Price: $260
Hitting area: 108 sq. in.
Length: 27 1/4 in.
Weight: 10.2 oz.
Swingweight: 338
Balance: 3/4 in. head heavy
Beam width: 26 mm
String pattern: 16 x 20
Flexibility: Stiff
Ideal swing: Punchy, short
NTRP: Beginner to 3.0
Playtester Ratings (scale from 1–10 with 10 being excellent)
Power: 9
Control: 2
Maneuverability: 2
Stability: 8
Comfort: 10
No racquet brand builds better lightweight, head-heavy power frames than Wilson, which introduced the genre some 20 years ago with its Hammer and Sledgehammer lines. The Khamsin, the second most powerful frame in the brand’s current line (behind the jumbo BLX Cirrus One), continues the tradition of providing optimum power for players who lack the skills or strength to achieve much of it on their own. It takes little more than a push from the user to send the ball deep into the opponent’s court, and a quick flick of the wrist will produce backspins from both sides that will keep your opponents dazed and confused as they lunge to retrieve your shots. Shots feel comfortable on all parts of the string bed, but medium-to-long strikers will find the Khamsin’s extreme head-heavy weight difficult to maneuver and control.
Bottom line: A top-of-the-line but pricey game-improvement frame for dinkers and spin doctors.