Racquet in the middle of a Blade v7 18x20 and Pro Staff v13?

[RAdams44]

I am looking for a new racquet or Modification tips. I am in grad school so my budget is limited. I am a strong 4.0-4.5 player, and 24 y/o. (picked up tennis in college, and only played club) I currently have a Prostaff v13, which I thought was my perfect racquet. I crush my serves and forehands with this racquet while still being fairly controlled. However, I have been using a Blade v7 18x20 that my friend let me borrow. The Blade is so buttery smooth and I have never hit so accurately and with so few errors in my life. However, I do not have the same power level. My game up until this point has been based on serve and FH power. When I play with the Blade my style becomes much more of a counter puncher. My prefered style is more attacking.

Is there a racquet that plays in the middle of these two? Would adding weight to the handle of the Blade or dropping tension give me more whipping power? Or would a new string setup give me a more plush feel and control in my Pro Staff?

String in PS: NXT and Alu Power hybrid at 55 lb
String in Blade: Alu Power (not sure the tension, but probably mid)

TLDR: I love the butteriness, consistency, and accuracy of the Blade, but I feel a Iack put away power and pop on my serve and FH.
I love the controlled power of my Pro Staff. But, I do not have the same directional pinpoint accuracy and buttyerness of the Blade.

 

[1HBHfanatic]

-blade 16/19 gives you more power, right away
-more spin also
-same handle feel! (youll find very important when choosing//trying/demoing other brands)

-head radical is the head counter to the blades!
-i would say the h.radicals are the "in between" stiffness you are asking about
-spin will be less but not by much (due to its tighter string pattern construction
-but with less string spacing comes more control, so its a trade off you can see if its for you or not

-the yonex.vcore.PRO.97 (310, 2021) is a comparable racket
-solid, fast, good spin, lots of similarities to the heads and wilsons
-stiffness is in the same ball park
-yonex handle shape is a bit like the wilsons, but with no "butt-flare" (least of all racquets, not sure if that's important to you)

 

[lim]

Have you tried the pro labs prostaff v13 18M. I don’t think making the blade headlighter will help but maybe dropping the tension. I am a pro staff user as well and when I play with a blade/prestige I can instantly feel the difference in the crisp power of the PS. The 18M will give you a bit more control over the 16M

 

[PhxRacket]

I am in this same predicament or rabbit hole. FWIW, I really like playing with my Blade v7 18M. But the v13 Pro Staff can be so much more clinical. How does the 360+ Extreme Tour fit into this equation? Or does it?

 

[Blakefan17]

UP 16x19 also might be interesting? I like it

 

[antony]

Add weight to your racquet on the hoop

I am a Pro Staff six.one 95 18x20 user and am experimenting with adding weight. It does have more power skin to the rf97 with some added weight now. Will continue tinkering

More mass means more energy with the same RHS

 

[PhxRacket]

Add weight to your racquet on the hoop
I put 4 grams at 12 on the Pro Staff. Pop upped.
More mass means more energy with the same RHS

 

[antony]

Sounds like too much in one place

If I were to add 4 grams I’d distribute it a little more. Try to use an RDC to keep track of your swing weight and balance too

 

[PhxRacket]

Sounds like too much in one place

If I were to add 4 grams I’d distribute it a little more. Try to use an RDC to keep track of your swing weight and balance too

Agreed. I don’t have access to an RDC tho

 

[Yamin]

Blade serves pretty powerfully. It's probably the swing weight. Try the 16x19 with a string like hyper g soft

 

[puppybutts]

I am looking for a new racquet or Modification tips. I am in grad school so my budget is limited. I am a strong 4.0-4.5 player, and 24 y/o. (picked up tennis in college, and only played club) I currently have a Prostaff v13, which I thought was my perfect racquet. I crush my serves and forehands with this racquet while still being fairly controlled. However, I have been using a Blade v7 18x20 that my friend let me borrow. The Blade is so buttery smooth and I have never hit so accurately and with so few errors in my life. However, I do not have the same power level. My game up until this point has been based on serve and FH power. When I play with the Blade my style becomes much more of a counter puncher. My prefered style is more attacking.

Is there a racquet that plays in the middle of these two? Would adding weight to the handle of the Blade or dropping tension give me more whipping power? Or would a new string setup give me a more plush feel and control in my Pro Staff?

String in PS: NXT and Alu Power hybrid at 55 lb
String in Blade: Alu Power (not sure the tension, but probably mid)

TLDR: I love the butteriness, consistency, and accuracy of the Blade, but I feel a Iack put away power and pop on my serve and FH.
I love the controlled power of my Pro Staff. But, I do not have the same directional pinpoint accuracy and buttyerness of the Blade.

My first thought is to try the Head Radical. I tried the Pro and it definitely feels like a tighter 16x19 arrangement, making it more similar to a 97 head and reminded me a lot of the prostaff actually. However the feel is definitely not plush like the Blade.

I would also give the Yonex VCore Pro 97D a whirl. The extra mass definitely gives you more power, and while not as buttery as the previous gen, is still a nice feel at contact.

 

[Blahovic]

I haven't played with it but the most comparable line to the modern Pro Staff is probably Babolat Pure Strike, so perhaps try the Pure Strike 18×20 or the Tour. Not buttery like the Blade, but the tighter pattern could be like a Pro Staff with control closer to a Blade.

If you don't mind weight, I think the Volkl C10 Pro is another good option. Flexible and a tight 16x19 but also good at destroying forehands and serves.

 

[BallBasher247]

I am looking for a new racquet or Modification tips. I am in grad school so my budget is limited. I am a strong 4.0-4.5 player, and 24 y/o. (picked up tennis in college, and only played club) I currently have a Prostaff v13, which I thought was my perfect racquet. I crush my serves and forehands with this racquet while still being fairly controlled. However, I have been using a Blade v7 18x20 that my friend let me borrow. The Blade is so buttery smooth and I have never hit so accurately and with so few errors in my life. However, I do not have the same power level. My game up until this point has been based on serve and FH power. When I play with the Blade my style becomes much more of a counter puncher. My prefered style is more attacking.

Is there a racquet that plays in the middle of these two? Would adding weight to the handle of the Blade or dropping tension give me more whipping power? Or would a new string setup give me a more plush feel and control in my Pro Staff?

String in PS: NXT and Alu Power hybrid at 55 lb
String in Blade: Alu Power (not sure the tension, but probably mid)

TLDR: I love the butteriness, consistency, and accuracy of the Blade, but I feel a Iack put away power and pop on my serve and FH.
I love the controlled power of my Pro Staff. But, I do not have the same directional pinpoint accuracy and buttyerness of the Blade.

Adding handle weight to the Blade will make it feel more whippy since it'll become more headlight. It won't be as whippy as a Pro Staff but you'll be able to get more RHS that way. Dropping tension or using a softer string are two ways to get a plusher feel and a bit more power from a racket, but if your Pro Staff has the power lvl you want as is then using a softer string at the same tension (or maybe a little higher) will help too. I'd try these mods before jumping to another racket.

But if you want to switch, my best recommendation is the Tecnifibre TF40 315. Has the 18x20 pattern and similar directional control to the 18x20 Blade, but has a crisper, more connected feel, more free power and similar weight/balance like the Pro Staff. Better serving and volleying racket than both Wilsons and all the Strikes I've tried. Fantastic stick esp. for attackers and S&V players, would be a switch for me if I wasn't a lefty topspin grinder.

 

[fuzz nation]

A couple years ago I grabbed a pair of the 2015 Blade 98 16x19 from the classifieds here. I had sampled the same frame with the 18x20 pattern and had some fun with it. My regular players for a long time have been two models from Volkl - both are 98" and have that old-school layout that's heavy (12.5+ oz.) with significant head-light balance. I got those Blades so that I could try something different, but I was also thinking that I should be going for a lighter option now that I'm in my mid 50's.

Trying to switch to the Blades was nearly disastrous for me. The lighter frames coaxed me into swinging harder to generate the same thump as with my familiar players and I pretty severely strained the tissues in the back of my shoulder while playing with them. I also tried to do some tuning with one of those Blades using lead tape to give me a more familiar layout, but that didn't help me get a better fit with that frame the way it has with others. Good racquet but just not good for me.

With that experience in mind, I'm thinking stick with frames more like the ProStaff in terms of weight and balance, but try a softer alternative. Something like the Prince Phantom 97 should give you a lot of the authority you get with the heavier ProStaff, but the extra flex of the Phantom may also give you more of that control that you found with the Blade. The Head Prestige Graphene 360 midplus could also be one to demo.

 

[ImportPer4mance]

You could try the V8 18x20, but you would need to lead it up so that specs match your V7. They are stiffer than V7 so offer more power at same specs. Mine came in at 65 RA unstrung whilst my V7 was 61 RA unstrung.

 

[abarth20]

Radical MP.

 

[RAdams44]

Have you tried the pro labs prostaff v13 18M. I don’t think making the blade headlighter will help but maybe dropping the tension. I am a pro staff user as well and when I play with a blade/prestige I can instantly feel the difference in the crisp power of the PS. The 18M will give you a bit more control over the 16M

I have never tried any of the Prolabs. Nervous to buy without demoing. Are you referring to the six.one 95 in the pro labs? with the ProStaff paint?

 

[RAdams44]

You could try the V8 18x20, but you would need to lead it up so that specs match your V7. They are stiffer than V7 so offer more power at same specs. Mine came in at 65 RA unstrung whilst my V7 was 61 RA unstrung.

Might try to demo it this winter. thanks. I thought the v8 was supposed to be less stiff, but I have heard from a few people now that it is more stiff and powerful.

 

[RAdams44]

Adding handle weight to the Blade will make it feel more whippy since it'll become more headlight. It won't be as whippy as a Pro Staff but you'll be able to get more RHS that way. Dropping tension or using a softer string are two ways to get a plusher feel and a bit more power from a racket, but if your Pro Staff has the power lvl you want as is then using a softer string at the same tension (or maybe a little higher) will help too. I'd try these mods before jumping to another racket.

But if you want to switch, my best recommendation is the Tecnifibre TF40 315. Has the 18x20 pattern and similar directional control to the 18x20 Blade, but has a crisper, more connected feel, more free power and similar weight/balance like the Pro Staff. Better serving and volleying racket than both Wilsons and all the Strikes I've tried. Fantastic stick esp. for attackers and S&V players, would be a switch for me if I wasn't a lefty topspin grinder.

I might try these mods out, thanks.
I'm very interested in the TF40 315. I might try to get a demo.