VOLLEY KING
Banned
Intro:
I was really psyched to compare these two sticks because they are so similar in specs.
The cool thing about the Donnay is that with the customization it can either play like the Kblade or the Kblade tour.
Depending on the day or the conditions of the weather you can decide without the need for dealing with lead tape .
The Donnay Pro one 18x20 is basically a more powerful and more maneuverable Kblade .
It's as if Donnay sought to make an improved version of the Kblade.
It's like a Kblade on steroids
It's should be noted that the Donnay Pro one 18x20 comes out in the spring . However it's merely a Donnay dual pro with a paint job and a new name . You can still purchase at Donnay or wherever or wait for the new paintjob here at TW.
Control:
DP 9/10
KB 8/10
Both sticks were near perfect on control. I could pinpoint shots and the feel is similar on both sticks.
But the Donnays ever so slightly smaller head size made it just a tad more maneuverable.
This is an example of why I say the Donnay is a Kblade on steroids .
It's as of Donnay sought out to target the Kblade and just tweak it ever so slightly .
Power:
DP : 7/10
Kn: 6 /10
Both racquets are underpowered for my game. Basically I'm not good enough for either stick. That's why I played with the Babolat and now the
Donnay pro one 16x19 version.
Having said all that , the power department is where the Donnay has the Kblade beat.
The Donnay is just a bit more powerful and although the beam is ever so slightly thicker for more power they also lowered the head size by one inch.
The result is a bit more power with zero loss in control.
Pop in the customization and "viola" you have a Kblade tour but again just tweaked a bit for more power and control
slice:
Dp :8/10
Kb: 7/10
As all Donnays these things slice great. I'll put a Donnay up against any stick in the slice department .
The slightly smaller head size and the increase in power just gave the Donnay a bit of the edge here. The donnay just has slightly more bite.
Topspin:
DP : 8/10
Kb :7/10
frankly Im not a great topspinner and admittedly I cant give a good review in this department. But I would say Like everything else I just got a bit more with the Donnay.
Donnay has a bit more Power with no loss in control .
Serves
DP : 7/10
KB 6/10
Both had perfect control on the serves but I could not generate nearly as much power with the Blade as with the Donnay .
Once again the Donnay is just a hair better.
Volleys:
Dp: 9/10
Kb: 8/10
Both sticks were near perfect. The control was all there and the volleys were penetrating.
Touch and droppers
DP9/10
KB 8/10
The 97 square Inch of the Donnay just proved to be just slightly more maneuverable for the droppers.
They are so close in this department that if you closed your eyes it would be difficult to tell which racquet you were playing with .
return of serve:
DP: 7/10
Kb : 6/10
The DP had just a little more power for deeper returns and was bit more stable due to a slightly thicker beam.
Arm friendliness
DP: 8/10
Kb : 6/10
Here is the one area where the Donnay beats out the Kblade by quite a bit.
It's a flexier racquet at 64 compared to the kblades 67.
It's a bit of a softer touch and much more elbow friendly . I found the Donnay to be better on late forehands as well with less shock to the arm.
Conclusion:
I'm not good enough for either of the sticks, but I found it easier to play with the DP.
I think if your a very accomplished player who likes a k90 then you may like the blade better . But I stress the word "may". The DP just seems to do everything a touch better.
The cool thing about the DP as all
Donnays is that you can customize without the need for lead tape.
The customization on these pro ones more so than any other Donnays I found makes a huge difference . It's almost like playing with a different racquet.
The thing I like about it is that the court inditions change for very match I play, the way I'm feeling changes, the surface , and even the string tension.
The ease of customizing on this racquet is a big deal. Conditions change from day to day and now so can my racquet.
The numbers :
Head Size
DP 97in² / 626cm²
KB 98in² / 632cm²
Length
DP27.00in / 68.58cm kB27.00in / 68.58cm
Weight
DP 11.50oz / 326g
KB 11.10oz / 315g
Balance Point
DP 4pts HL
Kb 3pts HL
Swing Weight
DP 327
KB 325
Frame Stiffness
DP 64
KB 67
Beam Width
DP 21.5mm
KB 20.0mm
Tip / Shaft
DP 21.5mm / 21.5mm
KB 20.0mm / 20.0mm
Power Level
DP Low-
KB Low
String Pattern
DP 18 Mains / 20Crosses
KB 18 Mains / 20 Crosses
I was really psyched to compare these two sticks because they are so similar in specs.
The cool thing about the Donnay is that with the customization it can either play like the Kblade or the Kblade tour.
Depending on the day or the conditions of the weather you can decide without the need for dealing with lead tape .
The Donnay Pro one 18x20 is basically a more powerful and more maneuverable Kblade .
It's as if Donnay sought to make an improved version of the Kblade.
It's like a Kblade on steroids
It's should be noted that the Donnay Pro one 18x20 comes out in the spring . However it's merely a Donnay dual pro with a paint job and a new name . You can still purchase at Donnay or wherever or wait for the new paintjob here at TW.
Control:
DP 9/10
KB 8/10
Both sticks were near perfect on control. I could pinpoint shots and the feel is similar on both sticks.
But the Donnays ever so slightly smaller head size made it just a tad more maneuverable.
This is an example of why I say the Donnay is a Kblade on steroids .
It's as of Donnay sought out to target the Kblade and just tweak it ever so slightly .
Power:
DP : 7/10
Kn: 6 /10
Both racquets are underpowered for my game. Basically I'm not good enough for either stick. That's why I played with the Babolat and now the
Donnay pro one 16x19 version.
Having said all that , the power department is where the Donnay has the Kblade beat.
The Donnay is just a bit more powerful and although the beam is ever so slightly thicker for more power they also lowered the head size by one inch.
The result is a bit more power with zero loss in control.
Pop in the customization and "viola" you have a Kblade tour but again just tweaked a bit for more power and control
slice:
Dp :8/10
Kb: 7/10
As all Donnays these things slice great. I'll put a Donnay up against any stick in the slice department .
The slightly smaller head size and the increase in power just gave the Donnay a bit of the edge here. The donnay just has slightly more bite.
Topspin:
DP : 8/10
Kb :7/10
frankly Im not a great topspinner and admittedly I cant give a good review in this department. But I would say Like everything else I just got a bit more with the Donnay.
Donnay has a bit more Power with no loss in control .
Serves
DP : 7/10
KB 6/10
Both had perfect control on the serves but I could not generate nearly as much power with the Blade as with the Donnay .
Once again the Donnay is just a hair better.
Volleys:
Dp: 9/10
Kb: 8/10
Both sticks were near perfect. The control was all there and the volleys were penetrating.
Touch and droppers
DP9/10
KB 8/10
The 97 square Inch of the Donnay just proved to be just slightly more maneuverable for the droppers.
They are so close in this department that if you closed your eyes it would be difficult to tell which racquet you were playing with .
return of serve:
DP: 7/10
Kb : 6/10
The DP had just a little more power for deeper returns and was bit more stable due to a slightly thicker beam.
Arm friendliness
DP: 8/10
Kb : 6/10
Here is the one area where the Donnay beats out the Kblade by quite a bit.
It's a flexier racquet at 64 compared to the kblades 67.
It's a bit of a softer touch and much more elbow friendly . I found the Donnay to be better on late forehands as well with less shock to the arm.
Conclusion:
I'm not good enough for either of the sticks, but I found it easier to play with the DP.
I think if your a very accomplished player who likes a k90 then you may like the blade better . But I stress the word "may". The DP just seems to do everything a touch better.
The cool thing about the DP as all
Donnays is that you can customize without the need for lead tape.
The customization on these pro ones more so than any other Donnays I found makes a huge difference . It's almost like playing with a different racquet.
The thing I like about it is that the court inditions change for very match I play, the way I'm feeling changes, the surface , and even the string tension.
The ease of customizing on this racquet is a big deal. Conditions change from day to day and now so can my racquet.
The numbers :
Head Size
DP 97in² / 626cm²
KB 98in² / 632cm²
Length
DP27.00in / 68.58cm kB27.00in / 68.58cm
Weight
DP 11.50oz / 326g
KB 11.10oz / 315g
Balance Point
DP 4pts HL
Kb 3pts HL
Swing Weight
DP 327
KB 325
Frame Stiffness
DP 64
KB 67
Beam Width
DP 21.5mm
KB 20.0mm
Tip / Shaft
DP 21.5mm / 21.5mm
KB 20.0mm / 20.0mm
Power Level
DP Low-
KB Low
String Pattern
DP 18 Mains / 20Crosses
KB 18 Mains / 20 Crosses
Last edited:
