Ace214

Rookie
Wanted your guys' opinion on what you think is the most stable, comfortable, control-oriented, but still powerful 11 oz racquet in the market?
 

Ace214

Rookie
That's a good place to start! Let me throw in the Pure Control and Volkl Super G 10 295 into the mix
 

tennistomcat

Semi-Pro
blx blade 98 (black/pink & gold version)
It's solid in every aspect - especially the serve & at the net.
I feel it crushes the serve like a Pure drive.
 

mpournaras

Hall of Fame
basically you are going to get 100 different opinions on here. My money is always on the Blade. Pick your generation it does not matter. Its balance make it way more stable than anything near its weight
 

tennistomcat

Semi-Pro
I’m not familiar with it, could you link me to the racquet or a TW review of it?

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Reviews/BLXB98/BLXB98Review.html

I've used the Nblade, blx blade (black/pink & gold), and blade 98 CV (16X19)

The blx is very stable. It hits a flatter ball and crushes the serve. It doesn't get high ratings in the comfort section on the review but I've never had any problems with comfort.

The Nblade gets more spin than I would expect from an 18X20, has great feel, and noticeable flex. It does hits the serve well but does not crush/plow into it like the blx. If this racket & parts were more readily available, I'd recommend this although I did think it was not quite as stable as the blx. It gives up some power/plow for feel/touch.

The CV that I had was slightly overweight & sluggish. It did not pound the serve as well as I would have liked. Since it was overspec, I didn't have much room to customize before it got out of my usual weight range.

The blx is my overall favorite although the Nblade is pretty nice but really hard to find (still looking for grommets).
All blades I've used are nice but each has its own personality.
 

counterpuncher

Hall of Fame
I'll throw in a couple more: Ultra 97 (16x19), Pro Staff 97 (black/red original), Prince 100T (with a little weight), Prince 100P, Yonex Ai100
 

xFullCourtTenniSx

Hall of Fame
Easily whatever has the highest swingweight and twistweight. Though I don't care enough about lightweights to look at what pipsqueak that would be.
 

mhkeuns

Hall of Fame
I would say the Graphene Touch Speed Pro is probably the best 11oz’ish racket out there. No mod needed and is a great racket for attackers, as well as counter punchers.
 

DANMAN

Professional
The pure strike 16x19 is solid as a rock for that weight category. I added weight in the handle to get it to 12oz and then took it away because it played better stock for me.
 

loosegroove

Hall of Fame
I would say the Graphene Touch Speed Pro is probably the best 11oz’ish racket out there. No mod needed and is a great racket for attackers, as well as counter punchers.

What are you currently playing with? The Graphene Touch Speed Pro is definitely nice. More power than I expected, with a great balance of maneuverability and solidness. I'll have to see how I like it in comparison to the Prince 100Ps I have coming in tomorrow.
 

n8dawg6

Legend
What are you currently playing with? The Graphene Touch Speed Pro is definitely nice. More power than I expected, with a great balance of maneuverability and solidness. I'll have to see how I like it in comparison to the Prince 100Ps I have coming in tomorrow.
it has a little more power than the 100P, IMO. a little better on off-center hits. however, ball launch angle is lowwww. i have to be very conscious about hitting a parabola with the speed pro. the touch is my favorite speed pro to come along, its less harsh than the XT.
 

Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
Another vote for the Wilson Blade. I've got a SW autograph 104 and it's the most stable RoS weapon short of the RF ProStaff. But lighter and more maneuverable. The Blade 98 isn't quite as stable as the SW 104 but closer to your desired spec of 11 oz and a bit more comfortable due to the shorter length. The 18x20 stringbed version would give you more control but less spin and pop. I prefer the 16x19 personally. And the 2015 model of the Blade 98 is actually better than the Countervail IMO.
 

KYHacker

Professional
At 11oz. The most stable will likely be the Blade 98S. Tons of swing weight, neutral balance, and open pattern. It's by far the most stable 11oz racquet that I've played with. If you want to creep a little higher into the 11.2oz range, it's probably the Blade 98 16x19. You may or may not gel with the Blades, but they are stable. Look for something with a SW near 330. Plenty stable at that point. I've found that 11oz racquets with anything less than 325 sw just don't cut when you play against anyone that hits a heavy ball.
 

mhkeuns

Hall of Fame
What are you currently playing with? The Graphene Touch Speed Pro is definitely nice. More power than I expected, with a great balance of maneuverability and solidness. I'll have to see how I like it in comparison to the Prince 100Ps I have coming in tomorrow.

I have been hitting with the Ultra Tour and playtesting the string with the Pure Strike Tour. Honestly, I play much better with the GTSP than the rackets mentioned, as well as the Tour 100P. I really like the Tour 95 but found Tour 100P to have a bit of too much power for me, whereas the GTSP had power with nice control. The reason I am playing with the Ultra Tour is that I really like its feel and want to get more into modding my frames, which I am getting pretty good results with the UT. I just am not playing very well with it..., yet I hope.
 

MarioRich

Rookie
That's a good place to start! Let me throw in the Pure Control and Volkl Super G 10 295 into the mix

Forgot to mention the Pro Kennex Ki Q+Tour (300). This, Tecnifibre Tfight 300 and Babolat Pure Aero are basically the only current racquets with a 98in size head and 11.00oz weight which gives you control. They are also thin straight beam racquets therefore more feel.. ...It would be awesome if someone could do an actual play test with these 3 racquets.
 

Ace214

Rookie
11 oz-ish, strung*

The Youtek IG Radical MP should definitely be in this conversation as well
 
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srvnvly

Hall of Fame
The Blade 104 (current version) is listed as 10.8 strung, but it has excellent plow, power and stability.
 

CopolyX

Hall of Fame
slide_3.jpg
 

Ace214

Rookie
Well said MarioRich -

I was wondering how the current Graphene Touch Speed MP lines up against the Youtek Graphene Speed MP in this context?
 

speedysteve

Legend
Stability at this weight has a fair bit to do with string I've found.
Gut mains I find more stable, full bed of synth not so.
Pocketing effect and vibration control.
The Volkl V1 classic is another one. A little lighter than the V1 pro, so it probably fits the criteria with full bed of gut and overgrip.
Feels very solid, good power too.
 
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acintya

Legend
Which model? 2015? BLX? CV?

for me - the 2011 blx version if I remember well.




the black gold one - also one of the most beautiful racquets. control is 10\10 for me but you really get only what you give with this racquet.
it seems the 2012 model also a black-gold version? I never tested a different version of blade so I cannot judge the others, maybe someone other has and can give me some insight?

2011:

wilson-blade-98-blx-tennis-racquet_600_600.jpg
 

acintya

Legend
Is that the same as this? - http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Reviews/BLXB98/BLXB98Review.html

I wonder how beefy the swing weight feels -

How does this compare to the 2015 models?

yes i think this is the exact same model in the review!

the control and serves (especially first ones) are perfect with this racquet - tried about 20 other frames but this is the king if you can handle it - its not heavy but i must say it feels heavy after a while - its all about how much you play and how well your fitness is - i am not the right source because i like fast food and i am a cozy person, watchin movies, eating chocolates, playin games, music.

but when i played a lot this frame feelt right - there is now only one frame i want to test - Yonex DR 98 light version (unstrung 285g!). I bought the 100 version (285g) and i need to test it out, but one frame also i want to mention is Dunlop Aerogel 300:

Tommy_Robredo_Personal_Dunlop_Aerogel_300.JPG


For me the best control frames are:

Dunlop Aerogel 300
Blade BLX 98 18x20 2011 version
and if even i did not test it out yet i think the third would be as i said the Yonex Dr 98 light or Yonex Ai 98 light
 
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