Prostaff 97 CV switch?

Bill W

Bill W

Rookie
I just finished demoing this racquet (coming from the 2015 PS97). I didn't have any problems with it, though it did seem a little soft. But to be honest, I don't know how much was the racquet and how much was the strings they put on it.

I am in my 50s, strike the ball pretty hard, and wondering if I'd be better off with a CV racquet at this point. But a week is not long enough to get a real good feel for it.

My question is for anyone who moved to the PS97 CV and has had it for a while, did you notice any change in your arm after using it for a while? (i.e. less soreness, less elbow pain, less discomfort, whatever).
 
Did you also demo the regular newer PS97? I recently demoed the PS97 CV also and thought it had nice feel just a little under powered for me. I have heard the regular version has more pop. I wanted to also demo the regular NON CV Version at the same time but TW had none available to demo at the time. For now I am sticking with my RF97 but may revisit demoing the regular PS97 version.
 
Not tried the prostaffs but I can say that the CV Blades are not as arm friendly as the 2015 Blades. So I'm not sold on the CV thing personally.
 
I did not demo the current PS97 because there is no demo available, but that would have been the plan. I don't know how different my current stick is compared to the newest ones.
 
Bill W said:
I just finished demoing this racquet (coming from the 2015 PS97). I didn't have any problems with it, though it did seem a little soft. But to be honest, I don't know how much was the racquet and how much was the strings they put on it.

I am in my 50s, strike the ball pretty hard, and wondering if I'd be better off with a CV racquet at this point. But a week is not long enough to get a real good feel for it.

My question is for anyone who moved to the PS97 CV and has had it for a while, did you notice any change in your arm after using it for a while? (i.e. less soreness, less elbow pain, less discomfort, whatever).
Click to expand...
I haven't tried the PS97 CV but it seems that all the feedback from the customers/ users is positive, even though the TW testers were ho-hum.
 
Bill W said:
I just finished demoing this racquet (coming from the 2015 PS97). I didn't have any problems with it, though it did seem a little soft. But to be honest, I don't know how much was the racquet and how much was the strings they put on it.

I am in my 50s, strike the ball pretty hard, and wondering if I'd be better off with a CV racquet at this point. But a week is not long enough to get a real good feel for it.

My question is for anyone who moved to the PS97 CV and has had it for a while, did you notice any change in your arm after using it for a while? (i.e. less soreness, less elbow pain, less discomfort, whatever).
Click to expand...

I'm early 50's also. I like mine enough that I'm finally going to settle on a racquet (for now) and order a second one. I have mine leaded up both top and bottom to increase the overall weight to near RF97 mass, so it's like a softer version of that stick.

Had arm pain before I got the 97CV and it's pretty much gone now, to the point where I'm trying out poly/multi string hybrids again. Between the increased mass and livelier string bed, I get plenty of power and some additional spin.
 
I demoed the CV PS97 last night. My current racquet is the regular PS97. The CV is very muted. It's like hitting with a pillow. Not a bad thing but definitely different. I like how fast the racquet swings but it's probably due to the fact my current PS97's have a leather grip adding around 10 grams. Gonna hit with a few more times and see. i might just take the leather's of my current racquet's as I'm liking the lighter weight.
 
Moved to the 97CV from the DR98 around November time. I had been using the DR98 previously as I was having shoulder and wrist issues with stiffer frames/strings.

The DR98 allowed the shoulder to heal and the wrist is good now as well, not 100% but neither affect my game anymore. My main issue with the DR98 was that mid swing adjustments felt cumbersome, the racket's profile felt good at the baseline, but not so mid-court and around the net

Moving forward to the 97CV and I dont think I could find a better racket for myself, it does everything the DR98 did but sacrificed easy power for some incredible access to angles, touch and mid-court put-aways. And its still soft enough that none of my issues have returned.

I haven't tried the 97 in normal (non-CV) spec, but I dont feel the 97CV is lacking anything for me - i haven't even customised it or added any weight, just don't feel it needs it.

The CV is muted and feels soft around the centre, but not as muted as the DR98. You get a great feel though the handle, just takes time to adjust to it. I now am playing the best tennis I ever have.
 
I am currently using the PS97cv and am liking it alot. But to me, it is very string sensitive. I feel that if you use dead poly, then the whole thing feels a little too dead. And, I can see what people are talking about. But, if you play with a more lively string, then it makes for a great combination.

Currently I use gut and lux Ali power rough, or a full bed of Iso speed cream.
 
I’ve used both non cv and cv and to be honest I couldn’t tell that much difference. Maybe the cv is a tad more muted, but only slightly for me anyway. I could switch back and forth between the 2 no problem.
 
I think that if you are used to playing with a string based vibration dampener - the feel is something you can get used to very quickly. If you like the feel of a racket without a vibration dampener - then it will take a bit.

I actually still use a rubber band on the CV as well.
 
My son did not like the PS97 CV. He said it felt dead. He has played with the PS97 rackets for several years and we felt it was time to replace them. I figured they are probably getting dead at this point with the amount of times they have been restrung. They are 3-4 years old. That said he demoed the CV version of the PS97 and said it felt more dead than what he has now. I am about to get the regular version while they are still available. The regular versions are no longer listed in the Wilson catalog. The Wilson custom racket site only list the PS in CV as well.
 
gplracer said:
My son did not like the PS97 CV. He said it felt dead. He has played with the PS97 rackets for several years and we felt it was time to replace them. I figured they are probably getting dead at this point with the amount of times they have been restrung. They are 3-4 years old. That said he demoed the CV version of the PS97 and said it felt more dead than what he has now. I am about to get the regular version while they are still available. The regular versions are no longer listed in the Wilson catalog. The Wilson custom racket site only list the PS in CV as well.
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Here is the non countervail version on TW:
http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Wilson_Pro_Staff_97_Black/descpageRCWILSON-PS97BK.html
 
I have PS97 CV. It is a solid racquet with no weaknesses. Last week, I played with my friend’s PS97 red. It felt outright horrible to me: incredibly stiff, no feel, very low power. That was even more surprising considering it was freshly strung with a multi (Tecnifibre mutifeel 17). I string my own PS97 with full poly (although soft poly). There was night and day difference between the two. I also have RF97A, all black. It is much more similar to the black CV version, than to the red one. I would not pay more than $20 for the red one...

About the feel:
Racquet that I would consider “lively” is Volkl c10 pro or Wilson PS 6.0 95.
Racquet that I would consider “dead” is old Wilson hyper hammer 5.3 (RA 72).
PS97CV is neither of those. Visually, It is a third point in the triangle. I’d call it “dampened”. Other racquets along this direction are Donnay Pro One. They are certainly not lively, but they are certainly not dead. It’s a completely different feel. Foam-filled racquets produce this feel, or to a lesser degree, playing with a gigantic dampener.
 
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Interesting you found the red version to have less power since the reviewers and practically everyone here has and opposite experience. Maybe the red one had something wrong with it.
 
gplracer said:
Interesting you found the red version to have less power since the reviewers and practically everyone here has and opposite experience. Maybe the red one had something wrong with it.
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If you look at the TWU specs on the two frames they are drastically different specs. Could have something to do with the reviews. Wilson QC baby!
 
I noticed that the CV PS97 had a lower power rating and that the 2106 PS97 has a higher power rating than the older PS97. The power rating of the 2016 PS97 was close to the RF97.
 
PS97cv has more flex and damped feel. So it sure "feels" like less power. Stiffness is a main contributor to power. And, tennis arm injury.

I tried the PS97 and it felt really stiff and uncomfortable to me. Far worse than my RF97's, which if I could really wield it, would be my preference .
 
The RF97 is stiffer than the PS97 but the weight absorbs so much shock. The RF97 is butter smooth but not as manuevable.
 
Here’s some stats from TWU just to shed light as to why their reviews may have also been biased to the non cv version-

Pro staff 97(2016)
Weight-330g
Balance-32.5cm
Swing weight-326
Flex-68
Twist weight-14.9

Pro staff 97 CV
Weight-327
Balance-32.1cm
Swing weight-303???????????
Flex-65
Twist weight-13.8
 
The flex rating of 68 is interesting. The spec is supposed to be 65. That would make a difference in power. Besides the weight that is part of the reason the RF97 has so much power.
 
I switched to the PS97 CV since I tweaked my elbow about a month ago. I am liking the softer feel. Mishits don't seem quite as harsh to me. I don't feel any real difference in power either. The only thing that worries me now is that the frame is on clearance at TW - what does that mean?
 
Bill W said:
I switched to the PS97 CV since I tweaked my elbow about a month ago. I am liking the softer feel. Mishits don't seem quite as harsh to me. I don't feel any real difference in power either. The only thing that worries me now is that the frame is on clearance at TW - what does that mean?
Click to expand...
I wouldn’t read too much into it. My guess is a new paint job is coming soon.
 
I really don't understand what Wilson is doing. The "new" CV version is on sale /clearance, but the noir series which is the PS97 non cv with a different paintjob is still full price.
Im using the black and red one , and am very confused whether to try and get more or go to cv or wait now haha
 
Jamesm182 said:
I really don't understand what Wilson is doing. The "new" CV version is on sale /clearance, but the noir series which is the PS97 non cv with a different paintjob is still full price.
Im using the black and red one , and am very confused whether to try and get more or go to cv or wait now haha
Click to expand...

Well we know that Wilson is releasing the new PJ RF97A in a few weeks time. So it is possible that Wilson will also be releasing a new PJ PS97CV at the same time.

The Noir PS97 non CV was released in January so I imagine Wilson will hold off on updating the PJ for that racquet for a while.

Wilson is probably trying to differentiate the PS97CV from the PS97. (Unless of course Wilson is going to drop the PS97CV altogether. Sad if it does, but I would be surprised.)
 
Has anyone seen the new PJ?
So just to get this straight , there will be two iterations of the pro staff , the "new" pj version and also the normal pro staff 97?
 
The new RF97 is black and has white on the sides at 3 and 9. There is also a version a PS97 with camouflage gray and white. I do not know if that will be offered in the RF97. I believe all of the PS97 iterations are CV. My pro tried to order me a PS97 without CV and was told that only certain accounts can get that racket and his account was not one of them. I ordered the regular PS97 from TW. It comes in today.
 
It is super confusing. All signs point to the non CV version being discontinued but yet it’s still available to some retailers? Its still on the Wilson site but not in the current catalog? Who knows.
 
gplracer said:
My son did not like the PS97 CV. He said it felt dead. He has played with the PS97 rackets for several years and we felt it was time to replace them. I figured they are probably getting dead at this point with the amount of times they have been restrung. They are 3-4 years old. That said he demoed the CV version of the PS97 and said it felt more dead than what he has now. I am about to get the regular version while they are still available. The regular versions are no longer listed in the Wilson catalog. The Wilson custom racket site only list the PS in CV as well.
Click to expand...
FYI I found a way to still customize the regular pro staff 97 on the Wilson site.
 
gplracer said:
Yes camouflage and white on the sides.
Click to expand...

The camouflage versions look horrible. I didn't really care for the gold accents Dimitrov was sporting at the French Open either. I guess the white accents would be ok, but I like it with the black accents the best.
 
JOSHL said:
It is super confusing. All signs point to the non CV version being discontinued but yet it’s still available to some retailers? Its still on the Wilson site but not in the current catalog? Who knows.
Click to expand...

Have you heard what they are replacing it with?
 
The PS97 CV is a great racquet, I tested all the PS97 versions from normal ones to even the autographed one, but I like the CV the most.

It has a nice unique feel slightly less stiff and more muted than the normal stiff PS97's, which is good, also less stress to ur arm, elbow and shoulder.

It has nice feel and touch, nice spin and good power, and I can place the ball well with it, it really has no real weaknesses for me, serves are nice as are volleys.

Im using a shaped poly main (Volkl V torque tour 17g) at 53lbs and smooth poly cross (Wilson Revolve 17g) at 51lbs and it plays wonderful!
 
PS97 came in today. I am anxious to see how it compares to the red PS97 that is 3+ years and has been strung countless times.
 
FiReFTW said:
The PS97 CV is a great racquet, I tested all the PS97 versions from normal ones to even the autographed one, but I like the CV the most.

It has a nice unique feel slightly less stiff and more muted than the normal stiff PS97's, which is good, also less stress to ur arm, elbow and shoulder.

It has nice feel and touch, nice spin and good power, and I can place the ball well with it, it really has no real weaknesses for me, serves are nice as are volleys.

Im using a shaped poly main (Volkl V torque tour 17g) at 53lbs and smooth poly cross (Wilson Revolve 17g) at 51lbs and it plays wonderful!
Click to expand...


I am going to give that string combo a try - as I have both. The first time I tried V Torque Tour on it, did not agree with me - but perhaps i have to try the revolve cross. Right now I am trying Vstar 17g full bed.

Any other string recommendations?
 
My son has used but in the Tonic in the mains and Solinco Tour Bite I’m the crosses. This combo will last up to a week or two. Synthetic in the mains lasts two days so we find the natural gut to be more economical. Recently he has had only Solinco HyperG (mains and crosses) and hecreally like that.
 
My son has used but in the Tonic in the mains and Solinco Tour Bite I’m the crosses. This combo will last up to a week or two. Synthetic in the mains lasts two days so we find the natural gut to be more economical. Recently he has had only Solinco HyperG
 
leejayh said:
I am going to give that string combo a try - as I have both. The first time I tried V Torque Tour on it, did not agree with me - but perhaps i have to try the revolve cross. Right now I am trying Vstar 17g full bed.

Any other string recommendations?
Click to expand...

No, this one is my favorite, I tried a few others and they were not good, try it and tell me how you like it, im really interested.
 
Strung the PS97 up with Solinco HyperG and put a Wilson over grip on it. It weighs 11.7. I figure that is about near the stated weight. I plan to hit with it later today or tomorrow at the latest.
 
Strung the PS97 up with Solinco HyperG and put a Wilson over grip on it. It weighs 11.7. I figure that is about near the stated weight. I plan to hit with it later today or tomorrow at the latest.
 
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