wilson tour limited blx 95

Wilson BLX Tour

In my last review I mentioned the new BLX technology Wilson is putting in their racquets. BLX uses fibers from the volcanic rock basalt to interweave with Karophite Black fibers to create great vibration reduction. Wilson claims this creates a racquet with perfect feel. Wilson improved one of their classics with BLX and created the new BLX Tour. This racquet was immediately put in the hands of comeback champion Justine Henin. Her return hit the tour on fire and she soon was at the elite of the game once again. Wilson Tour followers and Henin fans begged to know what stick was helping her win along the comeback trail.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

I got this racquet as a demo from Wilson strung with Hollowcore at middle tension of 55lbs.  This racquet features a bold bright orange and blue paintjob.  I liked this paintjob as it is bound to draw attention from the other players.  The racquet has technical specifications which make it a great all around performance racquet.  The stick weighs in at 10.9 ounces strung and has an even balance.  The frame has a mid size to mid plus head size at 95 sq. in and has a quarter inch of extra length at 27.25in.  The beam width is a straight 22.5mm which had a stiffness of 63 on the Babolat RDC.  The racquet also offers an ample open string pattern of 16×20 and a swingweight of 341.  As with the other BLX racquets, this racquet comes with a new grip, the Performance Hybrid Grip.  This grip is 1.8mm thick compared to 1.6mm of the Pro Hybrid Grip.  Instead of a leather base like the Pro Hybrid, the Performance Hybrid has a cotton base underneath the polyurethane outer.  Wilson claims this grip offers a balance of cushion and sensation.  Personally I wasn’t as big a fan of this grip as I was the Pro Hybrid, but many people will enjoy the cushion it offers.  After taking a few minutes to look over the stick, I was ready to get a taste of what this new version of one of Wilson’s most popular racquets had to offer!

Having little to no experience with the previous offering of this racquet I was eager to see why the Wilson Tour racquet is so popular.  I was a little skeptical about the BLX Tour’s ability at net after seeing the hefty swingweight of 341 and the extra quarter inch of length.  Normally a racquet with a swingweight in this range will give me trouble at net, as I find them hard to maneuver on reflex volleys.  I was pleasantly surprised with this racquet at net!  I found the racquet maneuvered great at net and I didn’t find the extra quarter inch of length to hamper this at all.  The swingweight of 341 seems high to me.  Volleys could easily have been my favorite shot with this racquet.  I found the racquet got around quickly on reflex volleys and I had no trouble punching volleys deep.  Even though the racquet has a lighter weight, I found it to offer good stability on harder hit passing shots.  The BLX Tour offered nice feel on half volleys and drop shots.  I can contribute this to the relatively soft flex of the frame and the string pattern.  I really enjoyed volleying with this racquet and found it to be a fun playtest at net.

GROUNDSTROKES

Many very successful baseliners on tour have used a version of the Wilson Tour including Lindsey Davenport and Justine Henin.  As these two hit some of the biggest groundstrokes in the women’s game, I was convinced before I even hit with the BLX Tour that it must be a good stick off the ground.  I normally hit with headlight racquets around 12 ounces, so when I picked up this racquet the balance took a little time to get acquainted with.  The first thing I noticed when I hit groundstrokes with this racquet was that it played heavier than 10.9oz.  The BLX tour swung and hit the ball more like a 12 oz racquet, which was really surprising but rewarding.  And by rewarding I mean it packed a punch.  This thing is powerful, yet I still got the control I’ve come to know with players racquets.  If there was one concern I had for this racquet coming into the playtest, it was that it would get pushed around by harder hit balls compared to a heavier racquet.  I found the Wilson BLX Tour to offer surprisingly good stability on hard, heavy hit shots from my opponent.  Sure I did think the stability could have been improved with a little more weight against the hardest hit balls, but this racquet did the job really well.  The most impressive quality this racquet offered off the ground was the amount of spin I could generate with it.  I found topspin was easily accessed and “Wow” was it good.  I hit so many balls with this racquet that felt like they were going to fly long, just to see them dip into the court at the last second.  The spin was also a joy when my opponent was at net as I could dip the ball quickly to their feet or pass them.  The racquet was strung with all Hollowcore but I would really like to try it with polyester in the mains to further enhance this spin.  The spin and power allowed me to hit out on the ball and easily keep it consistently deep in the court.  I really enjoyed the feel of the 16×20 string pattern on groundstrokes.  I normally play with a tighter string pattern and 16×20 patterns always intrigue me as I find them somewhere in the middle of an open and closed pattern.  I enjoyed the firmer feel of the 16×20 pattern compared to a more open 16×19.  The racquet offers good bite on slices.  I was really happy to see this as I find that many racquets with 16 mains seem to float slices more than a racquet with 18 mains.  Overall this racquet really shines on groundstrokes and it is easy to see why many top juniors and professionals choose this stick in a game dominated by baseline play.

The joy I found hitting with the Wilson BLX Tour continued with serving.  The good access I found to spin while hitting groundstrokes continued when hitting serves.  I really found that topspin serves jumped up off the court and slices really slid out wide.  I would attribute this great spin to the racquet being lighter then I am used to, so I really found it moved quickly through the air.  If I had one complaint about this racquet it was that I wish the racquet had a little more weight to it on serves.  I found I wasn’t hitting my spin serves with as much pace as normal and I felt like it was because the racquet simply didn’t have enough mass behind it.  I found I could hit flat serves with good pace, but I still would have enjoyed a little more weight behind the stick on serves.  Don’t get me wrong though, the Wilson BLX Tour was still a fun racquet to serve with and I found success on my serve by placing the ball well with plenty of spin instead of trying to blow the ball past my opponent.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

Overall I think the Wilson BLX Tour lives up to the hype.  I was really impressed by this racquet from all areas of the court.  It was solid at net, the baseline, and on serves.  This racquet is really effective from all areas of the court and it is easy to see why this is the racquet of choice for Justine Henin.  I would especially recommend this racquet to people who are looking for the playability of a player’s racquet but want increased pop, in a lighter more manageable weight.  If you are a baseliner or an all courter I would highly recommend giving the Wilson BLX Tour a demo.

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Racquet Review: Wilson BLX Tour Limited 

October 1st, 2011

filed in Tennis Product Reviews, Tennis Racquet Reviews

When my friend whom I review racquets for handed me this racquet I started to tell him that I had already reviewed it. As much as I like being compensated in the free enterprise system it seems a little sketchy to be paid twice for doing the same work once. Then I realized that the racquet was slightly different, primarily it was a ‘Limited’ edition as opposed to a ‘Lite’ version of the BLX Tour. When I started to write this review I just copied the caption from the previous review as a placeholder, made a couple of changes and I was in business with regard to getting started on this review.

The feeling of ‘deja vu’ continued when I hit with the racquet; a frame that I really liked. The racquet presents as a serious player’s frame; non-standard 27.5 inch length, it weighs 11.1 ounces strung (although Wilson lists the unstrung weight on the side in what has become one of my personal indicators about competence and common sense in the tennis industry) and the head is a more or less common 95 square inches. The racquet feels very solid when you start to hit with it, the one thing I did not like about the design is that it is a little thicker than the player’s frames that Wilson has made through the years and I really felt as if I had to concentrate on accelerating the racquet head on ground strokes at first. After about 15 or 20 minutes of hitting with the racquet I was getting nice depth and spin and placement off both sides on my ground strokes, one couldn’t really ask for a better basic feel, although one should pay attention to the aforementioned thickness\acceleration issue when considering this racquet.

The frame is very easy to volley with and to hit specialty shots with. One of the kids I was teaching while I was using it was having overhead problems in her high school doubles matches lately, so we did an approach shot-volley-overhead drill for about 15 minutes during her lesson, and it was really easy to just flick lobs into the air form all kinds of positions with this racquet. The frame provides all kinds of easy power and I for sure had good feel while hitting with it. It was also a very easy racquet to serve with, which is not what I expected after the initial issues with racquet head acceleration in regard to my ground strokes.

Wilson markets this frame as being suitable for intermediate to advanced players who are looking to add spin and power to their game. And although this phrase has become the Wilson marketing mantra in the BLX period, I think that it fits pretty neatly here. I think that 4.5 on up players might find this racquet useful for their purposes. Players without a defined style and game should avoid it however, accelerating the racquet head to get through the ball is not the A plan for people still developing their game. But with that caveat I think this is a nice entry in the Wilson line.

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The Wilson BLX Series

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.

Wilson Six.One. Tour BLX

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.

Wilson Six.One. 95 BLX 18×20

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

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

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 P ro 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.

Jonas Eriksson

Jonas has been known as "tennis nerd" mainly for his obsessing about racquets and gear. Plays this beautiful sport almost every day.

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Wilson BLX Tour Limited

Longer and more stable, this version of the revered Tour series from Wilson provides more of a player's racquet feel. Players with long, fast swing styles will find excellent power and plow through from this racquet. Groundstokes can be crushed with both impressive pace and spin. A perfect choice for the attacking player, this racquet will help the advanced level player find the penetration on his/her shots to end the point quickly. At net the BLX Tour Limited feels rock solid. Targeting is impressive and the racquet offers a nice blend of feel and comfort. On serve the extra length provides the leverage needed for lots of power and spin. A great option for the aggressive intermediate through advanced player seeking to up the power and spin of his/her game.

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Wilson BLX Tour Limited (BLXTL)

• Thread starter Dennis Chan
• Start date Nov 5, 2010

Dennis Chan

Hall of fame.

• Nov 5, 2010

I know this new racket has been talked about in other threads. Just hope to bring the discussions into one place. (Never been interested in the Blades or midplus etc.) First off, if there is already a thread JUST on the BLXTL please point me to it. (I searched, but found none.) Then, does anyone have the specs of this new racket? Thanks in advance.  

95 sq " head, 11 oz, 27.5" frame. http://www.racquetsportsindustry.com/news/2010/11/wilson_reveals_new_blx_racquet.html  

I'm curious what the stiffness will be. The 5.3 Hyper Hammer was 75. -SF  

It won't be that high, i'll say the 65-67 range. Sounds like a winner, definitely a heavier Hyper Hammer 5.3  

Bionic Poster

BLACKOUT said: It won't be that high, i'll say the 65-67 range. Sounds like a winner, definitely a heavier Hyper Hammer 5.3 Click to expand...

Sounds like they just slapped a new paintjob to the thousands of unpainted blx tours they had lying around as a result of them not selling well.  

TheOneHander

Professional.

Ambivalent said: Sounds like they just slapped a new paintjob to the thousands of unpainted blx tours they had lying around as a result of them not selling well. Click to expand...

• Nov 6, 2010

whats the balance of the racket wanted the blx tour but was put off by the balance and swingweight  

TheOneHander said: Yeah. That's why the Tour BLX is a TW best seller and the specs are different. Not to mention the Tour Limited has Powerholes... Click to expand...

Bud said: Was the HH headlight? Click to expand...

Ambivalent said: Don't kid yourself. I'd hate to say it but the best-seller label means nothing. The Wilson kZero is also labelled "Best seller". I have not seen a single player use the blx tour in real life. The "powerholes" could have been easily drilled onto existing unpainted stock. Click to expand...

Chris Rizutto

SFrazeur said: I'm curious what the stiffness will be. The 5.3 Hyper Hammer was 75. -SF Click to expand...

TheOneHander said: Yeah. Because it's sooooo easy to drill Powerholes into a frame without damaging the structural integrity of the racquet. And just because you haven't seen people using a KZero doesn't mean that it was a best seller. Your area doesn't represent the entire world. Why do you have such a negative attitude? Click to expand...

fluffy Beaver

Ambivalent said: Do you see tons of tours/zeros? Click to expand...

Ambivalent said: Do you see tons of tours/zeros? And structural integrity? Please. Prince O3 rackets should tell you enough that the material rackets are made of nowadays are strong enough even with ridiculous "powerholes" technology. This is like the "fx" crap all over again. Same frames, drill some holes, rebrand, resell. Click to expand...

Who sells, or sold, this limited version?  

Praetorian said: Who sells, or sold, this limited version? Click to expand...

TheOneHander said: Please answer my second question in my previous post. And Prince O3 racquets are molded that way. The holes aren't simply "drilled onto" the frames like you said they were regarding the TLBLX. And the "FX" line was different! The Kobra Team FX was more flexible and lighter than the Kobra, and the KTour Team FX had a bigger headsize and a different weight than the KTour. Also, I see tons of Tours in my country. I presume you don't watch the lower leagues play, but I counted no less than 3 KZeros in the half-hour I was watching a 2.5 league today while visiting the States. Click to expand...

Ambivalent said: However, the molds for the blxtour and blxtourL are obviously going to be the same , like how the molds for the blx 6.1 16x18 and 18x20 are the same. The holes are just drilled differently. Click to expand...

• Nov 7, 2010

Ambivalent said: The ktour team fx is a completely different racket. It is the team version, plus "fx" technology. Obviously wilson didn't go and drill holes spontaneously. However, the molds for the blxtour and blxtourL are obviously going to be the same, like how the molds for the blx 6.1 16x18 and 18x20 are the same. The holes are just drilled differently. Click to expand...

BustedString

• Nov 8, 2010

Sweet! I'm really looking forward to this racquet. I've been using the Tour line for about 6 years, almost since I started tennis. My concerns with the regular *Tour racquets have been that they are a bit too light and head heavy. I think a HL version that is a bit heavier, and longer, may be perfect but the beam width I see in the pictures does concern me.  

• Nov 10, 2010

fluffy Beaver said: WRONG, the blx tour ltd is 27.5" instead of 27.25". Also, the ltd is a much thicker beam, 4pts HL instead of 1pt HH/Even balanced and its static weight is a 0.5 oz heavier. I really don't understand why you're bashing Wilson and assuming so many things. You're almost as bad as Buckethead is to Dunlop. Click to expand...

Ambivalent said: The extra .25 inches doesn't come from the frame mold. The handle is just slapped on a .25 inches lower, resulting in both a heavier weight and length, as well as more handlesided weight and therefore less headlight racket. Why do I say all this? Because I've held the BLX tour and the blx tourL side by side and I really see no different in the hoop itself. Click to expand...

FedererNadal

man the limited is one messed up racquet, I like the blade though  

baseline_monster

Ambivalent, ANSWER MY QUESTION. Oops. Caps lock. Also, if the handle is moved .25 inches lower as you say, then how does that account for the .3 ounce difference between the two models? The palette is the same weight, just shifted down. The static weight wouldn't be affected. Nice try though. EDIT: The BLXTL also has a tapered beam, but the BLXT does not. How does your theory explain that, hmm?  

• Nov 11, 2010

Kids, keep dreaming. it's the same racket made from the same mold. Rackets are not molded into what you get. They are molded into a stock piece of carbon composition that is then designed and worked into the rackets you hold. I have a VERY reliable source in Wilson that told me the BLX tour and blx tour limited came from the same compositional mold and the first runs of them are actually made from leftover crude frames from underselling blx tours. Of course they are worked differently. But if you think this is some new cool technology, be my guest and buy the racket. Frankly it doesn't concern me, I was just trying to share some knowledge.  

Ambivalent said: Kids, keep dreaming. it's the same racket made from the same mold. Rackets are not molded into what you get. They are molded into a stock piece of carbon composition that is then designed and worked into the rackets you hold. I have a VERY reliable source in Wilson that told me the BLX tour and blx tour limited came from the same compositional mold and the first runs of them are actually made from leftover crude frames from underselling blx tours. Of course they are worked differently. But if you think this is some new cool technology, be my guest and buy the racket. Frankly it doesn't concern me, I was just trying to share some knowledge. Click to expand...

The hyper hammer 5.3 was head heavy, and this new blx tour limited is totally new,plus I also see a lot of blx tours out there in the 3.0-4.0 range. I still think the hyper hammer 5.2 and the H tour were the best racquets of the 5.2/5.3/hammer tour line  

TheOneHander said: Also, if the handle is moved .25 inches lower as you say, then how does that account for the .3 ounce difference between the two models? The palette is the same weight, just shifted down. The static weight wouldn't be affected. BLXTL also has a tapered beam, but the BLXT does not. How does your theory explain that, hmm? Click to expand...

• Nov 14, 2010

Anyone have a release date for these?  

Around the australian open i believe is when they're comin out  

• Nov 21, 2010

297G unstrung, 27.5inch, 8points HL or 32.5cm.. Powerholes at 3,9.. I hit with this racket this morning.. I think this one will be a winner for Wilson.. very nice player racket..  

courtking said: 297G unstrung, 27.5inch, 8points HL or 32.5cm.. Powerholes at 3,9.. I hit with this racket this morning.. I think this one will be a winner for Wilson.. very nice player racket.. Click to expand...

Bud said: I liked it as well in stock form with poly string. Didn't like it too much after adding a bit of weight to it, however. Click to expand...

dataseviltwin

• Jan 9, 2011

when will the unwashed be able to get it via TW?  

• Feb 5, 2011

Is this racquet still going to come out with Henin's retirement?  

• Feb 7, 2011

Can't be same mold as BLX Tour Ambivalent, please note these pages: http://www.wilson.com/en-us/tennis/rackets/tour-limited-blx/ http://www.wilson.com/en-us/tennis/rackets/tour-blx/ Please note that the beam on the BLX Tour Limited is 25mm tapered and on the BLX Tour it is 22mm and flat. Given the .25" of extra length, the completely different beams and the PowerHoles on the Limited only, there is no way these two can be the same racquet from the same mold. No way.  

Stiffness will be around 72, I heard from a good source.  

Jut tried them out today.Both have poor design, the craftmanship is so poor, I mean theres like no thought put into the design. Not the usual wilson design(PWS,throat design, etc.) which I would have liked but even so the design on both the blades are poor. The blade tour blx is a beautiful racquet nice colour and matte finish, but it plays awful, feels super stiff, more so than the aeropro drive to me, let's just leave it at that, the blade 98 doesn't look as nice but plays slightly better, nice flex, feel is average, not much spin, oh i forgot to mention that the head shape is quite round, not as much as say the Head speeds but it's still quite round which I also hate. Overall I would give the blade 98 a 6/10 and the blade tour a 4/10.The worst part is I know people are going to buy these racquets because of the pros using the same paintjob and they both look nice, though I'm not a fan of the glossy finish on the blade 98. Wilson should use the six one tour as a reference everytime they make a racquet.  

SBD said: Jut tried them out today.Both have poor design, the craftmanship is so poor, I mean theres like no thought put into the design. Not the usual wilson design(PWS,throat design, etc.) which I would have liked but even so the design on both the blades are poor. The blade tour blx is a beautiful racquet nice colour and matte finish, but it plays awful, feels super stiff, more so than the aeropro drive to me, let's just leave it at that, the blade 98 doesn't look as nice but plays slightly better, nice flex, feel is average, not much spin, oh i forgot to mention that the head shape is quite round, not as much as say the Head speeds but it's still quite round which I also hate. Overall I would give the blade 98 a 6/10 and the blade tour a 4/10.The worst part is I know people are going to buy these racquets because of the pros using the same paintjob and they both look nice, though I'm not a fan of the glossy finish on the blade 98. Wilson should use the six one tour as a reference everytime they make a racquet. Click to expand...

lonux said: Stiffness will be around 72, I heard from a good source. Click to expand...

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Moscow Metro 2019

Will it be easy to find my way in the Moscow Metro? It is a question many visitors ask themselves before hitting the streets of the Russian capital. As metro is the main means of transport in Moscow – fast, reliable and safe – having some skills in using it will help make your visit more successful and smooth. On top of this, it is the most beautiful metro in the world !

. There are over 220 stations and 15 lines in the Moscow Metro. It is open from 6 am to 1 am. Trains come very frequently: during the rush hour you won't wait for more than 90 seconds! Distances between stations are quite long – 1,5 to 2 or even 3 kilometers. Metro runs inside the city borders only. To get to the airport you will need to take an onground train - Aeroexpress.

RATES AND TICKETS

Paper ticket A fee is fixed and does not depend on how far you go. There are tickets for a number of trips: 1, 2 or 60 trips; or for a number of days: 1, 3 days or a month. Your trips are recorded on a paper ticket. Ifyou buy a ticket for several trips you can share it with your traveling partner passing it from one to the other at the turnstile.

On every station there is cashier and machines (you can switch it to English). Cards and cash are accepted. 1 trip - 55 RUB 2 trips - 110 RUB

Tickets for 60 trips and day passes are available only at the cashier's.

60 rides - 1900 RUB

1 day - 230 RUB 3 days - 438 RUB 30 days - 2170 RUB.

The cheapest way to travel is buying Troyka card . It is a plastic card you can top up for any amount at the machine or at the ticket office. With it every trip costs 38 RUB in the metro and 21 RUB in a bus. You can get the card in any ticket office. Be prepared to leave a deposit of 50 RUB. You can get it back returning the card to the cashier.

SamsungPay, ApplePay and PayPass cards.

One turnstile at every station accept PayPass and payments with phones. It has a sticker with the logos and located next to the security's cabin.

GETTING ORIENTED

At the platfrom you will see one of these signs.

It indicates the line you are at now (line 6), shows the direction train run and the final stations. Numbers below there are of those lines you can change from this line.

In trains, stations are announced in Russian and English. In newer trains there are also visual indication of there you are on the line.

To change lines look for these signs. This one shows the way to line 2.

There are also signs on the platfrom. They will help you to havigate yourself. (To the lines 3 and 5 in this case). 

Moscow Metro Tour

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Description

Moscow metro private tours.

• 2-hour tour $87:  10 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with hotel pick-up and drop-off
• 3-hour tour $137:  20 Must-See Moscow Metro stations with Russian lunch in beautifully-decorated Metro Diner + hotel pick-up and drop off. 
• Metro pass is included in the price of both tours.

Highlight of Metro Tour

• Visit 10 must-see stations of Moscow metro on 2-hr tour and 20 Metro stations on 3-hr tour, including grand Komsomolskaya station with its distinctive Baroque décor, aristocratic Mayakovskaya station with Soviet mosaics, legendary Revolution Square station with 72 bronze sculptures and more!
• Explore Museum of Moscow Metro and learn a ton of technical and historical facts;
• Listen to the secrets about the Metro-2, a secret line supposedly used by the government and KGB;
• Experience a selection of most striking features of Moscow Metro hidden from most tourists and even locals;
• Discover the underground treasure of Russian Soviet past – from mosaics to bronzes, paintings, marble arches, stained glass and even paleontological elements;
• Learn fun stories and myths about Coffee Ring, Zodiac signs of Moscow Metro and more;
• Admire Soviet-era architecture of pre- and post- World War II perious;
• Enjoy panoramic views of Sparrow Hills from Luzhniki Metro Bridge – MetroMost, the only station of Moscow Metro located over water and the highest station above ground level;
• If lucky, catch a unique «Aquarelle Train» – a wheeled picture gallery, brightly painted with images of peony, chrysanthemums, daisies, sunflowers and each car unit is unique;
• Become an expert at navigating the legendary Moscow Metro system;
• Have fun time with a very friendly local;
• + Atmospheric Metro lunch in Moscow’s the only Metro Diner (included in a 3-hr tour)

Hotel Pick-up

Metro stations:.

Komsomolskaya

Novoslobodskaya

Prospekt Mira

Belorusskaya

Mayakovskaya

Novokuznetskaya

Revolution Square

Sparrow Hills

+ for 3-hour tour

Victory Park

Slavic Boulevard

Vystavochnaya

Dostoevskaya

Elektrozavodskaya

Partizanskaya

Museum of Moscow Metro

• Drop-off  at your hotel, Novodevichy Convent, Sparrow Hills or any place you wish
• + Russian lunch  in Metro Diner with artistic metro-style interior for 3-hour tour

Fun facts from our Moscow Metro Tours:

From the very first days of its existence, the Moscow Metro was the object of civil defense, used as a bomb shelter, and designed as a defense for a possible attack on the Soviet Union.

At a depth of 50 to 120 meters lies the second, the coded system of Metro-2 of Moscow subway, which is equipped with everything you need, from food storage to the nuclear button.

According to some sources, the total length of Metro-2 reaches over 150 kilometers.

The Museum was opened on Sportivnaya metro station on November 6, 1967. It features the most interesting models of trains and stations.

Coffee Ring

The first scheme of Moscow Metro looked like a bunch of separate lines. Listen to a myth about Joseph Stalin and the main brown line of Moscow Metro.

Zodiac Metro

According to some astrologers, each of the 12 stops of the Moscow Ring Line corresponds to a particular sign of the zodiac and divides the city into astrological sector.

Astrologers believe that being in a particular zadiac sector of Moscow for a long time, you attract certain energy and events into your life.

Paleontological finds 

Red marble walls of some of the Metro stations hide in themselves petrified inhabitants of ancient seas. Try and find some!

• Every day each car in  Moscow metro passes  more than 600 km, which is the distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
• Moscow subway system is the  5th in the intensity  of use (after the subways of Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul and Shanghai).
• The interval in the movement of trains in rush hour is  90 seconds .

What you get:

• + A friend in Moscow.
• + Private & customized Moscow tour.
• + An exciting pastime, not just boring history lessons.
• + An authentic experience of local life.
• + Flexibility during the walking tour: changes can be made at any time to suit individual preferences.
• + Amazing deals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the very best cafes & restaurants. Discounts on weekdays (Mon-Fri).
• + A photo session amongst spectacular Moscow scenery that can be treasured for a lifetime.
• + Good value for souvenirs, taxis, and hotels.
• + Expert advice on what to do, where to go, and how to make the most of your time in Moscow.

Write your review

Moscow Metro Underground Small-Group Tour - With Reviews & Ratings

Moscow metro underground small-group tour.

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Tour Information

Key Details

• Mobile Voucher Accepted
• Free Cancellation
• Duration: 3 Hrs
• Language: English
• Departure Time : 10:00 AM
• Departure Details : Karl Marks Monument on Revolution Square, metro stop: Square of Revolution
• Return Details : Metro Smolenskaya
• If you cancel at least 4 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee.
• If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.
• Tours booked using discount coupon codes will be non refundable.

Go beneath the streets on this tour of the spectacular, mind-bending Moscow Metro! Be awed by architecture and spot the Propaganda , then hear soviet stories from a local in the know. Finish it all up above ground, looking up to Stalins skyscrapers, and get the inside scoop on whats gone on behind those walls.

Know More about this tour

We begin our Moscow tour beneath the city, exploring the underground palace of the Moscow Metro. From the Square of Revolution station, famous for its huge statues of soviet people (an armed soldier, a farmer with a rooster, a warrior, and more), we’ll move onto some of the most significant stations, where impressive mosaics, columns, and chandeliers will boggle your eyes! Moreover, these stations reveal a big part of soviet reality — the walls depict plenty of Propaganda , with party leaders looking down from images on the walls. Your local guide will share personal stories of his/her family from USSR times, giving you insight into Russia’s complicated past and present. Then we’re coming back up to street level, where we’ll take a break and refuel with some Russian fast food: traditional pancakes, called bliny. And then, stomachs satiated, we are ready to move forward! We’ll take the eco-friendly electric trolleybus, with a route along the Moscow Garden Ring. Used mainly by Russian babushkas(grannies) during the day, the trolleybus hits peak hours in the mornings and evenings, when many locals use it going to and from their days. Our first stop will be the Aviator’s House, one of Stalin’s Seven Sisters, followed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — and you’ll hear the legends of what has gone on inside the walls. Throughout your Moscow tour, you’ll learn curious facts from soviet history while seeing how Russia exists now, 25 years after the USSR.

Local English-speaking guide

Pancake snack and drink

Additional food and drinks

Tickets for public transport

Souvenirs and items of a personal nature

Tips and gratuities for the guide

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking

Dress standard: Please wear comfortable shoes for walking. For your Urban Adventure you will be in a small group of a maximum of 12 people

Traveler Reviews

This tour exceeded our expectations. Nikolai (Nick), our tour guide, was very knowledgeable, thorough, and has a great personality. He didn't take shortcuts and really covered everything that was on the agenda in great detail. We saw beautiful metro stations and learned the history behind them, including many of the murals and designs.

We did the tour with Anna her knowledge and understanding of the History surrounding the metro brought the tour alive. Well done Anna!

This tour was amazing!

Anna was a great tour guide. She gave us heaps of interesting information, was very friendly, and very kindly showed us how to get to our next tour.

Amazing beauty and history.

An excellent tour helped by an absolutely amazing guide. Anna gave a great insight into the history of the metro helped by additional material she had prepared.

great tour and guide - thanks again

great will do it again, Miriam ke was very good as a guide she has lived here all here life so knew every interesting detail.a good day

Wilson Pro Staff 95 Racquet Review

• Classic Pro Staff feel
• Maneuverability
• Some instability
• Low powered

Fans of the Pro Staff line will be pleased with this latest iteration of the Wilson Pro Staff 95 . Similar to the versions that precede it, this racquet is light and fast, with incredible control and feel from all areas of the court. Our playtesters unanimously enjoyed how connected they felt to their shots, allowing them to place the ball in tight spots on the court with confidence. The light, fast feel provided exceptional maneuverability, especially at net and on returns. However, that light weight also led to a bit of instability and a lack of power. Our team thought the racquet twisted on off-center hits, especially when trying to return a big serve or deflect a hard hit groundstroke. However, this traditional-feeling racquet still continued to impress, and impress it did with all of our testers singing its praises. All in all, this is a great option for the player who enjoys a fast control-oriented racquet.

Groundstrokes - Score: 80

From the baseline, the Pro Staff 95 felt light and maneuverable to our playtesters -- and also low-powered. This allowed our team to swing big without fear of losing control of their groundstrokes. Chris appreciated the classic Pro Staff feel, but at times he wished for a little easier access to power and spin. He said, "From the first swing, it was apparent Wilson had retained the light and fast feel of the previous Pro Staff 95. This racquet came around very quickly and reminded me of the Spin version of the 95 we recently tested. However, this one has a more traditional feel, which had me feeling very connected to the ball. Touch and control were both excellent. I was finding my targets on drop shots and angles, but I have to admit, I was missing the spin I found with the Pro Staff 95S. This one felt more dialed in on flatter shots, but it lacked the crazy spin and access to pace the Spin version has. With that being said, I enjoyed hitting this stick immensely. It still offers more spin than many control racquets, and I was driving the ball with confidence. I felt like I could stay on the gas without losing any control, and that's a nice feeling to have."

Andy , who was enamored with the Pro Staff 95 from the get-go, loved the precision and feel. He said, "This really felt like an extension of my arm from the baseline. A real magic wand! Although I didn't feel like I was hitting the ball as big as I could with some other racquets, I always felt in total command of my shots. I felt like I could do anything I wanted with the ball. The low-powered response and fast feel through the air made it seem like I could swing as hard as I wanted and still stay in control of where the ball was going. It's not the most powerful or stable racquet out there, but it's very fast through the air and offers excellent control and spin. It also had an extraordinary feel that had me completely connected to each shot!"

The lighter, low-powered response allowed Sean to take huge cuts at his forehand, but he did wish for a bit more plow through and stability. He offered, "For the most part, this racquet was very impressive from the baseline. I loved the low-powered, control-oriented feel that it delivered, and I found that I could really swing out on my forehand side with confidence. This racquet also provided great spin potential on both aggressive topspin shots and slices, which I utilized often with this particular racquet. The only issue I had was with the lack of plow through, which affected my ability to redirect shots that were landing deep in the court."

It's a little lighter than what he's used to, but Troy still found surprising stability and playability from the baseline with the Pro Staff 95. He said, "There was an adjustment period when swinging this racquet from the baseline. It felt like a feather compared with its heavyweight cousin, the Six.One 95 (my current racquet). It wasn't so much the overall weight that was the problem for me, but the swingweight being more than 20 points lower than my current setup made it difficult for me to time the ball when trying to attack from the baseline. After a couple of hours of testing I started to appreciate the amount of control, spin and overall feel this racquet possesses. Due to the flexible feel and relatively low swingweight, this racquet allows for huge swings at the ball and precise control to keep the ball in the court. Even though this racquet is sub-12 ounces, I found a relatively stable feel during heavy-hitting exchanges from the baseline. I was really happy with how well I could control my slice backhand, and hit the drop shot when I found my opponent deep in the court."

Volleys - Score: 81

The extraordinary feel and precision of the Pro Staff 95 continued to impress our playtesters at net. "Simply put, this racquet is one of the best I've ever used when it came to net play," raved Sean . "With stability, forgiveness and a lightning fast feel, this racquet proved to be lethal at net. I found that I could punch my volleys deep into the court with a simple flick of the wrist. Although it was stable, this racquet was most impressive when I needed to produce short touch shots at net. The soft, forgiving feel the racquet offered was fantastic, and I felt a little like Roger Federer with the types of shots I came up with."

Troy also really enjoyed volleying with it, but he thought that with a little more heft he could produce depth more easily. He offered, "I found a lot of precision and feel when coming to the net with this racquet. I enjoyed how easy it was to put the ball near the lines. The touch this racquet possesses will be great for crafty players who can hit the drop volley consistently. The downside for me with this racquet was its lack of mass in the head. This racquet was getting pushed around more than I would have liked anytime I had a laser shot hit my way. I also found that it was harder to achieve the depth on volleys that comes easily with my Six.One 95 and the Pro Staff 90. Overall, there is a lot of feel and control when volleying with this racquet as well as a ton of maneuverability that will be greatly appreciated by doubles specialists."

Chris was also volleying with confidence and control, but thought a little more weight in the hoop would improve the racquet's stability. He said, "The plush and soft feel of this racquet at net was awesome. I was hitting touch and placement volleys well. With all the control I had, finding my targets was not an issue. My confidence was there when punching the ball deep or when cutting a sharp angle. I found myself more willing to flirt with the lines and was being very aggressive with my targeting. As much as I loved this racquet at net, I knew it had the potential to be even better with some added weight. I hit a couple of customized versions of this racquet toward the end of the test that added stability and plow through to the already impressive touch and feel."

Echoing those sentiments, Andy said, "The maneuverability, control and feel made this a really enjoyable racquet to volley with. Once again, I felt like I could manipulate the ball to do anything I wanted off the strings. The one drawback of the light weight is the lack of stability, which is more apparent at net than anywhere else. Shots hit off center would cause the racquet to flutter sometimes. However, in my opinion, the positives outweighed the negatives in this case."

Serves - Score: 79

For the most part, our playtesters enjoyed the fast and precise feel of the Pro Staff 95 while serving, too. Troy was getting great spin and locating his serves well, but he wasn't hitting his flat serves as big as he normally does due to the lower weight of the racquet. He offered, "Serving was really fun. This racquet was extremely easy to manipulate when I snapped my wrist, and my spin serves had some nasty hook and kick. I was surprised at how much more action I was getting on kick serves considering this racquet was very shoulder-friendly when having to reach behind my head. I found lots of precision when mixing up my serves. The flat serve up the T, body serves, kick serves, and the slice out-wide -- they were all in command with this racquet. The only knock I had with this stick was that my flat first serves up the T didn't quite have the sting on them that I'm used to with racquets that have more mass."

Given that he normally likes a heavier racquet, Chris was surprised how much he enjoyed serving with this lighter option. He said, "For some reason I served better than expected with this racquet. It was a little light for my preferred spec range. On paper, this racquet is not heavy enough for me to find the pace I did. However, on court I was serving very well. I was getting the ball consistently to my targets and getting it there with good pace. The level of spin I was getting was good, but nothing close to the Spin version of this racquet. However, serving was pretty solid and only got better once we had beefed it up with some lead tape."

Sean was also able to take advantage of the maneuverability and control the Pro Staff 95 offered on his serves. He said, "This racquet also performed amazingly well on serves. With such a maneuverable feel, I was able to place the ball wherever I wanted in the service box with great precision. The fast feel and access to spin also complemented my serves, and I was able to swing out to either create a big first serve or drop a second serve into a corner with accuracy. The stability was compromised slightly because of the head light balance, although the flexible and forgiving feel made up for anything hit off center."

Andy found the racquet to be very light, at times too light, on serves. He explained, "It's easy to generate racquet head speed overhead, which enabled me to get some nice power and spin on my serves. Sometimes it was so fast through the air I would lose control of the tip of the racquet, causing my serves to be a little erratic. With a little bit more mass I think I could've gotten a little more power and control, but the fast feel in this case did feel nice. This was my least favorite shot to hit with the Pro Staff 95, but it still felt good."

Serve Returns - Score: 80

The maneuverability of the Pro Staff 95 made it really easy for our playtesters to get it around their bodies on returns, though the lack of mass was also apparent and resulted in a lack of plow through and power for some of the team. Andy felt completely dialed in on his returns. He said, "The racquet continued to feel like an extension of my arm when returning, and I felt like I could do whatever I wanted off the return. I could step in, take the ball early and use my opponent's pace to return aggressively, or I could sit back and neutralize my opponent with a chip return. I was feeling completely confident. Loved it!"

Chris also returned well with the Pro Staff 95, but he wanted a bit more heft for his chip returns. He offered, "Light and fast, this was an easy racquet to whip through contact on returns. I never felt like I had to rush to get the racquet in position and I really enjoyed its head light feel. I could have done with a tad more stability at contact on block returns, but as soon as I added some racquet head speed it was a non-issue. The blend of control, power and spin was solid. I had a good sense of depth and pace as soon as the ball left the strings."

Troy also appreciated the control and fast feel on returns, but he also longed for a bit more weight in the hoop. He said, "The maneuverability of this racquet allowed me to get my racquet on a lot of serves, even those that I thought I had no chance of returning. I found plenty of control to steer returns away from the net man when playing doubles. I liked how I could knife the backhand slice return at the server's feet or draw the opponent to the net against his will. As I noticed on volleys, this racquet seemed to get pushed around anytime I had to deflect a heavy hit serve. It just did not have the plow through that I have grown accustomed to with my own racquets."

Sean also found the lack of mass most apparent when returning serve. He explained, "The lighter swingweight seemed to affect my serve returns more than my other shots. Although the racquet was incredibly maneuverable, I felt like I was being pushed around, especially when I was unable to take a full swing at the ball. In many circumstances I found that I was leaving my return shorter than intended, and I had to make a concerted effort to keep my returns deep. When I did get a good read on the serve the lower power let me take a full cut at the ball and control the point with an aggressive return."

Overall - Score: 83

Chris - "I liked the feel, control and touch. The head light balance made it a very fast racquet."

Sean - "This frame was incredibly fast and maneuverable, while still offering a great balance of power and control."

Troy - "The feel and precision definitely reminded me that the Pro Staff line of racquets are designed for purists seeking no frills from their racquet."

Andy - "Loved the maneuverability, control and feel. The balance felt dead on to me, too."

Chris - "Nothing really. I didn't find the spin of the S version and it felt better once weighted up, but it's still a great racquet."

Sean - "Just that there was a lack of stability and plow through because of the low swingweight."

Troy - "The lack of plow through compared to racquets I gravitate toward. I had to adjust to this racquet, and it never quite allowed me to feel comfortable on the attack."

Andy - "The racquet fluttered a bit at times on off-center contact, especially at the net. Other than that, and a slight loss in control on serve, there wasn't much I didn't like. I was a big fan of this racquet."

Comparing it to other racquets they've used, our testers said:

Chris - "It is very easy to compare this racquet to the Pro Staff 95S. I actually like the S version a tad more. It offers better spin and easier access to pace and depth. This one offers a more traditional feel and more control on flat shots. Other racquets that offer a fast and mobile feel with a high level of control are the Yonex VCORE Tour 97 310, Volkl Organix 10 295, Tecnifibre TFight 315 Ltd. TP ATP and the Dunlop Biomimetic M3.0."

Sean - "I was reminded immediately of the Yonex VCORE Tour 97 310g playtest I was recently on because of the fast swing speeds and whippy feel. The Volkl Organix 9 also came to mind because of its similar specifications, although neither of those frames could match the softer overall feel of the Pro Staff 95."

Troy - "There are some definite traits, like the feel, control and spin, that remind me that this Pro Staff comes from the same gene pool as the 90, although the 95 lives only in the shadows of the 90 when it comes to rock-solid plow through and stability. This racquet had similar traits to the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite, although this Pro Staff 95 possesses better response and feel. I found a somewhat similar power level to the Head MicroGel Radical Midplus when comparing them in their stock-forms."

Andy - "It has a lower swingweight than what I normally play with, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The traditional feel and response were spectacular in this racquet, and the Parallel Drilling opened up the sweetspot, making it play more like a 98 square inch head than a 95. It reminded me a lot of two of my previous racquets of choice, the Head MicroGel Radical Midplus and the Yonex RDiS 100 Mid, with the Pro Staff's level of forgiveness lying somewhere in between those two. With a little bit of weight added (but without changing the balance), this could become one of my favorite racquets to hit around with."

Technical Specifications

Babolat rdc ratings.

(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)

Playtester Profiles

Chris: 5.0 all-court player currently using the Wilson Six.One 95 S. Chris uses a semi-western forehand grip, has a fast swing style and hits a one-handed backhand.

Sean: 4.5 baseliner using the Head YOUTEK Prestige Pro. Sean has a semi-western forehand, 1 handed backhand.

Troy: 5.0 lefty all-court player with a full Western Forehand and a two-handed backhand. Troy currently plays with a Wilson BLX Six.One 95.

Andy: Open level all court player with a semi-western forehand grip and a two handed backhand. Andy currently using a Wilson Blade 98 18x20.

Review date: December 2013. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

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