Modern alternative to Wilson Six.One 95 18X20? Blade's and VCORE's aren't making the cut.

If you like your 6.1 18x20 you can keep your 6.1 18x20

www.wilson.com

Pro Staff Six.One (18x20) v13 Tennis Racket

A favorite of advanced and professional players for the past two decades, the Pro Staff Six.One (18x20) carries a one-two punch of sleek design and intimidating performance to the court. Crafted for experienced players who hit the sweet spot with consiste
www.wilson.com www.wilson.com

If you want to try something similar but smoother, demo Pro Tour 2.0 (though it may need some weight on the handle to match balance)
 
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ryushen21 said:
Have you ever hit with the 6.1? I can assure you that the 93P will not feel anything like the 6.1.

A lot of racquets look like the 6.1 on paper but that is where the similarities end. There is a uniqueness that the 6.1 has in terms of its swing feel and how responds to the ball. To that you have to add it's nearly absurd level of stability, ability to handle any shot that's thrown at it, and that it's a defensive shot WMD.

The 6.1 has a massive spot in my tennis heart and I may not be entirely impartial when it comes to new recommendations. But I think the OP will be hard pressed to find something that comes even remotely close on the current market.
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I've hit with my buddy's 6.1's and prefer the 93P. I find the 6.1 to be harsh personally. He also gave up on his 6.1's after arm problems and moved to the Clash.
 
Dartagnan64 said:
I've hit with my buddy's 6.1's and prefer the 93P. I find the 6.1 to be harsh personally. He also gave up on his 6.1's after arm problems and moved to the Clash.
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You aren't the only one to find them harsh. They can be very stiff and you have to get the string setup right. My personal favorite is the nCode 6.1 as it was the most comfortable 6.1 that Wilson made. Granted, my v13 6.1 is pretty comfortable too but I got a bizarre outlier frame thanks to Wilson QC lottery.
 
After playing with (and preferring) the Blade's for the better part of a year here, something about their specs in combination with how I end up playing with them seems to trigger quite a bit of shoulder soreness/pain while playing. Even when I'm not serving.

This is obviously because I'm more and more out of shape as time as goes on. It's funny, when I was younger I got fitter by playing. Now playing just seems to injure me. Anyway, that led me to pulling out my wife's 2012 Aero Pro, which I was having a ton of fun with and no pain at all. This is clearly due to the lack of mass/swingweight compared to the Blade's and the Six.One's.

Now that I live near a killer racket shop, I've been demoing some other frames, including the 2021 Pure Drive (bought one because it's so much fun), the V8 Blade (can barely tell a difference vs V7), the Gravity+ MP or whatever it's called, and the Technifibre RS305. Then after all that I pulled out the old six.one 95 with Solinco Confidential 16 at 48 lbs and after getting used to the low launch angle again, I was having a ton of fun and hitting some great shots. It tore up my body and wore me down, but it was great fun while it lasted.

Back to square one I guess.

but it led me to demoing a bunch of other rackets recently since I happen to live near a killer racket shop now. I ended up having a ton of fun with the 2021 Pure Drive (went so far as buying one) and my wife's 2012 Aero Pro Drive with zero pain at all, which is for sure due to the lower weight/swingweight.
 
Bottle Rocket said:
After playing with (and preferring) the Blade's for the better part of a year here, something about their specs in combination with how I end up playing with them seems to trigger quite a bit of shoulder soreness/pain while playing. Even when I'm not serving.

This is obviously because I'm more and more out of shape as time as goes on. It's funny, when I was younger I got fitter by playing. Now playing just seems to injure me. Anyway, that led me to pulling out my wife's 2012 Aero Pro, which I was having a ton of fun with and no pain at all. This is clearly due to the lack of mass/swingweight compared to the Blade's and the Six.One's.

Now that I live near a killer racket shop, I've been demoing some other frames, including the 2021 Pure Drive (bought one because it's so much fun), the V8 Blade (can barely tell a difference vs V7), the Gravity+ MP or whatever it's called, and the Technifibre RS305. Then after all that I pulled out the old six.one 95 with Solinco Confidential 16 at 48 lbs and after getting used to the low launch angle again, I was having a ton of fun and hitting some great shots. It tore up my body and wore me down, but it was great fun while it lasted.

Back to square one I guess.

but it led me to demoing a bunch of other rackets recently since I happen to live near a killer racket shop now. I ended up having a ton of fun with the 2021 Pure Drive (went so far as buying one) and my wife's 2012 Aero Pro Drive with zero pain at all, which is for sure due to the lower weight/swingweight.
Click to expand...
i think that serving with the blade last summer is what led to my rotator cuff getting pretty badly messed up. that polarized, high SW, lowish static weight setup is appealing to me, but not necessarily good for my health
 
n8dawg6 said:
i think that serving with the blade last summer is what led to my rotator cuff getting pretty badly messed up. that polarized, high SW, lowish static weight setup is appealing to me, but not necessarily good for my health
Click to expand...

Very interesting. What do you play with now?
 
Bottle Rocket said:
After playing with (and preferring) the Blade's for the better part of a year here, something about their specs in combination with how I end up playing with them seems to trigger quite a bit of shoulder soreness/pain while playing. Even when I'm not serving.

This is obviously because I'm more and more out of shape as time as goes on. It's funny, when I was younger I got fitter by playing. Now playing just seems to injure me. Anyway, that led me to pulling out my wife's 2012 Aero Pro, which I was having a ton of fun with and no pain at all. This is clearly due to the lack of mass/swingweight compared to the Blade's and the Six.One's.

Now that I live near a killer racket shop, I've been demoing some other frames, including the 2021 Pure Drive (bought one because it's so much fun), the V8 Blade (can barely tell a difference vs V7), the Gravity+ MP or whatever it's called, and the Technifibre RS305. Then after all that I pulled out the old six.one 95 with Solinco Confidential 16 at 48 lbs and after getting used to the low launch angle again, I was having a ton of fun and hitting some great shots. It tore up my body and wore me down, but it was great fun while it lasted.

Back to square one I guess.

but it led me to demoing a bunch of other rackets recently since I happen to live near a killer racket shop now. I ended up having a ton of fun with the 2021 Pure Drive (went so far as buying one) and my wife's 2012 Aero Pro Drive with zero pain at all, which is for sure due to the lower weight/swingweight.
Click to expand...
Probably best to keep the weight/swingweight down with your shoulder.

What you could do is get a (used) six one 95 team and add some weight in the handle. It will play differently, less stable but might give some more comfort for your shoulder. Of course it will feel somewhat different, cheap to try though.
 
I used to play with old school racquets in the past including the Max200G for a long time. In my fifties, my racquet of choice is the Pure Strike Tour and it is worth checking out if you haven’t tried it. It plays lighter than its 12 oz weight because it is balanced so headlight, but it is stable and comfortable with a big sweet spot. The only thing is that it likely has a muted feel compared to your old racquet.
 
Bottle Rocket said:
Hey @DustinW!

I haven't actually. I've read that some folks find it erratic. Given that I'm erratic as it is, I tend to be drawn into tighter patterns and more control oriented rackets.

What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...

I’ve been hitting it for a few months. I found the v11 to be a bit erratic, but the v13 fixed those issues for me. Definitely lower powered though.

Glad you see that you’re still playing!
 
socallefty said:
I used to play with old school racquets in the past including the Max200G for a long time. In my fifties, my racquet of choice is the Pure Strike Tour and it is worth checking out if you haven’t tried it. It plays lighter than its 12 oz weight because it is balanced so headlight, but it is stable and comfortable with a big sweet spot. The only thing is that it likely has a muted feel compared to your old racquet.
Click to expand...

Isn't that thing essentially identical to the Blade, but a bit stiffer?
 
Bottle Rocket said:
Isn't that thing essentially identical to the Blade, but a bit stiffer?
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No. I demo’d the Blades extensively in both string patterns and they play nothing like the PST. The Blades had a totally different feel, lower power, smaller sweetspot and maybe even slightly less spin potential.
 
DustinW said:
I’ve been hitting it for a few months. I found the v11 to be a bit erratic, but the v13 fixed those issues for me. Definitely lower powered though.

Glad you see that you’re still playing!
Click to expand...

Trying to get back into it, but I've been saying that for a decade now. I think I need to come to terms with this as the new steady state. I now more fully appreciate your situation re kids and life from back when we used to play.

With all that said, I did manage to hold my own in a set against Tony out at Minor Park a few months ago, but it took me a week to recover. He's 60 now.

I'll see if I can find a used v13 on the forum. A bit concerned about string eating with it, but it's been on the list of the lighter frames that I wanted to try.
 
@DustinW I just closed the deal on a used PS97 v13. Coming freshly strung with ALU Power at ~52 lbs I believe. Should be fun.

I also have in my possession a brand new 2021 Prestige Pro that I got from the local tennis shop today (they have an insanely great 3 month + unlimited rackets demo program). I've always loved the prestige mid from back in the day and this thing felt great in the store, has neat specs (super soft) and quite a few similarities to the six.one 95 that triggered this thread. And it's brand new with fresh strings and they offered it to me to try.

I'll throw in a few pictures of the prestige pro next to my beloved six.one 95, and the prestige mid that's been in my bag for 15+ years with it.
 
qic4BBg.jpeg


5mPc9zH.jpeg


fdrm3Aq.jpeg
 
Nice. I have the previous Prestige Pro and prefer the PSv13 over it, so interested to hear what you think.
 
DustinW said:
Nice. I have the previous Prestige Pro and prefer the PSv13 over it, so interested to hear what you think.
Click to expand...

I think the old Pro is now the new Tour, right? The current Pro has an 18x20 string pattern (Head's product naming is painful and terrible). I just hit for a few hours with it yesterday and played a few sets today. I can't imagine there's a more predictable and control-oriented racket on the market today. Huge confidence booster with the super low flex and tight pattern and no wrist, shoulder, or arm pain. This thing is definitely in the top 3 now.
 
I use the 2020 Prestige Pro 16x19, 95 sqin. I tried many rackets (maybe 15-20) since getting the prestige and I always go back to the prestige because it's better than everything else I tried.
 
Bottle Rocket said:
I think the old Pro is now the new Tour, right? The current Pro has an 18x20 string pattern (Head's product naming is painful and terrible). I just hit for a few hours with it yesterday and played a few sets today. I can't imagine there's a more predictable and control-oriented racket on the market today. Huge confidence booster with the super low flex and tight pattern and no wrist, shoulder, or arm pain. This thing is definitely in the top 3 now.
Click to expand...

Ah yes, forgot about that. Mine is the old Pro (315g, 95 sq in, 16x19).

I've never hit the 18x20 version (old MP, new Pro).
 
Bottle Rocket said:
After playing with (and preferring) the Blade's for the better part of a year here, something about their specs in combination with how I end up playing with them seems to trigger quite a bit of shoulder soreness/pain while playing. Even when I'm not serving.

This is obviously because I'm more and more out of shape as time as goes on. It's funny, when I was younger I got fitter by playing. Now playing just seems to injure me. Anyway, that led me to pulling out my wife's 2012 Aero Pro, which I was having a ton of fun with and no pain at all. This is clearly due to the lack of mass/swingweight compared to the Blade's and the Six.One's.

Now that I live near a killer racket shop, I've been demoing some other frames, including the 2021 Pure Drive (bought one because it's so much fun), the V8 Blade (can barely tell a difference vs V7), the Gravity+ MP or whatever it's called, and the Technifibre RS305. Then after all that I pulled out the old six.one 95 with Solinco Confidential 16 at 48 lbs and after getting used to the low launch angle again, I was having a ton of fun and hitting some great shots. It tore up my body and wore me down, but it was great fun while it lasted.

Back to square one I guess.

but it led me to demoing a bunch of other rackets recently since I happen to live near a killer racket shop now. I ended up having a ton of fun with the 2021 Pure Drive (went so far as buying one) and my wife's 2012 Aero Pro Drive with zero pain at all, which is for sure due to the lower weight/swingweight.
Click to expand...
Exact same problem I had. I could not handle the swingweight on the blade, and switching to a frame with a lower swingweight was very good.
 
Bottle Rocket said:
I think the old Pro is now the new Tour, right? The current Pro has an 18x20 string pattern (Head's product naming is painful and terrible). I just hit for a few hours with it yesterday and played a few sets today. I can't imagine there's a more predictable and control-oriented racket on the market today. Huge confidence booster with the super low flex and tight pattern and no wrist, shoulder, or arm pain. This thing is definitely in the top 3 now.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you might have found your winner but if you're not sold, the ProKennex Ki Q+ Tour Pro 325 is right in your wheelhouse as far as preferred specs. And if you haven't played PK before, it does wonders for arm/elbow issues.
 
Well...

I hit with the Prestige again today as well as the Pro Staff (strung with ALU Power at 52). The Pro Staff is quite interesting. With a leather grip (which I hate) and overgrip, it actually weighed in at 344g, which is exactly the same as the Prestige I've got, though it is more headlight and the swingweight is quite a bit lower (by feel).

It does remind me of the original pro staffs in terms of feel. It produces a nice ping when you hit cleanly (likely also due to the ALU Power), has good power (weird seeing so many reviews say that this is a low powered frame), and is clearly designed to be more appropriate for the modern game with the fairly open string pattern.

I think that for me the open string pattern, especially off center where I hit more these days, does lead to less predictability and the occasional shock surprise launch angle. I also think I need a swingweight in the 330's (I'll see if local shop will measure for me) to help smooth out my forehand, or maybe my strokes are just too grooved to change. I thought I was hitting some great single handed backhands, but wasn't feeling super confident on the forehand aide. I'll give it a go again and possibly mess with adding some weight, but so far I think I may be stuck with 18x20's...

GeMsLN0.jpeg
 
I went ahead and bought a Prestige Pro. The PS97 is for sale.

I worked with the local shop to check the specs on the Prestige Pro versus one of my beloved Six.One 95's (which I played with today until my shoulder once again had enough after ~2 hours). Both strung with confidential 16l (without dampener) and measured on their Prince RDC with a calibration factor applied -

BLX Six.One 18x20 - SW 333, 356 grams
Prestige Pro 18x20 - SW 325, 337 grams

Next time I go in I'll bring some Blade's and the PS97 to compare (if I haven't sold it yet), but the above specs explain why I'm liking the Prestige Pro so much. It's basically as much racket as I can handle right now, but still with an incredibly predictable stringbed and nice squish. It's a 337 gram stick and still almost 20g lighter than the Six.One's. Pretty nuts.
 
Bottle Rocket said:
I went ahead and bought a Prestige Pro. The PS97 is for sale.

I worked with the local shop to check the specs on the Prestige Pro versus one of my beloved Six.One 95's (which I played with today until my shoulder once again had enough after ~2 hours). Both strung with confidential 16l (without dampener) and measured on their Prince RDC with a calibration factor applied -

BLX Six.One 18x20 - SW 333, 356 grams
Prestige Pro 18x20 - SW 325, 337 grams

Next time I go in I'll bring some Blade's and the PS97 to compare (if I haven't sold it yet), but the above specs explain why I'm liking the Prestige Pro so much. It's basically as much racket as I can handle right now, but still with an incredibly predictable stringbed and nice squish. It's a 337 gram stick and still almost 20g lighter than the Six.One's. Pretty nuts.
Click to expand...
I used to play with the 18x20 6.1 95. Switched to an old prestige MP a few years ago on a whim and haven’t looked back

I get so much more control with the prestige and it’s slightly more maneuverable while still feeling solid. Also produces the most spin I’ve ever hit with even with the dense string pattern (and I’ve played with open patterned racquets before)
 
snoflewis said:
Did you use the 6.1s in 16x18 or 18x20? As a long time 16x18 user, i switched to the ps97 v11 and it was such a familiar stick. Wondered why i didn't try it sooner
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In the 6.1 95 I had moved from 18x20 to 16x18, hoping to get more topspin with the full bed natural gut.
 
One of my biggest issues with the RF97 when I tried it many years ago is that I was eating through strings in just 3-4 hours. I also still prefer the tighter stringbed of the 18x20's (with no loss of spin), especially as the strings wear out. Also just too heavy.
 
Bottle Rocket said:
One of my biggest issues with the RF97 when I tried it many years ago is that I was eating through strings in just 3-4 hours. I also still prefer the tighter stringbed of the 18x20's (with no loss of spin), especially as the strings wear out. Also just too heavy.
Click to expand...
You must be hitting like a pro :)
 
Bottle Rocket said:
One of my biggest issues with the RF97 when I tried it many years ago is that I was eating through strings in just 3-4 hours. I also still prefer the tighter stringbed of the 18x20's (with no loss of spin), especially as the strings wear out. Also just too heavy.
Click to expand...

Did you try the Yonex Vcore 95? It is lighter and easier to swing than the 6.1, but it has similar characteristics if you like that direct drive and tighter stringed of the 6.1
 
I think the Pro Tour 2.0, or the Auxetic Prestige Tour (*even though it’s 16x19) might work. Pure Strike Tour might work as well.
 
PRO STAFF SIX.ONE (18X20) V13 TENNIS RACKET

https://www.wilson.com/en-us/produc...3-tennis-racket-wr04400#bazaarvoice-container
  • Created Season202006
  • Head (sq cm)613
  • Head (sq in)95
  • Length (cm)68.58
  • Length (in)27
  • String Pattern18X20
  • Strung balance (cm)31.5
  • Strung balance (pts)-9
  • Strung weight (grams)348
  • Strung weight (ounces)12.28
  • Sub-DepartmentRacket
  • Sub DepartmentRacket
  • Taper System (mm)21.6
  • Unstrung balance (cm)30.5
  • Unstrung balance (pts)-12
  • Unstrung weight (grams)331
  • Unstrung weight (ounces)11.68
  • Model TypeStandard
 
I recently rediscovered the K6.1 16 x 18 . I gave my brother a new frame 10 years ago and he never strung it up or used it, so I took it back last weekend and strung it up with 16G NRG at 56#. Absolutely love this thing! All my shots are solid, the stick is a beast for blocking shots, volleys and half volleys and serving. It's 12.6 strung up with over grip, but so head light, that it feels easier to swing than my Melbournes or blades. I added weight to one of my blade handles to match the 12.6 of the Kfactor and it made it a bit more HL and it is playing pretty good, but it does not have that rock solid feel of the K6.1. I normally stay away from frames this stiff, but with a 16 x18 string bed and a soft string, it is not bothering my shoulder at all. great attacking frame. swings much easier than the c10 pro, which I liked, but found it to play very heavy for some reason.
 
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Since this thread keeps coming back to life, I suppose I should provide an update as well.

I'm back to the Blade V7 18x20's, though I still play the Six.One 95 every now and then. I am playing 1-2x a week which seems to be enough to at least not get worse. I've found that even at lower tension the six.one has a much shallower launch angle than the blade, but once adjusted for that, I do still love both. But over the course of a set or two, chances of success and joy are much higher with the Blade.

I've been trending upwards on string tension and am playing both frames at 52 lbs with 16l confidential. Shoulder pain seems to have mostly subsided.

So I've been on and off with the blades for 3 years now and it's looking like I may be sticking with them for the remainder of the decade. Interestingly, my wife now also prefers playing a Blade over her 2013 Aeropro. Hopefully can pickup a few V8's soon, but doesn't seem like anyone is selling theirs...
 
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