Wilson Pro Labs: Ultra Pro (16x19) Official Thread

djnemo said:
the Ultra Pro feels close to 59- feels more flexy than the Ezone Tour at 62. I believe others have measured it at 60-61.
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You may be right. Most super low RA frames I've hit have had flexy throats. To me the UP doesn't have a flexy throat but a pretty uniform flex across the whole racquet.
 
Paul Y said:
What modifications have people tried trying to keep the swingweight below 334?
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It should be very easy to accomplish depending on what you want the balance to be an what kind of strings you use. All the weight I added was at the handle (leather grip, OG, tungsten putty) except the strings (1.19mm) and 2.5gm lead at 12 o'clock. Both my racquets ended up at 323 SW (checked on a SW machine).
 
zipplock said:
It should be very easy to accomplish depending on what you want the balance to be an what kind of strings you use. All the weight I added was at the handle (leather grip, OG, tungsten putty) except the strings (1.19mm) and 2.5gm lead at 12 o'clock. Both my racquets ended up at 323 SW (checked on a SW machine).
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I know it sounds random, but 323 SW is my perfect number, especially at 5-6pts hl, and I'd almost bet mine's in the 323-325 range after mods (haven't had it measured officially). This is one frame, however, that I've simply covered the stock grip with an over grip and added 6g at 3/9 and 1g at 12, but I'm gonna try removing the gram at 12 and maybe another 1-2 at 3/9. Trying to hit this one as light as possible without compromising too much on stability because faster rhs combined with this string bed does interesting things to the ball.
 
Got mine yesterday - 304.2g unstrung.
Added 7g of lead to the grip and 2g total at 3 and 9 + OG. Hyper G 17g. Static weight ~331g, Balance - 31.5cm. Havent measured SW. Goal is to match the specs to the DR98. Hopefully will hit with it in the next few days.
 
Just FYI - The comparison is to the DR98 (blue) in stock form since that's how I use it. My heaviest/favorite one is ~330g static, 31.5cm balance with an overgrip and a Sampras dampener.

Strung with Hyper G 17 @ 49 (same as DR)...
Surprisingly, a bit more power, launch angle felt same, MUCH more comfortable on groundstrokes with better feel. Volleys felt solid and the racket felt very stable. No difference on BH slice. It really outperformed the DR on serves. Very dampened feel compared to DR, especially in the upper hoop on serves and groundies. Flex seemed uniform, unlike the DR that flexes at the throat. Obv No crisp feel, nor feedback like the DR.
This UP is one of the most comfortable racket I have ever hit with, really well-made...makes for an easy switch for a lot of us DR cultists!
 
zipplock said:
Awesome. Maybe Santa needs to get him a pair of those for Christmas :)
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Haha! You read his mind... isn't it always this natural progression with our tennis-playing kids? We do hours of research to get/modify a racket we like - they try it for 20min - they like it - it's theirs now. That's how he 'switched' to the DR 3yrs ago. I guess it's less racket purchases overall, so that's the silver lining
 
AverageForehand said:
Haha! You read his mind... isn't it always this natural progression with our tennis-playing kids? We do hours of research to get/modify a racket we like - they try it for 20min - they like it - it's theirs now. That's how he 'switched' to the DR 3yrs ago. I guess it's less racket purchases overall, so that's the silver lining
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My kid is exactly the same ... Except he's getting coal :-)
 
AverageForehand said:
Haha! You read his mind... isn't it always this natural progression with our tennis-playing kids? We do hours of research to get/modify a racket we like - they try it for 20min - they like it - it's theirs now. That's how he 'switched' to the DR 3yrs ago. I guess it's less racket purchases overall, so that's the silver lining
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Fortunately, as in the small fortune I'll save not buying him a pair, my son liked it but didn't love it. I'll save hundreds buying him a pair of V1 Pros, though still heavily inflated.

Your comparison of the UP 16x19 to the DR above is rather high praise, and I agree. It's a special frame, imo.
 
Pneumated1 said:
Fortunately, as in the small fortune I'll save not buying him a pair, my son liked it but didn't love it. I'll save hundreds buying him a pair of V1 Pros, though still heavily inflated.

Your comparison of the UP 16x19 to the DR above is rather high praise, and I agree. It's a special frame, imo.
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We have had a similar "like, not love" experience with other rackets - this is the first one he really liked right away. He will play a few sets with it to see if this honeymoon period wears off.
 
AverageForehand said:
We have had a similar "like, not love" experience with other rackets - this is the first one he really liked right away. He will play a few sets with it to see if this honeymoon period wears off.
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My son is at the same point. He stuck between this and the Blade Pro, he loves both after slight modification except the Ultra Pro required more mods to keep it stable. Hope your son isn't string breaker in tournament play its becomes a royal pain in the ass when that is a case having to have three racquets instead of two :(

our mods to the Ultra Pro was:
2 grams to 12
4 grams total to 3 and 9
6 grams to counterbalance in the trap door
 
I have been switching between my blade 16x19 v7 now w leather grip and weight at 10&2 (4cm of tw tungsten) string w volki cyclone tour 16g @50 and same set up on a ultra pro for now. Oh and tourna overgrip.

More play time, my impressions.

UltraPro has a lower launch angle and hits a flatter and faster ball. Played well for me in all facets. It is a little more stable on return of serve and a tad more sw which helps my backhands.

Blade v7 more spin and significant higher launch angle. A little more pop but worked harder for the serves and backhands. Touch shots were a little easier.

I am still not sure which I like better but the height over net and spin make the blade a safer racket. Plus it is cheaper, easier to find, and less likely to be discontinued. So I am leaning towards the blade
 
Paul Y said:
My son is at the same point. He stuck between this and the Blade Pro, he loves both after slight modification except the Ultra Pro required more mods to keep it stable. Hope your son isn't string breaker in tournament play its becomes a royal pain in the ass when that is a case having to have three racquets instead of two :(

our mods to the Ultra Pro was:
2 grams to 12
4 grams total to 3 and 9
6 grams to counterbalance in the trap door
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Nice mods man- that should be a beast!!

Yes good point regarding string breaking. He just turned 13, so he rarely breaks it before me cutting them out it out after 8-10 hrs. So 2 rackets should suffice if he decides to switch.
 
RVAtennisaddict said:
I have been switching between my blade 16x19 v7 now w leather grip and weight at 10&2 (4cm of tw tungsten) string w volki cyclone tour 16g @50 and same set up on a ultra pro for now. Oh and tourna overgrip.

More play time, my impressions.

UltraPro has a lower launch angle and hits a flatter and faster ball. Played well for me in all facets. It is a little more stable on return of serve and a tad more sw which helps my backhands.

Blade v7 more spin and significant higher launch angle. A little more pop but worked harder for the serves and backhands. Touch shots were a little easier.

I am still not sure which I like better but the height over net and spin make the blade a safer racket. Plus it is cheaper, easier to find, and less likely to be discontinued. So I am leaning towards the blade
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Interesting because coming from the TC95 18x20 and UT, I really appreciate the slightly higher launch angle and ability to flatten shots at will. If it had a high launch, it would be a deal breaker. And based on my points of reference, this UP is a spin monster, haha.

But you make good points about price and availability. Based on that alone, and if you're on the fence, go with the Blades and leave our UPs to the faithful:-D
 
Played a couple more sets of singles with the Ultra Pro today. Played well - my only real complaint is that I really have to swing out to get consistent depth compared to the Ezone and Vcore. However, the upside to this is that since I have to increase my racquet head speed I get more topspin on the ball (western grip). I could keep adding lead to get better depth but I think that would start causing issues with other aspects of my game.
 
Question. For those that know the Old Dunlop Aerogel 300 4D... Like this H19 16x19 a platform racquet. How does it compare performance wise? I have the UP 18x20 and get the flex difference but aside from that ? Also I called Wilson and they don't demo this particular racquet yet earlier in the thread I read someone say they demo'd this racquet. From where? Thank you all.
 
UT 18x20 played very low power for me (too low). Dunlop Aerogel 300 4D is even lower. That's how I remember it. And I do not remember any nice feel from it. Tecnifibre 315 LTD is also very low powered, but at least you get some nice feel out of it.
 
AverageForehand said:
Nice mods man- that should be a beast!!

Yes good point regarding string breaking. He just turned 13, so he rarely breaks it before me cutting them out it out after 8-10 hrs. So 2 rackets should suffice if he decides to switch.
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Man you are lucky. My son is 12 and is breaking strings after 5 hours :( but sometimes sooner depending who he's hitting with. He like the UP like your son but he just decided to get the BP 16x19 instead due to the extra power from the get go.

The swing weight after our modifications was 332g, our friends UP came in at 319 stock.
 
We played with the UP some more and came to the conclusion that it does need a bit more lead to increase stability in the upper hoop. Added 2g @ 12 and it significantly improved. Will keep tinkering with it. I think the key with this racket is patience. It absolutely has to be modified to be playable, and that right formula is different for everyone. However, this racket takes modifications extremely well, and small modifications can improve the playability significantly without having a huge effect on balance/SW.
Also, not seeing any of these for sale on large auction site or on here (unlike the BP) somewhat confirms that it's special :)
 
Holy hell - I hit this bad boy for the first time last night and it was an unreal experience in the best way possible!

I added 2g of tungsten tape at 10/2 and 1g at 12. Put on a Wilson leather grip and OG and strung with NXT mains/Element crosses at 52.

I have been a huge fan of the 18x20 but lacked a bit of free power IMO even when weighted up. The free power on the 16x19 is really nice and only there when you “ask” for it. Really really happy with this stick.
 
whamilton318 said:
Holy hell - I hit this bad boy for the first time last night and it was an unreal experience in the best way possible!

I added 2g of tungsten tape at 10/2 and 1g at 12. Put on a Wilson leather grip and OG and strung with NXT mains/Element crosses at 52.

I have been a huge fan of the 18x20 but lacked a bit of free power IMO even when weighted up. The free power on the 16x19 is really nice and only there when you “ask” for it. Really really happy with this stick.
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Did you add 2g at 10, and 2g at 2 or a total of 2g?
 
whamilton318 said:
Holy hell - I hit this bad boy for the first time last night and it was an unreal experience in the best way possible!

I added 2g of tungsten tape at 10/2 and 1g at 12. Put on a Wilson leather grip and OG and strung with NXT mains/Element crosses at 52.

I have been a huge fan of the 18x20 but lacked a bit of free power IMO even when weighted up. The free power on the 16x19 is really nice and only there when you “ask” for it. Really really happy with this stick.
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5 grams total
blackpearl2007 said:
OK. Was able to spend over 90 minutes with the 16m frame earlier today. I continue to be really impressed with the racquet. Here are some more thoughts.

Overall: Very plush, control oriented frame that gives you what you put in it. I have the 18m Ultra Tour and I do feel the 16m has a bit more comfort (from my experience). I personally think the 16m does everything the 18m does but a bit better. I know this is subjective. The sweet spot on the 16m is small but it is not as small as the 18m and for me the opening of the frame with the pattern gave me a bit more forgiveness and more spin.

Ground strokes - pinpoint control, good spin. I had no problem with control with this frame. I felt like I could be aggressive and not worry about a random hit the fence shot. It has more spin than the 18m but not too much. I love my one handed backhand with this frame. The head light weight distribution really allows me to snap through the ball. For me, my best shot with the frame was the backhand slice. It was like I was cutting through butter. Very smooth and the ball stays nice and low. If I struggled with this frame it is on the defense. I haven’t been able to dial in my defensive shots with good depth particularly the lob. I need to add more weight to the head as I am used to my customized Blade. More weight and more time should help.

Volleys: with good preparation and technique the volleys are real good...again I need to add weight as I found myself being early on some volleys which sounds a bit strange but that was what was happening. It volleys well but it doesn’t volley as well as my Blade. To me, the Blade is one of the best volleying racquets. Weight in the head will help here. My drop volleys / touch with this frame was excellent. This racquet is loaded with feel.

I did not serve nor return with the frame yet but plan to put more time (and weight) with the frame the rest of this week. I will most likely be purchasing a second.

One thing that I think everyone knows. This frame has a small sweet spot..it is bigger than the 18m version but still on the small side (smaller than a Blade for example). This racquet will reward you with good footwork and technique. At times I got lazy and my footwork wasn’t as good so I would not hit it as pure and the ball would set up for my opponent.

Great frame. Needs customization and expect to tinker with it to get it right but like I said earlier - if you are a fan of the 18m and want something with a little more forgiveness / power look no further. Great frame.
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Did you find the grip shape and size the same as your UP? Some people on the thread said rounder and larger. I have the UT 18x20 and hoping grip shape and size haven't changed.
 
whamilton318 said:
Holy hell - I hit this bad boy for the first time last night and it was an unreal experience in the best way possible!

I added 2g of tungsten tape at 10/2 and 1g at 12. Put on a Wilson leather grip and OG and strung with NXT mains/Element crosses at 52.

I have been a huge fan of the 18x20 but lacked a bit of free power IMO even when weighted up. The free power on the 16x19 is really nice and only there when you “ask” for it. Really really happy with this stick.
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It's a great racquet; I agree. I also have four UTs, but they may gather dust. Just picked up a second UP 16x19 (after learning about the sale earlier in the week), and it came in exactly the same static weight as my first (307g in the plastic), bought months apart. SW and balance feel the same, but I haven't measured them yet. The QC on these baffles the mind. I mean it is Wilson.
 
Conitue to oscillate between the blade16v7 and up16. Like the feel of the up16 better. But consistently am told the blade hits a heavier and tougher ball. Despite landing more in the court (shallower) for me.

Trying to pull the up16 out of my bag to remove temptation, but it keeps finding way back in.

Mods: the blades have another 5cm of tw tungsten at 1030 & 130 (total). So 10cm total and a Wilson leather grip and tournagrip overgrip.
Up16 5cm @ 930 and 230. Wilson leather and tournagrip over.

Still tweaking the blades back and forth. Happy w up at this time.

But despite the up16 feeling better the blade is prob better stick to play with. For me. Sad bc lobe Wilson blue and black.
 
RVAtennisaddict said:
Conitue to oscillate between the blade16v7 and up16. Like the feel of the up16 better. But consistently am told the blade hits a heavier and tougher ball. Despite landing more in the court (shallower) for me.

Trying to pull the up16 out of my bag to remove temptation, but it keeps finding way back in.

Mods: the blades have another 5cm of tw tungsten at 1030 & 130 (total). So 10cm total and a Wilson leather grip and tournagrip overgrip.
Up16 5cm @ 930 and 230. Wilson leather and tournagrip over.

Still tweaking the blades back and forth. Happy w up at this time.

But despite the up16 feeling better the blade is prob better stick to play with. For me. Sad bc lobe Wilson blue and black.
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Play what is best for your game.
 
Just picked one of these up. Strung with no mods it is 321. Went out and hit yesterday. I had to hit close to full out to really see this racquet shine. Once I trusted it, my shots were really working. Coming from a RF 97, it is a totally different mindset. The 30 grams of difference was significant. The lower swingweight and lower stiffness helped me really whip the racquet and have really nice ball pocketing. Serves were ridiculous.

Going to play again today against some 4.5 players so I want to see how it will hold up in stock form. I might try to get it up to 340 or so at some point and see what that feels like. Maybe throw a leather grip on and add some weight at 12.
 
Dishiki said:
Just picked one of these up. Strung with no mods it is 321. Went out and hit yesterday. I had to hit close to full out to really see this racquet shine. Once I trusted it, my shots were really working. Coming from a RF 97, it is a totally different mindset. The 30 grams of difference was significant. The lower swingweight and lower stiffness helped me really whip the racquet and have really nice ball pocketing. Serves were ridiculous.

Going to play again today against some 4.5 players so I want to see how it will hold up in stock form. I might try to get it up to 340 or so at some point and see what that feels like. Maybe throw a leather grip on and add some weight at 12.
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It will likely need more weight if you are playing against guys with more weight. The BEST thing about this racquet is the flex is Goldilocks nice (not too soft, not to stiff) and there is enough room for weight that you can make the balance and SW pretty much whatever you want.
 
How much weight do you guys think it needs at least to be very close to playing amazing? I own the 18x20 one but I guess it would be similar. Don't get me wrong, I know very well that it depends on the player for a huge part but I think we can all agree that the Ultra Pro doesn't shine in stock form. It's not made for that.
 
RF_PRO_STAFF said:
How much weight do you guys think it needs at least to be very close to playing amazing? I own the 18x20 one but I guess it would be similar. Don't get me wrong, I know very well that it depends on the player for a huge part but I think we can all agree that the Ultra Pro doesn't shine in stock form. It's not made for that.
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I have my 18x20s at like 309 or so unstrung.
 
zipplock said:
It will likely need more weight if you are playing against guys with more weight. The BEST thing about this racquet is the flex is Goldilocks nice (not too soft, not to stiff) and there is enough room for weight that you can make the balance and SW pretty much whatever you want.
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Hit with 4.5s this morning. Heavy balls gave me trouble. I was airmailing some. Not sure if just twist weight or or static weight.

Volleys were still on point. With the RF97 I have always felt a half second late on volleys.

I am going to start tinkering. I've hit with a Tecnifibre tf 40 310 that plays at 343 and I played with Volkl PB mid 10s for years at are 348. I think I am going to put on a leather grip then add lead tape at 12 and see what that does. If I need to add putty in the handle to keep it more headlight that will be the next adjustment
 
Dishiki said:
Hit with 4.5s this morning. Heavy balls gave me trouble. I was airmailing some. Not sure if just twist weight or or static weight.

Volleys were still on point. With the RF97 I have always felt a half second late on volleys.

I am going to start tinkering. I've hit with a Tecnifibre tf 40 310 that plays at 343 and I played with Volkl PB mid 10s for years at are 348. I think I am going to put on a leather grip then add lead tape at 12 and see what that does. If I need to add putty in the handle to keep it more headlight that will be the next adjustment
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I found that twisting was not an issue. It does need weight at 12 o'clock and weight in the handle to get to your desired balance. Total weight is up to you but mine at 340gm are plenty stable. I subbed in at 4.5 doubles last night and the racquets handle pace no problem.
 
Dishiki said:
Threw a leather grip on. Brought it up to 332 Did 1 g each at 3 and 9 and 5 g at 12. Brought it to 339. Added a thin overgrip and I am at 343. Going to try to hit ir Friday and see how it performs.
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That's exactly what I did with my Ultra Tour 18x20. Leather grip, 2 grams at 3&9 and 5 grams at 12. I had a low spec one so for me it came out to 338 grams, 31,5 cm balance and 332 swingweight. Will probably do this for my Ultra Pro as well.

I feel like it doesn't need that much weight at 3&9, also preference of course. Let me know how you like the weight distribution.
 
I have one coming and am thinking of add .25 to it and then some lead at 3 and 9. I found the lead at 3 and 9 really stabilized the 18x20 version. If I can get the frame swinging at 330-333 SW and weighing 325-330, I think it could be perfect.

My 18x20 UTs weight 335 and the SW is 334. Plays really nice but takes a little more effort than I’d prefer to generate power. I think adding a little length, going a little lighter and having the more open pattern could be the fix.
 
Also, seems like they are all out of stock for now... I am sure the 25% off deal pushed some 'on the fence' people to buy. Perhaps they have underestimated the demand and will replenish soon
 
Power Player said:
I have one coming and am thinking of add .25 to it and then some lead at 3 and 9. I found the lead at 3 and 9 really stabilized the 18x20 version. If I can get the frame swinging at 330-333 SW and weighing 325-330, I think it could be perfect.

My 18x20 UTs weight 335 and the SW is 334. Plays really nice but takes a little more effort than I’d prefer to generate power. I think adding a little length, going a little lighter and having the more open pattern could be the fix.
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I'd be shocked if you didn't love it. Probably even without extending it, but you'll pick up easy SW points, which you'll need.
 
Pneumated1 said:
I'd be shocked if you didn't love it. Probably even without extending it, but you'll pick up easy SW points, which you'll need.
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Oh yeah, I’m quite sure ill love it.It may be the UP and the PA+19 for me moving forward. But I still have the Ezone 100 and 98+ lurking in the bag as well...I’m in a better climate now and I dont get killed by the heat, so I that really helps using with the lower powered frames.
 
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