The Official 2013 Blade 93 Fan Club

asifallasleep

Hall of Fame
Couldn't find a club for this stick so I'm creating one. I love the Blade 93. I've been a K90 and PS88 guy for too many years to count and recently even tried the Pro Staff 95S. I think the Blade 93 may be the best stock players frame ever. I know some have mentioned problems with topspin with this frame, but I don't get it. I can hit with loads of topspin, flat winners and deadly slices. Serves are so pinpoint and volleys are crazy good. I mean this stick is soooooo solid, it reminds me of a more maneuverable PS88. Two thumbs way way up. What a great stick. Strung with Cyclone 16g @ 45lbs. Bravo Wilson. I'm selling my 95S's and putting the K90 and PS88's in storage. And what a beautiful piece of art this stick is. Black strings in this baby and whoaaaaaaa!!!!
 

asifallasleep

Hall of Fame
… *and then he tried the IG Prestige Mid*
LOL, i know I should be banned from creating fan clubs. I have tried the Prestige and hated it. Loved the 95S but the deal breaker for me was the constant string breakage. If not for that I'd still be using it.
 

SpinToWin

Talk Tennis Guru
LOL, i know I should be banned from creating fan clubs. I have tried the Prestige and hated it. Loved the 95S but the deal breaker for me was the constant string breakage. If not for that I'd still be using it.

:shock: EXORCISE IT!!

… just kidding :p

But really, you'll find yourself fairly alone with that opinion. I have tried both and though the Prestige is less forgiving, just a bit of lead in the Head made me want to switch and take it with me to bed, but unfortunately the racquet is too unforgiving for my playing style. On the other hand, when demoing the Blade, at times I felt it was worth the money to just destroy the demo by bashing it on the court in a way that would make Safin proud :lol:

One of the worst mids I have ever hit with.
 

asifallasleep

Hall of Fame
:shock: EXORCISE IT!!

… just kidding :p

But really, you'll find yourself fairly alone with that opinion. I have tried both and though the Prestige is less forgiving, just a bit of lead in the Head made me want to switch and take it with me to bed, but unfortunately the racquet is too unforgiving for my playing style. On the other hand, when demoing the Blade, at times I felt it was worth the money to just destroy the demo by bashing it on the court in a way that would make Safin proud :lol:

One of the worst mids I have ever hit with.

It's interesting that soooo many people hate the 93. Weird, but i guess it suits my game. A lot of people had issues with the other two staples in my arsenal as well. PS88 and the K90. Although people raved about the K90, many felt it was too difficult to hit with. I grew up hitting with heavy wood frames, so perhaps anything similar to those sticks don't bother me at all. I don't like most modern frames. I'm a thin beam guy. It all depends on what one started playing with at the beginning I guess.
 

asifallasleep

Hall of Fame
Why did you hate it? They seem fairly similar to Blade93.

The Blade feels like a tank. So solid whereas I felt the Prestige felt delicate, low powered and flimsy in comparison to my K90 and PS88 at the time. The Prestige was a frame that practically everyone had to mod, whereas the K90, PS88 and the Blade 93 could be used stock to great success.
 

SpinToWin

Talk Tennis Guru
The Blade feels like a tank. So solid whereas I felt the Prestige felt delicate, low powered and flimsy in comparison to my K90 and PS88 at the time. The Prestige was a frame that practically everyone had to mod, whereas the K90, PS88 and the Blade 93 could be used stock to great success.

Try modding the mid to the specs it deserves/should have and then try to tell me that the Blade is better again. You won't :p
 

mawashi

Hall of Fame
I'm curious bout this rendition vs e previous ones. I tried the kblade tour n absolutely hated it. Jo11yroger posted a hilarious 2013 blade tour review as well. What differences are there with this latest version vs the 2013?
 

tarkowski

Professional
I'm curious bout this rendition vs e previous ones. I tried the kblade tour n absolutely hated it. Jo11yroger posted a hilarious 2013 blade tour review as well. What differences are there with this latest version vs the 2013?

I feel this latest version (which is the 2013) is the best by a long shot. The KBlade's i had were 335 grams and always felt a little tinny and light. I thought jolly's review of the KBlade was spot on.

The black and gold version that came after had the healthy swing weight I desired (just way more solid across the board), but it just felt off. It was extremely stiff regardless of string or tension. Ground strokes, volleys, all the shots - the frame was very board like to me. 17-gauge VS in the 40's - and I still couldn't get on with the feel of it.

I got a couple of 2013's (with Wilson leather grips) and they each weighed about 352 grams when done. So I think they were heavier than spec but they were the best I hit with. They were not only solid, but a great deal more comfortable than the black/gold version. Not soft in a Prestige like way, but handled shock and vibration much much better than the black/gold. I viewed the TW review before purchase and was skeptical that the same design could feel so different, but TW was right. It is an amazing stick. It's been about 18 months since I've hit with it but I remember feeling like the OP about the racket.

I sold the one I had because as always, I went back to my tried and true K90. But I'm actually in a mood to demo again and am thinking about giving this one another shot. I didn't like the blade butt cap. I'd like the same specs I had before with a Tour 90 butt cap. In my ideal world, Wilson would just make it a policy to have all tour-style rackets come with leather and the tour 90 cap.

If you didn't get on with prior versions, this one is different enough to try.
 
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mawashi

Hall of Fame
Cos of u guys I'll go n demo aka buy one just to test out but only after getting another strike tour. I'm not yet convince that mids are for me.

I still want the power of the pst just to be on the safe side. But I'll give this rendition a try.
 

asifallasleep

Hall of Fame
Cos of u guys I'll go n demo aka buy one just to test out but only after getting another strike tour. I'm not yet convince that mids are for me.

I still want the power of the pst just to be on the safe side. But I'll give this rendition a try.

The pure strike tour does have more power but i think the blade does everything else better. Try to get a demo with a lower tension (sub 50 lbs), although that may be difficult.
 

mawashi

Hall of Fame
The pure strike tour does have more power but i think the blade does everything else better. Try to get a demo with a lower tension (sub 50 lbs), although that may be difficult.

Where I'm at there's seldom any demo. Besides if I need to do a proper test I'll need more then a hr with it. I don't doubt it does play good but stability is what I'm looking for so let's c how it measures up against the strike tour.
 

mawashi

Hall of Fame
Wilson's qc.... what a pain in the *****!

I had some time yesterday so I thought I'll give this a shot, went to 5 shops to find the perfect blade.

1st shop had a 2nd hand blade for sale but was in an L2, never mind I'll just bounce some balls just to get a feel.... somethings wrong, felt too light and flimsy. Weight as 10g lighter, more hl and had a sw like a tweener...

2nd shop, none available.

3rd shop, again only L2... why do people use such small grips only.

4th shop, now I'm starting to get a bit tired of this. Finally L3, great one is 5g heavier then specs, the other 7g lighter! I was ready to pull the trigger on the heavier sticks but I though I really need the correct specs to know how it plays in proper stock form.

5th and final store, finally a 2nd hand stick but guess what. 340g and 320 sw!

I was ready to throw in the towel at this point but I remembered that a friend of mine is a racquet junkie so perhaps he has one... a quick call.

So he does, great and it's almost close to specs, even better!

Spent the next 30 mins hitting with him in jeans and track shoes lol and guess what I like the stick, it's not as stable as the strike but overall it's a more versatile stick cos it's easier to swing with however, even strung with rpm blast that's about 2hrs old, it doesn't have the same pop or plow through.

It's a very decent stick for those who have clean strokes, it's less tiring then the PST cos of the weight but also it requires more focus cos of the head size.

Wilson finally made a 18x20 that's better then a few prestige mp in terms of how solid it feels.

Its a close call between the BT and PST but so long as wilson has such awful qc, my choice is still with the PST simply cos of how forgiving it is and how easy it is to win cheap points.
 

asifallasleep

Hall of Fame
Wilson's qc.... what a pain in the *****!

I had some time yesterday so I thought I'll give this a shot, went to 5 shops to find the perfect blade.

1st shop had a 2nd hand blade for sale but was in an L2, never mind I'll just bounce some balls just to get a feel.... somethings wrong, felt too light and flimsy. Weight as 10g lighter, more hl and had a sw like a tweener...

2nd shop, none available.

3rd shop, again only L2... why do people use such small grips only.

4th shop, now I'm starting to get a bit tired of this. Finally L3, great one is 5g heavier then specs, the other 7g lighter! I was ready to pull the trigger on the heavier sticks but I though I really need the correct specs to know how it plays in proper stock form.

5th and final store, finally a 2nd hand stick but guess what. 340g and 320 sw!

I was ready to throw in the towel at this point but I remembered that a friend of mine is a racquet junkie so perhaps he has one... a quick call.

So he does, great and it's almost close to specs, even better!

Spent the next 30 mins hitting with him in jeans and track shoes lol and guess what I like the stick, it's not as stable as the strike but overall it's a more versatile stick cos it's easier to swing with however, even strung with rpm blast that's about 2hrs old, it doesn't have the same pop or plow through.

It's a very decent stick for those who have clean strokes, it's less tiring then the PST cos of the weight but also it requires more focus cos of the head size.

Wilson finally made a 18x20 that's better then a few prestige mp in terms of how solid it feels.

Its a close call between the BT and PST but so long as wilson has such awful qc, my choice is still with the PST simply cos of how forgiving it is and how easy it is to win cheap points.

All my 4 blades are from 3 different sources but spec wise are almost identical. I haven't heard a lot of complaints about the blades when compared to other Wilson frames and quality control.

The tour hits an amazing ball if you're ok with aggressively bashing the ball from the baseline. It's like swinging lumber. I'm more of an all court player incorporating different spins, speeds and trips to the net, so the blade made more sense for my game.
 

mawashi

Hall of Fame
Well you are very lucky or I'm very unlucky but so far all my friends who have bought Wilsons in Asia find it very difficult to get close tolerances.

I kidda knew I was in trouble when I found the sw of one of the 93s at just 320.

Well I'm mostly a baseline player so it is a stick that suits my game despite it's lack of maneuverability. Surprisingly, its not exactly a log at the net but its the serves that seem to bother me the most.

The PST not an easy stick blast aces or create sharp angles easily in fact the high sw makes it difficult for me to serve well. I'm also concerned about the shoulder ache caused by the weight so I'm removing the leather to see if it'll make it easier.

I was able to spend another 40 mins with a B93 tonight and it's one of the better mids out there. I'll say that if this version was available when I first got my first blade tour I would be singing it's praises and my game would be at a much higher level then today.

Amongst the 18x20s I'll say the B93 and PST are easily the very top and they are perfectly suited for baseline or all court players who can handle their weight.
 
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JustTennis76

Hall of Fame
Did you ever try the Blade 93? Best stick ever. :-D

I am about to become a fan of the blade 93. got one of the bay and strung with cyclone mains at 44 and gosen crosses at 46. Can't wait for my first hit tomorrow. With an overgrip and dampener, it weighs 351 gms/12.3 oz but the balance seems to be so favorable so it is easily manueverable. I will post back after my hit tomorrow.
 

asifallasleep

Hall of Fame
I am about to become a fan of the blade 93. got one of the bay and strung with cyclone mains at 44 and gosen crosses at 46. Can't wait for my first hit tomorrow. With an overgrip and dampener, it weighs 351 gms/12.3 oz but the balance seems to be so favorable so it is easily manueverable. I will post back after my hit tomorrow.

Oh cool, i'd be curious about what you think.
 

JustTennis76

Hall of Fame
Hit with the blade 93 today for a solid 1 hour with a 4.5/5.0 player today. I have to say I am a little disappointed with the stick. It did not feel right to me from the get go. I strung fresh with my usual string setup I have been using it for a year. So, I eliminated all other possibilities. It lacks power from the baseline(I need to put full swings every time). While the control was there, I cannot imagine playing with this racket in a 2 hour match. I am in decent shape too. I am sticking with my blade 98 (18 x 20).
 

asifallasleep

Hall of Fame
Hit with the blade 93 today for a solid 1 hour with a 4.5/5.0 player today. I have to say I am a little disappointed with the stick. It did not feel right to me from the get go. I strung fresh with my usual string setup I have been using it for a year. So, I eliminated all other possibilities. It lacks power from the baseline(I need to put full swings every time). While the control was there, I cannot imagine playing with this racket in a 2 hour match. I am in decent shape too. I am sticking with my blade 98 (18 x 20).

You have to have good racquet head speed which typically would give you a full cut at the ball. I haven't seen your strokes but it's such a maneuverable stick.

You'd get more power from your 98 and it has a bigger sweet spot, but with good fundamentals the 93 has plenty of pop and power from the baseline.
 
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PaulC

Professional
Hit with the blade 93 today for a solid 1 hour with a 4.5/5.0 player today. I have to say I am a little disappointed with the stick. It did not feel right to me from the get go. I strung fresh with my usual string setup I have been using it for a year. So, I eliminated all other possibilities. It lacks power from the baseline(I need to put full swings every time). While the control was there, I cannot imagine playing with this racket in a 2 hour match. I am in decent shape too. I am sticking with my blade 98 (18 x 20).

This is a MUCH smaller frame than your normal Blade 98.

Your normal string set up will NOT work on it, it'll feel like a frying pan.

You'll need:

1. thinner gauge main strings, maybe 1.10-1.15mm (with 1.20mm cross syn)

2. 4-5 lbs lower tension
 

chrisberchris

Semi-Pro
It is still my favorite frame for ground strokes. I used the blade tour series for 4 years before switching to the 6.1 95. I just can't serve as well with the blade and the margin for error at the net is higher
 

asifallasleep

Hall of Fame
You have to have good racquet head speed which typically would give you a full cut at the ball. I haven't seen your strokes but it's such a maneuverable stick.

You'd get more power from your 98 and it has a bigger sweet spot, but with good fundamentals the 93 has plenty of pop and power from the baseline.

The TW reviewers actually gave the 93 a much higher rating for power over the 98. Clearly the 98 has a bigger sweet spot with a much larger head.
 

Slippery

New User
I got mine from a friend who found it a little heavy. It came strung with PH17 mains at 50 and gut 16 crosses at 56. Plays awesome, power is through the roof, very nice setup. My only problem is that combo is not something I want to afford, so I hope I can find a similar playability with a cheaper setup. If you hit the ball late it won't bail you out. So good timing is a must, plus after 8 months of arm problems I can see a light at the end of the tunnel almost pain free after three weeks. I don't know if it is the string setup or being forced to hit the ball out front. Give this bad boy some time it will become your friend.
 

maxhunter

New User
Been thinking about making a switch to a more traditional stick since my game is a lot of net play(chip and charge/ serve and volley) I currently use the 98 Any thoughts? How is it for volley and serve?
 

JustTennis76

Hall of Fame
The one thing I liked about the blade 93 is at the net - very clean volleys. serve didn't have much power but the directional control was pretty awesome. But that said, I am not getting any younger so I will stick with the 98 for now.
 

asifallasleep

Hall of Fame
Been thinking about making a switch to a more traditional stick since my game is a lot of net play(chip and charge/ serve and volley) I currently use the 98 Any thoughts? How is it for volley and serve?

I think the 98 is still a traditional frame. I mean I think the 93 is a great serve and volley, net game stick, but if you already have the 98, maybe add a leather grip and/or a few grams of lead in the butt cap to make it more head light and less club-ish. I'd try that before changing to the 93.
 

maxhunter

New User
What's funny is that I'm only 14(and 1 day) and that's what my game is. I guess it just makes sense considering I'm 5'11"
 

The Wreck

Semi-Pro
Well, I love the Blade 93, anyway. One of those sticks that just feels RIGHT in your hand. It's just so solid and easy to swing for me. And I'm not sure where the lack of power complaints come from. I mean, it's not going to do a lot of work for you, but I can clock the ball just fine. With the small headsize, I just have to be pretty on point, but still. Nothing has managed to unseat the 93 yet.
 

JustTennis76

Hall of Fame
This is a MUCH smaller frame than your normal Blade 98.

Your normal string set up will NOT work on it, it'll feel like a frying pan.

You'll need:

1. thinner gauge main strings, maybe 1.10-1.15mm (with 1.20mm cross syn)

2. 4-5 lbs lower tension

I hit with my regular hitting partner this morning with the 93. I have to say my 2nd session with this racket felt totally different than the first where I was complaining about it. Maybe like people said, it needs some getting used to. I am going to keep hitting with this racket slowly during the off season. With a dampener and overgrip, the strung weight is a solid 12.3 oz but I never felt I was carrying such a heavy racket.
 

John Z.

Semi-Pro
Anyone else using this fabulous stick? Got some of the highest TW reviews ever and i'm shocked so many people hate it.
The blade 93 2013 is the best 'one hander' stick i have played with in a long time (at least since the old Rafter prince response titanium 97).

This is very subjective, indeed... but for me, there is currently nothing else out there that has the combo of maneuverability, weigh and control that the blade 93 has (and yes i have tried all the head prestige... i just don't like the way they move through the air, somehow not suited for my game).

A word of caution: this is a 18x20 string pattern in a 93'' frame - string at MUCH lower tension than usual or you will never connect with this stick. I personally string poly in low 40s, multi and ngut in mid to high 40s.
 
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jussumman

Hall of Fame
Well, I love the Blade 93, anyway. One of those sticks that just feels RIGHT in your hand. It's just so solid and easy to swing for me. And I'm not sure where the lack of power complaints come from. I mean, it's not going to do a lot of work for you, but I can clock the ball just fine. With the small headsize, I just have to be pretty on point, but still. Nothing has managed to unseat the 93 yet.

I've been playing with the Volkl 93 for about five years and only now am trying out another stick - the Blade! The other one I wanted to try was Head's 93, but when I tried the Prestige Pro 95 it made such an annoying ping sound that kind of put me off from even trying the Mid. I got so used to a muted racket like the Volkl PB10.

Anyway, have you tried these other two 93s? If so, how would you compare them. I'm getting back the freshly strung Blade tomorrow and will see how it goes this week.
 

JustTennis76

Hall of Fame
I demoed the volkl PB 93 and the racket was too flexible for me - very underpowered. I had used the head 93 before and it felt too demanding for me. I have been hitting with the blade 93 for 3 sessions now and no mishits at all. Seems like a forgiving version of the head IG Prestige Mid.
 

mrravioli

Semi-Pro
You're preaching to folks with a different religion...

i.e. The I-like-the-flexy-feel crowd

Blade 93 (or POG / St. Vincent / PS 90) crowd is the I-like-my-stick-ROCK-solid crowd :mrgreen:

I-like-the-flexy-solid-feel-and-I-play-with-VOLKL :twisted:
 

asifallasleep

Hall of Fame
What kind of mods are you guys doing. I have a leather grip, 3.62 grams in the buttcap and 2 grams total at 3/9. This brings it to 12.5 and 8 pts hl. RF97 is 12.6 and 9 pts hl.
 
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dcsrour

New User
Been using the blade 93 for almost 2 years and absolutely love the weight and feel. I have also been experiencing medial elbow pain on and off but am stubborn when changing my string set up. I am using black widow at 50lbs full bed. I have tried the other blades but feel there is no comparison to the 93. I am wondering what string set up other users have had success with and perhaps recommend maybe a hybrid that would most feel like the black widow set up but softer on the arm. There don't seem to be any other racquets that are similar to the 93 in my opinion but your suggestions would help.
Thanks in advance
 

asifallasleep

Hall of Fame
Been using the blade 93 for almost 2 years and absolutely love the weight and feel. I have also been experiencing medial elbow pain on and off but am stubborn when changing my string set up. I am using black widow at 50lbs full bed. I have tried the other blades but feel there is no comparison to the 93. I am wondering what string set up other users have had success with and perhaps recommend maybe a hybrid that would most feel like the black widow set up but softer on the arm. There don't seem to be any other racquets that are similar to the 93 in my opinion but your suggestions would help.
Thanks in advance

Adding 2-3 grams at 3/9 help with stability on off center hits and stringing it with a soft multi like NRG2 or Biophase help. I string at 45lbs.

Poly's are bad news for this stick if you have any arm issues.
 

dcsrour

New User
Thanks for the reply. Are either of those strings similar in feel to black widow or is the racquet going to feel totally different.?
 

John Z.

Semi-Pro
Been using the blade 93 for almost 2 years and absolutely love the weight and feel. I have also been experiencing medial elbow pain on and off but am stubborn when changing my string set up. I am using black widow at 50lbs full bed. I have tried the other blades but feel there is no comparison to the 93. I am wondering what string set up other users have had success with and perhaps recommend maybe a hybrid that would most feel like the black widow set up but softer on the arm. There don't seem to be any other racquets that are similar to the 93 in my opinion but your suggestions would help.
Thanks in advance
Had similar issues with exact same stick and strings. Black widow is a very soft poly, but it's still a poly so full bed is a bad idea for peeps with a fragile arm; here are a few things that could help your elbow without changing your stick (blade 93 is awesome):

1. string poly at no more than 50lbs (mid-40s still fine in blade 93)
2. cross BW with a multi (i personally like PPC & NRG2)
3. full bed PPC or hexy fiber or the likes (spin friendly multis); it won't be nearly as spinny as BW in mains, but these are among the most spin-friendly strings aside from poly (for full bed i recommend PPC as it's also very durable)

Cheers - J.Z.
 

dcsrour

New User
Thanks guys. Asifallsleep, your suggestion of the poly on the crosses will make the racquet feel more like full poly vs poly on mains?
 
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