Blade V8 Official Thread.

AA7

Hall of Fame
so I must be not keeping up with this train-wreck... I thought there was sep 1 launch.., no? I have not seen a single spec on 18m...
 

emaz8724

Rookie
so I must be not keeping up with this train-wreck... I thought there was sep 1 launch.., no? I have not seen a single spec on 18m...

This whole launch has been a disaster. Does anyone know if the handle technology is the reason the balance only goes from 7 pts hl unstrung to 5 pts strung? Usually blades are 3-4 pts hl.
 

rh310

Hall of Fame
Got to say Tsitsipas racquet looked pretty shiny in person today in his match against Murray. i realize it's just a paint job over an older blade but hopefully thats what the blade pro will get. i saw sabelenka play also and hers was shiny too. Supposedly there is a wilson store in one of the corners of louis Armstrong stadium that has the v8. I'll definitely go check it out tomorrow. I think everthing was closed by the time I finished watching kyrgios get his *** beat by Bautista agut lol

I dropped by the Wilson store in LA stadium today. The v8 is definitely nice looking and nice feeling (unstrung).

The rep in the store was personable and had the talking points about all frames on display down very well. Didn't know how the v8 compared to the 2015 Blade (whatever v* that one is).

I'd have impulse-purchased a pair of #1 - I asked her if they could match a pair and she said "Sure!" When I asked what they used to match frames, it turns out she just thought "matching" was picking out a pair of frames.

When she looked, it turned out they didn't have #1s in stock anyway.
 
Got a hit in this evening with the 18m. I don’t have an RDC, but balance and weight were right on spec.

I strung it with RPM rough and Wilson SynGut at 52/54 and also added a Fairway leather grip.

It was an excellent experience for me. I found that compared to the v7 18m that it had a much crisper and responsive feel. The slight (expected) drop in swingweight was a welcome change for me as it made it more maneuverable and I didn’t find and loss in power. My ground strokes still easily penetrated the court on rally balls and I was easily able to access the put away power when I wanted it. At net it was much easier to get around then the v7. Only stroke I didn’t hit was serves.

If I was to make this my daily hitter, I’d likely add a few grams in the handle to get it a bit more headlight as that is my preference, otherwise, at least for my game, Wilson did quite well.
 

tx10is

Semi-Pro
I dropped by the Wilson store in LA stadium today. The v8 is definitely nice looking and nice feeling (unstrung).

The rep in the store was personable and had the talking points about all frames on display down very well. Didn't know how the v8 compared to the 2015 Blade (whatever v* that one is).

I'd have impulse-purchased a pair of #1 - I asked her if they could match a pair and she said "Sure!" When I asked what they used to match frames, it turns out she just thought "matching" was picking out a pair of frames.

When she looked, it turned out they didn't have #1s in stock anyway.

yeah they had 18m in stock for $219. I was tempted, but like you said without being able to spec them I decided to just wait.
 

DJTaurus

Hall of Fame
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n80aoag

Professional
$249 on Wilson's Site available now, vs $229 on TW (with a 2 week wait)

Plus shipping and tax on Wilson's site, minus a First Responder/Military discount
 

Internety

Rookie
the new paintjob looks great. Having played with the V7 for 2 years and wanting more easy power on the serve I have tested several 100 inch rackets and noticed how much easier I am holding serve in matches. I don't think I will bother with the 98's but if they make a 100 inch one with the same low flex(i think they kept the feelflex tech, which i loved) I will demo it for sure
 

AA7

Hall of Fame
Any reason for someone to upgrade from v7?
Not really... on paper it's an identical frame with seemingly (sample averages) like 7pts lower SW, which is not completely insignificant. There have been a lot of people who liked the blade but thought it was too demanding. My v7s are all matched 330sw so to me there is no reason. I am sure "feel" is a bit different but i like the feel of v7. It's not like i thought it's a great racket and putting up with a feel i don't like. I am confused about easier free power comments on some reviews though. RA is lower and SW is lower. Beam thickness and weight are the same. Where would the easy power come from? I think blade's (v7) power access is perfect at the moment for my game. You have power on demand. When you hit on attack, few rackets blast the ball like it. I could argue it's not the best for defense but you can't have it all.
 
TWU compare racquet website shows Blade 104 v8 has slightly lower SW (317 vs 321), lower power potential (40 vs 41), higher vibration (127 vs 133 Hz) than that of v7. Is this due to Wilson QC ?
I think it is the same racquet with new PJ. I would love to get v8 if it does not have paint chip problem like v7 does.
 
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ChanterRacquet

Professional
The description of the 98 16x19 says it has a “new layup” which explains the 10 pt drop in swingweight whereas the 104 description starts off talking about the paint…so 104 is probably the same mold.

No clue what FORTYFIVE is or how it could be related to the v7’s FeelFlex.

I would hope there is a little more difference than just paint. The unstrung balance on the v8 (32 cm) is 1/2 a cm higher meaning it would be head heavier which doesn’t jive with the lower swingweight, or maybe wilson just stopped using decimal places since v7 (31.5 cm). But I don’t think so because 100UL v8 is quoted at 33.5, so they’re still using decimal places.

Will have to demo the 104 for giggles. 98 too!
 
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emaz8724

Rookie
The description of the 98 16x19 says it has a “new layup” which explains the he 10 pt drop in swingweight whereas the 104 description starts off talking about the paint…so 104 is probably the same mold.

No clue what FORTYFIVE is or how it could be related to the v7’s FeelFlex.

I would hope there is a little more difference than just paint. The unstrung balance on the v8 (32 cm) is 1/2 a cm higher meaning it would be head heavier which doesn’t jive with the lower swingweight, or maybe wilson just stopped using decimal places since v7 (31.5 cm). But I don’t think so because 100UL v8 is quoted at 33.5, so they’re still using decimal places.

Will have to demo the 104 for giggles. 98 too!

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It’s the same layup. Go back a page. Wilson rebranded feel flex and duped everyone into thinking it’s new tech. The other “new” tech is almost the same as the handle technology from the amplifeel blade. This is an amplifeel v7 with a paint job copied from angell…..aka a cash grab.
 

TW Staff

Administrator
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At over 3.2kg strung as stated on TWE's url, I was hoping for a higher swing weight of 320

You might try calling us at TWE and asking for someone to look for a higher swingweight. Swingweights vary enough that you may be able to get something higher. The specs posted are based on the very small number of samples we were sent prior to launch.

Jon
 
D

Deleted member 775108

Guest
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It’s the same layup. Go back a page. Wilson rebranded feel flex and duped everyone into thinking it’s new tech. The other “new” tech is almost the same as the handle technology from the amplifeel blade. This is an amplifeel v7 with a paint job copied from angell…..aka a cash grab.

Most racquets are like this.... Maybe most products in the world at the moment.

Atleast this one looks freaking amazing AND I can pay $10 extra to TW to avoid the quality control pitfalls that exist in all racquet companies including YONEX.

I am a Prince Fanboy BTW but this racquet just has the wow factor and the $10 racquet Matching Service means no more fear
 

ChaelAZ

G.O.A.T.
Normally I get to demo before release, but this particular stick just isn't getting out like other years. Haven't even seen one yet. I know some other demo folks are still waiting too. I am actually really happy with my V7, but always curious on what they change.
 
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n80aoag

Professional
My 18m just came in today, static weight unstrung is 302g with plastic and placard removed. Paint looks so much better in person and looks green the majority of the time compared to copper on TV and online photos from a distance
 

emaz8724

Rookie
Loved the cosmetic, but I put the v8 demo (16x19) down and picked my v7 back up after a few rallies. The v8 felt too light and whippy, whereas my v7 has a 328 sw (tw measured) and feels so much more stable. There’s something about the handle that definitely stiffened up the flex in the head. Not a big fan, but it’s not a trash frame. This might all be a qc issue though because the swingweight was very different.
 

A_Instead

Legend
My V8 US Open is very muted..and feels very flexy.. Sweet Spot is sweet...
Need alot of time to get use to it as it's different...
Right now I prefer my Blade Pro over the V8.
 

Mischko

Professional
now that you've got the right weight, try to check the balance. usually on a balancing board, but can easily be done without it. just find the balance of the dry racquet. it's measured from the butt, 320mm for example
 
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