No more Donnay pro ones? Donnay going out of business?

[Sander001]

Apparently the mold used for RF 97's is THE VERY SAME MOLD used for the Donnay Pro One 97 (16X19)… As part of the agreement (i.e. Wilson buying the rights / mold), Donnay USA had to stop making the frames (that's why you can't even find them @ TW anymore). And the "Xenecore" 16 X 19 is indeed a different racquet. I heard the story @ Indian Wells this year, from an agent who represents some Wilson players. Since this friend is NOT representing the top echelon of Wilson players, I wonder if there's any truth to that...

Racquet Name: Donnay Pro One 16x19
Head Size: 97 sq. in. / 626 sq. cm.
Length: 27.00 inches / 68.58 cm
Strung Weight: 11.50 oz / 326 g
Balance: 4pts HL
Swing Weight: 327
Beam Width: 21.5mm
Tip/Shaft: 21.5mm / 21.5mm
Composition: Xenecore
Power Level: Low-Medium
Stiffness: 64
String Pattern: 16 Mains/19 Crosses
Main Skip: 7H 9H 7T 9T
String Tension: 50-60

Racquet Name: Wilson Pro Staff 97 RF Autograph
Head Size: 97 sq. in. / 626 sq. cm.
Length: 27.00 inches / 68.58 cm
Strung Weight: 12.60 oz / 357 g
Balance: 9pts HL
Swing Weight: 338
Beam Width: 21.5mm
Tip/Shaft: 21.5mm / 21.5mm
Composition: Braided Kevlar & Graphite
Power Level: Low
Stiffness: 68
String Pattern: 16 Mains/19 Crosses
Main Skip: 7T,9T,7H,9H
String Tension: 50-60

Don't know if this confirms or disputes, but here are the tw specs.

 

[Bartelby]

Sounds implausible. It would make more sense if Wilson licensed the mold to Donnay and then revoked it when they developed their mold for Federer's use.

Apparently the mold used for RF 97's is THE VERY SAME MOLD used for the Donnay Pro One 97 (16X19)… As part of the agreement (i.e. Wilson buying the rights / mold), Donnay USA had to stop making the frames (that's why you can't even find them @ TW anymore). And the "Xenecore" 16 X 19 is indeed a different racquet. I heard the story @ Indian Wells this year, from an agent who represents some Wilson players. Since this friend is NOT representing the top echelon of Wilson players, I wonder if there's any truth to that...

 

[BreakPoint]

It's not rocket science to add PWS to an existing racquet design

Then it's no longer "THE VERY SAME MOLD" as previously stated.

Apparently the mold used for RF 97's is THE VERY SAME MOLD used for the Donnay Pro One 97 (16X19)… ..

 

[vsbabolat]

Apparently the mold used for RF 97's is THE VERY SAME MOLD used for the Donnay Pro One 97 (16X19)… As part of the agreement (i.e. Wilson buying the rights / mold), Donnay USA had to stop making the frames (that's why you can't even find them @ TW anymore). And the "Xenecore" 16 X 19 is indeed a different racquet. I heard the story @ Indian Wells this year, from an agent who represents some Wilson players. Since this friend is NOT representing the top echelon of Wilson players, I wonder if there's any truth to that...

The Xenecore 16x19 is the same as the Donnay Pro One 16x19. The mold of the Pro One 97 and the Wilson RF97 are not the same. The mold of the Pro One is very similar to the HEAD Ti. and i.Radical MP. :shock:

 

[TurkeySandwichOnRye]

I would like to BUMP this thread for an update as it's 2015...

I demo'd the Wilson PS97 and found similarities to my Donnay Pro One 16x19. Has anyone else compared these two frames?

 

[RollTrackTake]

I play with the Pro One 16x19 and recently I played with an RF97 for a day. Playing with the RF97 was a pleasant surprise. It is a lot heavier than the stock Pro One and feels a lot more solid. Those are the obvious points. Where I thought the RF97 was better than the Pro One was feel. Swinging the RF97 & making contact all felt fluid and natural. A lot of that is due to the weight & swing weight. But the feel when striking the ball I'm guessing comes from the graphite/Kevlar blend and structural makeup. Since I thought the weight was a major factor I went home and leaded my Pro One up to 12.2 oz. Swinging felt great but making contact still didn't have the same feel. The RF97 also had a better power level for me. I was hitting deep balls more consistently. I still overhit & send balls past the baseline more often than I like with the P1. All that being said I'm not switching racquets at this point. I can always strip weight off my Pro 1 when the summer comes and I'm playing a lot more. I still want to try the lighter Pro Staff 97 to see if it has the same magic as the heavier Federer version.