PS 98 vs Ezone 98 vs Blade 98

[avisar]

Hi guys,
I used to use Babolat PS 98 po07, but now have bought the new generation PS 98 16x19. But the racket is still too stiff and I'm thinking about changing the racket for the next season. My setup currently is 314g and 315 balance unstrung(the third generation with 32 balance was too head heavy so I changed it) with the current generation of PS. I want to use the same setup. I'm choosing between the Wilson Blade or Yonex Ezone because of the lower stiffness rating. I don't know the difference in 2 stiffness ratings and I don't know the effect it will have on my arm. From your experience, what do you guys think? Which one is better? Ezone 98 with 64 stiffness or the Blade 98 with 62 stiffness?

 

[Alexh22]

Having the later two I can say these are noticeable more comfortable than the Babolat.

 

[esm]

My main racquets prior to the lockdown were the Babolat PS 98 16x19 Gen 1 and 2013 Blade 98 18x20.
i have same Syn gut but 48lb for the PS98 and 50lb for the Blade 98 - no issues with the comfort and both hits mean balls. The PS98 is modded to be more Blade 98 spec.... ie. higher SW and less headlight balance.

 

[gutfeeling]

Hi guys,
I used to use Babolat PS 98 po07, but now have bought the new generation PS 98 16x19. But the racket is still too stiff and I'm thinking about changing the racket for the next season. My setup currently is 314g and 315 balance unstrung(the third generation with 32 balance was too head heavy so I changed it) with the current generation of PS. I want to use the same setup. I'm choosing between the Wilson Blade or Yonex Ezone because of the lower stiffness rating. I don't know the difference in 2 stiffness ratings and I don't know the effect it will have on my arm. From your experience, what do you guys think? Which one is better? Ezone 98 with 64 stiffness or the Blade 98 with 62 stiffness?

The Blade 98 will play noticeably softer than the Ezone 98. The Ezone is firm but not harsh. If you find the Pure Strike too head heavy, I would advise against the Blade and select the Ezone. The Blade is a wonderful racquet but it has a lot of weight in the head. To balance it to your liking you will have to add at least 5 grams near the bottom of the handle. You may need to add weight to the head of the Ezone to get the swing weight and plow you are used to with the Pure Strike.

 

[avisar]

The Blade 98 will play noticeably softer than the Ezone 98. The Ezone is firm but not harsh. If you find the Pure Strike too head heavy, I would advise against the Blade and select the Ezone. The Blade is a wonderful racquet but it has a lot of weight in the head. To balance it to your liking you will have to add at least 5 grams near the bottom of the handle. You may need to add weight to the head of the Ezone to get the swing weight and plow you are used to with the Pure Strike.

So in your opinion blade 98 v7 is better stick then ezone 98 2020 ? Head heavy racket its not big problem, i will put silicone to handle, same i did it to PS. (PS swingweight is 327 , blade 328 so its the same) Im more interesting about stiffness of stick, i never played with softer rackets.I m not sure that 64 stiffness wont be bad for my arm. I remember i played 7-8 years ago with head youtek ig radical pro, that was stick with 62 stiffnes and my arm was fine... after this i moved to babolat and problems started.

 

[roger presley]

Blade is much more solid racquet in every way than Ezone and PS.

 

[Deleted member 766578]

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[dr. godmode]

If you want all the playing characteristics of the Project One7 but more arm friendly, you should demo the Gen 3 Pure Strike, my wrist didn't have a very fun time with Project One7, but Gen 3 was very nice, the feel is more muted though

This was my exact experience

 

[gutfeeling]

So in your opinion blade 98 v7 is better stick then ezone 98 2020 ? Head heavy racket its not big problem, i will put silicone to handle, same i did it to PS. (PS swingweight is 327 , blade 328 so its the same) Im more interesting about stiffness of stick, i never played with softer rackets.I m not sure that 64 stiffness wont be bad for my arm. I remember i played 7-8 years ago with head youtek ig radical pro, that was stick with 62 stiffnes and my arm was fine... after this i moved to babolat and problems started.

Not necessarily better, but different. The blade is softer and more demanding. However, the ezone will be closer to the youtek ig radical pro which was a great frame.

 

[gutfeeling]

Depends if you want the free power and spin the Pure Strike provides, the Blade 16x19 has decent potential but not near the same level as the Strike. But the feel is very nice if you haven't used flexible racquets in a while

The E-zone 98 (2020) model has a ton of power but lacks alot of control, if you string it up high to control the power, for me it became bit more jarring

If you want all the playing characteristics of the Project One7 but more arm friendly, you should demo the Gen 3 Pure Strike, my wrist didn't have a very fun time with Project One7, but Gen 3 was very nice, the feel is more muted though

My experience with the ezone 98 is if you want to use stiff string and/or high tension you need to add weight to the head. It is firm but the dampening tech helps a lot actually. I did the TW playtest for the 3rd gen pure strike and I agree with your assessment. It is muted like the ezone but more powerful because it has more weight in the head.

 

[Deleted member 766578]

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[avisar]

Depends if you want the free power and spin the Pure Strike provides, the Blade 16x19 has decent potential but not near the same level as the Strike. But the feel is very nice if you haven't used flexible racquets in a while

The E-zone 98 (2020) model has a ton of power but lacks alot of control, if you string it up high to control the power, for me it became bit more jarring

If you want all the playing characteristics of the Project One7 but more arm friendly, you should demo the Gen 3 Pure Strike, my wrist didn't have a very fun time with Project One7, but Gen 3 was very nice, the feel is more muted though

I dont need free power, i can generate with my hand. Im looking fore more control and arm friendly setup, because im hard hitter , specially on serve. Im playing with 24/25kg string setups. Btw i bought new 2sticks ps98 3gen and i still feels pain in arm. Thats why i created this forum, i still have one stick PO7. PS 3gen, was too much head heavy against PO7, so i changed balance to 31,5 unstrung. Thats why i choose next rackets blade 98 or ezone 98 62/64 stiffnes rating sticks. And i can custotomize both on the same specs which i m using now. I heard that ezone 98 is missing control and stability, but when you will add tapes to 3and9 oclock it will be better. But what i remeber old head ig youtek radical pro wasnt good racket for me, i sold them fast.

 

[Deleted member 766578]

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[avisar]

If you dont need the power and just want control and comfort you should look at Gravity line or Tecnicibre TF40

Honestly there are a number of models that are quite good to choose from, you cant go too wrong with any of them

Also Prince do some really nice racquets and are the softest ones you will find

I dont like 18x20 string patterns, on forehand side im still using lot of top spin, so i want racket only with 16x19(but i like more tight 16x19 like PS blade atc., dont like 16x19 like pure aero, i have still flat backhand.) . TF40 is 18x20 and i dont like head rackets, plus im playing now only with 98 sq. inc. Prince models in my country its impossible to buy i played with prince my childhood,maybe from 10years old to 17 years old. But now i cant find prince racket with my lovely specs. I made yesterday forum about string https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...-with-head-velocity-mlt-or-full-hvmlt.670631/ ,so check it when you want and maybe give me advice So now my ideal specs is 98sq inch 16x19 307-314grams 315-320 balance unstrung, stiffness look 62-64 i guess

 

[chrisb]

Yonex vcore sv 98?

 

[avisar]

Yonex vcore sv 98?

67 stiffnes... reviews lacking of comfort no man

Im chosing between blade 98 v7 or ezone 98 2020, i read lot of forums here, it 50/50 someone like blade someone yonex hard to choose

 

[chrisb]

Your kidding right im 77 I play with them no arm problems plenty of control can match groundies with my son who is still a 5.0 player. If a racket has good balance and you can center the ball with good form its all good If you can`t get some lessons with a pro that is concerned with contact point and modern follow through. I also occasionally hit with secret 4s 2nd stiffest racket made, nada arm problems

 

[gutfeeling]

67 stiffnes... reviews lacking of comfort no man

Im chosing between blade 98 v7 or ezone 98 2020, i read lot of forums here, it 50/50 someone like blade someone yonex hard to choose

If you are set on those two racquets I highly recommend you demo because they are very different from each other. The blade sounds more in line with your expectations for what it’s worth.

 

[avisar]

I d like to but in my country there isnt a single shop when i can demo rackets :/

 

[jbdbackfan]

Should consider Prince Textreme Tour 310. Best comfort and best sweet spot. I’ve played with all but the PS and none compare.

 

[Deleted member 766578]

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[gutfeeling]

Should consider Prince Textreme Tour 310. Best comfort and best sweet spot. I’ve played with all but the PS and none compare.

Wow, the TWU sweet zone data certainly seems to support that. Nice suggestion.

http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/learning_center/contours.php

 

[avisar]

If your overall concern is comfort, then it's not even a question, its the blade for sure, i've played with both, blades comfort and feel is very nice, the ezone can be either or, especially from what it sounds like you're having too many issues with the arm - i have sensitive wrist myself, and from time to time some arm issues when it's cold and balls are wet and heavy, blade i have no issues with, but the ezone i would have some problems if i strung couple pounds higher or used the wrong string

I prefer blade too, ill go rather to lower RA. im using yptp string and yonex overgrip its shame that rackt will be blade. Now we have sale in one shop i can buy new blade for 165 euros, not bad. Maybe i will order it today, but i think only one stick, i will order second one when ill try blade.(this will be only my third stick from wilson i playedwith pro staff 6.0 85 and wilson juice 100 ) It has to be better like PS ...

 

[gutfeeling]

I prefer blade too, ill go rather to lower RA. im using yptp string and yonex overgrip its shame that rackt will be blade. Now we have sale in one shop i can buy new blade for 165 euros, not bad. Maybe i will order it today, but i think only one stick, i will order second one when ill try blade.(this will be only my third stick from wilson i playedwith pro staff 6.0 85 and wilson juice 100 ) It has to be better like PS ...

Or wait for the ezone 98 tour. It will be softer than the regular ezone 98.

 

[soulfree914]

If you are feeling discomfort with the 3rd gen Pure Strike, I would not recommend Ezone98. Blade 98 is nice and plush and if you put a soft poly in there (that is if you normally play with poly), it shouldn't give you any stiffness problems. Since you are looking for comfort, low power, and spin, I would have recommended Prince Phantom 100x 305 if it was readily available for you.

I just got off of a week-long demo on blade98 and ezone98, and blade98 was really solid all-around and the feel was great (plush but not too mushy). I had high expectations for ezone98, but it didn't play as well as the highly-regarded dr98 that I used to play with and relatively lacked some stability. As others mentioned, Blade98 is great if you don't mind the head-heaviness and the higher swingweight that comes with it. Shouldn't be much heavier than the 3rd gen Pure Strike though.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

 

[avisar]

If you are feeling discomfort with the 3rd gen Pure Strike, I would not recommend Ezone98. Blade 98 is nice and plush and if you put a soft poly in there (that is if you normally play with poly), it shouldn't give you any stiffness problems. Since you are looking for comfort, low power, and spin, I would have recommended Prince Phantom 100x 305 if it was readily available for you.

I just got off of a week-long demo on blade98 and ezone98, and blade98 was really solid all-around and the feel was great (plush but not too mushy). I had high expectations for ezone98, but it didn't play as well as the highly-regarded dr98 that I used to play with and relatively lacked some stability. As others mentioned, Blade98 is great if you don't mind the head-heaviness and the higher swingweight that comes with it. Shouldn't be much heavier than the 3rd gen Pure Strike though.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Yes, i waited for guy who tried both blade and ezone. Higher swingweight i l can customize same like on pure strike and change balance to 31.5 and its fine, thx man

 

[gutfeeling]

If you are feeling discomfort with the 3rd gen Pure Strike, I would not recommend Ezone98. Blade 98 is nice and plush and if you put a soft poly in there (that is if you normally play with poly), it shouldn't give you any stiffness problems. Since you are looking for comfort, low power, and spin, I would have recommended Prince Phantom 100x 305 if it was readily available for you.

I just got off of a week-long demo on blade98 and ezone98, and blade98 was really solid all-around and the feel was great (plush but not too mushy). I had high expectations for ezone98, but it didn't play as well as the highly-regarded dr98 that I used to play with and relatively lacked some stability. As others mentioned, Blade98 is great if you don't mind the head-heaviness and the higher swingweight that comes with it. Shouldn't be much heavier than the 3rd gen Pure Strike though.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

Interesting, I found the Ezone 98 to be more stable than the v7 Blade 16x19 with a swing weight that was 10 points lower. I preferred the 18x20 Blade over the 16x19 due to the increased stability and plow from the added weight in the head. I agree, the 16x19 Blade is softer and more polarized in terms of weight distribution than the Ezone 98. The 16x19 Blade will be softer than the Pure Strike but less stable. It is tempting to compare the current Ezone 98 to the DR 98 but they are different in my opinion. The DR is heavier, softer, and has a swing weight that is roughly 10 points higher. Many posters have had success adding weight to the current Ezone to make it play closer to the DR, but it will still be more firm.

 

[AA7]

Interesting, I found the Ezone 98 to be more stable than the v7 Blade 16x19 with a swing weight that was 10 points lower.

it's probably the twistweight... ezone 98 has a higher twistweight..

 

[gutfeeling]

it's probably the twistweight... ezone 98 has a higher twistweight..

Agreed, it has a different weight distribution than the blade.

 

[fox]

Blade is much more solid racquet in every way than Ezone and PS.

It has almost 15 points of SW more so it is no wonder but is much harder to play with.

 

[avisar]

gyus why you are doing this to me ? Its hard too choose between blade an ezone. Its look like 10people 10 opinions plus i came back from tennis now, my PS is awesome everywhere, only with serve its like punishment for my arm So shuld i order blade or ezone ?

 

[esm]

gyus why you are doing this to me ? Its hard too choose between blade an ezone. Its look like 10people 10 opinions plus i came back from tennis now, my PS is awesome everywhere, only with serve its like punishment for my arm So shuld i order blade or ezone ?

I think you just need to scratch that itch.... you know

 

[gutfeeling]

gyus why you are doing this to me ? Its hard too choose between blade an ezone. Its look like 10people 10 opinions plus i came back from tennis now, my PS is awesome everywhere, only with serve its like punishment for my arm So shuld i order blade or ezone ?

Welcome to the tribe my friend, good luck!

 

[AA7]

gyus why you are doing this to me ? Its hard too choose between blade an ezone. Its look like 10people 10 opinions plus i came back from tennis now, my PS is awesome everywhere, only with serve its like punishment for my arm So shuld i order blade or ezone ?

get both. first thing you need to do is get off these forums.. unless you want to spend rest of your life purchasing racquets all the time... it's bad..

so.. blade is probably be ok for you. it will be more comfortable than pure strike.. very similar balance and sw and everything... it's just more comfy. some people think night and day between 18m and 16m blade... i don't see it. i really think some people may have gotten bad batches or something. my coach got a 16x19 v7, he loved it but he said there was a weird buzz/instability on upper hoop. sent it back and got a new one. he loves it. so... dunno.. to me it's a great one... both blades are fantastic.

 

[Nate7-5]

Wait for the EZONE Tour - thats gonna be the one

 

[AA7]

Wait for the EZONE Tour - thats gonna be the one

get that one too...

 

[avisar]

so i suppose to buy phantom 100x blade 98 both string patterns, ezone 98 and 98 tour i think in this situation with covid19 and not good economical situation its not good idea

 

[AA7]

Should consider Prince Textreme Tour 310. Best comfort and best sweet spot. I’ve played with all but the PS and none compare.

what a solid stick this one is... good call. played with it a while. 15.3kg-cm2 twistweight... super stable. not too high sw (low to mid 320s) and like 6 to 7 hl balance.. so it's very maneuverable.. (310gr static weight). no need for lead or customization. hits with 65RA but feels like 61.. and not only that.. it has crisp but comfy feel (very very subjective obviously). this is the most underrated stick of 2019 in my opinion. i think 100sq head turns people off but very solid offering.. control, power etc.. i think best all-rounder out there.. i stopped playing with it b/c i tend to lean towards more control oriented racquets.. not b/c i am advanced level but probably the opposite the more i excel my strokes i can probably lean towards more powerful sticks.. i have no problem generating racquet head speed and do have very solid mechanics (working with 2 coaches for a year) but i do struggle with hand-eye cordination i think.. finding the sweetspot and putting the right distance between me and the ball when the pace goes up is a bit of challenge... it will come more with time as well... basically long way of saying that is why i gravitated towards blade... more control focus.. power is not a problem for me... except serves.. my serves suck.

 

[soulfree914]

what a solid stick this one is... good call. played with it a while. 15.3kg-cm2 twistweight... super stable. not too high sw (low to mid 320s) and like 6 to 7 hl balance.. so it's very maneuverable.. (310gr static weight). no need for lead or customization. hits with 65RA but feels like 61.. and not only that.. it has crisp but comfy feel (very very subjective obviously). this is the most underrated stick of 2019 in my opinion. i think 100sq head turns people off but very solid offering.. control, power etc.. i think best all-rounder out there.. i stopped playing with it b/c i tend to lean towards more control oriented racquets.. not b/c i am advanced level but probably the opposite the more i excel my strokes i can probably lean towards more powerful sticks.. i have no problem generating racquet head speed and do have very solid mechanics (working with 2 coaches for a year) but i do struggle with hand-eye cordination i think.. finding the sweetspot and putting the right distance between me and the ball when the pace goes up is a bit of challenge... it will come more with time as well... basically long way of saying that is why i gravitated towards blade... more control focus.. power is not a problem for me... except serves.. my serves suck.

I've recently switched from TT310 to Blade v7 16x19 in search for a bit more control. To me, it feels like TT310 has the head weight distributed more evenly in the hoop (this is probably why it feels so stable for its weight), while the Blade has the head weight more focused towards the tip of the racquet. I figured the latter works better for me as the racquet turns around and finishes the stroke more easily. A bit of lead at 12 might do it on the TT310, but I felt that would increase the swingweight too much for me.
So far I love the blade except for the serves. Kick and slice serves used to be a beauty with the TT310; now I need to put more effort into my serves and even then it wouldn't produce the same spin as the TT310. I might need to work more on my serving technique since I don't get the "free spin" that I used to get with TT310. I suppose there are always tradeoffs with these racquets.

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[avisar]

So guys, finnally i bought vcore95. Its awesome. I change specs little bit. i put lot of tapes to 3 and 9 position, silicone inside handle. Now racket has 320grams and 31cm balance unstrung. After many years of playing tennis i came home without pain in arm yesterday, 62ra is fantastic. I can feel every shot, no muted feel like PS. I can finnaly hitting big bombs without overhitting, because racket is low powered. Im absolutly fall in love to yonex. Plus so much control in vcore, 16x20 on 95head working awesome too. I can still generate lot of spin with heavy shot but i can play agressive flat backahand too withou overhiting