Wilson Blade V8 – Testing Equipment #12
Today on Testing Equipment our racquet guru Seb Proisy has a look at the Wilson Blade V8
The Wilson Pro Staff was loved by Pete Sampras, Stefan Edberg and Roger Federer – and the Wilson Blade V8 offers players of all levels a slightly more forgiving racquet.
In the latest episode of Testing Equipment, Seb Proisy tries it out – and with a touch of nostalgia concludes: “The new Wilson Blade V8 feels every bit as good as the V2 model that I used back in 2009.”
Proisy tried out a racquet with a 16 by 19 string pattern, as used by most advanced players – and was impressed by its flexibility, which he says gives “an even better feel and comfort on impact”. Be warned, though, that flexibility does also mean a subsequent loss of power on off-centre shots.

It comes with two different string patterns, 16 by 19 and 18 by 20 – but with eight grommet holes at the throat of each, Proisy does not think the spin potential would be different between the two.
All in all, Proisy reckons this racquet is a great addition to the Wilson catalogue – praising their “legacy of innovating in just enough places to make it feel new without alienating those who have fallen in love with previous Blade models.”
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