Just picked up my demos excited to try them out after reading all your feedback. Let's see if one of these pull me away from my DR.
It's been raining all week, so my demos have been cut down to only 3hrs with both racquets. Caveats off the bat: Short demo time. Both racquets were an L2, I'm usually an L3. The HD was strung with a FB of YPTP (and seemed quite worn in) which I don't usually love... hoping that doesn't influence my opinion. This was my first time hitting with 18x20 racquets.
Initial thoughts
VCP HD: I honestly thought reading the reviews this stick was going to be magic.. 59 RA! I found this to hit much stiffer than that unfortunately. There was a plastic-y feel to it that reminded me of the new EZONE (and again it could have been the YPTP). Not quite as stiff in the upper hoop, but there were some similarities. I was shocked however at how manoeuvrable the racquet was, I wouldn't have thought it was 10g heavier than my DR, (it almost felt lighter!) as it cuts through the air superbly. On my groundstrokes I found that I really had to step into my forehand, but that could have been an adjustment to the pattern I don't know. On my OHBH I found it similar to my DR but with a bit more precision. I thought it really excelled on my backhand slice, drop shots and volleys. At net is where I was really impressed... I wish my DR played that well. Serves were fine, I didn't notice any pros or cons. Return of serves were appreciated I wasn't getting pushed around as much as I do with the DR.
Blade 18x20 v7: This one shocked me. I demoed the 104 CV back in the day and hated it, found it a clumsy racquet with no feel. This one was the opposite. If my DR's flex is pillowy, this one is buttery... and my impression was that there was more feel at contact as well — something that I think is lost in the DR (it's almost too plush). I don't know if my style and form are evolving, but I really really appreciated this higher swingweight; and while it's a lighter racquet, it felt heftier than the HD. My forehands were noticeably more consistent and heavier, however, I struggled to find my timing with my OHBH and was shanking it a bit. Same comment about volleys, I loved this at net, found I could pick my points well. Serve I wasn't landing my first as consistently as the HD, but my slice and kick were ripping.
I've been a Yonex fanboy for some time now, but the Wilson definitely has me interested. Will I leave my DR anytime soon? No, but I might want to re-demo the 18x20 v7 and the 16x19 v7 and add one of those to my bag — it was really really fun play.
Verdict
VCP HD: I'd text the next day, thanks for the coffee yesterday! I think you're great, but I don't know if we quite connected. I wish you all the best!
Blade v7: I'd text the next day, hey, that was a lot of fun! I'd really like to hang out again, are you free for dinner next Tuesday?