Racquet Playtest Comparison:
| About the play tester | About the racquets |
Name: BreakPoint on the Talk Tennis message boards
Playing Level: 4.5
regular racquet, string & tension: Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 95, Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16g @ 59lbs., cable grommet "O" dampener, and Gosen Ripple overgrip over Wilson leather grip
Tell us about your game: All court player playing both singles and doubles, serve and volley 50% of the time. Long, loopy, fast swings on both sides. Can hit flat, topspin, and slice off of both sides, and will mix things up during rallies. One-handed backhand, semi-western forehand Strengths are serve and backhand.
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Initial Impressions
Wilson nSix-One 95 A relatively heavy and solid player's racquet with a fairly wide 22mm beam for a player's racquet. Has nice heft and the weight was noticeable when I first picked it up and when I first swung it. Felt about as heavy as the nSix-One Tour I playtested last time. This is one solid feeling racquet! This is the 16 x 18 version so it has an open string pattern. With dampener and two overgrips (the demo was 4 3/8 and my usual size is 4 1/2), it was a hefty 12.8 oz. on the scale. Very nice red and white paintjob with a smooth and shiny lacquered look.
Head Liquidmetal Radical MP This racquet felt pretty light when I first picked it up and when I first swung it. Noticeably lighter than the Tour version I playtested last month. However, it has the same dense 18x20 string pattern and fairly wide beam (the beam width seems wider than its 21mm spec.) of the Tour version. As with the Tour version, the balance felt more even than headlight but this one was still very easy to swing due to its low static weight and swingweight. With dampener and two overgrips (as above), it came out at 11.8 oz. on the scale.
ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 Felt surprisingly light and easy to swing given its specs. Significantly lighter and easier to swing than the PSE version I playtested last month. Like night and day. The "granules" inside the head of the racquet of the Kinetic system makes the racquet sound like an Etch-A-Sketch when you shake it. It's a sound that one will need to get used to over time if one decides to make this their primary racquet. With dampener and two overgrips (as above), the static weight was a surprising 12.3 oz. I say this because this racquet felt much lighter to me. Also, a very high-quality looking finish with a flashy, glossy yellow color.
Power
Wilson nSix-One 95 Easily the most powerful of the three racquets. Much of the power comes from the sheer weight of this racquet. However, this power is kept under control and is well harnessed. I did not once spray the ball or hit the back fence. I could hit the ball hard when I wanted to but still have very good control. A high "plow-through" factor due to its weight so the ball pretty much just goes where you aim it. Since this is indeed a player's racquet, you still need a full, long stroke to unleash the power inherent in this racquet. Lower level players with more compact strokes may have some problems realizing its power. The power was more evident on groundstrokes than on serves or volleys. Indeed, I was a little surprised that I could not serve much harder than with my regular racquet given the additional mass.
Head Liquidmetal Radical MP This racquet had a surprising amount of power given its light weight. Must be the Liquidmetal at work. Power on serves and on some groundstrokes was slightly higher than with my usual PS 6.0 95. This is a very easy racquet to serve with. Both flat, hard first serves, as well as slice or kick serves with lots of spin were easy to execute. Still, I would not consider this a high powered racquet. I would still consider this a control oriented racquet for those that can generate their own power with a full, fast swing. The dense string pattern also robbed the racquet of some of its power but increased its control.
ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 The lowest powered of the three racquets. Has a very flexible feel which steals much of its power. This racquet definitely requires full, long strokes just to get the ball over the net. However, the Kinetic system provides some additional weight into the head on groundstrokes and serves, thereby, giving an extra boost in power and depth, which otherwise wouldn't be there. If you're an advanced level player, the power level should be sufficient if you're willing to work hard, but for lower level players, you may want something more powerful. I found myself going for more placement and touch than power and pace to hit winners when I used this racquet.
Control
Wilson nSix-One 95 I found excellent control with this racquet. The stiffness and the sheer weight of this racquet made it very hard for the ball to push it around no matter how hard your opponent hits it at you. As I mentioned above, very good "plow-through" feel and the ball pretty much goes where you aim it. I found good control on serves, groundstrokes, and volleys, but the standout was on returns of serve. Whether I was swinging out or hitting a sharp slice backhand return, the feel was always solid and I could generate excellent pace on the returns which made it very difficult on my opponent if he was rushing the net. Was also great for hitting angled crosscourt returns away from the net man in doubles.
Head Liquidmetal Radical MP Control was surprisingly accurate for such a light racquet. I found this racquet to provide good feedback and a somewhat flexible feel which helped me make the minor adjustments necessary to better control the ball. The dense string pattern also enhanced the feeling of control. However, I think the biggest factor influencing the feeling of control with this racquet is its huge sweetspot. Almost the entire stringbed felt like a sweetspot to me which made this a very forgiving racquet. I could hit the ball well off-center and still maintain decent control over my shot. Again, must be the Liquid Metal at work. Control was apparent on all shots, but especially strong on serves and forehands, with returns perhaps the weakest. The excellent control on volleys was certainly unexpected as I don't think I hit a single volley long the whole time I had this racquet.
ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 Control was pretty good with this one, too. However, once in a while the very flexible feel of this racquet threw me off, and I ended up hitting a much weaker, slower shot than I had anticipated. Not sure if it's because of the Kinetic system's granules moving around in the head that causes this. Since this racquet feels so soft, it provides good feedback which enhances its control. The level of control was pretty much the same on all shots with no one shot much better nor much worse than others. The lightweight feel and flexibility of this racquet means that the ball may not always go exactly where you aim it so you may need to adjust your stroke a little bit or you can just get used to it over time.
Maneuverability
Wilson nSix-One 95 The least maneuverable of the three racquets due to its sheer weight. Although it has a headlight balance, this racquet still has quite a bit of heft to it, with some of its weight noticeably in the throat area. Contrary to TW's reviews of the two, I didn't feel like this racquet was any lighter than the nSix-One Tour that I playtested last time. However, I found if I prepared early, I had no problems taking a full stroke and still hit the ball well out in front. Hitting slice shots was easy but it was a bit sluggish at the net. I did find myself hitting overheads late because it was just harder to get the racquet head around compared to my usual very headlight PS 6.0 95. Slice and kick serves were also slightly more difficult because the extra weight kept me from generating the same racquet head speed I usually require to hit those serves effectively. Flat serves, however, were less of a problem.
Head Liquidmetal Radical MP This was probably the most maneuverable of the three due to its overall light weight. Even with its more even balance, it felt very maneuverable on serves, groundstrokes, and at the net. In fact, this racquet was very easy to volley with as it was very easy to get the racquet head into position, even on reaction volleys in doubles. It was also easy to make minor adjustments to my strokes to get the racquet head into the right position to hit a cleaner shot. This racquet also served surprisingly well given its light weight. Must be the extra mass in its head. I had no trouble generating the racquet head speed I needed to hit heavy slice or kick serves or to hit flat bombs.
ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 This racquet was also very maneuverable. It really does feel much lighter than its 12.3 oz. static weight would indicate. Must be due to both its headlight balance and the fact that when you hold the racquet with its head well above your wrist, the Kinetic system's granules fall to the lower part of the hoop, thereby, making the racquet feel even more headlight. This racquet was very easy to swing on serves and groundstrokes and was easy to move into position at the net. A huge difference from the PSE version of this racquet I playtested last month.
Stability
Wilson nSix-One 95 This has got to be one of the most stable racquets I have ever used. No matter what I did, I could not shake the rock-solid stability of this racquet. It just feels so solid in my hand and most of my shots felt very solid as well. It has a much larger sweetspot than most of the Pro Staff-based racquets I have ever tried (which is almost all of them). The nCode technology must be for real and I would agree with Wilson's claims of increased stability over previous iterations. Whether it was serves, groundstrokes, or volleys, all my strokes felt very solid. The weight, the stiffness, and the nanotechnology all combine to produce an extremely stable racquet that's hard to get pushed around even by hard hit shots.
Head Liquidmetal Radical MP I think the biggest surprise of this racquet for me was its stability given its light weight. The upper hoop is fairly stiff which makes for a very consistent stringbed. As I've said before, the sweetspot is very large although if you hit the ball right in the center of the sweetspot, the feel isn't quite as sweet as with some other racquets (e.g., PS 6.0 95). But the good news is that I could hit the ball pretty much anywhere on the stringbed and get a pretty good feel and a pretty decent shot out of it. Not much twisting at all no matter where I hit it. Must be the Liquid Metal at work. The excellent stability applied to all shots.
ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 The stability of this racquet was nowhere near that of the PSE version. The lighter weight really does rob it of some of its stability. Probably the least stable of the three but still a pretty stable racquet overall. It just doesn't match up to the rock-solid stability of the nSix-One 95. The high flex of this racquet can also make the racquet feel a little less stable. I could feel the racquet twist and bend on some groundstrokes and volleys, depending on how off-center the shot was. This made the racquet feel somewhat weak on occasion. However, when I hit the center of the sweetspot it was quite stable, and the added mass from the granules in the head when I swung out on groundstrokes and serves provided an added boost to its stability.
Comfort
Wilson nSix-One 95 Surprisingly comfortable despite being a relatively stiff racquet. Has a very muted feel absent of much of the typical shock and vibration at impact. Must be the nCode technology at work again here. Like with most Pro Staff racquets, the graphite/kevlar composition provides good vibration dampening and a comfortable feel. I found it felt softer than previous versions of the ProStaff 6.1 series, like the ProStaff 6.1 Classic and the Hyper ProStaff 6.1. The weight, however, may cause some discomfort to your shoulder over a long match, although I did not personally experience this (because I was switching back and forth between racquets).
Head Liquidmetal Radical MP Not at all an overly stiff racquet despite its thick beam width, and thus, pretty comfortable overall. The fairly soft feel surprised me as I was expecting a much harsher, stiffer feel. In fact, I would consider this a fairly flexible racquet on par with the LM Prestige series. I actually liked the feel of this racquet more than either the LM Prestige Mid or MidPlus, which really surprised me. The very large sweetspot also means that you can hit the ball off center and still maintain a high level of comfort. However, it does have the standard Head flat, rectangular grip which may take some people a little while to get used to, especially if you're coming from a Wilson or Prince grip shape.
ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 A very comfortable racquet with an extremely muted feel and very little shock and vibration. The high flex of this frame, along with the Kinetic system, do their jobs well in making this a very comfortable racquet. If you suffer from tennis elbow this would be a good option to look into. The lightweight feel of this racquet also means that you shouldn't have to worry about putting too much stress on your shoulder. The only discomfort came from some twisting of the racquet on some off-center hits due to the very flexible frame.
Spin
Wilson nSix-One 95 Fairly easy to generate spin with this racquet's open 16x18 string pattern. Great for hitting slice backhands - about as good as with my usual PS 6.0 95. Topspin, however, was a bit more difficult than with my usual racquet due to the heavier weight which made it slightly more sluggish when whipping the racquet head up quickly to produce topspin. I felt I could drive through the ball and hit flat, hard shots a bit better than I could hit whippy topspin shots with this racquet. I could hit pretty heavy balls due to this high "plow-through" factor. Slice and kick serves also felt like they had more mass behind them.
Head Liquidmetal Radical MP Surprisingly easy to generate spin with this racquet despite its dense (18x20) string pattern and relatively even balance. Topspin was pretty easy to generate as the light weight of the racquet made it very easy to whip up the racquet head quickly to produce the topspin. Slice shots, however, did not have the same feel and bite as I do with my usual racquet and tended to expose the racquet to some wobble. Slice and kick serves were very easy to produce with this racquet as the weight in the head seemed to pull the head through quickly at the end of the stroke and wrist snap to impart extra spin.
ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 This racquet is also fairly easy to generate spin with. The relatively open 16x20 string pattern certainly doesn't hurt. The flexibility of this racquet can make the racquet feel whippy at times which I feel adds to its spin potential. I could "whip" the ball over the net with good topspin off of both my forehand and backhand sides. Slice shots were decent but not as good as with the nSix-One 95 nor my usual PS 6.0 95. Slice and spin serves, however, were no problem at all.
Final Thoughts
Wilson nSix-One 95 An excellent, rock-solid, no-nonsense player's racquet. It's high "plow-through" factor makes for hitting very heavy balls, and a bit better for hitting hard, flat shots than whippy, heavy spin shots. It is one of the most solid and stable racquets I have ever tried. It also has a very muted and comfortable feel with good shock and vibration dampening. If you like to hit the ball hard from the baseline and can handle its relatively heavy weight, you should demo this racquet. Bottom line Best suited for 4.5 to 7.0 players with a strong arm and shoulder looking for a very solid feeling racquet and some extra pop.
Head Liquidmetal Radical MP As you can probably tell from my liberal use of the word "surprisingly" in describing this racquet, this racquet was the biggest surprise out of the three to me. The big surprise was that I actually really liked this racquet. I had expected not to like it at all. It was much less stiff feeling and had much better feel, control, and spin ability than I had expected. I tend to lean more towards player's racquets but I actually liked this better than the LM Prestige. I think this racquet would suit a wide variety of types of players from pure baseliners to serve-and-volleyers, from young juniors to older, stronger players, and from beginners or intermediates to more advanced players. Bottom line A versatile racquet that can be used by 3.0 to 6.0 level players looking for a light racquet that is very maneuverable and has good control and power.
ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 Although its primary intended market is for players with tennis elbow, even those without arm problems can benefit from this very comfortable racquet. Both maneuverability and control are good, although I found power to be a bit lacking. I also found it a bit better from the baseline than at the net, although touch shots at the net were easy to produce. If you like very flexible racquets with a lot of feel, and can generate your own power, you should take a look at this one. Bottom line Best suited for 4.0 to 6.0 players looking for maximum comfort, and shock and vibration dampening but in a lighter package than the typical heavy player's racquet.
A Last Word
If you're interested in either the Head Liquidmetal Radical MP or the ProKennex Ionic Ki 5, you may want to also try the "tour" or "pro" versions of these racquets (Head LM Radical Tour MP and ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 PSE), just for comparison, especially if you're a more advanced player that prefers a heavier racquet with more mass behind it. And if you're interested in the Wilson nSix-One 95, you may also want to demo the Wilson nSix-One Tour just for comparison. They have some similarities and are in the same general category.
| Comfort | |
| ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 | 82 |
| Wilson nSix-One 95 | 81 |
| Head Liquidmetal Radical MP | 80 |
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| Control | |
| Wilson nSix-One 95 | 80 |
| Head Liquidmetal Radical MP | 78 |
| ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 | 78 |
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| Groundstrokes | |
| Wilson nSix-One 95 | 82 |
| Head Liquidmetal Radical MP | 78 |
| ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 | 74 |
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| Maneuverability | |
| Head Liquidmetal Radical MP | 82 |
| ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 | 78 |
| Wilson nSix-One 95 | 65 |
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| Power | |
| Wilson nSix-One 95 | 72 |
| Head Liquidmetal Radical MP | 68 |
| ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 | 64 |
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| Serves | |
| Head Liquidmetal Radical MP | 83 |
| Wilson nSix-One 95 | 78 |
| ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 | 76 |
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| ServeReturns | |
| Wilson nSix-One 95 | 88 |
| Head Liquidmetal Radical MP | 78 |
| ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 | 74 |
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| Slice | |
| Wilson nSix-One 95 | 84 |
| ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 | 76 |
| Head Liquidmetal Radical MP | 74 |
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| Stability | |
| Wilson nSix-One 95 | 92 |
| Head Liquidmetal Radical MP | 80 |
| ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 | 76 |
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| Topspin | |
| Head Liquidmetal Radical MP | 78 |
| Wilson nSix-One 95 | 77 |
| ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 | 75 |
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| Touch/Feel | |
| ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 | 80 |
| Wilson nSix-One 95 | 79 |
| Head Liquidmetal Radical MP | 78 |
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| Volleys | |
| Head Liquidmetal Radical MP | 80 |
| Wilson nSix-One 95 | 76 |
| ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 | 72 |
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| Overall | |
| Wilson nSix-One 95 | 81 |
| Head Liquidmetal Radical MP | 80 |
| ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 | 78 |
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| Playtest date: November, 2004. |
| All content copyright 2007 Tennis Warehouse. |