Next Generation of Pro Staff is Here; Pro Staff RF 97 Review

apologies to everyone for neglecting this thread for last few days, but have been busy. Was contacted to string for Team Israel at this weekends Davis Cup match against Team Argentina. I've stung at a lot of pro tournaments but have to say it's pretty cool to string for a Davis Cup Tie. Anyways......

PeterFig said:
The only box beam Pro Staff for 2015 (and remainder of 2014) will be the 95S with the new cosmetic. I think Drakulie you maybe can attest to the fact that the new RF97 frame still has a lot of the feel of the old Pro Staff 90's ... and that is due to the fact it shares the same braided graphite + kevlar construction despite having a bit different frame geometry.
Click to expand...

thanks for the update. Yes, I agree with you that this new frame retains a lot of the feel associated with the pro staff line.
 
drakulie said:
apologies to everyone for neglecting this thread for last few days, but have been busy. Was contacted to string for Team Israel at this weekends Davis Cup match against Team Argentina. I've stung at a lot of pro tournaments but have to say it's pretty cool to string for a Davis Cup Tie.
Click to expand...

At first I thought "Wow! They flew him to Israel to string racquets!".




Then I remembered the tie had been moved to Florida...
 
...not that stringing for a Davis Cup tie isn't cool, but being flown to Israel to do it would have been really cool.
 
drakulie said:
apologies to everyone for neglecting this thread for last few days, but have been busy. Was contacted to string for Team Israel at this weekends Davis Cup match against Team Argentina. I've stung at a lot of pro tournaments but have to say it's pretty cool to string for a Davis Cup Tie. Anyways......



thanks for the update. Yes, I agree with you that this new frame retains a lot of the feel associated with the pro staff line.
Click to expand...

Congratulations and very well deserved!!!
Still waiting to try the RF97. This is worse than waiting for Christmas morning as a little kid!
 
kaiser said:
Can anyone compare how the RF97A plays relative to the Dunlop 4D200 Tour?
Click to expand...

I haven't tried the RF97A yet, but I've used Dunlop 4D200 Tour a lot in the past. Swingweight/mass wise they are similar, the 4D200 Tour is a touch heavier. The RF97A is way stiffer, has more power, and more spin potential. 4D200 Tour has better control, directional control, more plush, more plowthrough.
 
yangster007 said:
I haven't tried the RF97A yet, but I've used Dunlop 4D200 Tour a lot in the past. Swingweight/mass wise they are similar, the 4D200 Tour is a touch heavier. The RF97A is way stiffer, has more power, and more spin potential. 4D200 Tour has better control, directional control, more plush, more plowthrough.
Click to expand...
Huh? How can you know these things without trying it? Are you psychic? LOL :)
 
Hey Drakulie

Is your RF97 more comfortable than your H22?

Reason I'm asking is that I've been having some elbow soreness recently with my H22 following my longer than usual practice sessions that I've been having recently.

Thanks!
 
iceman_dl6 said:
Hey Drakulie

Is your RF97 more comfortable than your H22?

Reason I'm asking is that I've been having some elbow soreness recently with my H22 following my longer than usual practice sessions that I've been having recently.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Stop using poly strings and your elbow will feel a lot better.
 
iceman_dl6 said:
Hey Drakulie

Is your RF97 more comfortable than your H22?

Reason I'm asking is that I've been having some elbow soreness recently with my H22 following my longer than usual practice sessions that I've been having recently.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

It's more comfortable in the sense that it is a more open pattern, and is 9pts head light. That said, my h22 has a 58 flex strung, although it plays much stiffer than the rating, and ironically, the RF97A plays softer than it's rating would suggest. At impact, they both feel very similar.

Sucks about your elbow. Have you been playing more?? Playing with dead balls?? anything in your routine that has changed??
 
Geoff said:
Congratulations and very well deserved!!!
Still waiting to try the RF97. This is worse than waiting for Christmas morning as a little kid!
Click to expand...

Thanks!! Its pretty exciting stringing for a Davis Cup match, and being asked to string exclusively for one of the teams.

I feel you in regards to the wait for the frame. Be patient, and make sure to post your thoughts. I'm especially interested in reading your review because you are a long user of the pro staff line, and also because you have recently began playing with the h22. So am interested in hearing how you feel about the h22 and rf97a in a side-by-side comparison.
 
drakulie said:
It's more comfortable in the sense that it is a more open pattern, and is 9pts head light. That said, my h22 has a 58 flex strung, although it plays much stiffer than the rating, and ironically, the RF97A plays softer than it's rating would suggest. At impact, they both feel very similar.

Sucks about your elbow. Have you been playing more?? Playing with dead balls?? anything in your routine that has changed??
Click to expand...

Yes, i've been hitting way more recently. I think that's the reason. Also since my H22 is the open patterned one, the RA I believe is 64, but like you said H22s always plays stiffer than the rating.

Concerning my elbow, it's way better today (actually almost perfect thank goodness!). I might change the strings to see if gets more comfy.
 
souledge said:
But then he loses the spin.......

SPIN!
Click to expand...
Is spin worth permanently damaging your elbow? I don't think so.

Connors won 109 ATP singles tournaments without any spin at all. :)

And Lendl won 94 ATP singles tournaments with hardly any spin at all. :shock:
 
drakulie said:
Thanks!! Its pretty exciting stringing for a Davis Cup match, and being asked to string exclusively for one of the teams.

I feel you in regards to the wait for the frame. Be patient, and make sure to post your thoughts. I'm especially interested in reading your review because you are a long user of the pro staff line, and also because you have recently began playing with the h22. So am interested in hearing how you feel about the h22 and rf97a in a side-by-side comparison.
Click to expand...

I will do a full review including the comparison to the H22. Should be interesting since the drill patterns are similar on my H22 and the RF97. I'll also include specs.
 
Geoff said:
Hello Iceman

What drill pattern do you have on your H22? Is it like the RF97 or the 16x19 Blade 98? I actually have both.
Click to expand...

Here's a pic: (That's a pic when I used Sonic Pro Edge. Didn't like the string since it was too thick for my liking)

5d8ig5.jpg
 
yangster007 said:
I haven't tried the RF97A yet, but I've used Dunlop 4D200 Tour a lot in the past. Swingweight/mass wise they are similar, the 4D200 Tour is a touch heavier. The RF97A is way stiffer, has more power, and more spin potential. 4D200 Tour has better control, directional control, more plush, more plowthrough.
Click to expand...

This is indeed how conventional wisdom would have it, given the specs of both sticks. However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so:

Has anyone had a chance to hit with both the RF97A and the 4D200 Tour and can give a comparison? Eg, is the RF97A easier to swing, does it allow easier spin, power, etc?
 
kaiser said:
This is indeed how conventional wisdom would have it, given the specs of both sticks. However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so:

Has anyone had a chance to hit with both the RF97A and the 4D200 Tour and can give a comparison? Eg, is the RF97A easier to swing, does it allow easier spin, power, etc?
Click to expand...

I played some of my best tennis with the 4d200 Tour but after 3-4 tournament matches (4.5) my arm was dead.

I am hoping the RFA is more headlight thus easier to swing and maybe I can get back into the 12+ oz rackets.

My 4d200 Tours were 12.8-.9 oz's and they were only 4-5 pts HL in stock form so I'm guessing that was a beast SW.
 
First Review

Yesterday I had the opportunity to hit with the new RF97A and here's my best attempt at a review. Side note, the short version of how this came about is that one of the guys I play with regularly is very close friends with someone who has strong philanthropic ties to Federer and recently received the new racquet from the GOAT during a dinner the two had together in NYC. He then lent it to my hitting partner for a few days who in turn let me play with it when we hit yesterday.

Before I get too far into this, I think it’s worth mentioning that I currently play with the KFactor Pro Staff 88 (and have been since 2009). I did dabble a bit with the Blade 93 (stock form) and really liked it, but ultimately couldn't switch because what I gained in forehand racquet head speed, I lost in depth on my backhand, steadiness at the net and heaviness on my serve. I am in my early 30’s, I play more singles than doubles, although I enjoy both. I play a serve and volley style game. And I play USTA 4.5 in Nor Cal.

Anyway, back to the review. The racquet was strung up the way Fed supposedly has it - that's Natural Gut in the mains and Luxilon 4G in the crosses at 56/57lbs. After warming up with it, we played two sets over two hours and here’s what I thought.

Weight: Right away it felt good in the hands. I know that I play with a heavy racquet already, but I do not share TW reviewers' overwhelming view that the racquet is too heavy for the broader tennis playing public. Yes, it’s on the heavier side of the spectrum but anyone who was comfortable playing with previous iterations of the pro staff or 6.1's (which at one point was huge number of players) will not find this racquet overwhelming. The balance/swing weight result in a racquet that is much more maneuverable than my kfps88. With my kfps88, I am forced to get into position early and extend the length of my strokes on every shot. Hitting hard topspin forehands on the run (especially stretched out wide) are very hard with kfps88 because it’s difficult to maneuver. That is not the case with the RF97A. And as a result the access to spin is huge.

Spin: When hitting from the baseline you really get a sense that this racquet was built for Fed. If you emulate his shot style, hitting the forehand way out in front with a semi-western grip and following through across the body, thereby creating dramatic racquet head speed right before and at impact, then you will see truly splendid depth and power. The ball seems to catapult off the string bed and yet somehow there’s enough spin to bring it back to Earth just in time (most of the time). This style of forehand is not as easy to accomplish with the kfps88 - there’s no way to generate that sort of racquet head speed shot after shot because it’s just not as maneuverable as the RF97A. I also noticed that I could access more backspin with RF97A. I tend to approach behind a backhand slice cross court and when I did that with the RF97A, the ball stayed low and slid out a bit more dramatically than it does when I slice with my kfps88.

Power: One thing that I noticed right away is that the strings felt too lively for me. My kfps88’s are strung up with RPM Blast 18 gauge at 50lbs. Clearly to compensate for the increase in power from the larger hoop and frame of the RF97A, tension must be increased. Fed has supposedly increased his tension 8lbs or so. And if I were to string this racquet with the poly of my choice, I think I would also go up 5-6 lbs. That being said, Fed’s hybrid set up was too springy for me. I hit a number of balls that were 6-12 inches behind the baseline and I think that if I had a deader string set up (like all Poly) than I would have had a bit more control over the power.

Serve: The racquet is great on the serve. That’s where the weight helps but also the maneuverability is clutch. I was able to access some serious kick with the RF97A. I served balls that bounced much higher than they do when I use my kfps88 simply because it’s easier to maneuver the RF97A when coming over the top of ball. And that’s impressive because the grip size I typically use is 4 3/8 and the RF97A I played with was a 4 1/2 grip. That should have made it more difficult to flick, so I imagine with the smaller grip I could have generated even more kick. Crazy.

Volleys: This is what it’s all about. After playing with the racquet for two hours I am totally convinced that this racquet was built for Fed so that he could accomplish more at the net. While the power and spin may help his backhand a bit, I don’t think that he’s suddenly going to have better results against Nadal because he’ll be able to better withstand the barrage of high bouncing balls to his backhand. No. It isn’t a magic racquet. But the bigger head (and bigger sweet spot) make a huge difference up at the net. For those of you who come to net after you serve (not many of us anymore) than I’m sure you’ve had the experience of coming in on a powerful return. In that moment, it can be hard to hit the volley in the exact center of the sweet spot of your racquet. And 1-2 inches off center can make a huge difference in how dialed in your volley will be. Catching the ball a little too high in your string bed and the volley won’t have much depth or power, alternatively hitting too low in the string bed and you might see your volley fly long. If you’ve had this experience and you’re playing with a small sweet spot racquet like the kfps88, than you will notice right away that the RF97A is dramatically more forgiving at net. When your opponent strikes powerful and/or dipping passing shots, this racquets larger sweet spot increases your chances of hitting a good volley. Even if you’re off center by 1 or 2 inches the volley is still excellent. No exaggeration, this racquet is so amazing at the net that I could see myself getting one just for those games during doubles matches where my partner is serving. I know that sounds ridiculous but it really was awesome at net.

Conclussion: I think this racquet is going to be a great option for a lot of advanced players. If you’ve got the fundamentals down and have played with pro staff racquets in the past, this racquet will feel very evolutionary. It will provide you with a lot of the spin and power you’ve been on the receiving end of when hitting with friends who are using Babolat racquets, but not at the expense of the control you associate with pro staffs. I think this is because of the weight, but I don’t really know. Maybe it’s the PWS or balance or swing weight or a combination of all three. All I can assure you is that the power does not come at the expense of control. That said, there is a consequence, the racquet is stiff and less comfortable than I’m used to and that maybe the deal breaker for me. We shall see.

I hope you enjoyed the review and I hope you all get to hit with one soon.
 
^^^^^

Terrific review. Thanks!

Your review is consistent with what everyone else has said about volleying with the RF97A, i.e., it's amazing for hitting volleys. :)
 
I pre order the RF97 , and requested the Match Raquect Service, where they find simliar specs raquects.

And I got an email from TW saying they found similar unstrung raquects with this specs: 11.94, 9.5HL, 312SW

Which are way off from the specs printed on the frame.
 
cmendez79 said:
I pre order the RF97 , and requested the Match Raquect Service, where they find simliar specs raquects.

And I got an email from TW saying they found similar unstrung raquects with this specs: 11.94, 9.5HL, 312SW

Which are way off from the specs printed on the frame.
Click to expand...

Well the weight is pretty close... it's that balance that is waaaay off, swingweight will be off too probably.
 
Alcheck said:
Yesterday I had the opportunity to hit with the new RF97A and here's my best attempt at a review. Side note, the short version of how this came about is that one of the guys I play with regularly is very close friends with someone who has strong philanthropic ties to Federer and recently received the new racquet from the GOAT during a dinner the two had together in NYC. He then lent it to my hitting partner for a few days who in turn let me play with it when we hit yesterday.

Before I get too far into this, I think it’s worth mentioning that I currently play with the KFactor Pro Staff 88 (and have been since 2009). I did dabble a bit with the Blade 93 (stock form) and really liked it, but ultimately couldn't switch because what I gained in forehand racquet head speed, I lost in depth on my backhand, steadiness at the net and heaviness on my serve. I am in my early 30’s, I play more singles than doubles, although I enjoy both. I play a serve and volley style game. And I play USTA 4.5 in Nor Cal.

Anyway, back to the review. The racquet was strung up the way Fed supposedly has it - that's Natural Gut in the mains and Luxilon 4G in the crosses at 56/57lbs. After warming up with it, we played two sets over two hours and here’s what I thought.

Weight: Right away it felt good in the hands. I know that I play with a heavy racquet already, but I do not share TW reviewers' overwhelming view that the racquet is too heavy for the broader tennis playing public. Yes, it’s on the heavier side of the spectrum but anyone who was comfortable playing with previous iterations of the pro staff or 6.1's (which at one point was huge number of players) will not find this racquet overwhelming. The balance/swing weight result in a racquet that is much more maneuverable than my kfps88. With my kfps88, I am forced to get into position early and extend the length of my strokes on every shot. Hitting hard topspin forehands on the run (especially stretched out wide) are very hard with kfps88 because it’s difficult to maneuver. That is not the case with the RF97A. And as a result the access to spin is huge.

Spin: When hitting from the baseline you really get a sense that this racquet was built for Fed. If you emulate his shot style, hitting the forehand way out in front with a semi-western grip and following through across the body, thereby creating dramatic racquet head speed right before and at impact, then you will see truly splendid depth and power. The ball seems to catapult off the string bed and yet somehow there’s enough spin to bring it back to Earth just in time (most of the time). This style of forehand is not as easy to accomplish with the kfps88 - there’s no way to generate that sort of racquet head speed shot after shot because it’s just not as maneuverable as the RF97A. I also noticed that I could access more backspin with RF97A. I tend to approach behind a backhand slice cross court and when I did that with the RF97A, the ball stayed low and slid out a bit more dramatically than it does when I slice with my kfps88.

Power: One thing that I noticed right away is that the strings felt too lively for me. My kfps88’s are strung up with RPM Blast 18 gauge at 50lbs. Clearly to compensate for the increase in power from the larger hoop and frame of the RF97A, tension must be increased. Fed has supposedly increased his tension 8lbs or so. And if I were to string this racquet with the poly of my choice, I think I would also go up 5-6 lbs. That being said, Fed’s hybrid set up was too springy for me. I hit a number of balls that were 6-12 inches behind the baseline and I think that if I had a deader string set up (like all Poly) than I would have had a bit more control over the power.

Serve: The racquet is great on the serve. That’s where the weight helps but also the maneuverability is clutch. I was able to access some serious kick with the RF97A. I served balls that bounced much higher than they do when I use my kfps88 simply because it’s easier to maneuver the RF97A when coming over the top of ball. And that’s impressive because the grip size I typically use is 4 3/8 and the RF97A I played with was a 4 1/2 grip. That should have made it more difficult to flick, so I imagine with the smaller grip I could have generated even more kick. Crazy.

Volleys: This is what it’s all about. After playing with the racquet for two hours I am totally convinced that this racquet was built for Fed so that he could accomplish more at the net. While the power and spin may help his backhand a bit, I don’t think that he’s suddenly going to have better results against Nadal because he’ll be able to better withstand the barrage of high bouncing balls to his backhand. No. It isn’t a magic racquet. But the bigger head (and bigger sweet spot) make a huge difference up at the net. For those of you who come to net after you serve (not many of us anymore) than I’m sure you’ve had the experience of coming in on a powerful return. In that moment, it can be hard to hit the volley in the exact center of the sweet spot of your racquet. And 1-2 inches off center can make a huge difference in how dialed in your volley will be. Catching the ball a little too high in your string bed and the volley won’t have much depth or power, alternatively hitting too low in the string bed and you might see your volley fly long. If you’ve had this experience and you’re playing with a small sweet spot racquet like the kfps88, than you will notice right away that the RF97A is dramatically more forgiving at net. When your opponent strikes powerful and/or dipping passing shots, this racquets larger sweet spot increases your chances of hitting a good volley. Even if you’re off center by 1 or 2 inches the volley is still excellent. No exaggeration, this racquet is so amazing at the net that I could see myself getting one just for those games during doubles matches where my partner is serving. I know that sounds ridiculous but it really was awesome at net.

Conclussion: I think this racquet is going to be a great option for a lot of advanced players. If you’ve got the fundamentals down and have played with pro staff racquets in the past, this racquet will feel very evolutionary. It will provide you with a lot of the spin and power you’ve been on the receiving end of when hitting with friends who are using Babolat racquets, but not at the expense of the control you associate with pro staffs. I think this is because of the weight, but I don’t really know. Maybe it’s the PWS or balance or swing weight or a combination of all three. All I can assure you is that the power does not come at the expense of control. That said, there is a consequence, the racquet is stiff and less comfortable than I’m used to and that maybe the deal breaker for me. We shall see.

I hope you enjoyed the review and I hope you all get to hit with one soon.
Click to expand...

Interesting that you found it less comfortable the than kps. Never played with the kps but I have heard it is one of the stiffer version.
 
Alcheck said:
Weight: Right away it felt good in the hands. I know that I play with a heavy racquet already, but I do not share TW reviewers' overwhelming view that the racquet is too heavy for the broader tennis playing public. Yes, it’s on the heavier side of the spectrum but anyone who was comfortable playing with previous iterations of the pro staff or 6.1's (which at one point was huge number of players) will not find this racquet overwhelming. The balance/swing weight result in a racquet that is much more maneuverable than my kfps88. With my kfps88, I am forced to get into position early and extend the length of my strokes on every shot. Hitting hard topspin forehands on the run (especially stretched out wide) are very hard with kfps88 because it’s difficult to maneuver. That is not the case with the RF97A. And as a result the access to spin is huge.
Click to expand...

It's about time someone else echo what I've been saying all along. Anyone who's played a Pro Staff, or any other traditionally weighted players frame will not find it to be heavy. Those who are b****ing about the weight are the following:
1) Never played with a 12oz+ frame and have never attempted to even stick with one. Thus have no business with this RF97A to begin with, other than the fact that it's a "Fed" stick with a giant head.
2) Never played with a Pro Staff and have never attempted to even stick with one. And, having no business with this RF97A to begin with, other than the fact that it's a "Fed" stick with a giant head.

And yet, all these people b****ing about the weight are still going to waste their money because it's a "Fed" frame. If you like your frames to be lighter, there's nothing wrong with that. But don't whine about a frame that's out of your comfort level.
 
I have played with the KPS 88 and if this has the stability of the KPS 88 but is easier to swing and has the added benefit of a large sweet spot, then it's going to be a really good racquet.

As far as it being stiffer, using natural gut will fix that issue.
 
Got to swing one around at a local tennis store today. This isn't definitive by any means, but it felt easy to swing compared to my PSTs+leather, and PS90 with 2 overgrips.

That fits with the sentiments I've been seeing: it isn't heavy if you're used to using heavier sticks and letting the racket do the work

Definitely gonna pick one up as a "mess-around" stick. If anything, it will become a souvenir as Fed is one of my favorite players
 
Hey got your email. They said they wouldn't be getting the frames for sale until Oct 1st. The frames I was talking about above were the samplers they send to retailers


Sorry!
 
idono1301 said:
Got to swing one around at a local tennis store today. This isn't definitive by any means, but it felt easy to swing compared to my PSTs+leather, and PS90 with 2 overgrips.

That fits with the sentiments I've been seeing: it isn't heavy if you're used to using heavier sticks and letting the racket do the work

Definitely gonna pick one up as a "mess-around" stick. If anything, it will become a souvenir as Fed is one of my favorite players
Click to expand...
Was the RF97A strung when you swung it? Strings make a big difference in swingweight.
 
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