KFactor K Six-One Tour 90 Club

[leonardtay]

Ok Guys, here goes. Since I absolutely love the way my K90s are playing and in a fit of passion, decided to start this club. I realise there may be some overlap as either Asian or US spec K90 owners can be members of this club but all K90 owners are welcome to join. We can use this thread to discuss K90 issues, ask for information, share information from various sources including the Wilson factory here in China, ask for help regarding the racquets etc... I am putting myself as member #008 cos I believe that there are K90 users who started using the stick earlier and have much more experience in it. First come first served for membership numbers guys!

 

[aqgardezi]

Hi,

Register me in as I have one asian and one US version k90 tour.

 

[drakulie]

one of these threads already exists.

 

[leonardtay]

one of these threads already exists.

Specifically for the K90? Could you post the link of the thread pls? Thanks

 

[brayman9]

get me in there

i have 3 us's

 

[drakulie]

Specifically for the K90? Could you post the link of the thread pls? Thanks

here's one:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=115252&highlight=k+factor+club

another:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=139617&highlight=k+factor+club

another:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=134993&highlight=k90+club

another:

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=114131&highlight=k90+club


There are a few more but I got tired of looking. Anwyay, no reason we can't have one more club highlighting this awesome frame!

BTW, I have two US and two Asian versions of the K90. all 4 1/2 grip size.

 

[leonardtay]

How about we list out the things we like and don't like about these frames:

Let me get the ball rolling;

Things I like:

1. The fact that Federer kicks ass while using something similar to it
2. The plow through effect on the heavier ones is fantastic and you can really crush the ball into the corners. Control on basically all types of shots is one of the best I have ever used or tested.
3. The frame allows you to put good spin on kick and slice serves. Slice backhands and forehands are really easy with this frame.
4. Volleys are stable and have good pop
5. Personally I love the cosmetics

Things I DO NOT like:
1. The great variation in specs
2. The fact that the paint chips really easily and settles to show creases where there is paint transition

 

[drakulie]

Likes:

Plow-thru
the power/spin
feel at contact
volleying
shorter pallet

dislikes:

not really a dislike, but wish it was closer in swingweight to the 85.

 

[gerikoh]

add me! i use 3 pcs of asian k90 but i had a piece of the usk90 before.

likes: love it like my gifrlfriend. it gives me everything. it's simply the best racquet

dislikes: nothing so far. except that the paintjob is not that solid portions would rip off when you hit it on the ground. but i'm not complaining

 

[leonardtay]

The paintwork on the K90 really really does suck. Someone said somewhere that the paint chips if you even breathe on it... that is not to far off the truth IMO. Having said that, everything else about the racquet is just perfect. I can always wait till enough paint chips off and then do a paint job on it!

 

[leonardtay]

K90 grommets from TW

Anyone out there used the grommet sets from TW for the K90? If so, are these the original Wilson grommets? Or aftermarket pieces that just fit the pattern of the K90?

 

[PurePrestige]

I have a K90 issue. I have the US Version.

Came in at 374 grams and 11 pts HL strung with a Wilson pro overgrip.
aaand...it feels unstable and too light...

It's already so high in static weight. I wanna add some weight but my setups so far have made it feel a little cumbersome.

What are some other peoples successful methods of adding some weight to their K90's?

 

[OneHander]

How about we list out the things we like and don't like about these frames:

Let me get the ball rolling;

Things I like:

1. The fact that Federer kicks ass while using something similar to it
2. The plow through effect on the heavier ones is fantastic and you can really crush the ball into the corners. Control on basically all types of shots is one of the best I have ever used or tested.
3. The frame allows you to put good spin on kick and slice serves. Slice backhands and forehands are really easy with this frame.
4. Volleys are stable and have good pop
5. Personally I love the cosmetics

Things I DO NOT like:
1. The great variation in specs
2. The fact that the paint chips really easily and settles to show creases where there is paint transition

I know this is a K90 thread but just thought I would mention that the POG mid has all of the qualities you mention in your list above except number 1 and my experience is that the specs are extremely consistent with a very durable paint job :grin:

 

[Taimur]

Hi..i'm new around here but i recently got 2 ps85's (China). The 'scalpel' is on another level of precision and control when compared to my earlier K-factor team 95 racquet ,and i'm already much more confident at the net and even serving with them is somewhat easier once you get your tempo going.
Of course, respect to the K-tour 90....

 

[leonardtay]

I have a K90 issue. I have the US Version.

Came in at 374 grams and 11 pts HL strung with a Wilson pro overgrip.
aaand...it feels unstable and too light...

It's already so high in static weight. I wanna add some weight but my setups so far have made it feel a little cumbersome.

What are some other peoples successful methods of adding some weight to their K90's?

By unstable and too light, what do you mean? Do you mean that you feel it vibrate when you strike the ball? 374 grams is plenty of static weight I would think. What sort of level of player are you?

 

[leonardtay]

I know this is a K90 thread but just thought I would mention that the POG mid has all of the qualities you mention in your list above except number 1 and my experience is that the specs are extremely consistent with a very durable paint job :grin:

I have a 4 stripe 93 POG and you are right that it does have many of the qualities of the K90 except, the K90 is better for me on the serve placement. THe K90 is more stable on volleys. The K90 allows me to plow through the ball more than the POG... maybe because of its weight.

 

[leonardtay]

Hi..i'm new around here but i recently got 2 ps85's (China). The 'scalpel' is on another level of precision and control when compared to my earlier K-factor team 95 racquet ,and i'm already much more confident at the net and even serving with them is somewhat easier once you get your tempo going.
Of course, respect to the K-tour 90....

Have you used the K90s? They are a different animal from the 95s altogether. I have a PS 85 St Vincent and though I like the feel of it on the serve and volleys and overall buttery feel of the SV, the K90 is what I would take into competition for its overall strength in all areas.

 

[PurePrestige]

Unstable meaning it gets pushed around, though I am playing with Shcmad, and he hits a pretty heavy ball with his LM Prestige mid with a SW of uhh what was it last, I think its somewhere around 385-390.

It's just very jarring and i'm not feeling the plow through, i've been through tons of different string setups at all sorts of tensions. I wanna say it lacks power, but that makes it sound like I just can't generate the head speed. I can serve pretty hard and all, you can ask Sup2Daresq and Shcmad on that.
I can swing the thing like a toothpick is the thing, its just not giving me that heavy ball.

I put 6g at 3&9 today, feels better still a little light. I might add a bit more at 3&9 or a little at 12, i'm not quite sure. But I need it to be able to keep up with pro level ground strokes, b/c our friend has ground strokes like a 5'7" Del Potro.

 

[leonardtay]

Unstable meaning it gets pushed around, though I am playing with Shcmad, and he hits a pretty heavy ball with his LM Prestige mid with a SW of uhh what was it last, I think its somewhere around 385-390.

It's just very jarring and i'm not feeling the plow through, i've been through tons of different string setups at all sorts of tensions. I wanna say it lacks power, but that makes it sound like I just can't generate the head speed. I can serve pretty hard and all, you can ask Sup2Daresq and Shcmad on that.
I can swing the thing like a toothpick is the thing, its just not giving me that heavy ball.

I put 6g at 3&9 today, feels better still a little light. I might add a bit more at 3&9 or a little at 12, i'm not quite sure. But I need it to be able to keep up with pro level ground strokes, b/c our friend has ground strokes like a 5'7" Del Potro.

The danger in adding weight to counter another player's power is that the racquet may end up too heavy for you. Instead, try stringing a tighter and taking the ball earlier off the bounce and a little further in front of your normal hitting area. You could try K gut pro in the mains strung at 62 and Alu Power in the crosses at maybe 58-60.

 

[PurePrestige]

I really don't want to go tighter, i've had it strung at a variety of tensions and lower always performs better for me.
I think it may be a problem of overkill in the past, that i've added too much weight all at once rather than slowly adding little bits. With a heavy stock racket like the K adding a little too much can make a big difference.

I'll see how my next weighting goes, I gotta restring though. Broke my Gamma Revelation that was strung 55/53. Gonna restring with the string I got leftover Gamma Professional/Topspin Cyberflash, I'm thinking 53/51 this time.

I take the ball plenty early, its not a matter of my contact per say. Just my overall comfort level with the racket is less because of instability and lack of plow through. I guess thats what you'd call it. I can get the ball moving plenty fast, but I want more weight so that I can hit with more spin while keeping a lot of pace.

I've been trying out the Instinct Tour XL. I can hit deep with loads of spin, but 100 sq in, just isn't a solid feeling racket. I like being able to hit lots of spin as well as drive shots, so I feel like I need to keep tinkering with my K.

So far.
6grams 3&9 was better considerably, though still a little unstable for my likes.
Broke a string tonight, but added 3g 3&9 and 3g at 12.
This might be a little much lead but we'll see, if so I can always peel it off.
Restringing with Gamma Professional 16g/Topspin Cyberflash tomorrow @ 53/??....either 53/51 or 53/49....not sure Cyberflash feels alot more harsh to me than alu power rough did.
Will report on how it plays.

 

[psp2]

I bought 2 K90s at the beginning of the year and played with them for about 3 months. I kept comparing them to my PS85 frames.

I removed the Wilson leather grips, replaced them with brand new Fairways, added 3 grams of lead at 3/9, added my usual Tournagrip. Strung them up with VS17/SPPP 17L at 46/48 lbs. My final weight was right around 13 oz. SW was around 330-ish (can't recall what the exact SWs were). Balance was right around 9pts. HL. 2 bare racquets were off by 5 grams (pre grip, strings, overgrip, etc.), so I wasn't too displeased about the variance.

My pros and my cons:

Pros:

Easier spin generation
More power
More forgiving on slightly off-centered shots

Cons:

Less control
Less stability

At the end of the day, I didn't want the added power/spin of the K90s in lieu of the control I had with the PS85. Therefore, my K90s found better homes.

There's something about the feel of the PS85 that has yet to be duplicated and probably CAN'T be duplicated.

 

[Bubba]

I'm in with my 5! Love it... but paint does chip easily.

 

[Bubba]

Question for the group... anyone using a full synthetic gut in their 90? If so - thoughts. I've been hybriding but chewing through strings. Thinking of going to a full X-1 Biphase and trying it out.

 

[PurePrestige]

I just got done using Full Gamma Revelation 16g, good string and pretty good durability.
I don't like poly main hybrids on the K90, and Multi mains are not very durable hah. So Biphase sounds like a good idea to me, it has really good spin potential for a multi.

 

[prosealster]

Question for the group... anyone using a full synthetic gut in their 90? If so - thoughts. I've been hybriding but chewing through strings. Thinking of going to a full X-1 Biphase and trying it out.

Count me in... i play with US K90...initially bought it just for collection, but it hit so well, i ditched my head prestiges

To Bubba... I use full gosen OG micro... still gives me the control, spin, and power that i want...lasts about 2-3hrs...but at least its cheap

 

[PurePrestige]

Does anyone else here add lead to their K90?
If so, how much and where?
I know I can't be the only one that feel it is too light and unstable?

 

[PurePrestige]

First outing with the newly weighted K90.
Freshly strung with: Gamma Professional 16g Mains @ 55 lbs.
Topspin Cyberflash 17g Crosses @ 53 lbs.
Weight.
9g @ 3&9. 6inch strip and 3inch strip on top on each side.
3g @ 12, 1 6inch strip.

Feels reallllllly nice. Almost ideal. MUCH better than stock. However it still feels a little on the light side, not sure how much and where i'm gonna add some lead next. I feel like i'm on the right track finally. I'll keep updating with the new weightings.

 

[mustu316]

Guy's I today got my k-95 in mail AND it says made in china and designed in USA. So is it a Asian version or the American one. Please help

 

[PurePrestige]

Where did you order it from...?
I believe most of them say Made in China, mine says Made in China as well and Designed in the USA. It is the US Version.

 

[soggyramen]

hey i got some questions about the K90...

i've used the Prostaff Tour 90 and loved it can someone give me a comparsion to the tour 90 with the K90...is the feel different and does the k90 swing lighter or heavier than the tour 90...i loved the tour 90 and could handle the weight but only for about one match...i wouldn't be able to play with it in my singles and doubles match

 

[gerikoh]

Guy's I today got my k-95 in mail AND it says made in china and designed in USA. So is it a Asian version or the American one. Please help

i have the asian version and it also says that it's made in china and designed in USA. if you bought it in asia, except in australia, i'm certain that it's the US version

 

[mustu316]

I got it on ****....here in the US

 

[mustu316]

I got it on e b a y....here in the US

 

[leonardtay]

Guy's I today got my k-95 in mail AND it says made in china and designed in USA. So is it a Asian version or the American one. Please help

All of them are made in China. If you bought it from a shop in the States then it is likely a US version. BTW this thread is meant for K90 users...

 

[VGP]

Can I be in the club if I have one and never string it up?

 

[Glorious]

Just purchased one recently. Sign me up!

 

[Fedexeon]

One question here. Whats the difference between the Asian version and the US version? Forgive me for my noobness.

 

[VGP]

I bought 2 K90s at the beginning of the year and played with them for about 3 months. I kept comparing them to my PS85 frames.

I removed the Wilson leather grips, replaced them with brand new Fairways, added 3 grams of lead at 3/9, added my usual Tournagrip. Strung them up with VS17/SPPP 17L at 46/48 lbs. My final weight was right around 13 oz. SW was around 330-ish (can't recall what the exact SWs were). Balance was right around 9pts. HL. 2 bare racquets were off by 5 grams (pre grip, strings, overgrip, etc.), so I wasn't too displeased about the variance.

My pros and my cons:

Pros:

Easier spin generation
More power
More forgiving on slightly off-centered shots

Cons:

Less control
Less stability

At the end of the day, I didn't want the added power/spin of the K90s in lieu of the control I had with the PS85. Therefore, my K90s found better homes.

There's something about the feel of the PS85 that has yet to be duplicated and probably CAN'T be duplicated.

Which model PS85s are your faves?

 

[leonardtay]

One question here. Whats the difference between the Asian version and the US version? Forgive me for my noobness.

Weight is the most obvious difference. Also, the Asian version I believe is a little head heavier than the US version. Everything else is supposed to be the same.

 

[leonardtay]

Can I be in the club if I have one and never string it up?

Why don't you string it up? Do you intend to keep the racquet? If not, I would be interested in taking it off your hands

 

[Fries-N-Gravy]

i just got one from the local city sport, i had a 20% off coupon and i had demoed it for a few days.

for the 5 days i demoed the racquet i switched every few minutes between the k90, 85, 85 with lead, and kramer woody. the power was about the same as a stock 85, not surprisingly since they are very close in weight.

i'll probably add some lead for stability and string at 65. the biggest difference was how much more spin i got than the 85. because of that i felt the 85 had less depth control. i hit everything much harder and my hitting partner said my shots had a lot more kick when they bounced. i haven't noticed much with the directional control. i think any issues with that would be mainly due to the balance of the racquet and how you swing it.

 

[leonardtay]

Asian KFactor K Six One Tour 90 Mods

Just for information, I went into a detailed mod of my Asian K90 today, below are the salient points in case anyone else is thinking of doing the same:

1. My AK90 was originally 326g unstrung with no overgrip, 31.5cm balance point or about 9 points HL. My other US spec K90s are 347-348g unstrung with no overgrip, 30.5cm balance point or 12 points HL.

2. Firstly, I removed both the head guard and the leather grip from the AK90. Then I used a roll of Technifibre ultrathin lead tape and added 15g divided equally into 8 pieces (1 on each bevel). I then removed the butt cap and added total of about 5g into the butt cap itself. In the head guard channel I then added the remaining 5g centred around 12 o'clock. Then punched holes from the inside out of the racquet frame before replacing the head guard. This gave me an unstrung balance point of 30.5 and weight of 346g. (Note that in the interests of brevity, I have omitted the process of balancing and adding weight into the butt cap which was repeated countless times)

3. Finally I strung the racquet with my usual KGut Pro in the mains at 58 and Lux BB AP Rough in the Xs at 56, adding power pads between the strings and the throat grommets.

4. Final stats of the racquet are 366g strung, with Wilson Pro o/g, power pads . Balance point is about 31.6cm which is the same as both my US spec K90s. The static weight is slightly less (1-2g) but I think I should be able to live with that.

5. The nice thing about this setup is that not a single piece of lead is visible anywhere and the racquet looks stock.

I will play with it tomorrow morning and update on the results.

 

[BreakPoint]

Just for information, I went into a detailed mod of my Asian K90 today, below are the salient points in case anyone else is thinking of doing the same:

1. My AK90 was originally 326g unstrung with no overgrip, 31.5cm balance point or about 9 points HL. My other US spec K90s are 347-348g unstrung with no overgrip, 30.5cm balance point or 12 points HL.

2. Firstly, I removed both the head guard and the leather grip from the AK90. Then I used a roll of Technifibre ultrathin lead tape and added 15g divided equally into 8 pieces (1 on each bevel). I then removed the butt cap and added total of about 5g into the butt cap itself. In the head guard channel I then added the remaining 5g centred around 12 o'clock. Then punched holes from the inside out of the racquet frame before replacing the head guard. This gave me an unstrung balance point of 30.5 and weight of 346g. (Note that in the interests of brevity, I have omitted the process of balancing and adding weight into the butt cap which was repeated countless times)

3. Finally I strung the racquet with my usual KGut Pro in the mains at 58 and Lux BB AP Rough in the Xs at 56, adding power pads between the strings and the throat grommets.

4. Final stats of the racquet are 366g strung, with Wilson Pro o/g, power pads . Balance point is about 31.6cm which is the same as both my US spec K90s. The static weight is slightly less (1-2g) but I think I should be able to live with that.

5. The nice thing about this setup is that not a single piece of lead is visible anywhere and the racquet looks stock.

I will play with it tomorrow morning and update on the results.

So was your purpose to make your AK90 into another US K90? If so, why not just buy another US K90 and save all of that work and just to achieve the same result?

 

[leonardtay]

So was your purpose to make your AK90 into another US K90? If so, why not just buy another US K90 and save all of that work and just to achieve the same result?

Well, because I do not live in the US and US spec K90s are not easy to come by. I got this Asian K90 a long time ago before my 2 US spec ones came. Since the only people who would want to buy a used Asian spec K90 are in the States... selling it is not a viable option. So, rather than have it sit in a closet some where, decided to spend the effort to get it customised to match my US spec ones.

 

[leonardtay]

Playtest results of Modded Asian Spec K90 with power pads

Well, played for 2 hours today with the newly modded racquet (see earlier post) and the findings are as below:

1. The feel of the racquet is now very very similar to my US Spec K90s. The racquet is strung at 58/56 and the stability of the US Spec ones is there. The powerpads seem to give a little on a well centred hit and the impression I got was that the balls stayed on the strings a little longer allowing me to really pound the strokes hard and deep into the opponents court. There was no appreciable damping effect that I could tell. If anything, the sound of the hits seemed a little higher pitched than my US K90... this could however be a case of the US spec one having lost some tension?

Groundstrokes: Overall my hitting partner observed that the shots were coming in heavier than before. Also, I found just a little more spin perhaps because of the longer dwell time on the strings? Backhand and forehand showed the same effects. Slices seemed unchanged.

Serves: My partner observed that the ball on a flat serve seemed to accelerate appreciably as it moved from my position on the court to his. This resulted in difficulty in timing the return of serve. For the spin serves, the kicks on topspin were a little higher and slices went wider.

Return of serve: Did not notice too much difference but my partner is not a really heavy server so this aspect needs to be further tested.

Volleys: Not much change on standard volleys, the control for put aways was still there. Drop volleys improved in that I could really kill the energy of the ball and this resulted in stop volleys that really caught out my partner even when he was expecting the shot. Drive volleys were a bit harder to control but when I got it right, the pace on the ball was noticeably faster than in the past.

On the hold, the power pads seemed to provide me with the ability to hit the ball harder by allowing the ball to stay on the strings a fraction of time longer. Anime watchers would be able to envisage the feeling; like when an anime character uses power to hit a ball and the ball is portrayed as remaining flattened on the string bed which bulges backwards before the ball 'slingshots' from the racquet... of course in the animes, the amount of time is exaggerated but I hope you can get the image of how it felt to me hitting.

Will try out return of serve against a hard server on Saturday and post a follow up.

 

[BreakPoint]

Well, because I do not live in the US and US spec K90s are not easy to come by. I got this Asian K90 a long time ago before my 2 US spec ones came. Since the only people who would want to buy a used Asian spec K90 are in the States... selling it is not a viable option. So, rather than have it sit in a closet some where, decided to spend the effort to get it customised to match my US spec ones.

OK, I see. But how did you manage to get your other 2 US K90s?

 

[leonardtay]

OK, I see. But how did you manage to get your other 2 US K90s?

1 direct from the Wilson factory through some contacts and another bought from TW but the shipping cost a bomb. Had no choice because it is not often that my contact is able to get US Spec out of the Wilson factory and I wanted to match specifications so decide to go with TW... the price came to quite a high amount though

 

[herosol]

Well, i have a USK90, that I played for awhile. Just not so great in the end, Very solid racket though, I can see why many like it.

BTW: I saw the AK90, and my god, WTF?! IT IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOO LIGHT.
If i remember 11 oz? I asked the store guy and i was like dude you're selling FAKE k90's!

 

[BreakPoint]

BTW: I saw the AK90, and my god, WTF?! IT IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOO LIGHT.
If i remember 11 oz? I asked the store guy and i was like dude you're selling FAKE k90's!

The AK90 is 11.3 oz. unstrung vs. 12.0 oz. unstrung for the US version. Add about 0.5-0.6 oz. for strung.

 

[888Factor]

I just got back from HK. i had a chance to visit MasterGear in CausewayBay. They had a few AK90s for sale and they are pretty darn light compared to my US K90s. Anyhow, they mentioned that last time Federer was in HK playing for some asia tourny, they had a chance to string his racquets for him. out of curiosity, they also weighed his racquets and surprisingly...they said it was approx 340 grams STRUNG. Which means he can't be using a US K90 (b/c US K90s are 340 grams UNSTRUNG)???? I dunno, this is based on their findings...PLEASE NO FLAMES...dont shoot the messenger.