Official Wilson Clash thread
- Thread starter TagUrIt
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Hi guys, my treadth is dead 
so ill try here. I want a buy clash rackets, Which one is better 100/100tour/98 ? Pros/cons ? Now im using my vcore95 , decent racket, but boring for my forehand spin, for backand flat is good. Im thinking more about 100 tour or 98 becasue i will put weight and balance little up, i want make someting like 317grams 314 balance 300+- sw unstrung.Before yonex i played pure strike 98 16x19, an i love pure aero racket but i cant handle them because of stiffnes and pain in shoulder. Thats why i choose clash series. So 100tour or 98? Thanks for reply
so ill try here. I want a buy clash rackets, Which one is better 100/100tour/98 ? Pros/cons ? Now im using my vcore95 , decent racket, but boring for my forehand spin, for backand flat is good. Im thinking more about 100 tour or 98 becasue i will put weight and balance little up, i want make someting like 317grams 314 balance 300+- sw unstrung.Before yonex i played pure strike 98 16x19, an i love pure aero racket but i cant handle them because of stiffnes and pain in shoulder. Thats why i choose clash series. So 100tour or 98? Thanks for replyI used to play with the PA (2016) but it was to powerful for me. Switched to the PS (PO7) that I really liked, good power and spin together with control. Unfortunately it was to stiff and after 8 months my elbow couldn't handle it. I moved on to the Blade CV 16x19 but was missing some power and spin. Tried the Clash 98 based on comparisons between the 98 and the Blade v7. Read a lot of reviews that you need to give the Clash time to get use to the feel but I loved it from the first hit (despite coming from stiff Babolats and never used more traditional raquets). Loved the feel, power, spin and control. Based on what I remember from the PO7 (been a year since I last used it so heard to give a direct comparision) the Clash 98 is a very good alternative that provides similar characteristics but with much better comfort. I have also tried the 100 Pro but for me the 98 is the better racquet in the same way I preffered the PS over the PA. So my advice (besides demoing them side by side...) would be if you prefer PA (comfort aside) go with the Pro, if you prefer the PS go with the 98.
One sidenote regarding the comfort of the Clash series. I bought a second Clash 98 used that I have played with for one month. Was informed that it was strung with Wilson Revolve so kept playing with the strings (due to some lingering elbow pain I try to use polys on the softer side). Yesterday I discovered that it is actually strung with RPM Team with a stiffness of 280!
One sidenote regarding the comfort of the Clash series. I bought a second Clash 98 used that I have played with for one month. Was informed that it was strung with Wilson Revolve so kept playing with the strings (due to some lingering elbow pain I try to use polys on the softer side). Yesterday I discovered that it is actually strung with RPM Team with a stiffness of 280!
tennisintheeighties
Semi-Pro
Still surprised to do not see ATP professional player with a Clash 100 or 98
maybe 2021
maybe 2021
Rawen, i played Pure strike 98 PO7 too maybe year and half, same problem like you awesome racket but too stiff, my arm was dead after year, i played new gen pure strike 98 16x19 too maybe 3 months , thats was absolutly **** ! too muted, too powerfull, no feel and still stiff. Last longer period with pure aero i played with aero pro drive and plus version (2015 models) 2-3 years ago. I tried my friend pure aero for 3sets it was awesome(2months ago), i won, my forehand was best. Game was really fun from my side, but after 3sets i felt little bit of pain in shoulder again. Btw im using yonex polytour pro 1.25, its really comfortable poly. On stiffer frame you still feel it but on more flexi frames its awesome. Back to clash, i dont know, im reading this thred, its 50% people like more 98 50% like more 100 tour. In my city i havent opinion demo racket sad Its hard for me choose like that,100 tour should be better on my topspin forehand, 98 better on my flat backand, hard to choose
too muted, too powerfull, no feel and still stiff. Last longer period with pure aero i played with aero pro drive and plus version (2015 models) 2-3 years ago. I tried my friend pure aero for 3sets it was awesome(2months ago), i won, my forehand was best. Game was really fun from my side, but after 3sets i felt little bit of pain in shoulder again. Btw im using yonex polytour pro 1.25, its really comfortable poly. On stiffer frame you still feel it but on more flexi frames its awesome. Back to clash, i dont know, im reading this thred, its 50% people like more 98 50% like more 100 tour. In my city i havent opinion demo racket sad Its hard for me choose like that,100 tour should be better on my topspin forehand, 98 better on my flat backand, hard to choose
Wheelz
Hall of Fame
Saw a picture on Luxilon facebook at RG where they were stringing a well used Clash. Might be a junior or doubles player ?
WYK
Hall of Fame
That's what I was thinking. It would be great for doubles.
I put up my 2014 RF 97 up for trade for a Clash 98 to hopefully check one out.
EpitomeOfAwesome
Semi-Pro
I demoed Clash 98 and Blade 104.
They played somewhat similar
They played somewhat similar
I love my clash. They dont hit as hard or with as much spin as my old pure aeros, but i can now play for 10 hours a week, whereas my joints use to cap out at 3 hours with the PA.
By the way, Hyper G, 46lbs, 17g..... something magic happens. It feels superb (and i mean feel... you get a much better sense of what the ball will do on contact.
I have tried tourbite which was spinny but felt like a plank of wood, and have tried isospeed cream, and a head velocity. Also tried hyper g 16g. nothing compared to the 17g hyper g...
By the way, Hyper G, 46lbs, 17g..... something magic happens. It feels superb (and i mean feel... you get a much better sense of what the ball will do on contact.
I have tried tourbite which was spinny but felt like a plank of wood, and have tried isospeed cream, and a head velocity. Also tried hyper g 16g. nothing compared to the 17g hyper g...
Can folks please comment on whether they have been able to achieve decent feel on the Clash 100 (and tour/pro/whatever) with their choice of string and tension? I've been playing Tour Bite 17 at 48lbs and had great results on-court, except for feel/touch. I own a couple of Gravitys and an IG Prestige, all of which have much better feel than the Clash. However, the Clash beats them all on my groundstrokes, especially my SHBH and serve (so it's better for me overall), but I miss the lovely feel of the Heads as, in comparison, the Clash is clunky and dead. BTW, my Clash is a 100, weighted-up pretty significantly to 335g and 340 swing weight.
SinneGOAT
Hall of Fame
You could string a little lower, perhaps a hybrid with a multifilament.
Clash Ah ah
Rookie
I use Tour Bite 17 also but at 52lbs on a Clash Pro. My drop shots are now far superior than they were when I used a Pure Drive, my drop with that stick was similar to that of an Elephant.
I love the feel I have with my Clash Pro
Perhaps I need to string a little higher, opposite to what the TW advice is for this line of racquets! Or maybe my weighted-up Clash 100 is just not as equivalent to a Pro/Tour as I had assumed.
I just responded to another poster's advice to string tighter...tennis is maddening sometimes! Thanks for your response. Maybe some tightly-string Velocity in the crosses is the happy medium. I need to get my own stringing machine!
SinneGOAT
Hall of Fame
It took me only about 8-12 racquets before I completely got the process down. My stringing experience was first getting the weave right, then remembering to do the last main/cross higher tension for knot, then finally just tying knots. Doesn’t take too long, but finding a string to stick with is once you learn lol. I have been stringing for quite awhile and need to just get a reel and finish it.
You might want to consider that rackets with tech will generally become inferior to stock in certain aspects once you mod them past a certain point much quicker than standard offerings. Maybe explore dialing back weight a little and trying a different setup.
Tour bite is pretty soft as it loses tension. You might want to try a stiffer string but at the same tension.
The only time you get feel from the clash is from swinging hard. I don't think you'll be about to get "good feel" regardless of string setup tbh.
Oval_Solid
Hall of Fame
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Always difficult to choose raquets based on other people's reviews. I was fortunate to be able to demo both the Clash 98 and Pro. For me it was an easy pick, guess that coming from the Blade the Pro was a too big of a step while the 98 clicked all the boxes. Regardless of which you choose I think the Clash line brings something new and is definitely worth a try. Wish you good luck in making a decision.Rawen, i played Pure strike 98 PO7 too maybe year and half, same problem like you awesome racket but too stiff, my arm was dead after year, i played new gen pure strike 98 16x19 too maybe 3 months , thats was absolutly **** !
i played new gen pure strike 98 16x19 too maybe 3 months , thats was absolutly **** !
Muted, powerful, no feel, and depending on how hard you swing, stiffness are all going to be present in the clash as well. I'd recommend the 98 > 100 > Tour.
Though the most comfortable of the bunch, the tour has far too much power and is too erratic. Serves are probably the strongest out of any racket I've tried with the least effort though.
100 is a good choice if you need the lighter spec and does everything fine.
98 plays more like a traditional racket and has much more control.
If you want to experience something more different or need a bit more comfort, go with the 100. If you want a blind buy that you probably will be happy with, go with the 98.
Yes, thinking of Tourna Silver 7 Tour next time as folks here seem to love it (stiffer than Tour Bite and apparently it holds tension super-well). BTW, my weighting experiment has been generally successful. Just adding a couple of grams at 12 was a night and day difference for serving and plow-through. The rest is just balancing (plus a couple of grams at 3 and 9 recently to help my inability to hit the center of the stringbed).
Yes, I'm afraid you are correct about my not being able to "fix" the feel with strings. I was just hoping, ya know! I know that lots of TW posters love the Clash feel (which is to say they don't need it). I'm spoiled by an IG Prestige (that I can use only when I'm absolutely "on").
WYK
Hall of Fame
I am running HyperG 1.30mm at 60lbs in the mains crossed with Blast 1.20 on my lockout stringer. I let it sit on the racquet for several days before I played, though. I imagine right off the machine it would have more shock. As it is, it's very comfy to me, with good spin, reigns in much of the power and adds control. I don't think this stick is ever gonna be a good feel stick for drop shots, but aside from a drop volley, I really don't play much of a touch game. Slice is very good on this stick for some reason, especially if you drive through it, and that itself is a good weapon.
More random pics:
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RadicalEdward23
New User
I have both the 98 and the 100 tour. I'm still undecided of which I like better but I agree with Yamin, you'll be happy with the 98. The 98 and the tour have very similar specs and they both somehow feel very light, compared to that the 100 felt way too light for my taste. The 100 tour provides a lot of easy power, it's fun to use but I keep going back to the 98 for the control. Demo them if you can, if you can't then I'd lean towards the 98.
Wow, my arm hurts just reading that! Dang, if you don't get some feel from that setup it's not going to happen at all for me.
Do you string for the *eventual* tension then? If so, how much of a drop do you assume? This is a question that has always bothered me when I see string reviews, since all polys lose tons of tension but not the same amount!
Nice photos! Shooting an SLR wide open (or have I been fooled by digital fakery?)?
WYK
Hall of Fame
I spent all last summer testing hybrids. What I found was the mains give the over all flavouring, but the crosses affect how much movement there is with the mains, and can hugely affect the overall feel as well.
In all my testing with the following strings:
ALU power, Wilson Revolve(Orange and white), MSV Focus Hex black and red, Babolat RPM blast, HyperG, Tour Bite standard and soft, Hurricane Tour and RPM Hurricane, Cyclone black, and a few synthetics like PSG and NXT - I found that a square stiff poly in the mains with a thinner gauge cross gave the best over all spin and comfort combination. Most of my sticks are strung with a 1.30 square main 50-60lbs depending on the stick(60 in a Clash, closer to 50 in an APD) with a 17-18g cross like Blast, Concept, or MSV focus hex. I get the spin of a stiff main and the cushioning of a less stiff cross. And since the main is stiff, I can occasionally get way with restringing a cross on existing mains if needs be(sometimes rpm blast goes stale too quick). I found no benefit to a synthetic main other than cushioning. They seemed to work best with ALU or Revolve if that means anything, but unlike a gut/poly hybrid, I don't think I benefit enough from crossing them vs just using a more lively or thinner gauged poly. Also, using two shaped polys can cause issues with the stringbed locking depending on the poly - especially with the softer ones.
For myself, I string for eventual, or what I call a 'target' tension since I am recreational and my sticks are gonna sit around, sometimes for weeks. I have a lockout stringer instead of a constant pull. So stringing 54-60lbs is common, and gives me a feeling of 50-55 on a constant pull machine since I mostly do deliberate pulls and rarely string for speed. When I string for 60, it means the racquet is gonna feel like 55ish for a good while. Since the loss in tension is fairly gradual after the first day or two, and I use livelier crosses, it won't bother me unless the stuff just loses it's bottom right quick or goes too solid.
The photos I post here are using my Olympus OMD-EM1 and a 25mm F1.7 lens or my Sony A7 with a 35mm F2.8 lens usually. My photos are on line @: https://pbase.com/wyk
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Thanks for reply guys I will choose clash 98, but unfortunately maybe later. Meantime in my country i found good discount for gravity tour so i bought gravity. I will customize gravity tour too, put up weight somewhere to 310-315grams, and put balance down somewhere to 31.5 unsturng. Thanks anyway, when gravity will be bad next choice is chlash 98
I will choose clash 98, but unfortunately maybe later. Meantime in my country i found good discount for gravity tour so i bought gravity. I will customize gravity tour too, put up weight somewhere to 310-315grams, and put balance down somewhere to 31.5 unsturng. Thanks anyway, when gravity will be bad next choice is chlash 98
pinco000
New User
I came to the clash 100 from PA 2019. The latter I just could not control, especially on my forehand, it was just too powerfull. Then the TE started too so knew from there this isnt for me. On the other side the serve, DHBH topspin were superb! So I tried my friends clash prior to getting my own and it felt right straight away. The feel, the spin, the control, not too much power. I did feel though the racket needed more stability so a lot of lead went into the handle. Strung weight with overgrip is 339. Got a hybrid setup with Lux smart in the mains at 44 and sensation in the crosses at 46.
I would love to try the 98 version though.
PS: anyone knows when the clash V2 is coming in 2021?
I would love to try the 98 version though.
PS: anyone knows when the clash V2 is coming in 2021?
Wheelz
Hall of Fame
You mean sensation in the Main ?
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pinco000
New User
no, the tension
Wow! We the plebs of TT need you guys that go above and beyond to find some centralized place to publish your results. There's no way in hell I could do the experimental work you did just to find out the properties of strings. Hybrids, especially, are a black box to most of us, I think (speaking mostly for myself, of course). And I'm a mechanical engineer, so you'd think I could figure some of this stuff out (there's just so many variables in tennis gear)! Anyway, you have my heartfelt thanks for sharing! And the photos are great too!
Some beautiful stuff! I'm envious of all the travel and travel photography you've done, sir. What do you think of PBase? Do you use it as digital storage or just to display your pics? (my stuff all gets dumped into Google Photos, not the best solution) I shoot a Canon 60D, getting long in the digital tooth, and most often a Sigma Art 18-35 1.8 zoom (weighs a ton...basically a zooming prime!). Sorry for veering off the tennis highway! Talking tennis and photo geekery so beats working!
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WYK
Hall of Fame
If it weren't for covid, it likely wouldn't have happened. I was in a remote area that had a remote tennis club at the time(and still work nearby a few times a year). Ireland was in lockdown and didn't allow you to travel more than two counties away if not for business purposes. So I literally didn't have a whole lot better to do.
I 'wasted' maybe a reels worth of string or more simply cutting some of the variations out because they didn't work for me within the first hour or two of play. A combo of NXT mains crossed with RPM Blast particularly hurt to remove. It felt great, but all the spin was gone, and it gave me a launch angle like an 18X20 racquet in my AeroStorm. Multis just don't act like gut in a hybrid for some reason.
I forgot to mention I also tried a few red Kirschbaums, Babolat Big Banger Original, Prince Lightning XX, Tourna big hitter silver, cyber blue, poly plasma, and Yonex poly tour pro black.
I am grateful for the info I gathered, but I should have done it more piece meal. I had several 3 hour evenings. I got bad tennis elbow doing it, and am only just recovered.
I tested them all in racquets I had with me at the time: AeroStorm(2008 version), Prince NXG(2005ish version), PS97cv, PS97s, APD 2013, Clash 100, POG mid, Yonex AI98. I would literally have them all on court with me and swing them all during a session. I tried a few jobs in a Dunlop 200G and M3 lite. But they were so different form all the others, I stopped after doing some Revolve in them. But that 200g did feel lovely. I just couldn't really play with it and swap to the other racquets without messing up my game entirely.
As for PBase, it was founded by a friend of mine who did it purely so people would have a means to share photos. I was helping him trouble shoot it back in 1999 before it went on line. Back then, your photo sharing options were rather limited. They don't make much money off of it - it mostly pays for itself(but it didn't for a long time...) So if you are decent with CSS and need an affordable place to park your images for a long time to come, I'd go with pbase.
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Dartagnan64
G.O.A.T.
Well I have to say that this racket is a bit of a string breaker. My wife plays with the Clash and has never in her life broken a string on a racket. That includes Babolat Aeropro, Pure Drive 107, Wilson Blade 104. She restrings for the occasional tournament she plays in and never at any other time. Never breaks a string.
She broke one on the Clash. Hybrid of Origin and Ghostwire. Admittedly in the racket for 6 months (not a surprise). Was playing mixed and the opposing guy hit his power flat serve at her since she was dominating his spin serve. She nailed the return for a winner but broke a couple mains in the process. Said it made such a loud sound that everyone in the bubble turned and looked. She felt so proud when people were shocked to see it was her, the short mid-50's woman. She came home beaming. "See Honey, I broke not one but two strings!!!"
The things that bring us joy, lol.
She broke one on the Clash. Hybrid of Origin and Ghostwire. Admittedly in the racket for 6 months (not a surprise). Was playing mixed and the opposing guy hit his power flat serve at her since she was dominating his spin serve. She nailed the return for a winner but broke a couple mains in the process. Said it made such a loud sound that everyone in the bubble turned and looked. She felt so proud when people were shocked to see it was her, the short mid-50's woman. She came home beaming. "See Honey, I broke not one but two strings!!!"
The things that bring us joy, lol.
Nice to find the occasional silver lining in the Covid mess. That's still an impressive amount of work and dedication to this silly game we play! Not to mention and impressive (irrational??) investment in string!
Regarding your NXT/Blast hybrid experimental failure, I have tried Hyper G mains and TNT2 crosses with reasonably good spin and comfort results. As spin is apparently a function of "snap back" of the mains, it makes intuitive sense to me that a softer string in the mains will get chewed up as it saws back and forth across a harder poly cross and begin to gum up the works. I don't know why natural gut would be more slippery after the coating goes, but cow intestine may well be naturally lubricious (and Fed, of course, swaps racquets every set at least so his coatings are always intact). One of my own experiments (which agrees with intuition) placed Velocity MLT in the mains crossed with Hyper G in a Radical OS (has a tight-ish 18x19 pattern). This setup played wonderfully for a match and a half with lots of feel and controllable, spinny power. Then, halfway through my second match with these strings spin production just died like a switch was thrown. Velocity has a slick outer coating that aids spin and, apparently, as soon as the Hyper G crosses eroded through that coating friction went way up and snap-back ceased. I got some of that spin back by installing some Babolat string savers in the sweet spot as an experiment (they are made of PTFE--aka Teflon--and definitely eliminate notching while seeming to promote snap-back), but sadly, the nice crisp feel of the Velocity mains was muted significantly. Perhaps this would have been a more effective solution had I installed the savers immediately after stringing. Haven't done that experiment yet, but I will at some point because that string combination was amazing for that first match (and I haven't found any comparable alternative, sadly).
I got myself a PBase account and will give it a try when I get a moment! Alas, I've never been to Ireland. So many places, so little time and money!
WYK
Hall of Fame
I did do a Tour Bite main combo with NXT and XX in the crosses. NXT, even after it starts to die, still allows the TB to slide a bit. And it does OK until it snaps the NXT. The feel is good, the spin is OK. COmpare this to TB in the mains with something slippery and springy like RPM or MSV focus hex 18 or 17L in the crosses(1.2mm and 1.23mm). The feel is still dampened compared to a full bed of TB, and the spin is as good as a full bed of TB, and better once the full bed of TB starts to lock up within an hour or two. Lightning XX I got because it was on sale, and it was also designed to be used at low tensions(mainly for squash). I tried it at 50 and 48 lbs by itself, which felt great, but had little spin. In a hybrid, it was not as good as NXT. I used my last loop of it to string a Prince Woodie with - and she is like butter.
I handed a slightly leaded up 97CV to a friend of mine strung with TB at 54lbs and NXT at 50. He has never used poly because he doesn't like the feel, has a great touch game, and uses a prestige anyways, so spin isn't his thing. He liked the combo so much he switched to it from using a Prestige with a full bed of NXT. It feels freakin great to hit with. The only thing better in that line is an RF strung with about anything. Dunno why people complain about the RF being stiff - it is nearly plush strung with a soft poly, and the plow through means stiff poly's feel nearly like nylon. My shoulder doesn't like RF's, tho. And their launch angle is crazy low compared to what I am used to.
I have an I Radical OS strung with multi. It feels so good I just leave it that way. It WAS the wife's stick. She's injured her wrist, so guess who is using the Clash now.
I also have PTFE I use to extend the life of a string job. It seems to work OK.
Enjoy PBase. CSS are fun to play with!
I handed a slightly leaded up 97CV to a friend of mine strung with TB at 54lbs and NXT at 50. He has never used poly because he doesn't like the feel, has a great touch game, and uses a prestige anyways, so spin isn't his thing. He liked the combo so much he switched to it from using a Prestige with a full bed of NXT. It feels freakin great to hit with. The only thing better in that line is an RF strung with about anything. Dunno why people complain about the RF being stiff - it is nearly plush strung with a soft poly, and the plow through means stiff poly's feel nearly like nylon. My shoulder doesn't like RF's, tho. And their launch angle is crazy low compared to what I am used to.
I have an I Radical OS strung with multi. It feels so good I just leave it that way. It WAS the wife's stick. She's injured her wrist, so guess who is using the Clash now.
I also have PTFE I use to extend the life of a string job. It seems to work OK.
Enjoy PBase. CSS are fun to play with!
WYK
Hall of Fame
Forgot to address this last time. I literally ruined my arm testing strings. Not many people can say that(well, that and not own a Pure Drive, I guess). But more to the point, I wouldn't even be in this thread if not for this test ruining my arm. I had to buy a Clash simply to keep playing tennis the end of summer onwards. I spent over €300 on string, btw. Some of the stuff I was testing I already had in stock.
I was out earlier today practising serves and doing a bit of a hit. I got a wild hair and grabbed the APD and the RF to test them side by side with the Clash.
The RF lasted 5 minutes. Super powerful as strung, not as much spin as I like since our synthetic grass courts have you picking balls off your toes often. Felt decent, but I have to admit it is a stiff racquet.
APD - yeah, it's stiff. But, the spin is amazing. I played better with it than with the Clash, especially on serves since it is definitely more powerful and spin-happy there. But it is still an arm wrecker when you already have an injury. So I stopped using it 30 mins in. I was considering selling it before I destroy myself with it.
I even whipped out the PS97S, which was a flex fest compared to the previous two. It is a joy to play with, and super comfortable, but is a bit sluggish when you have an arm injury. Oddly, the CLash doesn't feel as flexible as the 97S when you are hitting out. But the 97S has way, way, way better touch and feel.
Used the Clash for a good bit. This time back to stock without lead since my wife removed it all. And, I gotta say, sumfin about lead that takes away the flex in the hoop. Without it, when you hit hard, you can feel it flex a bit and doing it's thing. Remember I have this thing strung at 60 on my lockout last week, so it's prolly closer to 50-55 now and a bit dead(with the power well short of my APD strung at 54). I can really feel the frame moving when hitting hard. It's a rather odd thing. This stick just takes time getting used to the feel, I guess. I still am working on my heavy slice, which tends to float a bit with the Clash. But if I drive it, it seems to do very well. The problem here is it makes bunting back heavy serves a bit more difficult than other frames. But with it being so light, I can try to take more of a swing. I am getting better at the touch shots. I think I am gonna have to stick with this thing. It's just so forgiving. I just wish it had better feel.
WYK
Hall of Fame
Hell I'd sell you mine. It's the 2013 APD, which is the softest one they made. I think it would be more spinny and easier to live with strung at 48, though. I need to move this before I kill myself with it. They are addicting. https://www.tennis-warehouse.com/reviews/apd13/apd13review.html
I dunno how to explain it, but the feel at contact on the clash is more like movement than flex. It's just...different. It just doesn't feel flexy when hitting hard. It feels controlled. Hard to describe it. It literally makes my 97S feel almost sloppy flexy.
"clash is more powerful, blade is for control". Except now i have a demo of a blade 98 16x19, the blade is more powerful. I am hitting about 1.5 meters deeper with it, same string (hyper g, 48lbs, both fresh). Launch angle is similar... blade has more heft, and more power than the clash 100.
Anyone demo'd side by side and found the same?
Anyone demo'd side by side and found the same?
Babolix
Rookie
I demo the blade and own the Clash 98.
IMOE, Clash 98 has more spin, the Blade 98 16/19 lacks it... The launch angle seems to be the same but the ball falls more at the end thanks to the added spin with the Clash.
The launch angle is a bit upper with the Clash 98 giving also more confidence with the net. So for my level and technic, the clash 98 is easier to control because of this added spin. Control stick can seem to be more powerful whithout the appropiate stroke and tec. So IMO, the Blade is for more flat driven stroke players with a better technique and feel (than mine @ least) to control that.
I bought the 98 to have the (natural) spin that I missed on the Blade, even if it make me lose the superb feel/touch of the Blade V7 line. (And strings could't really replace that natural spin of a more open pattern where I strike the ball)
WYK
Hall of Fame
If ya want spin, I'd go HG or TB mains and sumfin dead and round in the crosses. Lively and more power, ALU at lowish tensions. Spin but firm/control, Hurricane or 4g.
Wheelz
Hall of Fame
I enjoyed a few strings in the Clash: tour bite soft, hyper G, tourna silver Tour 7. Cyclone tour 16g for more power. Those are all shaped strings. I did play a few months ago with Hurricane Tour , which seemed like a good fit.
SonRK
Semi-Pro
I've made the switch over to the Clash 100 after a a multi year period with the Prince Warrior line (was using the Speedport 97 before that). The comfort is out of this world, and I can use polys without it hurting my wrist/forearm/elbow/etc because of my less than perfect form. Not that I use polys primarily (currently play testing a bunch of stuff since I went crazy and bought like 15 diff sets to play and hybrid with). I can literally play 5 days a week and not feel it, truly a game changer in playing more and getting better through court time.
I added about 4 grams of lead that spans from 10'o clock to 12 to 2 which helped a lot with getting the swingweight to what I was used to (should have bumped it by about 10 points). I'm going to add a leather grip to help downsize the grip a bit (WIlson 3 is a bit bigger than Prince 3) and to balance out the lead tape.
I added about 4 grams of lead that spans from 10'o clock to 12 to 2 which helped a lot with getting the swingweight to what I was used to (should have bumped it by about 10 points). I'm going to add a leather grip to help downsize the grip a bit (WIlson 3 is a bit bigger than Prince 3) and to balance out the lead tape.
Clash Ah ah
Rookie
Anyone used hyper g 18 in the clash tour/pro?
How did you get on with it?
I’m used to using tour bite 17 but the added spin potential of the hyper g 18 is calling me!
How did you get on with it?
I’m used to using tour bite 17 but the added spin potential of the hyper g 18 is calling me!
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