tennis for another decade or two.

there are some people on here who were quite successful in customizing a yonex dr98 to the point it was a serious alternative to the RF97, you might want to give that one a try.

 

[KaiserW]

just reread your OP. at 55, it might be best to look for another racquet for health reasons imo. no need of putting in endless hours of working out if you just want to enjoy the beautiful game of tennis for another decade or two.

there are some people on here who were quite successful in customizing a yonex dr98 to the point it was a serious alternative to the RF97, you might want to give that one a try.

Not the OP but funny you mention the Yonex DR98. I demoed it last week and really liked it. Have a Pure Drive Tour demo I am going to try tomorrow.

Think it will be one of these two or my 6.1 95S.

 

[USPTARF97]

I have 3 of these rackets - and contrary to what everyone says, they are exactly the same with very tight tolerances. WI have switched the grips to Babolat Skin Feel + Tourna Tac overgrip (i am half way between and 3/8 and 1/2 - so i buy 1/2 and use Skin Feel. I have the rackets strung with Cream, and 2 with Gut/Poly. All three come to 12.5oz strung. I typically play with a Donnay Pro One weighted to 12.2 so i am trying to get to that same weight with this racket if it is possible. My Pro One balance point is about the same 32.5

I will try an 18 gauge string. That might get me to 12.4 or 12.3.

The balance point on all three is 32 - so about where i want it.

I must have gotten really lucky as well because my frames weigh basically the same. They are all right at 12.4 after replacing the leather grips with synthetic and setting them up the same. The frames all came directly from Wilson and weren’t purchased from retailers. May have something to do with it.

 

[letstakeourshirtsoff]

I must have gotten really luck as well because my frames weigh basically the same. They are all right at 12.4 after replacing the leather grips with synthetic and setting them up the same.

replacing leather grips with synthetic? the nut low.

 

[IowaGuy]

replacing leather grips with synthetic? the nut low.

But a great way to shed 10-15g of weight on this racket! And, if the headlight balance is too extreme, also a great way to re-balance without adding weight to the head...

My experience is also that replacing the leather with synthetic transmits less shock in this racket, YMMV...

 

[letstakeourshirtsoff]

But a great way to shed 10-15g of weight on this racket! And, if the headlight balance is too extreme, also a great way to re-balance without adding weight to the head...

yeah sure. I just don't like head heavy racquets to begin with; also, I'd rather install one of the super thin super lightweight kimony leather grips than putting some synthetic garbage on my beloved frames

 

[leejayh]

Strung one of my rackets with 18 guage V-Star, and it is now 11.45oz. Clearly did not make that much of a difference. So, I guess there really is no way to make this lighter.

When it comes to playing 2+ hours, my Donnay Pro One's are more workable at 12.2 oz.

 

[IowaGuy]

Strung one of my rackets with 18 guage V-Star, and it is now 11.45oz. Clearly did not make that much of a difference. So, I guess there really is no way to make this lighter.

When it comes to playing 2+ hours, my Donnay Pro One's are more workable at 12.2 oz.

How much more weight are you trying to shave off?

I have a friend who only uses a partial grip to cut some weight on his RF97A (i.e. like Gasquet's short overgrip), may or may not work depending on 1HBH vs. 2HBH.

You could also go Sampras-style and remove the bumper guard (trim off everything except the grommets), depending how much you tend to scrape your racket on low balls. Could use short section of bumper tape instead (or tape your most prone spots for scraping) and might save some static weight and quite a bit of swingweight.

I have a RF97A that weighs 350g strung with 17 gauge string, with no bumper guard modifications. I have modded my other 2 to 365g with lead at 10&2 and more overgrip.

 

[Shroud]

Strung one of my rackets with 18 guage V-Star, and it is now 11.45oz. Clearly did not make that much of a difference. So, I guess there really is no way to make this lighter.

When it comes to playing 2+ hours, my Donnay Pro One's are more workable at 12.2 oz.

Kevlar is one of the lightest strings so 18g/18g poly would be the lightest you could go from a string standpoint.

And do try adding 20-30g at 7" up on the handle. Use some blue tack or something else that is removable. I know its very counter intuitive to add weight, but even at 11.45 oz its harder to swing than your 12.2oz racquets. So its way more complicated than just shear static weight. WHERE the weight is matters alot. So dont dismiss adding weight at the top of the handle without actually trying.

 

[USPTARF97]

Strung one of my rackets with 18 guage V-Star, and it is now 11.45oz. Clearly did not make that much of a difference. So, I guess there really is no way to make this lighter.

When it comes to playing 2+ hours, my Donnay Pro One's are more workable at 12.2 oz.

Did you mean 12.45? Not sure it’s possible to get to 11.45 with an RF97.

 

[leejayh]

Did you mean 12.45? Not sure it’s possible to get to 11.45 with an RF97.

Yes - sorry - meant 12.45. I am trying to get it to 12.25 or 12.3, but really through removing weight from the middle area (strings) or head.
I have already switched out the grip to a synthetic to drop some weight.
Strings at 18 gauge
Removed all head protection tape and moved to rubber band

Still only 12.45

So, I might try and drill out some of the head bumper guard.
Not sure what else I can do. I might be done.

 

[USPTARF97]

Yes - sorry - meant 12.45. I am trying to get it to 12.25 or 12.3, but really through removing weight from the middle area (strings) or head.
I have already switched out the grip to a synthetic to drop some weight.
Strings at 18 gauge
Removed all head protection tape and moved to rubber band

Still only 12.45

So, I might try and drill out some of the head bumper guard.
Not sure what else I can do. I might be done.

Done some of the same things to mine and they are all in the 12.4-12.45 range.

 

[leejayh]

So, I guess the next question is, "is the Pro Staff 97 an RD without the weight?"

Should I try that racket?

 

[Tony Gareth]

Thank you for your reply, but my question was not about comfort but manueverabilty. I'm good with my strings.. thanks again!

You are already using a heavy racket so why make it heavier if you want maneuverability? I use the RF as well and put just a little lead tape at 11 o’clock but that’s it. Sometimes I feel like I need more lead on the head for control but that’s all I’ve done thus far. RF is one of the heaviest rackets and it’s already head light

 

[Mirdad]

Took the leather grips off of my RF97’s and replaced with light weight synthetic. Overwrap, dampener and they weigh 12.4 strung. More maneuverable on serve and volleys. Did the same thing to all of my RF97’s. Easy adjustment.
Playing Wilson Syn Gut Power 1.30/Wilson Revolve 1.25. Get the standard 3-4 hours of play out of it just like any string I have put in the racquet.

What light weight synthetic grip did you use? I'm in the midst of figuring out how I can get the overall weight down to about your specs, however, I still want to have it about a 8 to 8.5 h/l balance. I use Wilson NXT Power at 17 ga so the strings are fairly light weight. I'm thinking of asking TW if they can find a racquet in stock that is 1/2 to 1 pt more h/l than published specs so that would help offset going with a lighter grip.

 

[USPTARF97]

What light weight synthetic grip did you use? I'm in the midst of figuring out how I can get the overall weight down to about your specs, however, I still want to have it about a 8 to 8.5 h/l balance. I use Wilson NXT Power at 17 ga so the strings are fairly light weight. I'm thinking of asking TW if they can find a racquet in stock that is 1/2 to 1 pt more h/l than published specs so that would help offset going with a lighter grip.

Used an inexpensive Wilson Cushion Pro lightweight grip and Wilson Pro Overgrip. Made the racquet much easier on the hand, wrist, elbow as well. Playing full poly in the RF97 isn’t as rough on the arm. Use Gut/poly majority of the time with a dampener and has really softened up the frame as well as having a lighter feel. Notice the weight difference the most serving.

 

[Mirdad]

Used an inexpensive Wilson Cushion Pro lightweight grip and Wilson Pro Overgrip. Made the racquet much easier on the hand, wrist, elbow as well. Playing full poly in the RF97 isn’t as rough on the arm. Use Gut/poly majority of the time with a dampener and has really softened up the frame as well as having a lighter feel. Notice the weight difference the most serving.

Perfect, thanks. How many points heavier did your h/l balance change? I’m thinking of asking the TW to find a lighter h/l valance stick in stock.

 

[USPTARF97]

Perfect, thanks. How many points heavier did your h/l balance change? I’m thinking of asking the TW to find a lighter h/l valance stick in stock.

Not sure how much heavier it is in terms HL points. Did all three of my Black RF97’s the same after hitting with the first one. A number of people I know that play with the RF97 place some lead tape at 12 and replacing the grip seems to create the same effect.

 

[PMChambers]

This racquet needs a bit of weight not take it off. It's reasonably HL so adding a touch of weight at 12 makes it a lot more stable without feeling sluggish . Mine weighs in at 370g. Doesn't feel slow has nice solid feel great on serve. The slight tinnie feel goes with bit of lead and the extra grams increase SW to decent level.
When a racquet get light you have to be signifigantly better at timing and hitting the sweet spot

 

[Mirdad]

This racquet needs a bit of weight not take it off. It's reasonably HL so adding a touch of weight at 12 makes it a lot more stable without feeling sluggish . Mine weighs in at 370g. Doesn't feel slow has nice solid feel great on serve. The slight tinnie feel goes with bit of lead and the extra grams increase SW to decent level.
When a racquet get light you have to be signifigantly better at timing and hitting the sweet spot

I had the same experience as you, in the past I have put on around 1 to 2 grams of weight at 12 and it definitely made the racquet feel more solid and in a strange way less stiff. I'm an older guy who started playing with wood racquets so I have lots of experience playing with 13+ ounce racquets. I can still move around the court well and hit the crap out of the ball but my shoulder joint is failing me......arthritis. My current racquet is the Pro Staff CV. I only play with it because the CV technology and less weight is easier on my shoulder. I've got about 3 grams at 12 and the total weight of the racquet is about 11.8 ounces. The CV has decent plough through but lacks the put away power of the RF Autograph. I'm thinking I'll just buy a new RF version and whenever my shoulder acts up I'll take the CV out of my bag. I got addicted to the power and plow of the RF.

 

[Sardines]

I guess this is an old thread being rehashed. I played with the RF97A for 3 years. For me it was maneuverable to a point, because of the headlight balance. In the first 1.5 years, it was almost whippable, even though I'd modded it to 355+ swingweight. However, as I hit 45, I noticed a perceptible decline in serve and overhead speed and consistency, especially on the wide serves, where racquet head speed was paramount. I also began to miss a few more groundies against bigger hitters.
To compensate, I dropped the swing weight to 350, and it got better. But I wanted a longer term solution.
This was it:
https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/replacing-the-rf97a-with-the-yonex-sv98.604597/

 

[Big_Dangerous]

RF97 is already a beast in stock form. Then once you add an overgrip and optional dampener (if you play with one), it raises the total weight to 12.9 oz and probably a 340-ish swingweight. It'll feel like a sledgehammer if you try to do anymore with it IMO.

Depending on what overgrip and damepener though. I use Yonex Supergrap and a Wilson Ace of Spades dampener and without the 3 grams I added to the handle, my racket weighs 361 grams ~ 12.73 ounces. Even with the 3 grams, it's still a little shy of 12.9 ounces. I also use 16 gauge strings. (Volkl Cyclone and V-Feel hybrid)

 

[TennisHound]

Edit

 

[dl32]

With the whole Fed retirement, I went back to the RF97 for fun and I forgot what an incredible frame it is. I’m a person the can handle it, big guy, with proper technique. After playing, I decided to try to customize a bit and I think I made it work better for me.

Currently, the frame is 360 with over grip, about 315 balance and SW of 340 on the dot using Luxilon Gut 125 and Alu Rough 125.

I made the following changes.
1. Removed almost all foam and silicon from handle, about 3/4 up.
2. Changed Wilson Leather to Kimony Leather ultra thin.
3. This also made a 4 1/2 handle feel more like 4 3/8

Results:

1.SW Stayed at 340, which is perfect
2.Static down to 352 with overgrip, which is huge difference coming down from 360.
3. Balance moved to 323, about 7 pts HL.

Still does all the crazy things I can do with an RF97 but at a static weight I like a lot more!!

Fun and successful experiment. This is a big win given how much I love hitting with this frame.