Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.5

From the baseline, the Vostra V8 300g offers easy depth, with plenty of spin to boot. Our playtesters appreciated how easily they were able to go for high net clearance (thank you 16x18 string pattern) while still having enough spin capability to shape the ball back down into the court. For Tiffani, the Vostra V8 300g's highly playable nature proved to be a welcome change of pace. She explained, "It was nice to get on court with a powerful racquet since I've been testing a lot of control-oriented racquets lately. The Vostra V8 has a familiar feel through the air with its classic 'tweener specs of 300 grams unstrung, 100-square-inch head size and open pattern. This racquet has an openly spaced 16x18 string pattern, so I was able to hit with depth easily. The pace comes easily as well. I played best with this racquet when I played safer tennis because although I was tempted to go big (or as big as I can go!), those shots tended to fly on me due to my flatter hitting style. By aiming for larger targets past the service line, I could still move my opponent around and not get put into too much of a defensive position. I was pleased with the easy topspin, but I did have issues consistently keeping my slices low, and I opted to reserve that shot for defensive situations."

As a seasoned veteran with Volkl frames, Brittany noticed a fond sense of familiarity with the line. She said, "Having playtested multiple generations of this racquet, which has specs right where I like them, I knew I would have an easy transition into the Vostra V8 300g. I was able to adjust immediately to it and really appreciated the power and higher launch angle, which translated to deep groundstrokes with a lot of pace. And there was enough spin potential to make sure my shots were staying in play. The spin was needed to help control the power and prevent overhitting, especially when I was being aggressive and really going after my shots. I loved this racquet on defense. When I was on the run and reaching for a ball, I was able to produce a neutral to offensive shot that landed deep in the court to keep me in a good position during a point. I could transition from defense to offense with ease, and this suited my aggressive baseline style well. The Vostra V8 300g really complemented my game from the baseline."

Zsofi also found herself pleasantly surprised by the spin and power of this racquet. She said, "If you are looking for a well-rounded racquet with easy power, the Volkl Vostra V8 is a great option for you! The first thing that came to mind was how easy power was to come by. I loved how deep my shots from the baseline were landing. I also thought the Vostra V8 300g was super stable for its relatively low swingweight, and I never felt like I was getting pushed around. Another highlight was how easily I was able to generate spin. I thought the racquet head felt very maneuverable, so I could get under the ball and add that extra spin I like. The sweetspot felt big and forgiving enough for me to say that this is a very easy racquet to pick up and transition into." 

Although initially wary of the specs, Ana found herself enjoying everything the Vostra V8 300g had to offer. She said, "Before going into this playtest, I was a bit afraid that the specs on this racquet would not work great for my game. To be honest, I thought I was not going to be able to land a ball in the court. Thankfully, not only was the Vostra V8 300g easy to play with, but it also offered great access to spin and power, as well as more control than I thought it would. Due to the open string pattern, I felt like the racquet offered a powerful response, which made me rely more on my racquet speed and wrist snap. This racquet felt fast, not only because it felt light and maneuverable, but it also responded well to racquet speed. When I relied more on that, the racquet was able to offer more control than I expected. I could tell that it was easy to find myself constantly missing long, which is why I would have preferred a higher tension or (even though it is not a possibility) a different string pattern. Maybe a 16x19 or 18x20 would have worked better for my game. Overall, I think this Vostra V8 300g is a hidden gem, but if I were to make any actual modifications to the racquet, I would add some weight to make it a little more stable and controlled to fit my game better. Regardless of that, I think this is a very arm-friendly racquet that has more to offer than one might think."

Volleys: 7.9

Up at net, our team was delighted to find high levels of maneuverability and easy shotmaking from the Vostra V8 300g. Zsofi's success at net paralleled her time at the baseline. She said, "As I mentioned earlier, the Vostra V8 300g is very easy to maneuver, and this was true for my volleys as well. Stability was no issue at net, and I had a good sense of where my shots were going." 

Ana was also impressed by the way the Vostra V8 300g handled on her volleys. She said, "This racquet felt quick at net. I was not afraid to step into my volleys and be aggressive. It felt great on my first volleys since I needed that extra power to keep the ball deep enough. I felt like I just had to keep the racquet in front with a firm contact and rely on the racquet to do the rest. There was not a highlight moment for me on volleys with this racquet, but I did feel like it performed well."

Likewise, Tiffani found easy playability when volleying. She noted, "The two highlights at net for me were the maneuverability and power level. I could get the racquet in place in time and then use a firm hand to punch the ball for a solid volley. I did struggle with the feel outside the sweetspot at net. Inside the sweetspot I had a dampened response, but when I missed, especially up high, the racquet felt firm and a bit unstable."

With the Vostra V8 300g in her hands, Brittany found nearly effortless success at net. She described, "I loved how easy it was to get my racquet into position on volleys. The feel is on the firmer side, so most of my volleys were deep punches into the open court. I kept it simple, and that is where I had the most success. I will add that the racquet was stable enough for me on reaches or hard-hit passing shots."

Serves: 8.5

Serving with the Vostra V8 300g was an extremely rewarding experience for our testing team. The easy power was more than welcome for Brittany. She said, "I am always a fan of adding some heat to my serves, and knowing how the racquet performed on groundstrokes, I was happy to find the same result on serves. I loved the power potential, and I definitely saw an increase in MPHs on my first serve. Another bonus was that my serves were landing deep in the service box. On second serves, if I was tight, it was easy to hit them long, so I needed to whip my wrist to hit some extra spin to get the ball to drop in front of the service line." 

Tiffani also enjoyed how much pace she could generate from higher angles. She explained, "It's not often that I'm going to report serves as my favorite shot! I enjoyed how easily the Vostra V8 swung overhead, and that I was getting some added power on my serves without extra effort."

Ana had to dial back a bit on her flatter serves, but she didn't find anything too disagreeable. She said, "Serves were fine, although I did find myself overhitting some first serves. I felt like I kept missing them long. On the other hand, the Vostra V8 300g was great for my kick serve. I was able to generate a great amount of spin on my serve, especially on the ad side."

For Zsofi, the Vostra V8 300g's power and spin were more than enough to be impactful on serve. She said, "I found easy power and depth on my serves with this racquet. I really enjoyed that extra pop, and I felt comfortable hitting my targets with the Volkl Vostra V8." 

Returns: 8.0

The Vostra V8 300g performed adequately for our team on returns, with the racquet's easy depth and spin being the standout points here. For Ana, the speed of the Vostra V8 300g was almost enough to offset the power and depth she found with the racquet. She explained, "This racquet felt quick getting into position to hit fast serve returns. Even though I felt like it offered too much power, I liked how quick it felt. Not only did it feel great on quick returns, but also on block returns. I was able to keep the ball deep and neutralize my opponent after a big serve. On second serve returns, I was able to generate good deep shots with a lot of spin to take the lead in the point. However, I did struggle with control when returning slow serves at times; I found myself overhitting the ball." 

Likewise, Tiffani had to make a couple of tweaks to her technique to get the most out of the Vostra V8 300g. She said, "Typically, my confidence is high heading into return games, and I'm in my comfort zone. With this Vostra V8, it took me a few serve-and-return drills to figure out what I needed to do to find that confidence. I was missing long, then I overcorrected and kept finding the net. In the end, I found my happy place with returns by using a fuller swing and aiming to keep the ball just past the service line, rather than going for the corners. I liked the easy pace and depth, but I did wish for more comfort outside the sweetspot."

Brittany loves the return of serve, but it took a while for her to start to click with the Vostra V8 300g. She said, "As a huge fan of returns (fun fact, I always choose to return first), I craved a little more control when returning with the Vostra V8 300. At the beginning of the playtest, I felt like I had to hold back on my swings and aim for bigger targets, so I mostly aimed deep down the middle. As the playtest wore on, and I made a conscious effort to add more spin, I could start being a little more adventurous and go for some trickier targets, but I still never felt 100 percent confident." 

Out of our playtest team, Zsofi had the most success returning with the Vostra V8 300g thanks to the easy power and plentiful spin she found. She described, "This racquet performed well on returns, and I found it surprisingly stable even against heavier serves. It felt very easy to get the racquet into position, and I didn't have to do much to get the balls back nice and deep into the court."

Breakdown Summary