Demo Feedback - KPS88, BLX Tour, YT Prestige Mid & MP

[Lendl]

Got these four players rackets for a week demo from TW. I'll put them through the paces and try and share how things go for those of you looking at one or more of these rackets. All are brand new with plastic on the grips except the KPS88 which looks to have light use.

About me ...

I am a 5.0 all-courter that is primarily a baseliner with a two handed backhand and do a lot of slicing on the backhand side as well. Solid serve and a playing style maybe comparable to a Murray/Djokovic on a lower level

Initial Impressions

YT Prestige MP and Mid (Head FXP 16):

Very similar feel, both feel good but light. The grip shape does not seem that much more round like I had heard they were, still seems more rectangular like the Head grips of the past. Clearly not shaped like the Wilson. Cosmetic on these does look nice.

KPS88 (ALU Power/Gamma TNT 2):

Absolute hammer! I can't remember the last racket I used that did not have a decent amount of lead tape added at 3 and 9 or 10 and 2. This one will not for sure. I like a heavier racket and many guys that I play against that pick up my rackets always describe them as "clubs" but this thing is a sledgehammer. I've heard this many times and thought to myself "sure, it can't be that heavy" but yes it is. Feels like a piece of cast iron in your hand. Just has the feel to it that gives you confidence. I'm 6' 240 and keep in very good shape and it will take that to wield this thing around for a couple hours!

BLX Tour 90 (Hollow Core):

Gorgeous cosmetic and like others have said the internet images and even Federer on TV do not do it justice. Has excellent feel in your hand and though it feels a tad light for my tastes it just screams quality. This demo has the Hollow Core everyone hates so that is only drawback but this thing passes the look test with flying colors.

I'll be playing every day until they are due back at TW and I'll try and update how things are going each day.

 

[JT Corona]

I can't wait till you actually hit with them and give us an honest review

BTW the YT P.Pro is not bad. Maybe next round of demos.

The KPS88 demo for me was just for fun, yes indeed it is quite hefty. Someone I know still sometimes plays a PS85 and the KPS88 is noticabley heavier. Makes a great training tool, anything else will feel like a toothpick.

 

[sargeinaz]

Looking forward to the review of the YT Prestige MP especially!

 

[Lendl]

Day one I played with the KPS88. I'm old school and have been drawn to this racket since it came out so I had to use it first. I used the PS85 back in high school (late 80s) and I do feel that racket in the KPS88. The PS85 is like a little brother though.

I played a very solid 4.5 lefty today who happened to have his best serving day I remember so today was quite an acid test for demoing a racket. I am coming from APDC leaded up quite a bit but still VERY different than a KPS88. We warmed up in 10 minutes or so and started a match. I was definitely learning on the fly with this racket.

As expected it is a tree branch to carry around. Much heavier than I thought it would be. Not really head heavy, just solid mass in the throat/sweetspot area it felt like. I have a heavy serve and 2HBH but my forehand is wristy and I do not have nice form like a Federer, I'm more like a JV version of Nadal. This racket makes you hit it square or you are punished with the ball landing short and me playing 4.5+ guys it gets ugly fast as they feast on those shots.

Overall I was impressed though, I gradually adjusted to the heft and hit some very heavy serves and 2HBH and my forehand got better every point and I began to cut down spin and slow down my swing and let the racket to more of the work. I won a close match and all things considered it was a pleasant surprise. This was a guy I normally do beat in close matches but changing a racket do dramatically like this was encouraging. I definitely felt better about the racket at the end than the beginning.

Overall I think it is a winner but it is certainly a niche racket that will not be for everyone. I cannot believe how hefty and sturdy it is. I'd say rule #1 with this racket is do not fight it, let it do more of the work for you that other rackets may not be able to. I can see people with slower, solid mechanics would be dynamite with this racket but it may not be for the current generation that has huge loopy groundstrokes and poly string. You can get away with it doing that but you better have some awesome hand/eye coordination!

Tomorrow I play our clubs version of Ivo Karlovic so we'll see how that goes and I'll use one of the other three rackets so certainly I'll have feedback on how it returns serves

 

[Lendl]

OK, today was YT Prestige day. I've been a fan of Prestiges for a long time and have used the PC600, i.Prestige and MG extensively. My favorite was the i.Prestige overall.

Cliff Notes Version - if you are even remotely considering these frames do yourself a favor and demo them. They are that good.

YT Prestige Mid

I always lead up my rackets but this being a demo I didn't want to alter someone elses racket so I am hitting these bone stock with just an overgrip added. The racket felt very light to me because of this, but this frame is rock solid to me. The string is not the best and with the lead tape not there made me appreciate how good this frame is in this current form. Absolute impeccable control and accuracy. I think it was insane how much control this racket had.

Serves were very solid and heavy. Racket just has the solid, stable feel to it and spin was no issue on second serves or serves out wide.

Groundstrokes are where this shined to me. Plenty of power and excellent control and stability. Even without any lead tape added for stability and the small headsize it was great on hard, tough shots.

Volleys were similar to the groundstokes in that they were very solid and the racket was stable. It did the work for you, not as much as the KPS88 but still just a great, solid feel.

Serve Returns were put to the test as I hit with the biggest serving opponent I play with and he is likely in the 120-130 range on first serves. Basically when he is on I cannot break him but on the serves he cranked and I could reach this frame was stable and did not twist on an off center shot much at all.

YT Prestige MP

Basically a cheater racket. Everything the YT Prestige Mid does but a bit better with the exception of control. There is nothing better for control on pin point accuracy than a Prestige Mid in my opinion. The MP has more power, is more forgiving and is rock solid. I loved it.

Serves with the MP are easy. Even with an 18 x 20 pattern this racket was easy to generate spin and it has plenty of power in stock form. This racket also had some bad string and was very light to me and still performed like a dream.

Groundstrokes, volleys and serve returns are all similar feel to the mid but it just has that forgiveness for the 95% of people who cannot hit a mid in the sweetspot all the time.

Overall I cannot speak highly enough of these two frames. It was one day so I wouldn't get too excited about a frame or discount one from just a couple hours of hitting but I just cannot see these two frames failing to please a lot of people looking for players frames. I have always favored the mid over a MP because I grew up playing with the PS85 and 200G rackets.

Everything being equal and starting tomorrow I would likely choose the MP in this racket because I know it will perform on any given day. The Mid is great and is a scalpel when you are "on" but that is not always the case. The MP I would feel good about on a bad day, it is that solid overall. It is forgiving enough to feel solid on any situation on the court, offense or defense. I hit some incredible shots with the Mid but overall I think I played better with the MP because it just has no weakness.

I strongly encourage you to try the frames, Head has made a solid improvement over the MG line in my opinion and that wasn't exactly a bad version!

 

[JT Corona]

Nice Reviews.
Seems like you picked the right bunch of sticks to demo cuz u had mostly positives for all. The last one to try is the Blx90. I pretty much agree with your reviews ie the prest mid being tad light but solid and it having more control obviously than the MP. And I'm impressed that u were able to play effectively with the KPS88 right off the bat. I know if i played someone close to my level with that stick, i would probably lose. Its just very different from most sticks. BTW I usually dont demo sticks one at a time. I cant help hitting with all of them at the same time if possible and making comparisons. And unless I'm really liking a stick, I wouldnt play a whole match with it. My way is more to have an extended practice with the demos then if i like it eventually test it under pressure.

Lots of others including myself have also found the Pres Pro to be a worthy stick.

Little surprised you'd go for the MP since you came from PS85, 200G, and Prestige mids. I guess the forgiveness of the MP is really that much better for you.

 

[JoelDali]

Day one I played with the KPS88. I'm old school and have been drawn to this racket since it came out so I had to use it first. I used the PS85 back in high school (late 80s) and I do feel that racket in the KPS88. The PS85 is like a little brother though.

I played a very solid 4.5 lefty today who happened to have his best serving day I remember so today was quite an acid test for demoing a racket. I am coming from APDC leaded up quite a bit but still VERY different than a KPS88. We warmed up in 10 minutes or so and started a match. I was definitely learning on the fly with this racket.

As expected it is a tree branch to carry around. Much heavier than I thought it would be. Not really head heavy, just solid mass in the throat/sweetspot area it felt like. I have a heavy serve and 2HBH but my forehand is wristy and I do not have nice form like a Federer, I'm more like a JV version of Nadal. This racket makes you hit it square or you are punished with the ball landing short and me playing 4.5+ guys it gets ugly fast as they feast on those shots.

Overall I was impressed though, I gradually adjusted to the heft and hit some very heavy serves and 2HBH and my forehand got better every point and I began to cut down spin and slow down my swing and let the racket to more of the work. I won a close match and all things considered it was a pleasant surprise. This was a guy I normally do beat in close matches but changing a racket do dramatically like this was encouraging. I definitely felt better about the racket at the end than the beginning.

Overall I think it is a winner but it is certainly a niche racket that will not be for everyone. I cannot believe how hefty and sturdy it is. I'd say rule #1 with this racket is do not fight it, let it do more of the work for you that other rackets may not be able to. I can see people with slower, solid mechanics would be dynamite with this racket but it may not be for the current generation that has huge loopy groundstrokes and poly string. You can get away with it doing that but you better have some awesome hand/eye coordination!

Tomorrow I play our clubs version of Ivo Karlovic so we'll see how that goes and I'll use one of the other three rackets so certainly I'll have feedback on how it returns serves

Your rule #1 is spot on.

 

[Lendl]

I don't prefer to do match play for demoing but the group I play with is pretty serious and guys always want to play sets so I'm forced to really evaluate these on the fly

Tomorrow I am only drilling and the same Sunday and I'm looking forward to that to just bang on these things and not worry about match play.

The BLX is on deck but these Prestige rackets are going to be tough to beat!

I still like the KPS88. It is tougher to use than first thought but I've had it in the house at night to just dry swing so I can get used to the heft.

Nice Reviews.
Seems like you picked the right bunch of sticks to demo cuz u had mostly positives for all. The last one to try is the Blx90. I pretty much agree with your reviews ie the prest mid being tad light but solid and it having more control obviously than the MP. And I'm impressed that u were able to play effectively with the KPS88 right off the bat. I know if i played someone close to my level with that stick, i would probably lose. Its just very different from most sticks. BTW I usually dont demo sticks one at a time. I cant help hitting with all of them at the same time if possible and making comparisons. And unless I'm really liking a stick, I wouldnt play a whole match with it. My way is more to have an extended practice with the demos then if i like it eventually test it under pressure.

Lots of others including myself have also found the Pres Pro to be a worthy stick.

Little surprised you'd go for the MP since you came from PS85, 200G, and Prestige mids. I guess the forgiveness of the MP is really that much better for you.

 

[TennisPassion5]

the Youtek Prestige MP still has excellent control from what I've heard, right?

 

[JT Corona]

the prestige line is renowned worldwide for its control
just ask haas and jill simon

 

[TennisPassion5]

the prestige line is renowned worldwide for its control
just ask haas and jill simon

I would ask GILLES and Tommy, but they don't use it.

 

[Lendl]

Yes, the MP was very, very impressive in all phases. I'd definitely add some lead at 3 and 9 and use a good multi string to make it better for my tastes but the MP had zero control issues. It just wasn't as good as the Mid for me but that is like saying you only won 2 million in the lottery as opposed to 5 million type thing. The Mid is just untouchable in the control department for me.

the Youtek Prestige MP still has excellent control from what I've heard, right?

 

[JT Corona]

I would ask GILLES and Tommy, but they don't use it.

i'm sure anything close to what they use would be good enough for u!

 

[TennisPassion5]

Thanks Lendl....and I do agree about adding lead at 3 and 9. I am a full time FXP user, so hopefully we will yield similar results. I get my two tomorrow.

 

[Lendl]

BLX Tour 90 was the last of these to try and it looks like I may have saved the best for last. It definitely felt the best in my hand of the four but I didn't realize that would translate on the court as well as it did. Again I thought I felt light, especially after hitting with the KPS88 but I found it to be very stable. Much better than I expected and better than the K90 I've used.

Serves were heavy and solid despite such a light feel to this racket. Extremely pleased with the spin on serves, this thing definitely gives you easy access to nice spin on second serves and serves out wide. On flat serves I was really happy with the solid, heavy ball it hit.

Groundstrokes is where this shined the best. I had no twisting on off center shots like some other reviews I read. I have a wristy forehand that is not my best shot and despite that I had very few weak balls and none that the racket felt unstable in my hand. As I grow older I rely more and more on my one hand cut shot on the backhand as I cannot get there to always hit a 2HBH and this racket really impressed me there with its open string pattern.

Volleys and serve returns were the same, overall the racket feels light, yet plays solid and with enough zip to make it a great all court racket. I'm not so sure this racket will be a real demanding players racket for 5.0+ only. I really found it pretty forgiving and think a wide range of players might like it.

This racket had the infamous hollow core string and I may be the first to say it but I liked the string. It really moves around a ton but it had great bite on the ball and I thought it performed well despite the negative thoughts I had going in knowing what others had posted here

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Overall these are four very nice rackets and it is a great time for those looking at a new stick in the player frame area. I recommend demoing them to find out yourself but after a week of hitting each racket for approximately two hours each I'd rate them as follows:

1. BLX Tour 90
1a. YT Prestige MP
3. YT Prestige Mid
4. KPS88

Just my opinion but playing an all court game I think I gave them all a good test in all phases and came away extremely impressed with both the BLX Tour 90 and the YT Prestige MP. I could flip a coin and not lose between them.