Wilson K-Pro Tour Mini Review

[ktownva]

My local pro has these already and I hit for an hour today. In hand it feels like a 96" Pure Drive with a leather grip - just really, really nice. And it hit great in stock form with a multi-filament string. Excellent stability and very controlled, with just the right amount of power. I didn't have to take big swings to get depth, and I could easily shave pace off the ball and hit short angles. When the opportunity arose I could step in and put the ball away without worry about it flying at all. Playing defensive slice backhands from off the court was just insane, the racquet made me feel like I could carve anything back low and deep. I only hit a few serves with it, and it felt a bit underpowered in that department. But everything else worked fine. Overall 8.7 out of 10.

 

[roller~]

Simple posts.
Gooood. Thanx.

 

[meowmix]

Thanks for the info.

About that comment that it hit like a 96" Pure Drive, wouldn't that mean it's stiff as heck and powerful as hell?

 

[anirut]

Thanks for the "mini" review.

Looking forward to a "mainframe" review soon.

 

[robkat]

Thanks for the review.. good simple info

 

[ktownva]

Thanks for the info.

About that comment that it hit like a 96" Pure Drive, wouldn't that mean it's stiff as heck and powerful as hell?

It didn't really hit like a PD, but it has the same tubular shaped throat and the hoop is wide and flat like the PD. If you've ever held a PD/Surge/NPro then you are familar with rounded feel of the throat, and the KPro Tour is like that. The smaller headsize is a new thing and it was an interesting hit. The KPro Tour is fairly stiff feeling, but less so than a PD and not as powerful. I think it would be a comfortable transition from a PD though if more control is sought.

I don't think I'll get to write a more mainframe review, the demo already went back and for now I'm going to keep looking. But it's a nice stick and I would recommend taking it out for a demo.

 

[Old_Crow]

I hit with one today and didn't find it stiff at all. It was very comfortable with a nice feel, very head light and nowhere near as powerful as a PD. We put it on a RDX machine and it came in at a flex of 61. It was strung with Wilson natural gut crosses and Lux ALU mains which was nice but I'd probably flip them the other direction.

In the same session, I hit with a MG Prestige MP, MG Prestige Pro and a leaded up Yonex RQiS Tour 2(328gr total). If someone is looking for a comfy replacement for a PD, the RQiS 2 with a little lead is the ticket. Plenty of free power with a nice crisp impact but the flex in the thin throat makes it feel softer than the rated 67. Weird racquet but in a good way.

The Prestiges are just what other people have said: solid, easy swinging, softer than the FXP but stiffer than the classics. I preferred the MP to the Pro but they both had schitty stringjobs so it was hard to get a feel for the true nature.

 

[awes]

K-Pro experience

I've had the k-pro tour for about 2 months now and can add a few thoughts. i was previously using a Babolat Pure Storm Tour which is awesome on groundies but a bit heavy and not as maneuverable as I would like. The PST weighed in at 12.0 ounces with dampener and strung was only about 4-5 pts head light with a swingweight of 333. It got tiring playing hard into a long third set. I wanted a lower swingweight racquet that was a bit lighter as well. At first, strung at 60 lbs with a good multi, it felt somewhat stiff and too low powered, but I immediately noticed it was much easier to generate good swingspeed on groundies and serves. When I dropped the tension to 52, the frame softened up quite a bit, sweetspot got bigger, and spin production was much better. I know it sounds trivial, but I added just 0.5 grams of lead at 3 and 9 oclock and the pop/power improved significantly. The calculations suggest this should not have made that much difference, but it did.

BTW, all these specs need to be taken with a grain of salt and what you feel when playing is what really counts. The specs printed on the frame are for an unstrung frame ie 11.1 oz, 10 pts head light, without overgrip, etc. Strings typically weigh anywhere from 0.6 to 0.8 ounces and I believe string tension effects frame stiffness to a degree. Strung with a 16G Multi, dampener and overgrip, the weight was 11.6 oz; 7-8 pts head light and unknown swingweight. This is corroborated with what Wilson posts on its website regarding strung spec's.

Anyway, this stick plays amazingly well. Excellent power generation because its so easy to swing fast, but still heavy enough. No it will not crush a ball like a heavier frame when you have all day to set up and wail away, but when you're scrambling, off balance, and improvising, this racquet does a great job. And, it does not leave you tired after playing hard for 2-3 hrs (I'm a 4.5). Each player will find the best balance between swingweight, balance, overall mass, and string tension for they're own style of play and fitness/strength level. This one works for me.