
I just play tested the new Wilson
BLX Six.One Tour. It's part of the new family of Wilson
racquets that use "basalt" to reduce vibration. I'm not sure if the basalt actually has anything to do with it, but this
racquet did have a more dampened feel, and I could play without using a shock absorber....so maybe it's not all marketing b.s. after all.
That said, the Wilson
BLX Six.One Tour plays very very similar to the K Factor Tour 90. It's basically the same thin beam
racquet with a different paint job. The only real difference is a slight shifting of weight. The
BLX has more mass around the throat area, and the Tour 90 has more weight in the head (and a slightly higher swing weight).
Serves: Serve placement was quite good. I was able to create really sharp angles on the serves. This
racquet is spin friendly, and that spin helps to pull your kick-serve back down into the court. Kick was good, but not amazing. Serve had good pace, but felt slightly slower than the Tour 90. I was able to get about the same movement on the slice serve.
Ground strokes: The
BLX Six.One Tour felt great during sustained rallies. It was really comfortable to hit with, and though I don't have it, I think it would be good for people experiencing elbow or arm pain. Compared to the Tour 90, shots were falling about 1-2 feet shorter than usual. There just wasn't the same level of plow through. I had to work harder to hit the same type of aggressive shots. I think this would be great for someone that was hitting too deep with the Tour 90. It just shortens your shot a little bit.
Volleys: Awesome! Just like the Tour 90, the
BLX has plenty of punch and is super maneuverable at the net. I felt like I could move very quickly to get to the ball. At times, I did wish the frame was slightly bigger than 90 inches. If I missed a shot, it was because of my bad footwork and not because the
racquet made me "late." Great stick for volleying.
Overheads: Very solid. The ball goes where I send it.
Overall: I think this is a great stick for people that like the Tour90, but wanted something a little softer. I think adding 2 grams of lead at 12 o'clock would basically turn this into a Tour 90. Other than comfort, I don't think the
BLX Six.One Tour was an improvement over the Tour 90. In fact, I prefer the Tour 90 and plan to stick with it.
If you already own the Tour 90, this is worth demoing...but not worth investing the extra $$ to switch to
basically the same
racquet. If you own neither, this is a great
racquet to consider - especially since the Tour 90s are discontinued.