Wilson Steam 99 - Silicone in handle?

[Murph]

After demoing and buying more racquets than I care to count. I want to settle down with one racquet. Because I am absolutely sick of trying new racquets, it's like a sickness. And since I've found this forum, it's been unchecked for months. I've tried everything from Pro Staff 85 through to Yonex Vcore Xi 100 and many inbetween.

I've delegated myself a Wilson fan and want to stick with the brand as I seem to have the most success with them regardless of stick compared to other companies, as well as having an abundance of them at my local tennis shop. As other brands such as technifibre etc...are out of my reach, as it's too expensive to ship them over to Australia.

But, I digress. I really want to settle down with one racquet and cut all ties to my former racquets. I've also come to realise that I play my best tennis with a modified tweener type racquet that has been brought up to players specs.The Steam 99 caught my eye. As it seems to have everything I like in a racquet, and it can seem to be customised with silicone in the handle. I want to hear peoples thoughts on this, as it seems to be an under appreciated stick.

My main questions are:

Does the 70 stiffness get to you over time? Or does it feel plush and softer than the stiffness indicates? I know the Vcore line does, and I don't want anything like that to happen.

Seeing as it's already 3pts headlight, and already pretty stable. Will silicone work in this racquet? I have worked with silicone before and should be able to dig out the foam that Wilson uses.

Would this racquet work for someone who uses an eastern forehand grip? and uses a 1HBH?

Is the racquet enjoyable to hit with? does it have that stiff empty hollow modern feel that so many racquets today have?

 

[tk243]

I recently bought this racquet so here's my 2 cents.

Does the 70 stiffness get to you over time? Or does it feel plush and softer than the stiffness indicates? I know the Vcore line does, and I don't want anything like that to happen. I have had tennis elbow in the past but I find this frame to be pretty comfortable. I also use a K Blade 98 but I find the Steam 99 slightly more comfortable. It feels rather plush to me.

Seeing as it's already 3pts headlight, and already pretty stable. Will silicone work in this racquet? I have worked with silicone before and should be able to dig out the foam that Wilson uses. I've never used silicone but it might be worth hitting it stock before trying this to see if you like the feel beforehand.

Would this racquet work for someone who uses an eastern forehand grip? and uses a 1HBH? I use a semi western forehand grip so I can't comment on that. I have a 1HBH and I really enjoy hitting this shot with the Steam. It's definitely better than the Blade for this.

Is the racquet enjoyable to hit with? does it have that stiff empty hollow modern feel that so many racquets today have?I wouldn't say it's got a great feel but it's not as hollow as some of the more modern frames such as the Graphene Speed MP and the Babolat Pure Control. I can only describe the feel as somewhere halfway between silky and crisp.

Hopefully that helps!

 

[AsianArnold1]

i've had mine for almost a year now. and have convinced 3 of my friends to get it too. since they are discontinued, they are so cheap that you can get a new from the '_ b -a y " for just above $100, or used from $50-75. So, no real loss.

as for how it plays, it definitely doesn't feel like the 70 rating, more like a 64. i feel more flex on this than my old youtek.
i'm a 4.5 baseliner, so i added lead at 3, 9, and 12. then countered at the buttcap for balance. totaling 11.9 oz. i've actually pushed the weight to 12.3oz, but that put too much flutter on the frame and started losing control(for this frame).

Before you commit to silicone, first try Play-dough. Just first put a few cotton balls inside then the playdough, otherwise the playdough will dry out after time and will rattle inside the frame. So annoying! if you like how it plays, only then you can commit to the silicone.