Wilson Staff (Not Pro)

[wlinchon]

Wilson Staff (Not Pro Staff / PS 6.0 85)

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone knows about the Wilson Staff, not the Wilson PRO Staff. For those wondering what I am talking about, this racquet is also an 85", BUT instead of the Kevlar mix of the Pro Staff, the Wilson Staff is 100% graphite.

I've tried to comb through the threads but I'm getting a headache looking for any information about this racquet, and not the Pro.

Thanks,
Warren

 

[wlinchon]

Here's a photo of the racquet in question. Is there anyone out there that can shed some light?

 

[CornNutz]

It does look the the 6.0

 

[ch4ng]

does it have pws?
more pix please

 

[milo]

this is the first time i've seen this racquet

 

[uk_skippy]

Hi guys

The Wilson Staff is a 100% graphite frame using the same mold as the PS85. Wilson made 2 other models out of the same mold; the Aggressor which was 80% graphite/20% fibreglass; and the Avenger which was 50% graphite/50% fibreglass. From the top of the range downwards the rqts were PS85-Staff-Aggressor-Avenger. The Aggressor was black like the PS85 with similar pinstripes along the frame but they continued on around the frame like the rqt in the pic. The Avenger was a white frame with blue and green stripes on the frame. From a distance the Aggressor looked like the PS85 but was cheaper! Because of this it was popular amongst the juniors at the time. I prefered the Staff, hence wy I want it.


regards

paul

 

[Skppr05]

I've heard of that thing before, and i've actually have seen it on sale over at ****, although the one i saw came in a straight 100in. head size

 

[diredesire]

I don't know... but i want it.

*droooooool*

 

[DragonFly]

My dubs partner also has a racquet with pws and it says staff, but it feels nothing like a prostaff, neither is the paintjob.it has a sort of glitter blue/silver grayish paintob, and says "matrix" somewhere on the upper hoop. It also says that it comes with a special "Wilson Gel Grip" as well. looks nothing like a prostaff, and feels head heavy.

 

[wlinchon]

Additional photos:

 

[wlinchon]

Thanks UK_Skippy, Paul, for the information.

In your list of racquets made with the same mold, you mentioned that Staff was the top of the list. Um, then where does the PRO Staff fit in?

And considering that you know much about the different racquets, could you tell me your impressions on the feel of the racquets? Not only between the Staff and Pro Staff but also the others. I'm curious how adding different materials to the frame can affect the playability.

Warren

 

[wlinchon]

Also, its made in Taiwan. Were the Staffs, Aggressors, and Avengers also made there?

And another question, maybe similiar to what I had last asked, since they were all based on the same mold as the Pro Staff, how do they compare to the Pro Staff itself?

Thanks,
Warren

 

[armand]

uk_skippy: Do you know if those other iterations are braided construction? I think that'd be important to know.

After the St. Vincent factory closed, Wilson tried to make the rackets in Taiwan using an all uni-directional layup. However, the racquets didn't have the same feel as braided construction and they are now producing frames with braided product.

 

[uk_skippy]

In your list of racquets made with the same mold, you mentioned that Staff was the top of the list. Um, then where does the PRO Staff fit in?

And considering that you know much about the different racquets, could you tell me your impressions on the feel of the racquets? Not only between the Staff and Pro Staff but also the others. I'm curious how adding different materials to the frame can affect the playability.

Warren

Warren - Here's the list of rqts from the top of the range downwards - PS85-Staff-Aggressor-Avenger. The PS85 is the ProStaff, PS85 is the accepted short-form name for it.
As for the playability, it pretty much followed the range with the PS85 being the best and stiffest. The Staff played well and it was good if you wanted a bit more power over the Aggressor. If you wanted control or didnt have so much money the Aggressor was a good option. The Avenger was (probably) the worst being flexible, lower powered and not great in control.

Adely - as far as I remember only the PS85 (along with the Ultra 2) had the braided layup I suspect due to the cost.

Footnote : The Staff here in the UK was grey in colour not black. I'm not sure if the USA had the Aggressor but it would be strange to have 3 rqts (PS85, Staff & Aggressor) made from the same mold with a black finish.

 

[Bora]

I has a Wilson Staff that was green bluish in color. It was definitely nothing like the PS 85 mold. much thicker and I think more even balanced. I hit the greatest FHs of my life with that stick until it broke when I was hitting a FH.

 

[peter]

As for the playability, it pretty much followed the range with the PS85 being the best and stiffest. The Staff played well and it was good if you wanted a bit more power over the Aggressor. If you wanted control or didnt have so much money the Aggressor was a good option. The Avenger was (probably) the worst being flexible, lower powered and not great in control.

I played with an Avenger from around 1984 up until about 4 years ago (I still keep it as a spare racket) when I bought a pair of PS85 rackets, so I think I have rather extensive experience in playing both these rackets. (Never tried the Staff or the Agressor though).

The Avenger definitely has less power than the PS85. However the control is about the same. The rackets have exactly the same balance and weight though so it's very easy to switch between the Avenger and the PS85 (you just need to much much harder with the Avenger). My Avenger also generates a *lot* more vibrations (but that might be due to it being old and worn out).

 

[peter]

I'm not sure if the USA had the Aggressor but it would be strange to have 3 rqts (PS85, Staff & Aggressor) made from the same mold with a black finish.

I'm not sure but I have a vague memory of the Agressor also being white (similar to the Avenger). I remember seeing an Agressor in a shop the year after I bought my Avenger and I *think* it was painted white. Might be my memory playing games with me though...

 

[sdslyout]

I have two wilson aggressor's, the name on the racquets says graphite aggressor. both are 95 square inch. one is older then the other. the older one has the pretty blue paint, pws,and a white leather grip. the newer one has more of a flat colour blue, pws,a stiffnes index rating of 8.5 on the racquet, black leather grip. both have a wide beam, wide bodies all the way around the string beds and the throats. the older aggressor is pretty stiff while the newer aggressor is not so stiff and is very play worthy. not so much of a power house but both are okay on power. i call the aggressor the low buget prostaff. I'd say if any one of you can get your hands on one, get it. there something to consider
but remember there lowbuget racquets.

 

[wlinchon]

uk_skippy, paul, or anyone who may know,

Would you know what the original list prices of the racquets in the line up you mentioned were? That is the PS 85, Staff, Aggressor, and Avenger. sdslyout mentioned that we should keep in mind that "the Aggressor is a lowerbudgeted version of the PS 85." So knowing what it went for can help give us a frame of mind how much to spend, if it does appear, no?

About the color of the racquet, the Staff I have looks almost like the PS 85 (of course with a different badge and stripes). It makes sense that they would have different colors to differentiate the lineup. I wonder why mine is the way it is?

Anyway, speaking of differentiation, is it just me or does it seem odd that the top of the line of the series would be the mixed material racquet, the PS 85, Graphite and Kevlar, rather than the 100% Graphite Staff? I mean when the prototype was in the making, I'm sure they played around with different combinations of materials. So wouldn't the 100% graphite actually be the first thing they would make? Know what I mean?

Warren

 

[wlinchon]

Forgive me, I just realized, as an afterthought, that what I wrote was a bit silly. The PS 85 came before the Staff. So it would be logical that the Staff was secondary to the PS 85. But that leads to another question. What was the predecessor to the PS 85? And forgive me again if this question was already answered before.

Warren

 

[sdslyout]

Okay, Wilson has many, many racquets. There broke down into models, the "prostaff" is a " series " called prostaff. The aggressor is part of a series call " high beam series ". There are a few models in that series. there are a few models in the prostaff series also. I would say the prostaff series (used) to be the high end of wilsons racquet line-up. Now i believe it's Ncode racquets. The materials used is the differance between the prostaff series and the high beam series. While the racquets may look alike there is a differance. The prostaff line-up is still in production while the high beam series went out of production awhile back a few years so ANY retail price is NOT going to happen. I believe the racquet model " staff " from the prostaff series has been phased out, i'm not sure how long ago but it was at the lower end of the prostaff series. Knowing the retail cost of a racquet doesn't make it good or bad, it's how the racquet plays is what makes it, or brakes it.

 

[wlinchon]

sdslyout,

Thanks for the informative information. I didnt think of the line up in that way.

About the list prices. First, I didnt want to know them to gauge how good the racquets were. Rather, I was curious how much the racquets went for at the time they were introduced. I remember seeing an old list of the lineup of Wilson racquets when they the original Ultras were around, listing the suggested retail price. Interesting, I thought. Also, for racquet collectors, its useful to know what the prices were at the time they were on the market.

Maybe I misunderstood your comment about the Aggressor. My apologies for misquoting you.

Warren

 

[uk_skippy]

uk_skippy, paul, or anyone who may know,

Would you know what the original list prices of the racquets in the line up you mentioned were? That is the PS 85, Staff, Aggressor, and Avenger. sdslyout mentioned that we should keep in mind that "the Aggressor is a lowerbudgeted version of the PS 85." So knowing what it went for can help give us a frame of mind how much to spend, if it does appear, no?

Warren

Hi Warren

I can only give you a rough price that the rqts were in the UK but hopefully you'll get an idea.

The PS85 as around £150ish
The Staff was £120
The Aggressor was £100
and the Avenger was £80

Although if one looked around you could them cheaper. I got my Staff's for £100
As for what sdslyout has said about the aggressor this is partly right and partly wrong. The High beam series came out long after the PS85 type rqts were available. They even had a range of Staff rqts which were high beam. The picturs of the Staff we've seen on this thread are based on the original PS85 mold. At the time of the rqts we're alking about there was only 1 prostaff. It wasn't until later that Wilson introduced a 'Prostaff range'. Wilson seem to re-use old rqt names whether in a series or an individual rqt hence the Aggressor and Staff high beam recreational type rqts. In my opinion, the original PS85 mold based rqts are the better one just like the original PS85 is so highly regarded.

Paul