Wilson x RF Aug 8, 2024

[eucebio]

Yeah totally agree!

Very aerodynamic frame and almost feel’s like stripped version of Aero VS or Ezone XI98, and hoop was designed for adding weight and to be customized for own liking. Pretty much pro stock platform’ish type of frame, where is leather grip and only added hefty weight already and player can just customize the hoop with preferred lead placement.

Ultra Pro’s quite the same that needs lead and weight to make the frame alive, just like Blade Pro’s and and H22’s needs tail weighting although have pretty hefty specs on stock.

Anyways very bone raw frame and direct with no gimmicks, just like APD…

Think Roger has to use lead under the grommets on this one, maybe 340sw’ish…

 

[Znak]

Big Fed fan, hoping I would be surprised by this stick and disagree with the majority. Never was I a big fan of the prostaff or RF signature racquets, so when I heard this new mould was inspired by the staff and shift (the latter I enjoyed when I did play with) I was intrigued. Started with the Pro, and pretty much everything everyone had mentioned already in this thread as the cons is true. Small sweet spot, off center shots not only didn't offer any margin for error, I had the racquet really rotate in hand causing for an easy put away ball on the other side. Backhand was nice, nothing to write home about, slices were exceptional, probably some of the nicest slices I've hit to date. I liked that I didn't feel the weight of the racquet, which makes me think the racquet is really well polarized. However on serves were a miss for me — I'm nursing a bit of a shoulder injury so I wouldn't put too much stress on this aspect, but my timing was very off and it was here where I did notice the weight difference compared to my 305g Blade.

Overall: stiff, small sweet spot, kind of feels like a prostaff imo, but with a hair more pocketing. When the timing is on — you're rewarded with quite a beautiful feeling ball.

The RF-01, felt like absolute dung. Thought it was a terrible racquet, did nothing well, with many of the same flaws as the Pro but with zero magic. Backhand was anaemic, played with it for 15 minutes before I couldn't be bothered further.

I think I'd pick up a Pro if they ever go on sale, more so for memorabilia and to hit on occasion, but I have many other racquets I'd much rather hit with, I guess I'm partly happy so I don't have to drop a ton of $$ on a new racquet

 

[jmysun]

Big Fed fan, hoping I would be surprised by this stick and disagree with the majority. Never was I a big fan of the prostaff or RF signature racquets, so when I heard this new mould was inspired by the staff and shift (the latter I enjoyed when I did play with) I was intrigued. Started with the Pro, and pretty much everything everyone had mentioned already in this thread as the cons is true. Small sweet spot, off center shots not only didn't offer any margin for error, I had the racquet really rotate in hand causing for an easy put away ball on the other side. Backhand was nice, nothing to write home about, slices were exceptional, probably some of the nicest slices I've hit to date. I liked that I didn't feel the weight of the racquet, which makes me think the racquet is really well polarized. However on serves were a miss for me — I'm nursing a bit of a shoulder injury so I wouldn't put too much stress on this aspect, but my timing was very off and it was here where I did notice the weight difference compared to my 305g Blade.

Overall: stiff, small sweet spot, kind of feels like a prostaff imo, but with a hair more pocketing. When the timing is on — you're rewarded with quite a beautiful feeling ball.

The RF-01, felt like absolute dung. Thought it was a terrible racquet, did nothing well, with many of the same flaws as the Pro but with zero magic. Backhand was anaemic, played with it for 15 minutes before I couldn't be bothered further.

I think I'd pick up a Pro if they ever go on sale, more so for memorabilia and to hit on occasion, but I have many other racquets I'd much rather hit with, I guess I'm partly happy so I don't have to drop a ton of $$ on a new racquet

What strings did you use and at what tension?

 

[Orezap]

when i played it stock i agree completely.. but when i put lead tape and a less stiffer string it changed the racket completely. Racket cannon, spin monster and rock stable. Much bigger sweet spot.

 

[skip11]

when i played it stock i agree completely.. but when i put lead tape and a less stiffer string it changed the racket completely. Racket cannon, spin monster and rock stable. Much bigger sweet spot.

The Pro produces a really heavy ball with lead on it's crazy.

 

[Orezap]

I have real trouble keeping the ball on court with just a small touch, a tad acceleration and the ball skyrockets ... imagine if u swing really fast with this thing and hit the sweet spot... definitely able to consistently hit 100mph strokes even without being pro and the funny thing is I still have Luxilon Element.. Next string job will be Champions Choice just omg..

 

[iceman_dl6]

Having been switching between the PA98 and the 2024 Speed MP lately. PA98 has the power but is still quite loopy when trying to attack. The 24 SMP can flatten the ball but lacks oomph. Both racquets are quite muted.

I do have a history with the 2016 RF97 and some of the 2010 and 2012 Head Prestiges.

Now lets talk about the RF01. Long story short this is a racquet i believed was just a marketing “scam” but I somehow bumped into a teaching pro at my club that had an RF01 laying on top of his cart and as I gazed on the frame, he said “you can try it if you want” and I accepted but with very low expectations. To my surprise, I thought it played pretty well: Sweetspot isn’t that small, it had decent pop that I can swing out and flatten my shot to end points, flat serves and even 2nd serves are amazing, it feels very nimble and precise at net thanks to the dense middle of the stringbed and the headshape and it doesn’t feel muted which gave me total control on my shots, not launchy at all and directional control feels precise. For me, it feels like I’m playing with a 95 sq inch racquet because of the precision I’m getting but without sacrificing too much power. It isn’t a perfect racquet by any means but for my game, it enhances the areas of my game I’m looking for. I will give it some more time with the demo before deciding though!

Haha, back to reality with the RF01! Just had a practice set with a harder hitting player that I usually beat and just got walloped 1-6, ouch!

I get why others say that the sweetspot is small. Almost every ball I hit sits up on a silver platter for my opponent and I end up overhitting to compensate and making more mistakes.

Not giving up on this frame because it feels good in the hand (i like the grip shape and the larger than usual no.3 really suits me), has adequate stiffness for my game and I really like the head shape. For me it’s a platform racquet that has a lot of potential for finding the right customization setup.

The next step will be to add some weight at 3 & 9, of course!

 

[skip11]

I have real trouble keeping the ball on court with just a small touch, a tad acceleration and the ball skyrockets ... imagine if u swing really fast with this thing and hit the sweet spot... definitely able to consistently hit 100mph strokes even without being pro and the funny thing is I still have Luxilon Element.. Next string job will be Champions Choice just omg..

Yes. You really need to swing out and put some spin on the ball. Can't do pushy and half strokes with this frame.

 

[Cayenne321]

Yes. You really need to swing out and put some spin on the ball. Can't do pushy and half strokes with this frame.

Taking the RF01 out for social tennis tonight, will put this to the test. Can't take full swings at social tennis without looking like an ass-hat.

 

[skip11]

Taking the RF01 out for social tennis tonight, will put this to the test. Can't take full swings at social tennis without looking like an ass-hat.

Well swing out but don't blast em with 100% power hahaha.

 

[DG21]

Grabbed RF97A v10 for a really good price. It is right on spec and has some old poly in it. I had a short initial hit with it (against the wall, because i am injured now). I am a PS97v14 user and recently also tested RF-01 Pro (my feedback is somewhere on previous pages). I did not really like it compared to my 343g PS97v14. But i instantly fell in love with RF97A v10! Despite both rackets (RF-01 Pro and RF97A) being pretty similar and share the same DNA, RF97A seemed to produce a heavier ball and be more stable outside of the sweet spot. It reminded me of Aero VS and maybe Aero 98 - same super stiff throat that helps to crash the ball and apply top spin to your shots. But because of the weight and foam, it’s not as jarring on mishits as Aero VS/98.

I will put my string of choice (Alu Power 1.25) and test it again. So far, i would say that it’s a quintessence of all the rackets i have tried. Small head for high speed acceleration on the forehand side (smth i lacked with my Percept 100D or Gpro), high stiffness but without jarring my hand for the powerful and penetrating shots and plow through (smth i lacked with my Aero 98 and Pure Drive before that), high stability for dealing with powerful spiny shots from my opponents (smth i lacked with all of my rackets basically but it needs to be tested once i am recovered and can play against my partner who hits absolutely crazy powerful spiny shots ala Nadal).

 

[Sicamuni]

This guy didn't do too bad against Alcaraz while using the RF01 Pro. His play seemed more effortless compared to Carlos' usual intensity.

 

[Icsa]

Grabbed RF97A v10 for a really good price. It is right on spec and has some old poly in it. I had a short initial hit with it (against the wall, because i am injured now). I am a PS97v14 user and recently also tested RF-01 Pro (my feedback is somewhere on previous pages). I did not really like it compared to my 343g PS97v14. But i instantly fell in love with RF97A v10! Despite both rackets (RF-01 Pro and RF97A) being pretty similar and share the same DNA, RF97A seemed to produce a heavier ball and be more stable outside of the sweet spot. It reminded me of Aero VS and maybe Aero 98 - same super stiff throat that helps to crash the ball and apply top spin to your shots. But because of the weight and foam, it’s not as jarring on mishits as Aero VS/98.

I will put my string of choice (Alu Power 1.25) and test it again. So far, i would say that it’s a quintessence of all the rackets i have tried. Small head for high speed acceleration on the forehand side (smth i lacked with my Percept 100D or Gpro), high stiffness but without jarring my hand for the powerful and penetrating shots and plow through (smth i lacked with my Aero 98 and Pure Drive before that), high stability for dealing with powerful spiny shots from my opponents (smth i lacked with all of my rackets basically but it needs to be tested once i am recovered and can play against my partner who hits absolutely crazy powerful spiny shots ala Nadal).

The RF97A v10 came standard with a substantial twistweight. I'm liking mine too.

 

[borgpro]

I have two RF 01 pro sticks, strung with a hybrid, and they play soo nice. One of them is 5 grams lighter in static weight then the other and whereas I think the most heavy one plays best, and not too heavy at all, I also will experiment and add some lead at 3 and 9 on the lightest one, keeping the balance similar by also adding some putty in the butcap. Will start with 4 grams of lead (2+2) and 4 grams of putty so that the racket will end up slightly heavier then the other stick. See how much more stable it gets!

 

[tennistiger]

Think nobody mentioned it before the black paint is not a pure black paint, it seems to be a darkened clear coat. Under some bright light you can see the UD Carbon top sheet.

 

[MasturB]

The Pro produces a really heavy ball with lead on it's crazy.

I have two RF 01 pro sticks, strung with a hybrid, and they play soo nice. One of them is 5 grams lighter in static weight then the other and whereas I think the most heavy one plays best, and not too heavy at all, I also will experiment and add some lead at 3 and 9 on the lightest one, keeping the balance similar by also adding some putty in the butcap. Will start with 4 grams of lead (2+2) and 4 grams of putty so that the racket will end up slightly heavier then the other stick. See how much more stable it gets!

So I've been demoing the Pro.

Last 6 months I've been using the Pure Strike 97 with lead on the 12. My backhands with the Strike are phenomenal. Forehands are a bit tougher.

This week with the pro I haven't added any lead tape. Using it, feels a bit hollow. I'm definitely not getting the heavy ball on my slice or topspin backhand (1HBH) as my Strike. Forehands are good, but man my usual hitting partners that usually struggle against my 1HBH are getting them back with ease. There just isn't enough bite on that side. No plow.

Debating on adding lead tape to it. Where should I add it on if I want to get closer to the plow on the topspin backhand, and more bite on the slice backhand?

 

[MasturB]

Think nobody mentioned it before the black paint is not a pure black paint, it seems to be a darkened clear coat. Under some bright light you can see the UD Carbon top sheet.

I hate how much cheaper the paintjob feels compared to the original black RF Pro staffs.

 

[skip11]

So I've been demoing the Pro.

Last 6 months I've been using the Pure Strike 97 with lead on the 12. My backhands with the Strike are phenomenal. Forehands are a bit tougher.

This week with the pro I haven't added any lead tape. Using it, feels a bit hollow. I'm definitely not getting the heavy ball on my slice or topspin backhand (1HBH) as my Strike. Forehands are good, but man my usual hitting partners that usually struggle against my 1HBH are getting them back with ease. There just isn't enough bite on that side. No plow.

Debating on adding lead tape to it. Where should I add it on if I want to get closer to the plow on the topspin backhand, and more bite on the slice backhand?

1.5 - 2g at 3 and 9, the rest at 12.

 

[MasturB]

1.5 - 2g at 3 and 9, the rest at 12.

When you say the rest, how much should I distributing at the top (12)?

 

[skip11]

When you say the rest, how much should I distributing at the top (12)?

Play around with it. I tried SW between 327 to 336. I found 328-330 SW plays the best for me with 31.6cm - 31.5cm balance. My static is around 344g though.

 

[SamBruin7]

I tried the rf 01 Pro and hated it. It felt really stiff and hollow like a babolat pure drive. Power and spin are good and overall performance but feel is not for me.

 

[MasturB]

I tried the rf 01 Pro and hated it. It felt really stiff and hollow like a babolat pure drive. Power and spin are good and overall performance but feel is not for me.

That's why I will be experimenting with lead tape. I played with the Eubanks Tecnifibre a few months ago and felt almost the same. Easy to swing but sacrificed bite and heaviness on my shots.

 

[SamBruin7]

That's why I will be experimenting with lead tape. I played with the Eubanks Tecnifibre a few months ago and felt almost the same. Easy to swing but sacrificed bite and heaviness on my shots.

Yeah I usually customize my racquets to around 340sw so the rf01 pro felt a bit light but still wouldn’t change the feel. I’m still using my old ig radical mp ala Fritz, schwartzman, zhang. Still haven’t found something that has its combo of feel, control, power

 

[Tao69]

Has anybody else noticed how the outside of the upper hoop is more rounded between 9 & 3?

It’s subtle, definitely there.

 

[Cayenne321]

So now that I've used the RF01 for a couple of weekends of competitive tennis I have two main feedback points:

1. It serves absolute bombs, and not just flat - getting a lot of kick too, even more than I get on my extreme MP because i'm getting the hoop through the air quicker.
2. The paint job is absolute rat ****. It is chipping all over and it went from looking like retired Roger Federer in a pinstripe suit to looking like teenage Roger with a face full of acne. At the rate it's losing paint I think i'll be completely white/graphite by season end.

 

[Tao69]

So now that I've used the RF01 for a couple of weekends of competitive tennis I have two main feedback points:

1. It serves absolute bombs, and not just flat - getting a lot of kick too, even more than I get on my extreme MP because i'm getting the hoop through the air quicker.
2. The paint job is absolute rat ****. It is chipping all over and it went from looking like retired Roger Federer in a pinstripe suit to looking like teenage Roger with a face full of acne. At the rate it's losing paint I think i'll be completely white/graphite by season end.

Do you think giving a 2k clear coat would alleviate the paint chipping?

 

[DG21]

Grabbed RF97A v10 for a really good price. It is right on spec and has some old poly in it. I had a short initial hit with it (against the wall, because i am injured now). I am a PS97v14 user and recently also tested RF-01 Pro (my feedback is somewhere on previous pages). I did not really like it compared to my 343g PS97v14. But i instantly fell in love with RF97A v10! Despite both rackets (RF-01 Pro and RF97A) being pretty similar and share the same DNA, RF97A seemed to produce a heavier ball and be more stable outside of the sweet spot. It reminded me of Aero VS and maybe Aero 98 - same super stiff throat that helps to crash the ball and apply top spin to your shots. But because of the weight and foam, it’s not as jarring on mishits as Aero VS/98.

I will put my string of choice (Alu Power 1.25) and test it again. So far, i would say that it’s a quintessence of all the rackets i have tried. Small head for high speed acceleration on the forehand side (smth i lacked with my Percept 100D or Gpro), high stiffness but without jarring my hand for the powerful and penetrating shots and plow through (smth i lacked with my Aero 98 and Pure Drive before that), high stability for dealing with powerful spiny shots from my opponents (smth i lacked with all of my rackets basically but it needs to be tested once i am recovered and can play against my partner who hits absolutely crazy powerful spiny shots ala Nadal).

So, i finally spent an hour on the clay court with my v10 RF97A. It is strung with Alu Power 1.25 22/21kg, weights 358g with OG and dampener and has a balance of 31.5cm. SW i cant measure but feels like 330-332kg. I must say that it is the best racket i have ever played/tried/tested. It is rock stable, fast through the air and has a very addictive plow through which i never experienced before. I read a lot of reviews and was scared that i will not be able to handle it, but to my surprise I noticed that i have to work much harder with my racket of choice PS97v14 modded to 343g static and 32cm balance. All you have to do with RF97 is to get to the ball and start with the swing on time. The racket will do the rest for you. For this specific reason i did not notice that it is hard to defend with this stick. I found it much easier in defence compared to lighter rackets i used before. My hitting partner is a strong 5.0 with heavy PS97v14 and i could easily defend with RF97. I took my PS97v14 out of the bag but after RF97 the feeling was not the same. It is softer, less powerful, less plow through. You need to work much harder to generate pace and depth comparable to RF97.

Because It is the thread about the RF line, I should mention that i personally find RF97 way superior to RF01 Pro i tried the other day. And pretty much to any racket i tried before. I hope Wilson will bring it back as part of their Pro Labs collection.

 

[Kitchen5ink]

As an RF97 user it's great to hear as I have been very tempted to buy the v14 PS, and was curious about the RF pro. In my experience the v10 is the best one ( haven't tried the v12 ). Somehow the v11 and v13 don't have the same magic for me, although they are great too.

So, i finally spent an hour on the clay court with my v10 RF97A. It is strung with Alu Power 1.25 22/21kg, weights 358g with OG and dampener and has a balance of 31.5cm. SW i cant measure but feels like 330-332kg. I must say that it is the best racket i have ever played/tried/tested. It is rock stable, fast through the air and has a very addictive plow through which i never experienced before. I read a lot of reviews and was scared that i will not be able to handle it, but to my surprise I noticed that i have to work much harder with my racket of choice PS97v14 modded to 343g static and 32cm balance. All you have to do with RF97 is to get to the ball and start with the swing on time. The racket will do the rest for you. For this specific reason i did not notice that it is hard to defend with this stick. I found it much easier in defence compared to lighter rackets i used before. My hitting partner is a strong 5.0 with heavy PS97v14 and i could easily defend with RF97. I took my PS97v14 out of the bag but after RF97 the feeling was not the same. It is softer, less powerful, less plow through. You need to work much harder to generate pace and depth comparable to RF97.

Because It is the thread about the RF line, I should mention that i personally find RF97 way superior to RF01 Pro i tried the other day. And pretty much to any racket i tried before. I hope Wilson will bring it back as part of their Pro Labs collection

 

[DG21]

As an RF97 user it's great to hear as I have been very tempted to buy the v14 PS, and was curious about the RF pro. In my experience the v10 is the best one ( haven't tried the v12 ). Somehow the v11 and v13 don't have the same magic for me, although they are great too.

This is what i heard/read too. And it is easier to find online. I guess people love the black version much more and this is why dont want to sell it which is good for us, because now i am planning to grab a second v10 and make it my main stick going forward. Hopefully my elbow and wrist can handle it as it is not a softest frame in the world. But OMG it is addictive and fun to play with.

 

[Mischko]

All RF97s are the same racquet, it always surprises me that people add the version. Yes, the paint job is different, and it can feel slightly different, however Roger didn't mind it much did he? Since there's huge variation in quality control it's practically certain that people's preferences are tied to the paintjob that had the best specs actually, not the best paint job. If you take all 3 paintjobs but with identical specs, they are basically the same racquet. I even played with a real prostock, with a moulded handle etc, and it's the same racquet, albeit with a slightly better feel, and just perfect stiffness and mass distribution compared to retail

 

[DG21]

All RF97s are the same racquet, it always surprises me that people add the version. Yes, the paint job is different, and it can feel slightly different, however Roger didn't mind it much did he? Since there's huge variation in quality control it's practically certain that people's preferences are tied to the paintjob that had the best specs actually, not the best paint job. If you take all 3 paintjobs but with identical specs, they are basically the same racquet. I even played with a real prostock, with a moulded handle etc, and it's the same racquet, albeit with a slightly better feel, and just perfect stiffness and mass distribution compared to retail

Even better? Is it possible?

 

[Kitchen5ink]

All RF97s are the same racquet, it always surprises me that people add the version. Yes, the paint job is different, and it can feel slightly different, however Roger didn't mind it much did he? Since there's huge variation in quality control it's practically certain that people's preferences are tied to the paintjob that had the best specs actually, not the best paint job. If you take all 3 paintjobs but with identical specs, they are basically the same racquet. I even played with a real prostock, with a moulded handle etc, and it's the same racquet, albeit with a slightly better feel, and just perfect stiffness and mass distribution compared to retail

Well It is my experience and I can't argue with it lol.
Putting aside balance point and SW ( my rackets are with 1,2 grams of each other), the hitting feeling differs for me.

 

[skip11]

I hit both the RF01 Pro and the RF97 back to back with my coach. He said the RF97 the ball is generally a bit deeper but overall the balls produced by the RF01 Pro is better. He said it has more spin, it's sharper/penetrating trajectory, a bit harder to deal with compared to the RF97.

Also tried the O-Toro on the RF01 Pro. I liked it but it made the racket heavier, changed the balance of the racket which made it a bit harder to swing vs my usual gut/alu rough hybrid.
I'm sticking with my 344-345g static, 31.5cm balance, and 328-300 SW spec for my RF 01 pro. I wanted to make it a bit lighter but then I can't match my 3 RF01.

 

[skip11]

This is what i heard/read too. And it is easier to find online. I guess people love the black version much more and this is why dont want to sell it which is good for us, because now i am planning to grab a second v10 and make it my main stick going forward. Hopefully my elbow and wrist can handle it as it is not a softest frame in the world. But OMG it is addictive and fun to play with.

Yes the v10 (red/black) has a bit better feel than the black velvet one. I've hit em back to back with almost identical spec, definitely has a bit more feel.

 

[DG21]

I hit both the RF01 Pro and the RF97 back to back with my coach. He said the RF97 the ball is generally a bit deeper but overall the balls produced by the RF01 Pro is better. He said it has more spin, it's sharper/penetrating trajectory, a bit harder to deal with compared to the RF97.

Also tried the O-Toro on the RF01 Pro. I liked it but it made the racket heavier, changed the balance of the racket which made it a bit harder to swing vs my usual gut/alu rough hybrid.
I'm sticking with my 344-345g static, 31.5cm balance, and 328-300 SW spec for my RF 01 pro. I wanted to make it a bit lighter but then I can't match my 3 RF01.

This guy wont agree with your coach
I might need to try RF01 Pro again and now compare it to RF97. When i compared it to PS97v14, the clear winner for me was PS97v14. I just could not jell with RF’s tiny sweet spot and jarring feedback outside of the sweet spot.

 

[Mischko]

You can now find them in the TWU Racquet comparison tool, at long last, under Wilson RF 01 label, so below the Pro Staffs in the drop down menu

Stated twistweight for the Pro is 16, and 14.4 for the RF 01. High, but I'm not all that surprised though

 

[skip11]

You can now find them in the TWU Racquet comparison tool, at long last, under Wilson RF 01 label, so below the Pro Staffs in the drop down menu

Stated twistweight for the Pro is 16, and 14.4 for the RF 01. High, but I'm not all that surprised though

I think TW sample might be high. There is no way the TW is 16 on the pro.

 

[skip11]

This guy wont agree with your coach
I might need to try RF01 Pro again and now compare it to RF97. When i compared it to PS97v14, the clear winner for me was PS97v14. I just could not jell with RF’s tiny sweet spot and jarring feedback outside of the sweet spot.

Well he is a pro so he can definitely man handle the RF97 better than me haha. Again it took me 3 months to completely gel with the RF01 Pro. Now I can't use any other racket lol due to the string pattern. The angles and spin I can create with the RF 01 pro is super nice, definitely better than the RF97 and closer to the PS90.

 

[Mischko]

I think TW sample might be high. There is no way the TW is 16 on the pro.

Demo Pro did feel high to me, not 16 high but higher than average. I also thought it was higher on the 300g version, and was surprised some people, and youtubers, were adding weight on the sides

RF 01 Pro demo I played with was 320g and sw was 326 with alu, and 331 with another poly

If TW's sample had a strung sw of 331kgcm2, that would put it on the upper limit I think. I got the impression that unstrung RF 01 Pros from this 1st batch appear between 290 and 300kgcm2

I think they - TW - derive their twistweight, and don't measure it directly like you can with the Briffidi or the new Head 4in1 machines

 

[Grafil Injection]

Although 16tw sounds high, especially compared to the 14 of RF97A according to TWU, I seem to recall the RF01 is thickest at the shoulders, which should increase stability (tw) without decreasing the manoeuvrability (increasing sw) much.

 

[Orezap]

I have removed the Leather grip and added lead tape on handle and 3&9 and the twistweight is off the charts.. must be sth like 17. i think factory the RF01 Pro must be around 15.5+. close to overspec head speed legends.

 

[DG21]

Well he is a pro so he can definitely man handle the RF97 better than me haha. Again it took me 3 months to completely gel with the RF01 Pro. Now I can't use any other racket lol due to the string pattern. The angles and spin I can create with the RF 01 pro is super nice, definitely better than the RF97 and closer to the PS90.

I guess it depends on your body type and muscle strength. I dont find RF97A to be heavy to play with. It seems it’s more of a myth that exists on tennis forums based on the fact that the next gen players use lighter rackets. 360g for a strong man is nothing basically. What worries me much more is its stiffness. I definitely feel some soreness in my wrist and forearm after playing with it. But this can be fixed with a softer string set up i guess. I still love this frame! The best i have ever tried and played with.

 

[Orezap]

sweet spot size seems wrong to me.. there is no way factory RF Pro sweet spot size without lead tape high up the racket is 18/116.1 i would go so far as to say that is <16

 

[Grafil Injection]

sweet spot size seems wrong to me.. there is no way factory RF Pro sweet spot size without lead tape high up the racket is 18/116.1 i would go so far as to say that is <16

I suspect the RF01 has quite an elongated north-south sweet-zone given its quite oval shape, but if you hit off-centre east-west it won't feel so big.

 

[Grafil Injection]

Somewhere near the beginning of this thread I mentioned a possible likeness to the Dunlop Revelation Pro 90. Well with a new Wilson grip you can see the physical similarity, and I can confirm surprisingly close playing characteristics despite the 8sqi smaller hoop.

Very close direct, precise, manoeuvrable yet solid feel to the RFPro. No joking. I wonder whether the Rev Pro 95 was even closer.

 

[Tao69]

I held a 2004 Fischer Pro Number One the other day, was really similar to the RF01, 320g unstrung like the pro as well.

 

[borgpro]

I returned to my pro staffs 97 V14. I really like the RF pro one. Like someone mentioned quit right, it’s like a pro staff on steroids. I had easier spin and more pop. You need to hit balls in the sweat spot but then it has an almost addictive feel. However, for match play, the PS97 v14 is just slightly more consistent. The stringbed outside the sweet spot is more consistent, and I thus play more consistent with it. The PS sticks I have all have a SW close to 330 which I really like. Also, the flex is nicer than the previous PS97 versions in my opinion, just a tad more dwell time. RF pro one: very nice, hits great balls. PS97 v14, just a more reliable option, and also the best PS97 version to date; at least in my opinion.

 

[DG21]

I returned to my pro staffs 97 V14. I really like the RF pro one. Like someone mentioned quit right, it’s like a pro staff on steroids. I had easier spin and more pop. You need to hit balls in the sweat spot but then it has an almost addictive feel. However, for match play, the PS97 v14 is just slightly more consistent. The stringbed outside the sweet spot is more consistent, and I thus play more consistent with it. The PS sticks I have all have a SW close to 330 which I really like. Also, the flex is nicer than the previous PS97 versions in my opinion, just a tad more dwell time. RF pro one: very nice, hits great balls. PS97 v14, just a more reliable option, and also the best PS97 version to date; at least in my opinion.

Try RF97A and you will never come back to PS97v14 which is a fantastic stick too of course. My PS97v14 is always in my bag but never take it out after i tried RF97A.

 

[borgpro]

Try RF97A and you will never come back to PS97v14 which is a fantastic stick too of course. My PS97v14 is always in my bag but never take it out after i tried RF97A.

Did play with the RF97A as well. And with pro staff 6.0 85 for many years. The v14 is the first version that is as good as the RFA in my opinion, earlier version were too flimsy, the v14 isn’t. Higher SW I guess..

 

[DG21]

Did play with the RF97A as well. And with pro staff 6.0 85 for many years. The v14 is the first version that is as good as the RFA in my opinion, earlier version were too flimsy, the v14 isn’t. Higher SW I guess..

It's close but not RF still. The flex adds comfort but kills power and decreases stability as the weight distribution is different.