New arrival I.S.I. "Graphite Power 90" narrow beam composite -1980`s ?

[Backspin to the Future]

I`ve just taken delivery of this fairly handsome looking narrow beam racket from the auction site and wondered if anyone had any ideas on who produced it .
The pics are from the auction listing and are not very good I`m afraid.
I think I read in a post fairly recently (possibly posted by Grafil Injection ) that ISI was a U.K based mail order company rather than an actual manufacturer.
I vaguely recall seeing an advert featuring British veteran player Mark Cox in an advert for the company but I can`t find the post.

Racket weighs in at 373g with what appears to be a leather grip

The frame reminds me a bit of some of my old Pro Kennex rackets but the dimensions differ from the models I have.
No signs of country of manufacture or makers name.

Almost constant beam -17.5mm just above grip and 17mm at top of hoop.
The paint finish seems good quality with only a few minor chips.
The grommets look fine and the strings soud as though they have a bit of life in them so it`ll get a try out on court tomorrow.
I`m guessing a date of mid to late 1980`s -any info gratefully recieved

 

[kevin qmto]

Looks like a repainted Davis Esprit.

Not often you see an image of the frame painted onto the case it resides in.

 

[Backspin to the Future]

Looks like a repainted Davis Esprit.

Not often you see an image of the frame painted onto the case it resides in.

That`s true..that had completely escaped my notice even when I was clean both the racket and the case up

 

[retrowagen]

Unusual to see trebling on a graphite era frame.

 

[Backspin to the Future]

Unusual to see trebling on a graphite era frame.

Another point that had escaped me ..maybe it had a re-string at some point from an old school woodie stringer

 

[kevin qmto]

Unusual to see trebling on a graphite era frame.

For some reason I tend to see that on old 80’s graphite Yamaha frames that are from Japanese sellers on the bay.

 

[Grafil Injection]

Here's the advert I posted when I got the ISI Sovereign 2 woodie. If Mark did use the Graphite Power, I suppose it was a decent hit, although he was in retirement / coaching mode then. Clearly ISI sourced from Taiwan, but seem to focus mainly on solid mid-range sticks. There's been a Golden Sovereign on ukbay for a while, but £20 is just too much!

 

[Backspin to the Future]

Thanks for re-posting @Grafil
Do you know the other players name in the ad?
I`ve noticed the Sovereign but didn`t want to splash the cash.
I bagged the GP90 for £10 including postage

I think Mark may still have been playing if the racket is pre 1986 as I attended a pre-wimbledon grass warm up tournament in Bristol in 1986 and saw him there.
I didn`t see a match of his as I was more interested in other players games so I have no way of knowing if he used it as an active player-probably unlikely though
I remember seeing a young Jeremy Bates there (maybe Cox was his coach ? ), and was impressed by the very silky/graceful play a quite short Indian player -Ramesh Krishnan.
The great final was between Henri leconte and V.J.Amritraj - Amritraj taking the title.

 

[Grafil Injection]

Thanks for re-posting @Grafil
Do you know the other players name in the ad?
I`ve noticed the Sovereign but didn`t want to splash the cash.
I bagged the GP90 for £10 including postage

I think Mark may still have been playing if the racket is pre 1986 as I attended a pre-wimbledon grass warm up tournament in Bristol in 1986 and saw him there.
I didn`t see a match of his as I was more interested in other players games so I have no way of knowing if he used it as an active player-probably unlikely though
I remember seeing a young Jeremy Bates there (maybe Cox was his coach ? ), and was impressed by the very silky/graceful play a quite short Indian player -Ramesh Krishnan.
The great final was between Henri leconte and V.J.Amritraj - Amritraj taking the title.

Looks like Jonathan Smith using the Sovereign. GB No.3 at that time.

Mark was the UK Davis Cup coach in the early-mid-80s, and coached young Bates and others. Your Graphite Power is a healthy weight, which was probably like Cox's personal model coming from the wood era.

 

[Grafil Injection]

Just checked, and that magazine advert was from September 1982. A little earlier than I'd expected.

 

[Backspin to the Future]

Just checked, and that magazine advert was from September 1982. A little earlier than I'd expected.

Oh right, so it was fairly early for a graphite racket .
That might narrow down the number of companies that made it -possibly to one of the early pioneers/adopters

 

[Grafil Injection]

Oh right, so it was fairly early for a graphite racket .
That might narrow down the number of companies that made it -possibly to one of the early pioneers/adopters

The Sovereign 2 and Golden Sovereign woods look very much like Pro Kennex, so I guess the GP90 was too.