superjon027
Rookie
Yes. All 3 have “Feel Fill” technology: “Internally foam filled with PU to optimize vibration dampening authentic to RF.”
Wilson x RF Aug 8, 2024
- Thread starter zettavaska
- Start date
That's exactly why. String spacing doesn't impact launch angle too much on flat shots, but shows up a lot more when hitting spin. I can deal with normal dense or open patterns, but the variability of the string spacing on this racquet is what I didn't like.
And yes the entire frame is foam filled.
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Burn
New User
I have the RF 01 Pro and I'm selling it.
I just say try it before you buy it.
It's not everybody's cup of tea. Didn't work for me at all. Found it unstable and boardie and never felt connected with it even when adding weight (no pocketing whatsoever). The sweetspot is very small and the stringbed unpredictable. Honestly, it was one of the worst racquets I've tested in recent years (and I tested a lot). Long live the RFA 97...it's night and day. Even the Prostaff X tops this one by miles.
I'd say it's slightly comparable with the Ezone Tour, although the later is best in every single angle.
Different strokes for different folks, so try it before going with the hype.
I just say try it before you buy it.
It's not everybody's cup of tea. Didn't work for me at all. Found it unstable and boardie and never felt connected with it even when adding weight (no pocketing whatsoever). The sweetspot is very small and the stringbed unpredictable. Honestly, it was one of the worst racquets I've tested in recent years (and I tested a lot). Long live the RFA 97...it's night and day. Even the Prostaff X tops this one by miles.
I'd say it's slightly comparable with the Ezone Tour, although the later is best in every single angle.
Different strokes for different folks, so try it before going with the hype.
.
Same feel for me with the RF 01. Super boardy, unpredictable, zero pocketing.
In the past year, I have tried the Shift, Pro Staff X, Pro Staff V14, Yonex Percept, Vcore Tour, and dabbled with a few other racquets. My play racquet is a BP 18x20. The RF 01, is easily the worst of the bunch.
Same feel for me with the RF 01. Super boardy, unpredictable, zero pocketing.
In the past year, I have tried the Shift, Pro Staff X, Pro Staff V14, Yonex Percept, Vcore Tour, and dabbled with a few other racquets. My play racquet is a BP 18x20. The RF 01, is easily the worst of the bunch.
danbrenner
Legend
Honestly, I blame Federer for this. His legacy with the racket would’ve been set with the RF 97. Everything would’ve been just fine. Wilson would’ve released it again and it would sell quietly but consistently. Instead, Roger allows Wilson to create this piece of crap with a string bed that he would never in his life use. Again, go back and look at all his rackets. They were all the same medium spacing. He would never have used this super tight garbage. I guess he needed the money.
Fighting phoenix
Professional
I demoed both the Pro and 01 (the latter I added lead and weight in butt to get the sw up to 320, and balance on spec), and I agree with what you're both saying. I do think some will like it, but it isn't for everyone for sure and it isn't objectively some great racquet we should all be switching to. I much prefer the Blade v9 98 I'm using w/r to spin, stability, forgiveness, and depth.
heavyD
Professional
I will say Wilson has been trying new things with the Clash and Shift and this frame is kind of a ******* child of those plus the string spacing so can't fault them for trying something different. It's just a niche frame that some people will be able to play well with and others not so much. I feel the hype will eventually subside and people will go back to their normal frames but I expect some people will be able to stick with it.
Fighting phoenix
Professional
Not sure I would take it so far - clearly they designed this racquet with RF, unless the marketing is all a lie, and why would they set up the string spacing in this way if it wasn't something they collectively felt would work for Roger and their target demographic? Are you saying they're purposefully creating what you're describing as "garbage"? I don't understand why you would think they would do that.
danbrenner
Legend
Because I believe that in the name of sales, they created a racket that would appeal to everybody. So they went with this dynamic string spacing with a very tight center. Appease the 18 main folks and the 16 main folks. It’s that simple. And if you go back and listen to Rogers video, he even admits that he hasn’t really played with this thing. So in my opinion, this was all sales driven. I didn’t need to be. We already had his very special RF 97 in which he won a few majors with at the end of his career. It should have stopped there.
danbrenner
Legend
I doubt he had too much to do with it. Sounds like more of a project he allowed them to do back and listen to his video doesn’t sound like he even use the damn thing
danbrenner
Legend
Used. Excuse my dictation and spellcheck I don’t type anymore. I only use the microphone.
Not sure what you’re on about with Wilson making this string pattern to appease both 16M and 18M players because Wilson has had similar string patterns going all the way back to the 6.1 95 without people complaining of “erratic stringbeds.” Sure the string pattern may not work well in this design of the frame, I can’t say because I haven’t personally played with it yet. But to claim the kind of nonsense you are spewing is some Olympics level mental gymnastics.
danbrenner
Legend
Roger never used the six 195. I already stated in previous posts that this is very much suited to that exact stick. And players of that frame might enjoy this one that has nothing to do with the fact that Roger would never play with something like this
Grafil Injection
Hall of Fame
I hear what people are saying regarding minimal pocketing, the Pro has a very direct stiffness with no fancy dampening technology smoothing things out. I can also see a link to an Ezone Tour or an FX-500 Tour. However, I enjoyed it again for it's nice blend of stability and power on my second hitting today. Still seems quite predictable to me, especially serving, but also my flattish ground-strokes. Definitely needs a dampener to make it less boardie. I'm thinking string choice will be important. Really liked serves actually, as the weight with HL balance is old-school PS style.
TennisManiac
Hall of Fame
So will you stick with the Blade Pro? Can you compare the two in terms of power, spin and control?
I'm glad you're close enough to Federer for him to personally have told you he would never play with something like this.
danbrenner
Legend
lol true. But you have to go with his past iterations they were all medium spaced. so it would be foolish for us to believe that had he been competing still he would’ve suddenly changed patterns. Come on now.I'm glad you're close enough to Federer for him to personally have told you he would never play with something like this.
Grafil Injection
Hall of Fame
Although the 6 centre mains are fairly tight, the 10 central crosses seemed quite spaced, so a bit like the old spin effect 18x16 pattern.
justinhaughtmd
Rookie
Played the RF pro right beside the blade 98 16x19 v9, pro staff 97 v14, and blade 98 v8 18x20… i previously used the pro staff x and the shift pro… for the power, the rf pro was predictable, stable, and spin friendly with a fantastic slice on the backhand… i didnt like the feel as much but it played much better than the others…
Rabbit
G.O.A.T.
Based on this post of yours, I added 2 grams of lead to the 3&9 of my RF 01s. It was like supercharging them. Everything is better.
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danbrenner
Legend
I agree with that
good question. My blades have an unstrung 306 sw and the RF 300sw and feel whippier than just that difference. I play doubles mostly and the RF seem quicker and easier at the net but the BP still better for just plough through on groundies which I love. The BP I think still have more control but overall I was impressed with the RF. I think there is more a traditional feel with the BP but I didnt mind the feel on the RF, just different. Maybe a little like a yonex or pure strike?
The RF seems a little stiffer which was a worry as the RF97 hurt my shoulder - although that was between jobs when i was playing 4/5 times a week. I will keep hitting with the RF but not sell the BPs yet. Also just to confuse myself I got a RF97 restrung fresh to compare
For context I used the RF since they were released, clash 98 from July 2022 with some weight to help my shoulder until the BP were released until now. I dont flip around racquets too much as it messes with my head! I would say I am a solid 4.0.
thenewbig3
Semi-Pro
I think a customized RF01 (even for people lookin for a heavier overall weight) might be the ticket as Troy says it has a lower flex than the Pro.
He says it in the new podcast as well.
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I hated the string pattern too at first but kept playing with it with added 1.25g at 3 and 1.25g at 9 and I'm switching to it now from the PSv97 v14 (used to play with the RF97 and Speed Pro as well). You really have to be on point with your footwork, you gotta swing fast and commit.
The ball produced by this racket is spinnier and heavier than the PS97 if you hit in the center.
The ball produced by this racket is spinnier and heavier than the PS97 if you hit in the center.
danbrenner
Legend
lol. There is nothing spinny about this frame. It’s just the wrong adjective to use when describing this frame
I didn't say the frame is spinny, I said it produced a spinnier ball than my PS97. I hit them back to back and my coach confirmed it.
For those who want to tinker with adding weight in the handle, the Solinco weight modules fit perfectly in the RF 01 (I don't have recent Wilson frames to say whether it's something specific to the RF 01 line, they do fit Dunlops as well!)
Here is some weight comparison between different buttcaps I could weigh
Here is some weight comparison between different buttcaps I could weigh
| Buttcap | Weight | Weight compared to reference |
| RF 01 Pro | 1.95g | +0g |
| Solinco "5g" #1 | 8.72g | +6.77g |
| Solinco "5g" #2 | 8.70g | +6.75g |
| Solinco "10g" #1 | 13.12g | +11.17g |
| Solinco "10g" #2 | 13.20g | +11.25g |
AMGF
Hall of Fame
I don’t fully agree. I believe the launch angle to be a bit lower than « regular » 16x19 agreed, but I also think that it does put a good amount of spin on the ball nonetheless. Many enjoyed great control on short cross court and this needs good spin to achieve. So it is not entirely clear how much spin it does/doesn’t have.
I miss the good old days of Playsight during tw tests. The data would not always align with the perceived performances from testers. Like when a 18x20 got more spin than pure aero and Dr98…
I’d be curious to see actual spin data for that frame. I think it’s better than what the low trajectory lead us to believe.
longtimelurker
Professional
You could just see these frames getting glowing reviews and questionable high scores. Also the written reviews are up months before other frames that were reviewed say 3 months ago. When a product needs to be sold it will get nurtured
Is there also a video in which het says how it plays?
Rabbit
G.O.A.T.
Great post, thanks very much.
Where can I find these? On TW? Could not find these yet..
Very interesting, thanks!
thenewbig3
Semi-Pro
Just snips here and there over the 1.5 hr podcast. He preferred the RF 01 over the Pro due to the flex. He was going to keep it with Synthetic initially as Leather made it feel even stiffer - in addition to the changes he did in the Short. He did say it is not as spinny as spin frames - he mentioned Percept 97 and Ezone 98 a few times as in the ball park.
✂️ Troy
60 seconds · Clipped by Myyt1234 · Original video "Wilson RF 01 Collection (racquets, bags, etc) & your questions answered Beyond the Playtest PODCAST" by Te...
youtube.com
volleynets
Hall of Fame
Sounds terrible, maybe it's the string spacing in the middle. My main requirement on rackets is a strong pocketing, soft flexible glue like feel, and one that works well for one handers. Used the K Factor 90 growing up, then the PS97 a while (not RF97A as that was way harder/slower to use than the 90 due to the bigger thicker beam), now the Angell TC97 320g/12 pt headlight is the perfect successor. Feels amazing just like the Fed 90 but in a 97 beam that has the throat design of the six.one 95 with a D beam head like a blade and a thin beam.
RF01 line seems to be in the wrong direction. Sounds like a babolat puredrive like Wilson? They already make the Wilson Ultra line for that. I still want to demo it but unlikely to beat the Angell, which is the true successor for me to a prostaff and way superior to the current PS97. Maybe they didn't want to make a proper prostaff to not compete with the PS line or the Blade line?
Has anybody found a good ball pocketing string combo for this frame? I stick with Solinco Confidential or Hyper G in my frame.
danbrenner
Legend
So I’ve mentioned a lot of my issues with this frame. But it’s not all doom and gloom it’s got one of the best grip shapes out there. my demo was a 3/8, I usually use an L4, and the 3/8 was plenty big enough. So keep that in mind. The frame feels solid in hand. it has good stability for its weight and again has a really nice feeling grip so you have it
Yes they are on TW! They are not in any "category" so impossible to find through the menu. But they do appear in search results and are also suggested as add-ons when purchasing a Solinco frame. I bought weight modules without a Solinco racquet through TWE who also carries them. Links below for TW US:
5g version
10g version
superjon027
Rookie
I agree the butt cap has a nice flair. I usually have to re-grip it to my liking, but it came great stock.
I also agree the grip size seems a little bigger than the RF97 and other Wilson's I've owned. I think someone mentioned the leather is thicker. My L3 feels closer to an L4 with fresh overgrip.
Thanks!!
Wilhelm
Hall of Fame
I finally got to play my RF01 and RF01 Pro frames, both strung with my standard full bed of Alu Rough at 23/22kg.
- The feeling of the racquets is very unexpected. Just holding them by the throat they feel almost like a thick-framed Babolat. The reviewers are right that nothing about them gives the impression of a classic thin-beamed control racquet. I know the Pro Staff line well, and the RF line is not part of that for good reasons. It's a stiffer, aerodynamic, more modern experience.
- The performance is there. I had no issues picking them up and hitting all my usual shots without jumping through hoops. The pro is heavier and tires you out more, but delivers more on impact and the lighter one needs to be swung faster.
- Ease of use is a mixed bag. I did not find the sweet spot to be any larger than on the Pro Staffs and the Pro tired me out quicker than the Autograph on serve. But both of the frames seem easier to play from the baseline. For my game the lighter weight stick was a better fit when playing points and needing to defend.
- Something about the Pro's balance bothered me on serve. I could not get the truck-like blast that the Autograph provided me with. It felt harder to snap through the strikezone.
- The string pattern is quite unusual. Very dense in the middle, giving you some of the benefits of a classic 18x20 frame on flat shots and slices. But when you brush over the ball with fresh strings, the ball explodes with power and spin. It feels quite strange to me, but when you hit cleanly the results are very impressive.
- I really liked the weight and balance of the 300g frame. Swing weight did not feel much lower than the Pro, but there was less in the handle and maybe a touch more flex for comfort, which makes sense since you need to swing harder.
- Both work great on the one-hander. As with all Fed frames, the weight and balance are just great if you are hitting old-school. Slices are better than my TF40, top spin on clay works great, even though it feels unpredictable. Taking shots early is amazing, there was enough plow on the RF01 to block returns and bunt half-volleys.
- Volleys are a treat. The heavier stick works better there, no doubt about that.
- Forehands were very different for me on the RF01 and the Pro. It's clear to me that the Pro offers something more that needs to be unlocked by a higher-level player than me. It offers amazing plow up to a very high area in the stringbed, which makes it really nice to hit at full stretch. However for me it was too much weight to play on clay for hours, I had better results with the RF01 and the stability was good enough.
- My Luxilon strings felt unusually good in these frames. There is something about the combo that matched really well.
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Hulger
Semi-Pro
This post is not for those who need to read only positive things to maintain their sanity, nor for those who interpret the world solely through subjective (playing) experiences and deny science. Such readers should stop now to avoid unnecessary distress.
Honestly, I don’t think Wilson had any grand plan here. This is simply a case of cheap, catastrophic engineering. I don't believe the marketing team and tech engineers collaborated closely enough to intentionally design a string bed suited only for old Federer fans and amateurs with slow strokes. For them, the racquet might occasionally offer unexpected moments of brilliance, allowing them to strike accurately from the center and sometimes generate massive spin with a closed racquet face from the upper part of the string bed. However, when the pace of the game increases and precision and predictability become crucial, any knowledgeable player should run a mile from this thing.
As a racquetaholic, I don’t even need to test this racquet to tell you that even a slight variation in the ball's contact point results in drastically different responses. If you use a strong brushing motion, the outer part of the string bed inevitably grabs the ball, causing it to fly. If you push the ball even slightly with the outer part, the launch angle becomes too high and imprecise for flat strokes. The argument that “advanced players only hit with the sweet spot” is not valid here because the ungrabby sweetspot has a low launch angle that’s only suitable for flat hitting - completely opposite to what modern racquets offer and something Federer would never use. If the pattern was a more consistent and dense 18x20, you could generate great spin with high racket head speed without fearing the sudden grabbing of the outer portion. Moreover, the dense area (aka sweetspot) is small and positioned very low in the center of the racquet. What hammers the final nail in the coffin is that testers have found that the outer portion is unstable, which is surprising considering the openness of the pattern and the relatively thick beam - this likely indicates poor-quality graphite being used.
This marketing-driven bargain-hall quality wonder unfortunately, dampens hopes for Wilson’s ability to innovate after their past successes (Blade, RF, Six One 95), which earned them easy money. In fact, I think they’ve actually worsened those lineups over time, while many other brands have made genuine improvements. Even Dunlop managed to save their formerly terrible CX lineup from a similar string pattern flaw, which should have served as a warning for Wilson.
A_Instead
Legend
Most suggest that the new RF line is targeted for the consumer market.. as without that market..there would not be a Wilson..nor Wilson sponsored professionals.
Wilson has their solutions for their sponsored pros which is funded via the revenue of the consumer market..
Hence the RF line, as well as the Blade, Clash, Shift Ultra, etc..
Design for the masses.. provide solutions to their Team..
Wilson has their solutions for their sponsored pros which is funded via the revenue of the consumer market..
Hence the RF line, as well as the Blade, Clash, Shift Ultra, etc..
Design for the masses.. provide solutions to their Team..
Grafil Injection
Hall of Fame
With this kind of incredible soothsaying it's surprising you missed the key deception: the FOMO double-gouge that has already been lined up. RF02 will have a really wide string-bed to capture the early adopters again, and only by RF03 (already being used by Fed) will a normal string-bed be released.
justinhaughtmd
Rookie
Just changed out the grip on the RF01 Pros to Wilson Featherthins. Weight with ALU 1.30 and Wilson Pro overgrip is 328g total (down from 342). My swing weights are 326 for both so basically it's weighted/balanced like a Blade now. Will report after a hit.
Hulger
Semi-Pro
thenewbig3
Semi-Pro
Trust me - I havent even tried the racket.
Trust me - I am a racketholic
Trust me - I listen to random TTW "testers"
That said I probably wont like them (RF01s) either
This guy below likes the RF01 > RF 01 Pro
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Did you get a size bigger for the Featherthin?
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