Tennis Warehouse Playtest: Wilson RF 01 Family

Orezap

New User
can anyone suggest a full bed polyester frame single or hybrid that will be comfortable for RF01 Pro? I have used Alu Power 21/19 kg and shredded my hand...
I will be getting Champions Choice soon but until then i would like to try full polyester options in order to determine whether the racket stiffness prohibits me from playing with this specific racket in the future. Thanks.
 

OEEspino

New User
can anyone suggest a full bed polyester frame single or hybrid that will be comfortable for RF01 Pro? I have used Alu Power 21/19 kg and shredded my hand...
I will be getting Champions Choice soon but until then i would like to try full polyester options in order to determine whether the racket stiffness prohibits me from playing with this specific racket in the future. Thanks.
You can try Restring Sync! it feels really nice, at lower tension on the the rf it opens up really nicely, ball pocketing is really felt.
 

Orezap

New User
You can try Restring Sync! it feels really nice, at lower tension on the the rf it opens up really nicely, ball pocketing is really felt.
dont have access to this string atm but what would u suggest as lower tension with a soft polyester? under 20 kg?
 

nnewihe

Rookie
Toro Toro worked well in the RF01 Pro. I think I strung mine at 50 lbs. If you’re trying to improve comfort, swapping out the leather grip for a synthetic grip helps as well.
 

tele

Hall of Fame
can anyone suggest a full bed polyester frame single or hybrid that will be comfortable for RF01 Pro? I have used Alu Power 21/19 kg and shredded my hand...
I will be getting Champions Choice soon but until then i would like to try full polyester options in order to determine whether the racket stiffness prohibits me from playing with this specific racket in the future. Thanks.
tcs is very soft but loses tension fast
 

borgpro

Semi-Pro
Toro Toro worked well in the RF01 Pro. I think I strung mine at 50 lbs. If you’re trying to improve comfort, swapping out the leather grip for a synthetic grip helps as well.
Do you know the weight of the leather grip on the pro? Was the synthetic grip lower in weight and how much? I am tempted to switch but do not want to change weight..!
 

Howard Pollack

New User
A picture is worth 1000 words !!! Wilson RF01 Playtest !!

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Your racquet will play better with 4G in the mains and Alu Power in the x's .. strung @ 48lbs. Try it.
 

Orezap

New User
i put Hyper G Soft 20kg and its totally trash still feels like board... the only option for this racket i think is Champions choice.. However i put around 4 grams of lead on 3&9 all the way to 2&10 and another 4 on the handle and it augmented quite a lot the sweet spot.. however its like 355g now strung and swingweight without lead was like 330 so now its close to 340 i guess.. no idea about the balance must be close to 33 since i had an initial factory balance of around 32.5 compared to the spec of 31.5
 

A_Instead

Legend
Volkl V Square at 45 lbs seems to work really well in the RF01..
I also added weight at 10/2 to help with power..
This combo really brings out the performance in the RF01..
 

Orezap

New User
i hear a lot of people talking about Volkl strings but all the stats i have seen indicate very high tension losses..
 

A_Instead

Legend
Not if strung properly..
Most polys that I use loose no more than 2 lbs after use after initial stringing..

With any string.. if tension loss is a concern.. string higher.. pre stretch, etc..
 

SteveI

Legend
Which strings are those?
I think natty gut holds the best. Some polys are terrible holding tension even before you hit a ball with them..ie just sitting overnight. 4G holds tension nicely (stiff and pretty low power) for a poly. Head Velocity for a multi. Tension loss is usually stated in %. Lbs or Kgs would not be as accurate.
 

Injured Again

Hall of Fame
I think natty gut holds the best. Some polys are terrible holding tension even before you hit a ball with them..ie just sitting overnight. 4G holds tension nicely (stiff and pretty low power) for a poly. Head Velocity for a multi. Tension loss is usually stated in %. Lbs or Kgs would not be as accurate.

Agreed about natural gut being good at tension maintenance, but the premise was that most polys the poster used drop no more than two pounds. I’ve tried the polys that were among the best in tension maintenance, that being 1.30 Silver 7 Tour, and it drops at least 2 pounds sitting overnight, and I always do a light prestretch on all strings to remove coil memory before stringing. The only way I can imagine any poly string not losing tension is to literally prestretch all of the elasticity out of it, like by pulling 80 pounds and letting it sit for a minute before pulling reference tension.

I’m using Confidential which is among the better poly strings in terms of tension maintenance and I experience about a 14% drop from off the stringer to breaking, and that’s with doing a light prestretch. If I remember correctly, 1.30 S7T was in the 11-12% loss range, both of those according to RacquetTune.
 

Icsa

Professional
After a month of staying away from the RF01Pro, today I decided to give it another shot. I'm happy to say I had much more success this time, winning 6-0, 6-1. I felt confident placing the ball where I wanted, swinging at full speed, and sending it over the net with plenty of pace. It's as if my mind processed all the feedback from my first experience with the racquet—hit in the center, flatter trajectories, etc.—internalized it, and now applied that learning without me having to make a conscious effort.

The only area where I still struggled was my first serve—either hitting too close to the tip and losing power or hitting in the center and having the ball sail long outside the service box. Occasionally, some first serves went in with pace, but I wouldn't call that serving with confidence just yet. Let's just put first serves in the 'user needs more practice' bucket for now.
 

HolyMountain

Semi-Pro
I hit with it a week later. It is noticeably more powerful than my H19, very similar to my Ezone that was also strung gut/poly. I could easily adapt to this frame. As I think I said before, it's very easy to see the logical progression of all the frames he played with up until this one. Great frame!
 

Orezap

New User
Element, Tour bite soft
I removed the Leather Grip, added some lead on 3&9 and put Element 1.25 on RF01Pro. Playability, comfort and sweet spot improved massively.
However, Element feels quite launch and I have trouble generating topspin in some shots with it compared to other strings.
The racket tho during the 1st setup i tried with lead and leather around 355g static and with the 2nd one 345g static and 340 swingweight performs amazing in terms of aerodynamics. Cuts through the air very fast and u dont actually feel that much these hefty statics and swingweights.. compared to lets say my other racket that is Head Speed MP Legend with the same setup leather+lead albeit Lynx Tour on it 340g static and 336sw that is much more sluggish..
 

HolyMountain

Semi-Pro
I removed the Leather Grip, added some lead on 3&9 and put Element 1.25 on RF01Pro. Playability, comfort and sweet spot improved massively.
However, Element feels quite launch and I have trouble generating topspin in some shots with it compared to other strings.
The racket tho during the 1st setup i tried with lead and leather around 355g static and with the 2nd one 345g static and 340 swingweight performs amazing in terms of aerodynamics. Cuts through the air very fast and u dont actually feel that much these hefty statics and swingweights.. compared to lets say my other racket that is Head Speed MP Legend with the same setup leather+lead albeit Lynx Tour on it 340g static and 336sw that is much more sluggish..
What do you think the lead did? Just broaden the sweet spot? I put a bunch of lead at the tip to match my H19 and it played horribly. Took it off, right back to my initial impression. I also played the Pro model, it's just not for me.
 

Orezap

New User
What do you think the lead did? Just broaden the sweet spot? I put a bunch of lead at the tip to match my H19 and it played horribly. Took it off, right back to my initial impression. I also played the Pro model, it's just not for me.
i felt like it massively improved the sweet spot and increased even more the twistweight and the feeling on off center shots.
I even put some on 12 and got even better.. but the swingweight is around 345 with these customizations and static around 350g..

I removed the leather grip i cant play this racket with the leather it crushes my hand for some reason.

However, the best feeling i got was when i tried Luxilon Element 18kg , no leather and lead. The racket went alive but not the best spin with this string..

Lately, i tried it with Champions Choice finally around 23/21.5kg but i dont like it feels boardy again after the first session. Personally, i think this racket benefits more from a low tension around 17-19 kg at most..
 

Icsa

Professional
I see a lot of negative reviews from people that played a couple of hours or less with it. This racquet requires a considerable adjustment period, but the results are worth it. The initial negative impressions stem from the fact that it plays differently from others, for instance the ProStaff. However, if you take the time to understand its quirks and strengths, you'll be rewarded with a great blend of power, spin, and control. After spending a few months with it, I've come to realize it's an excellent racquet. I can confidently rip the felt off the balls while keeping them in-court, hit fast-moving winners, and defend against heavy hitters. Additionally, it dampens vibrations quite well, providing zero discomfort throughout play.

The Pro version in stock form performs nicely with a low-powered poly, strung at low tension to maximize the sweet spot.
 

Orezap

New User
I see a lot of negative reviews from people that played a couple of hours or less with it. This racquet requires a considerable adjustment period, but the results are worth it. The initial negative impressions stem from the fact that it plays differently from others, for instance the ProStaff. However, if you take the time to understand its quirks and strengths, you'll be rewarded with a great blend of power, spin, and control. After spending a few months with it, I've come to realize it's an excellent racquet. I can confidently rip the felt off the balls while keeping them in-court, hit fast-moving winners, and defend against heavy hitters. Additionally, it dampens vibrations quite well, providing zero discomfort throughout play.

The Pro version in stock form performs nicely with a low-powered poly, strung at low tension to maximize the sweet spot.
could u care to elaborate on potential polys to use along with respective tensions? also what about lead placement and where? is your experience with the leather grip on or off?
 

Icsa

Professional
could u care to elaborate on potential polys to use along with respective tensions? also what about lead placement and where? is your experience with the leather grip on or off?
Strings are very relative and different people like different strings and tensions. Here is a thread with some strings and tensions to try: https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/best-poly-in-the-low-40-lbs.737674/

No customizations yet, but if I were to add lead, I would put a few grams at 12 to raise the sweet spot.

I kept the leather grip on - I prefer headlight balance in heavier frames.
 

chapmpe

Rookie
I see a lot of negative reviews from people that played a couple of hours or less with it. This racquet requires a considerable adjustment period, but the results are worth it. The initial negative impressions stem from the fact that it plays differently from others, for instance the ProStaff. However, if you take the time to understand its quirks and strengths, you'll be rewarded with a great blend of power, spin, and control. After spending a few months with it, I've come to realize it's an excellent racquet. I can confidently rip the felt off the balls while keeping them in-court, hit fast-moving winners, and defend against heavy hitters. Additionally, it dampens vibrations quite well, providing zero discomfort throughout play.

The Pro version in stock form performs nicely with a low-powered poly, strung at low tension to maximize the sweet spot.
I agree with this. Used the rf97 for a long time and switched to a blade pro 16x19. The rf01 pro is a great stick. A little lower sw so I am getting good angles but still a heap of plow through and spin
 

jj4545

New User
Has someone tried the RF 01/Pro against the Aero 98? Apart from more spin for the Aero and probably much better feel on the RF how do other characteristics compare?
 

Mischko

Professional
Aero has weight at the top, and feels hollow through the middle, Wilsons have a light tip and feel weighty and stable through the middle. Pro has a lot of power, Aero is below that, and RF 01 below the Aero

All 3 are demanding, for advanced players

Aero 98 will suit spin players who play amore grinding and defensive style, Wilsons are attack only but versatile

Aero is for spinny play but still OK on flat shots, RF 01 for flat play, Pro is versatile, good for both
 

Alcawrath

Professional
Has someone tried the RF 01/Pro against the Aero 98? Apart from more spin for the Aero and probably much better feel on the RF how do other characteristics compare?
Yes. I was on the play test for the RF01 pro and I mained the PA98 for almost a year. The PA98 has better maneuverability, spin, and honestly a bit better feel from the baseline. The RF pro has better feel for me at the net, but it weirdly feels more disconnected on groundstrokes. The power felt roughly equal between the two. The launch angle is higher on the PA98 than the RF pro. Control is another mixed bag for me due to the string spacing on the RF pro. Groundstrokes feel a little more predictable on the PA98 because the RF pro's string spacing really seems to affect the ball if you hit outside of it's extremely small sweet spot. Is there a characteristics in particular that you wanted to hear more about?
 

chapmpe

Rookie
can anyone suggest a full bed polyester frame single or hybrid that will be comfortable for RF01 Pro? I have used Alu Power 21/19 kg and shredded my hand...
I will be getting Champions Choice soon but until then i would like to try full polyester options in order to determine whether the racket stiffness prohibits me from playing with this specific racket in the future. Thanks.
element is great in a poly blend. i sue it in this racquet and it plays really well
 

jj4545

New User
Yes. I was on the play test for the RF01 pro and I mained the PA98 for almost a year. The PA98 has better maneuverability, spin, and honestly a bit better feel from the baseline. The RF pro has better feel for me at the net, but it weirdly feels more disconnected on groundstrokes. The power felt roughly equal between the two. The launch angle is higher on the PA98 than the RF pro. Control is another mixed bag for me due to the string spacing on the RF pro. Groundstrokes feel a little more predictable on the PA98 because the RF pro's string spacing really seems to affect the ball if you hit outside of it's extremely small sweet spot. Is there a characteristics in particular that you wanted to hear more about?
Great info, thanks! I am playing the PS 97 v13 with some lead as main racket and alongside testing the PA98 also with some lead. The one thing that I can't dial in is the flat 1st serve on the Aero. Maybe because of frame shape but it is much slower than hitting with the box beam PS. How is the RF in that regard, as it has similar aero shape?
 

Alcawrath

Professional
Great info, thanks! I am playing the PS 97 v13 with some lead as main racket and alongside testing the PA98 also with some lead. The one thing that I can't dial in is the flat 1st serve on the Aero. Maybe because of frame shape but it is much slower than hitting with the box beam PS. How is the RF in that regard, as it has similar aero shape?
I had a little more trouble getting the RF pro to swing as quickly through the air on serve due to the higher static weight. I did not notice a big difference in the speed of my serve though because the RF has more weight behind it on contact. Seemed a little like an even trade off for me, but ymmv
 
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