Do ya know what I think a full review is in order .... please.
As yor myself I have 6 X 330g Pro No1 Grip2 s Black/Red from Kafelnikov time and have used the Black/white/red and the Silver/Red before that and whatever else I have had flirtations with inbetween has left me empty and unsatisfied, the only good loving that I will always come back to is Fischer.
The old pro number 1s are just baseline scalpels inflicting heavy cuts on all who are foolish enough to even think about standing up to them
Not a full length review but a brief overview...
Frame: Fischer Vacuum Pro 98 (with Pro. No. 1 paint job)... it's heavilly customized (for a very high level of play)... W: 367g (or just a fraction below 13 oz)... about 7 - 9 pts head light... unknown SW... 16x20 string pattern... tapered beam... Basically, it's altogether a bit of a mystery frame.
Groundies: Simply the best frame I've ever used from off the ground... like a Ferrarri or a high performance racing car, you can feel this thing smoothly accelerate through the gears!... absolutely wooooonderful power (the word 'sniper' comes to mind)... there's a great length to be found, ably assisted by a phenomenal topspin, AND the ball (the 'heavy ball') stays in!?... Yes, this is a hefty bat, but OMG, on the fh, a few more words spring to mind... 'lethal' and 'primed'... What can I add? It feels pretty stiff and heavy when you play your first shots, but quickly (and I know this sounds like a contradiction but it's true) the frame also starts to feel very lush and alive, and it unleashes to devastating effect!... poetry in motion!
Serve: The second time I played with it there was an improvement. There's no denying the frame swings too heavy for my liking. However, yesterday, with some work it must be said (due to the heft and unusual balance, this isn't easy to get the hang of straight away), my results were pretty good if not out and out fantastic. Basically, I found it could do everything - flat bombers, kickers, slice serve - and do them with v/good power. Whether or not I can consistently utilize what's on offer though is another matter because I do need to familiarize myself with it better and routinely get the most from its abundant power.
Maneuverability: As I said, it doesn't swing light enough for me, and I'd worry about a higher level player taking full advantage here, but I'd say it's comparable to my PSC 6.1 in terms of how it is to move about. So, in truth, it's a bit cumbersome for me (I also found my PSC to the same)... but... it's just so red hot off the ground I think I can put up with this for a while!
Net play, volleys, up in the air stuff, etc: Wouldn't have a clue on account of avoiding any of that stuff like the plague!
... Okay. Not entirely true!... pretty good on the few droppers I tried... and... er... Yeeees! That's just about it for now with the net play, volleys, etc! (What can I say? I'm more a b-line basher - though I would like to develop... and this frame is just xxx from around the b-line!)
So there we have it. I might have only played with it twice (and for not very long either), but I enjoyed it so much on those occasions - and my results were genuinely highly impressive - I can't see me putting it down now for a while (I guess that means retiring my PSC 6.1 as well). Anyway, until a Fischer frame I prefer takes its place (yep, I intend to go on a full on, Fischer 'journey of exploration'!... WTF?!), I think I'll be wielding this unique rod for quite a while.
BTW, nickynu, the Kelefnikov 330 Pro No. 1 is top of my 'must try' list.
BTW2, Would you or others possibly please list your, say, top 3 Fischers and with a few reasons why...
Cheers
Ross
