Ok, so time for Tecnifibre TFight RS305 review and feel free to join 18x19 fan club thread here -
click . Let's protect the sacred string pattern that Djokovic, Medvedev, Agassi are using (and many more) .
(foam filled army TC95 and RS 305 both with Tecnifibre Razor Code)
Very interesting and refreshing to play something so unique and amazing at the same time. Watching Djokovic and Medvedev is always inspiring but 18x19 legacy is much bigger. Agassi was my favourite player as a junior, I still remember Denis Istomin's run during Australian Open 2017 when he defeated Djokovic.
How does it play?
It's a hybrid of my 4 favourite frames - Angell TC95, Yonex Ezone Dr 98, Wilson Blade, Head Prestige MP
1) When I look at the beam thickness and the grommet it reminds me a lot of
Yonex Ezone Dr. It even makes similar sound while swinging. It kinda
feels very similar in my hands. I sold yonex eventually because it was not stable enough - RS 305 is stable in stock form and I had absolutely no desire to add more mass to the head.
2)
The feel is very soft yet solid. Some might say, ok - it is still kinda similar to yonex ezone dr but I would go even further and say it reminds me of my Angell custom racquets. Yes, I am a huge fan of foam filled sticks. The combination of comfort AND solidness is UNMATCHED. Only few frames managed to feel similar on contact - Tecnifibre RS, Angell TC and Head Speed Pro 360+. I think Prestige MP 360+ is somewhere there too but it's been a while i last demoed it.. Feel is one of the best aspect of Tecnifibre RS305. Man, its even
softer than my Angell and still packs the same solidness.
Yes, 67 ra RS foam filled and with DNA of Yonex Ezone Dr feels closer to my around 60ra Angell TC95. Big surpirse here.
3) Quality control - frame was on spec. I meassured weight and balance.
4) Similarity with Blade and Prestige is a bit more vague. First
Blade because the specs are very similar but for some reason
Tfight RS is much faster and user-friendly. On the other hand it doesnt offer such plow that Blade is offering. They are both kinda "
more forgiving prestiges with more power and spin potential" BUT when it comes to power I would say Tecnifibre RS305 is actually closer to Prestige line. It's a low powered frame. Maybe it's a string (Tecnifibre Razor Code at 23kg) or maybe I was already used to my heavy angell with 16x19 pattern but at first I struggled to hit the ball with same pace as i can with angell (especially serves). It reminded me of my playtest with Graphene Touch Prestige MP. But 18x19 is definitely helping with spin potential and comfort.
5)
spin potential is pretty much the same you can get out of 16x19 frames with 1.30 gauge while still retaining lower launch angle ( I used 1.25 gauge). This combined with lower powered response gives me huge confidence in acceleration. I took this babe to my league matches and back then I kinda struggled with my form YET I managed to win everything in my group. Of course the frame is good but it's not a "performance monster" like I could say with Speed Pro. The potential must be unlocked, similar to Prestige line. For me it was the
excitement and easiness that made the difference.
6) like i said, stability is there, i hate when the racquet is unstable in stock form. When I add lead to the frame its only to find the feel and plow (tweak the movement), never to find the stability.
Ok, so what could be improved because there is no perfect racquet:
First, I think that in stock form
RS 305 is just too light. I would just prefer to have a bit more of everything. I am used to 310-325 grams sticks so its different feel. Yes, its a modern frame but I would say it shares many characteristics of a classic sticks like prestige. I also think that Medvedev is playing with heavy setup yet very headlight, same with Istomin and Tipsarevic. It just works for them and I also have a preference for this specs. So I did some customizations:
First I tried to make it 315g/315mm balance and it already came to live. It felt more natural, the power increased and was very welcomed. Overall the easiness I loved in this frame improved. I could play with slightly more relaxed motion but the precision was still there.
still I felt that it can be better so later I made it around 320g/310mm balance and YAP ! this was my setup.
I did try to customize blade that way once and it didnt go well. Blade is great the way it is OR with very gentle mods. RS305 likes to be heavy and headlight. thats why
I would like to see something like Tecnifibre RS 320 Tour or something like that... 310mm balance and no mods needed

Or even go a bit further. 325g / 305 mm balance ? Well Tecnifibre guys would have to experiment a bit with weight distribution but take notes from Medvedev, Istomin and Tipsarevic

Once you end up with heavier frame and call it a "Tour"
maybe make it a tad thinner to cut through the air a bit better and to make it look more classic (very optional). I feel old everytime I pick a racquet that has above 22mm thickness. It felt a bit better under my hand than Head Speed Pro

At the end performance is the most important thing so I will take whatever is best but definitely heavier and more HL setup would be a great option !
Who is this frame for ?
If you liked Yonex Ezone but wanted more control, plow and stability while retaining similar spin potential - this is a must demo for you
if you love Blade but its too demanding for your wrist or shoulder - must demo
if you love Angell tc95 18x20 but want more forgiveness and easiness - must demo
if you love Speed Pro but it's a bit too big for you and the response is slightly too powerful - this is a demo
Only prestige guys will probably stick to their prestige frames. RS305 is too big departure because of the thickness and weight distribution. But I believe slightly different specs could mix the lineup a bit.
standout features:
-comfort and solidness (foam filled!) -feels like 60-64 ra
-better spin potential while retaining low launch angle of 18x20 pattern frames
-control but also easiness
to improve:
- I would like to see a heavier and more HL version of it
- maybe slightly thinner beam but hard to say how it would affect performance
rating: 7.5 / 10
rest of the frames (click)
cheers !