Slazenger "Professional" woodie ..does anyone have any info on dates,etc?

[Backspin to the Future]

I recently picked up a nice example having only recently been aware of the model -a butcherd example on E*** which had the strings replaced by a mirror.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_qXHYGqVemNeMS0DJVp0jPVFzAl9UoQ7/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rpi8gcnXCKSUeYpWsk1Er6qsaE8VXDhx/view?usp=sharing

I think it probably dates to the late 70`s or early `80`s.
The black lines within the laminations would suggest maybe graphite strengthening.
I know Slazenger updated the Challenge no.1 to become the Challenge 100 model and they did that also in graphite variants .
I`ve never seen anyone on a court using a "Professional" though or seen any in advertising or for sale in sports shops.
Presumably they had a pretty short production life as graphite/composites and aluminium move in to replace wood.
Any info much appreciated

 

[Grafil Injection]

There were quite a few versions of the Professional over the years from at least the 60s to the early 80s, and probably before. Your one is late 70s / early 80s I believe. It's a bit of a strange racket because given the name and the style it does at first look like a high-end stick, particularly with the unpainted shoulder reinforcement, but I'm fairly sure it was low-mid range. In particular if you look at the handle joining pieces and the name stencil, they always seem to be slightly roughly finished. You wouldn't get that if it were part of the premium range. I suspect it was top of the range Walmart, rather than bottom of the range sports-shop, because you rarely see it listed alongside the Challenges, Phantoms or the various autographed models etc. I think the black lamination is the vulcanised fibre that typically sits between the outer maple and inner ash layers.

 

[Backspin to the Future]

There were quite a few versions of the Professional over the years from at least the 60s to the early 80s, and probably before. Your one is late 70s / early 80s I believe. It's a bit of a strange racket because given the name and the style it does at first look like a high-end stick, particularly with the unpainted shoulder reinforcement, but I'm fairly sure it was low-mid range. In particular if you look at the handle joining pieces and the name stencil, they always seem to be slightly roughly finished. You wouldn't get that if it were part of the premium range. I suspect it was top of the range Walmart, rather than bottom of the range sports-shop, because you rarely see it listed alongside the Challenges, Phantoms or the various autographed models etc. I think the black lamination is the vulcanised fibre that typically sits between the outer maple and inner ash layers.

Thanks very much for the info Grafil.
The finish on the racket seems very good ..rounded corners on the shaft ,string savers at bottom of throat,decals look good in the flesh (and under varnish)
The racket doesn`t say "Made in England " anywhere though- so it may well have been made in the Far East for a non U.K. market which would help explain why I had only discovered it recently.
We didn`t have Walmart in the U.K back then but the nearest equivalent was probably Woolworths but I never saw anything remotely as classy as this in the store.
My first woodies bought as a young teen were from local independent sports shops or major department stores such as Debenham`s.
It seems slightly odd that vulcanised fibre (or graphite if that`s what it is ) is not mentioned on the racket as I`d have thought that might aid sales to keener players.
It`s a handsome stick and I`m happy to add it to collection.
I`ll give it a hit tomorrow and see how the strings have held up.
I recently got a Challenge No.1 re-strung with synthetic gut and it has made it really nice to play with again.

 

[Grafil Injection]

Thanks very much for the info Grafil.
The finish on the racket seems very good ..rounded corners on the shaft ,string savers at bottom of throat,decals look good in the flesh (and under varnish)
The racket doesn`t say "Made in England " anywhere though- so it may well have been made in the Far East for a non U.K. market which would help explain why I had only discovered it recently.
We didn`t have Walmart in the U.K back then but the nearest equivalent was probably Woolworths but I never saw anything remotely as classy as this in the store.
My first woodies bought as a young teen were from local independent sports shops or major department stores such as Debenham`s.
It seems slightly odd that vulcanised fibre (or graphite if that`s what it is ) is not mentioned on the racket as I`d have thought that might aid sales to keener players.
It`s a handsome stick and I`m happy to add it to collection.
I`ll give it a hit tomorrow and see how the strings have held up.
I recently got a Challenge No.1 re-strung with synthetic gut and it has made it really nice to play with again.

Yeah, I use Walmart to help our US friends understand it's not a racket-shop stick. I would think it was more Debenhams than Woolworths for sure, possibly some racket-shops, but it was never the sort of stick a Pro would be using. Another clue is the use of the wide leather grip that only wraps about 5 times around the shortish handle, rather than the 8-9 wraps of the better Slazenger/Dunlop leathers, on your Challenge for example. Actually, I think that's the best indicator, as they did a good job in the other design areas.

Fibre layers were virtually mandatory in all levels of sticks from the 1950s onwards. Sometimes you can see them easily, other-times they are hard to spot.

I agree it's a great looking stick, in particular the beech shoulders, and not bad to play. It does seem to be manufactured in Asia (possibly Japan like the Royal Crown), but was certainly sold in the UK; I've see adverts from the mid-70s. If I remember correctly, it was around £10-14 when top wooden sticks were £25-30 (and the Phantom graphite was £170!!!). Your Challenge should feel a little more solid with its walnut lamination and throat, but it would be very hard for anyone to tell the difference today, since we can't hit the sweet-spot like a decent 1970s player.

 

[Backspin to the Future]

Yeah, I use Walmart to help our US friends understand it's not a racket-shop stick. I would think it was more Debenhams than Woolworths for sure, possibly some racket-shops, but it was never the sort of stick a Pro would be using. Another clue is the use of the wide leather grip that only wraps about 5 times around the shortish handle, rather than the 8-9 wraps of the better Slazenger/Dunlop leathers, on your Challenge for example. Actually, I think that's the best indicator, as they did a good job in the other design areas.

Fibre layers were virtually mandatory in all levels of sticks from the 1950s onwards. Sometimes you can see them easily, other-times they are hard to spot.

I agree it's a great looking stick, in particular the beech shoulders, and not bad to play. It does seem to be manufactured in Asia (possibly Japan like the Royal Crown), but was certainly sold in the UK; I've see adverts from the mid-70s. If I remember correctly, it was around £10-14 when top wooden sticks were £25-30 (and the Phantom graphite was £170!!!). Your Challenge should feel a little more solid with its walnut lamination and throat, but it would be very hard for anyone to tell the difference today, since we can't hit the sweet-spot like a decent 1970s player.

Thanks for the additional insight.
I had no idea the Phantoms were so expensive when new.
I`m lucky enough to have two..one of which I had restrung a was playing with last month..I prefer if slightly to the Max 200G...which may sound blasphemous to some ears -but I think it has slighly better feel .
Thehead size still dinky by todays standards though

 

[Grafil Injection]

Thanks for the additional insight.
I had no idea the Phantoms were so expensive when new.
I`m lucky enough to have two..one of which I had restrung a was playing with last month..I prefer if slightly to the Max 200G...which may sound blasphemous to some ears -but I think it has slighly better feel .
Thehead size still dinky by todays standards though

Yeah, I was referring to the first graphite Slazenger Phantom from 1975, which is high 60s RA. All graphites from then were £150+ as it was completely new tech. The Phantom IMF, which I assume you are talking about, from 1986, was the same price as a the 200G, £70-80. I agree with you about the exquisite feel of that.