When I thought I wasn't going to get the Blade v6 that I ordered, I started
looking for other rackets to main for tourneys and such. My main criteria for
rackets were old school rackets, like a decade ago or so, need to be at least a
pair of them, and preferred Wilson but I woulnd't mind a Yonex or a Babolat.
I searched through Ebay and Facebook and found some likely candidates; there was a
pair of BLX 95s for around $100 I was eyeing in Ebay. In FB, there was also a pair of
BLXs' that was in better condition but the seller never replied back to me to confirm
pricing, A pair of Ultras' that was intriguing, a 3 piece of KFactor 95 (and I think one
of the 3 was actually new), a pair of ProStaffs 97 v13, some Babolat Strikes and Pure Drives(br>
and lastly PS SixOne 95S.
I was contemplaying between the ebay BLX and the KFactors since BLX was highly touted but
it looked like it was really in bad shape, I would've been taking a risk. The KFactors looks
good and I love the KFactor series, also the pricing would end up as 100$ a racket is solid.
TBF, I had the 6.1 95S in my queque to buy as a wishlist and I looked at it again properly and
found that these are the spin versions of their models, kinda rare and kinda discontinued.
Essentially, Wilson started a spin variations of their rackets but the string bed config (18x16)
is a prominent string breaker. I think in their modern lineups; only the Burn uses that 18x16 string
bed pattern.
Anyways I didn't really know all of the things above till I bought the racket and dug in deeper (lol).
I essentially decided this as the 95S was something different, the stats and reviews held it and good
regard, and it was technically brand new (like brand new not used, plastic in grip is still there) even
though the model was essentially released many a years ago.
Now I'm tinkering with the setup for tournament play; so hard since there are so many variables to test and
align with to get the perfect resonance. From grip, to weight distribution and balance, to strings setup etc.
First thing I wanted to address was finding a durable strings that won't break but will also not break my arms
lol. I'm still testing setups but I'm liking the low tension setups at the moment; Grapplesnake M8 feels pretty
good and its around the med-soft type. I was looking for something cheaper so I decided to try out Solinco
Confidential (and TBF, it's only a 5$ difference but it will add up eventually) and I liked it but it felt kinda
dead, I like how the strings react and stuff just the feel is so dead so my next test is to either go even lower
, like 35lbs, or go pro-lite mode which is using hybrid setup; i'm thinking technifibre multifeel on the main and
confidential on the crosses.
I also put some lead tape on the 12, 3 and 9 position,a couple of grams only making the racket be around 360g, which
will likely be around 350 swingweight. Initially I liked the weight since technically, my KSix One Tour 90 is around the same
weight and I love playing with that bad boy but maybe, I can't handle it for 6 consecutive hours. I took off the lead tape
on the 12 pos but I feel like I want/need to keep the 3 & 9 to increase stability. Not sure, once the fresh restring is done
, I will take off all the extra lead tape and try to test it again. [EDIT: i took the lead tapes off but didn't restring yet,
I might go for a full bed of Confidential again at 45/41]
In general, the racket is good - spin is great and I can drive the ball if needed. Frame feels like it's cutting through the air
quickly, similar to Babolat. 95 is kinda forgiving head size but you still can get the pinpoint power of a 90 inch. Haven't broken
any strings yet but I can already see some notching in Confidential after 20 hrs of gameplay. Maybe the weakest part about it is the
serve but most of the time, I feel like it's my technique LOL. Maybe Ill change the 2nd racket as a "light" version, same string specs
but no lead tape and synthetic grip instead of leather.
live fast, die young, and leave a good looking corpse