Diary of a Racketaholic

Since @Trip mentioned the Pure Strike 98 16/19 to me, I've started considering picking up the previous gen as they are a little over $100 right now. I'm sure someone in here had to have used that model at some point. Any thoughts on what you liked or didn't like about it? It's interesting that the 3 year old reviews say the SW was high at mid 330's but the actual TW specs have it listed at 327 I think,
 
Vicious49 said:
Since @Trip mentioned the Pure Strike 98 16/19 to me, I've started considering picking up the previous gen as they are a little over $100 right now. I'm sure someone in here had to have used that model at some point. Any thoughts on what you liked or didn't like about it? It's interesting that the 3 year old reviews say the SW was high at mid 330's but the actual TW specs have it listed at 327 I think,
Click to expand...

I have a bunch of gen 3 PST 16M, they are great. My feedback is well documented across a couple different threads, so wont reiterate here (you can PM me if curious on specific playing attributes)

Down to $130 for multiple right now. It swings heavy forsure, I dont bother with SW considerations, but the ones I have are for sure hefty relative to other sticks. Im also playing them at 370g
 
gino said:
I have a bunch of gen 3 PST 16M, they are great. My feedback is well documented across a couple different threads, so wont reiterate here (you can PM me if curious on specific playing attributes)

Down to $130 for multiple right now. It swings heavy forsure, I dont bother with SW considerations, but the ones I have are for sure hefty relative to other sticks. Im also playing them at 370g
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The problem with 3-5 year old frames is most info on them is buried pretty deep. And doing searches now for PS 98 16/19 brings up a lot of the current gen posts.

That's much too high a static weight for me. I may as well use the RF97 if I'm using that weight. Do you have any idea what the stock SW was on yours? My main concern is if they swing through the air quickly or if they are a bit sluggish.
 
Vicious49 said:
The problem with 3-5 year old frames is most info on them is buried pretty deep. And doing searches now for PS 98 16/19 brings up a lot of the current gen posts.

That's much too high a static weight for me. I may as well use the RF97 if I'm using that weight. Do you have any idea what the stock SW was on yours? My main concern is if they swing through the air quickly or if they are a bit sluggish.
Click to expand...

So my first two were 307 without strings. So probably 335-340 with strings? The other three I have no clue, only know the first two because I bought them from someone who had them matched with TW.

I would say in general the PST or PS 16M is a hefty frame. More wieldy than the RF97 at the same static weight because of the weight distribution in the layup/upper hoop. Could tail weight like I did, but you’ll get into pretty serious static weight territory
 
KC! said:
I hit a new 24 Speed MP last week & it felt so plush. When they come out with the all black paint scheme, I may not be able to resist buying a couple. Soft feeling, with easy controlled power.
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I’m in the same exact boat as you. I can’t wait. Not only the best release in many many years, but also an absolutely goat paint job in all black gloss. I might have to get 2 of these
 
I got 2 sets in today with the Blade 98 and 100 v9. I have managed to fight off a bug going around our house but my body is not 100%. So it was nice to get out in the sun and sweat out some toxins while playing some tennis. But I was not in top form either in terms of movement. Not terrible, but just a little off.

Blade 98 16x19 V9 :

*In my Tennis Guy voice* - "Guyyyysss, this is theeeeeee racquet of 2024! The feel on contact, it feels like my hand is heeting the ball and not the racquet!!".

Ok, so I really expected this Blade to feel dead and muted based on some reports on here. I don't know if it's my strings (S7T/element at 46#) or the fact that I go no dampener, but I absolutely loved the feel of this racquet. I can see a lot of people who want an easier swinging PT630 enjoying this racquet a lot. It has that muted but plush feel that reminds me a bit of the v7 version. I never once thought the frame was numb or that I could not feel the ball. Very addicting to hit with and a nice easy strung spec of 325/325 and 325 balance in stock form w/ an OG. I am not saying it is a PT 2.0, but I am saying that it has that DNA in a more forgiving package. I think anyone who liked the v7 will enjoy this one, and also that it's easier to swing and generate a bigger ball with.

The main thing about this frame for me, is that it's an attacking frame. Attack on serve and get on the next ball. The reason I say this is because on defense I was not having success. I was still shaking off some rust and fatigue, but also was going for shots that I hit with the 100. It was not working out nearly as well. Honestly, that is ok, because the 98, imo is really best wielded when you hit the courts at full strength and are feeling it. I think I lost the first set 6-2 and knew I needed to bust out the 100, but I'll be honest, it was tough because I really enjoy this racquet a lot.

So on to the 100 in the second set. Pretty easy adjustment. I think the feel of the 100 is more firm and direct while the 98 is more plush. What I noticed pretty quickly was that my serve returns suddenly got better and my defensive shots got FAR better. I was peeling off return winners and in rallys when he went for sharp angles to my backhand I could run them down, but hit them back with more depth and more angled placemement. This may be of the greatest frames I have ever used on defense. It is just outlandish what I could pull off. Well placed serves to my backhand I could easily slice back nice and deep. And then if I was on the run I was able to turn defense into offense many times. This forced him to press and go for sharper and sharper angles with low margin, which resulted in more UE's than set 1. Additionally, we had a ton of BH to BH long rallys. I really feel like I can't miss a backhand with the 100. I don't get why, it just is incredible how confident I am off that side. So another day of very long rallys, but today we had more back to back. A lot of 12-15 ball rallys that really got my cardio going. Plenty of strategy and again it felt like a higher level of tennis where my mind was empty and I was just wanting the ball to keep coming back over.

We had a pretty epic second set where he saved a set point with an insane stabbing lob that just dropped inside the baseline. To top that off, I later found myself serving at 5-6 0-40. I managed to get i back to deuce and then after a few of those, I held serve. Just digging deep and playing with confidence.On the tiebreaker he was up 5-1 and I peeled off 4 straight and got it back to 5-5 before finally dropping it 7-5.

I guess the point here is that my level of tennis with the 100 v9 is very high because my shot tolerance is quite good and my defense is crazy. I have never really used a racquet that made it this easy. The attacking side is of course fantastic. It's a 100 with power and spin. So that is no problem. I just have never relished playing this much defensive tennis and counter punching at the right moment.

So on paper, you would think that it's an easy decision to just go with the 100. And I probably will a good amount. But there is no way I'm not starting off tomorrow's match again with that 98. It's too damn fun, and the potential is there. It's not like using an old prestige, in terms of difficulty. It just requires really strong movement in the corners to dig out balls, and I didn't have that extra step today.

So if any of you are curious about these Blades, I can honestly say get both. Seriously. You will find the right time to use the 98 but the 100 is simply crazy with how good it plays. It's a true match play enhancer. If my form continues to improve at this rate, I can see the 98 becoming a complete weapon for me. The feel and placement is addicting, and it's not super demanding like a classic frame. It's just not going to give you much back if you are not moving really well and willing to drive to the ball out of the corners.
 
emhtennis said:
I feel like this post is something I need to really explore in my own game.

It is hard for me to swing "easy" but not decelerate during the stroke.

Part of the difficulty for me is if I swing easy but then get a winner hit on me on the next shot then I should have swung harder!

Any recommendations for how to practice?
Click to expand...
Prepare early and initiate the stroke with your lower body, making sure to make contact up front (late contact is a common cause of what you seem to be describing ). If everything aligns well you should be generating pace easily.

Not much to it practice wise but getting in the reps so you know what it feels like. Get some balls fed to you to begin with and gradually increase the difficulty of the feed is how I’d approach it.
 
I am now a member of the PSVS family. The paint scheme on this thing is pure art and the tight/small hexagonal beam shape is also interesting to admire and feel good in the hand.

First time on court with it this morning had very good first impressions. It already had Cyclone 17 in the mid 40s which is a good complement to the frame. Lots of spin and decent feel. Bone stock this thing has Doppio caliber rackethead speed capabilities. This was awesome on short forehands. Only struggles were on the backhand. Stock it doesn't have enough weight in the top of the hoop for me to feel my 2HBH swing the way I prefer so timing was rough sometimes. I'll serve with it tomorrow after putting some lead at 12.

I also put the ReString hybrid of Zero mains and Sync crosses at 45lbs in one of my TGT 351.1s. After 10 minutes this is immediately in contention for top 3 best setups I've played in this frame so far, out of at least 20+. Felt great, created a good pocket in the sweet spot, heavy spin to wicked flat balls were easy to manipulate. Most exciting of all though, is that this setup had that rare "inverse" quality where it the harder I swung the more controlled it seemed to get. Harder swings still produced the spin, but the strings seemed to "tighten up" the control factor making it feel almost impossible to miss long.

Looking forward to trying full beds of Zero and Sync alongside the hybrid to see how similar/different they are.
 
tim-ay said:
It’s a great serving frame. Experiment with strings and tension and you’ll find that spin.
Click to expand...
Yup I think partly because I'm used to using Big Hitter Silver Tour 7 but they were out for a couple months and switched to Confidential. Going to restring with BHS7T and try again :)
 
Also than
Power Player said:
I got 2 sets in today with the Blade 98 and 100 v9. I have managed to fight off a bug going around our house but my body is not 100%. So it was nice to get out in the sun and sweat out some toxins while playing some tennis. But I was not in top form either in terms of movement. Not terrible, but just a little off.

Blade 98 16x19 V9 :

*In my Tennis Guy voice* - "Guyyyysss, this is theeeeeee racquet of 2024! The feel on contact, it feels like my hand is heeting the ball and not the racquet!!".

Ok, so I really expected this Blade to feel dead and muted based on some reports on here. I don't know if it's my strings (S7T/element at 46#) or the fact that I go no dampener, but I absolutely loved the feel of this racquet. I can see a lot of people who want an easier swinging PT630 enjoying this racquet a lot. It has that muted but plush feel that reminds me a bit of the v7 version. I never once thought the frame was numb or that I could not feel the ball. Very addicting to hit with and a nice easy strung spec of 325/325 and 325 balance in stock form w/ an OG. I am not saying it is a PT 2.0, but I am saying that it has that DNA in a more forgiving package. I think anyone who liked the v7 will enjoy this one, and also that it's easier to swing and generate a bigger ball with.

The main thing about this frame for me, is that it's an attacking frame. Attack on serve and get on the next ball. The reason I say this is because on defense I was not having success. I was still shaking off some rust and fatigue, but also was going for shots that I hit with the 100. It was not working out nearly as well. Honestly, that is ok, because the 98, imo is really best wielded when you hit the courts at full strength and are feeling it. I think I lost the first set 6-2 and knew I needed to bust out the 100, but I'll be honest, it was tough because I really enjoy this racquet a lot.

So on to the 100 in the second set. Pretty easy adjustment. I think the feel of the 100 is more firm and direct while the 98 is more plush. What I noticed pretty quickly was that my serve returns suddenly got better and my defensive shots got FAR better. I was peeling off return winners and in rallys when he went for sharp angles to my backhand I could run them down, but hit them back with more depth and more angled placemement. This may be of the greatest frames I have ever used on defense. It is just outlandish what I could pull off. Well placed serves to my backhand I could easily slice back nice and deep. And then if I was on the run I was able to turn defense into offense many times. This forced him to press and go for sharper and sharper angles with low margin, which resulted in more UE's than set 1. Additionally, we had a ton of BH to BH long rallys. I really feel like I can't miss a backhand with the 100. I don't get why, it just is incredible how confident I am off that side. So another day of very long rallys, but today we had more back to back. A lot of 12-15 ball rallys that really got my cardio going. Plenty of strategy and again it felt like a higher level of tennis where my mind was empty and I was just wanting the ball to keep coming back over.

We had a pretty epic second set where he saved a set point with an insane stabbing lob that just dropped inside the baseline. To top that off, I later found myself serving at 5-6 0-40. I managed to get i back to deuce and then after a few of those, I held serve. Just digging deep and playing with confidence.On the tiebreaker he was up 5-1 and I peeled off 4 straight and got it back to 5-5 before finally dropping it 7-5.

I guess the point here is that my level of tennis with the 100 v9 is very high because my shot tolerance is quite good and my defense is crazy. I have never really used a racquet that made it this easy. The attacking side is of course fantastic. It's a 100 with power and spin. So that is no problem. I just have never relished playing this much defensive tennis and counter punching at the right moment.

So on paper, you would think that it's an easy decision to just go with the 100. And I probably will a good amount. But there is no way I'm not starting off tomorrow's match again with that 98. It's too damn fun, and the potential is there. It's not like using an old prestige, in terms of difficulty. It just requires really strong movement in the corners to dig out balls, and I didn't have that extra step today.

So if any of you are curious about these Blades, I can honestly say get both. Seriously. You will find the right time to use the 98 but the 100 is simply crazy with how good it plays. It's a true match play enhancer. If my form continues to improve at this rate, I can see the 98 becoming a complete weapon for me. The feel and placement is addicting, and it's not super demanding like a classic frame. It's just not going to give you much back if you are not moving really well and willing to drive to the ball out of the corners.
Click to expand...
Well thanks to this, I drunkenly purchased a 100 v9 last night. Probably will put a Extreme Tour on the market to help fund this lol
 
emhtennis said:
I am now a member of the PSVS family. The paint scheme on this thing is pure art and the tight/small hexagonal beam shape is also interesting to admire and feel good in the hand.

First time on court with it this morning had very good first impressions. It already had Cyclone 17 in the mid 40s which is a good complement to the frame. Lots of spin and decent feel. Bone stock this thing has Doppio caliber rackethead speed capabilities. This was awesome on short forehands. Only struggles were on the backhand. Stock it doesn't have enough weight in the top of the hoop for me to feel my 2HBH swing the way I prefer so timing was rough sometimes. I'll serve with it tomorrow after putting some lead at 12.

I also put the ReString hybrid of Zero mains and Sync crosses at 45lbs in one of my TGT 351.1s. After 10 minutes this is immediately in contention for top 3 best setups I've played in this frame so far, out of at least 20+. Felt great, created a good pocket in the sweet spot, heavy spin to wicked flat balls were easy to manipulate. Most exciting of all though, is that this setup had that rare "inverse" quality where it the harder I swung the more controlled it seemed to get. Harder swings still produced the spin, but the strings seemed to "tighten up" the control factor making it feel almost impossible to miss long.

Looking forward to trying full beds of Zero and Sync alongside the hybrid to see how similar/different they are.
Click to expand...
PSVS with lead really opens up that top of the frame and it still plays pretty fast. Even against big hitters, with lead up there you will have plenty of pop.

Ive mentioned how well it spot serves, but I’ve hit so many slice deuce court aces with these things I’ve lost count. That mid box on the line slice that is nearly unreturnable. I don’t know why the PSVS does that so well but it does.

But really you can move around the box with precision. Hope you get that after lead.
 
I did another 2 hours with the Blade 100 and I'm hoping for the trifecta tomorrow. Today we split sets. My serve is dialing in and I was really focused on footwork and leg drive off the ground. Opened the second set with a nice break, consolidated it with 4 serves and pretty much cruised from there.

I am pretty sure the TB diamond rough/YY PTD setup is going to snap at any time, but it feels so good when the tension is this low. Just unfair power and spin on serves, plus the grip on the ball is fantastic. Not sure Ill have time to restring, but I have the v7100 in the bag plus the 98, so im good to go.

Felt great today but my legs were a bit slow so I didn't hit much with the 98 besides warmups. When I did, it felt great, but I really want to get dialed in with the 100 at the moment.

When the string tension drops on this frame (im at around 38#s), the ball feel is really nice and springy. Reminds me of how the Blade Pro feels when the DF is super loose in it. I think that must be the Poly Tour Drive, since it's basically the same string as DF, just not as durable.

But yeah, the feel is definitely pretty good now.. I think playing poly at the lowest tension you can still control the ball with is only going to provide advantages out on the court, plus enhance the feel of the frame you are using.
 
On (extremely) rare occasion I play well with a ps85. For one set this was the case. Once a little fatigue set in, it was no more. But for that brief window, I once again found joy in tennis rather than frustration. In the thread’s tradition of nicknaming things, I personally will call this the Joy.
 
naturalexponent said:
On (extremely) rare occasion I play well with a ps85. For one set this was the case. Once a little fatigue set in, it was no more. But for that brief window, I once again found joy in tennis rather than frustration. In the thread’s tradition of nicknaming things, I personally will call this the Joy.
Click to expand...
This is very good, I love it! Joy!
I also played some tennis today. The Ivo is still my favourite racquet. I got it strung with Revolution 115 and it plays really well.
Playing on this artificial clay over here, I miss hardcourt very much! Man, I just played on it once, but wished I could do this everyday...
 
Played a set today, against a player with whom it always a close game, as it was today, losing 7-5, with the MP-L’s.
There is something about this racket I just can’t seem to gel with, I feel like directionally I can dictate the rally, but any short balls or attempts to hit winners and I have zero confidence that the balls going in. And whilst I find it more forgiving stretching into the corners, in most instances I am relying on an error the other side of the net to get back into the rally or win the point.
I feel like I want to give the Rads a fair bash now they are G3, I play my best points with them in my opinion, just I’m not able to pull that about the bag all the time (as I’m sure most of us aren’t), but with the less clogged? (Not sure of the adjective to use here) wrist by going down to a more comfortable size I am hoping I can make better of bad on court situations.
 
Lost two doubles matches in the team league yesterday but at least it was a beautiful, sunny day. The opponents were just of a higher level, I don't really have anything to feel bad about.
The 100D is serving me well so far. Its stability helps me against the higher pace of the opponents in this league. It especially feels like a tank on returns. It's funny how my best shot when playing against higher level opponents, always turns out to be my return. Against slower servers, I have to swing a lot more, which increases the error risk, mostly on the ohbh. Against faster servers, I'm naturally more focused and return with more venom. I'll hardly miss then.

The 18x19 keeps a lot of balls in, even on the super windy days. I like the ball path with this frame; easy to gradually increase the pace in a rally. I think my overall ball pace in rallies is the highest I've ever had it at.
Where the 100D doesn't necessarily help me is on serve and the lack of 'whip'. It has the thickest beam of any frame I've ever used as a main, so the air resistance is noticeable. Not so noticeable on indoor courts, but when wind and iffy bounces start playing a role, it can feel annoying. Hard to micro-adjust right before contact. This also makes it more difficult to whip through on serve. SW is already low (320 to 322 depending on my string setup).

I know very well the holy grail does not exist, but these things do make me want to explore some more frames. Hello holic in me, it never ends. I might very well end up sticking with the 100D but it's just too much fun trying out frames. That's not something I'll be doing in the coming weeks however, as my last matches will be on the 1st of June. After that, it will be play time again but I'm definitely not going into crazy holic mode like I've done in the past.

It certainly eases your mind not thinking about different frames. It has been all 100D for 1.5 months now, with another 1.5 to go. That's also the reason for posting less, I just have less on my mind lol.
I have been religiously reading the thread however and the V9 Blade 100 posts have also tickled my holic itch. That's a frame I will be getting when the league is over. I've really enjoyed the V8 last year so it's a must try. I feel like it had a similar beam thickness as the 100D but it clearly felt whippier, probably weight distribution.

Also want to try the VC98 Tour. Looks like an exciting frame. Those are the only two for now, I think... On paper the PSVS might be a better main frame for me than the 100D, but I already own that one so I'll be revisiting it, again.
 
OK, today I talked to two more of my high level players buds and they also said, that if they could choose one version of the Blade to play with forever, it would be the CV version. So, it is 4 Blade players now that love the CV version. And they all say that the new ones are OK, but they much preferred the CV. The CV, in my opinion, also has a super bad PJ, that actually makes it very cool again. Love it! I just ordered 4, two 18 and 2 16 mains.
 
Went 2-1 in dubs and 3-3 in tie-breaks today. Started with the blade v8 18x20 with poly and while that provided me with great returns, my second serves weren't good enough. Switched to the UT with poly, and I started playing better. Both are stock but I will add weight to both and reassess. My cx 200 tour 18x20s need poly in the summer heat so that's also on my to-do list. I am pretty satisfied with all 3 frames and would be happy with any of them.
 
Richard Pioline said:
OK, today I talked to two more of my high level players buds and they also said, that if they could choose one version of the Blade to play with forever, it would be the CV version. So, it is 4 Blade players now that love the CV version. And they all say that the new ones are OK, but they much preferred the CV. The CV, in my opinion, also has a super bad PJ, that actually makes it very cool again. Love it! I just ordered 4, two 18 and 2 16 mains.
Click to expand...
PJ is super bad, I can agree there.
 
Richard Pioline said:
This is very good, I love it! Joy!
I also played some tennis today. The Ivo is still my favourite racquet. I got it strung with Revolution 115 and it plays really well.
Playing on this artificial clay over here, I miss hardcourt very much! Man, I just played on it once, but wished I could do this everyday...
Click to expand...
Wait, you want to play on hard court? I wish I could trade you because I'd love to play on clay. All we have in the US are hard courts.
 
giphy.gif


Played in the afternoon today from 12:30-2:30 so the sun was directly over head. Started with the Blade. Early on it was great and then towards the end of the 1st set I could feel the fatigue sent it in. Switched to the PAVS and it was just so much easier. I had a feeling this was going to happen. As we start getting closer to summer I'll gravitate more towards the PA98 and PA23. And just when I thought I had figured everything out and had the Regna and Blade in the lead . . .
 
Richard Pioline said:
OK, today I talked to two more of my high level players buds and they also said, that if they could choose one version of the Blade to play with forever, it would be the CV version. So, it is 4 Blade players now that love the CV version. And they all say that the new ones are OK, but they much preferred the CV. The CV, in my opinion, also has a super bad PJ, that actually makes it very cool again. Love it! I just ordered 4, two 18 and 2 16 mains.
Click to expand...
I love that cv paint job. I have no idea why, but I always dug it. That is if we are talking about v6. It’s all black with the lime lettering.

The v7 is also listed as a countervail blade but that one feels fantastic. I got the 100l version of that one this week and used the 98s for a year. Loved it. Starting to think you are talking about that one, because the pj is not great.

I also remember why I like the v6 pj, it was the pj of the first h22 I played.
 
Richard Pioline said:
Remind us what it is exactly again you are playing! I don't think everyone in this forum has read it ten times already.
Click to expand...
It's all good. I am just amazed that so few here seem to settle on a stick, say for at least 6 months.
Why is that? I would have thought, that once one is happy with the equipment, then it would be easier to fine tune the technique by eliminating one variable?
But what do I know ? I'm just an engineer.
 
not playing so much is a big problem, broke the strings on the Elevate, so I bought a pair of brand new Graphene XT Speed MP Special Edition (black and grey) instead of re-stringing...

Power Player said:
(...) and used the 98s for a year. Loved it. Starting to think you are talking about that one, because the pj is not great.
Click to expand...

played the V7 98S for 3 months, with leather grip and some grams @3/9, fantastic frame, best slice serve ever played. Sold out of desperation, I was breaking strings every 1 h, I have changed 4 different stringers, and I'm not a strings breaker even if my fowrhand has good rpms
 
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