Why the Blade 98 is Essential to Tennis
Wilson’s Blade line has become one of the all-time great racquet families. Since it’s inception, the Blade has seen relatively little changes over time, even as it goes into it’s 8th generation. Specs have remained largely the same, with small tweaks to the weight distribution and stiffness. The V7 was the softest Blade to date, an answer to the stiff, arm-breaking racquets of the mid-2010’s. But the flexy graphite meant that Wilson had to pile on the the swingweight to give the racquet power. This made the V7 Blade one of the most demanding Blades to date. With the V8, the firmed up the layup, replacing “Feel Flex” with “45 Degree Weave” and decreased the swingweight to make the racquet more accessible to everyday players. The V8 Blade is the easiest to use Blade to date, but does it sacrifice some of the Blade Magic that earned Wilson so many fans?
The 16x19 Blade V8 leans up against a window, adjacent to some succulents. Beckett Chung. TennCom Media, 2021.
The Identity of the Blade Line
The Blade 98 has been a quintessential part of tennis as we transitioned from the 2000’s into the 2010’s. While the Pure Drive and AeroPro Drive paved the way for power and spin, they left a lot to be desired in terms of control. Enter the Blade 98. It was relatively stiff and near even-balance, boosting a ton of power and plow through, even for a racquet at 10.7oz with a thin 21mm beam and 18x20 string pattern. Few racquets, if any, offered the speed and maneuverability from the low static weight, the point-and-shoot control of a classic player’s frame, and the rock-solid stability from the impressive dynamic weight.
This formula remain crucial for Wilson, and would be something for other racquet manufacturers to copy. The Blade defined the modern players racquet, a 98 square-inch stick at 305g with medium-high stiffness and an emphasis on speed. The Babolat Pure Strike 98 and Yonex EZONE 98 would not exist as we know them without the Blade 98.
So, over a decade and a half after it’s inception, where does that leave us as we enter 2022? The Blade is definitely less demanding than it ever was before. The swingweight is much lower, down over 10 points from 328 to 317, meaning it doesn’t pack the same punch that it used to. The stiffness, while increased over the V7, is lower than the initial versions of the Blade. The mold of the frame, the balance and the static weight remain pretty much the same though, so is that enough to retain that Blade magic?
Energy Potential: Ease of Use
My main gripes with the V8 Blade come in this section. While they did firm up the stiffness, it’s just not enough to feel like there’s great energy return from the frame. It’s definitely not like Pure Drive, or even a Pure Strike, where the ultra-stiff frames and efficient beam designs allow you to generate ball-speed and depth out of sheer will (or a last second flick of the wrist). The Blade is still so soft that you MUST take full swings to generate any type of power.
Unfortunately, this led to a lot of my balls falling short, and without enough pace or spin to penetrate the court. I quickly fell behind in with bigger hitters and aggressive players. I think the energy potential is suitable for players up to NRTP 4.0, maybe 4.5, depending on your area, but anything beyond that the racquet tends to get pushed around on the court.
Spin potential was quite decent for a Blade. I typically struggle with maximum spin from the Blade because in previous version, the aggressive balance point made the racquet hard to accelerate. Now that the swingweight is decreased, it’s easy to lay on quite a lot of topspin, especially if you keep that racquet-head speed up. Still, I would prefer a more aggressive swingweight. 317 is simply too low for most of the typical Blade demographic.
Potential Energy: 109
Similar Performers
Head Prestige MP G360+: 109
Wilson Prostaff 97 v13: 110
Head Extreme Tour: 112
Stringbed Performance: Great All-Arounder
The stringbed is the a real strength in the 16x19 Blade. Something about the beam desgin has always yielded an incredibly consistent and predictable response in the Blade line. Even the Blade 104 feels extremely controlled. The 16x19 version opens things up a bit and delivers significantly easier access to spin than the 18x20 version for the frame.
The 16x19 Blade’s pattern is relatively closed, especially when compared to something like the VCORE 98, the Speed MP or the Pure Strike 98 16x19. The tighter centre strings allow for a decently low launch angle that makes it easy to command the court with confidence. This, combined with a very headlight balance and stability oriented weight distribution mean that the Blade 98 remains one of the best 16x19 racquets for slice on the market. In fact, the backhand slice was probably my favourite shot with this racquet. It was easy to penetrate the court with depth, knife aggressive and low approach shots or bring in the opponent with a short angle. One could say that the Blade slices.
Topspin was solid with the frame as well. While not a spin demon, like the VCORE 98 or Extreme Tour, the Blade offers easier access to topspin than the V7. This is partly due to the firmer layup, but also aided by the lighter swingweight, as it is easy to accelerate up the back of the ball. That said, the spin doesn’t feel that heavy, as previously mentioned, due to the lack of mass in the head. You can put a lot of shape on the ball, but it’s not necessarily tough for higher-level opponents to return.
Overall, the V8 Blade 98 16x19 offers a pleasing blend of stringbed consistency and spin potential. This makes it a great choice for a wide range of players who will be able to impose their own play style on the racquet, rather than having the racquet limit their game.
Stringbed Performance: 94
Similar Performers
Wilson Prostaff 97 v13: 92
Head Radical Pro G360+: 96
Head Extreme Tour: 97
Weight Distribution: Fast and Stable
As much as I have whined about the low swingweight in this article, it does come with it’s upsides. The racquet feels very quick through the air, making it easy to use in general. Both topspin and slice come easily, and the stick is a dream to maneuver up at net. You can really feel the bulk of the mass is located much lower in the frame. This adds excellent stability to backhand slices and more static shots, like volleys and returns. The lightness lets you get quickly get into position, and you can use the mass to redirect the pace.
Off-centre hits remain a non-issue. There is good stability around 3 and 9, and their in the extremities doesn’t feel cumbersome due to the forgiving swingweight.
Once again, the theme is ease of use, making the V8 Blade the most user friend Blade 98 to date.
Weight Distribution: 113
Similar Performers
Babolat Pure Drive 2021: 110
Yonex EZONE 98 2020: 112
Wilson Ultra 100 v3: 115
Important Competitors:
I think the big ones are the EZONE 98 and the Extreme Tour. Previously, the Blade was more in the leagues of the Pure Strike 98 and the Gravity Tour/Pro, but with the significant decrease in swingweight, the Blade has moved out of the demanding player’s racquet category and into the forgiving player’s racquet category. This means it delivers on Wilson’s goal, and the Blade is much more relevant to players in high 3.5-4.0 category, rather than strictly being 4.0+.
Compared to the EZONE 98, the Blade V8 is less forgiving, less inherently powerful and less spin friendly. I would say the upside here is feel and control. You’ll get incrementally more control with the Blade, and a much more responsive feel, as I find the EZONE 98 to be quite muted on impact. My preference is to the EZONE 98, I think it’s a more complete all around frame, however, the Blade 98 does have it’s strengths.
The Extreme Tour is less forgiving off-centre, but more inherently powerful and significantly better for spin. Control is similar with both, as is the launch angle and stringbed predictability, with a slight edge to the Blade. The Blade feels plusher and more comfortable, but a tad more muted as well. The Extreme Tour is very responsive, which is one of it’s main strengths. I think a lot of players in Wilson’s target demographic will prefer the Blade here, unless spin is a big part of your game. Advanced players who nail the sweetspot with more consistency will likely lean towards the Extreme Tour for better feel and spin.
Final Thoughts:
I’m not loving this update personally, but I do think it was the right move for Wilson. Their line-up lacks an EZONE competitor. Something more control-oriented than the Ultra, but easy to swing and less demanding than the previous Blades and the Prostaff line. While the Blade does lean towards control, I think Wilson has opened up another gap in their line-up.
Where the Blade used to be loved for it’s aggressive weight distribution, making is relevant to advanced players in stock form, there was nothing to fill it’s place now the Blade is gone. The Prostaff is hardly relevant anymore due to it’s throw-back feel (I still love it though). Wilson needs something the fight racquet like the VCORE 98, the Strike 98 and the Gravity Pro. Stock racquets that are relevant for the modern game.
