Thanks for that.. It does look good.. I take it that is your collection?.. I like the Winner that you added there also! Problem is, Becker never used it!..
What was the difference between the Boris Becker Winner and the G. Vilas aside from the paint job?
My first decent racket was a Becker Winner, which I bought from a mail order company found in the back of a tennis magazine in 1987 (I was 12 years old). I actually wanted the Becker Super like my older neighbor had, but it was $60 and after a long time of saving money from allowances and mowing lawns and such, I only had enough for the Winner ($40), and summer would be over if I waited until I could save 20 more dollars. I still have the racket, and though it is pretty beat up cosmetically, it is structurally sound. I still use it from time to time, but the grip is too small (it is 4 1/2" while I use 4 5/8" now).
I always wondered what the deal was with the bolt in the butt of the handle. Does anyone know? Obviously it doesn't change the length of the racket like with the Super, it is just an ordinary bolt which can unscrew out completely. Printed on the racket is "Power Control System 3". What are they talking about? If the Super's "Power Control System" is the ability to change the length of the racket, then how can the *lack of* the ability to change the length of the racket also be a "Power Control System"? And how does the bolt in the handle, which has no apparent function, tie into this?
Later on in the early 90's, when I was working and had more of money to spend on a racket, I wanted to get a Becker Super, but there were none to be found. So I went with the Estusa Power Beam, which was the same mold, but with a different graphite/fiberglass composition I assume. I never cared much for that racket, though I still have it. Now, it looks just like this one which was posted by chris_in_japan, including identical text markings in the same spots:
However, it has slight bulges in the frame at 3, 9, and 12 o'clock, while the one in chris_in_japan's picture doesn't appear to (neither do the original Puma frames of course). The bulges at 3 and 9 o'clock are labeled "Kinetic Stabilizer". Does anyone know what that is all about?
