Totally agree with you on the lighter racquets. I am playing a Speed 285g. Full bed of poly @52 lbs. Feels natural and confident. Control of the game over control of the frame. Great words
You are so right about the difference between hitting casually and in a hard match with a strong opponent. 320g to 300g makes a huge difference. I hit with a 97p at 350 grams and as soon I come up against a hard hitting stronger player, my game falls apart with that racket no matter how beautiful the 'feel' is.
Yeah. Same. It's hard to adapt with rf97 for a sudden stronger opponent when most of the time we play with an equal one. But feel of heavier rackets brings more joy than winning a match. For 99.9999% of us it's not about prize money anyway.
When I bought the RF01 Pro I asked the person at the store if they could get me the lightest one they had in stock. They found one weighing around 314.7 grams. It plays better than the one that I had demoed.
I can imagine that. Today I have shot the quality control video for these rackets. Yet to be published. Just for you to know. Mine Pro version with strings is 337g. So without strings is exactly 320g. Balance is 327 mm with strings, so 317 mm without strings. And SW is 328. For me that is too much. I like it between 310-320. I can handle SW around 325 but with a lighter frame, like 305g. Not with 320g.
I tried the pro and 300 I prefer the 300, I have it customized to 27 1/2 length, lead at 3 and 9 about 5 inch long strip under the grommet and I play with a head guard tape to protect the top of the frame Strung at 53 with head lynx tour orange sometimes 1.25 or 1.30
The head guard tape actually works perfect as a weight. So it can replace a regular lead tape and it increases the plowthrough and swingweight evenly on the whole upper part of the head.
As someone who tried to play with the RF97a back in the day, trying out the Head Speed Pro was a bump down in both swing weight and static weight. You know what happened? I was hitting deeper and heavier balls with the Speed. I was able to generate more racquet head speed due to the lower static weight and therefore was able to maximize all of the Speed's swing weight. The higher static weight of the RF97a prevented me from swinging as fast and as a result left a lot of potential power on the table. The lesson here is the swing weight metric is misleading because it assumes the racquet head speed is the same between two racquets when, in fact, you have no clue how fast the racquet head is moving when you are swinging it.
That's a good point. Sometimes the static weight and even SW are misleading because of the overall balance and head shape. And also it depends on the swing path of every player, which is very individual. For example Pure Aero is for my taste very slow, but most people who actually use the racket will say it's super fast and aerodynamic. But my swing is more horizontal than vertical and that's why the wider yet aerodynamic beam feels so slow.
Great review! Can someone help me with a suggestion, I’m a big player, 200 cm and 110 kg, but not very experienced, so probably the RF01 will not be the best one for me, but still I’m stubborn and want to try. I come from a Pro Staff X and was wondering what tension would you recommend? Thank you so much and keep posting awesome vids !
Hi Daniel, thanks for your comment. I would suggest 25/24 kg (55/53lbs) or 24/23 kg (53/51lbs). Definitely for your weight and height the Pro version would be probably better. And if you come from Pro Staff X, this could be a very nice transition. I have also tested the RF 01's along with Pro Staff 97 V14 and I was actually very surprised that the hitting sensation was very similar. The balls were heavier with the PS97, but easier with the RF 01 with more assurance.
I tested PS v14 Night edition along with the RF 01 300g. Just a short comparison in terms of control and precision. The PS felt just a little bit more solid, more punchy, but less playful. It actually felt more powerful, but not in the sense of free power, but I mean direct power when you hit it perfectly. The Pro version feels close, but it's not that easy to swing. Switching to a 320g racket with a 98in headsize means the racket will feel slower overall compared to your lighter and head smaller PS97. Bear that in mind.
I always add a leather grip to my racquets. Do you consider it more worthwhile to get the Pro since it's weighed at 320g with the leather grip instead of buying the 300g version and adding a leather grip afterwards, then having to add more weight at 12 to keep the balance?
If you are used to the 3 rackets you mentioned, there will be no problem in using the RF 01 Pro for you. Maybe even you will find it pretty easy to use.
The 300g version is truly one of the best platform rackets right now thanks to the 315 mm balance. Very similar like with my previous Artengo TR960 Control Tour 16x19.
I think he played with heavier rackets in the past (around 300-310g) but I guess his footwork is not as good as few years ago so it makes sense that lighter rackets work better for him. It's the same with me.
Totally agree with you on the lighter racquets. I am playing a Speed 285g. Full bed of poly @52 lbs. Feels natural and confident. Control of the game over control of the frame. Great words
Thank you, I totally understand you. 👍
You are so right about the difference between hitting casually and in a hard match with a strong opponent. 320g to 300g makes a huge difference. I hit with a 97p at 350 grams and as soon I come up against a hard hitting stronger player, my game falls apart with that racket no matter how beautiful the 'feel' is.
Yeah. Same. It's hard to adapt with rf97 for a sudden stronger opponent when most of the time we play with an equal one. But feel of heavier rackets brings more joy than winning a match. For 99.9999% of us it's not about prize money anyway.
When I bought the RF01 Pro I asked the person at the store if they could get me the lightest one they had in stock. They found one weighing around 314.7 grams. It plays better than the one that I had demoed.
I can imagine that. Today I have shot the quality control video for these rackets. Yet to be published. Just for you to know. Mine Pro version with strings is 337g. So without strings is exactly 320g. Balance is 327 mm with strings, so 317 mm without strings. And SW is 328. For me that is too much. I like it between 310-320. I can handle SW around 325 but with a lighter frame, like 305g. Not with 320g.
Excellent review and great technic! witch strings use you and how many kilos ?
Thank you. It's Luxilon Alu Power 1.25mm at around 23/24 kg.
@@CzechTennisGuy is this setup also your choice of play in your main racket ?
@@xristosmat5727 No, my choice is Dunlop Explosive Spin 1.25mm. But maybe I will go for ALU Power, feels great after break-in period.
I tried the pro and 300 I prefer the 300, I have it customized to 27 1/2 length, lead at 3 and 9 about 5 inch long strip under the grommet and I play with a head guard tape to protect the top of the frame
Strung at 53 with head lynx tour orange sometimes 1.25 or 1.30
The head guard tape actually works perfect as a weight. So it can replace a regular lead tape and it increases the plowthrough and swingweight evenly on the whole upper part of the head.
Much awaited video on the lighter frames...
As someone who tried to play with the RF97a back in the day, trying out the Head Speed Pro was a bump down in both swing weight and static weight. You know what happened? I was hitting deeper and heavier balls with the Speed. I was able to generate more racquet head speed due to the lower static weight and therefore was able to maximize all of the Speed's swing weight. The higher static weight of the RF97a prevented me from swinging as fast and as a result left a lot of potential power on the table. The lesson here is the swing weight metric is misleading because it assumes the racquet head speed is the same between two racquets when, in fact, you have no clue how fast the racquet head is moving when you are swinging it.
That's a good point. Sometimes the static weight and even SW are misleading because of the overall balance and head shape. And also it depends on the swing path of every player, which is very individual. For example Pure Aero is for my taste very slow, but most people who actually use the racket will say it's super fast and aerodynamic. But my swing is more horizontal than vertical and that's why the wider yet aerodynamic beam feels so slow.
Yes I’m that guy. Lol. I am using the pro version now but heavily customized. Great vid.
😀 thank you Andy. I know you are big guy so the Pro version totally makes sense for you. 💪
Great review! Can someone help me with a suggestion, I’m a big player, 200 cm and 110 kg, but not very experienced, so probably the RF01 will not be the best one for me, but still I’m stubborn and want to try. I come from a Pro Staff X and was wondering what tension would you recommend? Thank you so much and keep posting awesome vids !
Hi Daniel, thanks for your comment. I would suggest 25/24 kg (55/53lbs) or 24/23 kg (53/51lbs). Definitely for your weight and height the Pro version would be probably better. And if you come from Pro Staff X, this could be a very nice transition. I have also tested the RF 01's along with Pro Staff 97 V14 and I was actually very surprised that the hitting sensation was very similar. The balls were heavier with the PS97, but easier with the RF 01 with more assurance.
pro is better
I am playing now with PS 13 (315g) with leather grip. Thinking to switch to RF 01 Pro. I think will lose some control, right?
@howardpollack6485 I think could be good idea to switch, I am only afraid about the feel, as prostaff is a really good racket, at least for my taste!
I tested PS v14 Night edition along with the RF 01 300g. Just a short comparison in terms of control and precision. The PS felt just a little bit more solid, more punchy, but less playful. It actually felt more powerful, but not in the sense of free power, but I mean direct power when you hit it perfectly.
The Pro version feels close, but it's not that easy to swing. Switching to a 320g racket with a 98in headsize means the racket will feel slower overall compared to your lighter and head smaller PS97. Bear that in mind.
I always add a leather grip to my racquets. Do you consider it more worthwhile to get the Pro since it's weighed at 320g with the leather grip instead of buying the 300g version and adding a leather grip afterwards, then having to add more weight at 12 to keep the balance?
@howardpollack6485 Do you feel like it's tiring to use at all? I'm used to a Blade 98 V9 18x20, T-Fight ISO 305, and Strike 98.
pro is 67RA stiffness IIRC, the 300g is 64RA stiffness, so there is that also to consider.
If you are used to the 3 rackets you mentioned, there will be no problem in using the RF 01 Pro for you. Maybe even you will find it pretty easy to use.
I tried all three and found the future version is the best. Don’t be fooled by the weight, you’ll be surprised how stable it is
The Future is awesome. So easy to play with yet so capable. Perfect coaching stick for me.
future version is for little kids
Real ones play with the 340 grams
I guess I'm the fake one.
HAHAHAH nice one
300g version is too light and needs customising. Pro version is ready to go from the word go.
The 300g version is truly one of the best platform rackets right now thanks to the 315 mm balance. Very similar like with my previous Artengo TR960 Control Tour 16x19.
try the clash 98!
Pro version. Only for the strong ones.
Bro with intuitive tennis's technique, he will never play any racket with 300g+ properly
I think he played with heavier rackets in the past (around 300-310g) but I guess his footwork is not as good as few years ago so it makes sense that lighter rackets work better for him. It's the same with me.