CAM178
Hall of Fame
Okay Applesauceman, here's your thread. 
Background: I am currently playing with the Wilson n6.1 95 16x18 (see sig). I was playtesting the KBlade Tour (herein referred to as 'KBT')vs the K6.1 95 16x18 (herein referred to as 'K95'). Both demos were strung with NXT, although the KBT had a fresh bed, versus the K95, which had a well-used (translated pseudo-dead) bed.
I just finished demoing the Wilson KBlade Tour over the past week. TW was kind enough to send the demo with the plastic still on the grip, and with new strings and a fresh stencil.
Initial Feel (in living room; pre-play): when simply holding the KBT, it feels nice. It has a nice weight, close to what I'm looking for ideally. The weighting does not feel as head light as the specs claim, but that's just my opinion. It swings nicely, and feels right. The only thing I don't like is the racquet shape from the bottom of the string frame to the start of the grip. That's just an aesthetics thing, and very personal. I am used to the ProStaff design, which is traditionally a bit rounder. This is just a bit more flat. I know this is not a ProStaff.
Groundstrokes: the KBT swings very easily, and offers a nice comfortable feel. Having heard that it does require more power generation than the K95, I was interested to see how that played out. That is very true: the KBT does require more power when going for shots. What I like about the KBT is that it swings very quickly and confidently through the strike zone. I sometimes have a whipping forehand, particularly on low FH approach shots, and the KBT allows for plenty of easy whip. Another positive is that it offers great control and stability for most any shot. Off-center hits are handled with relative ease, as well, due to the denser (than the K95's bed) stringbed. My one gripe is that you really have to tee off on this thing to get some serious power generation. The K95 can absolutely slaughter the ball (that is both good and bad), whereas the KBT requires a bit more pepper to be added to the stroke. Spin potential is there, albeit a bit down from the K95, but that is to be expected with the denser stringbed. Overall, it offers a great deal of confidence, and allows the user to feel very comfortable on the baseline. The KBT feels a bit more flexible than the K95, so if you happen to mishit, the KBT will handle it much better than the K95. Drop shots from the baseline are very easy, and I think that is more of a weight issue than a stringbed issue, i.e. the light weight makes it easier to slice and dice the ball. Of note, however, is that the KBT quite literally can fly through the strike zone. On more than a couple of BH returns, I was so early that the return went into the fencing on the side. That was a bit embarrassing. But the KBT is almost an ounce lighter than my current racquet, or the K95. An ounce is a big difference. But one thing that is good about that is that on big serve returns, you will not have to muscle the ball back quite as much, as the KBT will do some of the work for you. An added bonus is that the KBT will allow you to come through the strike zone quickly, so if you choose to crack a return from a decent serve, you will get there quickly, and all you have to do is just use the pace of the serve to put some heat on the ball. The only downside of the lightness is that if you slice the return back (which I love to do), you will have to give the slice a bit more 'ooomph', as the slice will drop a bit short, and any decent player will have a nice sitting winner, or a strong approach shot.
Volleys: the KBT handles volleys quite well. It doesn't have the pop or power of the K95, but I don't think that was Wilson's design behind this stick. What the KBT does offer, however, is great control and feel, which you need for good volleying. The KBT allows for good confidence at the net. Put aways will need to be hit with a touch more power, but that is not an issue, as a put-away can be struck with whatever power level the user chooses, regardless of racquet in hand. Low and/or difficult volleys are better handled with the KBT than the K95, as the K95 is very stiff and has a wider string bed. Off-center hits with the K95 are felt instantly, whereas the KBT seems to better absorb off-center volleys. I would attribute that to the stringbed, the weight, and the great flexibility of the KBT.
Serves: the KBT offers good pop, but not near the power of the K95. I think that is due to the K95 offering more stiffness and weight behind the ball. The KBT offers plenty of spin, but not as much as the K95. That is a string bed issue, as the KBT has a more dense string bed. That being said, the KBT does provide plenty of spin, even with it being down 2 sq" to the K95 (KBT is 93 sq"). The feel when serving with the KBT is quite nice. It has a nice comfortable weight and feel, and it just feels right. And with the 18x20 bed, the KBT does provide a strong sense of confidence that even if you mis-toss the ball, or don't hit the serve in the sweet spot, that the KBT will compensate just fine.
Overall: the KBT would make a nice stick for most any player. It is plenty stiff, but offers just enough flexibility to provide confidence for even lower-rated players. Do not be fooled by the fact that the top pros use this racquet. Anybody could play with this racquet, and play well with it. And even if the power issue comes up, just drop tension a bit, or simply swing a bit harder.
Hope this helps.
Background: I am currently playing with the Wilson n6.1 95 16x18 (see sig). I was playtesting the KBlade Tour (herein referred to as 'KBT')vs the K6.1 95 16x18 (herein referred to as 'K95'). Both demos were strung with NXT, although the KBT had a fresh bed, versus the K95, which had a well-used (translated pseudo-dead) bed.
I just finished demoing the Wilson KBlade Tour over the past week. TW was kind enough to send the demo with the plastic still on the grip, and with new strings and a fresh stencil.
Initial Feel (in living room; pre-play): when simply holding the KBT, it feels nice. It has a nice weight, close to what I'm looking for ideally. The weighting does not feel as head light as the specs claim, but that's just my opinion. It swings nicely, and feels right. The only thing I don't like is the racquet shape from the bottom of the string frame to the start of the grip. That's just an aesthetics thing, and very personal. I am used to the ProStaff design, which is traditionally a bit rounder. This is just a bit more flat. I know this is not a ProStaff.
Groundstrokes: the KBT swings very easily, and offers a nice comfortable feel. Having heard that it does require more power generation than the K95, I was interested to see how that played out. That is very true: the KBT does require more power when going for shots. What I like about the KBT is that it swings very quickly and confidently through the strike zone. I sometimes have a whipping forehand, particularly on low FH approach shots, and the KBT allows for plenty of easy whip. Another positive is that it offers great control and stability for most any shot. Off-center hits are handled with relative ease, as well, due to the denser (than the K95's bed) stringbed. My one gripe is that you really have to tee off on this thing to get some serious power generation. The K95 can absolutely slaughter the ball (that is both good and bad), whereas the KBT requires a bit more pepper to be added to the stroke. Spin potential is there, albeit a bit down from the K95, but that is to be expected with the denser stringbed. Overall, it offers a great deal of confidence, and allows the user to feel very comfortable on the baseline. The KBT feels a bit more flexible than the K95, so if you happen to mishit, the KBT will handle it much better than the K95. Drop shots from the baseline are very easy, and I think that is more of a weight issue than a stringbed issue, i.e. the light weight makes it easier to slice and dice the ball. Of note, however, is that the KBT quite literally can fly through the strike zone. On more than a couple of BH returns, I was so early that the return went into the fencing on the side. That was a bit embarrassing. But the KBT is almost an ounce lighter than my current racquet, or the K95. An ounce is a big difference. But one thing that is good about that is that on big serve returns, you will not have to muscle the ball back quite as much, as the KBT will do some of the work for you. An added bonus is that the KBT will allow you to come through the strike zone quickly, so if you choose to crack a return from a decent serve, you will get there quickly, and all you have to do is just use the pace of the serve to put some heat on the ball. The only downside of the lightness is that if you slice the return back (which I love to do), you will have to give the slice a bit more 'ooomph', as the slice will drop a bit short, and any decent player will have a nice sitting winner, or a strong approach shot.
Volleys: the KBT handles volleys quite well. It doesn't have the pop or power of the K95, but I don't think that was Wilson's design behind this stick. What the KBT does offer, however, is great control and feel, which you need for good volleying. The KBT allows for good confidence at the net. Put aways will need to be hit with a touch more power, but that is not an issue, as a put-away can be struck with whatever power level the user chooses, regardless of racquet in hand. Low and/or difficult volleys are better handled with the KBT than the K95, as the K95 is very stiff and has a wider string bed. Off-center hits with the K95 are felt instantly, whereas the KBT seems to better absorb off-center volleys. I would attribute that to the stringbed, the weight, and the great flexibility of the KBT.
Serves: the KBT offers good pop, but not near the power of the K95. I think that is due to the K95 offering more stiffness and weight behind the ball. The KBT offers plenty of spin, but not as much as the K95. That is a string bed issue, as the KBT has a more dense string bed. That being said, the KBT does provide plenty of spin, even with it being down 2 sq" to the K95 (KBT is 93 sq"). The feel when serving with the KBT is quite nice. It has a nice comfortable weight and feel, and it just feels right. And with the 18x20 bed, the KBT does provide a strong sense of confidence that even if you mis-toss the ball, or don't hit the serve in the sweet spot, that the KBT will compensate just fine.
Overall: the KBT would make a nice stick for most any player. It is plenty stiff, but offers just enough flexibility to provide confidence for even lower-rated players. Do not be fooled by the fact that the top pros use this racquet. Anybody could play with this racquet, and play well with it. And even if the power issue comes up, just drop tension a bit, or simply swing a bit harder.
Hope this helps.
Last edited:
