pfrischmann
Professional
Hi guys,
Thanks to a good friend, I have a chance to demo the Wilson Clash and Clash Tour. The sticks are strung with NXT. I have no idea what tension. I'll find out. I only had an hour today as it's raining on an off and will on Tuesday as well. The clash wieghed in at 10.8 ounces and the Tour at 11.4. My summation- These racquets feel like nothing I've ever hit with. The punch far above their weight.
First hit- We could hear the NXT notching as we hit with it. I feel these sticks witht their open patters were made for poly.
Groundstrokes- Depth was surprisingly easy, spin was good, not Pure Aero good but still very good. Slicing was O.K. There isn't enough weight in the head to really knife a slice. Neither of us felt the tour version added much here. It feels a little more muted but doesn't add much more stability. The regular clash just seemed like it was more fun...especially on the run. The power level is hard to determine. It doesn't feel like it's putting much on the ball but the feedback from the other side is that the ball is coming through the court pretty well.
Volleys- Pretty stable for their weight but not a volley machine like the RF-97 or Ultra Tour although defensive stick volleys were easier and more controllable. I did feel the hoop "collapse" on me once or twice. It was an unusual feel but I had my partner firing rockets at me. I have kind of stone hands at the net, often in this situation, I reflexively "brace for impact", especially with lighter racquets. I found less balls going long with the Clash than I would with a Pure Aero. I tend to prefer heavier racquets at net, 325 swing weight, where I can just direct the ball. My partner can actually volley with a baseball bat and found the clash great at net and felt the regular Clash was stable enough and he might benefit from the extra maneuverability.
Serves- Spin serves were great, even with NXT. The regular ultra get the nod here. Flat serves is where I felt the tour might have had a slight advantage. However, I had my partner return while I tried to hit the same serve, one with the tour and one with the regular Clash. He said there was virtually no difference. I did feel the the clash's hoop "collapse" on me a few times when I was really going for a flat ace. It was a little weird but the resulting shot was very good.
Feel-This racquet feels modern to me. It reminds me of a Pure Drive (2015) rather than an Ultra tour or PS85. It's crisp but never harsh. I'll probably say this a few times but it's very different than anything I've ever hit with. The Clash tour feels a little more muted and possibly a little more solid, like it wins the collision of racquet/ball a bit better but we both feel it did not produce a significantly better shot for the extra .6 ounces it was carrying.
Touch-Not as good as a true touch racquet like the Ultra tour but far better than a Pure Drive or Pure Aero. I noticed a little trampoline effect compared to the Ultra tour or my buddies V-sense 4 ( a terribly underrated racquet) but the flex in the head made it much easier to control balls than a standard tweener.
Power-Maybe slightly less than a Pure Strike. It's a little deceiving because what I feel coming off the racquet and what my partner was reveiving were not the same. I thought I was hitting powder puffs but my partner felt they were pretty heavy.
So first-round left me perplexed more than anything. The ultra's are more stable and powerful than anything I've hit with in their weight range but hitting with them is like learing a new language. I'm not sure yet how to understand what I am feeling or seeing. It could be good or it could be bad. I will tell you, my elbow feels great.
I'll have a better idea of whats going on Wednesday. I'll be hitting with my coach who has my old Pure Strike ( I was moving down to a 4-1/4 grip and he laked the larger grip).
Thanks to a good friend, I have a chance to demo the Wilson Clash and Clash Tour. The sticks are strung with NXT. I have no idea what tension. I'll find out. I only had an hour today as it's raining on an off and will on Tuesday as well. The clash wieghed in at 10.8 ounces and the Tour at 11.4. My summation- These racquets feel like nothing I've ever hit with. The punch far above their weight.
First hit- We could hear the NXT notching as we hit with it. I feel these sticks witht their open patters were made for poly.
Groundstrokes- Depth was surprisingly easy, spin was good, not Pure Aero good but still very good. Slicing was O.K. There isn't enough weight in the head to really knife a slice. Neither of us felt the tour version added much here. It feels a little more muted but doesn't add much more stability. The regular clash just seemed like it was more fun...especially on the run. The power level is hard to determine. It doesn't feel like it's putting much on the ball but the feedback from the other side is that the ball is coming through the court pretty well.
Volleys- Pretty stable for their weight but not a volley machine like the RF-97 or Ultra Tour although defensive stick volleys were easier and more controllable. I did feel the hoop "collapse" on me once or twice. It was an unusual feel but I had my partner firing rockets at me. I have kind of stone hands at the net, often in this situation, I reflexively "brace for impact", especially with lighter racquets. I found less balls going long with the Clash than I would with a Pure Aero. I tend to prefer heavier racquets at net, 325 swing weight, where I can just direct the ball. My partner can actually volley with a baseball bat and found the clash great at net and felt the regular Clash was stable enough and he might benefit from the extra maneuverability.
Serves- Spin serves were great, even with NXT. The regular ultra get the nod here. Flat serves is where I felt the tour might have had a slight advantage. However, I had my partner return while I tried to hit the same serve, one with the tour and one with the regular Clash. He said there was virtually no difference. I did feel the the clash's hoop "collapse" on me a few times when I was really going for a flat ace. It was a little weird but the resulting shot was very good.
Feel-This racquet feels modern to me. It reminds me of a Pure Drive (2015) rather than an Ultra tour or PS85. It's crisp but never harsh. I'll probably say this a few times but it's very different than anything I've ever hit with. The Clash tour feels a little more muted and possibly a little more solid, like it wins the collision of racquet/ball a bit better but we both feel it did not produce a significantly better shot for the extra .6 ounces it was carrying.
Touch-Not as good as a true touch racquet like the Ultra tour but far better than a Pure Drive or Pure Aero. I noticed a little trampoline effect compared to the Ultra tour or my buddies V-sense 4 ( a terribly underrated racquet) but the flex in the head made it much easier to control balls than a standard tweener.
Power-Maybe slightly less than a Pure Strike. It's a little deceiving because what I feel coming off the racquet and what my partner was reveiving were not the same. I thought I was hitting powder puffs but my partner felt they were pretty heavy.
So first-round left me perplexed more than anything. The ultra's are more stable and powerful than anything I've hit with in their weight range but hitting with them is like learing a new language. I'm not sure yet how to understand what I am feeling or seeing. It could be good or it could be bad. I will tell you, my elbow feels great.
I'll have a better idea of whats going on Wednesday. I'll be hitting with my coach who has my old Pure Strike ( I was moving down to a 4-1/4 grip and he laked the larger grip).
Last edited:
