yup.. that's why i went out and bought two more v7 sticks this morning![]()
It could make sense, drop the SW but increase the RA to maintain (or even increase) the power, whilst simultaneously making the racket more accessible to a larger userbase (i.e. those who can't handle rackets at SW at 330).Btw the guy from the racketbrothers video confirms the big drop in swingweight in his comments. Go check it out. I guess the 315 unstrung...is for the 18x20 or a troll??
Think its wrong there is no way the release a racquet with 345 swingweight.That little golden era of 2019-early 2020 where every racquet that came out(graphene 360+, free/feelflex, g3 strike) was soft and comfortable. Out of all they did, I’m most shocked with the swingweight. I can barely handle a 327 swingweight, now it’s 345?
1.25 poly strings, which I imagine the majority use, adds about 30-33 to the swingweight. Lower gauge will be lower swingweight, but still. For reference the clash 100 is 280 swingweight unstrung.Think its wrong there is no way the release a racquet with 345 swingweight.
Think its wrong there is no way the release a racquet with 345 swingweight.
In the vid they report the 16/19 SW is 312 strung if I remember correctly. The 18M is always a couple of points higher because of the extra strings. I think the 18M also has a slightly lower RA most of the times than the 16M (2015 blade comes to mind). A blade 18M with a strung SW around 320 and a RA of 64 sounds interesting, you then basically have a more forgiving pre graphene Head radical MP that you can handle weight without becoming too heavyThink its wrong there is no way the release a racquet with 345 swingweight.
1.25 poly strings, which I imagine the majority use, adds about 30-33 to the swingweight. Lower gauge will be lower swingweight, but still. For reference the clash 100 is 280 swingweight unstrung.
Think the poster you replied to was saying that 315 unstrung was hard to believe because that would imply basically a Blade Pro spec strung.
I don’t think we’ve seen a 340 strung swingweight on a blade since the nBlade (which had a sub 60 RA I believe). These measurements just seem odd given the market this stick has catered to all the way from the KBlade through the v7. The ~66 strung RA, however, seems plausible given the RA on the 2012-2015 versions. I just don’t understand why Wilson would release the v8 in this spec when they already have the Blade Pro on offer…
When I think 18x20 blade I think 64-66 RA, high 320s SW. I always thought that the Blade really kickstarted the trend of low strung weight but relatively HH sticks that were crisp and maneuverable enough to be used by rec players while providing precision reminiscent of more demanding lines like the Prestige. This offering seems to depart from that DNA even more than the v7 did.
I wouldn't doubt that with the QC the way it is, but the advertised sw for the v7 18/20 was 333/334. Now they are advertising around 345sw. I can't imagine how high it could get now with the way QC is. Personally I would like it around 340-345. I think 340 would be good start so it still has a little room to make your own personal adjustments, but that's just me. I like the higher sw.Most of the 18x20 v7s were actually in the 340s. I had TW measure a bunch for me and they were coming in over 305Sw unstrung, and more like 310+.
I wouldn't doubt that with the QC the way it is, but the advertised sw for the v7 18/20 was 333/334. Now they are advertising around 345sw. I can't imagine how high it could get now with the way QC is. Personally I would like it around 340-345. I think 340 would be good start so it still has a little room to make your own personal adjustments, but that's just me. I like the higher sw.
well just in wording but I would not say "advertised".. it seemingly is the "targeted' spec by Wilson. That was the average SW they had. I do agree. I do not see Wilson targeting 345sw. this is the age of misinformation. we will see in a few.. my commonsense is telling me that... blade sw has been 330sw +/-5pts and 305gr unstrung and 32cm balance (unstrung) and 62-65 RA strung for like 10 years now... i do not see them changing drastically from those specs but we shall see... what changes the most over years is RA and also how the racket feels... They kind of alternate high and low RA every 2 year cycle... and it is not night and day.I wouldn't doubt that with the QC the way it is, but the advertised sw for the v7 18/20 was 333/334. Now they are advertising around 345sw. I can't imagine how high it could get now with the way QC is. Personally I would like it around 340-345. I think 340 would be good start so it still has a little room to make your own personal adjustments, but that's just me. I like the higher sw.
I mean.. honestly they did listen... There were ton of people wanting higher RA and ton of people saying love the blade was just wish it was more manageable.. but what becomes of blade when you take the SW from it ? To be discovered... All of this 16m btw.. though i can't see how 18m is anything more than 5 to 7sw more than 16m...Sending out for your reference.
Racquet wise i grew up witch blade black/gold (raonic), v4 (tsitsipas), v5 and then stopped. I also was very competitive and maybe i had my best results with v6 but CV gave me golfers elbow. All of these racquets had in common the free power combined with direct feel/hit. All of these were gone with V7….. feel is still great and best among modern sticks but they went for such a plush feel and as a result power is not delivered instantly like previous versions.I was going to say. This is right up your alley..
News keep getting better and better!!!!Sending out for your reference.
61 RAFor some weird reason we got this in Europe :
Wilson Blade US Open 98 Racket | Tennis Warehouse Europe
www.tenniswarehouse-europe.com
Sounds like notSounds like Wilson may be doing a hybrid of the v7 and 2015 models. I think that would please a lot of folks if they pull it off.
Oh boy. Plot thickens..For some weird reason we got this in Europe :
Wilson Blade US Open 98 Racket | Tennis Warehouse Europe
www.tenniswarehouse-europe.com
For some weird reason we got this in Europe :
Wilson Blade US Open 98 Racket | Tennis Warehouse Europe
www.tenniswarehouse-europe.com
Tbh , I love blade v7 and its feel , I was playing with the 18x20 for a year. But with this update I really can't tell what Wilson was thinking . Maybe get a quick cash grab with just a paintjob?Hahaha this thread is hillarious.. emotional rollercoaster for people.. also funny to see how different people are looking for different things.. can't make everyone happy Wilson!!!
Would you like a blade with 320sw and 61 Ra?Waiting until we get a full inventory before I buy into the specs…I told everyone the RA was the about the same according to numerous pro shops I spoke with, but it wasn’t worth arguing. I’m still on the fence about these specs being final because of an e-mail I received from Wilson yesterday. They sent me an official e-mail response, similar to another poster here, telling me that the unstrung RA of the v8 truly is 69. So that goes against everyone I’ve talked to that’s hit with the racquet.![]()
Would you like a blade with 320sw and 61 Ra?
oh c'mon!!! this is like torture... not auto-translate either... those are the best...
ROFL! Maybe i ll buy one and put VS Touch at 20lbs to give that needle some power!Just found these specs listed for the 16x19 on tennis point… quite the variance from TW Europe. I am still waiting on results from the 18x20.
- Headsize: 98 sq. in.
- Length: 27 in.
- Weight (strung): 11.3 oz.
- Stiffness (Babolat RDC): 58
- Balance: 13 in. Head Light (4pts)
- Cross Section:20.6/20.6/20.6mm
- Swingweight: 316 kg*sq. cm
- Grip: Wilson Pro Performance Pattern: 16x19
i tried the auto-translate in youtube but had to give up when I saw "my mother's eyes are flexible" i really tried but there is nothing there..oh c'mon!!! this is like torture... not auto-translate either... those are the best...
how is it that there is not a single Japanese speaker on these boards??!!
Long time (2 years) user of Blade v7 here.
Received a Blade v8 16x19 today (US Open Edition).
Static weight freshly unwrapped is 303g (2 grams under spec).
I strung it up with my usual setup: Babolat VS Team 1.25 at 54 x Yonex Polytour Pro 1.20 at 52, added a Head thin overgrip and a Yonex 4g dampener.
It is now at 329g static, 5 1/2 HL balance, and 321 of swing weight. This is indeed a lighter swing weight than my 2 v7 blades which end up at about 329-330 with the same setup, and it is also slightly more headlight.
Quite happy with it, I'll play with it tonight as is, and will add a gram or two of lead to bring up the swing weight a notch if needed.
From a feel perspective (in the driveway against a net), it is definitely still a control / feel racquet with plenty of comfort. Feel is a bit different, with a bit more feedback ala prostaff. Indeed I was primed for this feeling, having read about the graphite layup of the v8. I will report with actual sensations from the court. Cheers
That’s what I think it is LOL thats pretty terriblelol at Wilson's QC if these websites are showinig tested specs.