Wilson K Blade 98 vs Dunlop 4D 300 Tour

[ac3111]

I was looking for a lightweight 18 x 20 racquet. I narrowed my options and ended to these two models.
The main difference beside the balance where Dunlop is more headlight is the power... K Blade 98 looks to have more swingweight and be more powerful.
I come from a K 95 18 x 20 so I would like opinions. Need to make a decision...

And the specs:
K Blade 98
Head Size:
98 sq. in. / 632 sq. cm.
Length: 27 inches / 69 cm
Strung Weight: 11.1oz / 315g
Balance: 3pts Head Light
Swingweight: 325
Stiffness: 67
Beam Width: 20 mm Straight Beam
Composition: [K]arophite Black w / X Loop Weave At 3 & 9 o'clock
Power Level: Low
Swing Speed: Fast

Dunlop 4D 300 Tour
Head Size:
98 sq. in. / 632 sq. cm.
Length: 27 inches / 69 cm
Strung Weight: 11.3oz / 320g
Balance: 5pts Head Light
Swingweight: 318
Stiffness: 63
Beam Width: 20 mm Straight Beam
Composition: Aerogel 4D Braided Graphite
Power Level: Low-Medium
Swing Speed: Fast
Grip Type: Hydramax Tour

And a question how come the Power level in the Dunlop be bigger than the K Blade 98?

 

[EKnee08]

Very interesting. I am looking at the same models as well as the Head Youtek Radical MP. Have you also tested the Radical which has similar specs.? If so, how did it compare to the Dunlop?

 

[ac3111]

The Youtek is only 2 pts headlight and I am bit inclined to more headlight rackets...

I have not tried any of them and I don't think I will be able to demo...

 

[ac3111]

Very interesting. I am looking at the same models as well as the Head Youtek Radical MP. Have you also tested the Radical which has similar specs.? If so, how did it compare to the Dunlop?

It seems that we are the only ones considering these 2 sticks...

 

[tenzinrocks]

go with dunlop, kblade is way too stiff for its weight and even balanced, yuck.(its basically even). if you're ever gonna get a kblade, atleast get the tour.

 

[tenzinrocks]

and the low power detail for the kblade is BS. its the most powerful racquet ive used and it was at 60lbs poly. kblade sucks at groundstrokes, you hit it and its kinda fast and looks like its going long but it dies at the end. i own all my kblade 98 friends easily and they're 3.5-4. go with k90 or kblade tour

 

[ac3111]

I was playing with the PS Rok 93 which in terms of headsize and strung weight is similar. I want it to be at around 320gramms and over 95 headsize.
The only thing that makes me hesitant about the Dunlop is that I heard it is underpowered. I'd like to string it with a combination of gut and Luxilon Alu Fluoro (the thin poly, 1,23mm)...

 

[tenzinrocks]

you'll generate your own power later on when you become better. or loosen your strings. its better than a very powerful light weighted stiff racquet. horrible racquet

 

[ac3111]

and the low power detail for the kblade is BS. its the most powerful racquet ive used and it was at 60lbs poly. kblade sucks at groundstrokes, you hit it and its kinda fast and looks like its going long but it dies at the end. i own all my kblade 98 friends easily and they're 3.5-4. go with k90 or kblade tour

I am leaving from K 95 so I would like something lighter and slightly bigger headsize.
I want the racquet to be 18 x 20... So K90 not for me and KBlade Tour neither, at least for the time...

 

[ac3111]

you'll generate your own power later on when you become better. or loosen your strings. its better than a very powerful light weighted stiff racquet. horrible racquet

I am closer to Dunlop. So if I pick it what would you recommend for string set up? I know use Tonic 16. Would it be good to put a soft poly in the crosses? Like Alu Fluoro?

 

[tenzinrocks]

hm

I am closer to Dunlop. So if I pick it what would you recommend for string set up? I know use Tonic 16. Would it be good to put a soft poly in the crosses? Like Alu Fluoro?

Well i don't know a whole lot about strings. I'm more of a racquet and technique type of person. I would say that the Dunlop would be the better choice for you. I think go 57 or 58 on poly. Since it does have low-med power. I had a full poly on 57 with my old aeropro which had low-med power and was great. Have you ever tried the k61 95 team? that's an amazing racquet, kind of a 2.5-3.0 racquet i'd say since it is very easy to use. or maybe try an asian k6.1 95?

 

[ac3111]

Well i don't know a whole lot about strings. I'm more of a racquet and technique type of person. I would say that the Dunlop would be the better choice for you. I think go 57 or 58 on poly. Since it does have low-med power. I had a full poly on 57 with my old aeropro which had low-med power and was great. Have you ever tried the k61 95 team? that's an amazing racquet, kind of a 2.5-3.0 racquet i'd say since it is very easy to use. or maybe try an asian k6.1 95?

K 6.1 TEam was inside the lightweight 18 x 20 zone but it is even balanced and that made me throw it out of the candidate list...
If I had money to spare I would buy both of them...

 

[tenzinrocks]

Since it's light weight and you don't want even balanced. You can add weight to one part of the frame so it's heavier, and headlight

 

[ac3111]

The funny part is that the K 95 is cheaper than the K 95 Team. Can you imagine? Obviously Wilson produced too many K 95's and they are unsold and maybe there is a new line waiting to come out and Wilson wants all the K 95 to be sold...

 

[tenzinrocks]

hhm

The funny part is that the K 95 is cheaper than the K 95 Team. Can you imagine? Obviously Wilson produced too many K 95's and they are unsold and maybe there is a new line waiting to come out and Wilson wants all the K 95 to be sold...

either that or more people like the team because it's so easy to use and they can't find enough buyers for the 95. I love my k90 but i'm sure barely anyone uses it right?

 

[ac3111]

I love the solid feeling of the K95 and I will buy a matched pair later because someday I will be using only this one. I tried many other rackets like the RDS 003, the AG 300, the K Pro Tour but no one gave me the feel of the K 95. So it has to be 18 x 20 for sure. In the end I know I will revert back to K 95. It's that I have to improve a bit more...

 

[dParis]

Not so fast to the Dunlop, filo mou. While the 300T is a nice racquet having attributes of a heavier racquet in a lighter, more maneuverable package, it is very low powered. I don't know how its TW power rating is low-medium while the kblade 98 is listed as low. The kblade is noticeably more powerful on groundstrokes. My hitting with the kblade is limited and I didn't get to serve with it at all so I can't add anything there. Since you are coming from a k95, the kblade 98 seems like a measured and logical move to a more forgiving racquet. I think you'll find the 300T rewards perfectly struck shots but its sweetspot is definitely smaller than the kblade's and probably smaller than the k95 as well. Besides the light weight, I found the 300T to be a pretty demanding raquet. I don't know if you have handled the kblade yet but it is a well balanced stick, solid for its weight. You should be able to transition from the k95 to the kb98 and back without problem as your game develops.

 

[ac3111]

Why the Dunlop 4D 300 Tour has smaller sweetspot than a 95 racquet like K 95? And why it has smaller sweetspot compared to the K Blade 98...

 

[tenzinrocks]

look

Why the Dunlop 4D 300 Tour has smaller sweetspot than a 95 racquet like K 95? And why it has smaller sweetspot compared to the K Blade 98...

Kblade 98 is a very powerful racquet even with poly at 60lbs. Very light. Very stiff. Those are the worst 3 combinations you can get

 

[p-ratziner]

I´m between these sticks ... the lm radical and the volkl pb10light....
has the 300T less power than the LM radical?
Before i used the 300 16x18, now the 500 T but hate it, i´ve demo the kblade98 but i don´t like the balance, only 2 pts hl... and the poor quality control, .... i can´t decide either... need help too, but i think this is the thread...

PD: forget my bad english ... i wanna participate jejeje

 

[dParis]

Why the Dunlop 4D 300 Tour has smaller sweetspot than a 95 racquet like K 95? And why it has smaller sweetspot compared to the K Blade 98...

Not sure why but it may have to do with head shape and string spacing. Also, the kblade's greater swigweight brings more mass behind the ball which will enlarge the sweetspot.

Kblade 98 is a very powerful racquet even with poly at 60lbs. Very light. Very stiff. Those are the worst 3 combinations you can get

The kblade's stiffness rating is 67 which, while higher than many, isn't extreme in the least. I thought the kblade flexed nicely. It only weighs 5 grams less than the 300T - a non-factor that can easily be changed with a slight mod if he thought he needed the extra weight.

 

[dParis]

I´m between these sticks ... the lm radical and the volkl pb10light....
has the 300T less power than the LM radical?
Before i used the 300 16x18,...

Have you considered the 4D 300 16x19? It plays more solid than its weight of 10.9oz. and it takes lead easily if you so choose.

 

[endbegin]

I have hit with both, and absolutely hated the KBlade 98 ... way too powerful, and my arm started hurting almost immediately. I liked the Dunlop 300 4D better, but felt like something was missing - it just felt a little too dead. Even if I hit a good shot, it didn't feel like I hit a good shot. That is, of course, rather subjective, and other people may say different things.

I would also suggest using TW's racquet finder with your desirable specs and see what pops up.

 

[ac3111]

Good idea the TW finder. What I did was to check all the 18x20 rackets below the 330-325 grams weight. If I did not want to go down then I'd stay with the K 95...

 

[daddioX2]

OK, I own a KBlade Tour 93, but I currently have on Demo the 2 rackets you posted about.
Tonight I started to warm-up with the Dunlop AG 4D 300 and I put it down in about 5min. I got nothing from the Dunlop. Balls were short, and off target.
Having said that, someone please tell me why TW is sending out Demo's that are all customized - silicone in the handle and lead on the head. I didn't feel like taking it back to stock to see what it plays like.
I put it on my scale and its 11.9 ounces and 5 pts HL.

I liked the KBlade 98 better, in fact it plays similar to the tour, but less control. I missed a few shots wide that I thought I should have been able to get in. Maybe just a bit late on them. I would replace the grip w/ leather and maybe add a bit more weight in the handle to bring it more head light like the tour and keep the 98 sq-in.
Also if I buy this stick, I guess I will need to try diff string setups. I have not idea the tension of the Demo, I'm playing with NXT17 in my Tour @ 58 lbs.

 

[ac3111]

But if 98 is too powerful then you have to go up in the tension and a high tension combined with a stiff racquet may be not good combo...

 

[daddioX2]

I didn't find the 98 to be too powerful, just a little lack of control.

I think I actually get more power from my 93, but I have tried different strings on it and have it close to how I like it now. The only problem is I have too many mis-hits, so I want to try bigger frames.

 

[ac3111]

In TW review the Dunlop got just a bit better marks than the K Blade 98...

 

[film1]

Get a volkl c-10 and pound balls

 

[Hidious]

I hear underpowered a lot when refering to the 300T but TW testers loved it on serve... Perhaps it was placement/consistency they liked?

 

[ac3111]

I spent some time swinging the K 95, the Rok 93 and the Aerogel 300 16x19. The AG 300 16x19 felt lighter but when swinging it was easier to get it going but in the end of the motion the acceleration was dead nowhere while with the other 2 the arm kept going...
Racquets like K 95 give such a solid feeling that once you experienced it it is hard to go to something else lighter...

 

[tenzinrocks]

wow

But if 98 is too powerful then you have to go up in the tension and a high tension combined with a stiff racquet may be not good combo...

I felt the 98 to be so powerful. More powerful than any of my racquets. Even my nooby ones. I am a 3.5-4.0 player so I definately can generate my own power. It says low power for kblade98. BS, I even put 62 string tension with fully poly! Still had WAYYYY to much power. I have good control always, but it had way too much power!

 

[daddioX2]

ac3111 - have you played with both yourself?

How much topspin do you play with? How about your typical opponent, do they bring pace or do you have to generate your own?

 

[ac3111]

I have not tried any of them. I can't say I use a lot of topspin but in the other hand there has to be someone to watch me and tell me to be sure about it.
They bring pace I can say some of them the good ones. The others don't...

 

[dadozen]

The 300T is a demanding racquet. People say it's underpowered because it demands you to generate your own power and pace. That's great for players who like to take big cuts at the ball, with full swings and long groundstrokes.

I've leaded up mine up to 330g( 8g on the handle and 2g @ 12 ) and it's SW has raised up to 325. It's incredible how much pace I got from the racquet now, but if you don't like to go for full swings every time you hit the ball, then you will probably not like this racquet.

Actually, the faster and harder you swing this racquet, the better control you get. The tight string pattern doesn't affect spin since you can add head speed to compensate.

Hope I have helped.

 

[ac3111]

I may try to get the 2 of them to demo from TW Europe since they have a demo program but I do not think I can find them with my grip size.
Thank you for your input.

 

[EKnee08]

I have hit with both, and absolutely hated the KBlade 98 ... way too powerful, and my arm started hurting almost immediately. I liked the Dunlop 300 4D better, but felt like something was missing - it just felt a little too dead. Even if I hit a good shot, it didn't feel like I hit a good shot. That is, of course, rather subjective, and other people may say different things.

I would also suggest using TW's racquet finder with your desirable specs and see what pops up.

Its all subjective but I hit w/ the Kblade and Dunlop as well as the Radical in the last few days. Liked the Dunlop over the kblade. Kblade did not feel as solid, more power and hurt my arm. Looking at the Youtek Radical midplus. Will hit with it tonight.

 

[ac3111]

I drew from my old bag the Dunlop AG 300 to hit with it. The solid feeling of the K 95 was missing but was easier or less tiring to swing...
I may order for a demo the Dunlop and the K Blade.
I have to note that I did not like the balance of the AG 300. Not much headlight. I think I am so used to the headlight balance of the K 95 that anything less headlight seems weird to me.

 

[dadozen]

I drew from my old bag the Dunlop AG 300 to hit with it. The solid feeling of the K 95 was missing but was easier or less tiring to swing...
I may order for a demo the Dunlop and the K Blade.
I have to note that I did not like the balance of the AG 300. Not much headlight. I think I am so used to the headlight balance of the K 95 that anything less headlight seems weird to me.

Totally understand you: I came back to tennis this year, after 9 years away from the game, so I'm used to very, very HL racquets. I couldn't stand playing with the PStorms, too balanced and light for my taste.

Even the 300Ts were not HL enough for me. 5 pts HL stock, I added 8g on the handle to make it HLer.

 

[ac3111]

Well old bag is the one I used a year ago when I first started playing and left it when I bought a new one a couple weeks later...
I am not playing that long but the headheavy or even balanced feeling I do not like it even on a lightweight racket.

 

[dadozen]

The 300T plays like a heavier racquet( 12 oz+ ) without being that heavy. If you have problems playing with heavy racquets, but want one with the same characteristics, then it's the racquet for you. But players who are used to play with 12 oz+ racquets feel like it's hollow and dead.

I particulaly love it, since the stock weight is close to what I like. I just added a little lead to make it more HL and to have a higher SW for more pace.

 

[ac3111]

Thanks, mate for your feedback. I will try demo them if they have my gripsize and pick one...

 

[dadozen]

Thanks, mate for your feedback. I will try demo them if they have my gripsize and pick one...

No problems, glad I could help

I've seen many people stating that the 300T plays like a lighter Prestige MP. Looking at their scores in TW reviews, I noticed that the 300T got better scores in almost every category.

 

[ac3111]

Dunlop 4D 300 Tour got a bit better marks-score than K Blade but slightly. The difference is marginal. But honest to be many of the TW reviews seem a bit identical...

 

[dadozen]

Dunlop 4D 300 Tour got a bit better marks-score than K Blade but slightly. The difference is marginal. But honest to be many of the TW reviews seem a bit identical...

Well, TW surely has to give the racquets good scores, after all, they need to sell them

 

[ac3111]

And while I was thinking I have to pick one over these 2 racquets I come across the Prince Ozone Pro Tour Team...
Specs:
# Headsize: 645sq cm/ 100 sq. in.
# Unstrung weight: 310g/ 326 strung
# Length: 68.6cm/ 27 in.
# Balance: 6 pts strung/ 32cm
# String pattern: 18/20
# stiffeness: 61 I think