It's now on the Yonex Website! VCORE Pro EMERALD
- Thread starter ryanholi0
- Start date
Got mine last night - specs are right on the money (320.3 grams and 31cm balance, unstrung). Have it strung up with a full bed of prince premier control 15l at about 52lbs, and hit for a bit against the garage door. So far so good. I have more control with the Ultra Tour (against the garage door/backboard), but that's to be expected at this point. I added a leather grip and 8g of lead, so I'm at about 356g right now, with a 32cm balance. Still, it feels whippier than the Ultra tour, which is weighted about the same. The ultra tour (same strings/tension, older string job) is crisper, for sure, and I do like that, but I'll admit to also loving the more plush feel of the HD, in that limited window. Looking forward to hitting with it tonight.
matchpoint9
Rookie
Brief comparison of these 3 would be appreciated!
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
I know... the mental arithmetic has started for me... which racquet do I need to get rid of in order to replace it with the 97HD...
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
Looking forward to your thoughts and experiences...
pavo26
New User
I do like it more than the Gravity Pro, as I was able to generate faster racquet-head speed. I would say the Gravity Pro was a little more forgiving, but barely. The Yonex HD was more controllable power. I should add that I’m a flat ball hitter, so I’m sure that contributes to it.
fundrazer
G.O.A.T.
One of us! One of us! @Power Player needs to join the club too.
Mine arrived today. Small mixup with my strings though. Thought I asked for gut mains/rpm cross and they flipped it.
Plan is to try and play tomorrow night or Friday night, but we'll see. If I can catch the right train after leaving work then I'll be fine, but missing it delays me getting home by over an hour and that's not fun.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
I may grab one down the road, but the specs of the v7 Blade make a lot more sense for my game. I basically had this frame in my leaded up 310 vcore and I used to say in the Vcore thread that 320 is a great weight for these racquets.
I do understand this one will most likely feel better than that one, but I’m not super into whippy frames anymore. Thats the shoulder killer for me, especially when you add 12 ounces to the equation on the serve. I’m going to keep reading everyone’s impressions past the honeymoon stage and keep rocking my Blade a while. I’m really enjoying it.
dgoran
Hall of Fame
Me too I started playing flat 70% of the time after switching to 93p
Power Player
Bionic Poster
How? They are not the same type of frame unless you just look at 18x20. The Blade is a modern weighted baseline frame with a big SW and the HD is a classically weighted all-court frame. I think they can both co-exist just fine.
Yonex has simply brought back what people have asked for Head to do for years - which is make a Prestige that has great feel and is soft. The Vcore series has been one of the better lines for years now.
anfield
Semi-Pro
I did not take to the Gravity Pro, but it should be more forgiving because it's a 100, and the HD should be more controllable because it's a 97. I find the HD be to be more forgiving because the 18x20 is more open, the frame is more flexible and the isometric shape, instead of the lollipop shape of the Gravity. It's also capable of heavy spin because of the flex and more old-school graphite feel.
Can you give a more detailed comparison between the HD and the RF97A?
JOSHL
Hall of Fame
I approve this message!
anfield
Semi-Pro
These are really different sticks. Granted both are beefy, but the HD, less so, is much more flexible, accurate, comfortable, and 20g lighter. I'm not going to poo-poo the RF97, I played it for nine months, it can have Jedi-type moments, but they are not consistent.
I got to love the original red and black PS97 for its comfort, speed and power, but the open pattern, that is the same as the RF, is just too random for my liking. The Wilsons can block back with such ease, create nice spin, but the HD can deliver great plow and spin with much more feel, rinse and repeat.
One is a velvet Mike Tyson punch, the other a Mjolnir to the head.
parasailing
Legend
I should be getting mine next week but definitely be interested in those that got the Blade v7 and can compare the difference between the two. The fact that people mention it is more maneuverable than the Gravity Pro is encouraging since I like how the Gravity Pro felt but it lack the power that the Blade v7 provides.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
You mod your blades balance right? I forget. I ask because you like the Blade with a more HL balance and lower SW then you may really dig the HD if you don't mind losing some plow.
JOSHL
Hall of Fame
That’s weird because I feel like the Gravity Pro is more powerful than the Blade.
dgoran
Hall of Fame
Me too but that is assuming one can accelerate both racquets the same. Blade is easier to use but gravity is definitely more powerful with ball pancaking groundies.
Addxyz
Hall of Fame
Nothing some tungsten tape can't solve! My Blade 18x20 will be done over the weekend and will probably get the HD next week-ish. I do like HL racquets so for the Blade it will be leather grip + putty in handle. HD will just have a leather grip.
parasailing
Legend
I
I can hit a heavier ball with the Blade v7 is what my tennis buddies tell me when I tried both so I stuck with the Blade.
I even added more lead tape to the Gravity Pro to up the SW and keep the balance and still same result for me.
I guess I didn't get the same racquet head speed from the Gravity Pro. I don't have a sensor otherwise that might provide some answers.
JOSHL
Hall of Fame
The Gravity Pro is more sluggish, but if you have time to set up and prepare it i more powerful for me. The sluggishness is why I like the Blade better, it's more maneuverable.
So strung up the HD just now with Diadem Solstice Pro/SPP Firestorm. 11.92oz and 6pts HL. So a little more HH than the listed specs, which is ok by me since I build up all my butt caps and that usually equates to 1pt HL. Sadly I will not be able to hit it until next week.
So strung up the HD just now with Diadem Solstice Pro/SPP Firestorm. 11.92oz and 6pts HL. So a little more HH than the listed specs, which is ok by me since I build up all my butt caps and that usually equates to 1pt HL. Sadly I will not be able to hit it until next week.
Chidoc
New User
So for me comfort has been more important lately and that’s where the HD shines. I added a leather grip then an over grip. The weight is up to 354 and 8.5 points HL strung. Power is definitely down from the RF97A but it feels more maneuverable. Just a little less plow through but a much more plush feeling also I feel a ton more control.
Volleys felt similar, the HD is good maybe I’m not used to it yet still felt more solid with RF97A.
I’m playing a doubles match tonight with the HD so I’ll have some more feedback later.
Yeah HD doesnt particularly have a high twistweight.. 14.1 vs RF97A is 14.9... you will definitely feel the difference in stability...same goes for plow due to SW diff.. in line with specs.. control is good news...i loved vcp97 310 but it was a tad stiff for me... control was great.. i can only imagine how insane the control would be in this frame...
SumYungGai
Semi-Pro
Has anyone hit with the last gen 330 and the new 330? If so can you compare them?
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
There are plenty of racquets that have a TW that is much lower than 14.1, which is pretty good (RF97 is higher, which is why it's so stable but also much heavier), and it's something that can be improved with small amounts of weight at 3 & 9 (like a gram or so). The result would be a racquet that is still more manoeuvrable, just as stable, and with a lower static weight. Win/ Win in my books.
Yes. Nothing i said is contrary to that.. 14.1 is not a problem but if you are playing with 14.9, then you will feel the difference.. i play with 15.3 prince racquet and i tried way too many racquets that i care to count and i can tell prince is a tank...especially for its weight.. again... i did not say 14.1 is unstable or too low.. i am merely observing its lower than rf97a by a good margin so his observation makes sense along with numbers..
14.1 is probably plenty stable in itself..
HD specs are perfect that requires absolutely zero mod to me.. my prince tt100 is 310 and i have 10gr in the handle which makes it 320gr unstrung...with OG and dampener i touch 340gr and 8hl strung. I could literally pick up HD and slap and OG and go to town..to make matters worse.. i played with and loved vcp97 310 but it was little too much vibrations for me.. nothing too extraordinary for <=20 inch beam.. i would not care but my elbow did.. HD fixes that as well.. this stick is basically built for me.. too bad i am a recovering holic and currently have gravity tour, blade 18x20 and tt100 to sort out or else i would be holding the damn thing right now.. i probably will end up ordering it anyways.. i am just holding on for reviews...
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anfield
Semi-Pro
For sure. I put a Skin Feel grip on and Tourna Power cap and it raised the weight from 340 to 346g. I could feel a difference, because the frame is so flexy, that extra weight in the handle seemed to make it feel like the hoop was lagging a hair. I'm going back to completely stock tomorrow to see the difference.
To me this frame needs no lead, it's plenty stable. I'm able to pull off crazy pickups and defensive stabs that I could not pull off with the heavier VCP 330 first gen.
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Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
Got to hit with the HD verison last night and I gotta say, this is my favorite Yonex racquet ever. I was never a big fan of the isometric head shape but this HD is something special. It doesn't even feel like an 18x20 string pattern. It feels open and spin friendly while maintaining the control property of the dense pattern. I've been looking to replace my RF97A with something similar but with more comfort and the HD checks almost every box. Serve is great and I can place the ball anywhere I wanted. Despite being nearly 12 oz, groundstrokes feel whippy and I can generate a lot of racquet head speed. My favorite part about this racquet is volley. It's so much fun to volley with this racquet. Super stable on contact and very maneuverable. Most importantly, it's a really comfortable racquet with a classic feel without the gimmicky flex tech of something like the Clash. I'll see whether this is a honeymoon phase or not then I'll consider switching to it permanently.
SumYungGai
Semi-Pro
You guys are getting me so excited for this frame! I'm in the process of trying out many 18x20's (CX200 Tour, Gravity Pro, Blade, Prestige) and want to hit with this bad boy so bad.
I feel that off the ground this is true, but on serve the blade has more pop. But the Gravity Pro, seems to have a little more precision for moving the ball wide out the box (kick serves). Just my initial impressions but I have only had a small time to hit on court. Hoping to see what the next couple outings reveal.
On this particular 'feel / flex / pocketing' aspect - what about the new blade - better / worse?
Both are comfortable racquets but I prefer the feel of the HD. The new blade, despite not having CV, still feels muted to me.
Chidoc
New User
What did you string it up with?
I’m currently playing with the vcp 310. It is the densest 16x19 frame I’ve played with over the last couple years of trying a bunch of different frames. In my opinion, it doesn’t even play like a 16x19. So I’m having a hard time understanding how you can take the same frame and add more strings to it and consider it to be open? How is that possible?
My demo came strung with Yonext ptp.
I guess it's relative to what you are used to playing with. I've previously played extensively with the blade 98 (18x20) and graphene speed pro which are denser than the HD.
anfield
Semi-Pro
Just on a glance, I held up to my Duel G, the HD keeps the spacing, but added two mains out wide, and moved the crosses down. The Duel has a very high top cross, that I don't even string, and there was a lot of room from bottom cross to throat.
It also feels more open because of the flexible frame, I'm getting great spin.
https://imgur.com/a/ID4I6dU
1HBHfanatic
Legend
what tensions are you using on these racquets?, same, less/more on the new stick (HD) vs the duel g??
achapa8807
Semi-Pro
Forget it. I'm about to order the damn thing and just be happy.
MajesticMoose
Hall of Fame
That's what I'm talking about.
Znak
Hall of Fame
anfield
Semi-Pro
It's pretty hot and humid on the east coast so I go a little tighter then the California folks.
Using 17g Volkl gut at 58 lbs, Focus Hex Soft 1.20mm at 55 lbs. I've been stringing them the same so I have a benchmark. Feels like the HD needs to be strung 1-2 lbs tighter because how flexy and has more plow. The Duel has same string density and is the same weight, but 1-2 pts more HL and does not have the plow, so I'd string a hair lower to get a bit more comfort and pop.
I know, it does not seem to make sense to string an 18x20 higher, but the HD is so buttery you kind of feel like you want that feedback.
