SpinToWin
Talk Tennis Guru
Having tested, played and customized several frames now, I feel that it is finally time for me to share my experiences with certain racquets. Let me add that I do not have access to RDCs or similar equipment, so do not expect accurate swingweight measurements, but only static weight and balance. I will update this thread whenever I learn something new or when I have played a racquet long enough to make an accurate review on it (more than just a short test). Let me add that I have played significantly more racquets, but that I did not play them long enough in order to make a detailed/useful review of them; however, enough to make comparisons to other racquets.
A bit about myself: I'm a 20 year old righty (male) and I play an all court game, including S&V, chip and charge, baseline play, etc. My level is around 5.0 NTRP. I am fairly short (1.70m) so I usually include a spin component in my serve and I especially like the kicker. I have a modern eastern forehand, which I hit both flat and with heavy spin, and a double handed backhand where the right hand holds the racquet with a continental grip and the left hand with an eastern.
Wilson BLX Pro Staff Six.One 95
Stock Review - In stock, the light weight and swingweight for such a type of racquet (thin beam and flexible) makes it quite flimsy outside the sweetspot and results in very low power. The 16x19 string pattern is very open (which is why I would recommend 16L gauge strings, with 17 gauge being the minimum and 16 gauge being the maximum) with the lowest cross string almost touching the throat; as a result, the racquet has plenty of access to spin. The feel is very plush and accurate and any shot in the sweetspot (which is kinda lowish in the racquet head) feels surprisingly stable (but be careful to hit that small sweetspot, which is quite literally smaller than that on a Pro Staff 85). Unfortunately, the racquet lacks plow and getting any depth on a shot is very difficult, unless you really rip every single shot (which is physically and mentally tiring). Topspin shots have the tendency to become sitters as the racquet is not moving through the ball enough and the same happens with kick serves (and serves in general, where there is a noticeable lack in power). Volleys are quite pleasant, but on hard passing shots, the area on which you can strike the ball in order to get any decent result shrinks down to the size of the ball.
Customization - As the stock review may suggest, this racquet really is begging to be leaded up and it makes me think that this racquet was designed as a platform racquet. Due to its lack of solidity, I added a leather grip, along with a Wilson Pro Overgrip for comfort and tackiness. This modification alone emphasized the need of lead in the hoop, as the racquet fluttered quite a bit on off center hits. What I found through several customizations is that this specific racquet needs some lead at 3/9 first. Only lead at 12 hardly increased the size of the sweetspot or the torsional stability, but upped the power quite significantly, which made the sweetspot seem like a hotspot in the center of the racquet, as anything remotely outside of it lacked pace and depth. Lead at 3/9 evened out the response and significantly increased the size of the sweetspot, which is quite large for a 95 square inch racquet IMO. After adding lead at 3/9, lead at 12 helped raise the sweetspot a bit and it added power and spin (IMO, I know there is much discussion on this aspect of customization). In its final form, this racquet offers pin-point accuracy and heavy spin from the baseline (while still giving good control on flatter shots), allowing big hitters to reign in their shots and hit big by taking a full cut at the ball without fear of it going long. Up at net the racquet offers great touch with its thin beam and pleasant flex, along with decent stability in order to put a shot away. At serve the racquet will lack some pace in comparison to other racquets, but spin serves (such as slice and kick) are very heavy and move a LOT.
My Personal Customizations - I added (as previously mentioned) a Wilson Leather Grip and a Wilson Pro Overgrip on top of that. I then added 5g of lead at 3/9 (5 inch strips of 1/4" lead on each side of the stringbed at 3 and 9). The next step is hard to convey as a guideline as it is quite different for my two racquets (quality control halleluja). One of my racquets needed 3g of lead at 12 and 6g of lead at the buttcap, whereas the other racquet needed 7g of lead at 12 in order for the racquets to be matched (the matching method used can be found here).
Final specs (strung with Pro's Pro Intense Heat Blue 1.25 @19kg): 356g static weight, Balance Point @ 31.4cm
Further Comments - This racquet and the newer Pro Staff 95 play almost identically, the only difference being that the newer version offers only slightly more power and stability (hardly a factor worth mentioning) and that it has a slightly crisper feel, whereas the older version feels more plush/muted. Keeping this in mind, you can use the review above for the newer Pro Staff 95 as well.
Head Youtek Prestige Pro
Stock Review - The relatively low swingweight in relation to the static weight makes this racquet solid, yet maneuverable. The feel is quite crisp and the sweetspot is small, partly due to the dynamic string pattern which is quite dense in the middle (8 strings in the throat). As with any Prestige Pro/MP, the advertised head size of 98 square inches is misleading as the racquet is a true 95 square inch racquet - and that's how (unforgiving) it plays. Control is the greatest aspect of this racquet and playing into small targets is quite easy. The dynamic open string pattern makes this racquet's response seem to be somewhere between a traditional 18x20 and 16x19 string pattern in all aspects (power, spin, control, etc.). Heavy spin can be played, but high racquet head speed is needed. The racquet rewards strokes which go through the point of contact rather than an exaggerated topspin stroke as commonly used with modern tweeners, as the latter will become a sitting duck or lands in the net most of the time. Given the right technique though, the racquet allows heavy hitting with great court penetration (less loopy shots). The small sweetspot makes good movement and preparation essential, especially since anything hit outside the sweetspot can feel tinny and jarring; however, the feel in the sweetspot is very crisp and accurate, rewarding good form with exceptional accuracy. Soft strings play better in this racquet as they open up the sweetspot and soften up the stiff response. On serve, the racquet offers good placement, power and decent spin. As with the groundstrokes, the result is only as good as your technique, as this racquet does not help you out much. Volleys are tricky due to the small sweetspot, since any shot outside it completely dies off, but any ball struck within it can be placed anywhere on the court with ease.
Customization - I tried several customizations of this racquet but nothing felt right. When adding weight in the hoop (3/9 and 12) and counterbalancing at the buttcap/handle, the response stiffened without the sweetspot growing much, which made the racquet very jarring to play with. I felt most comfortable with it in stock form, but I am open to any advice on good customizations for this racquet (maybe lead in the throat or silicone in the handle, the latter being something I've never tried?).
My final setup of the racquet was a full bed of Pro's Pro Blackout @20kg.
Head Youtek IG Prestige Pro
Stock Review - Even though the stock specs listed on the racquet are identical to those of the Youtek Prestige Pro, it seems that this particular racquet is slightly heavier than the Youtek version in general (as always, quality check FTW). The racquet is very solid, offering noticeably more stability and forgiveness than the Youtek version. The feel also is more plush and shots outside the sweetspot are much more pleasant/less jarring. There also is a noticeable increase in power, making this racquet easier to use if the increased weight can be handled. The drawback of the added forgiveness is a slight drop in accuracy, as hitting cleanly with the YT PP offers a more precise feel and more control. Groundstrokes are more penetrating and there is a larger margin for error, however, control still is the major attribute of this racquet, as it allows accurate placement all over the court (especially the backhand down the line is a joy to hit with this stick). As with the predecessor, how much spin you play depends entirely on your stroke and the racquet does not offer much help in this regard, however, high racquet head speed allows heavy spin. On serve this racquet is much more pleasant, since the added power and forgiveness comes with hardly any drop off in placement. The accuracy on serve is extremely good, allowing pin-point accuracy on flat, slice and kick serves (the power offered is not anywhere near that of a Pure Drive, so good placement is absolutely necessary, as it is hard to beat the opponent only with pace). Volleys are the area where this racquet really shines in comparison to the YT version. The added stability and forgiveness makes it considerably easier to volley and the plush feel inspires confidence to go for small targets. The added power also helps putting away a shot up at net.
Customization - As with the Youtek version, no modification I made ever felt right/better than the racquet in stock. If anybody has had success customizing the racquet, please share how and I will try it out.
My final setup of the racquet was a full bed of Pro's Pro Ichiban Spin @19kg.
A bit about myself: I'm a 20 year old righty (male) and I play an all court game, including S&V, chip and charge, baseline play, etc. My level is around 5.0 NTRP. I am fairly short (1.70m) so I usually include a spin component in my serve and I especially like the kicker. I have a modern eastern forehand, which I hit both flat and with heavy spin, and a double handed backhand where the right hand holds the racquet with a continental grip and the left hand with an eastern.
Wilson BLX Pro Staff Six.One 95
Stock Review - In stock, the light weight and swingweight for such a type of racquet (thin beam and flexible) makes it quite flimsy outside the sweetspot and results in very low power. The 16x19 string pattern is very open (which is why I would recommend 16L gauge strings, with 17 gauge being the minimum and 16 gauge being the maximum) with the lowest cross string almost touching the throat; as a result, the racquet has plenty of access to spin. The feel is very plush and accurate and any shot in the sweetspot (which is kinda lowish in the racquet head) feels surprisingly stable (but be careful to hit that small sweetspot, which is quite literally smaller than that on a Pro Staff 85). Unfortunately, the racquet lacks plow and getting any depth on a shot is very difficult, unless you really rip every single shot (which is physically and mentally tiring). Topspin shots have the tendency to become sitters as the racquet is not moving through the ball enough and the same happens with kick serves (and serves in general, where there is a noticeable lack in power). Volleys are quite pleasant, but on hard passing shots, the area on which you can strike the ball in order to get any decent result shrinks down to the size of the ball.
Customization - As the stock review may suggest, this racquet really is begging to be leaded up and it makes me think that this racquet was designed as a platform racquet. Due to its lack of solidity, I added a leather grip, along with a Wilson Pro Overgrip for comfort and tackiness. This modification alone emphasized the need of lead in the hoop, as the racquet fluttered quite a bit on off center hits. What I found through several customizations is that this specific racquet needs some lead at 3/9 first. Only lead at 12 hardly increased the size of the sweetspot or the torsional stability, but upped the power quite significantly, which made the sweetspot seem like a hotspot in the center of the racquet, as anything remotely outside of it lacked pace and depth. Lead at 3/9 evened out the response and significantly increased the size of the sweetspot, which is quite large for a 95 square inch racquet IMO. After adding lead at 3/9, lead at 12 helped raise the sweetspot a bit and it added power and spin (IMO, I know there is much discussion on this aspect of customization). In its final form, this racquet offers pin-point accuracy and heavy spin from the baseline (while still giving good control on flatter shots), allowing big hitters to reign in their shots and hit big by taking a full cut at the ball without fear of it going long. Up at net the racquet offers great touch with its thin beam and pleasant flex, along with decent stability in order to put a shot away. At serve the racquet will lack some pace in comparison to other racquets, but spin serves (such as slice and kick) are very heavy and move a LOT.
My Personal Customizations - I added (as previously mentioned) a Wilson Leather Grip and a Wilson Pro Overgrip on top of that. I then added 5g of lead at 3/9 (5 inch strips of 1/4" lead on each side of the stringbed at 3 and 9). The next step is hard to convey as a guideline as it is quite different for my two racquets (quality control halleluja). One of my racquets needed 3g of lead at 12 and 6g of lead at the buttcap, whereas the other racquet needed 7g of lead at 12 in order for the racquets to be matched (the matching method used can be found here).
Final specs (strung with Pro's Pro Intense Heat Blue 1.25 @19kg): 356g static weight, Balance Point @ 31.4cm
Further Comments - This racquet and the newer Pro Staff 95 play almost identically, the only difference being that the newer version offers only slightly more power and stability (hardly a factor worth mentioning) and that it has a slightly crisper feel, whereas the older version feels more plush/muted. Keeping this in mind, you can use the review above for the newer Pro Staff 95 as well.
Head Youtek Prestige Pro
Stock Review - The relatively low swingweight in relation to the static weight makes this racquet solid, yet maneuverable. The feel is quite crisp and the sweetspot is small, partly due to the dynamic string pattern which is quite dense in the middle (8 strings in the throat). As with any Prestige Pro/MP, the advertised head size of 98 square inches is misleading as the racquet is a true 95 square inch racquet - and that's how (unforgiving) it plays. Control is the greatest aspect of this racquet and playing into small targets is quite easy. The dynamic open string pattern makes this racquet's response seem to be somewhere between a traditional 18x20 and 16x19 string pattern in all aspects (power, spin, control, etc.). Heavy spin can be played, but high racquet head speed is needed. The racquet rewards strokes which go through the point of contact rather than an exaggerated topspin stroke as commonly used with modern tweeners, as the latter will become a sitting duck or lands in the net most of the time. Given the right technique though, the racquet allows heavy hitting with great court penetration (less loopy shots). The small sweetspot makes good movement and preparation essential, especially since anything hit outside the sweetspot can feel tinny and jarring; however, the feel in the sweetspot is very crisp and accurate, rewarding good form with exceptional accuracy. Soft strings play better in this racquet as they open up the sweetspot and soften up the stiff response. On serve, the racquet offers good placement, power and decent spin. As with the groundstrokes, the result is only as good as your technique, as this racquet does not help you out much. Volleys are tricky due to the small sweetspot, since any shot outside it completely dies off, but any ball struck within it can be placed anywhere on the court with ease.
Customization - I tried several customizations of this racquet but nothing felt right. When adding weight in the hoop (3/9 and 12) and counterbalancing at the buttcap/handle, the response stiffened without the sweetspot growing much, which made the racquet very jarring to play with. I felt most comfortable with it in stock form, but I am open to any advice on good customizations for this racquet (maybe lead in the throat or silicone in the handle, the latter being something I've never tried?).
My final setup of the racquet was a full bed of Pro's Pro Blackout @20kg.
Head Youtek IG Prestige Pro
Stock Review - Even though the stock specs listed on the racquet are identical to those of the Youtek Prestige Pro, it seems that this particular racquet is slightly heavier than the Youtek version in general (as always, quality check FTW). The racquet is very solid, offering noticeably more stability and forgiveness than the Youtek version. The feel also is more plush and shots outside the sweetspot are much more pleasant/less jarring. There also is a noticeable increase in power, making this racquet easier to use if the increased weight can be handled. The drawback of the added forgiveness is a slight drop in accuracy, as hitting cleanly with the YT PP offers a more precise feel and more control. Groundstrokes are more penetrating and there is a larger margin for error, however, control still is the major attribute of this racquet, as it allows accurate placement all over the court (especially the backhand down the line is a joy to hit with this stick). As with the predecessor, how much spin you play depends entirely on your stroke and the racquet does not offer much help in this regard, however, high racquet head speed allows heavy spin. On serve this racquet is much more pleasant, since the added power and forgiveness comes with hardly any drop off in placement. The accuracy on serve is extremely good, allowing pin-point accuracy on flat, slice and kick serves (the power offered is not anywhere near that of a Pure Drive, so good placement is absolutely necessary, as it is hard to beat the opponent only with pace). Volleys are the area where this racquet really shines in comparison to the YT version. The added stability and forgiveness makes it considerably easier to volley and the plush feel inspires confidence to go for small targets. The added power also helps putting away a shot up at net.
Customization - As with the Youtek version, no modification I made ever felt right/better than the racquet in stock. If anybody has had success customizing the racquet, please share how and I will try it out.
My final setup of the racquet was a full bed of Pro's Pro Ichiban Spin @19kg.
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