Racquet Playtest Comparison:
| About the play tester | About the racquets |
Name: TripleB on the Talk Tennis message boards
Playing Level: 4.5
Regular racquet, string & tension: Prince Original Graphite Mid; Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power 16L mains at 57 pounds and Prince Synthetic Gut 16 with Duraflex crosses at 56 pounds.
Tell us about your game: All court player; full western forehand grip; two-handed backhand; heavy topspin and slice from both sides; medium length strokes; fast swing speed.
Power
Wilson ProStaff Original 6.0 85 The power level of this racquet didn't seem this low back when I (or I guess I should say my dad) bought my first ProStaff 85 back in 1984. I guess back then I was comparing it to a wood racquet, a T-2000, and one of the first Yamaha racquets ever made. Today, comparing it to the other three racquets in this playtest, it seems powerless. While this is a great thing as far as control is concerned, it means you really have to go after every shot with a huge swing. The lack of power was most noticeable on groundstrokes when I didn't have much time to prepare for incoming missiles. With my Prince Original Graphite Mid I can usually be lazy with my footwork on the forehand side and still have enough pace to get the ball deep in my opponents court using an open stance. When I tried this with the ProStaff 85, the ball was lucky to make it to my opponent's service line.
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When facing sitters at my own service line, I really had problems ripping the ball and I typically had to rely on placement as opposed to power to hit a winner. This lack of power was also evident on my serves where I never hit an ace and very seldom hit a service winner. I was just never able to get the racquet head moving quickly enough and when I did, I found that I seldom hit the center of the 85 square inch head. If I was pulled wide on a return, I didn't feel that the racquet had adequate power to get anything back deep. My volleys lacked the punch needed to be aggressive at net, which left me to try sharp angles or drop volleys.
Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 The power I found with the nSix-One Tour 90 was not much of a step up from the ProStaff 85. It reminded me of the power level I found with the Dunlop 300G that I reviewed a couple months ago. What seemed to make the low power level even worse was the fact that the sweetspot seemed to be so small. I gave this racquet a 64 as far as power is concerned but that was when I found the sweetspot. If I didn't find it (which seemed often), the power level dropped significantly. The power level seemed more inconsistent than what I got with the ProStaff Original 95 or the nSix-One 95 and even more inconsistent than with the ProStaff 85. As with the Original 85, the power level at the net was just not enough to help put balls away with authority. Unlike the Original 85, I didn't find enough touch to really hit any other shots at net either. It seemed as though all my serves were floaters that landed extremely short in the service box and when returning serves I really had problems getting enough pace on my returns to keep me out of the defensive position.
Wilson ProStaff Original 6.0 95 With the ProStaff Original 6.0 95, I was finally able to find the power with which I'm accustom to with the Prince Original Graphite Mid. It offered a fair amount of power from all areas of the court Ð groundstrokes, volleys, serves, and returns. The power level it offered allowed me to be offensive minded with the opportunity presented itself. It, unlike the nSix-One 95, gave me controllable power so that when I took the ball on the rise I didn't have to worry about the ball flying long on me. This is an excellent racquet in terms of the power/control ratio. An example would be at the net where I was as comfortable hitting touch/angle volleys as I was popping the ball into the corners with pace. I was more comfortable serving with this racquet than any of the other three racquets in this playtest because I felt I could hit a flat serve or kicker with an equal amount of control. It gave me the power to hit some nice wide angle serves with good pace and I didn't have to sacrifice much control. There doesn't seem to be as much pop as with the nSix-One 95, but again the combination of control and power was hard to beat and really gave me a ton of options on service returns.
Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 Where the Original 95 offered an almost perfect balance of power and control, the nSix-One 95 fell too far over to the power side and sacrificed the control I had with the Original 95. When hitting groundstrokes, I found that I had to be willing to use heavy topspin and carry out points longer than what I'm used to because I wasn't able to be aggressive with flat groundstrokes. It seemed to remind me of the Volkl Tour 10 V-Engine Midplus Ð it allowed me to hit with as much topspin as I wanted all day long but the second I tried to hit the flat ball I was punished for it with balls that would fly long. My standard poly/synthetic gut stringing might help to tame this power enough to make this racquet playable. One spot where the power was a blessing was on serves where I was hitting some bombs up the T and out wide on both sides. However, if I tried to follow up a huge serve with a trip to the net, I found the power to be a little overwhelming when trying to punch balls into the corners. The feel of this racquet at the net wasn't bad, but I just couldn't tame the power to get myself into a comfort zone up there.
Control
Wilson ProStaff Original 6.0 85 Control with the ProStaff 85 was superb from all areas of the court but was almost pinpoint from the baseline and net. It was a joy (as far as control is concerned) hitting groundstokes with the control I was getting from the ProStaff 85 but it was an absolute blast at the net where I was creating all types of angles with my touch volleys. I can understand why Pete was such a great champion---his talent and this racquet make the net a home away from home. I did enjoy the control I had on my serves but they seemed so slow that if I didn't have outstanding control, and move the ball around to different areas of the box, they were being crushed back at me. Although the control was excellent on my return of serves, I really struggled at times. The lack of power and the small head size seemed to leave me with a slice return crosscourt as my only viable option.
Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 Control with the nSix-One Tour 90 was below average for this 4.5 player. I really couldn't find the sweetspot enough to allow me to go after my shots and see what this racquet is really capable of achieving. The only shot I ever felt like I could get the control I wanted was the occasional dropshot where I had very good control when hitting a very smooth backhand dropshot. Other than that I would say the racquet, in the hands of anyone less than a 5.0, has well below average control due to the small head size, low comfort level, and poor stability.
Wilson ProStaff Original 6.0 95 As great as the control was the 85 version of this racquet, I would say this one was even slightly better. Maybe it wasn't that it had more pinpoint control than the 85, but the fact that I was able to get comparable control with a larger sweetspot to work with. I was impressed by how good the control was with this racquet, especially with my groundstrokes. Whether it was a flat ball down the line or a heavy topspin angle shot, I was able to go after each shot with confidence because of the control I was getting. This is only one of a handful of racquets I've tried that allows my depth control to be as exact as what I get with my Prince Original Graphite Mid. Typically the racquets I try will give very good directional control but fail when it comes to being able to get the ball close to the baseline. The control on serves was excellent and the extra power really made me love serving with this racquet. The control it offered on volleys allowed me to follow a few of my bigger serves into net, a place where I seldom venture. The extra power boost with this racquet, without sacrificing control, allowed me numerous options when it came to returns. I was able to pull off about any shot I wanted when given the time and if I was stretched wide, the 95 had enough mass and power to allow me to get the ball back in play.
Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 This was by far the most powerful of the four racquets in this playtest but unfortunately it made my control suffer from most areas of the court. I never could find a groove on my groundstrokes because it seemed any time I went for a big groundstroke the ball had a tendency to fly on me. Because of the power, I felt like I had to baby the ball and guide it to my intended target instead of taking my normal swing. The control on service returns was impressive, especially when facing a serve and volleyer. I had enough power so that all I had to worry about was hitting heavy topspin and driving the ball at my opponents' feet. Control at net was average but I felt like my options up there were limited. The racquet had too much power when I went for the deep corner shot and the feel of the racquet was too muted for my taste so I didn't feel comfortable going for a lot of touch shots.
Maneuverability
Wilson ProStaff Original 6.0 85 Maneuverability with the ProStaff 85 seems to be slightly higher than a player might expect from a 12.6 ounce racquet that is only 8 points head light. I found above average maneuverability from all areas of the court except when at the net, where it seemed a little slow on quick reaction type volleys. The 85 had more maneuverability that either the Tour 90 or the nSix-One 95 but still quite a bit less than the Original 6.0 95.
Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 I found the Tour 90 extremely slow on groundstrokes and even slower at the net. I had problems getting the racquet around quick enough when I wanted to pull the ball crosscourt and if I tried to go up the line I seemed to be late. Typically I like to disguise my backhand by holding the shot as long as I can, but I wasn't able to do this with the Tour 90. I always got the feeling that my opponent knew where I was going with my shot before the ball ever left the strings. I tried this racquet in several sets of doubles and I always felt like I didn't belong the court with the other guys because my reaction time was so slow. The swing weight of the Tour 90 and the ProStaff 85 are only one point apart but this racquet seemed to be much slower than the Original 85.
Wilson ProStaff Original 6.0 95 The Original 6.0 95 was the most maneuverable racquet of the group by far. This racquet allowed me to disguise every shot in my arsenal and come up with some shots that I've never found before. The maneuverability of the 6.0 95 allowed me to disguise my backhand, hold the shot until the last second, and keep my opponents guessing as to where my groundstrokes were going. The Original 95 was extremely quick at net and I felt like high quality doubles exchanges were no problem, even with balls hit at my feet. I could really get this racquet moving on my serves and all shots were achievable on my service returns where I found real pleasure in hitting forehand drives crosscourt, typically a shot I can never hit with any type of success.
Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 This racquet seems like it's closer to 6 points headlight as opposed to the 10 points shown on the specs sheet. Overall I would say maneuverability is average with it being slightly below average from the baseline and slightly above average on serves. Goundstrokes with this racquet reminded me of the results I had with the Tour 90, but to a lesser degree. I seemed to be just a hair behind the speed of the ball on my service returns and could never feel comfortable changing the racquet's position during a return if needed.
Stability
Wilson ProStaff Original 6.0 85 It seems, at least in this playtest, that the stability of a racquet is connected to the head size of the racquet. The Original 85 offered the least amount of stability of the group and this really hurt when it came to groundstrokes. When I hit the center of the string bed the stability was as sweet as could be, but the other 90% of the time I found the racquet to twist (in spite of the weight) in my hand causing shots to fly to various areas of the court. The lack of stability is less noticeable at net where this racquet just makes you feel like you can do anything you want to with the ball. When trying to hit touch shots, the poor stability just made the ball fall a little shorter than anticipated making the touch shot look that much better. My service returns were very poor with the Original 85 because of the low topspin potential and less than stellar stability. Every return seemed to end up very short unless I had plenty of time to swing through the ball. Back at the baseline where I feel at home, the racquet was very demanding due to the combination of low power, low stability, and small head size.
Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 The 90 square inch head on this racquet seemed to offer more stability compared to the Original 85 but only slightly. The stability seemed greater at the net and on serves (compared to the 85) but less on groundstrokes. I seldom found the center of the string bed on groundstrokes and the racquet let me know this immediately with quite a bit of twisting. It also seemed to have a dead feeling near the top of the racquet which also came with a big drop off in power. After playing with this racquet I'm even more impressed by Roger Federer and his talents on the tennis court.
Wilson ProStaff Original 6.0 95 This racquet offers fantastic stability whether you are banging groundstrokes, going for huge serves, going for kick serves, hitting returns for winners, or just playing some clay court tennis and keeping the ball in play. After playing with the Original 85, I assumed that this racquet would offer similar stability because, although it offers an enlarged sweetspot, it is lighter and has a lower swing weight. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this racquet offers better stability from every area of the court compared to the Original 85. Maybe it was the fact that I felt at home with this racquet, but I found superb stability with this racquet and a feel very similar to my trusty Prince.
Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 This racquet, probably due to its wider cross section, offered the best stability in this group of Wilsons. It was just a solid and comfy ride in every aspect of my game. It is amazingly solid from the ground and even more so when I am sticking volleys at the feet of my opponents in doubles. There was little twisting and some of the best returns I hit were when I was stretched wide and only had time to stick the racquet out. With the stability and power this racquet offered I ultimately got most of those returns back and at times put myself in an offensive position on the point.
Comfort
Wilson ProStaff Original 6.0 85 The comfort level of the smaller headed racquets in this play test were a couple notches below that of the 95 square inch models. The sweetspot seemed small and if you didn't hit it, there was little comfort to be found. The low comfort level was most noticeable on poorly struck groundstrokes or when returning big first serves. There is no "gimmick" involved in the construction of this racquet to soften the feel, but with the comfort level being low, I think this enabled me to have great touch and feel. I was able to "feel" the ball on the string bed, which gave me better touch around the net. It's not a comfy ride and you will feel every shot, but at times I welcome this in my game.
Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 I assumed that with the larger head of the Tour 90 (compared to the Original 85) I would gain some extra comfort but I was mistaken. I'm not sure what the reason was (maybe the 85 lost some stiffness with age?) but this racquet seemed to play stiffer that the Original 85, as well as the other racquets in this playtest. It was bordering on a harsh feel on groundstrokes and felt even worse when I missed the sweetspot at the net. I would be afraid that if I had the ability to use this racquet on a regular basis, I would eventually have elbow problemsÉin my opinion the comfort level was that harsh.
Wilson ProStaff Original 6.0 95 This racquet offered a nice feeling of comfort without taking away the touch and feel I loved about the Original 85. I was still able to feel the ball on the strings so I could make incredible touch shots but the larger hitting area offered a smoother ride. I really liked the comfort level of this racquet more than any of the others. It wasn't as smooth as the nSix-One 95, but it allowed me to know exactly how and where I was hitting the ball, which is exactly how I like a racquet to feel.
Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 While the Original 95 offered the type of comfort I look for in a racquet, the nSix-One 95 "muffled" (for lack of a better term) the feel without letting me know what the results of my shot was going to be. It does offer more comfort compared to the Original 95 but at a cost of feel and touch. If a highly comfortable players racquet is what your looking for, you may not find a better racquet than the nSix-One 95. But if you prefer to feel the ball on the strings instead of a cushioned response, you should look elsewhere.
Spin
Wilson ProStaff Original 6.0 85 After comparing this racquet to the others in this play test and my Prince Original Graphite mid, I understand why I never had a topspin forehand during my high school tennis days. Although the string pattern is not that tight (16/18), the small head makes it tough to get heavy penetrating topspin off either side and especially difficult when hitting service returns against serves with any speed at all. When I went for that heavy topspin that I'm accustom to with the Prince, I found the frame often, especially the PWS indentions. This often led to a lot of mishits that either sailed wide or landed short. I also had problems getting any kick on my serve. I felt more comfortable hitting flat serves than I did trying to hit a kicker or the slice out wide, basically due to the fear of hitting the frame. This made me incredibly nervous when hitting second serves on break point. Slice, moreso on the backhand side, was easier to come by than topspin and I enjoyed hitting the low slice down the line. It reminded me a lot of my high school days when my heavy slice backhand was my only weapon.
Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 Both slice and topspin with the Tour 90 were below average in every shot I tried. The topspin ability of this racquet was a slight improvement over the Original 85 but it pales in comparison to the Original 95 or the nSix-One 95. The potential for hitting an effective slice was nowhere to be found and was the worst in this group of racquets by a long shot. The ability to hit topspin and slice is essential to my game plan, and with this racquet giving me the opportunity to do neither, it quickly let me know that it's the worst racquet in this play test. I had very few options when I was trying to return serves. With the poor maneuverability and the lack of topspin or slice, I wasn't sure how to get myself on the offensive when returning serves so I seemed to block most of them back.
Wilson ProStaff Original 6.0 95 This racquet offered (by a slim margin over the nSix-One 95) the greatest combination of topspin and slice. Both were easy to apply from the baseline, on service returns, and when trying the high kickers that I so desperately tried to hit with the Original 85. On groundstrokes, slice stayed incredibly low without me having to bend my 6'3" frame all the way to the ground. Just what I like in a racquet, the ability to be lazy and still achieve fantastic results. I was thrilled on returns of serve because I had any option I wantedÉslice it down the line, topspin crosscourt, and with the touch this racquet offered the occasional dropshot (with some slice on it) was the killer. The nervousness I had with the Original 85 on second serves left when I went to the 95 version of the ProStaff. I was able to really swing up and through the ball and get some great kick on my serves or slice it out wide for a sitter of a return from my opponent. The spin potential, both slice and topspin, were perfect for my game.
Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 While the Original 95 offered a near perfect combination of slice and topspin, the nSix-One 95 tended to offer more topspin than slice when it came to groundstrokes. My slice shots tended to sit up a bit and I couldn't get by with the laziness that I had with the Original 95 on this shot. I had to concentrate a little more on each shot, making sure I bent my knees and got down to the ball. On the other hand, I was able to hit deep penetrating topspin groundstrokes all day long with this racquet using minimal effort. The weight of the racquet along with the 95 square inch head and open string pattern make this a topspin artists dream. Due to the kick I was able to get on my serves with this racquet, I had to rate it slightly higher in the service department than the Original 95. Although the 95 offered a better combination of control, power, and spin, I just loved hitting high kickers to the backhand of my opponents with this racquet.
Final
Wilson ProStaff Original 6.0 85 A true "classic" in every sense of the word. This is a racquet for the highly skilled player looking for the perfect combination of touch and feel.
Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 A racquet that makes you work extremely hard on every shot but doesn't reward you with anything other than average touch. Only Federer wannabes need apply.
Wilson ProStaff Original 6.0 95 A superb racquet that excels in almost every category imaginable. It gives the player amazing control with a stable and comfortable feel. An all court player's dream racquet and during this playtest established itself as one of my Top 7 racquets of all time.
Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 A highly comfortable racquet that offers incredible topspin and will be most appreciated by those wanting a players racquet with a bit more pop. If I were to string the nSix-One 95 with a polyester / synthetic gut hybrid and at a higher tension, I could probably find good success using this racquet.
| Comfort | |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 | 80 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 95 | 76 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 85 | 72 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 | 65 |
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| Control | |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 95 | 84 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 85 | 83 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 | 76 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 | 72 |
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| Groundstrokes | |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 95 | 80 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 | 77 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 85 | 73 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 | 71 |
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| Maneuverability | |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 95 | 80 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 85 | 75 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 | 74 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 | 72 |
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| Power | |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 | 75 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 95 | 71 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 | 64 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 85 | 58 |
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| ServesandOverheads | |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 | 78 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 95 | 77 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 85 | 72 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 | 72 |
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| ServeReturns | |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 | 82 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 95 | 79 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 85 | 72 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 | 69 |
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| Slice | |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 95 | 78 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 85 | 77 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 | 76 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 | 72 |
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| Stability | |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 | 81 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 95 | 77 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 | 71 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 85 | 69 |
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| Topspin | |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 | 83 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 95 | 80 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 | 71 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 85 | 70 |
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| Touch/Feel | |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 85 | 86 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 95 | 84 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 | 74 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 | 74 |
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| Volleys | |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 85 | 87 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 95 | 83 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 | 76 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 | 73 |
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| Overall | |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 95 | 81 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One 95 | 78 |
| Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 85 | 77 |
| Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90 | 70 |
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| Playtest date: December, 2004. |
| All content copyright 2007 Tennis Warehouse. |