Yonex VCORE 95 vs Wilson PS97CV

[Atewonate]

Hi All,

I used to play a lot as a junior but its been a good 15 years since I played seriously. I’m trying to get back into it, and get my conditioning backup. I’m a 4.0/4.5 at this point. My goal is be 5.0 and start playing in 18-39 tournaments again. My last racquet as a junior was the Wilson Hyper Hammer 6.3, 95sqin - very different from a lot of the racquets I see now.

I’ve been demoing several racquets the past few weeks, and I’ve narrowed it down to the VCORE 95 and PS97CV. Something about these two that felt very natural and just fun to play with. I can hit with all strokes, and just love moving the ball around the court. So I value control over power, but want a racquet that can hold its own against power hitters as well.

The reviews I read suggest the new VCORE 95 is underpowered. But I definitely thought it was more powerful than the PS97CV? Yet at the same time, I felt it had more control too. I think this might be bc of the larger sweet spot. My serve was also great with the Vcore 95 (allows me to fully extend and hit the ball closer to the top of the racquet). It was harder for me to generate power with the PS97 bc I felt I had to hit the ball lower on the racquet head. This might matter less to tall players, but I’m 5’9, so the extra height in sweespot is noticeable for me here. I felt the spin was easier to generate with the PS97. The PS97 takes me a moment to find its sweet spot, but once I do I really smile just playing with it. Hard time explaining why, but it complements/rewards how I like to play and move around.

So I’m really torn between these two. Would love to hear more input from people who have used both, or if anyone can give me any further tips or suggestions. I also need to do more research on strings and what would work best. I know as a junior I used to break strings very easily bc I put a lot of topspin on my shots.

Anyways, appreciate any feedback and thanks in advance!

 

[phil7777777]

Good racket options!

I can offer my two cents here. As background I am a decent level player who would generally play in a club 1st or 2nd team.

I used the PS97CV for about 6 months and 1 month of the Vcore 95 (Also a tested V Core 98 and the V Core Pro 97 310g - more on them later). I would say that initially I loved the PS97CV, the all black finish is seducing as is the comfort. Though like many an alluring item there was a definite honeymoon period which I think was mainly due to the racket just being more comfortable than a lot of others on the market.

This honeymoon period wore off.

As time went on I found that the connection to the ball was lost and I struggled to trust the racket in matches and key moments. This just continued to escalate to a point where I was losing matches against players I would normally destroy and eventually I switched.

I decided to do a trial of a few rackets. I also used the SV95 for a while and though I loved the free power from this racket it was just too stiff. I am also a 16x19 or at least open pattern fan so the new V Core Pro and V Core line appealed:

V Core 95 - Butter and sweetness. Great feel and touch and these feelings did not wear off over time. Control is also very high but comes at the compromise of free power. When weighted it just lost the characteristics that appealed. Good racket and better than PS97CV because of the ball connection element, though I felt it did not stand out in any one aspect (though this may be a comparable thing with the other rackets mentioned below).

If you haven’t already tested, some other rackets to maybe consider:

V Core Pro - Control, Control, Control. Top notch. Yonex through and through. The plush feel and connection is so on point and better than the PS97CV and V Cores (bias alert - I am a Yonex fan!). However, the racket lacks the free power to compete in today’s racket era. If I want to play competitively, it doesn’t cut it against the free power of the Babolat style rackets. I tried lead at 12 but it didn’t work and my strokes are quite wristy so lead at 3,9 affects them negatively. The 330g may be an option and I tried this but only briefly for two hours before discounting because I felt I wanted free power and reduced weight.

V Core 98 - I wasn’t expecting to like this racket, but it fit perfectly. It has more free power than the V Core Pro, slightly less flex and plushness than the V Core 95 and V Core Pro and more stability and power than the V Core 95 and V Core Pro 97. I think TW got it spot on with their review that it is the most user friendly in the range and has a balance of traits compared to the other rackets in the range. The frame is not too stiff and the string pattern is fairly open so the SBS is not too high and you get a nice launch angle whilst still gaining good feedback and connection to the ball. Compared to the PS97CV the V Core 98 comfort is good though I would say PS97CV has more comfort but the increased PS97CV comfort comes with the expense of a reduced connection to the ball. Power and stability are better in the V Core 98 than the PS97CV.


One general comment on the PS97CV is that the CV seems to further decrease Wilson’s games quality control. The specs of the PS97CV vary wildly so this may be something to consider when testing/comparing (I had rackets with almost 30SW point differences).




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[Atewonate]

Thanks for the feedback! That was very insightful.

I guess I’m still surprised that the Vcore 95 is considered underpowered. It didn’t feel that way to me, but I might be ok with where it's at. I was thinking of adjusting the strings/tensions if I need more power. I'm really leaning towards the Vcore 95 at this point. Do you have any string/tension recommendations for this racquet?

 

[rattos83]

I have enjoyed the Vcore 95 with Solinco Hyper G 1.25 with 22kg tension. I dropped the tension from 23kg to 22kg to get bit more power. I also tried the hybrid setup, mains VS 1.30 24kg / crosses RPM Blast 1.25 23kg, this was good in the beginning, but after few hours strings gave too much power and my shots were landing long.

 

[tribesmen]

Good racket options!

...

As time went on I found that the connection to the ball was lost and I struggled to trust the racket in matches and key moments. This just continued to escalate to a point where I was losing matches against players I would normally destroy and eventually I switched.

...




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Can you explain this more thoroughly ? IMHO if you are so good that you can destroy the opponent, there is no racquet on this planet that can cause losing matches against players you normally destroyed them.

 

[CQ007]

Hello, I can also very much relate to your situation as I have experience with both sticks. Prior to these I hit with the AI and DR 98 for 4 years. I am also a pretty big Yonex fan. I played with the Pro Staff 97 - all black pre countervail version for 6 months. I found the amount of spin and launch angle to be great for both FH and BH but I felt I was missing something. Plow through for it’s wright as well as volley’s were also very solid. I could not get that snap on my serve as well as OHs and my timing just never adjusted so this was the one area I was underehealmed. At the end of the day I was waiting for the Vcore 95 to be released and demo’d It for a few weeks. For my style there is no turning back. From the baseline I can get massive racquet head speed - I can get great topspin, flatten out the ball easily, and slice accurately. My serve has never been better on flat bombs and out wide kickers. The only thing I would like is a bit more stability and plow in return of serve. I considered a touch of lead however as somebody mentioned above once you add even a bit of weight it takes away from all of the other great attributes this racquet has. Either way no racquet is perfect and I have adjusted on the ROS. All that to say that the Vcore 95 is surely not under powered and I am very happy with my choice. I don’t think you can go wrong with this stick. Hope this helps a bit.

 

[CQ007]

Forgot to add - strung up w full bed of cyclone 17 - 48 lbs

 

[Nick777]

Good racket options!

I can offer my two cents here. As background I am a decent level player who would generally play in a club 1st or 2nd team.

I used the PS97CV for about 6 months and 1 month of the Vcore 95 (Also a tested V Core 98 and the V Core Pro 97 310g - more on them later). I would say that initially I loved the PS97CV, the all black finish is seducing as is the comfort. Though like many an alluring item there was a definite honeymoon period which I think was mainly due to the racket just being more comfortable than a lot of others on the market.

This honeymoon period wore off.

As time went on I found that the connection to the ball was lost and I struggled to trust the racket in matches and key moments. This just continued to escalate to a point where I was losing matches against players I would normally destroy and eventually I switched.

I decided to do a trial of a few rackets. I also used the SV95 for a while and though I loved the free power from this racket it was just too stiff. I am also a 16x19 or at least open pattern fan so the new V Core Pro and V Core line appealed:

V Core 95 - Butter and sweetness. Great feel and touch and these feelings did not wear off over time. Control is also very high but comes at the compromise of free power. When weighted it just lost the characteristics that appealed. Good racket and better than PS97CV because of the ball connection element, though I felt it did not stand out in any one aspect (though this may be a comparable thing with the other rackets mentioned below).

If you haven’t already tested, some other rackets to maybe consider:

V Core Pro - Control, Control, Control. Top notch. Yonex through and through. The plush feel and connection is so on point and better than the PS97CV and V Cores (bias alert - I am a Yonex fan!). However, the racket lacks the free power to compete in today’s racket era. If I want to play competitively, it doesn’t cut it against the free power of the Babolat style rackets. I tried lead at 12 but it didn’t work and my strokes are quite wristy so lead at 3,9 affects them negatively. The 330g may be an option and I tried this but only briefly for two hours before discounting because I felt I wanted free power and reduced weight.

V Core 98 - I wasn’t expecting to like this racket, but it fit perfectly. It has more free power than the V Core Pro, slightly less flex and plushness than the V Core 95 and V Core Pro and more stability and power than the V Core 95 and V Core Pro 97. I think TW got it spot on with their review that it is the most user friendly in the range and has a balance of traits compared to the other rackets in the range. The frame is not too stiff and the string pattern is fairly open so the SBS is not too high and you get a nice launch angle whilst still gaining good feedback and connection to the ball. Compared to the PS97CV the V Core 98 comfort is good though I would say PS97CV has more comfort but the increased PS97CV comfort comes with the expense of a reduced connection to the ball. Power and stability are better in the V Core 98 than the PS97CV.


One general comment on the PS97CV is that the CV seems to further decrease Wilson’s games quality control. The specs of the PS97CV vary wildly so this may be something to consider when testing/comparing (I had rackets with almost 30SW point differences).




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Played with the same rackets and found similar results, i suggest demo the prince beast 98,found that is even better than vcore 98

 

[Atewonate]

Thank you all for the input! I went ahead and decided on the VCORE 95 and got 2 racquets. Very excited to play with these. I now have to experiment and dial in on the strings I want. Starting off with a full bed of Ashaway Monogut ZX. Never done hybrids before and may try that next depending on how it goes.

 

[TR3NT]

I hit with both the PS97CV and VCORE 95 yesterday and to me the VCORE 95 was night and day better. My regular racquet is a Ezone 98 weighted up and I liked the extra precision from the VCORE 95.

 

[hurworld]

Thank you all for the input! I went ahead and decided on the VCORE 95 and got 2 racquets. Very excited to play with these. I now have to experiment and dial in on the strings I want. Starting off with a full bed of Ashaway Monogut ZX. Never done hybrids before and may try that next depending on how it goes.

If you are going to use Monogut ZX, make sure you do ample pre-stretch, or ask your stringer to do so. This string permanently elongates VERY easily.

 

[Headlightman]

Good racket options!

I can offer my two cents here. As background I am a decent level player who would generally play in a club 1st or 2nd team.

I used the PS97CV for about 6 months and 1 month of the Vcore 95 (Also a tested V Core 98 and the V Core Pro 97 310g - more on them later). I would say that initially I loved the PS97CV, the all black finish is seducing as is the comfort. Though like many an alluring item there was a definite honeymoon period which I think was mainly due to the racket just being more comfortable than a lot of others on the market.

This honeymoon period wore off.

As time went on I found that the connection to the ball was lost and I struggled to trust the racket in matches and key moments. This just continued to escalate to a point where I was losing matches against players I would normally destroy and eventually I switched.

I decided to do a trial of a few rackets. I also used the SV95 for a while and though I loved the free power from this racket it was just too stiff. I am also a 16x19 or at least open pattern fan so the new V Core Pro and V Core line appealed:

V Core 95 - Butter and sweetness. Great feel and touch and these feelings did not wear off over time. Control is also very high but comes at the compromise of free power. When weighted it just lost the characteristics that appealed. Good racket and better than PS97CV because of the ball connection element, though I felt it did not stand out in any one aspect (though this may be a comparable thing with the other rackets mentioned below).

If you haven’t already tested, some other rackets to maybe consider:

V Core Pro - Control, Control, Control. Top notch. Yonex through and through. The plush feel and connection is so on point and better than the PS97CV and V Cores (bias alert - I am a Yonex fan!). However, the racket lacks the free power to compete in today’s racket era. If I want to play competitively, it doesn’t cut it against the free power of the Babolat style rackets. I tried lead at 12 but it didn’t work and my strokes are quite wristy so lead at 3,9 affects them negatively. The 330g may be an option and I tried this but only briefly for two hours before discounting because I felt I wanted free power and reduced weight.

V Core 98 - I wasn’t expecting to like this racket, but it fit perfectly. It has more free power than the V Core Pro, slightly less flex and plushness than the V Core 95 and V Core Pro and more stability and power than the V Core 95 and V Core Pro 97. I think TW got it spot on with their review that it is the most user friendly in the range and has a balance of traits compared to the other rackets in the range. The frame is not too stiff and the string pattern is fairly open so the SBS is not too high and you get a nice launch angle whilst still gaining good feedback and connection to the ball. Compared to the PS97CV the V Core 98 comfort is good though I would say PS97CV has more comfort but the increased PS97CV comfort comes with the expense of a reduced connection to the ball. Power and stability are better in the V Core 98 than the PS97CV.


One general comment on the PS97CV is that the CV seems to further decrease Wilson’s games quality control. The specs of the PS97CV vary wildly so this may be something to consider when testing/comparing (I had rackets with almost 30SW point differences).




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Very late reply, but when you add weight do you also add it to the handle to keep the balance the same?

 

[phil7777777]

Very late reply, but when you add weight do you also add it to the handle to keep the balance the same?

even later reply

I would generally always try to counterbalance to keep the overall balance the same. I do this to ensure that the mechanics of the stroke are the same. Generally, I try to keep the SW, Static Weight and Balance within a tolerance range but balance seems to be the spec I am most sensitive to.