Wilson Blade 98 16x19 v8 [In-depth Review & Playtest]
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- Опубліковано 27 лип 2024
- For 2021, Wilson releases an exciting new update and the eighth generation of its popular Blade 98 tennis racquet, which is well known for its excellent control, feel, and comfort.
Initially released in 2006, the frame has racked up an impressive number of endorsements, including top players like Stefanos Tsitsipas, Milos Raonic, Madison Keys, and Jelena Ostapenko.
In my in-depth review and playtest of the Blade 98 16x19, I cover the frame's specs, technologies, and design while also providing candid thoughts on the racquet's performance to help players determine if it's worth an upgrade or considering as a new frame.
Full writeup: tenniscompanion.org/wilson-bl...
Blade 98 18x20 v8 vid: • Wilson Blade 98 18x20 ...
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Blade 98 16x19 v8: wilson.aqpq.net/gbjWLA
Blade 98 18x20 v8: wilson.aqpq.net/0JWdXR
Blade 100 v8: wilson.aqpq.net/n1G2jA
Blade 100L v8: wilson.aqpq.net/vnBZ1v
Blade 100UL v8: wilson.aqpq.net/doQ73j
Blade 104 v8: wilson.aqpq.net/yR0mE3
Blade SW102: wilson.aqpq.net/jWOgXP
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Racquet Spec Videos
Parts of a Racquet: bit.ly/3iTUYSL
Head Size & Length: bit.ly/3429H9Q
Weight & Balance: bit.ly/3aunh7g
Stiffness: bit.ly/2Y3lEIC
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Video Recap & Timestamps
0:00 Start
0:28 Intro
0:45 Specs
0:56 Length, Head Size, String Pattern
1:16 Weight & Swingweight
1:39 Balance
1:53 Stiffness
2:00 Beam Width
2:13 Technology
2:24 Graphite + Basalt
2:34 FortyFive
2:44 Parallel Drilling
2:55 DirectConnect
3:04 Top Grip Taper
3:13 Ergonomic Butt Cap
3:16 Design & Aesthetics
3:58 Strings & Tension
4:47 Playtest & Review
5:07 Playtest Notes
5:14 Groundstrokes
5:52 Volleys
6:23 Serves
6:52 Returns
7:11 Summary
7:50 Wilson Blade 16x19 vs. 18x20
8:57 Wilson Blade 104
9:42 Wrap Up
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![Wilson Pro Staff 97 v13 [Deep Dive Review & Playtest]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/mHQ2uMp3bL0/mqdefault.jpg)
This is by far the best channel if someone needs a racquet review
Thank you for the kind words, Ignacio!
I have a V8 and I agree with all the points mentioned by you. Good review. You covered everything 🙏
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it 😄
Excellente video!! Nice review. Great content.
Comparison with V8 18x20 hopefully. Keep it up, quality review.
loving the content!
From what I heard and saw this is a perfect racket for everyone except maybe absolute beginners
Thank you for excellent review! Really appreciate it! ❤️🎾✨
Hey, John! Great review as always! Will you be reviewing the Wilson Pro Staff Six.One 100 v13 soon? Thanks in advance! 🤜🏼🤛🏼
@tenniscompanion thanks for your great reviews! love your channel.
are you planning on reviewing the new vcore pro 97 310 or 97d? i'd love to know what you think about these rackets and how would you compare the 97d to blade 18X20?
thanks!
Is the swingweight of 320 the actual measured spec for your racquet or quoted from online sources? It would be more informative to give the actual strung weight, balance and swingweight for the frame you are reviewing in the play test due to spec and QC variances. With Wilson, the swingweight can vary by as much as 10 which has huge bearing on how the racquet plays.
Completely agree. I guess the racquet was sent to him by Wilson so perhaps there was set limitations on how far he could push on measuring variances from spec which of course as you point out, has sadly detracted from the quality of this review. Though in his defence, he at least does mention some criticisms which thankfully does not make this video a mere product placement by Wilson.
Hey great review! Do you plan on review the yonex vcore pro 97 anytime soon?
Can you review the Solinco Confidential and how it compares to the RPM Blast or Hyper G? I've seen the technical comparisons and have seen many reviews of the string but they all seem to vary, and I cannot find any channel other than Tennis Warehouse that reviews all 3 strings to compare them at the same benchmark.
Hi, great video. How do you compare this Blade v8 19x16 with the latest ProStaff 97 19x16?
hi there! what stringing machine are you using? it looks very good!
Please review the Blade 18x20 as well 😁
Sticking with my v6 no countervail
What's the major difference between the Blades and Pro Staffs. Is it mainly the stiffness?
I would add to this review that an additional difference between 16 19 and 18 20 is swingweight. 317 vs 327
How does this play compared to the pure strike 16x19? Looking for a racket a little bit more stable and solid than the PS 16x19. VCORE 98?
Love tennis 🎾🎾🎾💪
How will you compare this Blade with the new 2022 TECNIFIBRE TF40 315 gr (16x19) ? thanks ...
Please, compare it to v7 16/19. What are the differences?
I pretty much like almost everything of the v7, but I had elbow pain when playing with it.
Thank you for the suggestions. I think it is because of the geometry of the racquet. I've played with a lot of Prestiges and didn't have that problem.
One of my friends who is playing with Prestige Classic 600 hit with my v7 and got elbow pain in about 30 minutes.
hi john, how would you compare the blade with the clash100 (pro)? i play the clash and feel like i need less power and more control, but also i am bit afraid of getting arm issues with the blade.
hey, i play pro staff and have developed arm problems, would you recommend the clash? have you maybe tested the blade after commenting, and could give me a review on both? am unsure on what to get next
@@sigibergmann9356 hi sigi, i think you simply have to playtest them. yes i play now with the clash and blade. the difference is for me is that the blade has about let´s say 20% less power than the clash and is more demanding. blade less access to topspin. so when i am really fit, i like the blade, but when i am feeling bad or have a bad day or give training i prefer the clash. also, after two hours of heavy hitting with the blade, i sometimes start to feel my arm. so, the blade is a super racket, but i still keep the clash in case my arm gets worse.
@@kiesbett thanks so much, will try both as well but i think the clash sounds perfect for me. i am really thin and like to play really aggressive an fast, so a light, powerful racket that doesnt go hard on the ellbow is what i need
Hey, great review! I play a pro staff but after getting the new model i started to get an ever growing pain in my ellbow, so i am looking for a more arm-friendly racket, but i love the power i can get from my pro staff. Is the clash a better option than the blade? i think both are more arm-friendly than the pro staff, but which one can get me more power? i love to play aggressive
I'm just an intermediate player, but my wife owns the Clash 100 and I have play tested the new Blade v8 and I would say if you are looking for arm friendly with power, Clash is the way to go. She had Luxilon Smart strung on the Clash. I prefer the blade and after trying the V8 my wife liked the blade more as well due to the control it gave us and still had plenty of power in it. I would recommend checking your nearest tennis store and demo both if you can.
@@clarenceunderwood382 hi omg if you see this, may I please ask you some questions? I've been using 100L Clash and considering upgrading with the Blade V8. May I know your/ your wife's play type and which spec did you get for the Blade? It would be really informative for me 🥺 thank you before!
@mykosmos my wife is a baseline player. Her blade is the 16x19 string pattern. String we are currently using is Technifibre X-One Biphase at around 50lbs and I believe the string was 16g. She has really enjoyed the strings as she has a lot of pop and it is a pretty forgiving string on your arm being a multifilament string. I hope this helps you .
@@clarenceunderwood382 thank you so much! Yes it does :) you got the standard 98 head size right?
@@mykosmos3976 yes, it's the 98.
Is there any major difference in the playability between this version and V7 16*19. I’m in the market for a new Racket and can’t make up my mind between Blade V7 & V8
Get a v8, weight it up if you find the swing weight is too light.
@@kikibeldandy So you’re saying there is a noticeable difference, cause I don’t want to spend 50$ extra for the same racket if both these versions are that close in playability. The downside in my case is that V7’s will probably go out of stock in tennis stores before I get to demo V8 in India. I’ll just have to take a chance buying one at this point
If the buttcap is fused to the handle, does that mean it can't be removed for modifications?
@Matthew Heupel does the trapdoor open then? Just trying to understand what's happening with this "fused handle" feature.
I think the graphite handle forms a sort of socket for the butt-cap to fit in snugly
@@saifuddinmohammed2225 interesting. And by graphite handle, we long the "pin" part of the frame, not the octagonal foam handle, right?
@@davelee6002 That’s precisely what I think, however I was hoping that one of the UA-cam reviewers was actually going to remove the buttcap to show the extended graphite underneath
I won’t change my V7 for this new one.
It's a pretty sweet paintjob though.
@@goldencalf5144 I still like the V7 reverse more
You should
If the v8 has more weight then I’m probably going to use it
I’ve tested both and this is wayyyy better
Perhaps I missed it but I don't think you mentioned any major difference between V8 and V7. There was some gibberish about rebranding, paint job and text colour but really, if you're highlighting the cosmetic changes rather than the playability changes, you're simply detracting from your reputation as a reviewer. So, let me ask again. Should we buy V8 over V7, and Why?
V7 for the plow, v8 if u cant handle the sw of v7. Get a demo if u can.But am sticking to v7 after demoing v8.
He has a video yo comparing the two; it’ll answer your questions!
Also, you are coming off as a bully. His review had a ton of info and talked about Wilson blade history vs what there is now and spent less then 45 seconds on paint. Relax.
@@johnwhoissavedbygrace9975 Thanks but I'm totally chilled. No bully but perhaps you're thin skinned to think so. My comment was to help him which it did because he put out the V7 vs V8 comparison a month AFTER my comment. Glad to have been of help at least to the reviewer if sadly, not to you.
Hi Tennis Companion, wanted to know if Blade V8 16×19 pattern 285gms wgt will suit me. I am currently using the pure strike 300gms. I string at 45 and it feels great, so what tension should I keep with the blade if I buy it
I bought the v8 18x20 suiting my game, but mistakenly strung it at 55lbs on Natural Gut. Depending on which string you use, 45-48 lbs for Natural/Syn Gut/Multi, 40-45 lbs for polys. Going higher means dead racket.
@@SidSinha yes that's true. Going with higher tension for a control racquet makes no sense as it becomes dead. That's why I I using 45 for my pure strike. Will definitely try 48 with blade as you have suggested. Thanks for the prompt reply
@@shriizfree On second thoughts i am going to restring it at 45lbs on my natural gut / Tecnhnifibre X one Biphase. We all learn from each other !
@@SidSinha wonderful. Please try it and let me know. I love my pure strike at 45
@@shriizfree Based on my game and my stringer's advice, I used 48lbs on Babolat Synthetic gut 16 gauge and is playing well for me now. I feel that 45 lbs should be okay for you but for me it would be too much power at the cost of losing control.
V7 or V8, is the question
I’m thinking about switching from my RF 97 pro staff to this.
I just switched from the same racquet. I loved the improved
maneuverability from the slimer beam and less weight. The only downside is the low power it generates compared to the RF that i will improve by lowering the string tension. Definetly an improvement since now i feel faster on court and have more playability options.
@@christiandamm3924 thanks I think I will do the same thing. What strings are you using?
@@christiandamm3924 is the power really that much of a difference? i want to change too since i developed ellbow pain on the pro staff... would the clash be a better option?
hey john, how does this compare to the yonex exone 98 or babalot pure strike (16/19). I'm getting back into the game after an injury and need to find a new racquet. any suggestions
What's wrong with your old racquet?
@@a2casius too lite in general, need weight
@@a2casius plus even with lead tape, want to preserve feel and characteristics
Hello! For me, the Prince Textreme Tour 100p is a great option! Tighter string pattern (18x20) but a lot of spin, precision and comfortable feel. You should give it a try!
@@christoscholevas hmm.. never considered prince..will give it a go eventually. Thanks for the suggestion!
thank god Wilson is changing the "Power ranger paint job"
can you still remove the buttcaps on these blades?
the lighting is ridiculous in this
Wilson's QC STILL ABSOLUTELY SUCKS!!!
So does yours