***nblade Club*** :^)

C

chowdhurynaveen

Rookie
Hello Everyone!

I have been using this frame for a month now (98 head size) and cant believe i have never even thought about hitting with it before. Truth be told, ive always been a mid person, ps85, pc600, MW200, pog mid, pk redondo mid, rdx500, rds001 mid, dnx10 mid, k90, and many more have always been my weapon of choice. Ive tried alot of MP frames as well, but have never felt comfortable enough to play with them for an extended period of time. This is the only one that i have felt truly at home with, it makes me want to wake up at 7am and hit the courts everyday! Its the only MP frame that i have ever used where i have to constantly check the specs on the racquet to make sure it isnt a mid, because it definently play like one but has the comfort of a 115 inch size frame!

Anyways, I feel this frame and its owners need a place where we can all call home, a place where we can all share our histories and how we eventually landed on this frame, what setup and technique we use:

-lead
-headsize
-overgrip and replaced grips
-strings
-dampeners
-playing style

And also what victories we have had with it!

By the way, out of all the frames i have used, i have never started a club for any of them, thats how confident i am about this frame! :D

**** So i figured that there are many different categories of people who enjoy using the nBlade- those who use it exclusively, those who use it for singles but not for doubles (and vice versa), those who have it amongst many other racquets but still enjoy hitting with it, those who demoed it and just really liked it, ect. So instead of declaring everyone as "iron clad never use any other racquet" club members, ive decided to just call those who like playing with the nBlade..... "nBlade Supporters." **** :D

nBlade Supporters (read the above paragraph)
#1 chowdhurynaveen
#2 circusmouse
#3 knasty131
#4 pusher
#5 ben42
#6 jayserinos99
#7 ambro
#8 ilian
#9 alafter
#10 fgs
#11 orly_yarly
#12 jjl
#13 chieface
#14 grapto
#15 keyblade
#16 akwila
#17 terrence Kuo
#18 dna
#19 megaforcetkd
#20 drummerboy
#21 meow02
#22 superphong
#23 squints
#24 omisoshiru
#25 anantak2k
#26 jbr
#27 lisaburton
#28 josef
#29 uw_husky88
#30 kotennis
#31 dacrymn
#32 the ripper
#33 nagaros4
#34 ayuan
#35 nn
#36 davidgarcia
#37 matt21
#38 pimpmygame
#39 nhstennis
#40 stinkypanda
#41 siow a
#42 p d
#43 ezdude1970
#44 nautilus1982
#45 carguy
#46 venus06
#47 haveheart
#48 tennismaster888
#49 2 cent
#50 panathas13
#51 bodacious dvt
#52 chudat
#53 kotennis
#54 superspiritgun
#55 adams_1
#56 tennisguy94
#57 dr325i
#58 simbah2004
#59 gamerx52986
#60 rincon
#61 jacko
 
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I don't even own one yet, just demoed a couple of times, but I want to join. That's how confident I am. Even if I don't end up buying, I'm still a big fan.
 
i definitely will always keep one of these in my bag...it is my current playing stick and i played my first collegiate tennis year with it...
 
Heres my story so far. :)

Been using it for a month now, playing everyday other day, my racquet history is above. I play it stock (98), no modifications, no lead (so far), no overgrip, with NXT OS @ 54 pds, and a wilson dampener. Also i am a flat hard hitter with some topspin for good measure ( sw grip ), 1hbh, flat server, baseliner who likes to come to the net when he has a definite finisher presented.

Just recently, i beat a 5.0+ college player that i have always had trouble with, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. It was a 2 hour and 30 min match with alot of long deuce battles. He says, i quote, "in the last set, i was so discourged by your crazy a** shotmaking, i just gave up, i was so frustrated." By the way, at the end of the second set, i took off my overgrip and played the racquet stock for the last set, i liked the balance much better. If i add an overgrip or leather grip in the future, i will definently add lead at 12 to bring the balance back to around 2pts headlight.
 
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chowdhurynaveen said:
Heres my story so far. :)

Been using it for a month now, playing everyday other day, my racquet history is above. I play it stock (98), no modifications, no lead (so far), no overgrip, with NXT OS @ 54 pds, and a wilson dampener. Also i am a flat hard hitter with some topspin for good measure ( sw grip ), 1hbh, flat server, baseliner who likes to come to the net when he has a definite finisher presented.

Just recently, i beat a 5.0+ college player that i have always had trouble with, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. It was a 2 hour and 30 min match with alot of long deuce battles. He says, i quote, "in the last set, i was so discourged by your crazy a** shotmaking, i just gave up, i was so frustrated." By the way, at the end of the second set, i took off my overgrip and played the racquet stock for the last set, i liked the balance much better. If i add an overgrip or leather grip in the future, i will definently add lead at 12 to bring the balance back to stock.
Click to expand...

all i did was replace the grip to leather and put roughly 3 grams extra lead in the handle...i string mine with a cyberflash/gosen micro hybrid...and FYI, anytime you add anything to a racket, you cant bring it back to stock by counterbalancing...you may be able to get the stock balance down, but thats it..
 
circusmouse- I think "confident" is going to be a reoccuring theme with those who discover this racquet, your going to love owning this one! :D

knasty131- lol, no prob, thanks for the support though! :D


Plain and simple everyone, i just want to see if there are others out there that are as satisfied as me. :)
 
knasty131 said:
oh...but im still not "joining the club"...i think thats a little...ehhh
Click to expand...

I'd agree with you, but the club is purely symbolic so it makes no difference. I guess it's just a way of feeling in league with others who love this unique racquet. But if they ever ask for dues, I'm out.
 
naveen - have u ever hit with the volk T10V mid? if by chance you have then please post your experience. thanks.
 
knasty131 said:
all i did was replace the grip to leather and put roughly 3 grams extra lead in the handle...i string mine with a cyberflash/gosen micro hybrid...and FYI, anytime you add anything to a racket, you cant bring it back to stock by counterbalancing...you may be able to get the stock balance down, but thats it..
Click to expand...

Your completely right! I totally misworded that, please forgive my lack of clarity. Ive edited and corrected my last post, thanks. :)
 
bad_call said:
naveen - have u ever hit with the volk T10V mid? if by chance you have then please post your experience. thanks.
Click to expand...

Ive tried this racket and in my experience it could be a very rewarding frame but didn't have that typical volkl feel...it also was extremely underpowered IMO but that has its advantages and disadvantages...in comparison to the nblade, the blade has way more of that buttery feel and is way more comfortable...but i think the t10VE mid was definitely better for serves..but then again i didnt get that good of a hit with the t10ve mid...

and even though i wont join the club, ill support with my findings of the nBlade
 
circusmouse said:
I'd agree with you, but the club is purely symbolic so it makes no difference. I guess it's just a way of feeling in league with others who love this unique racquet. But if they ever ask for dues, I'm out.
Click to expand...

No dues, knowledge and satisfaction are for free here!

bad_call said:
naveen - have u ever hit with the volk T10V mid? if by chance you have then please post your experience. thanks.
Click to expand...

Yes i have, i hit with it for about two weeks, it a very good frame, and is pretty easy on the arm. Its more geared towards flat hitters, and is equally good with 1hbh or 2hbh. If accuracy is the name of your game, this will fit you well, this frame is all about exact placement, but you have to bring your own power. My favorite shot though were slices, they were just so nasty! I even started using them constantly just so i could **** off my opponent, it was fun watching them trip all over themselves. But alas, i did not stick with it because, my hitting partners always said the ball speed on my forehands was outstanding, but if they could get to the ball, they felt it was very very easy to get it back deep and controlled. Basically, for me, i didnt hit a hugely heavy "hard to handle" ball with it. This is something that i value very much. I think lead in the hoop would fix this problem, but i still didnt keep it because i dont particularly like to fiddle with my frames too much. Regardless, if i had the money to start a collection, this would definitly be a frame i would include!
 
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The Nblade is a good hitting frame.

But I've sent 3 back to Wilson because they break right above the handle.

Guess I don't get to use the secret handshake.
 
WOW, they broke above the handle?

Was it a crack or a chip? Thats really unfortunate!!

Anyone else had this problem...concerned. :(
 
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chowdhurynaveen said:
WOW, they broke above the handle?

Was it a crack or a chip? Thats really unfortunate!!

Anyone else had this problem...concerned. :(
Click to expand...

It looks like a crack in the paint to start then eventually it just breaks.
The racquets were used by my son (17) and he is a tournament player and he hits hard against other good players. Club players would probably not have the problem. The last one I bought in February and I sent it to Wilson today.
 
Pusher said:
The Nblade is a good hitting frame.

But I've sent 3 back to Wilson because they break right above the handle.

Guess I don't get to use the secret handshake.
Click to expand...

Ofcourse you get to use the secret handshake, we especially honor those who have had fallen soldiers under their wings! ;)
 
I play the old nPro 98. I know it's a different layup (stiffer, I think it's a 68), and weird string pattern (18x18 ), but it's the same mold.

Can I still join?
 
knasty and naveen - thanx for your comments. i'll keep the nblade in mind when the time comes. right now still digging the T10V mid. need to get some serious matches that test...
 
I guess I would be a member of many clubs...but I just recently pulled out my nblade strung with Pacific Toughgut at mid 50s tension and I must say it is one solid stick. It has a Fairway leather grip + 1 Wilson overgrip; I use a rubber band damper with 2 knots. I hope to play with it a bit more...but I am pleasantly surprised by this frame.
 
Count me in. Recent switcher to the frame.

I play the Midplus 4 3/8 frame with no lead, but with a Babolat leather grip plus Wilson Pro Overgrip. Strung with Poly/Multi hybrid at 55 lb. Great stick.
 
I loved it from the first time I hit a ball with it... As a matter of fact, I have been dissappointed by all of the racquets I have used since I was 15 (I have played with many) cause they are simply not comfortable and extremely stiff. I used to play with a Dunlop MAX 200G, which to me is the best tennis racquet ever made, and I never could find anything that could come close to it, but the nBlade suits me and I am confident enough to say that it is the best racquet for me since the Dunlop MAX 200G.
 
Is this the happy affeminated males association? No, it's the nBlade club! Mmm Mmmm well color-me-there!

I use the OS version. I am a baseliner. It's a good stick.
 
***update***

I just put up a list of all the new nBlade users on the original post. Keep em coming!! :D

Jayserinos99, ambro, ilian, alafter- welcome!

Question for everyone, i see alot of leather grip mods, but no lead applications yet, anyone venture down that path of experimentation yet? The nBlade seems like a great platform for lead tinkering.
 
chowdhurynaveen said:
***update***

I just put up a list of all the new nBlade users on the original post. Keep em coming!! :D

Jayserinos99, ambro, ilian, alafter- welcome!

Question for everyone, i see alot of leather grip mods, but no lead applications yet, anyone venture down that path of experimentation yet? The nBlade seems like a great platform for lead tinkering.
Click to expand...

Thanks and I agree with you! I am very interested in how the racquet will behave when leaded.
 
be careful when leading this racket...the already high SW can be tricky...unless youre attempting the fizzled out trend of SW2
 
What's this "club" crap all of a sudden. It's a damn racquet, not a pop singer or politician. Just more hype for mostly inferior products.
 
Phil said:
What's this "club" crap all of a sudden. It's a damn racquet, not a pop singer or politician. Just more hype for mostly inferior products.
Click to expand...

Awwwwwwwww phil, look at you. Dont be so naughty now. Oh looky-looky-look at chu...all angry and no funny-funny?
 
Relax phil, theres no need to be so angry. Its a tennis racquet forum, where else would we express our passions and inquiries about the game of tennis, or the tools used there in? :)

Please lets not spoil the good hearted atmosphere we have enjoyed so far in this thread, it would be a shame.
 
Phil said:
Answer my question, please!
Click to expand...
*Lights a pipe*

Ahhhh Phil. There's no why, Philly philly! I see you're having the "why" stage....

*puffs*
Inferior or not, whether it's a toilet seat with strings glued to it, a living object or inanimate, a club is just a gathering to show how much you like what you like!
 
Alafter said:
*Lights a pipe*

Ahhhh Phil. There's no why, Philly philly! I see you're having the "why" stage....

*puffs*
Inferior or not, whether it's a toilet seat with strings glued to it, a living object or inanimate, a club is just a gathering to show how much you like what you like!
Click to expand...

Why aren't you two-clamchowder too-giving me a straight answer! Answer my question, please!
 
phil,
first, you did not put any question mark, so nobody thought it was a question. second, what's YOUR problem with anyone wanting to join a club? third, why do you consider the nblade an inferior product? fourth, what would be a superior product in your opinion?

regarding the blades,
i think that there is no secret that i play the os version and that i really love this frame.
i am an aggressive baseliner hitting lots pf topspin off both sides, play mostly singles but get quite a lot of doubles action in tournaments only (!) as of lately (playing more serve & volley). i play a 2hbh, so contrary to some opinions of other users, i find this stick very well suited for the 2hbh too (1hbh slice though). this year i started to play 40+ tournaments, so i would say that my pleasure comes not only from hitting but also from winning.
started tennis at an early age (6yrs.) and played until 22 competitively. last two years mostly injured so i decided to leave the game and left it for 19 years (with the exception of a few "social" encounters, where i simply HAD to play). got back into the game in september 2005 because my son (almost 8 now) wanted to start to play after watching us open on tv.

my 106 blades setup: leather grip, no overgrip, 12g lead total at 11 and 1 o'clock, n-trap vibe damper, nxt tour 16g strings at 51lbs mains / 49lbs crosses - this gets to 337g static, 1pt headheavy balance, very high swingweight!
 
fgs said:
phil,
first, you did not put any question mark, so nobody thought it was a question. second, what's YOUR problem with anyone wanting to join a club?
Click to expand...
Answer it, please! And, "clubs" are code words for exclusionary policies.

third, why do you consider the nblade an inferior product? fourth, what would be a superior product in your opinion?
Click to expand...
Because anything with a name that sounds like the newest NATO fighter jet is gonna suck-it's all about gettin' suckers to buy this stuff, and a kool high tech name gets 'em every time. Superior product? Mebe many racquets produced before around 1996 or so...not all, but many. Materials and quality control were better and not everything was cheap Chinese-made junk. Also, more emphasis on quality of the product rather than quality of the marketing campaign. "nBlade"-c'mon, gimme a break! ANswer it, please!
 
Phil said:
Because anything with a name that sounds like the newest NATO fighter jet is gonna suck-it's all about gettin' suckers to buy this stuff, and a kool high tech name gets 'em every time. Superior product? Mebe many racquets produced before around 1996 or so...not all, but many. Materials and quality control were better and not everything was cheap Chinese-made junk. Also, more emphasis on quality of the product rather than quality of the marketing campaign. "nBlade"-c'mon, gimme a break! ANswer it, please!
Click to expand...

I love how losers hate everything today and claim everything yesterday to be superior. Do you use internet or cell phone?

QQ more.

PS

We're trying to have a little fun here, if you dont enjoy, GT*O. Simple?


Back to topic, although I don't own an nBlade, I liked it a lot when I demo'd it. May I join the club and be a 'supporter'? ^_^

<3
 
Yes...please...back on topic...I just got a reel of Pro Supex Premier ace 17g and am going to be comparing it to weissCANNON Silverstring in the nBlade. I prefer Poly/synthetic hybrids so when I try both out, it will be with Gosen OG Micro 17g and I think I will string them both at 59 mains and 61 crosses...this will be a little later though...I get cleared on may 16th from my shoulder surgery
 
fgs said:
phil,
first, you did not put any question mark, so nobody thought it was a question. second, what's YOUR problem with anyone wanting to join a club? third, why do you consider the nblade an inferior product? fourth, what would be a superior product in your opinion?

regarding the blades,
i think that there is no secret that i play the os version and that i really love this frame.
i am an aggressive baseliner hitting lots pf topspin off both sides, play mostly singles but get quite a lot of doubles action in tournaments only (!) as of lately (playing more serve & volley). i play a 2hbh, so contrary to some opinions of other users, i find this stick very well suited for the 2hbh too (1hbh slice though). this year i started to play 40+ tournaments, so i would say that my pleasure comes not only from hitting but also from winning.
started tennis at an early age (6yrs.) and played until 22 competitively. last two years mostly injured so i decided to leave the game and left it for 19 years (with the exception of a few "social" encounters, where i simply HAD to play). got back into the game in september 2005 because my son (almost 8 now) wanted to start to play after watching us open on tv.

my 106 blades setup: leather grip, no overgrip, 12g lead total at 11 and 1 o'clock, n-trap vibe damper, nxt tour 16g strings at 51lbs mains / 49lbs crosses - this gets to 337g static, 1pt headheavy balance, very high swingweight!
Click to expand...

Welcome fgs, great to see you here!! i know from your previous posts that you have been using the nblade for a while so im very interested to customize my setup similar to yours since i have that same love for the baseline as you do! :)

Orly_Yarly said:
I love how losers hate everything today and claim everything yesterday to be superior. Do you use internet or cell phone?

QQ more.

PS

We're trying to have a little fun here, if you dont enjoy, GT*O. Simple?


Back to topic, although I don't own an nBlade, I liked it a lot when I demo'd it. May I join the club and be a 'supporter'? ^_^

<3
Click to expand...

Welcome Orly_Yarly!! Thanks for the support!! What frame do you use now, and how does it compare to the nbalde? I like hitting with different frames for fun, im usually pretty flat hitter, but if the mood strikes me, ill pull out my pog mid and spin away! Interested to here your comparison! :)

As for the phil, i think he epitomizes the phrase, "you cant reason with the unreasonable." What ever logic we throw his way, his unfounded anger and misplaced disgust will prevent him from hearing our valid comments. Please take your interminable quarrel some where else, and leave us to our discussion...please.
 
fgs and orly_yarly, ive added you guys to the list, thanks for the support!

Regarding the nblade, ive been trying out a couple of strings and have found that so far, nxt os (1.28mm) @ 54 pounds plays the best for me. Good grip on the ball, excellent control with medium power, but when you go for winners, the power just heats up to gives you an extremely penetrating ball.
Also, im not super fond of the stock true grip, so i replaced it with a prince air cushion grip and put a wilson pro overgrip on top of that. I have found that this setup preserve the original balance and weight (got it tested on a rdc flex/weight/balance machine) since the prince grip is a bit lighter than the true grip.

Happy Hitting! :)
 
chowdhurynaveen,
i started playing the blades in late october last year, after the tournament season finished, but i had made up my mind already during summer, when i was basically looking for a racquet for my wife.
i want to draw to your attention that the way i balance my racquets is really weird (if not sick!). i used to do this way back in my junior years with the donnay borg pros and previously allwoods - i always liked them slightly headheavy and noone was talking swingweight back than. i kept it this way even after i have switched to graphite racquets and one and a half years ago when i started out again, i just couldn't keep from getting back to it. so, the only difference is the static weight, which has constantly gone down from some 430g on the woodies way back then to currently 337g on the 106 blades. but the swingweight of my setup seems to be somewhere around the 410-420range, so i think it is reasonable to issue a warning.
i am quite a conservative guy and am not really tweaking around a lot. the only things i do try from time to time is strings, but if i tell you that i have played/tested "only" 8 different strings since september 05 and i get about 8-10 hrs. per set, you can get a picture of me calling myself conservative. i like soft multis and could not make friends with polys so far, and i don't think i'll try any more any time soon - i simply am satisfied with what i get from the nxt tour and like to concentrate on "regaining" my game - well, we all know that it will never happen since i too get older every day, but i still feel that there is some place for improvement.

phil,
dear phil, yes, i am a sucker, i bought this product, this very low grade piece of trash, this nato-fighter gimmick, this marketing hype, yes, they got to my brain, they made me love it, they hit the target with me, these obscene marketing guys - i'm the blade runner, i slice my opponents to pieces.
now, every club is something elitist if you look at it from a certain perspective, but the nblade club, or the prestige club or the prince club are all member clubs of the tennis community club, which itself faces the soccer clubs, the poker clubs, the snooker clubs, the whatever-you-like-clubs. i don't think there needs to be "war" but a peaceful coexistence is the most meaningfull, since it would allow us all to also dedicate our time to our hobbies (club-activities).
so, your question without questionmark is "what's this club crap all of a sudden" (?). my answer to your question is simply "i don't know". what i know and what i want is to share my experiences and opinions with other people that use the same product - in this case the nblade racquets made by wilson. the simple fact that we bought this racquet is already exclusionary, if i'm allowed to use your term, because it excludes the other racquets we have not bought for what reason ever. listening to some wonderful music by nusrat fateh ali khan might level you a little bit - give it a try and enjoy, as we enjoy our blades.
 
Thanks for the great club, chowdhurynaveen! :D

I've been having some shoulder problems so I am not really playing much. These days I'm using my friend's Agassi limited edition. It's a nice racquet but the SW is a little too high and it doesnt suit my 1hbh well. I liked the nBlade a lot when I demo’d it although I wish it was a bit heavier. I'm more of a flat hitter and usually prefer denser string pattern. With the nBlade I could generate decent spin as well. I'm curious how arm/shoulder friendly it is (also interested in the Redondo but TW doesnt carry it anymore)
 
Well, Phil, you're not giving it much of a chance, are you? Keep an open mind.
Oh, and generally people make "clubs" because they tend to stay alive longer than if someone just decided to make a thread called, "lets talk about racket so and so."

I must say even though I don't have this racket, I'm interested in trying it. How's the spin capacity on this? Especially on serve?
________
silver surfer vaporizer
 
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I like Phil's statement about exclusivity, considering that this is a completely informal club that anyone can "join" simply by posting in this thread. There have already been two people who've joined without owning blades.

To answer your question, dacrymn, the spin potential is solid, though not comparable to open pattern racquets. I found it very easy to hit kick serves wide on the ad side with the blade. The ball doesn't kick as high as with some racquets, but the response is very reliable. I'd rather hit a lot of good serves than hit some great serves.
 
Hmmm.... Thanks circusmouse. All I'm asking, though, is that is there sufficient spin to bring the ball down into the court for good serve percentage? How much do you have to conciously "put spin on the ball?" I know this is highly subjective, but i'm just kinda checking it out right now. Thanks.
________
no2 vaporizer
 
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I had no trouble hitting flat first serves or spin serves in. I didn't have to focus on spin any more than normal. Second serves were also fine. Like I said, the ball may not bounce quite as high, but this racquet produces plenty of spin as long as you accelerate through contact. You really do have to have a fast swing to use this racquet properly, IMO, which makes it perfect for those of us who have naturally fast strokes. What I noticed most when serving with this racquet was that it was easy to aim, due to the tight string pattern I suspect. It's definitely worth a demo.
 
the spin potential is solid - that is a good way to describe it. it's solid on groundstrokes and it is solid on the serve too, but, as 'circusmouse' already correctly stated, you need to have the proper technique, in this case fast swings, to get reliable and satisfying results. this racquet is not a spin monster. you also have to take into account that is has a rather high swingweight already in stock form, so that you need to really be able to swing it fast in order to get the spin.
 
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