Thanks for the review Mark. I trialled this along with Extreme Tour, Boom Pro, Tfight 300 and Aero VS. I agree with a lot of what you said about the VCore 98, apart from more spin than the Aero VS. I defo got more spin with the Aero. I may have not been fair to the VCore as I strung it and the Aero with Durafluxx which is also very muted so may have helped the Aero and made the failings of the VCore more apparent. For interest I was underwhelmed by the Extreme Tour, although everyone says you need lead on the ET and I didn’t put any on because it was a demo. The Boom came very close to being picked, it was great hitting flat but just lacked a bit of spin, was a bit anaemic on the flat serve and I couldn’t quite face playing with a baby blue racket. The TFight 300 felt great. But it came with Syn Gut strings and the company wouldn’t let me re-string it with poly so I never got to try it properly. Also 300 is definitely getting a bit light for me. I slightly worry about the stability of the Aero VS @305 - but I reckon Alcaraz faces heavier balls than me 😂😂😂 Summary would be, lead on ET bad see what you think and try the Boom Pro. I think the TFight is too light but if you have access to a good customiser maybe they could beef it up for you.
Great review Mark. The Yonex Vcore 98 is actually my current racquet and I've been using it for several months now so I have some legit feedback to provide here too. I used to use the Babolat Pure Drive FYI. Our opinions overlap in some areas - spin potential, sweet spot, and good feel on volleys. I personally love the overall feel of the racquet but as you mentioned it's all personal preference. Pros and Cons for me: Pros - perfect blend of power/feel, amplifies a big heavy ball, excellent on touch volleys, stable on all shots, consistent and powerful when stretched wide and playing defense. Cons - when hitting a flatter shot the ball can fly sometimes. I think this is because you become so used to its spin you forget to throttle back a bit during a flat shot. Overall - I love it because it somehow gives me excellent power, spin, and feel. Regarding the backhand slice - if I'm being honest I think the issue you are experiencing is related to your swing technique. The Vcore is amplifying the "issue" with your swing technique. You tend to come across your body and swoop down and up like a Nike logo. Just my opinion of course. I think you might like the Vcore more if you were hitting against a more aggressive/powerful opponent too.
Agreed. I love the VCore 98, which is odd because historically I have not liked Yonex. It's a big sweet spot, very forgiving, yet great control. The feel is what it is: if you like the muted "whomp" then it's for you; if you want a Head-style "ping" then this isn't for you. The VCore 98's pros are stiffness without being jarring; big spin potential (almost as much as the Babolat Pure Aero); power that's controllable; surprising placement control given the power; super-fast through the air, which makes it great on serves and short-angle whippy shots. The only con I have found is that it's very difficult to add weight to it because if I add any significant weight, it becomes too powerful. As a result, I'm playing it almost stock at 11.6 oz. But despite that relatively light weight, it isn't getting pushed around by big hitters. If anyone demos the VCore 98 and doesn't quite love it, then try the Head Extreme MP, which is very similar--livelier feel, even better spin, takes added weight well, although it does have more air resistance. A bit less similar but still in the same vein is the Head Gravity Tour, despite being a tighter string pattern--less power but potentially in a good way, and excellent control.
As always, excellent and honest detailed review! I briefly used the VC98 from the previous generation and I didn’t like it at all. Mark, you should also try the new 2022 EZ98, which is also my current racquet of choice! It’s not too shabby when it comes to flattening out shots for approach shots or put aways.
Good review Mark, You’ve got to lead tape that extreme tour up a touch but it’s very good when you do. I wasn’t wild about the vcore because of the feel, I think they’ve gone too far on the vdm mesh. I currently flit between using the extreme tours and aero vs depending on opponent (I Chuck the yonex regna 98 in too as I brought two whilst drunk once🙄 that racket has tons of feel the opposite of the vcore 98) would love to get Mark’s thoughts on sergetti stringing, I’ve been doing it on all my frames recently and genuinely think it’s a game changer in terms of comfort and making rackets more forgiving on off centre hits.
Similar journey that I've been on. Looking forward to ET review! I actually bought one and ended up deciding it was better suited to singles than doubles (better at high heavy than flat penetrating). Fwiw, I recently tried the Diadem Elevate FS 98 and found it to feel very similar to the ET, with slightly more stability and lower launch angle. Both of those sticks, the cx200, and the blade 98 definitely top the 305g 'control' market imo. Don't hate the playah, hate the frame.
Good review. The Vcore 98 is currently my stick of choice. From the baseline, heavy kicking forehands all day. I like it because it is dampened unlike my older Pure Strikes, friendly on the arm. I do agree flatting the ball out is a bit of a sore spot. I like the touch an power at net, good spin on the kicker. I'm good with the slice. I'm currently trying to find the right string. I feel like I need something stiff to tame the power a bit.
I am 100% in agreement with your review on this. The VC98 was my entry into trying 20 other new racquets over the past 2 years, and I still think it was by far the easiest 98 and one of the whippiest power/spin racquet I tried. I had great results with it, and I loved the outcome of every strike. However, I hated slicing and touch shots, the racquet muted every sensation out and I had to get rid of it. I would probably win more matches with this racquet than any other 98s, but I would not have a good time while winning the match.
I agree about the floating backhand slice as I used to play with this frame, but a little weight at 3&9 fixes that. Also completely agree about kick and slice serves as well. I ended up switching to the 2022 ezone 98 as it was better for my flatter strokes and slice serve.
Mark, I agree with you 100% regarding the slices. I had a hard time really knifing my slices which I can do on my other rackets. I'm currently demoing the VCORE 98 and although it's supposed to be a spin racket I'm having a hard time generating it and a lot of my shots are going long. At the net this racket seems to lack touch. I never thought I'd say this about a racket but I think it may have too much power vs control. What racket do you use? Been also thinking about the EZONE 98 but after your review I'm a bit leery to pickup the 2022 version. Love your content and I've subbed!
Really enjoy these videos! Quick question. What are your thoughts on a VSquare (mains)/ PT Fire (crosses) hybrid on a Vcore98?? Or maybe even a Hyper G (soft?) (m) / PTP (c)?? Cheers
I am beginning to demo this racket again. Leaving the extreme tour. The vcore 98 I think is a racket you have to grow into it and get the best out of it. I think it may be a well balanced racket. No racket is perfect but I’m giving this vcore a second chance. Looking forward to the new vcores coming out soon.
How do the vcore 98 compare with the pure aero vs? This in terms of spin, control and feel? I the vcore more forgiving and has a bigger sweet spot? I’m demoing the vcore but can’t demo the vs. I’m a baseliner that hits with topspin, one handed backhand, 5.0 level. Looking forward also to the new vcore and vs.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far....I had a Yonex R-22. It was a gud solid stick, but strangely shaped. I remember thjat best shots were from the 2 hand backhands.
Thanks for your thoughts Mark. I've got the vcore 98 as well and yeah the "feel" is a bit muted and not so great at the net but I love it for serve and base line. I'm using hyper g soft at 54 and it works out alright for me.
I added 1g on 3, 9 position and put heavier replacement grip on, it become a really good racket. Maybe you can try it. Well it’s definitely a baseline racquet than net play, but with the weight, it’s much stable now.
I think this review pretty accurate. I think it is a muted feel which is good for my partially torn elbow tendon. I tried this with a dampener and that is awful. You need to play without a dampener since it already is dampened. Love topspin serve and shots. Strings that are spinny are best and you can’t be a flat ball hitter with the racquet as it will be long. I have been struggling with my slice serve and isn’t good for some reason. Slice groundies are okay. Net feels good to me.
I switched from the ezone dr 98. The two biggest adjustments were backhand slices and volleys. The trade off (for me at least) was additional rpm’s and more pop. I have adjusted to the feel and volleying. Backhand slices are still horrible. I surprise myself every time I hit a half decent one. I use a combination of poly tour pro and poly tour spin. I tried the new ezone 98 and hated it. The DR was better on approach shots as well
I think vcore 98 is one of those racquets that need a specific string to get a good feel out of… I thought hyper G brought out all the good qualities of this racquet.
Totally agree. In general, I find Yonex racquets to be string sensitive and used to take me ages to find the best setups for. Surprisingly, I played with a full bed of Yonex Poly Tour Spin G in this frame in mid to low 40s, which is pretty much the stiffest string Yonex makes and it played beautifully. Just shows how muted this racquet really is.
I've found that it's not necessarily the racquet that's the problem but you need to play around with the string tension and type of strings used to compliment the racquet strengths and your personal playing style. I was about to sell this racquet but I changed strings and tension and thank God I did cause Ive now fallen in love this racquet again!
Good review. I liked the v-core on my FH side, but it felt so awful for my 2H-BH. I like the quickness of the racquet. Just wondering, why are you switching racquets? It seemed like you just changed to the VS not too long ago.
I have the V-Core 98+ love the spin and how fast it moves for through the air. Would definitely recommend this racquet for one handed backhands. I do probably come over the ball over 70% of the time with my backhands but can see if someone slices a lot maybe wanting something with more feel. I switched from a babolat pure drive plus and am very happy with the switch. As Mark mentioned, this racquet is really good with serving. I felt like it was an improvement from my pure drive but I mainly use kick serves so can’t speak to the slice serve.
I have a bit of arm discomfort recently. So I’m looking to maximize my topspin but also have comfort in the string bed. Don’t like jarring feel in the string bed.
So many complaints with the racquet are more to do with your familiarity level with the racquet, string choice, tension, and your player level. Could mislead some viewers
@@adriellepretre9047 The extreme tour is not stable enough for me. I agree that the Vcore 98 is too stiff/disconnected feeling. Best one I would say is the vcore pro 97. Stable, good feeling and soft. Great for big hitters.
I have not used the current vcore pro 97. But I’ve used the current ezone 98 and the 2019 vcore pro 330 version. With my stroke mechanics I did not find so much topspin. Don’t know if it would be the same with the new vcore pro 97. My game relies on heavy topspin.
Totally disagree about slices. Must be your technique then. This racket produces fabulous B/H slices....It has different problems than the one you mentioned....
![Lp. Последняя Реальность #107 РОДНОЙ ДОМ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/IK3QKzKUlHM/mqdefault.jpg)
Never use the words “shaft”, “tip”, “stroke”, “ball”, “buttcap”, “love fifteen”, “oversize head”, or “touch” around Mark.
Literally LOLed
🤣😂
Hahahaa, nice
Oh gosh!!! 😂 😂 😂
Thanks for the review Mark. I trialled this along with Extreme Tour, Boom Pro, Tfight 300 and Aero VS.
I agree with a lot of what you said about the VCore 98, apart from more spin than the Aero VS. I defo got more spin with the Aero. I may have not been fair to the VCore as I strung it and the Aero with Durafluxx which is also very muted so may have helped the Aero and made the failings of the VCore more apparent.
For interest I was underwhelmed by the Extreme Tour, although everyone says you need lead on the ET and I didn’t put any on because it was a demo.
The Boom came very close to being picked, it was great hitting flat but just lacked a bit of spin, was a bit anaemic on the flat serve and I couldn’t quite face playing with a baby blue racket. The TFight 300 felt great. But it came with Syn Gut strings and the company wouldn’t let me re-string it with poly so I never got to try it properly. Also 300 is definitely getting a bit light for me. I slightly worry about the stability of the Aero VS @305 - but I reckon Alcaraz faces heavier balls than me 😂😂😂
Summary would be, lead on ET bad see what you think and try the Boom Pro. I think the TFight is too light but if you have access to a good customiser maybe they could beef it up for you.
Great review Mark. The Yonex Vcore 98 is actually my current racquet and I've been using it for several months now so I have some legit feedback to provide here too. I used to use the Babolat Pure Drive FYI. Our opinions overlap in some areas - spin potential, sweet spot, and good feel on volleys. I personally love the overall feel of the racquet but as you mentioned it's all personal preference.
Pros and Cons for me:
Pros - perfect blend of power/feel, amplifies a big heavy ball, excellent on touch volleys, stable on all shots, consistent and powerful when stretched wide and playing defense.
Cons - when hitting a flatter shot the ball can fly sometimes. I think this is because you become so used to its spin you forget to throttle back a bit during a flat shot.
Overall - I love it because it somehow gives me excellent power, spin, and feel.
Regarding the backhand slice - if I'm being honest I think the issue you are experiencing is related to your swing technique. The Vcore is amplifying the "issue" with your swing technique. You tend to come across your body and swoop down and up like a Nike logo. Just my opinion of course.
I think you might like the Vcore more if you were hitting against a more aggressive/powerful opponent too.
Agreed. With the higher launch angle that aids other parts of the game, slice can be more difficult if he doesn't have a proper technique
Agreed. I love the VCore 98, which is odd because historically I have not liked Yonex. It's a big sweet spot, very forgiving, yet great control. The feel is what it is: if you like the muted "whomp" then it's for you; if you want a Head-style "ping" then this isn't for you. The VCore 98's pros are stiffness without being jarring; big spin potential (almost as much as the Babolat Pure Aero); power that's controllable; surprising placement control given the power; super-fast through the air, which makes it great on serves and short-angle whippy shots. The only con I have found is that it's very difficult to add weight to it because if I add any significant weight, it becomes too powerful. As a result, I'm playing it almost stock at 11.6 oz. But despite that relatively light weight, it isn't getting pushed around by big hitters. If anyone demos the VCore 98 and doesn't quite love it, then try the Head Extreme MP, which is very similar--livelier feel, even better spin, takes added weight well, although it does have more air resistance. A bit less similar but still in the same vein is the Head Gravity Tour, despite being a tighter string pattern--less power but potentially in a good way, and excellent control.
As always, excellent and honest detailed review! I briefly used the VC98 from the previous generation and I didn’t like it at all. Mark, you should also try the new 2022 EZ98, which is also my current racquet of choice! It’s not too shabby when it comes to flattening out shots for approach shots or put aways.
Good review Mark, You’ve got to lead tape that extreme tour up a touch but it’s very good when you do. I wasn’t wild about the vcore because of the feel, I think they’ve gone too far on the vdm mesh. I currently flit between using the extreme tours and aero vs depending on opponent (I Chuck the yonex regna 98 in too as I brought two whilst drunk once🙄 that racket has tons of feel the opposite of the vcore 98) would love to get Mark’s thoughts on sergetti stringing, I’ve been doing it on all my frames recently and genuinely think it’s a game changer in terms of comfort and making rackets more forgiving on off centre hits.
Similar journey that I've been on. Looking forward to ET review! I actually bought one and ended up deciding it was better suited to singles than doubles (better at high heavy than flat penetrating). Fwiw, I recently tried the Diadem Elevate FS 98 and found it to feel very similar to the ET, with slightly more stability and lower launch angle. Both of those sticks, the cx200, and the blade 98 definitely top the 305g 'control' market imo.
Don't hate the playah, hate the frame.
Good review. The Vcore 98 is currently my stick of choice. From the baseline, heavy kicking forehands all day. I like it because it is dampened unlike my older Pure Strikes, friendly on the arm. I do agree flatting the ball out is a bit of a sore spot. I like the touch an power at net, good spin on the kicker. I'm good with the slice. I'm currently trying to find the right string. I feel like I need something stiff to tame the power a bit.
I am 100% in agreement with your review on this. The VC98 was my entry into trying 20 other new racquets over the past 2 years, and I still think it was by far the easiest 98 and one of the whippiest power/spin racquet I tried. I had great results with it, and I loved the outcome of every strike. However, I hated slicing and touch shots, the racquet muted every sensation out and I had to get rid of it. I would probably win more matches with this racquet than any other 98s, but I would not have a good time while winning the match.
I agree about the floating backhand slice as I used to play with this frame, but a little weight at 3&9 fixes that. Also completely agree about kick and slice serves as well. I ended up switching to the 2022 ezone 98 as it was better for my flatter strokes and slice serve.
Mark, I agree with you 100% regarding the slices. I had a hard time really knifing my slices which I can do on my other rackets. I'm currently demoing the VCORE 98 and although it's supposed to be a spin racket I'm having a hard time generating it and a lot of my shots are going long. At the net this racket seems to lack touch. I never thought I'd say this about a racket but I think it may have too much power vs control. What racket do you use? Been also thinking about the EZONE 98 but after your review I'm a bit leery to pickup the 2022 version. Love your content and I've subbed!
Honestly demo the Ezone 2022. Let me know if you need an arm surgeon.
The VDM mesh is what gives it the the slightly disconnected feeling. Try to find a new
Really enjoy these videos! Quick question. What are your thoughts on a VSquare (mains)/ PT Fire (crosses) hybrid on a Vcore98?? Or maybe even a Hyper G (soft?) (m) / PTP (c)?? Cheers
Vquare gonna cut hard into that PT Fire
Good review. Any idea when the extreme tour review is getting posted? I'm very interested on that one.
Early next week fam
I am beginning to demo this racket again. Leaving the extreme tour. The vcore 98 I think is a racket you have to grow into it and get the best out of it. I think it may be a well balanced racket. No racket is perfect but I’m giving this vcore a second chance. Looking forward to the new vcores coming out soon.
How do the vcore 98 compare with the pure aero vs? This in terms of spin, control and feel? I the vcore more forgiving and has a bigger sweet spot? I’m demoing the vcore but can’t demo the vs. I’m a baseliner that hits with topspin, one handed backhand, 5.0 level. Looking forward also to the new vcore and vs.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far....I had a Yonex R-22. It was a gud solid stick, but strangely shaped. I remember thjat best shots were from the 2 hand backhands.
I am curious what your thoughts will be on the Head Extreme Tour. Just gave it up because I was hurting my onehaner BH topspin shot...
Thanks for your thoughts Mark. I've got the vcore 98 as well and yeah the "feel" is a bit muted and not so great at the net but I love it for serve and base line. I'm using hyper g soft at 54 and it works out alright for me.
Yonex racquet nowadays are like that unfortunately. I miss the old feel. Like the RDiS one.
Mark, please for an aggressive 4.0 baseliner, would you recommend I replace my Wilson Pro Staff 97L for this Yonex V Core 98? Thank you! Marcos
I added 1g on 3, 9 position and put heavier replacement grip on, it become a really good racket. Maybe you can try it. Well it’s definitely a baseline racquet than net play, but with the weight, it’s much stable now.
I can def see that, but I’m judging all rackets based on stock form (with an overgrip).
"The slices are not that good, especially on the backhand"....... Mark immediately proceeds to hit two absolute bhand KNIVES
I think this review pretty accurate. I think it is a muted feel which is good for my partially torn elbow tendon. I tried this with a dampener and that is awful. You need to play without a dampener since it already is dampened. Love topspin serve and shots. Strings that are spinny are best and you can’t be a flat ball hitter with the racquet as it will be long. I have been struggling with my slice serve and isn’t good for some reason. Slice groundies are okay. Net feels good to me.
I laughed at this. It would take an odd duck indeed to want to use a dampener on this racket.
Is the previous model better?
I switched from the ezone dr 98. The two biggest adjustments were backhand slices and volleys. The trade off (for me at least) was additional rpm’s and more pop. I have adjusted to the feel and volleying. Backhand slices are still horrible. I surprise myself every time I hit a half decent one. I use a combination of poly tour pro and poly tour spin. I tried the new ezone 98 and hated it. The DR was better on approach shots as well
I am having problems with my backhand slice. I use tô play with a pro staff 97L, and was way better, but the sweet spot of this yonex helps my game.
I think vcore 98 is one of those racquets that need a specific string to get a good feel out of… I thought hyper G brought out all the good qualities of this racquet.
Absolutely agree
Totally agree. In general, I find Yonex racquets to be string sensitive and used to take me ages to find the best setups for. Surprisingly, I played with a full bed of Yonex Poly Tour Spin G in this frame in mid to low 40s, which is pretty much the stiffest string Yonex makes and it played beautifully. Just shows how muted this racquet really is.
Did you ever do a review of your current PA VS?
I've found that it's not necessarily the racquet that's the problem but you need to play around with the string tension and type of strings used to compliment the racquet strengths and your personal playing style. I was about to sell this racquet but I changed strings and tension and thank God I did cause Ive now fallen in love this racquet again!
what stings and tension have you used and changed to ? Having same issue on strings here tried poly tour pro in blue 54/51 , hate it
I have tried Confidential and Hyper G , Hyper , feels better in this racquet.
Have you reviewed the babolat aero vs? Where is that video?
Good video. Don't personally like when the white summary blocks cover you showing the shot, though.
I’ll make it black next time!
Jk
I’d be interested in hearing your additional thoughts with these review/tests in a modified version too. Let’s say 330sw baseline.
I’d love to, but I promised myself to only test in stock
Just grab an H off the shelf for a 330 SW. Similar string pattern, close enough beam width.
Did you try pure drive vs?
Good review. I liked the v-core on my FH side, but it felt so awful for my 2H-BH. I like the quickness of the racquet.
Just wondering, why are you switching racquets? It seemed like you just changed to the VS not too long ago.
Internal cracks, squeaky buttcap, slight wrist/hand issues
@@MarkSansait oh wow, thanks for the reply. Sounds like it's been through hell-and-back haha
My guess is you gonna like the head extreme tour more :)
Lol you said Head.
That means bj
Mark what is your UTR?
I have the V-Core 98+ love the spin and how fast it moves for through the air. Would definitely recommend this racquet for one handed backhands. I do probably come over the ball over 70% of the time with my backhands but can see if someone slices a lot maybe wanting something with more feel. I switched from a babolat pure drive plus and am very happy with the switch. As Mark mentioned, this racquet is really good with serving. I felt like it was an improvement from my pure drive but I mainly use kick serves so can’t speak to the slice serve.
since you used to use the ezone 98 2020, why not try the ezone 98 2022?
I haven’t seen the new ezones in person hahaha
Would you recommend a full bed of poly tour spin or poly tour mains and poly tour crosses with this racket??
Or full bed poly tour pro or any other string for this racket?
I have a bit of arm discomfort recently. So I’m looking to maximize my topspin but also have comfort in the string bed. Don’t like jarring feel in the string bed.
Black night I will try to get and try.
This racquet is crap. No feel at all. But the intro of this video is a hidden gem…. Grip between 2 balls….GENIUS!
So many complaints with the racquet are more to do with your familiarity level with the racquet, string choice, tension, and your player level. Could mislead some viewers
Have you tried the VCORE pro 97 (310) and the extreme tour? I like the extreme tour, will try the VCORE pro. Don’t like the VCORE, too stiff.
Extreme tour is faster through the air and feels more flexible than the VCORE 98. More spin.
@@adriellepretre9047 The extreme tour is not stable enough for me. I agree that the Vcore 98 is too stiff/disconnected feeling. Best one I would say is the vcore pro 97. Stable, good feeling and soft. Great for big hitters.
You get good spin from the vcore pro 97 or it’s more for flatter hitting? I’ve read it’s not the best option for generating heavy topspin.
I have not used the current vcore pro 97. But I’ve used the current ezone 98 and the 2019 vcore pro 330 version. With my stroke mechanics I did not find so much topspin. Don’t know if it would be the same with the new vcore pro 97. My game relies on heavy topspin.
You say you find the extreme tour unstable, but you think it has more spin capacity than the vcore pro 97?
Try the Head Gravity pro
"Hah, that's funny, tip, shaft.
Nice babolat overgrip you have there.
I’m going to block you for hate speech
@@MarkSansait no u
Nice bag
Totally disagree about slices. Must be your technique then. This racket produces fabulous B/H slices....It has different problems than the one you mentioned....
Stop blaming the racket for returns and slice serves. A classic ‘ It’s not the racquet’s fault it’s the player. 😄😩peace man
👍👍👍😊