2021 Yonex VCore 95

djNEiGht

Legend
Played one set with it last night and didn’t really jive with it. Obviously one set isn’t going to tell the whole story but one thing I can say is that I need to figure out the handle/grip/shape. I hate it. May try throwing a different grip on to see if anything changes.
oh man...
did you use the PTRev or a new bed? How was it before when it had the TB/Synthetic?
 

v569Nestor

New User
Felt like a revelation demoing the 2021 vc95 recently, but i dislike the color scheme and prefer gloss paint. Anyone give me a quick idea as differences in how the SV plays?
 

mad dog1

G.O.A.T.
Played one set with it last night and didn’t really jive with it. Obviously one set isn’t going to tell the whole story but one thing I can say is that I need to figure out the handle/grip/shape. I hate it. May try throwing a different grip on to see if anything changes.
Nuthin’ to figure, bud. Carrot top is where it’s at. ;)
 

ryushen21

Legend
Felt like a revelation demoing the 2021 vc95 recently, but i dislike the color scheme and prefer gloss paint. Anyone give me a quick idea as differences in how the SV plays?
You can always get your racquets painted. Don't spite an awesome racquet over a paint job.

In other news, I got my VC95s all matched up and they are all swinging quite nicely now. I have two of them strung up for match play with Black Knight/Grey Fire at 47/45 and third has become my string mule. Speaking of that, it is currently strung up with Tier One Tour Status and so far, I'm quite enjoying it. It's a crisper more lively feeling version of Black Knight that seems to have a lot of potential.
 

JOSHL

Hall of Fame
did you big butt it? most likely. lol
Of course I did! But that’s part of my issue I think, Yonex has no butt so it’s not as pronounced. So I took off the grip and put a Wilson feather thin on then built the butt up with a thicker OG to see if that works. Will hit again tomorrow am.
 
Felt like a revelation demoing the 2021 vc95 recently, but i dislike the color scheme and prefer gloss paint. Anyone give me a quick idea as differences in how the SV plays?

Brassy and raw in comparison. Much more beautiful. I've fully switched to the 2021 because they're more comfortable but there's characteristics of my SV95s I like more.

Tennisnerd did a good comparison:
 

celito

Professional
Brassy and raw in comparison. Much more beautiful. I've fully switched to the 2021 because they're more comfortable but there's characteristics of my SV95s I like more.

Tennisnerd did a good comparison:

I have the SV95 and even though I have not played with the 2018 nor the 21 versions yet, I can concur that it does have a raw feeling. I like the SV95 but I have recently switched a Prestige 360+ MP and am enjoying it so far. But just yesterday I hit a bit with the SV95 and what struck me as weird is the longer grip and the fact that the throat and head start higher on the racquet compared to the Prestige. Makes the racquet feel longer. Takes a little bit to get used to it again. I imagine the 2018 and 21 versions have the same design. I am gonna check it at the tennis shop when I get a chance if they have a 21 in stock.
 
I have the SV95 and even though I have not played with the 2018 nor the 21 versions yet, I can concur that it does have a raw feeling. I like the SV95 but I have recently switched a Prestige 360+ MP and am enjoying it so far. But just yesterday I hit a bit with the SV95 and what struck me as weird is the longer grip and the fact that the throat and head start higher on the racquet compared to the Prestige. Makes the racquet feel longer. Takes a little bit to get used to it again. I imagine the 2018 and 21 versions have the same design. I am gonna check it at the tennis shop when I get a chance if they have a 21 in stock.

I just took mine out of my bag to compare and they're the same. I can take a pic if you want.
 

celito

Professional
Finally getting my hands on one of these to try it out. Was waiting for a used one to pop up but found it new for a good price which seems sketchy to me ... but gonna give it a try.
 
So the judgment day has arrived. In few hours gonna take them for some drilling.
Did not had time to weight them unstrung, but with plastic and paper they were at 326 and 327 g.
After stringing and putting OG, they are both 335 g./31.8 cm balance. Tried to measure the SW at home with a book and some pencils, but then got frustrated by the timer variance, and came to conclusion that they are both at ~320. Although, ~325-327 would not surprise me too much. Gonna add a tiny rubber band as well.
Strung at 22/21 kg to feel how they work at my go to tension, might bump up for the next string job if I see the need.
I don't expect Pro Line rough to be a great fit due to it's muted nature, but again I wanted to see how it plays with a string I am mostly familiar.
Still debating should I add some lead for a first hit, since they swing with noticeably more heft in comparison to 2018 version. My hitting partner will not tolerate me taking an extra minute to add lead when on the court.
Let the fun begin.

 

aaron_h27

Hall of Fame
I won another league match today 6-2, 7-6. 12 aces.

Decided to make the VC95 my racket of choice.

My first one weighs 346g with 4g at noon and 6g at 3 & 9 and some weight in the handle.

My second one (I just had a second one strung yesterday) weighs 339g with 4g at noon, I didn't put any weight on the sides because I wanted to see if I actually needed it or not. I heard rackets can come with different twistweghts. This second one definitely has a higher twistweight than my first one, because the first one was unplayable without any lead on the sides. Shanks galore. The second racket is definitely playable without lead at 3 & 9, I actually played my league match with it, but I found myself wanting a little more stability on the return & backhand so I'm going to add a few grams at 3 & 9 on the second racket.

Love this frame so far and it's making tennis fun for me again!
 

aaron_h27

Hall of Fame
I have to be honest, I do not like this racquet stock one bit. Too unstable and feels very flimsy. Once I added 4 grams at 3 and 9 and 2 grams at 12 it feels like a different racquet. Really solid.
It's gonna be between this racquet and the Vcore Pro 97 2021 (HD and/or non HD version)
Agree! It needs lead.
 
Agree! It needs lead.

My 2 frames came if not over spec but definitely not under spec, both are at 335 g. with strings and OG. I was expecting that some lead would be needed, but in fact these frames do not need lead at all, at least for stability purposes. In fact one racket with Lynx Tour is a few grams away from loosing the whippiness - the crown jewel of the racket. They have a significantly higher torsional stability in comparison to the 2018 model, and are stable enough to return big serves even on a very fast hard courts. Will be interesting to see if the same can be applied to additional frames, that will join these 2 soon.
 

aaron_h27

Hall of Fame
My 2 frames came if not over spec but definitely not under spec, both are at 335 g. with strings and OG. I was expecting that some lead would be needed, but in fact these frames do not need lead at all, at least for stability purposes. In fact one racket with Lynx Tour is a few grams away from loosing the whippiness - the crown jewel of the racket. They have a significantly higher torsional stability in comparison to the 2018 model, and are stable enough to return big serves even on a very fast hard courts. Will be interesting to see if the same can be applied to additional frames, that will join these 2 soon.
I think it comes down to user preference, and how many balls you hit off-center which will determine how heavy your racket needs to be.

I know for the spin players they like the whippiness of a low twistweight racket, but my game isn't overly reliant on top spin.
 
I think it comes down to user preference, and how many balls you hit off-center which will determine how heavy your racket needs to be.

I know for the spin players they like the whippiness of a low twistweight racket, but my game isn't overly reliant on top spin.

Of course it comes down to user preference, and the most important thing is that the racket works for a specific player. I am not disagreeing with you, just saying that these users who want a whippy frame and do not want their racket to be over 335-337 g., don't need to write this frame off. It's stable, and not unplayable in stock form as Vcore 95 made in 2018. And, this is not my business of course, and it always comes to user preference, but I could argue, that if someone wants a higher twist weight racket, there are plenty of better options than a noticeably leaded Vcore 95. The whole aerodynamics of the racket and Vcore line itself is suggesting the use of spin to your advantage (not that you can not flatten the ball with great success when you need it). My 0,02.
 
i switched from the VC95 to the VCP97D. So happy with this change. I haven't had that "looking forward in using a racquet" feeling like the 97D had made me feel in a while.
I did the same thing, I went from the HD to the 95 now to the D. To add some context for anyone reading this, I could easily use the 95 at any moment if forced to, no issue, and I doubt any of these 3 sticks would cause me to win or lose a match based on switching. But the D is a nice compromise, more heft (I don't like adding weight, so I'm not creating a 95 custom), a little more power than the HD and a tiny bit more SW. I think the 95 unmodified is better than the D for someone with a more extreme whip and wrist lag to their forehand than myself. I have long strokes since I am tall and the D (or HD) helps keep my motion flowing through the ball, up and over, forces me to concentrate on better positioning and using my whole body, and I like the launch angle (lower) better than the 95. The 95 would allow me to "arm" or "wrist" my forehand so that I would get in the lazy habit of doing that, slowly inching further and further toward just being lazy and using all arm. It's not possible with the D to do that and get results comparable to the 95. There is also more maneuverability with the 95 leading to more choice with placement and spin combo on serve, but the D comes through with more "power" on the serve.

All the differences between these 3 rackets are at most very small, 5% compromises at best, all great choices.
 

aaron_h27

Hall of Fame
Of course it comes down to user preference, and the most important thing is that the racket works for a specific player. I am not disagreeing with you, just saying that these users who want a whippy frame and do not want their racket to be over 335-337 g., don't need to write this frame off. It's stable, and not unplayable in stock form as Vcore 95 made in 2018. And, this is not my business of course, and it always comes to user preference, but I could argue, that if someone wants a higher twist weight racket, there are plenty of better options than a noticeably leaded Vcore 95. The whole aerodynamics of the racket and Vcore line itself is suggesting the use of spin to your advantage (not that you can not flatten the ball with great success when you need it). My 0,02.
I think the magic behind using a leaded up 95 is that it lets you have your cake and eat it too as long as the static weight is managable. You get control from the smaller headsize and stability from the weight. One could use a 100 sq inch racket for a higher twistweight but it would be less accurate than a leaded up 95. That's been my experience and it's a good reason why a lot of pros are using 95 head sizes still (Djokovic, Wawrinka, Murray, Shapo, etc...)
 

Nanhith

New User
Is the reason that the 2018 is considered difficult to play with without mods due to the low twist weight ? Doesn't the 2018 have a higher average swing weight than the 2021?
 
I played for almost two years with vcp HD. Honestly, so far I haven’t played with a better racket that has great performance for me the first hour. Later I feel myself swinging and serving more and more slowly. Two weeks ago I took vcore 95 and I was reborn. I can play with it for two hours without any problems with the same performance, the racket is comfortable and fits all styles of play. Flat or spin punches are just as easy with this racket. I play with gyper g soft and like this combo.
 

celito

Professional
Hit with the Vcore 95 (21) today first time with the ball machine. Racquet came weighing at around 323g (strung). Didn't check balance nor SW (haven't done that before and haven't gotten around understanding how to measure it). Racquet definitely felt crisper than the SV version (which I have so I swung them side by side) and with a cleaner feeling. Otherwise they felt similar. My SV is weighted and strung differently so it's tough to compare directly unless I remove the weight (or I guess add the same weight to the new one).

Even though it feels playable with no lead tape, I got the same feeling as when I first swung with the SV before adding some weight ... it has a bit of a flimsy feel. Perhaps it's how light it is in stock form. I am also currently using Prestige 360+ MP, so the difference in "solidness" is very apparent. I might add some weight after I get it restrung. Just gotta figure out with what I will string it now.
 
Hit with the Vcore 95 (21) today first time with the ball machine. Racquet came weighing at around 323g (strung). Didn't check balance nor SW (haven't done that before and haven't gotten around understanding how to measure it). Racquet definitely felt crisper than the SV version (which I have so I swung them side by side) and with a cleaner feeling. Otherwise they felt similar. My SV is weighted and strung differently so it's tough to compare directly unless I remove the weight (or I guess add the same weight to the new one).

Even though it feels playable with no lead tape, I got the same feeling as when I first swung with the SV before adding some weight ... it has a bit of a flimsy feel. Perhaps it's how light it is in stock form. I am also currently using Prestige 360+ MP, so the difference in "solidness" is very apparent. I might add some weight after I get it restrung. Just gotta figure out with what I will string it now.
323 g. seems super light, did you play with syn gut and no overgrip? Otherwise it is very under spec.
 

Roquestil

Semi-Pro
Yes ... no overgrip. And it does like it has a poly.

Stock is 326g strung no ? Doesn't seem far off unless I am missing something.
For Yonex it’s a bit far off by 4 grams. And since stock its slightly unstable (but not like its predecessors) those 4 grams its lacking could make it feel a bit more flimsy. In any case, I would add 3 grams 3/9 to compensate. Once you add lead its night and day at least in my experience.
 
The only thing that really irritates me with this racket is that I literally can not feel the bevels, thus unnecessary twists, shanks and even corns on the hand, fingers starting to look like Nadal's due to taping. Bought Yonex Synthetic Leather Excel Pro Grip (AC128EX) and it looks awfully similar to the factory replacement grip, but is apparently heavier (19 grams untrimmed). Will try to change it, but I am not optimistic. Do not want to mess up with the balance and thickness of the grip too much, and for sure I don't want to put leather on it. What is the thickness of factory grip anyways? Bought also Prince Resipro, which is 1.8 mm. Good thing is that I went a size down with these rackets. Super graps are awesome, do not want to move on from them. Does anyone has an optimistic story to share about tackling the issue?
 

ryushen21

Legend
The only thing that really irritates me with this racket is that I literally can not feel the bevels, thus unnecessary twists, shanks and even corns on the hand, fingers starting to look like Nadal's due to taping. Bought Yonex Synthetic Leather Excel Pro Grip (AC128EX) and it looks awfully similar to the factory replacement grip, but is apparently heavier (19 grams untrimmed). Will try to change it, but I am not optimistic. Do not want to mess up with the balance and thickness of the grip too much, and for sure I don't want to put leather on it. What is the thickness of factory grip anyways? Bought also Prince Resipro, which is 1.8 mm. Good thing is that I went a size down with these rackets. Super graps are awesome, do not want to move on from them. Does anyone has an optimistic story to share about tackling the issue?
I use the Wilson Feather Thin base grip on all my Yonex frames. Provides great bevel feel and you don't have to deal with the added weight of leather.
 
Not significantly. It will make the grip feel a little smaller but it's not going to drop it a full grip size. My 4 1/2 grip ends up between that a 3/8 and it's just about perfect since Yonex grips run a little chunky anyway.
Yeah because of that chunkiness, and with the advice from TTers I bough L2, when in reality my hand is more of L 2.5, and I used L3 with TK82 for example. I Don't want to make a full L2, or use a different over grip. Thanks for your help.
 

2nd Serve Ace

Hall of Fame
So is anybody else having 12 o'clock lead getting damaged during stringing? I may have to leave a gap up there or move the lead under the grommet.
 

Nate7-5

Hall of Fame
The only thing that really irritates me with this racket is that I literally can not feel the bevels, thus unnecessary twists, shanks and even corns on the hand, fingers starting to look like Nadal's due to taping. Bought Yonex Synthetic Leather Excel Pro Grip (AC128EX) and it looks awfully similar to the factory replacement grip, but is apparently heavier (19 grams untrimmed). Will try to change it, but I am not optimistic. Do not want to mess up with the balance and thickness of the grip too much, and for sure I don't want to put leather on it. What is the thickness of factory grip anyways? Bought also Prince Resipro, which is 1.8 mm. Good thing is that I went a size down with these rackets. Super graps are awesome, do not want to move on from them. Does anyone has an optimistic story to share about tackling the issue?

I too am not a fan of the Yonex factory grips. The AC128EX is very close to the factory grip but it might feel a little different with adhesive vs the glue they spray under it. Dont worry about the 19g untrimmed - just the adhesive backing paper is about 2g and you will trim even more weight. I tried putting on a Diadem leather/synth hybrid grip on my VC95 and it added about 6g to the handle, but it changed the balance enough that I played terrible with it, so I immediately replaced with a Tourna Thin which is pretty close to factory. Currently trying a Head HydroSorb Pro right now and although its not hurting my play, I dont feel like I need the squishiness for comfort.

On the way to try next on the VC95 are:

Gamma Hi-Tech regular (which I have used before)
or
Prince ResiTex Tour

Im mostly looking for something that's firm, gives me a little more thickness than stock for my 4 3/8 and doesnt mess with the balance too much.
 
I too am not a fan of the Yonex factory grips. The AC128EX is very close to the factory grip but it might feel a little different with adhesive vs the glue they spray under it. Dont worry about the 19g untrimmed - just the adhesive backing paper is about 2g and you will trim even more weight. I tried putting on a Diadem leather/synth hybrid grip on my VC95 and it added about 6g to the handle, but it changed the balance enough that I played terrible with it, so I immediately replaced with a Tourna Thin which is pretty close to factory. Currently trying a Head HydroSorb Pro right now and although its not hurting my play, I dont feel like I need the squishiness for comfort.

On the way to try next on the VC95 are:

Gamma Hi-Tech regular (which I have used before)
or
Prince ResiTex Tour

Im mostly looking for something that's firm, gives me a little more thickness than stock for my 4 3/8 and doesnt mess with the balance too much.

And that's exactly what happened as you said, weight remained the same with AC128EX, will see if it performs any different to the glued factory grip. After all it can be, that I just can not find the right grip size, and that's what is causing problems.
Gamma Hi-Tech is excellent as you know of course, but really heavy and thick, unless you are playing without over grip, but then you need to stock up with the powder :)
Yeah, HydroSorb Pro should be a default replacement grip on all Babolat rackets lol.
Let us know how ResiTex Tour works for you, it is worth to take some effort to overcome this only inconvenience of an otherwise excellent racket!
 

aaron_h27

Hall of Fame
Finally got some specs for my rackets!

Racket 1 - 307g unstrung

Racket 2 - 303g unstrung


Racket 1 (Strung, /w OG, 4g @ noon, 6g @ 3 & 9)

Static : 346g
SW : 333
Balance : 325 mm (6 pts HL)
MGR/I : 21.02

Racket 2 (Strung, /w OG, 4g @ noon, 6g @ 3 & 9)

Static : 345g
SW : 330
Balance : 323 MM (6 pts HL)
MGR/I : 21.1

So I'm going to add 1g at noon on the second racket so they can be fully matched, the guy that I went to said "These are already close enough you don't really need me" it was kinda funny lol.
 

Nate7-5

Hall of Fame
And that's exactly what happened as you said, weight remained the same with AC128EX, will see if it performs any different to the glued factory grip. After all it can be, that I just can not find the right grip size, and that's what is causing problems.
Gamma Hi-Tech is excellent as you know of course, but really heavy and thick, unless you are playing without over grip, but then you need to stock up with the powder :)
Yeah, HydroSorb Pro should be a default replacement grip on all Babolat rackets lol.
Let us know how ResiTex Tour works for you, it is worth to take some effort to overcome this only inconvenience of an otherwise excellent racket!

Played a bit with the Gamma Hi-Tech in my VC95 4 3/8 tonight and I think its a keeper. I can play with 4 1/2, so it gave me the thickness and firm feel I was looking for with only 4g more weight than the Head Hydrosorb I swapped out. Just a little more heft/solidity for a stock racquet without changing the balance too much.

Straight out of package the Gamma Hi-Tech was 26g, and I was able to trim 7g off that minus plastic, paper backings and a good amount of slack from the end.

The Prince RexiTex Tour is a synthetic/leather hybrid (much like the Diadem Vintage Feel hybrid grip) and was 30g out of the package. I like the concept of these as they provide the bevel feel of leather but a little softer. I will probably try it in my 97D if the gut/poly experiment goes well.
 
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aaron_h27

Hall of Fame
I bought 2 more Vcore 95's today from Tennis Warehouse in Georgia and they had 24 of them in stock in 4 1/8 grip size. LOL.
 

notthatgood

New User
Has anybody here experienced any wrist pain with the Vcore 95 2021? I've been hitting with it for 6 weeks, 2g lead added to 10 and 2. Hit first with PTP at 47# for a week, then Solinco Reolution at 46# for 2 weeks (too firm for me, and it kicked off the pain)... then Polytour Air at 44# for a few days to calm the wrist down, not a fan as it died after like 3 hrs. Most recently Solinco Outlast at 44# which is actually pretty nice...

I'm a 4.0 or so, but not a huge guy (so a little sensitive to weight and SW) and don't always always hit the center of the bed. My previous setup was an Ezone 98 2021 with no lead and PTP at around 48#.

Long story short, my wrist is killing me and I can't figure out why. No prior history of wrist issues either.
 
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