I’ve just acquired some extra racquets to test alongside the Wilson Pro Staff RF 85
and the Pro Staff CV 97. It’s a Wilson H19 and a PT57A! Good times for a racquet nerd!
and the 
. It’s a Wilson H19 and a PT57A! Good times for a racquet nerd!I posted a pic and survey on my Instagram account yesterday between the HEAD PT57A and the Wilson H19 pro stock racquets (click the link to find out what a pros stock racquet is) and Wilson won the survey 63% to 37%. Whether that means people like the brand “Wilson” over HEAD these days or H19 has more fans than the PT57A is unclear, but it’s hard to argue about the legend status of the PT57A (the pro stock version of the Head Pro Tour 630/280).
Both the Wilson H19 and the PT57A are known as very flexible sticks that do most things well. I’ve always been a fan of the HEAD Pro Tour 630, but in stock form it usually sailed up around 360 grams which has turned out to be a little heavy for me to use in competitive matches. It will therefore be interesting to play around with the weight of the PT57A and see if I can find the sweet spot in weight and balance of that racquet (usually for me that is 345 grams and 5-6 pts HL balance strung).
Another thing that will be interesting with properly testing the PT57A is that this is a slightly extended version and I’ve never really properly tested extended racquets. Playing with an extended racquet is supposed to give you added reach and power at the cost of manoeuvrability so it will be interesting to see if that is a good transaction or not for me. Extended racquets were all the rage in the 90s and are used by some pros today and most famously by Serena Williams who has her own Autograph Blade that is 28 inches long! (Check out the Wilson Countervail Blade SW104A
here.)
So maybe the low-powered PT57A will thrive as being slightly extended? More info to come on that note.
Besides testing the PT57A and the Wilson H19 side-to-side, I’ll also be interested in comparing the Wilson Ultra Tour that I really enjoyed to the H19 which it is said to be modelled upon. Getting a hold of a H19 pro stock racquet is difficult and expensive, while the Wilson Ultra Tour is available in most tennis shops so the H19 needs to be much better to really make it worth the expense.
Oh, last but not least. I got two great paint jobs: the iPrestige MP for the PT57A XL and the kBlade for the H19. Yum!
Do you have any experience with pro stock tennis racquets? Have you played the H19 and/or the PT57A? Which one is your favourite and why? Are pro stock racquets worth the money? Please comment below!
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8 comments
Hi, thanks for a very interesting post :)
How much heft does H19 have please, also 305g like Ultra Tour?
Hi,
No it is around 330 grams unstrung so I will modify the Ultra to be of similar specs to do a good comparison. 345-350 grams are my favourite specs anyway!
Cheers / Jonas
With this I mean, the pro stock H19 that I have. Usually they come in “hairpin” form around 300 grams without grip etc.
Hi,
This will be very interesting to follow. Looking forward to updates
Hi Björn,
Thanks for your comment! Will do my best to give as much insight as I can…
Cheers / Jonas
When will the review be posted? I mainly use the RF97, recently tried and sold my Wilson Ultra Tours, and just purchased 3 of Borna Coric’s Wilson H19’s in a 16X19 pattern.
I think this was my attempt at a review, but I should put more detail perhaps? https://tennisnerd.net/gear/racquets/head-pt57a-vs-wilson-h19/6662
Let me know how Borna’s racquets play. Cheers / Jonas
I have 3 Wilson ultra tours and 3 head pt630. They are both great racquets but at my level (4.5-5.0) I’m just not good enough to make the most of the 630. The sweet spot is just so small but when the ball is struck cleanly it’s a magical feeling. In my opinion the ultra tours are better for 95% of players as they’re easier to play with