What Wilson has power, control and more spin?

N

NE1for10is?

Semi-Pro
I currently use a Wilson Tour with gut/poly and I love the power, control and serves I get from it, however I understand that it's not a very spin friendly racquet. I've been working on my technique for more topspin, but the racquet doesn't help a lot in that department. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what Wilson racquet might offer the same basic power and control, but with more spin?
 
Eh, for a supposed 4.0 you don't seem too bright. Don't know why you're limiting yourself to only Wilson racquets either. I feel like the obvious suggestion is one of the Babolat frames. A stick with a more open string pattern like the one Power Player suggested is also a good idea of where to start.
 
fundrazer said:
Don't know why you're limiting yourself to only Wilson racquets either. I feel like the obvious suggestion is one of the Babolat frames. A stick with a more open string pattern like the one Power Player suggested is also a good idea of where to start.
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I have a Babolat Cortex, which gave me lots of spin, but I can't serve very well with it and I have a tendency to hit a lot of short balls. For my game style the Wilson racquets have given me better depth. I'd just like more spin.

The 6.1 sounds interesting. I may have to demo it.
 
Power Player said:
Blx 6.1 16x18 gets tons of spin for me.
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I've always wanted to like the 6.1 95 series but every time I try my K/BLX 16x18's, they're a bit to lively and lack control. Certainly powerful and spin is there too but for the mass, they feel quite unstable in certain areas of the string bed. A full poly job does them a favour - just a bit harsh in the long run.

The Tour 90's would be my pick if you can handle the weight. Far more control than the 6.1 95's and I get even more spin with their very open pattern. Volleying is also significantly better and the as a whole, the racket is far more stable than any other Wilson range I'd tried to date.
 
Justin-JP said:
I've always wanted to like the 6.1 95 series but every time I try my K/BLX 16x18's, they're a bit to lively and lack control. Certainly powerful and spin is there too but for the mass, they feel quite unstable in certain areas of the string bed. A full poly job does them a favour - just a bit harsh in the long run.

The Tour 90's would be my pick if you can handle the weight. Far more control than the 6.1 95's and I get even more spin with their very open pattern. Volleying is also significantly better and the as a whole, the racket is far more stable than any other Wilson range I'd tried to date.
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maybe try the 18x20 instead?
 
I would try the new Steam or the BLX Pro Staff Six.One 100. They are both an extra .25" long and similar weight to the Tour but lower swing weights. The lower swing weight will probably allow you better racquet head speed and possibly offer better topspin as a result.
 
Justin-JP said:
I've always wanted to like the 6.1 95 series but every time I try my K/BLX 16x18's, they're a bit to lively and lack control. Certainly powerful and spin is there too but for the mass, they feel quite unstable in certain areas of the string bed. A full poly job does them a favour - just a bit harsh in the long run.

The Tour 90's would be my pick if you can handle the weight. Far more control than the 6.1 95's and I get even more spin with their very open pattern. Volleying is also significantly better and the as a whole, the racket is far more stable than any other Wilson range I'd tried to date.
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Really? I find the 95s to have a ton of control. They are lively, but i can hit precise shots a lot easier than with other racquets. Definitley can be harsher depending on the setup.
 
NE1for10is? said:
I have a Babolat Cortex, which gave me lots of spin, but I can't serve very well with it and I have a tendency to hit a lot of short balls. For my game style the Wilson racquets have given me better depth. I'd just like more spin.

The 6.1 sounds interesting. I may have to demo it.
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"Cortex" was an entire line that contained the Aero and Pure Drives, as well as the Aero Storms. Which racquet was it?
 
Okay-the AeroPro Drive is one of the spinnier racquets I've tried, as it's a fairly polarized frame (not because of the Rafa stigma, dangit). However, your posts leave a lot to the imagination as to what you really need. What was/were the racquet(s) strung with? Tension? What grips are you using? When you say can't serve with a certain frame, what problems are you having with it specifically? You get the picture.

To answer your original question, the most spin I've had from a Wilson was with the KPS88, but that's a huge jump from the Tour. I did enjoy the 6.1 16x18 in every iteration but the K6.1 (too harsh) for spin and power. The power is fantastic, and the spin from the frame itself is more than adequate. As for other brands, I'd revisit the AeroPro Drive if I were you. The only way I can think of if you're hitting the ball short with that stick is if your strings are just too tight or if you're trying to hit too much topspin. Try stringing it a little bit lower and see what happens before you go on the hunt for a new frame.
 
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I have been a head pro stock user for a while now with the Prestige line and a 16x19 pattern and have recently been loving the BLX Blade 98. I went from a poly main syn. gut cross hybrid to a full poly setup and dropped my tension a bit. I get more action on the ball but don't have the issues with dropping the ball short that I sometimes do with the Prestige. I still serve better with the Head frame but that could still be adjusting to the different weight. My return game and net game has definately improved with the Wilson frame and more dense string pattern. Just my two cents worth.
 
blx blade does everything for me. For a 18x20 racquet you can still generate a great amount of topspin...give it a try!
 
Ok, thanks for the feedback, guys. These are the racquets I'm going to demo for now. I'll let you know how they feel.

Wilson BLX Blade 98
Wilson Six-One 95 BLX 16x18
Wilson Pro Open BLX Demo

P.S and just for TheOneHander I'm going to restring my AeroPro Drive with my current hybrid setup at a lower tension and give that another try with the mix.
 
When you say "Wilson Tour", are you referring to the red and blue BLX Tour (10.9 oz., 95 sq. in., etc.) or the Tour 90 - as in the Fed-man's racquet?
 
The Pro Open is able to provide superb spin and has a lot of power. Much like the bab rackets only with a less hollow feeling when you make contact...
 
ArliHawk said:
Aren't the Juice Pro and the Steam supposed to meet these requirements?
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Yeah, the Steam is exactly what he's looking for. The Blade 98 is heavier and just as high a SW as his current racquet with a denser string pattern. The Blade is a nice racquet and can generate some spin but I would say it's mostly suited for someone who hits flat.

Seems to me he needs something he can swing faster with an open pattern. The Steam is a more powerful, spinnier version of the Blade. Believe me, I've tried both. Oh well. :confused:
 
NE1for10is? said:
I currently use a Wilson Tour with gut/poly and I love the power, control and serves I get from it, however I understand that it's not a very spin friendly racquet. I've been working on my technique for more topspin, but the racquet doesn't help a lot in that department. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what Wilson racquet might offer the same basic power and control, but with more spin?
Click to expand...

I've used the Tour, and it produces plenty of spin. It's not the racket, it's your technique. If you want even more spin, try adding lead tape or adjusting your string tension, or new string combo. If you can't get topspin from the Tour, you're not going to get it from any other racket either.
 
NE1for10is? said:
Ok, thanks for the feedback, guys. These are the racquets I'm going to demo for now. I'll let you know how they feel.

Wilson BLX Blade 98
Wilson Six-One 95 BLX 16x18
Wilson Pro Open BLX Demo
Wilson BLX Tour Limited

P.S and just for TheOneHander I'm going to restring my AeroPro Drive with my current hybrid setup at a lower tension and give that another try with the mix.
Click to expand...

So I demoed all of the above and here are the results: I didn't care much for the Blade or the Pro Open. The Tour Limited was the most like the racquet I'm currently using (BLX Tour) but I still like the BLX Tour better. The best of the lot for me was the Six-One 95 BLX 16x18. The groundies and volleys were fantastic, however I lost some MPH on the serve and had difficulty holding serve with it as a result.

I have yet to restring the AeroPro Drive with a lower tension hybrid and try that again. I'd also like to demo the Wilson Steam at some point, and I'm going to demo the Six-One 95 BLX 16x18 a little longer.

The Six-One 95 BLX 16x18 reminds me quite a bit of the old Prostaff. Does anyone know if it's basically the same racquet?
 
NE1for10is? said:
I'm referring to the blue and orange BLX Tour:
http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Wilson_BLX_Tour/descpageRCWILSON-WTBLX.html
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I have played with the tour serious for about 6 years now and so I know what I'm saying. first of all, in stock form, the tour serious are to head heavy plus they are extended length making it way to hard to whip around for top spin. the good news is its a great racquet and it can be modded to be a top spin machine.

right now the racquet is about even balance 11.0 ounces and you want it to be 8 points H.L. and about 11.7 ounces (you gotta trust me on this)

1) take of the grip and butt cap and then cut of the extra .25 inches ( its pretty easy to cut and any hand saw will do ) racquet is now about 2 points H.L.

2) now that the butt cap is off you should see that your handle is foam filled. the foam is perfect for holding the nails that your put in the handle too add weight and make it 8 points H.L..

3) use 2 or 3 inch long nails or screws. weight out .7 ounces of them. now your ready to put them in. make sure you leave the nail heads still visible in case you want to pull them out later. try to put the nails in a balanced way. for example, if you have 2 nails, put one in each side of handle. ( the foam in the handle should be partitioned in half)

4) now check your balance? if still not H.L. enough use shorter nails or more nails till you get the balance your want. I had to cut the head bumper off to get mine H.L. enough. the k tour is just so H.H that was the only way. (don't scrape your racquet on the ground after you cut the bumper off)

5 enjoy ! you should now have a real powerful, and whippy top spin machine.

PS; rip control works real well with this stick. gives great spin.
 
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newton296 said:
I have played with the tour serious for about 6 years now and so I know what I'm saying. first of all, in stock form, the tour serious are to head heavy plus they are extended length making it way to hard to whip around for top spin. the good news is its a great racquet and it can be modded to be a top spin machine.

right now the racquet is about even balance 11.0 ounces and you want it to be 8 points H.L. and about 11.7 ounces (you gotta trust me on this)

1) take of the grip and butt cap and then cut of the extra .25 inches ( its pretty easy to cut and any hand saw will do ) racquet is now about 2 points H.L.

2) now that the butt cap is off you should see that your handle is foam filled. the foam is perfect for holding the nails that your put in the handle too add weight and make it 8 points H.L..

3) use 2 or 3 inch long nails or screws. weight out .7 ounces of them. now your ready to put them in. make sure you leave the nail heads still visible in case you want to pull them out later. try to put the nails in a balanced way. for example, if you have 2 nails, put one in each side of handle. ( the foam in the handle should be partitioned in half)

4) now check your balance? if still not H.L. enough use shorter nails or more nails till you get the balance your want. I had to cut the head bumper off to get mine H.L. enough. the k tour is just so H.H that was the only way. (don't scrape your racquet on the ground after you cut the bumper off)

5 enjoy ! you should now have a real powerful, and whippy top spin machine.

PS; rip control works real well with this stick. gives great spin.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I may have to give it a try, although I generally don't like head light racquets...
 
NE1for10is? said:
Interesting. I may have to give it a try, although I generally don't like head light racquets...
Click to expand...

yep, like you, I was ready to move to a new stick due to lack of spin and feel of the swing. I really don't like the head heavy feel at all, but I do love the tour serious racquets for the great balance of power and control. so I figured why not mod it up?

if your dead set on getting a new stick anyway , maybe you can sell your blx tour to me if its still in good shape. I'm looking for something rated 8/10 or better.
 
newton296 said:
I have played with the tour serious for about 6 years now and so I know what I'm saying. first of all, in stock form, the tour serious are to head heavy plus they are extended length making it way to hard to whip around for top spin. the good news is its a great racquet and it can be modded to be a top spin machine.

right now the racquet is about even balance 11.0 ounces and you want it to be 8 points H.L. and about 11.7 ounces (you gotta trust me on this)

1) take of the grip and butt cap and then cut of the extra .25 inches ( its pretty easy to cut and any hand saw will do ) racquet is now about 2 points H.L.

2) now that the butt cap is off you should see that your handle is foam filled. the foam is perfect for holding the nails that your put in the handle too add weight and make it 8 points H.L..

3) use 2 or 3 inch long nails or screws. weight out .7 ounces of them. now your ready to put them in. make sure you leave the nail heads still visible in case you want to pull them out later. try to put the nails in a balanced way. for example, if you have 2 nails, put one in each side of handle. ( the foam in the handle should be partitioned in half)

4) now check your balance? if still not H.L. enough use shorter nails or more nails till you get the balance your want. I had to cut the head bumper off to get mine H.L. enough. the k tour is just so H.H that was the only way. (don't scrape your racquet on the ground after you cut the bumper off)

5 enjoy ! you should now have a real powerful, and whippy top spin machine.

PS; rip control works real well with this stick. gives great spin.
Click to expand...

Ding! Ding! Ding! And the winner is.....

I did the modification to the BLX Tour you suggested and hit this morning with the ball machine and I absolutely loved it! Just what I was looking for. It still has the control and all the qualities of the Tour that I like, but with added power and spin. Thanks for the tip!!

On a side note, I notice that the racquet rattles or buzzes now when I pick up a ball with it. I have been suspicious for a while that this racquet may be broken (which is why I tried it on this one and not my main stick first), but I can't see any cracks. It could also be the nails, of course, which I just stuck into the foam. Any tips on securing the nails better or using an alternate weight?
 
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