Blade V8 Official Thread.
- Thread starter J011yroger
- Start date
I don't know about the 104, but someone earlier in this thread said that the 100 was interchangeable between v7 and v8.
I believe someone also said that the v8 and v9 will be interchangeable. So, if those are both true statements, then one would logically assume that v7 and v9 are also interchangeable.
Right
It is weird cos on the US wilson website it says the wilson code is: WR8424300
But when I click on all SKU's it lists me the v7 wilson grommet code so am confused which works
Wilson Blade SW 104 Autograph CV Grommet | Tennis Warehouse
www.tennis-warehouse.com
Is it this one?
No that is the serena williams countervail racketWilson Blade SW 104 Autograph CV Grommet | Tennis Warehouse
Is it this one?
Im talking about the v8 blade 104 i think it is different?
I googled the part number, and that is the one that came up. Sorry, I know that isn't super helpful. If you need grommets, it might be worth giving it a shot for $10.
The Wilson website shows the Serena Williams racquet as a 102...
They wont fit her racket has a diff string pattern
Right. My point was that Wilson lists the Serena Williams as a 102 sq. in. head. The link to the grommets I provided earlier was for a 104, which is what you stated that you have. Those might be the correct grommets for your racquet. At this point, I would call TW to confirm.
TennisHound
Legend
Now is the time to get a V8. Good deals everywhere,
what_army
Professional
The V8 is such a good racquet. Of course the specs are all over the place but if you can match and get close to the stock specs then it’s a fantastic frame with a great blend of control, feel and power.
I have just got home after playing 2h and managed to hit great shots from all over the court with very high consistency. I had 5-6 aces and a lot of great serves that forced errors from my opponent.
Hard to justify not getting more blades V8 at these prices.
I have just got home after playing 2h and managed to hit great shots from all over the court with very high consistency. I had 5-6 aces and a lot of great serves that forced errors from my opponent.
Hard to justify not getting more blades V8 at these prices.
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SupremeCourt
Rookie
My 2 unstrung noirs have come in at 306g, 292SW and 320 balance. Shop only had a few left so unfortunately can’t compare a range, but pleased that 2 were the same.
s.c.r.b
New User
Finally I was able to play this morning. First impression: I like it! Played an hour and a half. Compared to my V7 it feels a bit firmer, to be expected considered the higher ra, and I felt a was able to penetrate the court a bit more from the baseline. It also felt it’s a bit easier to swing. Exactly what I was looking for. Will play again tomorrow.
Rackets have a leather grip + overgrip and strung one at 23 and the other 24 kg with Hyper G 1.30
what_army
Professional
I’m a few years late but here’s my take on V7 v V8:
The specs are similar but the V7 is 299 SW and the V8 295 (both unstrung). Weight is close to 315gr and balance 31.6cm. Overall I found a lot of similarities between the two, both are flexy racquets but the V8 has better feel and pocketing whilst the V7 feels more muted and dead.
Power: none are particularly powerful, slight edge to the V7 but maybe it was due to the higher swingweight
Control: both are outstanding, slight edge to the V7
Stability: V7 twists less but feels dead outside the sweetspot. None is great in terms of stability
Spin: I found no noticeable differences but the V8 pockets the ball a bit more
Feel: V8 is ahead for me
Comfort: both are comfortable, slight edge to V8
Overall: I could play with either and be happy but I’ll give the edge to V8 which has that addictive feel.
The specs are similar but the V7 is 299 SW and the V8 295 (both unstrung). Weight is close to 315gr and balance 31.6cm. Overall I found a lot of similarities between the two, both are flexy racquets but the V8 has better feel and pocketing whilst the V7 feels more muted and dead.
Power: none are particularly powerful, slight edge to the V7 but maybe it was due to the higher swingweight
Control: both are outstanding, slight edge to the V7
Stability: V7 twists less but feels dead outside the sweetspot. None is great in terms of stability
Spin: I found no noticeable differences but the V8 pockets the ball a bit more
Feel: V8 is ahead for me
Comfort: both are comfortable, slight edge to V8
Overall: I could play with either and be happy but I’ll give the edge to V8 which has that addictive feel.
konstantinos kalfountzos
Hall of Fame
I'm getting my hands on the V8 Blade 100 from a good friend. Don't know exactly when yet, but I'll get back here with my feedback.
what_army
Professional
Today I tried both again and am generally happy with what I wrote here but it’s worthwhile to point out that while both are flexible racquets, the way they flex is different. The V8 has a very flexible throat but a stiff hoop and the V7 is softer in the hoop but stiffer in the middle section (more uniform compared to V8).
HitMoreBHs
Professional
Crossposted here for reference. QC variance is reasonable for these 3 which I received. Kept racquet 1.
Teddie
New User
it is exactly what is says... is a BLADE PRO... not a BLADE 98... but a BLADE PRO
Pro Labs - Tennis
www.wilson.com
pics?
Purchased a 16x19 98 a couple of years ago from TW and just recently picked up another new one from Amazon. When I removed the racket from the box, I immediately noticed the difference in shape of the head. When I stacked my old racket on top of the new, it was not as round as the original. I thought I was sent the wrong racket, but after inspecting it, the markings are identical. The difference is similar to a round and elongated toilet seat. The difference is not as dramatic, but enough that my children could see the difference. Has any one experienced this?
Who buys a racket from amazon!!! Let me guess, it was a great deal too???
what_army
Professional
Extreme tension differentials in mains and crosses will do that but your racquet should be unstrung since new blades are sold unstrung. Post side by side pics in any case so we can see better.
See if the shape is still different after stringing.
...or, if the old racquet needs new strings, you could cut them out. However, I'm not sure it would fully return to never-before-strung shape, but I bet it would be more similar.
You could always return it and buy from TW or Wilson direct. Both have good sales right now.
Someone who has rewards points looking to cash in…
TwinCinema
Professional
I don’t like RPM Blast for that racket. You don’t need a stiff spinny string, you want a poppy control string like Element, Alu Power, or 4G. 20-21 kg.
basil J
Hall of Fame
or Full bed of gut.
I’ve decided to choose full bed alu power 23/21kg for my blade 16x19. Control is good, there is less power compared to my previous racket 2022 speed pro. However, I like it because if I want power, I use my strength and ball goes fast. I lost control when I played power shots with speed pro. Drop shots are great. I don’t get tired while playing because it’s light and easy to swing compared to speed pro. I would recommend anyone with this racket.
PS: I will denifitely try alıu power even lower tensions like 21/19 kg. I feel like I might get power and pop.
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I've been demoing the Blade 98 v8 16x19 and the Prince ATS textreme tour 98 for a few days. All reviews are saying Blade is the go to for control and Prince has more power. But for me it feels the other way around. Could be string related (Blade: Alu Power big banger 1.25; Prince: Yonex PTPG 1.25 no idea tension/age of each). I'm getting easy power on blade, serve is so sweet, but I'm tending to hit long more often compared to Prince. Prince I can swing hard both sides, but not really getting the same heaviness. I like the whippy feel of the prince, particularly on the run (prince also grip 2 vs blade grip 3). But the feel of the blade is really special. Not sure if I get a Blade with a more control friendly string, or a prince with a more powerful string. Also wondering if a smaller grip might help on the blade. I'm a 4.5 - 5 ntrp (self rated), counter puncher, hit pretty flat and hard. 1hbh with more top spin.
TwinCinema
Professional
Yeah try the Blade with Element at around 46-47 lbs, the control is magnificent. You won’t have crazy spin but it’ll go wherever you want it.
Rosstour
Talk Tennis Guru
Luxilon Savage, thank me later
TwinCinema
Professional
A: I can only use Babolat or Dunlop strings, so what should I try?
B: Luxilon! YOU’RE WELCOME
Haha this forum cracks me up sometimes
B: Luxilon! YOU’RE WELCOME
Haha this forum cracks me up sometimes
Yeah. You really need to play similar string setup to compare.
Everyone is different, but I really like hybrid setups. Luxilon 4G rough mains and Wilson NXT Control crosses, or Babolat RPM Rough with Xalt cross are both phenomenal.
Any chance you can ask the demo shop to string them up the same?
What do you think about Wilson NXT Control mains and 4G Crosses? Same with Xalt cross with RPM Rough main?
I assume you meant Xalt main / RPM cross since the other way around is what I suggested.
I don't have experience with poly in the crosses, but I've read good things!
I feel like I've read, at least on this forum, that multi mains/ poly cross (mm/pc) is a superior setup. This is despite poly main / multi cross (pm/mc) being the more common setup of the two. It seems that the consensus is that the mains dictate the comfort.
I'm dealing with a sore elbow, but I can't say for certain the cause. It doesn't feel like typical TE or GE, as I understand them. Regardless, I'm debating trying the mm/pc hybrid. I would ordinarily go with pm/mc. I'm not sure how much impact the change will have on comfort, launch angle, etc.
I used to have Speed Pro 2022. When I first got it, I made a rookie mistake and decided to make a full bed head velocity 23/22kg, because the retailer guy suggested me to go with power string since I got control-oriented racket which means I might get low power. It was the worst setup. It was too powerful and absolutely no spin was generated. I always hit outside. Once I decided to go full bed RPM Blast 23/22 kg, it was a relief because I got a great amount of spin and decent power.
However, in blade v8's case, it's different. Maybe multi mains might help you get great power and poly mains might help you get decent spin.
However, in blade v8's case, it's different. Maybe multi mains might help you get great power and poly mains might help you get decent spin.
what_army
Professional
I posted this regarding blade V9 grommets. I thought they would be a perfect fit for the V7 and V8 but today I installed them in my V7 and that wasn’t the case, although I still managed to fit them.
Link for anyone interested.
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/2019-wilson-blade.646737/post-18025341
Link for anyone interested.
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/2019-wilson-blade.646737/post-18025341
I've been using stiff, control-oriented strings (ie S7T, Lynx Tour) on my Blade 18x20 at 51lbs and am now looking for soft, powerful polys to switch things up and get more pop—no arm issues. Any recs? I just purchased a set of Kirschbaum PL Evolution and have recently tried Kirschbaum Flash which I liked.
TwinCinema
Professional
The best pop I got on my v8 was with Wasabi Pro at 50#.
what_army
Professional
Regular lynx.
Check out tour bite soft.
Znak
Hall of Fame
If you're looking for powerful, head lynx is a good option, although tension maintenance is ehh. Just tried Razor Soft in a hybrid setup and it was pretty great too in this frame
Lynx tour has really good tension maintenance
Lynx Tour, yes. But not regular Lynx.
Holdingserve85
New User
They fit the blade v8 100 perfect
