Wilson new Blade 98

[JackB1]

Hit with the 98 16x19 and the 104 today.

The 104 is too light, the 98 too heavy (I am talking swingweight).
The 98 has a nice plush comfy feel and impact is very nice feeling... Just felt a little too sluggish to me personally. Nice stick though.

The 104 would be a great tweener and might be great with some lead tape applied in the right places. Is this one extended length? I forgot to look?

[barry]

Originally Posted by LanEvo

So is the old one better?

For me the older one is better, but I have not tried the new 18 x 20 model. I like control more than power, since I am a flat ball hitter and many of my ground strokes were going deep. Might be different if you are a spin player. Nice racket just not for my game.

[ffrpg]

I just hit with the new Blade 98 18x20. I owned the previous BLX blade 98 and here are my thoughts on how the new racquet compares to the previous version.

The new Blade 98 18x20 has less power, is easier to swing (lower swing weight), and feels more comfortable to hit with. Shots hit outside of the sweet spot on the previous version can be jarring at times and the new version improves on this. My biggest complaint with the previous version of the racquet is the power level. It has a bit more pop than I'd like (I'm use to playing with mid sized racquets and I like generating my own power).

The higher swing weight on the previous version makes the racquet unique. It feels kind of clunky, but it provides great plow and stability. I like the way the newer version swings and it feels more "fluid" and not as clunky as the previous version. Plowthrough doesn't feel as good on the new version compared to the previous version, but this is due to the swing weight differences.

Overall I think the newer Blade 98 18x20 is an upgrade compared to the previous version. If you thought the previous version had too much power and felt too clunky, I think you'll enjoy the newer version.

[Sundan]

Tried the Blade 98,18/20 today,and i liked it.

The Blade is heavier,more solid overall and is not flimsy at all compare to my Yonex Vcore 100s..
Serve was better and heavier,lots of power but still was easy to place them close to the lines.
Groundstrokes was great,good control but i had a little problem to find the lenght in the beginning,first power shots i made went way past the baseline,but it got better after a while.
Returns was great too,the only problem i had was at the net on volleys,that came fast,then i had some troubles to get the racquet in place fast enough due to the heavier weight and less HL than my usual racquet. However if i had time it was no problem at all.

I only played the racquet for 1 hour so with more time i bet the timing on volleys would be better.

Overall i liked this racquet,i would consider to switch to it,it really felt great,BUT i want to try the 93 version first wich my shop didnt have any in stock yet.
The 93 is heavier but more head light so i imagine the handling would be the same or even better,and with more control and less power,so i dont have to worry about overhitting as much.

Both my Yonex Vcore 100s and the Blade 98 is strung with Wilson sensation(16 if i remember right).

[RadicalMPfan]

Originally Posted by ffrpg

The new Blade 98 18x20 has less power, is easier to swing (lower swing weight), and feels more comfortable to hit with.

Does it really have a lower swing weight? I'll stick with my Gold/Black then.

[Sundan]

I played with my old stick yesterday,after playing the 98 18x20 last thursday,man what a difference !

When i demo:d the 98 it took like 3 shots and i found the sweetspot,another 3 shots and i found the range since it had a bit more power than my Vcore,and soon after that i could start being agressive.

It took 45mins atleast yesterday to find the sweetspot,(on the Vcore),and another 30 mins before i could start being agressive...

I really hope my order comes early this week,its not enjoyable to play now when i know what im missing.

(I ordered the 93 version)

[Power Player]

Originally Posted by RadicalMPfan

Does it really have a lower swing weight? I'll stick with my Gold/Black then.

I really think its just the wilson QC. Nothing has changed except the PJ and the amplifeel in the handle.

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by Power Player

I really think its just the wilson QC. Nothing has changed except the PJ and the amplifeel in the handle.

agree 100%

best thing to do is pay the extra $10 to TW and have them pick out the exact weight racquets that you desire.

[sam_p]

People keep talking about Wilson QC being terrible. Just going to share my recent experience.

Bought a new 2013 Blade 93 from TW and another from the pro shop in my club a few weeks later. Both have 16ga gut mains and Lxn Savage crosses and both have Dunlop gecko overgrips. The strung weights = 349g and 350g. Not really possible to get closer than that...

Obviously, this is just an anecdote, but color me impressed so far.

[dgoran]

I bet if you go back to that shop and assuming they sell reasonable amount of those racquets,
new order or new batch will be completely off from what you own now. It can get pretty frustrating.
I also bet that batch numbers on your current racquets are fairly close

[sam_p]

@dgoran - You may certainly be right, although any similarity in batches would have to be purely coincidence as the proshop orders them direct from Wilson and got this box of them weeks after TW had them for sale

[ehtennis]

I demoed the new Blades and currently play with the Pro Open.

The 18x20 was 4 grams heavier on the scale than the 16x19. It was also a little less head light. Overall, I liked the 16x19 better. In my experience the 16x19 is more lively and I got better feedback from the ball with it. I felt like the ball was on the strings for a lot longer. The 18x20 felt great too but I found it hard to keep balls deep when I was on defense.

I have 2 16x19's coming straight from Wilson. I'll report back regarding their weights. My Pro Opens weighed 319 and 327 strung with the same string and same over grip.

[Korso]

Anyone currently using a gut/poly setup in the 18x20? What tensions are working for you? I like full poly alot in this racket but eager to try it out with gut/poly.

[skeeter]

Originally Posted by Korso

Anyone currently using a gut/poly setup in the 18x20? What tensions are working for you? I like full poly alot in this racket but eager to try it out with gut/poly.

Just got the 18x20 and have Pacific in the mains and MSV Co-Focus in the crosses at 58/54. I've always liked gut/poly in my other racquets so trying it out in the Blade. The Co-Focus seems a little muted in this racquet, so might try something a little more crisp as a cross next time; have Solinco Outlast in another non-Blade racquet and really like it in that one. Tension-wise: while this tension has good control, feels like it could use some more power so might try a little lower next stringing.

Interested in others experience as well..

[Sundan]

Originally Posted by JackB1

Hit with the 98 16x19 and the 104 today.

The 104 is too light, the 98 too heavy (I am talking swingweight).
The 98 has a nice plush comfy feel and impact is very nice feeling... Just felt a little too sluggish to me personally. Nice stick though.

The 104 would be a great tweener and might be great with some lead tape applied in the right places. Is this one extended length? I forgot to look?

Yes its extended.

I too playtested this one the other day,it played alot better than i expected.
Since i have problems with my arm and even slightly in the shoulder this one could be the way to go,due to its 60 flex rating,it played really soft.

Yes its a bit light but if leaded up to about 320-325 static and SW it should be more in the zone and easily accomplished. Its also 75 dollars cheaper than the 98

[dgoran]

Originally Posted by Korso

Anyone currently using a gut/poly setup in the 18x20? What tensions are working for you? I like full poly alot in this racket but eager to try it out with gut/poly.

I have vs black mains RPM cross at 55/57 and I hate it...
This racquet played 10 times better with typhoon or 4g17 gauge

[tennisnut123]

I use the 16x19 in 4 3/8ths grip size, a little bit smaller tho, maybe closer to a quarter due to wilson qc lol...but im using tec black code 1.28 and i feel like the racket is so much easier to use than the previous blade model...but the 18x20 model feels somewhat similar to the kblade98. Was totally different from the first black/gold blx blade, which I felt was a horrendous racket, but thats just an opinion.

[KFwinds]

I bought a gold Blx Blade and a pink Blx Blade one month apart from different shops (one was from TW) and they are only 2 grams apart in weight. They feel pretty much identical on the court, other than the fact that I have multi/poly in one and full multi in the other. Did I get lucky?

[neverstopplaying]

Originally Posted by Korso

Anyone currently using a gut/poly setup in the 18x20? What tensions are working for you? I like full poly alot in this racket but eager to try it out with gut/poly.

Gut poly is my usual setup but I'm new to the Blade 18x20. 1st string job was VS team/4G ( 52-48 ) CP. Played well but some elbow problems. Went to 50/45 with VS/Beast. Better, but still surprisingly feels a little harsh. Maybe this is what people don't like about the new VS, but I never felt this with my softer P1, or Dunlop 400T, or BC20.

I bought a 2nd from TW used grade A, that was pre-strung with RPM Blast. Don't know tension but I estimate 45-50. It plays surprisingly soft, but balls are falling a little shorter.

Originally Posted by dgoran

I have vs black mains RPM cross at 55/57 and I hate it...
This racquet played 10 times better with typhoon or 4g17 gauge

I'm thinking that the Blade 18x20 may play better with full poly - a softer and medium power co-poly at fairly low tension. I think I've got some Typhoon in my stash.....

[parasailing]

Finally spent enough time hitting with the Blade 16x19 to get the hang of the racquet. It has plenty of power, comfort, and control and serves with this racquet are much better than the PSTGT.

I will have to go back to the original strings which came with this racquet when I purchased it a few weeks back. I am currently using VS mains and Ltec 4s and it plays a bit tinny compared to VS mains and Yonex Poly Tour Pro 125 crosses which plays softer.