2015 Wilson Blade 18x20 vs 2017 Wilson Ultra Tour 97

[parasailing]

For those who are currently using the 2015 Blade 18x20, I think you will all agree it is probably one of the best racquets on the market. I have purchased and demo over 100 racquets for the past 8 years and still come back to this racquet. It does so many things well.

It offers great control, stability, maneuverability, and comfort. But as a TT fan and one who loves to play test shiny new racquets, I just had to buy this racquet to see if the hype meets expectations. I was so excited to purchase the Pure Strike Project One after hearing all the glowing reviews and had high hopes about it being the next Storm but that fell short of my expectations.

So I am back again to test out if this so called H19 variant would replace my current 2015 Blade 98. The Blade 98 CV version was more muted and felt sluggish compared the 2015 model though the paint job was definitely higher quality.

On to the Ultra Tour.

I love the paint job of these racquet although I would have prefer that they made it more matte instead of gloss paint. This will result in quite a lot of fingerprints on the racquet. The 2015 Blade 18x20 was matte where as the 16x19 had the same type of gloss finish as the Ultra Tour 97.

Initial inspection of the racquet included dark blue grommets which was a nice touch compared to the standard clear or black grommets most use. Instead of the green ascent on the Blade CV, they used blue instead and I think they racquet looks pretty nice. the only complaint I have would be the shiny gloss paint used on this racquet which leaves quite a few fingerprint smudges on the racquet. The Ultra Tour throat is designed with a more box beam similar to the Pro Staff line than the curve and flatter design of the 2015 Blade.

Onto the setup for both racquets. Both racquets were strung at 52lbs Babolat VS 17 gauge pre BT7 gut mains and 46lbs Head Hawk Touch 17g. I added more weight in the handle and some lead tape at 12 o'clock to both racquets to get them to my preferred static weight of 12oz and SW of 330. The Ultra Tour 97 comes in around 5pts HL compared to 3 pts HL for the Blade in stock form and I had to adjust both racquets by adding weight so in the end the Ultra tour was probably closer to 6 pts HL where as the Blade was around 4 pts HL. Due to Wilson quality control, this was the best I could manage without alternating too much of my preferred SW and static weight.

I had an hour hitting session with Ultra Tour so I will post updates as I get more hitting time with the racquet. Initial thoughts on the Ultra Tour 97 is that the sweet spot is slightly lower on the frame compared to the Blade 98. Balls hit near the top of the frame would land much shorter than hitting with the Blade 98. I also felt that when you hit the ball near the top of the hoop, the Blade felt more solid. TWU power map shows a comparison between these two frames and the Blade definitely had a higher twist weight rating compared to Ultra Tour 97 which makes the Blade more stable.

The Ultra Tour 97 more HL balance made the racquet a bit more maneuverable compared to the Blade 98.

These are my initial thoughts and I will update with more information once I get more on time court with the racquet.

 

[galapagos]

Gogo parasailing ! Waiting for your review We like similar racquets.

 

[pfrischmann]

Me too, I did a limited comparison with my instructor but it was with the blade 18X20 in stock form. It was pretty clear the Ultra Tour didn't have the same level of power. It really needed help with the swing weight on serve. There's a reason so many people use the blade.

 

[Yao_guai_nz]

I haven't tried the new Ultra rackets yet.... Keen to compare... I thought I was the only one using 2015 18x20!!! It's a dream stick.

Sent from my MHA-L29 using Tapatalk

 

[anhboa2]

Stock form, Blade98 is by far the very much better one. Best thing about them is that i don't have to care about modding, about those "BS" technical numbers, just string them up and go rule the court.
Because they are relatively light, maneuverability is not a problem once u get used to it. They are my pro-stock.

 

[TennisHound]

I've been using the Blade 18x20, but I added a leather grip and about 8g of blue tack in the handle.

 

[ChaelAZ]

Interesting, just did a play test yesterday of the exact same thing with some of the same observations. Great right up.

 

[parasailing]

Finally got a chance to play a set of doubles this evening with the Ultra tour. On serves, I would give the Ultra the advantage because the more HL balance seems to allow for the racquet to travel through the air quicker allowing you to generate more racquet head speed. I was able to generate more spin esp slices out wide which I normally can't produce as consistent with the Blade. The Blade is a bit less maneuverable but does offer more power. For volleys, the Ultra Tour was quicker and easier to block and hit volleys but the Blade had more punch. I would say the Ultra Tour was more a scalpel where as the Blade was more a club.

On ground strokes, my backhand was better using the Ultra Tour due to the more HL balance and I was able to hit a ball with more racquet speed. Balls would land shorter with the Ultra Tour than the Blade 98 though.

I like what Wilson did with the Ultra series by making a Tour. The Tour feels a lot more solid than the other Ultra line.

For me, the Blade feels more solid and can hit through the ball and produce heavier and deeper ground strokes whereas the Ultra Tour excels more at spin serves and volleys.

 

[SpinToWin]

Finally got a chance to play a set of doubles this evening with the Ultra tour. On serves, I would give the Ultra the advantage because the more HL balance seems to allow for the racquet to travel through the air quicker allowing you to generate more racquet head speed. I was able to generate more spin esp slices out wide which I normally can't produce as consistent with the Blade. The Blade is a bit less maneuverable but does offer more power. For volleys, the Ultra Tour was quicker and easier to block and hit volleys but the Blade had more punch. I would say the Ultra Tour was more a scalpel where as the Blade was more a club.

On ground strokes, my backhand was better using the Ultra Tour due to the more HL balance and I was able to hit a ball with more racquet speed. Balls would land shorter with the Ultra Tour than the Blade 98 though.

I like what Wilson did with the Ultra series by making a Tour. The Tour feels a lot more solid than the other Ultra line.

For me, the Blade feels more solid and can hit through the ball and produce heavier and deeper ground strokes whereas the Ultra Tour excels more at spin serves and volleys.

Try the following:

Remove the added weight from the Ultra Tour. Place the weight in the hoop at 10/2 or 3/9 to reach your desired swingweight of 330. Then add weight in the handle to get your static weight where you want it. You should be able to get the balance points and twistweights of the frames fairly close by doing this.

 

[heartattack]

@parasailing are you making a switch to UT?

 

[parasailing]

Try the following:

Remove the added weight from the Ultra Tour. Place the weight in the hoop at 10/2 or 3/9 to reach your desired swingweight of 330. Then add weight in the handle to get your static weight where you want it. You should be able to get the balance points and twistweights of the frames fairly close by doing this.

Okay I am gong to give this a shot. I had a strip of the lead tape from 10 to 2 on one side but will try some at 3 and 9 instead to see if that gets it close to my 2015 Blade and will test it out again. I not sure it will make it as powerful as the Blade but will see what effect this has.

 

[parasailing]

@parasailing are you making a switch to UT?

I plan on sticking to the Blade because at the moment, the Ultra Tour hasn't really wow me. It felt better than the Blade CV but not on par with the Blade. In addition, I have way too many of them. Care to guess how many I have ?

 

[PhxRacket]

I plan on sticking to the Blade because at the moment, the Ultra Tour hasn't really wow me. It felt better than the Blade CV but not on par with the Blade. In addition, I have way too many of them. Care to guess how many I have ?

7

 

[roger presley]

I plan on sticking to the Blade because at the moment, the Ultra Tour hasn't really wow me. It felt better than the Blade CV but not on par with the Blade. In addition, I have way too many of them. Care to guess how many I have ?

9?

 

[mnttlrg]

My comparison between the two:

I actually like the throat of the Ultra Tour better in terms of feel and comfort, but the Blade head is probably better for feel, if that makes any sense. I'm not sure if some 3 and 9 lead will change my opinion of that with the Ultra Tour. They are both quite comfortable to me, and I am not too concerned about comfort anyway.

I think the Blade is more user friendly out of the bag in terms of forgiveness, sweet spot, need for good ball striking, etc etc. It has a strange sort of polarization of weight that makes it easier to hit solid spin shots with a poor effort. This weight makes it more forgiving, but it also somewhat limits what I can do in terms of swing speed. (since I don't have Nadal's forearms.)

So when I'm feeling good and swinging freely / very fast, I can get a tighter, faster, more comfortable high RPM shot out of the Ultra, but if I screw it up or slow down my swing, the Blade has a higher floor with what I can do for heavy spin. I am saying this having only tested the Ultra at 55 lbs, and I have hit Blades anywhere from 55 to 35. I still actually somewhat favor the Ultra for just the spin portion.

In a similar sense, I think the Blade has better power on crappy shots, but the Ultra has better power on good shots. This is only if you can really swing the heck out of the racket. If you are a slow swinging flat hitter, the Blade should be better for you.

One thing to note is that I like to occasionally hit heavy-spinning moonballs from the baseline. Even though I liked the Ultra far better than anything else under 98 I have used, I do find that even going incrementally smaller makes it noticeably tougher to effectively hit them. By the time I get down to my old Del Potro 96, I have so little room to work along the edges that it's hard to hit them. I find it much easier with a 100, and 98 is pushing the bottom of the range for attempting that shot.

Even just talking about this makes me want to test them both more. They are very close in terms of what I like better. I think if I keep improving my game, I might prefer the Ultra after a few tweaks. If I am going to hit casually / less often, the Blade is the way to go.

 

[parasailing]

9?

ding ding ding !!!!

 

[parasailing]

My comparison between the two:

I actually like the throat of the Ultra Tour better in terms of feel and comfort, but the Blade head is probably better for feel, if that makes any sense. I'm not sure if some 3 and 9 lead will change my opinion of that with the Ultra Tour. They are both quite comfortable to me, and I am not too concerned about comfort anyway.

I think the Blade is more user friendly out of the bag in terms of forgiveness, sweet spot, need for good ball striking, etc etc. It has a strange sort of polarization of weight that makes it easier to hit solid spin shots with a poor effort. This weight makes it more forgiving, but it also somewhat limits what I can do in terms of swing speed. (since I don't have Nadal's forearms.)

So when I'm feeling good and swinging freely / very fast, I can get a tighter, faster, more comfortable high RPM shot out of the Ultra, but if I screw it up or slow down my swing, the Blade has a higher floor with what I can do for heavy spin. I am saying this having only tested the Ultra at 55 lbs, and I have hit Blades anywhere from 55 to 35. I still actually somewhat favor the Ultra for just the spin portion.

In a similar sense, I think the Blade has better power on crappy shots, but the Ultra has better power on good shots. This is only if you can really swing the heck out of the racket. If you are a slow swinging flat hitter, the Blade should be better for you.

One thing to note is that I like to occasionally hit heavy-spinning moonballs from the baseline. Even though I liked the Ultra far better than anything else under 98 I have used, I do find that even going incrementally smaller makes it noticeably tougher to effectively hit them. By the time I get down to my old Del Potro 96, I have so little room to work along the edges that it's hard to hit them. I find it much easier with a 100, and 98 is pushing the bottom of the range for attempting that shot.

Even just talking about this makes me want to test them both more. They are very close in terms of what I like better. I think if I keep improving my game, I might prefer the Ultra after a few tweaks. If I am going to hit casually / less often, the Blade is the way to go.

I think you are pretty much correct that the Blade is an easier racquet to use and you can usually get away with less than ideal contact point. The Ultra Tour definitely requires more precision and better timing at contact.

The Blade fits more styles since you can be a flat hitter or a spin monster but the Ultra Tour definitely isn't as versatile like the Blade. I will see if I can get more court time next week to provide an more feedback.

 

[anhboa2]

My comparison between the two:

I actually like the throat of the Ultra Tour better in terms of feel and comfort, but the Blade head is probably better for feel, if that makes any sense. I'm not sure if some 3 and 9 lead will change my opinion of that with the Ultra Tour. They are both quite comfortable to me, and I am not too concerned about comfort anyway.

I think the Blade is more user friendly out of the bag in terms of forgiveness, sweet spot, need for good ball striking, etc etc. It has a strange sort of polarization of weight that makes it easier to hit solid spin shots with a poor effort. This weight makes it more forgiving, but it also somewhat limits what I can do in terms of swing speed. (since I don't have Nadal's forearms.)

So when I'm feeling good and swinging freely / very fast, I can get a tighter, faster, more comfortable high RPM shot out of the Ultra, but if I screw it up or slow down my swing, the Blade has a higher floor with what I can do for heavy spin. I am saying this having only tested the Ultra at 55 lbs, and I have hit Blades anywhere from 55 to 35. I still actually somewhat favor the Ultra for just the spin portion.

In a similar sense, I think the Blade has better power on crappy shots, but the Ultra has better power on good shots. This is only if you can really swing the heck out of the racket. If you are a slow swinging flat hitter, the Blade should be better for you.

One thing to note is that I like to occasionally hit heavy-spinning moonballs from the baseline. Even though I liked the Ultra far better than anything else under 98 I have used, I do find that even going incrementally smaller makes it noticeably tougher to effectively hit them. By the time I get down to my old Del Potro 96, I have so little room to work along the edges that it's hard to hit them. I find it much easier with a 100, and 98 is pushing the bottom of the range for attempting that shot.

Even just talking about this makes me want to test them both more. They are very close in terms of what I like better. I think if I keep improving my game, I might prefer the Ultra after a few tweaks. If I am going to hit casually / less often, the Blade is the way to go.

OMG, appreciated the long review you put up here. But how often you play or how hard you swing should absolutely not have anything to do with your racket.

 

[mnttlrg]

how often you play or how hard you swing should absolutely not have anything to do with your racket.

I'm not sure what you mean by that.

If I am more in practice for the season, my timing and ball striking will be better. If I am slow, out of shape, and hitting sloppy after taking some time off, I can't be using a racket with a smaller sweet spot or that doesn't forgive off-center hits, etc etc.

And certainly there are some rackets that are better suited to a slower swing versus a big hitter. Is that a controversial statement? Check out one of those 120 inch head size frames and trying swinging away with them. Then ask a 75 year old who only blocks the ball how they like hitting with that frame versus an nCode 90.

Maybe I just didn't understand what you meant.

 

[anhboa2]

I'm not sure what you mean by that.

If I am more in practice for the season, my timing and ball striking will be better. If I am slow, out of shape, and hitting sloppy after taking some time off, I can't be using a racket with a smaller sweet spot or that doesn't forgive off-center hits, etc etc.

And certainly there are some rackets that are better suited to a slower swing versus a big hitter. Is that a controversial statement? Check out one of those 120 inch head size frames and trying swinging away with them. Then ask a 75 year old who only blocks the ball how they like hitting with that frame versus an nCode 90.

Maybe I just didn't understand what you meant.

I do play with a 60+ plus old man every week that uses Ps88, and he only blocks slice and drop.

Anw, what i meant was thinking a particular racket perform well at slower or faster swing speed is misleading. They might have more or less power but swinging them is entirely up to you, you don't necessarily have to swing slow with the high power rackets. I did have played with 110 sqi Wilson K Five racket for a while when i won them from a contest in Singapore and swung very big with them, your examples didn't really enlighten me.

I also didn't indicate that you said wrong, i just don't agree with you the statement "if you swing slow, Blade is better" because i swing fast and i find Blade is still better.

 

[mnttlrg]

I also didn't indicate that you said wrong, i just don't agree with you the statement "if you swing slow, Blade is better" because i swing fast and i find Blade is still better.

Those are not mutually exclusive ideas.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tmc5005]

I like that they made this version of the Ultra more flexible. Its specs are identical to the 2015 Blade 98 as far as RA, balance and weight. Both are arm elbow friendly racquets, not sure how they play differently

 

[skuludo]

I like that they made this version of the Ultra more flexible. Its specs are identical to the 2015 Blade 98 as far as RA, balance and weight. Both are arm elbow friendly racquets, not sure how they play differently

The Blade has X Loop beam while UT is just a straight beam. The throat shape is different too.

 

[TennisHound]

One's infected with CV and one isn't

 

[Jouke]

One's infected with CV and one isn't

Not true, the 2015 blade isnt

 

[skuludo]

Not true, the 2015 blade isnt

He probably has the Raonic 2015 Blade 98 prototype. That one already has CV if Raonic is telling the truth.

I saw one for sale at the auction site for around $560.

 

[parasailing]

Another hour hitting with the Ultra Tour today and I now have a pretty good idea of what this racquet is like now. It isn't as powerful or easy to use as the Blade 98 but it also feels pretty good. I would say the Ultra Tour due to the box beam is kinda like Pro Staff but softer with less power. It isn't as firm as the Pro Staff and doesn't have as solid as ball but it does have good feel and great maneuverability.

Today I spend some time returning some of my friend's serve and he serves around 110 mph on first serves. The racquet does a great job of absorbing power and redirecting it. It feels solid at contact. Definitely a different racquet than anything I have played with in Wilson's lineup and since I haven't played with either pro stock H19 or H22, this is probably the closest I will ever get to playing with a pro stock Wilson.

This racquet won't replace my 2015 Blade but I will continue to update as I spend more time hitting with this racquet.

 

[heartattack]

just order this racquet. and hit with it a couple of hours. notice it has a low launch angle. thinking of going with gut poly hybrid. does anyone used a gut main and poly cross on this one? what tension you guys used at?

 

[parasailing]

just order this racquet. and hit with it a couple of hours. notice it has a low launch angle. thinking of going with gut poly hybrid. does anyone used a gut main and poly cross on this one? what tension you guys used at?

I had this racquet at 52lbs gun mains and 48lbs poly cross.

 

[TennisHound]

Not true, the 2015 blade isnt

I need to read the title more closely haha.

IMO the Blade is a better racquet than the Ultra. It's just a little easier to play with and no weight is needed. The Ultra is less-powered and needs a lot of weight to feel balanced and correct. Adding just a little weight doesn't work.

 

[parasailing]

Finally put a good amount of time hitting with this racquet. Basically in stock form, the Ultra Tour is no Blade. However, after adding some lead tape at 12, 3, and 9, this racquet is starting to come around in addition to the tension loss after hitting with it a few times.

For those wondering, the Ultra Tour is more a platform racquet which requires some lead tape placement in addition to adding your desired weight where as the Blade 98 is good to go after adding just the desired static weight. The biggest thing going for the Ultra Tour is the higher HL balance and lower SW which allows you to get play around with lead tape placement without affecting the SW. With the Blade and the stable hoop, adding more lead would increase the already high SW.

My current Blade setup is around SW of 340 and that is pretty much the limit of what I can use.

The Ultra Tour is more maneuverable than the Blade so net play is really nice. The Ultra Tour doesn't have the same amount of plow on ground strokes. On serves, the Ultra Tour is easy to generate spin and racquet head speed but lacks the plow of the Blade.

The first time i hit with the Ultra Tour, I didn't really like how it felt but it seems that the low of tension over time has made it feel more plush so I think this racquet really requires tension down in the 40s. Next time, I am going to go with 46lbs in the mains and 42lbs in the cross when my strings break.

 

[TennisHound]

Finally put a good amount of time hitting with this racquet. Basically in stock form, the Ultra Tour is no Blade. However, after adding some lead tape at 12, 3, and 9, this racquet is starting to come around in addition to the tension loss after hitting with it a few times.

For those wondering, the Ultra Tour is more a platform racquet which requires some lead tape placement in addition to adding your desired weight where as the Blade 98 is good to go after adding just the desired static weight. The biggest thing going for the Ultra Tour is the higher HL balance and lower SW which allows you to get play around with lead tape placement without affecting the SW. With the Blade and the stable hoop, adding more lead would increase the already high SW.

My current Blade setup is around SW of 340 and that is pretty much the limit of what I can use.

The Ultra Tour is more maneuverable than the Blade so net play is really nice. The Ultra Tour doesn't have the same amount of plow on ground strokes. On serves, the Ultra Tour is easy to generate spin and racquet head speed but lacks the plow of the Blade.

The first time i hit with the Ultra Tour, I didn't really like how it felt but it seems that the low of tension over time has made it feel more plush so I think this racquet really requires tension down in the 40s. Next time, I am going to go with 46lbs in the mains and 42lbs in the cross when my strings break.

The Ultra Tour was never meant to used in its stock form.

 

[Anthon]

What about arm friendliness. Does the ultra produce less shock or is the smaller sweet spot making them more similar. Or maybe slightly lower tension that seems to be preferred in the Ultra will make it more arm friendly?

 

[1HBHfanatic]

The Ultra Tour was never meant to used in its stock form.

Never say never!,, but your correct in that the w.ultra.tour is a perfect racquet for many lead mods..
put lead tape in different spots and it plays different.. luv it.

imo, its a awsome doubles racquet

 

[parasailing]

Never say never!,, but your correct in that the w.ultra.tour is a perfect racquet for many lead mods..
put lead tape in different spots and it plays different.. luv it.

imo, its a awsome doubles racquet

Definitely better in doubles than singles due to the better maneuverability though it lacks some punch at the baseline even with all the lead tape.

Basically you are trading the Blade plow and power for more maneuverable swing of the Ultra Tour.

 

[mad dog1]

Definitely better in doubles than singles due to the better maneuverability though it lacks some punch at the baseline even with all the lead tape.

Basically you are trading the Blade plow and power for more maneuverable swing of the Ultra Tour.

Yup. Consistent with my findings as well. After extensive play with the blade cv 18x20 and the 2015 blade 18x20, I’m actually finding myself reaching for the cv more and more. it may actually be a better racquet for me.

 

[parasailing]

Yup. Consistent with my findings as well. After extensive play with the blade cv 18x20 and the 2015 blade 18x20, I’m actually finding myself reaching for the cv more and more. it may actually be a better racquet for me.

I prefer the 2015 Blade more than the 2017 due to feel and it being a bit more plush. The 2017 Blade CV felt more muted and didn't have as much feel compared to the 2015 model. To each their own but overall, we are still in the Blade family .

 

[mad dog1]

I prefer the 2015 Blade more than the 2017 due to feel and it being a bit more plush. The 2017 Blade CV felt more muted and didn't have as much feel compared to the 2015 model. To each their own but overall, we are still in the Blade family .

I fully agree with your assessment. The 2015 has better feel and is more plush but somehow the CV is more like an extension of the hand for me. Better control. Not sure why because the feel isn’t as good.

 

[parasailing]

I fully agree with your assessment. The 2015 has better feel and is more plush but somehow the CV is more like an extension of the hand for me. Better control. Not sure why because the feel isn’t as good.

Yeah I can't really pinpoint it as well even though I had them both spec'd the same. I just didn't like how it felt.

 

[mhkeuns]

I did like the 2015 Blade 98 18x20, as well as both versions of the CV Blade 98. Though the feel of the 2015 was more soft, plush and connected, I was able to hit bigger balls using the CV version. That said, there is nothing on the market that feels as nice as the Ultra Tour, imo.
I weighted up the 2015 Blade 98 to have the same specs as my Ultra Tour. Both are strung with gut/poly hybrid and weight 357 grams with some lead, leather grip, overgrip & dampener. Though the Blade seemed to hit heavier balls, the UT felt much easier to use. It just felt better all-around.
Really am impressed with the UT. It really is the best frame I have used since the 80’s frames like the Pro Staff St. Vincent & Head Prestige Pro. Nothing that I have used compares.