Just finished my second weeklong demo with the Clash 98; it confirmed to me is it really as different kind of stick than any I’ve hit with. And left me very conflicted.
I’m demoing to replace my BB Londons (pretty old obviously, and my preferred lightest SW one cracked). I’d moved to the Londons when my PB10 Mid became too heavy to use post-shoulder surgery. I’ve demoed lots of racquets since then, but nothing that inspired a purchase beating out my Londons.
First round of recent demos had the Clash 98, Volk V-Sense V1 Pro, Babolat PS98 (P1-7) and the Yonex VCore Pro 97 (310). I did not expect much from the Wilson as I have not liked any of the Wilsons I’ve tried since they went to the BLX stuff. I’d tried the Project 1-7 before and hit well with it, and had high hopes for the Yonex.
The V-sense V1Pro was just too light, too little swing weight (my wife loved it, bought 2!). The Yonex felt sluggish to me and the P1-7 hit great like before, but was just a bit harsh on the arm, just like previous tests.
The Clash 98 was just a different cat right from the start. I normally don’t care for thick beamed rackets (usually clumsy feeling and too stiff). Not the case here. The Clash really flew through the air and felt very plush. The balance really feels more headlight than the 9 PTs on the TW website. It also felt oddly disconnected to play with. Not the dead to me /complete disconnection I’d felt with the BLX and countervail Wilsons, but I really had no idea where the ball would land from contact. The thing is, it always went in. It was obvious this thing is a spin monster, had a high launch angle and because of the balance allowing for better racquet head acceleration, massive topspin was easy to get. It seemed like a can’t miss stick, but I’d need to learn to just trust what I can’t feel. Directional accuracy was good and any whippy touch shots were easy. Serves were what really had me considering a purchase; the easy RHS in the serve produced monster spins serves. I usually struggle with consistency and just couldn’t miss with this thing. It was just too easy. So the clash 98 won this round, but I had other sticks I wanted to try.
The next round had the Clash 98 back, along with the Prince Textreme Tour 100 (310) and the Volk V-Feel V1 Pro. I’d read the new V1Pro was a bit heavier than the V-sense so had hopes for it and the TT 100 (310) had good reviews.
The V1 Pro was right out, felt sluggish and stiff feeling for a Volkl (weird). The Prince was impressive; took a little bit to overcome inertia in the swing but after that it flew and it was easy to pound shots. It actually played like my holy grail racquet should: a lighter version of the PB 10 Mid. Felt exactly that way. Punched everything pretty effortlessly, created good spin, but was great on stability and plowthrough (maybe not quite as plush as the PB 10, but not bad on my arm at all). Thought I had a pure winner.
Then hit with the Clash again. Fast swinging (even though it was heaviest static weight of the three), easy depth, tons of spin, you could just let it go or work it for specialty shots (really can’t wrist things with the TT 100 (310), just need to hit through) and get great balls either way. The Clash really rewards a fast swing; slower swings would feel a bit mushy, and it almost seemed like faster swings would stiffen the frame a bit. With the Clash, swing free and let it go. It certainly did not have the punch of the Prince and if there were two knocks on the clash it would be lack of plowthrough (harder to end points, but easier to work them) and biting slice was harder to come by. The Prince blocks shots better and was more stable but the Clash wasn’t bad at all. The Clash also did feel a bit harsh on balls outside the sweet spot, but nothing I’d worry about.
So this demo session left me with a dilemma and I may end up buying both the Prince and the Clash (which I’d normally never do). I think one might be better than the other on specific days and opponents. On days when I’m on I think the Prince might provide bigger rewards (just like the PB 10 did) but on days when I’m not, the Clash might keep me in the points longer and allow me to serve better.
I’m a little concerned with buying a clash on price point and Wilson QC (given that the weight and balance are key facets to the Clash if the one I get is heavier or less HL than those demoed, I may not get the play I liked) and am also curious how it will play with my preferred string setup (gut mains (Tonic) at 56 and poly crosses (Weiss Canon Silverstring at 50); the demos has multis at 57 (Note: I did not have any breakage issues with the Clash in either demo hitting for several hours, though tension loss by the end of the week was noticeable).
Either way the clash 98 is definitely one of the most unique sticks I’ve ever hit with, and I’ll probably purchase one. I’ll just need to remap my idea of feel as it relates to this racquet, as it is different.
