Blade v9 vs Blade Pro 18x20 vs RF 01 Pro

jj4545

jj4545

New User
Looking for a recommendation for next demo . All court player with 1 handed backhand.
Coming from Pro Staff 97 v13, weighted up to 345gr. strung with SW around 330. Also using alongside Aero 98, also slightly weighted up to 340 strung and 337 SW.
I am searching something with the positives between these two rackets- from the PS 97 the nice and crisp feel with great control and sufficient power when in good position and from the Aero 98- stability off centre with larger sweet spot and especially easier power on the defensive shots/ out of position. Negatives I find PS97- framing more shots and when out of position weak ball, which the opponent can attack. Aero 98- a tend to overhit long during match play and the feel is not on the level of the Wilson frame. Also feeling slightly more the stiffness in the elbow.

From my research- both BP and RF 01 Pro are foam filled which is good for feel, have thicker beams than normal Blade v9. But my questions.

1.Which of the three is more forgiving and has larger sweet spot?
2.Which has more potential for customizing?
3.Which hits heavier ball, prioritising flatter game style, spin only when necessary?
4.Which has the best feel?
 
Have you considered changing your stringjob first to get what you are looking for - you can change strings, gauge and tension to tune your racquet‘s performance. If you play with poly and don’t break it early, hope you cut out the strings in 10-20 hours (sooner if stiffer) or when you feel discomfort or lack of control as poly goes dead fast. That will get you better feel and comfort.
 
socallefty said:
Have you considered changing your stringjob first to get what you are looking for - you can change strings, gauge and tension to tune your racquet‘s performance. If you play with poly and don’t break it early, hope you cut out the strings in 10-20 hours (sooner if stiffer) or when you feel discomfort or lack of control as poly goes dead fast. That will get you better feel and comfort.
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I have found Lynx tour 1,25 to be my prefered string and got some reels and yes I change, every 10-15h. For PS97 it is optimal at 52lbs setup for me. For Aero 98 maybe good idea to try some other strings, in Europe sadly no Restring Zero or Toroline available. Any recommendations?
 
jj4545 said:
I have found Lynx tour 1,25 to be my prefered string and got some reels and yes I change, every 10-15h. For PS97 it is optimal at 52lbs setup for me. For Aero 98 maybe good idea to try some other strings, in Europe sadly no Restring Zero or Toroline available. Any recommendations?
Click to expand...
Try thinner gauges, lower tensions, strings with less stiffness if you want to increase comfort.
 
Feel is subjective. Some like stiff, some like flexy. RF is the most powerful of the three and the stiffest feeling, but IMO has erratic ball launch due to the weird progressive string spacing. Blade Pro and regular Blade are much more consistent/control oriented. Regular Blade is very flexy and low powered. BP is stiffer w/ power level in between regular Blade and RF and will play most like the PS 97, but you'd have to adjust to 18x20.
 
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eric42 said:
Feel is subjective. Some like stiff, some like flexy. RF is the most powerful of the three and the stiffest feeling, but IMO has erratic ball launch due to the weird progressive string spacing. Blade Pro and regular Blade are much more consistent/control oriented. Regular Blade is very flexy and low powered. BP is stiffer w/ power level in between regular Blade and RF and will play most like the PS 97, but you'd have to adjust to 18x20.
Click to expand...
Between the blades, which has more forgiveness on off centre shots or when slightly out of position, or in other words better potential for defending and returning a shot with more pace back. That is what I am missing mostly with the PS97.
 
jj4545 said:
Looking for a recommendation for next demo . All court player with 1 handed backhand.
Coming from Pro Staff 97 v13, weighted up to 345gr. strung with SW around 330. Also using alongside Aero 98, also slightly weighted up to 340 strung and 337 SW.
I am searching something with the positives between these two rackets- from the PS 97 the nice and crisp feel with great control and sufficient power when in good position and from the Aero 98- stability off centre with larger sweet spot and especially easier power on the defensive shots/ out of position. Negatives I find PS97- framing more shots and when out of position weak ball, which the opponent can attack. Aero 98- a tend to overhit long during match play and the feel is not on the level of the Wilson frame. Also feeling slightly more the stiffness in the elbow.

From my research- both BP and RF 01 Pro are foam filled which is good for feel, have thicker beams than normal Blade v9. But my questions.

1.Which of the three is more forgiving and has larger sweet spot?
2.Which has more potential for customizing?
3.Which hits heavier ball, prioritising flatter game style, spin only when necessary?
4.Which has the best feel?
Click to expand...

The BP has a bigger sweetspot & is more comfortable to play with. The RF has more power but heavier.

Both good for flatter shots and a OHBH. Feel wise , BP wins easily.
 
I currently play all 3 and rf01 pro is natural for me for my backhand and plays great stock.
My blade came in head light so it also works for my one hander as well

Blade pro is by far more difficult to use then both of those above as I have to add 20 grams to the handle to make it playable for my one hander and it makes it too cumbersome after a while.
I would go with blade if you prefer plush and rf if you prefer crisp response from your racquets
 
jj4545 said:
Between the blades, which has more forgiveness on off centre shots or when slightly out of position, or in other words better potential for defending and returning a shot with more pace back. That is what I am missing mostly with the PS97.
Click to expand...
IMO you'd need to be looking at Blade 100 to get much more of that. PS97, Blade 98, and BP are all so similar it's hardly gonna matter which one you use. The biggest difference between Blade and BP is feel, and also a little power bump for the BP.
 
@jj4545 - Perhaps you've tried it already and didn't like it, but how about the Pro Staff X? Basically it's everything you're used to now in terms of weight, balance, beam design and feel, just with a larger 100" head and slightly more open 16x19, for a larger sweet spot, a bit more trampoline, easier free depth, easier access to spin (when desired) and more free bailout ability on defense. Could be exactly what you're looking for.

Beyond that, I would suggest the following flatter-hitting-biased "pleeners" (player/tweener hybrids), all of which are 10-15g lighter in static weight than the PS 97 and X, which would afford for more customization room:
- Babolat Pure Strike 100 16x19
- Dunlop CX 400 Tour
- Nordic Dots Model 100
- Wilson Blade 100
- Yonex Percept 100

Hope that helps. Any questions, feel free.
 
Jono123 said:
The BP has a bigger sweetspot & is more comfortable to play with. The RF has more power but heavier.

Both good for flatter shots and a OHBH. Feel wise , BP wins easily.
Click to expand...

Both are foam filled, so better feel from the lower flex of the blade or?
And bigger sweet spot, so better potential while defending for the blade, if I understand correctly?
 
jj4545 said:
I have found Lynx tour 1,25 to be my prefered string and got some reels and yes I change, every 10-15h. For PS97 it is optimal at 52lbs setup for me.
Click to expand...
I've been using the PS97 for 9 years. If you're going to use Lynx Tour in it. You must stay below 48 in tension if you want decent feel and a bit of power. I personally would go down to 44.
 
TennisManiac said:
I've been using the PS97 for 9 years. If you're going to use Lynx Tour in it. You must stay below 48 in tension if you want decent feel and a bit of power. I personally would go down to 44.
Click to expand...
Power is more than enough when footwork is on point, below that is too launchy.
 
Lavs said:
Stay wigh PS97. It is fenomenal racket
Click to expand...
Yes, it is true. But it requires perfect contact point every time and doesn't give anything in defence. Not possible, especially when the most other players play with more powerful and forgiving frames.

Currently testing the normal v9 Blade 18x20 with Lynx Tour at 48lbs, added 3g lead at 3/9, 3g at 12 overgrip and 6g in the butt cap to make balance better for the one hander, total 345gr. After 1,5 week impressions are:
Very comfortable frame nice feel and enough feedback without dampener.
Forehand is really improved, because of the higher swing weight, flex and pocketing. Pin- point precision. Pocketing gives also slightly more time while defending.
Serve is also much improved- more accurate than the PS97 and slightly more powerful. The lower tension plays also role. Nice slice and kick.
OHB and Volleys are worse than PS, balance is more HH and timing is off. Have to put more weight in the handle or remove from the hoop. But for now I want to emphasize the FH and Serve because mostly they win the point.
Overall Blade v9 18x20 (not Pro) is slightly easier to use, has more forgiving sweet spot, I like the lower launch angle and pop on FH/ Serve. Will see if it is enough to switch. Next match is the test. Blade Pro is the next on the list for testing but based on specs alone the 340 SW won't leave much room for customization.
 
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jj4545 said:
I have found Lynx tour 1,25 to be my prefered string and got some reels and yes I change, every 10-15h. For PS97 it is optimal at 52lbs setup for me. For Aero 98 maybe good idea to try some other strings, in Europe sadly no Restring Zero or Toroline available. Any recommendations?
Click to expand...
Assuming the EU prices are similar to US prices, why not try gut/poly? You can get at 20-25 hours of life from natural gut in the mains if you use a round poly in the cross and don't play in wet conditions, and you save on stringing fees because you're only restringing half as often.
 
Try the Extreme Pro. Same amount of power and control with a nicer feel and more spin. That's what I'm going to do in a couple of weeks. A little customization too of course.
 
TennisManiac said:
I can tell you from experience that the regular Blade has more power than the Blade Pro.
Click to expand...
First time I've seen this perception. Most observe the opposite, including me. I've played with every Blade version as well as BP and to me BP has more power than any of the regular Blades. BP has a thicker frame and is stiffer, so it's natural that it produces more power, string type/tension being equal.

ghostwind said:
So what is this Blade Pro exactly? It's not a Blade, but it's also not pro stock or the H22 mold pros use. It's a bizarre product.
Click to expand...
It's not a pro stock but it's absolutely the same H22 mold that pro stocks come from. Layup and flex varies more with the pro stocks. Mold is the same though.
 
The regular Blade is a tad bit stiffer. The Pro has an ever so slightly thicker beam. So it's pretty much a washout. I can't explain it. I bought an on spec Blade Pro last summer and played with it side by side next to my PS97 and a regular Blade. All strung with Alu Power at 44 pounds. All set up the exact same way to achieve my desired specs. which were 340 static weight, 340 swingweight and 5 pts. hl. And it was unmistakable. The PS97 V14 had the most power. Followed by the regular Blade. And then the Blade Pro. Blade Pro had the best feel out of them all by far. Spin was equal between the three.
 
My 2nd frame is the PS 97 and agree it's the most powerful. I think with the Blades, if you can wield a BP it has more mass and plough through.

I had to Lead my stock Blades, but not with the BP.
 
What is the flex of the blade pro for those of have hit with it...? one poster said either 64 or 65ra. This would make it 4 or 5 points stiffer than a regular blade v8 or v9.
 
RA doesn't necessarily translate to how stiff a frame feels though. I have several pro stock Blades from 66-69 RA and they all FEEL significantly more soft and flexy than both the Blade Pro and H22 I had which were 60-62 RA. Blade absolutely feels softer/flexier. BP significantly more stiff/crisp. Both are nice frames. Just totally different.
 
eric42 I disagree. I think the average player can feel the difference of 2ra and a lot of people can discern a difference of 1ra. Stiffness equals power ceteris parabis. But I can't say anything definitely about blade pros because I have never hit one before. I do know H22s range from 58ra to probably 68ra? I have a 27.25" one that is 58ra and is a blade paint job.
 
Sopot said:
Is there a difference in BP between 16x19 and 18x20?
I mean feel in swinging, stiffness, stable…
Click to expand...
The BP 16x19 has quite a bit more power to me.

My serve goes faster and hits higher up against the back wall off one bounce with the BP 16x19.
 
AmericanTwist said:
eric42 I disagree. I think the average player can feel the difference of 2ra and a lot of people can discern a difference of 1ra. Stiffness equals power ceteris parabis. But I can't say anything definitely about blade pros because I have never hit one before. I do know H22s range from 58ra to probably 68ra? I have a 27.25" one that is 58ra and is a blade paint job.
Click to expand...
I definitely notice the difference between my 66-69 RA pro stock Blades, but just pointing out that RA numbers are not like-for-like when comparing totally different racquets. Again for example my 60 RA H22 still felt stiffer than my 68-69 RA Blades. Across different frames, RA numbers are not a good predictor of feel in my experience.
 
For those having used Pro staff alongside Blade 18x20, I have a feeling that the sweet spot on the blade is somewhat lower than the 16x19 PS. Can someone confirm?
 
jj4545 said:
Looking for a recommendation for next demo . All court player with 1 handed backhand.
Coming from Pro Staff 97 v13, weighted up to 345gr. strung with SW around 330. Also using alongside Aero 98, also slightly weighted up to 340 strung and 337 SW.
I am searching something with the positives between these two rackets- from the PS 97 the nice and crisp feel with great control and sufficient power when in good position and from the Aero 98- stability off centre with larger sweet spot and especially easier power on the defensive shots/ out of position. Negatives I find PS97- framing more shots and when out of position weak ball, which the opponent can attack. Aero 98- a tend to overhit long during match play and the feel is not on the level of the Wilson frame. Also feeling slightly more the stiffness in the elbow.

From my research- both BP and RF 01 Pro are foam filled which is good for feel, have thicker beams than normal Blade v9. But my questions.

1.Which of the three is more forgiving and has larger sweet spot?
2.Which has more potential for customizing?
3.Which hits heavier ball, prioritising flatter game style, spin only when necessary?
4.Which has the best feel?
Click to expand...
Pro Staff X. It's a more forgiving PS, slightly more head light, thus easier to customize. The sweet spot is definitely larger. And has also more power, keeping the classic PS feeling.

Btw. Blade and Pro Staff are totally different. Totally. If you like Pro Staff you'll probably utterly dislike Blade. Any yes, RF01 Pro is still quite Pro Staffish and could be another alternative if you don't need grip 5 (not available on RF 01 Pro, AFAIK)
 
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gfwp said:
Btw. Blade and Pro Staff are totally different. Totally. If you like Pro Staff you'll probably utterly dislike Blade.
Click to expand...
Could you go into a little detail on that? I'm a PS85/PS90/RF97 user and I haven't demoed a Blade yet, but I know that the Blade is the most popular Wilson racquet for nearly a decade now, maybe longer. I'm curious to understand the differences between the two and why the Blade is so much more popular than the V14 PS97 which supposedly brought back the connected feel of a PS85.
 
Rally said:
Could you go into a little detail on that? I'm a PS85/PS90/RF97 user and I haven't demoed a Blade yet, but I know that the Blade is the most popular Wilson racquet for nearly a decade now, maybe longer. I'm curious to understand the differences between the two and why the Blade is so much more popular than the V14 PS97 which supposedly brought back the connected feel of a PS85.
Click to expand...
PS is significantly stiffer feeling and less damped/muted. Blade is more flexy and damped/muted. Power level not too different. Way different feel.
 
eric42 said:
PS is significantly stiffer feeling and less damped/muted. Blade is more flexy and damped/muted. Power level not too different. Way different feel.
Click to expand...
I've heard that the Blade is a baseliner's racquet while the Pro Staff has always been an all-courter's racquet. What is it about the Blade that makes it less confidence inspiring from inside the service line? Is it all because of the muted feel or are there other attributes that affect it?
 
Rally said:
I've heard that the Blade is a baseliner's racquet while the Pro Staff has always been an all-courter's racquet. What is it about the Blade that makes it less confidence inspiring from inside the service line? Is it all because of the muted feel or are there other attributes that affect it?
Click to expand...
For me the problem has mainly been the softer flex, more dampening tech, balance, and the lower swingweight (which the last one admittedly isn't hard to fix)
 
Rally said:
I've heard that the Blade is a baseliner's racquet while the Pro Staff has always been an all-courter's racquet. What is it about the Blade that makes it less confidence inspiring from inside the service line?
Click to expand...
I don't think this is a thing. The PS85 had association with the iconic serve/volleyers like Edberg and Sampras, but those days are long gone and rec players these days aren't really going to see any functional difference between the Blade and PS. It's more about what sort of feel you like.
 
RF2017 said:
For me the problem has mainly been the softer flex, more dampening tech, balance, and the lower swingweight (which the last one admittedly isn't hard to fix)
Click to expand...
Rally said:
I've heard that the Blade is a baseliner's racquet while the Pro Staff has always been an all-courter's racquet. What is it about the Blade that makes it less confidence inspiring from inside the service line? Is it all because of the muted feel or are there other attributes that affect it?
Click to expand...
The blade pro is a fantastic racquet at net, it just comes stock a little too head heavy to be maneuverable. And that is less of a problem from the baseline, so I think that is where the reputation comes from. If you can solve to the balance, there is nothing else holding it back from dominating the net. The stock strung balance on the blade pro is 33.5cm and therefore quite head heavy. If you throw on a leather grip, an over grip and a few more grams of putty into the handle, you can easily get it to 32cmm (7pts HL). At that point the specs are about 340g static, 32cm balance (7pts), and 335 SW (with 1.20 string). That spec is amazing for doubles. The feel on volleys is incredible.
 
It really depends on which BP you are talking about. The 16x19 is a heavy frame more so than the 18x20.

The 18x20 is fairly manoeuvrable and crushes balls at the net, but again these are advanced frames and probably unplayable for < 4.5. However, the control and feel of the 18x20 are superior to the others by some margin.
 
Rally said:
Could you go into a little detail on that? I'm a PS85/PS90/RF97 user and I haven't demoed a Blade yet, but I know that the Blade is the most popular Wilson racquet for nearly a decade now, maybe longer. I'm curious to understand the differences between the two and why the Blade is so much more popular than the V14 PS97 which supposedly brought back the connected feel of a PS85.
Click to expand...
Blade popularity doesn't mean that model is any "better" than other models. It may fit a different way of playing, this is true.

Blades are much more spin oriented, IMHO. It has to do with the longitudinal and twist flexibility. For longitudinal I mean the flexibility that is NOT measured by standard RA, but the one 90° rotated direction. Pro Staff line ha s a box beam construction. Thus is very rigid longitudinally (and also the twist flex is pretty hard). PS are more oriented for the S&V game with flat shots.

I tested the Blades (I cannot recall which one) last summer and I felt seriously disconnected from the ball. I had no idea where my shots could land. It doesn't imply that there is a lack of precision. But at personal level I just need a different and more classic (let say old) sensation on the ball. And looking for this kind of sensation the list of PS97 alternatives are PS X, RF01 (better the Pro) or the Yonex Percept line Perhaps Head Gravity / Prestige too, but I didn't test them. Also Angell has TC 97/101 which are also box beam models. Basically it all goes about having a box beam construction or a more elliptic frame cross section. RF01 Pro is an outlier because it looks like a frame with elliptic cross section but is very longitudinally and twist stiff like a box beam racquet.
 
eric42 said:
I don't think this is a thing. The PS85 had association with the iconic serve/volleyers like Edberg and Sampras, but those days are long gone and rec players these days aren't really going to see any functional difference between the Blade and PS. It's more about what sort of feel you like.
Click to expand...
Hell yes. I cannot play with a Blade my beloved S&V game. (And the S&V is not dead; it cannot be played like 40y ago but can still be very effective. Check Shelton for example.) And the difference is huge². For S&V I'd go with PS or Percepts or Angells or... Also Völkl C10 Pro (it's really an assassin weapon for S&V combined with low tension gut/multi).
 
gfwp said:
Pro Staff X. It's a more forgiving PS, slightly more head light, thus easier to customize. The sweet spot is definitely larger. And has also more power, keeping the classic PS feeling.

Btw. Blade and Pro Staff are totally different. Totally. If you like Pro Staff you'll probably utterly dislike Blade. Any yes, RF01 Pro is still quite Pro Staffish and could be another alternative if you don't need grip 5 (not available on RF 01 Pro, AFAIK)
Click to expand...
I haven't tried the Pro Staff X, but I briefly hit with a friend's Pro Staff 97 (not sure which version, maybe 14?) and it felt good. Good feedback, spin and power. I think it was strung with alu power in the low or mid 50s.

More feel than my 18x20 Blade Pro and maybe more power.
Rally said:
Could you go into a little detail on that? I'm a PS85/PS90/RF97 user and I haven't demoed a Blade yet, but I know that the Blade is the most popular Wilson racquet for nearly a decade now, maybe longer. I'm curious to understand the differences between the two and why the Blade is so much more popular than the V14 PS97 which supposedly brought back the connected feel of a PS85.
Click to expand...
To me, the RF97 feels much differnet than the PS85 & PS90. I think the PS97 feels closer to the PS85 than the RF97. I found the RF97 harder to hit serves with than the PS85 or PS90.

I'm currently using a Blade Pro18x20, Blade Pro 16x19, & Yonex Vcore 95D.
I like the 95D the most for feel and overall, but it has less spin than both the Blade Pros.

I also string them differently. BP18x20 with 17g poly in the low 40s. BP16x19 with 16g poly in low 50s. 95D with 17g poly in low 50s.
 
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