Notorious_Junkballer
Hall of Fame
What is parallel drilling?
Live by the Blade...Die by the Blade...
- Thread starter danbrenner
- Start date
gutfeeling
Hall of Fame
The 2015 BLX amplifeel is more firm and less muted than the v7 flexfeel. It is also less muted than the v6 countervail, but roughly the same firmness. If you can find a kBlade 98 I highly recommend it. Best blade imo.
anhtuanngo
Semi-Pro
basically it allows the strings to be straighter when passing through the grommets. see pic below.
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Notorious_Junkballer
Hall of Fame
anhtuanngo
Semi-Pro
that's the 2013Is it this one:
Tennis-Point
mobile.tennis-point.com
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gutfeeling
Hall of Fame
Keep in mind the 16x19 and 18x20 have different weight distributions and responses even though their static weight and balance are the same. So their feel and response will be different.Is it this one:
Tennis-Point
CiscoPC600
Hall of Fame
So far you’re the only person advocating for the kBlade lol. Nothing wrong with that though. The consensus is the 2015 blade is the best. I haven’t tried it though.
gutfeeling
Hall of Fame
Not a lot of people have since it’s one of the older versions. I’ve actually tried every blade except the nBlade. At least I can almost definitively say which blade is the best, imo. @dr325i which is the best blade?
Roland G
Hall of Fame
For me the 2013 version is a bit crisper which I like and also a tad more powerful. The 2015 is a great frame but for my needs the 2013 just pips it
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Notorious_Junkballer
Hall of Fame
I'm only days away from ordering my first Blade (v7 18x20). What string would you recommend? In comfy racquets I tend to use polys that offer nice feeling (pocketing without boardiness) and lite extra power.
anhtuanngo
Semi-Pro
I would recommend string project magic.
I swore off full bed poly's until it was recommended by tennisnerd dot net
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AJvR
Rookie
Ice Code or Razor Code.
Notorious_Junkballer
Hall of Fame
I've used them both. Just restrung my other CX200 with Razor Code White 18.
Nice strings. Pretty stiff on paper but yet very comfy and a good amount of pop.
Roland G
Hall of Fame
Hard to go wrong with Alu Power or Alu Rough in a Blade. Cyclone or Hyper G are good too
McGradey
Hall of Fame
I've got a full bed of Cyclone atm and enjoying it, but due for a restring soon and was thinking of trying Hyper G.
If you've tried both, how do they compare for you?
Injured Again
Hall of Fame
Silver 7 Tour in 17 gauge, strung at around 44 pounds, works really nicely in that racquet.
Holdfast44ID
Semi-Pro
I think this thread covers all versions of the Blade. The other big thread covers the latest version, specifically. ???
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Roland G
Hall of Fame
Yes, tried both and like both but would give the edge to Hyper G. Nicer feel and lasts longer
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may i ask where you got them from and the "tolerances" between the four....
SaaKha
Semi-Pro
Hi, I am going to try out a friend's Blade 98S (CV version) to try out the interesting string pattern and see if this is something I would like - what tension do you all recommend for this racquet to get good enough control and avoid getting too high of a launch angle? I typically string low-mid 50's on most conventional string patterns (16x19, 18x20). Would I need to go a little bit higher in tension than what I'm used to on traditional racquets?
Injured Again
Hall of Fame
I string up this racquet for a player who hits a very hard, flat ball (I'm suggesting this player move to the v7 Blade 98). He has amazing hands and control with it strung with Element 1.25 at 53 pounds. I think it only needs 31 feet of string to do it one piece.
parasailing
Legend
Hyper-G works well in the Blade. The amount of bite, control, and spin you can get from this string is amazing. Unfortunately, the stiffness is the only downside to the string so hoping Hyper-G soft gets release in a few months that will address the only short coming of the string.
CiscoPC600
Hall of Fame
I sold my VCORE 95 frames and sticking to the 2013 Blade. I have the strings pretty much down but I might keep messing with it until I find the perfect combination of playability duration and price.
On a different note, I know I saw this somewhere else but I want to confirm I have the correct information:
On a different note, I know I saw this somewhere else but I want to confirm I have the correct information:
- v1: 2007 - nBlade 98 (nCode)
- v2: 2008 - kBlade 98 (kFactor)
- v3: 2010 - BLX Blade 98
- v4: 2013 - BLX Amplifeel 98
- v5: 2015 - Blade 98 (parallel drilling)
- v6: 2016 - Blade Countervail 98
- v7: 2019 - Blade Flex Feel 98
i think that the 2017 CV version is underrated (not as bad as people say) and the v7 is overrated. V7 doesnt come close to the 2015 unless you like the Clash-y feel.
CiscoPC600
Hall of Fame
Ohh of the CVs I had were so far off factory spec that I probably didn’t get a true chance to test it. I hated how head heavy mine were and that overall feel.
DJTaurus
Hall of Fame
Only 18x20 V7 is worth demoing on my opinion. Tried all of V7s and V6s. I am a 2015 sex addict. Did you also try VC98 or only VC95?
CiscoPC600
Hall of Fame
Only VCORE95. I played with it for two years. Great frame.
Firepandas
Rookie
So I have 3 2015 Blades and I want to make sure I can play with them for as long as possible. Where would you guys recommend that I get replacement grommets and head guards from?
TW has them, but i think any grommet 2015+ fits. May need to confirm.
CiscoPC600
Hall of Fame
Doesn't look like TW has grommets for the 2013 version
jmysun
Rookie
Doesn't look like TW has grommets for the 2013 version
i used to own this blade, but recently sold them. grommets are discontinued/hard to find and expensive. if you need some here is a guy selling some. If you're going to use it as your main stick, stock up while you can before they're long gone.
gutfeeling
Hall of Fame
If someone needs 2013/kBlade grommets send me a private message.
CiscoPC600
Hall of Fame
So far I've played with 4G/NG, GrappleSnake Tour Sniper, fullbed 4G, and ALU Power Ice, and the best setup seems to be in that order. Unfortunately, the 1.30mm Luxilon NG snapped on a forehand mishit near the top of the hoop despite no issues with the string installation. It was only the fourth day of use which makes this setup financially not cost-effective. I will use the second half set and hope for better luck but I might go back to my reel of Tour Sniper. The quest for a poly with great playability duration continues.. Perhaps I should just give up on worrying about playability (trampoline or deadness) and notching, and instead just buy the cheapest pre-stretched poly to replace every two weeks.
gutfeeling
Hall of Fame
4G/natural gut is a very high performing setup with decent longevity. I prefer the 4G in the mains if the racquet has a stiff hoop and the opposite for a more flexible racquet. The natural gut crosses soften the response in my experience. Stiff hoops tend to have higher launch angles so I find gut mains counterproductive in them. The 4G mains actually crap out before the natural gut. I think your experience was maybe just a fluke.
I have the same perspective on full beds of poly - after the first or second drop-off in playability they either become too loose (e.g. ALU) or too harsh (e.g. 4G) or somewhere in between.
CiscoPC600
Hall of Fame
I don't consider the 2013 Blade to have a high launch angle or be stiff but, regardless, I decided to put the NG in the mains so that when 4G crapped out I would still primarily get the NG's properties.
gutfeeling
Hall of Fame
I would consider 18x20 blades good candidates for natural gut mains. Relatively softer hoops and lower launch angles compared to tweeners with more open string patterns.
D
Deleted member 768841
Guest
I just put a head leather grip on my blade 18/20, and it feels like a tank now. Pretty heavy, I need to weigh it with a proper scale because I lost one of mine. Maybe a little too heavy, but at least I know it will be stable!
AGEE
New User
Swing weight between CV and V7 is like 318 vs 328. Is this is correct? Is CV is easier to swing?
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Power Player
Bionic Poster
Gonna try and dodge the rain today and switch between a 2015 Blade and a V7 for comparison. Both weigh the same, but I suspect the SW on the 2015 is a little lower.
Thing I like about the Blades is you can try different versions out and it's not really a huge adjustment.
Thing I like about the Blades is you can try different versions out and it's not really a huge adjustment.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
First hit with the 2015?
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Yes. Great success. I loved it. Simple transition from the v7. I just took it to my coach lol. I love the feel and it was very easy to put the ball into the corners. Gave me a ton of confidence to go for my shots, which is what im used to with the Blade.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, man.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, man.
I dont think I ever doubted you on this! it was more the challenge of tracking one down at a low cost.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
how does it compare to the v7? You know what i prefer since I still have 2x 2015s and sold my v7.
