Head Light with Stability and Plow Through

[jri90]

I've been trying to customize my Blade V7 16x19 for a bit more power and stability, while also creating a head light balance with some tail weighting. But it's getting club-y and it feels like I'm fighting the DNA of the Blade. Is it possible to have a head light racket with good stability/power that doesn't weigh as much as the RF97?

 

[time_fly]

I've been trying to customize my Blade V7 16x19 for a bit more power and stability, while also creating a head light balance with some tail weighting. But it's getting club-y and it feels like I'm fighting the DNA of the Blade. Is it possible to have a head light racket with good stability/power that doesn't weigh as much as the RF97?

If you want a head-light, maneuverable feel then the Blade is the wrong starting point. The Blade series is known for being relatively light with lots of mass in the head for a high swingweight. If the RF97 is too heavy, why not look at the regular PS 97? The new v13 is supposed to be pretty good, and 315g is still pretty solid by today's standards. Sticking with a 98" head you could also look a the Volkl C10 Pro. Finally, the new G360+ Radical Pro has been getting good reviews. I haven't tried that one yet and it's not super head light, but the reviewers all mentioned surprising maneuverability for the specs. If you want to go extra-stable, the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 330g sounds intimidating, but I've played it and it's faster and easier to handle than the weight spec suggests. It's still easier to use than the RF97.

For a really off-the-wall solution, the Phantom 93P (either string pattern) is surprisingly maneuverable for its hefty static weight due to the thin beam, small head size, and HL balance. As much as I like Prince, they seem to be unable to make a good 97 or 98" option, so you would have to look at the Textreme Tour 95 or 100P for more mainstream options in their lineup. The Textreme Tours that I've tried have all been very solid and maneuverable.

This is a long list, but there are a lot of good racquets out there. The only one someone might mention that I would avoid is the Yonex EZONE 98 Tour. That one feels very Blade-like in its balance and swing.

 

[BallBasher247]

I've been trying to customize my Blade V7 16x19 for a bit more power and stability, while also creating a head light balance with some tail weighting. But it's getting club-y and it feels like I'm fighting the DNA of the Blade. Is it possible to have a head light racket with good stability/power that doesn't weigh as much as the RF97?

Yup, you're fighting the Blade. It is possible to find good stability lighter than the RF97 though. Since you're used to high 11oz/12oz rackets, first two I'd try are the Diadem Elevate Tour and the new 360+ Radical Pro. They're similar to one another (98", 16 mains, 315g/31.5cm bal unstrung), but they have a lower stock balance than your Blade. Neither one should need weight. Both have ~330 SW strung but that's about what the Blade is stock. I use a weighted regular Elevate (336g/roughly 330 SW), and it's stable but still maneuverable; Tour should be similar. Well balanced rackets: controlled but not anemic, comfortable but with lots of feel. The 360+ Rad Pro seems to be well liked too; I wanna try it out to be honest.

Next one I'd look into is the Yonex VCP 97HD. It's 320g unstrung but its the fastest 320 I've ever hit; the 18 mains are pretty open so spin isn't bad. It's stable too.

A few others to look into are the regular PS97 and the Prince Phantom 100P (2020). The PS97 needs a little more plow but is pretty stable, and the 100P has mack truck stability/plow for being 310g unstrung. I really like the feel of the PS97 v13 and its whippiness, but my Elevate gives me more weight of shot. I used the 100P but have since switched from it; fantastic racket, but the ~330 SW w/ the 100 headsize is tough to maneuver if you have a 1HBH like me.

 

[shamaho]

I've been trying to customize my Blade V7 16x19 for a bit more power and stability, while also creating a head light balance with some tail weighting. But it's getting club-y and it feels like I'm fighting the DNA of the Blade. Is it possible to have a head light racket with good stability/power that doesn't weigh as much as the RF97?

look at my sig ;-) 1 g @ 10 & 2 is total weight... so you spread that 1 gram into 4 segments...

 

[socallefty]

I've been trying to customize my Blade V7 16x19 for a bit more power and stability, while also creating a head light balance with some tail weighting. But it's getting club-y and it feels like I'm fighting the DNA of the Blade. Is it possible to have a head light racket with good stability/power that doesn't weigh as much as the RF97?

The holy grail that you are looking for is the ‘Pure Strike Tour’.

Babolat has quietly being making some of the best players racquets for the past twenty years like the Pure Control, Pure Storm and the Pure Strike Tour - they get drowned out by the noise created by their much more popular tweeners like the Pure Drive and AeroPro. Give the Pure Strike Tour a chance and you won’t be disappointed.

 

[Dragy]

You can cheat stability without too much weight through the following features:
- Wider hoop - bigger head, which provides higher twist weight with similar SW;
- Higher stiffness.

For example, something like Pure Drive Tour will play rock-solid, while moderately heavy and HL.

 

[Ryebread]

demo the clash 98
even if you feel that the entire clash lineup is garbage, the 98 is certainly not.
9 pts HL
with plow and stability and control
329 SW and swings through the air with ease.

 

[Hit 'em clean]

Clash 98, Gravity Pro, Speed Pro 360+ are all head light frames within 11.5 to 11.7oz that provide as much power or better than the Blade. Haven't it with the new Radical 360+ but the Pro and MP both sound like they might fit as well.

Welcome to the rabbit hole... and down we go

 

[EasternRocks]

Higher stiffness and a slightly thicker beam around the hoop versus the rest of the frame.