CalciferKuma
Semi-Pro
Steam 100/99 chew through strings pretty fast. I don't break strings either but there's already aggressive notching on my strings. Obviously loss of tension and control too.
Steam 100/Blade Pro 100
- Thread starter chazz
- Start date
@mistyl - Thanks for the additional playability feedback, and both you and @CalciferKuma, thank you for the string insights. Wouldn't figure the semi-centrally-dense 16x20 100 would be that much of a string eater, but perhaps it's the slight extension (which has you making contact a bit higher up, so more energy into the strings at that point), plus the firmness of the frame that transfers more bludgeoning force into the string bed, that combine to produce the higher-than-normal string wear?
Another couple hours with the 100 pro today and it's getting close to a switch, at least temporarily. Initially took the 2 grams from 3&9 off the hoop, but didn't feel quite as connected on my groundstrokes. Went to 1g at 12:00 and I think that's the setup for me. Felt like I could vary my shots much better, felt a bit easier to swing, and felt like I at least had the option to "wrist" a forehand or half volley if I was late or on defense. Volleys were rock solid. By far the best set up for serves as well. Can't remember the last time I've had as many aces as double faults in a set (even though it was only 2 each haha)
Another observation, I think the open grommets and extra string movement work with this racquet (at least IMO) due to the box beam throat and non-variable hoop. That's my best guess as to why I dislike them so much on racquets like the Extreme or Radicals. Or maybe the 100 Pro's layup just isn't as dampened as those frames, so the connected feel still comes through
Another observation, I think the open grommets and extra string movement work with this racquet (at least IMO) due to the box beam throat and non-variable hoop. That's my best guess as to why I dislike them so much on racquets like the Extreme or Radicals. Or maybe the 100 Pro's layup just isn't as dampened as those frames, so the connected feel still comes through
@gsinko1 - Great stuff.
A thought: perhaps 10 & 2 might be the goldilocks location for lead? Not quite as much of a twist weight penalty as 9 & 3, and you're literally bracketing the strike zone, so you're getting a bit more hitting weight around the place that matters most, versus just going with a bit at 12. Would be curious if it does anything for you. If not, then you do a quick revert to 1g at 12 and lock that in.
A thought: perhaps 10 & 2 might be the goldilocks location for lead? Not quite as much of a twist weight penalty as 9 & 3, and you're literally bracketing the strike zone, so you're getting a bit more hitting weight around the place that matters most, versus just going with a bit at 12. Would be curious if it does anything for you. If not, then you do a quick revert to 1g at 12 and lock that in.
I'll have to experiment with this next time I'm out. Would you recommend 1 gram or back to 2 grams since it will affect SW slightly less than 12:00?
I would go .75g on either side, so 1.5g total, then adjust from there. That would give you 0.75pts more SW than 1g at 12 (3.75sw points at 10 & 2, from the roughly 2.5x-per-1-gram multiplier at that location). So, very close.
If you're using the typical 0.25g/inch lead tape, that would mean four 1.5" strips. And I would center them on the crosses that get the highest wear, ie. right on the area where you hit the most. ie. Max hitting weight bang for your added SW and TW buck.
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I’ve been playing with the 26PA98 for the past month or so, but due to some wrist pain, I am demoing the BP100 since both have the 16x20 pattern. Both have the same strings and sw luckily, all stock. However I’m shanking a lot more with the blade, and also sometimes early. Does anyone have any recommendations on where to add lead to try to balance it out?
Big_Dangerous
Talk Tennis Guru
Anywhere you add weight in the upper hoop will increase swing weight, but 3 and 9 would be your best bet to minimize increasing swing weight but maximize increasing twist weight. Given that the BP100 is 10 grams lighter than the PA98, you may want to consider counter any weight added to the hoop by adding some in the handle.
Much like you, I have been hitting with the PA98 26 but haven’t hit with the BP100 yet. I ended up returning my Blade and grabbing a demo instead since I didn’t want to blind buy a racket and then end up not loving it. Hopefully I can get my demo in later this week.
mistyl
New User
My 2nd string setup (Otoro Tour Mains 50lb and Otoro Snap 48lb) have dropped to 29 DT again after 1 week, this time with only 5 hrs of hitting (singles rallies and practice points). This is particularly concerning because my experience with Mach 10 16L and Otoro Tour is that they hold tension well and have consistently lasted me 1-2 months (mixture of doubles and singles rallies/practice points) on my 305s. I've had Otoro Tour with Truffle X on one of the 305s for 20 hrs and its stil holding at DT 31.
The strings feel "ok" at DT 29, but the inconsistency is starting to creep in. Will hold out till this weekend and see if it drops even more. If its stabilized at DT 29, I think it just means I need to start at a higher tension. I string my own rackets, but don't want to be restringing every week.
I've got a reel of 4G Soft 16L coming, will try that next.
The strings feel "ok" at DT 29, but the inconsistency is starting to creep in. Will hold out till this weekend and see if it drops even more. If its stabilized at DT 29, I think it just means I need to start at a higher tension. I string my own rackets, but don't want to be restringing every week.
I've got a reel of 4G Soft 16L coming, will try that next.
@mistyl - Thanks for your continued observations on this phenomenon with the B100P.
One approach that may help: ala your 4G Soft idea, try a few physically-tougher, more controlled, lower-powered, more playability-stable co-poly's, at lower tensions. This will hopefully do two things: 1) give you a string that is physically more resilient to wear and 2) allow for less tension/DT loss available to begin with. The hope is that the combined effect could unlock enough playable longevity to make the B100P sustainable again.
That said, this actually brings into focus a select few newer co-poly's (like maybe Grapplesnake Tour M8, which is quite the workhorse), but mostly some of the more old-school, earlier-gen co-poly's, that, compared to a lot of the newer stuff, tend to be physically beefier (often to their simpler, denser formulations). 4G Soft is certainly one such option (even regular 4G, tensioned even lower). Others would include Head Hawk (and that's regular Hawk, not Hawk Touch, not Hawk Power), which is incredibly dent-resistant. Also potentially Kirschbaum Max Power. And if you really want to go planky, dead and physically impervious, Dunlop Explosive Speed — the highest tension-maintenance co-poly ever measured by TWU (but MAN is it an absolute dead board, even by 4G standards, so be extremely careful with tension if you try it).
Would be interested to get your take on any one of these, perhaps strung around 40-ish, maybe even into the 30's for the really firm stuff, and whether they offer enough initial and/or lasting playability.
One approach that may help: ala your 4G Soft idea, try a few physically-tougher, more controlled, lower-powered, more playability-stable co-poly's, at lower tensions. This will hopefully do two things: 1) give you a string that is physically more resilient to wear and 2) allow for less tension/DT loss available to begin with. The hope is that the combined effect could unlock enough playable longevity to make the B100P sustainable again.
That said, this actually brings into focus a select few newer co-poly's (like maybe Grapplesnake Tour M8, which is quite the workhorse), but mostly some of the more old-school, earlier-gen co-poly's, that, compared to a lot of the newer stuff, tend to be physically beefier (often to their simpler, denser formulations). 4G Soft is certainly one such option (even regular 4G, tensioned even lower). Others would include Head Hawk (and that's regular Hawk, not Hawk Touch, not Hawk Power), which is incredibly dent-resistant. Also potentially Kirschbaum Max Power. And if you really want to go planky, dead and physically impervious, Dunlop Explosive Speed — the highest tension-maintenance co-poly ever measured by TWU (but MAN is it an absolute dead board, even by 4G standards, so be extremely careful with tension if you try it).
Would be interested to get your take on any one of these, perhaps strung around 40-ish, maybe even into the 30's for the really firm stuff, and whether they offer enough initial and/or lasting playability.
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slal1984
Professional
I have been playing around with my string setup and feel i found the right string and tensionThat was from a week back.Ive put in about 6 more hours...and i have already committed to making the switch.
I generally always string my crosses 2 pounds lower (50/48), however with this frame i had to up my tension and go with 50/52 (Firewire/Ghostwire). This frame has a lot of easy power.
My backhand and serve was such a big improvement from a consistency standpoint that i am willing to give up that little extra heaviness on my forehand side when compared to my previous frame.
Tried
- Firewire/ghostwire (1.25/1.22) - 50/48
- O-toro spin/ghostwire (1.23/1.22) - 50/48
- Firewire/ghostwire (1.25/1.22) - 50/52
- Firewire/ghostwire (1.25/1.22) - 48/50
- Wasabi/ghostwire (1.23/1.22) - 50/48
- Firewire/ghostwire (1.25/1.27) - 50/48
Settled on
- Firewire/ghostwire (1.25/1.27) - 50/48
The thicker firewire cross helped me find the right balance between spin, power and control. I tried all these setups during match play and felt the most confident with Firewire/Ghostwire (1.25/1.27) at 50/48.
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@Trip took your advice and went with 1.5g at 10&2 today. Didn’t have a chance to hit serves today, but groundstrokes were disgusting with this set up. Reminded me if the balls I’d hit when I first got my 2015 pure drive tours and was actually in shape to swing it haha. Depth, height, and spin all while still having meaningful/offensive pace on the ball
mistyl
New User
@Trip - agree with your observations wrt newer co-polys. Unfortunately, I've not tried Grapplesnake strings solely due to cost. I'm based in Asia and my upper limit for strings is usually US$145/reel including shipping. Toroline's been the only exception so far because I got a few packs to try before I committed to reels. I only ordered the reel of 4G Soft this week because I found a deal on Amazon that brought it under my pricepoint, same with all the other strings I have.
Interesting point about Head Hawk though. I've strung Hawk Touch and Power for a friend, and found that even though they do a good job at maintaining tension, I've found that that they lose snapback pretty quickly. Can't say anything about playability though because the only Head string that I've used more than a couple of times is Lynx Tour, which again is fine, but preferred Hyper G, Otoro Tour and Mach 10. I know Confidential holds tension really well for me, but am afraid its a bit too stiff/boardy for the B100P. Might give it a try eventually.
I'm not averse to dropping tension, it will be one of the things I try eventually.
Interesting point about Head Hawk though. I've strung Hawk Touch and Power for a friend, and found that even though they do a good job at maintaining tension, I've found that that they lose snapback pretty quickly. Can't say anything about playability though because the only Head string that I've used more than a couple of times is Lynx Tour, which again is fine, but preferred Hyper G, Otoro Tour and Mach 10. I know Confidential holds tension really well for me, but am afraid its a bit too stiff/boardy for the B100P. Might give it a try eventually.
I'm not averse to dropping tension, it will be one of the things I try eventually.
slal1984
Professional
Yup, no foam.
tennisislife4622
Rookie
Folks that are adding weight, how stable is this in stock form? I am not a fan of tinkering with lead tape much, are yall adding it for plow through or stability purposes?
I am also in this camp. Given the .25 extra length I am trying to maintain a low swingweight and as much maneuverability as possible.
I've been experimenting with 1-2 grams of lead from 3&9, 12:00, and currently settled on 1.5g total at 10&2. The swingweight is around 322ish so it still swings pretty quickly & feels super stable. I didn't feel any lack of stability when I tried it without lead, but the bit of extra swingweight helps with a little plow and drive through the court. With no weight, my ball got a little loopy
slal1984
Professional
Mine came in around 318 SW stock. It felt light in stock form. when i say light, i was looking for more plow and stability.
So i added lead from the 5th cross down (~4g) to bring it to 326SW.
slal1984
Professional
agree, 10 and 2 seems to compliment this frame more than 3&9.
Grafil Injection
Legend
And how about inside the butt-cap? Any foam underneath the graphite?
mistyl
New User
No foam/silicone under the butt-cap.
mistyl
New User
Mine was 279 SW unstrung in stock form. Assuming +30 SW with strings, which is usually the case, 309 SW is too far away from what I'm used to, ~320 SW. I need that 320ish SW for plow.
The head protection tape stretching from 10 to 2 position (which I do on all my rackets) adds 3g and leaves me with a 325 SW.
WillGinRVA
Semi-Pro
I got +35 SW on mine from stringing with Yonex Polytour Pro 16.
WillGinRVA
Semi-Pro
I played with my Blade Pro 100 for the first time tonight. It was really nice and it's something I could see myself wanting to make work. I usually play with recent Speed Pro's, and compared to that, I'd say there's a lot more access to spin with the BP100, and my two handed backhand felt "normal", whereas the Speed Pro always feels like it's short (due to it's low-down sweetspot). I also like that the twistweight starts lower than the Speed Pro.
On my forehand I caught myself pinching my elbow in close to my body, I think to contain the power of the racquet. Or maybe to maintain my typical spacing. I'm not sure if that's something that just needs adjusting or what.
If the racquet doesn't work out for me at 27.25", I see myself cutting one down to 27" and giving that a try, as a stiffer Speed Pro with better feel and spin.
The only thing I don't really like is the red ring on the paintjob. I really wish they'd made it white or the mint green like the Wilson logo. The green is quite beautiful on its own but it plus the red just reminds me too much of Christmas. It actually makes me wonder if the PJ was designed in a country or culture where Christmas isn't very prominent lol.
On my forehand I caught myself pinching my elbow in close to my body, I think to contain the power of the racquet. Or maybe to maintain my typical spacing. I'm not sure if that's something that just needs adjusting or what.
If the racquet doesn't work out for me at 27.25", I see myself cutting one down to 27" and giving that a try, as a stiffer Speed Pro with better feel and spin.
The only thing I don't really like is the red ring on the paintjob. I really wish they'd made it white or the mint green like the Wilson logo. The green is quite beautiful on its own but it plus the red just reminds me too much of Christmas. It actually makes me wonder if the PJ was designed in a country or culture where Christmas isn't very prominent lol.
lukeuszlfc
New User
Does anyone play Wilson Blade 100 PRO with one handed backhand? Any opinions? Is it good for 1HBH?
Gao
Rookie
I play Steam 100 with OHBH and it's been great.
Big_Dangerous
Talk Tennis Guru
Got a demo of the 100 Pro that I plan to hit tonight so will report back on how it goes. Playing it stock since it's a demo, but so far I put an overgrip and a dampener and it's only like 318-319 grams, so pretty darn light with good room for customization. I have a ohbh, so will report on how it does on that wing.
mistyl
New User
Works fine with my OHBH. For me, rackets with balance 32.5cm or under would work for my OHBH. That should be quite easily achievable with this racket and minimal customization.
That being said, similar to the other retail Wilson "pro" rackets, this racket should be customized. Stock specs are playable, but adding a bit of weight to suit your game unlocks more performance.
I really don't feel the 1/4" stretch anymore and am amazed Wilson managed to keep the SW low.
Circa 1762
Rookie
I just demoed the new 100 and 100 Pro, along with the 104. All came from TW brand new, strung with what I assume was P6, so it was a good apples-to-apples comparison.
The 100 was the most linear. Good control, relatively low launch angle, spin was fine but probably below average compared to most rackets these days. On the ball machine, I could crush forehands with heavy, driving spin. In a match setting, though, when I didn’t have as much time to set up perfectly and make clean contact, it was much less effective. (YMMV - I’m only a 6.5 UTR; I like to say I have a USTA 4.5 forehand, 3.5 backhand, and 4.0 everything else.) It was actually my favorite of the bunch to hit with, but I prefer rackets with a bit higher launch angle and loopier spin, so I wouldn’t switch to it.
The 100 Pro was interesting. It had a low launch angle too, but more power and spin potential. The result was that I felt like I HAD to hit with spin to control the ball. It got a little wild on me. It still had good directional control, but I never quite dialed in the depth control. Cool frame, though, and worth demoing. Also interesting: the head shape is much more oval than the 100; it actually extends both above and below the ends of the 100 head, so the sweet spots on the 100 and 100 Pro are probably in roughly the same place even though the 100 Pro is a bit longer.
The 104 had a noticeably higher launch angle than the other two, and a bit more power. At first I thought it was giving me more (and loopier) spin, but I think it was just the higher launch angle. It serves bombs, and the head size is very forgiving, but it felt a little hollow and insubstantial even after I weighted it up. Still a good frame, but not for me.
FWIW, I also managed to snag the first demos of the new 98 16x19 and 18x20 a few weeks ago, also strung with P6. My favorites of the whole bunch were the 98 18x20 and the 100. I wish I was good enough to use the 98 18x20 - such a great feeling, direct racket, but it’s absolutely not the best racket for my game style.
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Tim Buktu
Rookie
That's useful feedback - thanks! The old Wilson 100 racquets often had elongated head shapes so I suspect the sweetspot of the 100 Pro will feel more like a 98 across 3-9 due to its 'oval' shape.
With the 100 Pro when you talk about depth control and having to hit with spin, do you mean that the racquet wants to elongate the trajectory of the ball otherwise it goes long? How difficult was it to hit short angles ie get the ball up and down over short distances? Harder than the 100?
WillGinRVA
Semi-Pro
Agzetabyte
Rookie
How do you find the directional and depth control compared to the speed pro. As well as the maneuverability.
Big_Dangerous
Talk Tennis Guru
I measured 13.1 on my Briffidi TW adapter, but I’m unsure of what poly is on my demo as I didn’t get it from Tennis Warehouse.
I also got 318 grams strung with an overgrip and a dampener, so definitely room for customization.
Although fwiw, I measured the Gravity MP demo I had and got the same static weight, but the Twistweight is 13.5. I also measured my unstrung VCore 100D that I haven’t decides if I’ll keep, and the Twistweight on that was a whopping 14.4 with just the carboard placard, so most likely once it’s strung, it’ll be a little higher.
WillGinRVA
Semi-Pro
Take this with a grain of salt because I haven't hit with it beyond that one match, but I'd say both directional and depth control seem good. The stringbed provides a lot of information back to your hand/arm. But I think I'd need more time to get fully calibrated to the extra length. That part is definitely noticeable compared to the Speed Pro, not in a bad or good way, just different.
Regarding maneuverability, I'd say the BP100 feels more maneuverable due to the lower twistweight and less weight in the throat compared to my 2025 Legend Speed Pros. The BP100 feels like you're carrying a lighter but slightly longer stick. Note however, I do have weight at 12 on my Speed Pros in order to get them to around 328 swingweight, which is the same as my BP100. So this isn't a comparison against a stock 2025 Legend Speed Pro which would have 315-320 SW.
Big_Dangerous
Talk Tennis Guru
Funny enough, I played with my demo this morning for drills, and then switched to my Gravity MP demo and ended with my Pa98.
I didn’t really notice the extended length as much, but I felt like this blade pro was a bit underpowered and tough to find consistent depth with. I could hit some good angles, but found depth hard to trust, it felt like shots were wither dropping short near the service line or going just beyond the baseline. I also felt the lack of maneuverability compared to my PA98, especially on volleys. The biggest negative though was just the lack of stability in the upper hoop. I just never felt like I could step in and take the ball early, especially on the backhand side. I think it would definitely need some weight in the hoop for stability and to increase swingweight for more heft behind the shot. Compared to the gravity mp, I felt way better with the gravity since it was more stable and has a little higher swing weight, though the lower balance point felt a bit sluggish on the gravity mp.
I definitely felt better with my PA98 because it just did everything better, and is way more stable. I may try to put like 2 grams of weight on the blade pro and hit with it again, but not sure it’ll be the best fit for my game.
WillGinRVA
Semi-Pro
I played another match today. Started out with my usual 2025 Legend Speed Pro, but switched after three games to my BP100. Man, the feel on this thing is just so good. After two games with it I was able to deeply pop up serve returns when I was stretched out on the backhand side, because it was just so easy to get calibrated with the communicative feel on the racquet. The Speed Pro is comparatively numb. Granted I had different strings in, Head Hawk 17 in the Speed Pro and Yonex Polytour Pro 16 in the BP100, but I recently played with the same PTP in the Speed Pro and don't remember it being any better than the current Hawk that I have in.
For anyone wondering, the Ultra Pro v5 99 has similar feel to the Blade Pro 100 in my mind. However maybe I'm just assuming they are similar since I know they are both old Steams.
I am going to set aside these Legend Speed Pro's for now. I don't remember my Graphene 360+ Speed Pro's being so numb, so I may give those another go. But the BP100 is so good and feels so good to hit with.
For anyone wondering, the Ultra Pro v5 99 has similar feel to the Blade Pro 100 in my mind. However maybe I'm just assuming they are similar since I know they are both old Steams.
I am going to set aside these Legend Speed Pro's for now. I don't remember my Graphene 360+ Speed Pro's being so numb, so I may give those another go. But the BP100 is so good and feels so good to hit with.
Gao
Rookie
Mained Instinct Tour XL for a year or so myself but couldn't manage the high swingweight (340+ on my sticks) for my OHBH. Still a fantastic stick tho
WillGinRVA
Semi-Pro
Hit with the BP100 again today and I love it. I haven't hit with anyone that hits super hard though, so I'm not sure if the lower twistweight would be a concern there in regards to stability off-center. But man it feels so good and has more control than the Ultra Pro 99 v5, which I also loved the feel and performance of.
Big_Dangerous
Talk Tennis Guru
I’m demoing it with the Gravity MP and the Speed pro, and it’s the most anemic or underpowered of the three. I may opt go add a fee grams to the hoop and see if that helps. It also plays noticeably stiffer than the others. I added a few grams into the handle of the Grav MP, which definitely helped as it feels better on both sides.
johnmccabe
Hall of Fame
It's gotta be the low swing weight, right? Can't think of another reason why BP100 has much lower power than gravity mp
@Big_Dangerous - may very well be a hitting weight discrepancy, further influenced by variance in string setup. If you can, equalize SW and match string model and DT. Bonus points for full matching (static weight, balance, swing weight). Doing so will help isolate on truly comparing the frames themselves.
I don't have the twistweight adapter on my Briffidi yet, but the last time I hit, I played a really big hitting/serving lefty, and it's the best I've returned in a very long time. I could've just been having a really good day timing wise, but this thing felt solid as a rock, especially my 2 hander, which can be fairly weak sometimes. The stiffness and beam thickness help make up for any stability lost with a lower twistweight IMO. I think if this frame had the twistweight of a PA98, it would swing like a log
