Hey all. I’m demo’ing a pro staff 97 v13 (not the RF) and 3 different hitting partners commented that it was a stiff racquet. Maybe they see it and assume it’s the RF model which is slightly stiffer? I don’t consider the racquet stiff and curious if others hear this comment from other Rec players as well?
I have two generations of this frame - the 2015/2016(?) version with a lot of red on the hoop and also last year's version with the red patches at 3/9 o'clock. I agree that these are moderately stiff, but not crazy rigid. I picked up a couple of 2nd hand Blade 98 16x19's from the 2015 generation that seemed to have an extra degree of softness compared with the PS 97's.
I also have a couple of Babolats in a loaner bag, including a Pure Drive and Pure Aero. Those are definitely a step up on the stiffness scale compared with my ProStaff 97's.
I typically play with Volkl C10's that have a little weight added to their handles. I get a supremely comfortable ride with my Volkls, both because of their extra heft and stability through the ball and also because they have a stiffness rating down around 63. C10's are known for having a bit of "hoop flex" that isn't typical with many other frames and this design aspect seems to give these particular Volkls an even softer personality than their stiffness ratings would indicate.
I only mention this because I'm sure that if my C10's were the only frames I used for a year of two and then I were to sample the PS 97, the Wilson would feel pretty stiff for me. Because the PS 97 has less inherent stability through the ball compared with the heavier RF 97, I'd bet that any comparison of those two frames would give the impression that the PS 97 is pretty stiff. Strung with a full bed of syn. gut at maybe 55 or 56 lbs. felt okay for me, but I tried one set up with a poly hybrid and that felt like a rock.