Ezone 105 or Head gravity S or Wilson Blade V8 104?

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dilshan

Rookie
Hi everyone,

I'm an intermediate player who is currently playing with a stock form Yonex Vcore 95 (2021) with an overgrip and vibration damper.

I have recently started getting tennis elbow and even though the Vcore 95 is great on the arm, the sweet spot is a bit small and it is challenging for me when exchanging groundstrokes. Having said that, I do love the control I get from the 95 but then again I'm lacking my pop on serves. At the net I love the vcore 95 for it's maneuverability.

However, given my struggle with the sweet spot, I was thinking of two options:

1. Keep playing with the vcore 95 hoping I will level up my game with it (I've been only playing for 3 weeks with it and I play social tennis once a week)
2. Switching to either of the below oversized headlight rackets (bigger sweet spot) that are also easy on the arm (I didn't include the clash because I have heard there are issues with ball control):

1. Wilson Clash 108 V2
2. Head gravity S
3. Volkl V1 EVO
4. Dunlop CX 200 OS


Would love to hear your opinions
 
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The Blade 104 V8 is a monster racket, good control , power and comfort. It has extended lenght which results in a higher swingweight compared to a normal lenght racket but compansated by the light overall weight. Its almost to headlight so a couple gram lead will bring you the power back. Its very flexible and arm friendly.
 
born_hard said:
The Blade 104 V8 is a monster racket, good control , power and comfort. It has extended lenght which results in a higher swingweight compared to a normal lenght racket but compansated by the light overall weight. Its almost to headlight so a couple gram lead will bring you the power back. Its very flexible and arm friendly.
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thank you @born_hard. would you recommend lead at 12 o'clock to increase power?
 
While the Blade 104 is a very good racket.. I found it's heavy flex robbed it of it's control and power in recent generations.
I prefer the Gravy S as it offers more pop and control..
 
The v7 104 is way softer than the v8, I’d look for used ones, though swingweights are all over the place.

Gravity S is okay.

Of course I play with it, but it’s in the realm of racquets you’re looking at, do check out the Dunlop CX 200 OS. It’s awesome for my groundstroke game!
 
I have a Head Gravity S with a leather grip and an overgrip. It is 313g strung with ytex hexagonX mains and ytex protour poly strings. It is a great set up!
 
ChanterRacquet said:
The v7 104 is way softer than the v8, I’d look for used ones, though swingweights are all over the place.

Gravity S is okay.

Of course I play with it, but it’s in the realm of racquets you’re looking at, do check out the Dunlop CX 200 OS. It’s awesome for my groundstroke game!
Click to expand...

Besides that what’s the difference v7 and v8 blade 104? I’ve heard a lot of great things about the v8
 
@dilshan - Let's push the pause button a second if you don't mind.

First off, no one has outright asked you yet: what exactly are you looking for out of a new frame -- and a 104"+ oversize at that -- that you haven't been able to find in the myriad of other frames you already have (visible in your signature), let alone the VC95 itself? I would obviously presume forgiveness and comfort as the chief items, but beyond those, what else?

Looking at the full picture here, especially with some string adjustments, there's probably a good chance the answer may occur in a frame you own already, or at least perhaps in more of a middle ground on head-size and general playability that what you're proposing with those medium-large oversize sticks... Something like a Blade 100 v8, Dunlop CX 200 OS, Yonex VCore Pro 100, or similar, as just starters ideas.
 
Trip said:
@dilshan - Let's push the pause button a second if you don't mind.

First off, no one has outright asked you yet: what exactly are you looking for out of a new frame -- and a 104"+ oversize at that -- that you haven't been able to find in the myriad of other frames you already have (visible in your signature), let alone the VC95 itself?

Looking at the full picture here, maybe a frame that's more of a middle-ground on head size and playability would be a better platform for learning and also competing with (even just casually) in the here and now? Something like a Blade 100 v8, Dunlop CX 200 OS, Yonex VCore Pro 100, or similar?
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Hi @Trip thank you for your response and question. The main reason for looking at an oversize racket is mainly due to the bigger sweet spot and some added power, because most of the time during play, my technique is still not at the level where I can prepare and go for a full swing by generating my own pace.

Also looking for a control oriented arm friendly racket, given my tennis elbow
 
2ndServe said:
Besides that what’s the difference v7 and v8 blade 104? I’ve heard a lot of great things about the v8
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I feel the sweetspot is bigger on the v7. The v8 has a stiffer feel which I found off putting but many who are used to older blades probably feel the v8 was more true to the blade feel.
 
@dilshan - Gotcha. And yes, the answer is probably obvious enough, but it's good to hear it from you directly.

If you are looking for something comfortable and forgiving in a slightly-oversized package with a good balance of control and power, I would actually suggest trying out the Volkl V1 Evo (link) -- it's 102" 16x19 with 8 throat mains and a fairly dense center string bed and a nice middle-level 64RA and wide beam for extra power, without being overly stiff or harsh. Maybe a bit surprising, but it's been well-reviewed, even preferentially so compared to others from the latest batch of "Evo" and newer-school Volkls, by the likes of TennisNerd for one, per the following video (starting where the V1 Evo gets reviewed):

 
Trip said:
@dilshan - Gotcha. And yes, the answer is probably obvious enough, but it's good to hear it from you directly.

If you are looking for something comfortable and forgiving in a slightly-oversized package with a good balance of control and power, I would actually suggest trying out the Volkl V1 Evo (link) -- it's 102" with 8 throat mains and a fairly dense center of the string bed for good accommodating size with control, but also a nice middle-level 64RA and wide beam for extra power, without being overly stiff or harsh, as it also has a handle-based vibration dampening system. It's been the favorite of several YouTubers who've tried the latest batch of "Evo" and newer-school Volkls, not least of which was Jonas of TennisNerd, per the following excerpt (starting where the V1 Evo gets reviewed):

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This looks like a good option. Thank you @Trip . I will definitely do some research on this racquet
 
i use the gravity s and the blade 104 v7. i started with the blade and added the gravity s when my clavicle got injured (not the racquets fault; it was "owner stupidity"). the extended length of the blade 104 seemed to aggravate the clavicle there for a while. i use both in stock form (i add overgrip to each and that's it). i have had some tennis elbow in conjunction with the clavicle injury. overall, i have found myself gravitating towards the gravity s (especially strung with a soft multi @ 47 lbs.). that particular gravity s seems much more comfortable to hit with than my blade 107 strung with another soft multi at a lower tension.
i hope you get better soon. i don't wish this on anybody!
 
vandre said:
i use the gravity s and the blade 104 v7. i started with the blade and added the gravity s when my clavicle got injured (not the racquets fault; it was "owner stupidity"). the extended length of the blade 104 seemed to aggravate the clavicle there for a while. i use both in stock form (i add overgrip to each and that's it). i have had some tennis elbow in conjunction with the clavicle injury. overall, i have found myself gravitating towards the gravity s (especially strung with a soft multi @ 47 lbs.). that particular gravity s seems much more comfortable to hit with than my blade 107 strung with another soft multi at a lower tension.
i hope you get better soon. i don't wish this on anybody!
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Thank you @vandre . We both definitely share the pain involved for tennis elbow. During play I have started wearing a forearm strap with an EVA pad that adds some support to the forearm muscle and now there is less pain compared to before.

I also am gravitating towards the gravity (pun included ), given Head's outstanding quality control similar to Yonex. Wilson has swing weight all over the place for the same racquet
 
dilshan said:
Thank you @vandre . We both definitely share the pain involved for tennis elbow. During play I have started wearing a forearm strap with an EVA pad that adds some support to the forearm muscle and now there is less pain compared to before.

I also am gravitating towards the gravity (pun included ), given Head's outstanding quality control similar to Yonex. Wilson has swing weight all over the place for the same racquet
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that's no lie about wilson's qc. according to my digital scale, my pair of blade 104s are about 20 grams apart while my pair of gravity s frames are within 1 gram of each other.
on a completely unrelated note, it seems (to me anyway) that the gravity s is a frame which allows you to significantly decrease your string tension without transforming into a trampoline. my soft multi at 47 pounds feels about perfect for where my shoulder and arm are atm. i did have one strung around 41 pounds with synthetic gut and it wasn't a rocket launcher.
it stock form, the sweetspot on the gravity s seems to be located in the middle/ lower part of the string bed. if you like to hit towards the top of the stringbed, it will take some getting used to. get better soon!
 
With the blade 104, although it is an extended racquet, it really doesn’t feel like a longbody racquet. Shameless plug but I have 4 of the V8 ones for sale in a 1/4 grip and one v7, also 1/4 grip if anyone is interested…
 
The Blade 104 is a very underrated frame, although I haven't tried the others on your list so I can't say its necessarily better than them. Have you considered making a jump to 100" before going all the way to oversized? It's going to be a huge change.
 
Choose the one with lower flex, thinner beam, and normal length.

Lower flex + thinner beam: more comfort, less power so you can use multifilament.

Extended length will add torque to racket movement and hurt your elbow more
 
om panda said:
Choose the one with lower flex, thinner beam, and normal length.

Lower flex + thinner beam: more comfort, less power so you can use multifilament.

Extended length will add torque to racket movement and hurt your elbow more
Click to expand...

All reasons why no matter what I demo, I keep going back to the CX 200 OS.
 
Thank you for the feedback everyone. After giving it some much thought, I thought of continuing with the vcore 95. I just feel I can't get the control and precision I'm getting with it, with an oversize.

I did change my strings though. Went for a hybrid setup of NXT soft mains and ice code on crosses, tension 52/50 respectively. Hoping this will give me a good balance of comfort, feel, power, control and durability.

In case I go the oversize route, I'm planning to demo these:

- prince 107g
- Dunlop CX 200 OS
- head gravity team 2023

Got the new string setup today. Gonna play on Sunday and hopefully the experience will be good
 
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I really like the blade as I can still play with a full bed of poly. I get the advantage of the poly spin and performance with no disadvantages.
 
One note on prince 107G:

This racket is nice for my tennis elbow.

Big head but low flex and thin beam, so you can use poly in 30ish lb and still find good control with enough power.

Bit heavy so you cant really accelerate the racket, just use relaxed short swing with good timing and spin will come from the weight of racket and its big head size.
 
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