Blade V8 Official Thread.

Since SW has been discussed a lot here. I found this website to measure SW with weight, length, and balance point .

I tried it with my racket and compared it with TWU SW calculator method. The result was really close.
Has anyone tried it? Is it accurate ?
 
DarthJimmy said:
Where did you see the stiffness rating for the 100 v8? Wilson's site doesn't show it. I'm very interested in either this one or the Pro Staff 100 six one as both are in my wheel house but a 69 RA is a deal breaker. Thanks
Click to expand...

69 is the 100L, both v7 and v8. v7 100 is 62 so v8, only available from Wilson currently, is likely also 62.

Wilson Blade Racquets - Tennis Warehouse

www.tennis-warehouse.com www.tennis-warehouse.com

Mr. Spin did some measurements on YouTube but his swingweight for the v7 was way off so I’m thinking it’s way off for the 100 v8 too. No RA either.
 
avocadoz said:
The new Blade does nothing for me tbh. It doesn’t wow in any category and that pj is a snoozer.
Click to expand...

-interesting find about the PJ
-i strung it with w.revolve.spin, bright neon green, and the racquet green hue POPS more
-i also strung another with dark grey h.sonic.EDGE, and the dark color hue dominates the color
-the camilion paintjob seems to blend well and shine acording to the string on it
-ill provably try it with copper color string next, (b.rpm.power) ??!!
 
Hi! Does anyone knows the name of the black basic grip on the Blade V8 racquets? ... it seems to (or could ) be the same or some similar grip like on the Pro Verisons (BP / UP).
Greeting from austria, ESP!
 
1HBHfanatic said:
-interesting find about the PJ
-i strung it with w.revolve.spin, bright neon green, and the racquet green hue POPS more
-i also strung another with dark grey h.sonic.EDGE, and the dark color hue dominates the color
-the camilion paintjob seems to blend well and shine acording to the string on it
-ill provably try it with copper color string next, (b.rpm.power) ??!!
Click to expand...

I strung it with 17G Revolve Spin - bright green. Liked it a lot.

I'm going to try Hyper-G, too.
 
1HBHfanatic said:
-ill provably try it with copper color string next, (b.rpm.power) ??!!
Click to expand...

I've got 17g in mine and LOVE it. This is my first true trial with a Blade and I am really enjoying it compared to my Yonex frames. The last few I always felt were missing something and this frame has really filled that void for me. My 2HBH is solid with this racket as well. I feel like I can go after it and end points on that wing again.
 
achapa8807 said:
I've got 17g in mine and LOVE it. This is my first true trial with a Blade and I am really enjoying it compared to my Yonex frames. The last few I always felt were missing something and this frame has really filled that void for me. My 2HBH is solid with this racket as well. I feel like I can go after it and end points on that wing again.
Click to expand...
Feel similarly. I'm kind of surprised at how well my game is responding to a lower SW. I'm not as strong as I thought I was, apparently, but going from a 323-325 SW to about 315 has really opened up my ability to adjust quickly to irregular shots. Drilling groundstrokes, I'm good with a heavier/chunkier racquet, but within point play...the Blade has really helped.
 
Has anyone removed the grip yet? I really don't like the flare of the butt cap. I wonder if it's possible to fit a different butt cap with some of the flare supposedly part of the pin.
 
How does the Blade Pro 98 18x20 v7 compare to the regular Blade 98 18x20 v7? i am transitioning to the Blade Pro v7. the reason i didnt go to the v8 as i read that the swingweight of the v8 is significantly less than the v7. i usually put a significant amount of leadtape on the frame to up the swingweight of my racquets, no matter what model. i have been doing this for years
z
 
DAB942 said:
Got a call today.

Closest they can do is:

Weight: 306
Swing Weight: 291
Balance: 9 HL



Seems like a big swing in balance. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Wilson QC at its finest. You'll have zero power with these specs.

Don't do it imo unless you want to mod heavily. If you do want to mod, it could be great, but you won't be able to match it to anything.
 
Yamin said:
Wilson QC at its finest. You'll have zero power with these specs.

Don't do it imo unless you want to mod heavily. If you do want to mod, it could be great, but you won't be able to match it to anything.
Click to expand...
I demo'd a Clash and it was 9 HL. It played pretty well -- it was just a Clash. I'm not sure how much different it will play vs the 4-5HL.
 
Yamin said:
Wilson QC at its finest. You'll have zero power with these specs.

Don't do it imo unless you want to mod heavily. If you do want to mod, it could be great, but you won't be able to match it to anything.
Click to expand...
Why do you think that?I have Gravity Pro 18 x 20, 310gr unstrung, 31cm balance, 296 SW. It has enough power.
 
My concern is how far off the specs are from stock. I didn't measure the racket I demo'd -- it was also 3/8 - my order is 1/2. I also don't know which grip size they use for the stock specs, now that I think about it.
 
here you only have a perfectly-in-spec Blade 16x19 with ~2g extra in the handle. it's what I'd actually prefer, since Blades are usually weighted in the head, and too light. but of course everyone has their preferences.

if you take a perfectly-in-spec Blade 16x19 and add half an overgrip you'd get this methinks, no?

edit: now I see it's 18x20 but still, same logic applies
 
Last edited:
DAB942 said:
Got a call today.

Closest they can do is:

Weight: 306
Swing Weight: 291
Balance: 9 HL



Seems like a big swing in balance. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

that is for an 18m? if so that sw seems light. The static is fine and even the 9HL is okay since it will be about 6or7HL strung. Personally I add weght in the handle in my blades to bring them up to at least 7HL strung anyway. For sw though that one will come out to about 320 depending on string. For a 18m that is light. Go for one at least 295sw unstrung for a 18m that way it come out to about 325sw strung. the 18m plays better with that sw but again its just personal preference.
 
tx10is said:
that is for an 18m? if so that sw seems light. The static is fine and even the 9HL is okay since it will be about 6or7HL strung. Personally I add weght in the handle in my blades to bring them up to at least 7HL strung anyway. For sw though that one will come out to about 320 depending on string. For a 18m that is light. Go for one at least 295sw unstrung for a 18m that way it come out to about 325sw strung. the 18m plays better with that sw but again its just personal preference.
Click to expand...


Yes, 18x20 - for the strings, I'll have wilson revolve spin 17G and Solinoc Hyper-G 18g in the other.
 
Ok riddle me this.

When I bought my V7 from TWE, the unstrung specs were:

310.5 grams, 32.5 cm balance, 302 SW.

I recently strung it up with tour-bite 17G (1.2mm), no modifications apart from overgrip and dampener. I thought the SW would be between 330-335…

Now my V8 blades came with following unstrung specs according to TWE:

305/306 grams, 290/289 SW, 32/32.2 cm balance.

I put an OG, Hyper G 18G (~48 lbs) and dampener. No other mods. Would expect a strung SW of around 320-323ish.

So, I found someone who measures swing weight and obviously asked him to match the V8’s to get them to the same spec as the V7. Here’s the kick, he sent me a video of him measuring the V7, and the SW was 343!!!! Turns out I have been playing with 343 SW when I thought it was 330ish.

Obviously the V8’s are now matched with 343 SW. Wanna know their strung SW before he put on any lead? 330 & 331 Strung with dampener. Yes. He sent me videos for proof lol.

Now I don’t know how there can be a 40 point increase in SW with 17G or 18G poly-strings and a dampener, so either his machine is off by 10 points or TWE unstrung is off by 10 points. I guess if my shoulder feels pain from 343 SW, I can take all the lead off and I will have a perfect 330/331 SW Blade 18x20 V8 :)

For reference he uses a Dunlop SW machine and does it for alot of people, so I don’t think his measurements would be off!
 
ImportPer4mance said:
Ok riddle me this.

When I bought my V7 from TWE, the unstrung specs were:

310.5 grams, 32.5 cm balance, 302 SW.

I recently strung it up with tour-bite 17G (1.2mm), no modifications apart from overgrip and dampener. I thought the SW would be between 330-335…

Now my V8 blades came with following unstrung specs according to TWE:

305/306 grams, 290/289 SW, 32/32.2 cm balance.

I put an OG, Hyper G 18G (~48 lbs) and dampener. No other mods. Would expect a strung SW of around 320-323ish.

So, I found someone who measures swing weight and obviously asked him to match the V8’s to get them to the same spec as the V7. Here’s the kick, he sent me a video of him measuring the V7, and the SW was 343!!!! Turns out I have been playing with 343 SW when I thought it was 330ish.

Obviously the V8’s are now matched with 343 SW. Wanna know their strung SW before he put on any lead? 330 & 331 Strung with dampener. Yes. He sent me videos for proof lol.

Now I don’t know how there can be a 40 point increase in SW with 17G or 18G poly-strings and a dampener, so either his machine is off by 10 points or TWE unstrung is off by 10 points. I guess if my shoulder feels pain from 343 SW, I can take all the lead off and I will have a perfect 330/331 SW Blade 18x20 V8 :)

For reference he uses a Dunlop SW machine and does it for alot of people, so I don’t think his measurements would be off!
Click to expand...
Something is off. For 98 inch 18 x 20, no way strings and dampener add 43 SW even with heaviest strings possible. For my Gravity Pro 100 inch 18 x 20, i studied other people measures of Gravity Pro/Tour SW increase from strings and came with simple formula which isnt 100% accurate but very close to it. I take string weight and multiply it by 1.75 and i have SW number. So in my case, my strings usually weight about 17gr on my Gravity Pro which is 17 x 1.75 = 29.75 SW. Plus 1-2 SW from dampener. Racquet is 296 SW unstrung + 30 SW strings, + 2 SW dampener = 328 SW.
 
nov said:
Something is off. For 98 inch 18 x 20, no way strings and dampener add 43 SW even with heaviest strings possible. For my Gravity Pro 100 inch 18 x 20, i studied other people measures of Gravity Pro/Tour SW increase from strings and came with simple formula which isnt 100% accurate but very close to it. I take string weight and multiply it by 1.75 and i have SW number. So in my case, my strings usually weight about 17gr on my Gravity Pro which is 17 x 1.75 = 29.75 SW. Plus 1-2 SW from dampener. Racquet is 296 SW unstrung + 30 SW strings, + 2 SW dampener = 328 SW.
Click to expand...
Yep exactly, hence I think TWE unstrung is maybe off by ~10, not sure.
 
ImportPer4mance said:
So, I found someone who measures swing weight and obviously asked him to match the V8’s to get them to the same spec as the V7. Here’s the kick, he sent me a video of him measuring the V7, and the SW was 343!!!!
Click to expand...

As with all measurements, the method is important. How did this someone measure your swing weight?

Folks at TW / TWE use machines like the babolat RDC. They don’t have time to use the slower methods.

I use the SwingTool method at home, because I can’t afford an RDC. It is accurate, but you have to take your time and be patient. Small variations in your measures of static weight, hang distance, and balance result in big shifts in resulting swing weight. It’s easy to make a mistake.

Not saying it’s impossible for the TW people to make mistakes of their own, but I would look at the other method first.
 
alexg said:
As with all measurements, the method is important. How did this someone measure your swing weight?

Folks at TW / TWE use machines like the babolat RDC. They don’t have time to use the slower methods.

I use the SwingTool method at home, because I can’t afford an RDC. It is accurate, but you have to take your time and be patient. Small variations in your measures of static weight, hang distance, and balance result in big shifts in resulting swing weight. It’s easy to make a mistake.

Not saying it’s impossible for the TW people to make mistakes of their own, but I would look at the other method first.
Click to expand...
As I said in my post, he used the Dunlop swing weight machine: https://dunlopsports.com/es/products/tennis/accessories/swingweight-machine/

He sent me a video of all three rackets and the recorded swing weight. He’s very meticulous with his tennis stuff. It’s no coincidence that all 3 are 10 above what they should be (if we believe the TWE unstrung SW). So error is in one of the measurements. As I have seen the video of the strung-SW being measured, I’m more inclined to think it was an error in the TWE measurements.
 
Last edited:
ImportPer4mance said:
As I said in my post, he used the Dunlop swing weight machine: https://dunlopsports.com/es/products/tennis/accessories/swingweight-machine/

He sent me a video of all three rackets and the recorded swing weight. He’s very meticulous with his tennis stuff. It’s no coincidence that all 3 are 10 above what they should be (if we believe the TWE unstrung SW). So error is in one of the measurements. As I have seen the video of the strung-SW being measured, I’m more inclined to think it was an error in the TWE measurements.
Click to expand...

If all the of the ones he measured are 10 above, his machine might not be calibrated. You'll just have to find a 3rd way to measure and see which you trust.

Since you have TWE's unstrung measurement, why not get the same unstrung measurement from him?
 
Waiting for the call back:

Weight: 305ish
Swing Weight: 320ish
Balance: 4-7 HL

I'm going to see if they have something along those lines. I don't know why I asked for the lower swing weight.
 
I think I'm going to order them as they found them. Adding the strings and a dampener will move the balance - probably in the 6ish range and swingweight to around 320ish and the static weight to 320ish, as well.
 
i strung up the BP v7 18x20 at 46# with LuxAlupower Fluro 17g and it seems to feel totally different
than by regular B98 v7 18x20 at 48# with LAP Fluro 17g. the regulars were strung up about 3 weeks ago, so
they are actually looser than the BP according to my stringmeter.
the BP seems to be easier to swing and i get more acceleration than the regular Blade even though
the overall weight is 6gms more. (Blade 357gm BP 362gm)
i think the SW is the same as the balance point for the BP is the same as my regular ones, but i guess i will have to measure
or find a shop that has a machine

but the BP seems to feel a bit more plush, and not as stiff as the regular Blades
serving is easier to me with the BPs.
i thought they would play similar, but a finding there is a big difference for me

z
 
Mike T said:
Demoed a Blade 98 V8 16x19 the other day. What a great racket. Comfort, control, spin and just the right amount of power for me. Getting one for Christmas strung with VS Gut.
Click to expand...
I’ve got about 6-7 hours in on mine and they are really playing well. Drop in SW has made a real difference.
 
Mike T said:
Demoed a Blade 98 V8 16x19 the other day. What a great racket. Comfort, control, spin and just the right amount of power for me. Getting one for Christmas strung with VS Gut.
Click to expand...
Hi Mike,
I got the 98 V8 16x19 as well... Tried several string set-ups, including full bed of VS Gut. It felt great (I'm super careful about my elbow), but I just couldn't control it. Strung it at 50lbs on an electric machine (so about 54lbs on a manual pull). I am now hitting with the VS gut in the mains and I put Element (a soft poly) in the crosses, and that seems to help... more control, still a great feel with the gut in the mains. Hope this helps.
 
Thanks KD. The demo was strung with a full bed of Sensation 1.25 @ 56 lbs and I felt the control was very good. It was also well balanced for comfort and power. Hopefully the VS will perform as well especially on the comfort side, if not I will try your combination.
 
KD_Marin said:
Hi Mike,
I got the 98 V8 16x19 as well... Tried several string set-ups, including full bed of VS Gut. It felt great (I'm super careful about my elbow), but I just couldn't control it. Strung it at 50lbs on an electric machine (so about 54lbs on a manual pull). I am now hitting with the VS gut in the mains and I put Element (a soft poly) in the crosses, and that seems to help... more control, still a great feel with the gut in the mains. Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
For what it’s worth, I also have arm issues and have had success using Diadem Solstice Power Black 1.20 and Volkl Cyclone Tour 1.20. Tension maintenance is a bit better with the diadem, but both very soft.
 
Mircat said:
Nice. Alu Rough is awesome as a cross to. Or 4G. I do understand your elbow concerns.

-I've had the following in my V8 16x19 (all full bed): Confidential, 4G, Element, and Lynx Tour. 4G was awesome but too stuff for club play. I have to say that Head's Lynx Tour is just awesome. What a surprise. I will be sticking with it for awhile. Would like to go with hyper g but the colours don't work cuz I'm dat guy.
Click to expand...
Didn't you try hyper g ?
 
Mircat said:
Nice. Alu Rough is awesome as a cross to. Or 4G. I do understand your elbow concerns.

-I've had the following in my V8 16x19 (all full bed): Confidential, 4G, Element, and Lynx Tour. 4G was awesome but too stuff for club play. I have to say that Head's Lynx Tour is just awesome. What a surprise. I will be sticking with it for awhile. Would like to go with hyper g but the colours don't work cuz I'm dat guy.
Click to expand...
I have combo with 4G and its play so good I don't have a word. Just put 4G around 21 or 20 kg
 
I play tested 16x19, 18x20 and 98s. My main racquet is V5 98s. I prefer V8 98s to V7 cause of the more direct feel which gives quicker response so in a way you got more power. V7 still gives you a more solid feel on contact but it was way too underpowered….. ball lagged on the strings.

So my conclusion is:
Best V7: 18x20 version
Best V8: 16x19 version
Best V6: 16x19 version
Besr V5: 18x20 version or 18x16
Best V3: 18x20 version (didn’t like 98s)

On V7s, 16x19 pattern was so dense that if you could found an over-specked one it played close to 18x20. But still 18x20 (if you could handle it) was way more solid on impact.

This time around V8 16x19 is different to 18x20 by far. More pop, spin and far more power…. but you must found one around 320SW. I get so much spin (imagine i tried it with 1.30 4G) that 98s feels non essential. 18x20 had even lower power than V7…… it’s un-Blade to offer a 18x20 with such low SW….even if you put lead you won’t take the solid heavy impact you get from V7 18x20.

V8 is a platform racquet and more pro staff like in terms of feel. I suggest any strike/PAVS/extreme tour user to test 16x19 version only. If you are interested on 18x20 go crab a V7 if you can found it or get a pro staff 315 V13. Unfortunately TW Europe has 16x19 out of stock. I want to buy one with matching service and start testing strings on that baby…. yeap it’s so good and overall well balanced. Tons of feel and byte on clean shot….
 
I got the v8 16x19 strung with Solinco Confidential at 52/50. So far I had few hours of hitting and one thing I noticed is that the launch angle on ground strokes is quite low compared to my current stick, Prince Textreme Tour 95 with the same string setup. Has anyone noticed similar? Would the different tension make any difference? Or would the gut/poly hybrid help increase the launch angle?
 
Imagine the frustration of a friend of mine. Demoed a 16x19 strung at 304gr/321SW….. loved it. Ordered one and it came at 301gr/310SW….. he told me that it was unstable af unlike the one he demoed. Wilson what have you done ?….. even 98S of the past didn’t have such low SW. QC at its worst. To my experience even putting lead doesn’t solve the hollow feel 100% at such an underspecked frame. 310SW and blade in the same sentence should never exist.
 
DJTaurus said:
Imagine the frustration of a friend of mine. Demoed a 16x19 strung at 304gr/321SW….. loved it. Ordered one and it came at 301gr/310SW….. he told me that it was unstable af unlike the one he demoed. Wilson what have you done ?….. even 98S of the past didn’t have such low SW. QC at its worst. To my experience even putting lead doesn’t solve the hollow feel 100% at such an underspecked frame. 310SW and blade in the same sentence should never exist.
Click to expand...
301 for static weight is fine. The SW being much lower is not good but getting the SW up 10 points is about 3 grams maybe at 12…easily offset with an OG…distribution of weight around the hoop is probably the issue…
 
DJTaurus said:
Exactly. Lead is not always the answer. If the weight distribution is not ideal lead cannot "cure" the hollow feel.
Click to expand...
My v8s with some lead came to 315/316 SW…don’t feel hollow at all to me but this has also been the revelation for me…that the layup/45 flex application has provided enough firmness for me to hit through the court while giving me a fast racquet.
 
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