I have playtested a couple of rackets from the Wilson BLX line lately and here is a brief description and review of the Wilson Six.One Tour BLX, Wilson
Six.One 95 BLX, Wilson Pro Tour BLX, and Wilson K-Blade Tour BLX. BLX is the update from the K-factor series and essentially means they have included Basalt in the composition to enhance feel.
If you want to check them out you can buy them at Tennis Express for example.
| Head Size: 90 sq. in. / 580.64 sq. cm. |
| Strung Weight: 12.5oz / 354.37g |
| Balance: 9 pts HL |
| Swingweight: 333 |
| Stiffness: 65 |
| Beam Width: 17.5mm/17.5mm/17.5mm/ |
| Composition: Karophite Black / Basalt |
| Grip Type: Leather |
| String Pattern: 16 Mains / 19 Crosses |
The head size is only 90 sq. inch which is one of the smallest headsizes on the market. This obviously shrinks the sweetspot and requires you to hit the ball in
the middle of the racket for the desired result.The first one I got my hands on was the Wilson Six.One Tour BLX, Roger Federer‘s racket of choice. The racket is heavy and has a pretty hefty swingweight too which gives you a great feel and control but and massive plowthrough.
The Wilson Six.One Tour BLX is obviously a great racket otherwise it wouldn’t be used by Roger Federer, but you need to be a pretty advanced player with really good technique and strong arms to benefit from it. When I was on my game and moving well I played fantastic with this racket, but when my legs got a bit tired and I was a bit off on my timing it didn’t do me any favors.
The difference between the previous K-factor model is not huge. I think I felt the ball a bit better in the K-factor, but that the BLX was slightly better on the arm due to less vibrations and more stability.
| Head Size: 95 sq. in. / 612.9 sq. cm. |
| Strung Weight: 12.2oz / 346g |
| Balance: 8 pts HL |
| Swingweight: 338 |
| Stiffness: 67 |
| Beam Width: 22mm/22mm/22mm/ |
| Composition: Karophite Black / Basalt |
| Grip Type: Pro Hybrid |
| String Pattern: 18 Mains / 20 Crosses |
The Six.One 95 BLX is one of the most popular rackets on tour and for a good reason. It’s a bit lighter than the tour version and has a thicker beam. There are two models, one more with more control-oriented string pattern (18×20) and one more spin-friendly (16×19). The one I playtested is the 18×20.
This racket is lighter and a bit easier to maneuver than the Tour model. The bigger head size also helps to create a bigger sweetspot. It’s still a players frame and a quite heavy racket though and it can be difficult to generate a lot of racket head speed. The feel and control is excellent on this on as well and if you really get your body into your shot it can be a really deadly baseline weapon. It’s one of the most popular rackets on tour, Mardy Fish being the highest rated player to swing it.
I felt a bigger difference in the Six.One 95 than the tour when it comes to comparing K-factor and BLX. In the BLX I felt the ball better and if they say that “feel is elemental” they are absolutely right. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this racket to anyone who can deal with the weight. This is easier to play with than the tour.
Wilson Blade Tour BLX
| Head Size: 93 sq. in. / 600 sq. cm. |
| Strung Weight: 12.1oz / 343g |
| Balance: 6 pts HL |
| Swingweight: 338 |
| Stiffness: 68 |
| Beam Width: 22mm / 21mm / 21mm / |
| Composition: Karophite Black / Basalt |
| Racquet Colors: Black / Gold |
| Grip Type: Leather |
| String Pattern: 18 Mains / 20 Crosses |
The Blade Tour BLX has quite similar specs to my own beloved Dunlop 4D 300 Tour and it did feel comfortable at first hit. You get a nice plow-through effect when you hit the sweetspot and prepare your swings correctly. But I have a few concerns with this racket. It is quite heavy and has a small head like the BLX Tour, but it doesn’t give the same feel and it doesn’t improve much on the sweetspot side of thing either. The feel was quite “dead” which I usually like, but I felt I couldn’t swing away with this racket as much as I can with my Dunlop which is lighter and has a bigger head. It was less maneuverable and definitely less forgiving. It’s in between the Tour and 95 versions and so maybe worth a test for you if you couldn’t decide.
I think this racket has the smallest niche of the ones I played with.
Wilson Pro Tour BLX
| Head Size: 96 sq. in. / 619.35 sq. cm. |
| Strung Weight: 11.6oz / 328.85g |
| Balance: 7 pts HL |
| Swingweight: 332 |
| Stiffness: 62 |
| Beam Width: 22mm/24mm/22mm/ |
| Composition: Karophite Black / Basalt |
| Grip Type: Pro Hybrid |
| String Pattern: 18 Mains / 20 Crosses |
The specs on this one is quite interesting. 96 sq inches head size is very rare and the weight is somewhere in the middle of player’s racket and the semi-advanced amateur. The string pattern is control-oriented but I still felt I got a lot of power in this one. The one-handed backhand especially was a beauty to hit. The frame was quite thick and it almost felt like a Babolat compared to the Blade tour models, but this helped for spin production.
I really enjoyed hitting with the Pro Tour BLX although it could be a bit more stable. That could probably be fixed with some lead tape. Of all the rackets this was the most arm-friendly by far which meant you could really take big cuts on the ball and generate a lot of spin. I got a lot of power though so would probably string it something like 62 lb to get more control.
If you have played with lighter rackets around 300g I think this could be a nice step out into the player’s racket category.
Conclusion:
The BLX technology really seems to give more feel for some models, but it’s not all roses as the Kblade Tour and the Tour model might tell you. If you are happy with your K-factor I don’t see a big reason to try the BLX as the difference isn’t that big. But if you are playing with another racket a Wilson BLX is definitely worth a test. All in all they’re excellent rackets.
