Comments: I thought this racquet was just okay when I first borrowed it from my daughter, after the strings broke on my own racquet. By the end of the week I was really liking it more and more. Bought my own now and I'm loving it! Solid racquet with surprisingly good plow through and very easy on the arm for a lighter racquet.
From:Marty, 11/29/18

Comments: Very powerful and accurate, can't be better!
From:Hantae, 10/1/18

Comments: I've demoed this one before and thought I would give it another try. It takes a lot of concentration to hit a solid shot and feel the ball. I can't help but think how nice of a racquet it would be without CV. Either way, I strung mine with Solinco TB 17ga at 53 lbs. It felt generally underpowered compared to the '15. I added a leather grip and this brought it close to advertised specs. It was still unstable in the hoop, when I could feel it. Sometimes, I couldn't feel the ball hit the frame, but would notice it turning in my hand. I tried adding some lead at 3 and 9 and the once familiar HHness quickly returned. It's unfortunate, since Wilson obviously didn't test the CV in real world play testing before infecting their racquets with it. Some players will make it work, but this is not a racquet that you can just pick up and play with. You have to be prepared to focus and concentrate on feeling the ball hit the racquet. CV is here to stay so Wilson will never again produce a Blade or Pro Staff without it. NTRP 5.0
From:Ralph, 7/30/18

Comments: Stock weight was okay, but I wanted more plow through and power. Like another commenter below mine weighed in at 11.2, added leather grip, 0.5oz tungsten putty in the butt cap and then about 3-4 grams of lead tape at the tip. Racquets is now 12.1 and about 9pts HL and feels great. Good power and spin with control. Really feels like a modern day Pro Staff 6.0 95 square inch racquet. Countervail provides a nice dampened response yet I still have good feel for what's happening when I hit the ball. With this set up serves have really good pop and placement is good as well. Currently have it strung up with Solinco Hyper G which plays well and matches the lime green cosmetics. I'm finally understanding why they have players racquets in the low 11oz range. They really allow room for customization so you can bring the weight up and really fit it to your game.
From:Matthew, 7/4/18

Comments: Love this racket. I learned that if I used more wrist snap (which we all should do) for serves, power improves as well as placement. Great stick for chipping and charging on second serves.
From:Brian, 6/18/18

Comments: Went to this from last year's Blade 98S. I must say that I'm impressed. Similar spin from the 16x19 version, with better control and comfort. Power is a bit lacking, but that can be made up for by dropping my string tension. Had to add some lead to 3 and 9 to get the plow through I want for volleys, but after that it performed beyond my expectations. Definitely recommend if you need a soft, but controllable racquet. I'm a 4.5 junior all-courter with slow, spinny strokes.
From:Charlie, 3/21/18

Comments: Nothing in this weight class offers the stability and solidity this racquet offers, and I recently switched to it. I like the Countervail feel, no harsh sensations, just a smooth thump of plowthrough, with excellent control. Volleys very well, good depth, ample spin. Like others, dialing in the serve has been a project for me, but it's coming along.
From:Mike, 2/22/18

Comments: Demoed this racquet last week and it felt like I was hitting a powerful version of the Pro Staff 95. My game prefers head light frames, so replaced the original grip with a Leather grip, added 1 oz of Tungsten inside the buttcap and it now plays even better. Love the all black cosmetics too!
From:Rohit, 2/12/18

Comments: Demoed this at my local pro shop. Coming from a Yonex DR 100 and wanted something with more control. Liked the solid feel on groundstrokes and volleys. Serves had good accuracy. The Yonex is 4 pts head light vs the Blade which is 3 pts head light. Definitely noticed the difference between the 2 racquets. This took some getting used to on serves but didn't notice the difference on volleys and groundstrokes. I didn't play with any of the previous versions of the Blade so I can't compare how this version compares to the old version. However, I did like this racquet enough to make the switch from Yonex.
From:Jackie, 12/9/17

Comments: This is an update on my comments below, when I first tried the racquet, I didn't like it because of its heavy swingweight -- which if you see below thought the specs were all over the place making it heavy for me to swing. Some months ago I decided to give it another chance after my confidence took a bit of a hit playing with other rackets. However I decided to perform some minor surgery on it! I trimmed the bumper reducing the weight from 325g to 319g strung with weiss dual reality string this in turn made it 4pts HL from 2pts HL this has obviously reduced the SW making it easier to swing, whilst losing some of the heavy hitting power I find I am more consistent because it is not tiring me as much and i am able to swing the racket faster more consistently thus producing consistently more speed on my shots than before! infact my game is vastly better now and I feel a lot more comfortable than before, this is reflected in an improvement in results the racket is now 319g 4 pts HL, which is a lot closer to the specs it was designed to be. Now I love it.
From:Nello, 9/29/17

Comments: Did not like this iteration at all -- a shame given its stellar predecessors. The balance was strangely even more HH than the measured 3HL (strung). Weighing up the grip helped some but the frame still felt too thick and substantial in the hoop. Feel was stiff in the hoop but overall very muted -- strange combination. That said, easy access to spin and decent power compared to similar frames. Good control too (it seems to me that this has a fairly tight string pattern for a 16x19).
From:Wayne, 9/11/17

Comments: I usually play with the 18x20 pattern, but with the Blade series, I seem to play better with the 16x19 string pattern. Even the last version, I preferred the feel of the 18x20 but was more consistent hitting with the 16x19. I just did not care for the stiff feel of the 16x19. This new Blade 16x19 CV is so nice I fell in love with it after my first hit. I love its soft but solid feel. The feel on contact is so solid, it feels like I am hitting with something that should be much heavier. The thwack sound it makes on contact is so rewarding. The best part, though, is controllable power. There is significant power in this racket; almost like Pure Drive like power. However, the power can be tamed with its great control. So far, my forehand still needs some adjustment, but I am hitting my biggest backhands ever. Such a fun frame to hit with, not to mention it's gorgeous paint job. Overall, this is a huge improvent over the last generation. I am so surprised at the power this frame offers that I am telling all of the hitting buddies who use the 100 square inch tweeters to try the new Blade CV out.
From:Max, 7/12/17

Comments: I recently demoed this stick along with the Babolat Pure Aero, Babolat Pure Drive Tour and the older version Blade without CV. I was surprised by this stick. I am an aging (60 years young) former serve and volleyer in the Pete Sampras, Roger Federer mold. I tried and bought the RF97 a few years back, but I couldn't handle the weight. The PS97 seemed to have none of what made the RF97 so attractive to me. It was too light and unstable. I moved onto the RD97, but for some reason I never felt fully comfortable with it. The Pure Aero was strung with Babolat RPM at 50 lbs and it was a spin monster, but too much spin for me and my volleys flew. Probably could be addressed somewhat with a higher string tension, but it still was #2 behind the Blade CV. I felt the same stability and ball flattening power as I did with the RF97 in a racquet that I could comfortably use for an entire match! The demo was string with NXT 16 at 57 lbs, which was a bit firm for me. I ordered two Blade CVs and am stringing them at a lower tension (50 lbs with RPM Blast Hybrid and 48 lbs with a full bed of RPM Blast). Trading in my RD97s -- I like the Blade CV better. I'll post again with comments on the lower tension using RPM Blast with this stick.
From:Jim, 5/27/17

Comments: I demo'd this Wilson for about a week. From the moment I picked it up, it was an extremely intuitive experience. It cuts through the air and sets up on backswing so effortlessly. Not sluggish at all. The feeling of hitting the ball with the Countervail technology is very unique. I don't think muted is the right word because I felt a solid connection with the ball. I think what it does is filter out the the "noise" of unwanted vibrations. This extra vibration may be missed by some players, to me it was fine. Still had a nice sound and pop when hitting hard groundstrokes. Plenty of spin, great stability. I was able to place balls with great accuracy..something I noticed right away. I was using Wilson NXT strung at around 55 lbs. The only thing I can comment on is that even though I was hitting my serves with accuracy -- I felt the ball speed lacking slightly. That is really the only downside, but again- super versatile and all around great stick.
From:Dr. Spag, 4/22/17

Comments: This racquet is very solid, very stable and hits a hard accuate ball, by and large. Unfortunately, the balance is such that it's very unwieldy and difficult to maneuver, so much so that I put it down only minutes into the demo hit. Perhaps one could get used to that, or perhaps I'm not strong enough for it, but balance seems to be such a crucial issue that I found the much heavier RF97 much easier to play with, and still am considering switching to it but worry about hot humid summer days with those 12.6 ounces in hand.
From:Mike, 4/7/17

Comments: This is my first impression, please keep that in mind. Hit with the Blade 98 16x19 for the first time yesterday and I was impressed. I am a 4.0 senior doubles player who can still hit out when needed, hit a strong kick serve, consistent volleys, chip and charge and hit aggressive returns, an all court kinda game. I have to say, on first blush, the Blade was conducive to everything I tried, I like it. I found the "muted" feel to be anything but muted. With a history of tennis elbow that is now gone, this racquet felt great. I played over 2 hours and hit with a strong former Division 1 player who is about 30 years my junior. He pounded shots at me at the baseline, at net, hit wicked slices, drop shots to bring me in, lobbed me, basically the full gauntlet of pace, spin, and placement. The Blade was impressively stable, even on off center shots. I really like the solid feel on both groundstrokes and volleys, the racquet stays stable not wobbly. I like the balance and weight which helped me make contact in the proper strike zone, not too late, even on balls pounded at me. No arm pain at all after the 1st hit and that is a big deal. The Blade I hit with was strung with Wilson NXT at 55 lbs. Rock solid.
From:Geno

Comments: I am a 4.5 player with a powerful forehand and one-hand backhand, but touch shots and volleys aren't my strength. This racquet generates a lot of power and it is a little bit too powerful for my game. I have been playing the Wilson K-factor Six One Tour and Pro Staff sticks for years. This racquet is obviously lighter than the sticks I have been playing with. My tennis buddy kept harassing me to try out his sticks which were the previous model Blade 98 (16x19). Just to shut him up, I thought I would play a game with stick. Man, I was blown away how easy it was to generate power, topspin and backhand spin shots. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any of the previous models but this current model with Countervail. The muted feel will take time to get use to but the forgiveness on miss shots, power, topspin and comfort are way better than my old sticks. I am going with higher tension (55 to 58 lbs) on the strings to take away some power off the racquet.
From:Lawrence, 3/8/17

Comments: Perfect racquet for me! It has the feel which my previous Pure Aero lacked, but is muted to perfection. Strokes feel silky smooth. I have this racquet strung with Hyper G 18g at 55 lbs and I am having no arm issues! Definitely recommend demoing this racquet before you buy it because it could feel too dampened, but it has a nice blend of spin and control.
From:Kent, 3/8/17

Comments: I've found the racquet that is right for me! I'm getting back into playing tennis after several years, I felt my 10 year old Dunlop racquet was too unstable and light. After some research I bought a Pro Staff 97LS. Hoping some some extra spin I went with the rpm blast poly in the mains. Even though I added weight to the racket, the moment the poly crossed the 5 hour mark, I started getting pain in my wrist, elbow and shoulder. Not a great way to find out how long a poly string lasts. Bottomline, I needed a racket that had good stability, weighed less than 12 oz and most importantly could handle vibrations. Enter the Wilson Blade 98 (16x19) CV. After a 2 hour demo, I was convinced this was the right racket for me. The extra weight in the hoop makes it extremely stable. The Countervail technology definitely works! It is not a gimmick. Just look at the reviews saying the racquet is too muted. Some people may not like the vibrations being dealt with because it does change the feel of the racket. To me, that is the reason I love it! The racquet also offers a more forgiving feel and great control over groundstrokes and serve. I have had no problems with loosing power when I serve. Maybe others are having a hard time handling the extra weight in the hoop? If there is one small knock on the racquet, it takes a little getting used to the balance considering I have been used to a head light racquet. Adding weight to the handle does help but brings the overall weight up. If you are looking for a racquet that offers control and does a great job with dampening the vibrations, look no further!
From:Nik, 2/24/17

Comments: Extremely muted and weight distribution that reminded me of the RF97 Autograph. Weight and balance on these racquets is all over the map, but I am not sure if Wilson quality control is still that bad or it is a function of the Countervail. The TW reviews are pretty much spot on. It has some good power off the ground and reasonably stable on volleys, but pace on overheads and serves doesn't exist. I would find one of the older models if you are in the market for this frame.
From:Don, 12/16

Comments: Phenomenal! Stable, control, power and solid plow through, excellent topspin and slice, and super plush feel. Strung with Solinco Hyper-G 16L at 49l bs. I'm a 4.5 player who hits hard topspin but flattens out shots when necessary. Have used the racquet for a total of 22 hours. The shot accuracy is incredible. More forgiving on off center hits than the 2015 Blade 16x19 which I've used since their release. The CV feels stiffer for the better. And it feels heavier than 2015 Blades but weighs and swings the same, 11.5 ounces with Gamma Shockbuster II dampener. Also feels like there's more mass to this racquet upon impact with the ball. Stretched out or off balance volleys are still solid. My service percentage/accuracy have gone up on first and second serves. Though specs are significantly different, it plays and feels like my all-time favorite racquet, the Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 Classic (bought 3 in 1991 and used them until 2015). Very pleased with and excited about this Blade iteration!
From:Vascao, 12/16

Comments: I did not like the feel of this racquet at all, just too muted almost like there was a giant dampener across the string bed. Not very powerful for a light racquet, even less power than the PS97 to me which isn't a particularly powerful racquet. Not particularly spin friendly and not particularly maneuverable. Relatively stable though. So didn't really see the point of this frame. Boing instead of Thud or Thwack. Previous Blade was actually a nice frame. You can't even work off this frame with weight, etc. since it has such a muted feel.
From:Wayne, 12/16

Comments: Good racquet but stiffer than previous versions. Like what RS said below, the total strung weight with overgrip went to 11.8 oz. Felt more head heavy than the previous version. I love Wilson racquets but they really need to step up the quality control!
From:Jeff, 11/16

Comments: I played 3 grueling sets with this racquet. My current set up is the previous model of the Wilson Blade 16x19 with Solinco Hyper G 17g. I'm a 4.5 player. I am someone who likes the latest and greatest. I can't tell you how many times I have left a racquet to go to another one because of its so called "newness." I have been following the release of the Blade with Countervail for quite some time so I was eager to give it a test drive. I could not connect with this racquet. I agree with the playtesters that there was a decrease in "pop" on my serve. The muted feeling of this stick made me feel disconnected with the ball and for the life of me I could not dial it an inside out forehand. My backhand is how I control points in a rally, and I was able to continue that strategy but could not deliver a kill shot with my forehand. This version also feels significantly stiffer. I love Wilson products and I'm sure this will be a game changer for some other players game, but for me, sticking with the previous model.
From:Geoff, 11/16

Comments: Just tried a demo out today and thought it was a very nice racquet. Plush with very little vibration but I noticed it had a pretty heafty plow through with the weight it carried. Tonight I weighed the racquet out and it came to 11.8 ounces strung and with an overgrip. The listed strung weight is suppose to be 11.3! Wow, the quality control that Wilson has remains to be unbelievable. This is when I pay TW to match my racquets if I decided to buy 2 frames which is great to have but I can't help to lose a little confidence in Wilson.
From:RS, 11/16

Comments: I have the 2015 and the new version, tried all sorts of racquets in the past few years because I have a shoulder issue and had surgery on my elbow. I thought the 2015 was comfortable. It weighed in at 316 grams with Dual Reality strings and 3 pt HL, the CV version strung with the same string weighs in at 324 grams and 2 pts Headlight! First, I think the CV sweetspot felt smaller, which seems to confirm what the TW labs report. Second, the swingweight (due to the bad Wilson quality control) is a lot higher. The only thing I will say about the new CV is that it is well muted and good for my arm in that respect (slightly better than 2015), however, this is more than offset by its heavy swingweight which was not good for my shoulder! Overall, I prefer the 2015 version (except for the paint job which the CV takes). Disappointed for a an expensive racquet that the specs are nowhere near where they should be and at 57 lbs the CV is very tiring over 2 hours of hitting. Thought the 2015 had better power and feel, but the CV probably has more control, however touch was harder due to its muted feel. Maybe i just got a bad one who knows.
From:Nello, 11/16

Comments: I'm a 5.0 player and I have been playing with this racquet for a couple of hours. Great control, great spin, muted, but almost surgical. A bit stiffer than the previous generation blade. Strung with RS Lyon 1.20 at 54 lbs. Best racquet I have played so far.
From:Jarno, 11/16

Comments: CV has taken some of feel away from previous models. For someone who has had arm issues, I'm ok with giving that up for the solid and comfortable feel this one has. Its more powerful than I expected it to be.
From:Jimmy, 11/16

Comments: I'm a 6.0 player and this new frame is unbelievable. A softer touch but it's super crisp. Power and control that is superior to anything else I have ever tried.
From:Jack, 11/16