As someone who's just getting into tennis, I have absolutely latched on to your content, thank you so much! The info from your reviews has given me much more confidence and with that I signed up at my local club!
Man I love your reviews!! Been watching you for about 6 months now. Bought the 97D and you were on point with how I would describe it. Love the racket!
Thank you! This is exact comparison I have been waiting for. I have and play with both Blade 98 v7 and VCORE Pro 97D, and I agree that they share similar play styles with the 97D is a bit more demanding on footwork and timing. Maybe this is just me, but I am drawn to 97D more because of the lower launch angle and a bit more predictable especially at the net. Blade 98 is easier to maneuver especially in defending shots like you said
I demo'd both and decided on the Blade 98 v8 16x19. The percept just was a tad on the heavier side, which is what I was trying to downsize from my 25 y/o 95in 12oz racquet. I also found the wilson buttcap was more comfortable. The yonex handle was too similar to my old dunlop 95, i.e. non-existant. Very, very minor and nitpicky stuff. Both were awesome though. The Blade was very comfortable and my arm and shoulder just aint what the used to be, so that was the biggest plus.
I walked away from tennis for 26 years after getting burned out competing at a high level. When I came back I returned to the racquet I had played with since 1980, the Prince Original Graphite (I know what you are going to say but I had been sponsored by Prince🤷♂️). In attempts to modernize I tried almost 20 different racquets from the usual suspects. None ,ace me feel like switching until I tried the Percept 97. Within 5 minutes I knew this racquet was made for me. Amazing control and feel. It truly feels like an extension of my body. Love Luca’s review on this racquet! I feel the same way about the Yonex Perception 97.
Thanks for the video! I have both racquets: Wilson Extra + Control 1st serve Backhand Yonex: Extra + Forehand Sweet spot less effort to play deep Higher launching Better slicing 2nd serve Both hyprid stringing (alu power / VS touch gut) @52
Didn’t think I would care for the Percept from my gravity mp but it’s my favorite now. The 100 has great feel when hitting sweet spot, stable, and light weight. Great control for a 16*19!
Please excuse me for my lengthy reply! Up until a little over a month ago I used a Pure Aero Lite 2019 with a 16x19 string pattern and it was a great racket, generating excellent spin and power, it was just a little top heavy however, notwithstanding its' lightweight design. I accidentally broke it when it flew out of my hand during serve practice on a hot day and hit the clay court I was playing on with a sickening crack. Upon further investigation it had a major split towards the top of the racket head and I was devastated. However, a few days later my coach showed me a few used but in excellent condition rackets, one of which was a Wilson Blade 98 V8 18x20. He warned me of its' weight which could be ineffective given my short slim stature. It was love at first sight, I found I could manipulate the racket just fine and am even able to get out some one-hand backhand shots. The control, precision, spin, and power are awesome, I would definitely recommend it.
as a big fan of control rackets, i am glad to see the video. But will you do the video between prestige and pro staff, especially you talk about the two in the video.
i actually like the mute sound and feel of the Blade, i always played with vibration dampers and feel like i dont need them with the blade, fantastic racket
Have a Vcore Pro 97H (330g) and a Blade 98 v7. I prefer the latter actually. I’m a decent player, growing up playing tournaments as a junior, and the Blades sweet spot / comfort is just so nice. I string it rather low at 22kg with poly. My serve is actually bigger with the Blade. But the Yonex is a great, classic stick at that weight and the backhand slice and net game feel is unbeatable.
Confession time extreme bias ahead. I tried the Blade & on 3rd point I was begging for mercy. It felt like my arm had been ripped off. Literally I was in acute shoulder agony. I threw the game to get back to my Head Gravity Pro. Instantly my pain eased liked an extra large shot of Novocaine. Within a game my game was meteorically improving. Doubles & my partner was a she. We were up against all odds, 2 guys 6'2" and 6'3". Frankly I didn't like my chances but my partner picked up her level and that was a very powerful motivator. Long story short on Duece # 16 that Gravity Pro was helping me keep my focus enormously. Precisely what was needed I took my opponent out slightly wider with a clean ace and that pressure enabled a decider. I was seriously winded, I was emotionally in pieces and I was elated well beyond words. I was so fatigued I questioned how we won but wwwwhat a win! I did mention a bias Luca, well I did demo the VCore Pro 97D and that racket was so accurate my partner was holding his breath. Incredibly confidence inspiring, loved the control and accuracy so much it was addictive not going to lie. It was also draining, I wasn't good enough to use this stick on a regular basis. Concentration levels were through the roof! Sadly I wanted to give that Blade a chance but I'm just not into martyrdom. It was wildly excruciating and seriously I thought my summer was over. So just wondering if you felt Percept 97 was much better than the VCore 97D or just incrementally because mentally after winning with the VCore 97D Pro I was in disbelief I could play as well as I did, but wow you had to be on your game every step of the way! Fun comparison but from all I've heard Percept has really pulled ahead of VCore in nearly every category and I can safely say I will not be picking up another Blade as long as I play. Man did my shoulder remind me painkillers weren't that expensive!
Bro idk whats happening. I think of a video I would like to watch, and a couple of days later you make a new upload about the video lol. Anyways, keep up the good work. Your reviews are really helpful 🫡🫡
Demoing both of these right now. I’m leaning towards the Percept. It seems to give me quite a bit more consistency, the Blade is fantastic but seems a little too hot for me. Percept just feels perfect
recently switched to the head radical pro and have found that hyper g soft at 53lbs isn’t enough control. might have to switch strings or go tighter like 58lbs with the hyper g. however i think a comparison video between that and the prestige mp would be really awesome
Try a different string. Because it's shaped and so soft, Hyper G Soft can feel very "sticky" and launchy. Going up in tension won't really change that.
@@RacketsRunnersVancouver do you have any recommendations? The only thing is something that isn’t known for injuring players, just need more control and less launchy
@@RacketsRunnersVancouver almost wish too that the radical pro was a 16x20, kinda like the aero 98 and shift rackets. Think that would add the slightest bit more control
Amazing review!!! Would the Percept 97 win in every aspect of the Extreme Tour? Which has the largest Sweet Spot area? Which has greater stability? I would like a comparison between them. I'm buying another Tour, but I'm interested in the Percept 97. Thanks!
Hi Luca. Great stuff as always. 🙌🏾🙌🏾. Still haven’t managed to get your hands on a Precept 97D?Really looking forward to your thoughts on that one. Cheers
@@RacketsRunnersVancouver Got my hands on the regular 97. Wow. Sold. Bought. With all due respect, completely disagree with most of Jonas’ comments about the weight. What a racket. Thanks for the great review.
Great video as always luca. Abit odd question, so i moved from the vcore95 2023 looking for something for forgiving. I came across the new pure strike and it played perfect for my game and its a perfect racket for me. But the soul is missing, the stan the man wawrinka soul.😂 So you think the percept will give me the control, power and ease of use or should i continue on playing soulless. Also i tried the vcore and ezone 98 and dont like it.
I keep noticing in the videos that you twirl your racket a lot in between shots. A habit which my trainer forced me to lose because it would mess up my consistency. Not sure about the true negative effects though. Thanks for these videos, I am looking for a new racket in this exact category so a comparison in the 95-98 range for each type of player would be awesome!
I noticed that big time in this one. I tried not doing it the next hit and could not stop myself; probably just a natural tick that would be good to get rid of but I'm not sure I will. I won't ruin the surprise but you may like this week's video...
Hi Luca i'm Matteo from Italy i really enjoy your content. Just a One flash question for you.... Blade v8 and boom pro wich One Is more user friendly? Many thanks
Υou are so good on reviews and you know what are you talking about. It reckon an other review category apart from spin control feel it would be nice is serve and which racket makes better when play points Thank you
@@RacketsRunnersVancouver may be not longer rather just saying when i played points with that racket i was bla bla This is what happened when i played with v core 95 i couldnt believe it
Keep in mind I'm not saying it has a sloppy/big sweetspot compared to every racket out there, just relatively sloppier/bigger compared to the Percept. That said, you are right, I would never say that about the Gravity and that's because I've never felt it to be sloppy/undefined and that's probably down to the more traditional graphite layup and thinner beam.
@@RacketsRunnersVancouver As a Gravity Pro/Tour user that appreciates the Gravity line's forgiveness but that sometimes has trouble with balls going long due to difficulty manhandling the racquet to generate sufficient spin (not to mention occasional sluggishness struggles with his 1H BH), I am wondering if I might benefit from a smaller head size and/or a slightly more open pattern a la your Boom Pro or one of these two (Aero/Blade)? I also use a very weighted-up Extreme Tour which I love to play with but which punishes me at the edges of the frame (it's a very clear signal, the last time I lost 4-6 with the ET and then won 6-1 with a Gravity in the same match). My Gravities are at 344g, 338 SW. The ET is slightly lighter, slightly lower SW.
Now with the Blade v9? How would you rate this one vs the percept? In the video looks kind of tight, but I saw your review of the blade v9 and it looked a lot better than the v8. So, if you make this video again, do you think the blade would win easily or you think the percept has something to say?
I really need to take these two to the court and make an update on this video because I think it will be very close. It's going to come down to feel, IMO, and I think the Percept may have it beat.
Thank you for your answer! if you do a video about that I would be glad to watch it. I'm trying to decide those two and I like your opinions to help me choose. The big dif is that I play single backhand@@RacketsRunnersVancouver
I willing to try both but for Blade will be easy not so easy for the Percept. I'm a retirning player playing with a PSC 6.1 18x20 bought in 1995. Awesome racquets but start to be pretty heavy after long run. Seems percept is more pro staff feel will be a good transition? I always felt yonex mute compared to the Raw feel of old 6.1 but seems percept and all the 2023 yonex as from your video upgrade a bit on that direction. Vcore 95 2023 how feel in terms of "pro staff 6.1 95" transition compared to the percept?
The Vcore 95 could be great for you. It will feel more modern and still a little bit muted but probably the best (or second best) feel of a Yonex racket right now.
Would you have any opinion on the difference between Wilson Blade 98 16x19 vs Babolat Pure Striek 18x20? A lot note these two to be good control rackets for accuracy as well
The feel of the Percept is similiar to the feel of the Gravity Pro? I am asking because in general i dont like the feel of the Yonex (tried Ezone, and the feel, for me, was a lot of mushy)... and in the Head line, the feel of the Gravity is perfect... but Speed Pro and Boom, for example, feels too mushy for me... Radical, otherwise, too crisp.. What about Percept, the feel is more similar to which Head racket?
It's the closest Yonex racket to the Gravity Pro, yes. Feel got way better when they removed VDM so compared to the Ezone and the Vcore, it has more feedback.
I have a dunlop 2002 racquet..its a softer version of the pro staff. I have been looking at the blade, head graphene 360 speed, and new head prestige. I need help deciding
@@RacketsRunnersVancouver thanks for the advice. It never occurred to me that I might like the pro staff. I was always afraid they are too stiff. I will give that a try..if I don't like the blade that I just bought 😅
also, PTP on the blade is no bueno. becomes waaay to mushy. Blade needs a stiff string strung low-ish. Lynx Tour, Tour Bite Soft 1.20, Alu, 4g/4g soft (around 45ish)..
@@RacketsRunnersVancouver but less swingweight than the v7 18x20. I had to add lead tape at 3 and 9 o'clock. The 18x20 has so much more control and feel than the 16x19.
@@jorgecarvalho4164 I wouldn't bother. I've tried all Yonex racquets, played with 97 vcore and vcore pro for 2 years and tried all kinds of weight positions only to find out 3-6 months later that something's just always off with them. It's probably the head shape. I randomly tried a blade 98 18x20 and it feels like magic, can do whatever I want with it. Now I just wish I would say the same thing 3-6 months later ;)
