YONEX VCORE DUEL G 97 (330g) REVIEW
Upsides
- Power
- Stability
- Solid feel
Downsides
- Topspin tougher to generate
Summary
like the Tour G before it, the Yonex VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) offers an exceptional heft and feel that's best suited for experienced players. According to our playtesters, this update performed similarly to its predecessor but with some subtle improvements. Most notably, we thought the "feel" was better. The racket gave us more feedback and had us feeling more connected to the ball as it left the strings. This translated especially well at net, where the racket's weight made it easy to punch the ball deep in the court and the feel allowed us to feather touch shots with ease. Our testers could drive slice shots through the court easily and hit groundstrokes heavy enough to get through the court as well. In conclusion, fans of the previous version will enjoy this update for the same reasons they liked the last one, and players looking for a hefty player's-style frame will appreciate the rock solid and responsive feel this VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) offers at contact.
| YONEX VCORE DUEL G 97 (330g) scores | |
|---|---|
| Power | 84/100 |
| Comfort | 85/100 |
| Touch/Feel | 91/100 |
| Serves | 79/100 |
| Groundstrokes | 84/100 |
| Returns | 80/100 |
| Slice | 88/100 |
| Topspin | 81/100 |
| Volleys | 88/100 |
| Overall | 85/100 |
Groundstrokes – Score 84
Once everyone adjusted to the heftiness of the racket, we were loving how connected we felt to our shots with the VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) and how well it plowed through the ball at impact. It was easy to consistently generate pace and depth from both the forehand and backhand side, allowing the weight of the racket to do the work and win the collision with the ball. The feel was also a standout attribute, and everyone loved the feedback from the frame and how connected they felt to their shots as they left the strings. A couple of testers did note that it was a little difficult to generate topspin with the fairly dense string pattern, but for the most part there were glowing reviews from our testers for their baseline games.
Volleys – Score 88
Our playtesters were raving about how well the VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) played around the net. Everyone appreciated the combination of feel, control, power and heft the racket offered. The rock solid feel made it feel stable at impact, especially against harder hit shots from our opponents, as well as making it easy to punch volleys back deep in the court. The exceptional feedback that we got from the frame also had us feeling totally connected to the ball, making feathering drop volleys or aiming for lines easy. Lastly, it was surprisingly manoeuvrable given its beefy swingweight, which made it easy to get into position during quick exchanges in doubles.
Serve – Score 79
Serving with the VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) worked well for some but was challenging for others. One tester who loved the racket in general had no issue when serving. She was able to get pace, control and spin working on all her serves. Other testers appreciated the heft of the racket when going for big, flat first serves, as they were able to get some nice pace on the ball and get it moving through the court effectively. However, racket head speed and spin were at times hard to come by, which resulted in some struggles on our second serves.
Returns – Score 80
We appreciated the solid, hefty feel of the VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) for hitting returns with shorter swings, but manoeuvrability came into play when trying to get bigger cuts at the ball. Chipping or slicing returns back deep in the court were the preferred method, as we could use the weight of the racket to consistently get depth and neutralize hard hit serves for our opponents. However, when stretched wide or when trying to take an aggressive swing, it was difficult to get the racket around our bodies quickly and find the sweetspot consistently. This was one of the areas where our testers felt the weight of the racket affected the performance in a negative way.
Overall - Score: 85/100
Playtester Profiles
Andy: Open level all court player with a semi-western forehand grip and a two handed backhand. Andy currently using a Yonex EZONE DR 98.
Michelle: Open level baseline player with a semi-western forehand and a two handed backhand. She currently plays with the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph.
Mark: 5.0 lefty all-court player with a one-handed backhand. He currently plays with the Babolat Pure Aero Tour.
Troy: 5.0 lefty all-court player with a full Western Forehand and a two-handed backhand. Troy currently plays with a Wilson BLX Six.One 95.
Likes
Andy- "Great feel and a nice amount of heft that felt great for my net game. "
Mark- "Easier to swing than the previous version. Nice, solid feel as well. "
Troy- "Being that Wilson has discontinued the production of my trusty Wilson Six.One 95 (18x20), this Yonex VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) seems to be a top contender upon my search for a new racket. I liked the improved control/feel that Yonex provided in this update. "
Michelle- "I really enjoyed this racket all over the court -- groundstrokes felt solid and powerful yet still controlled and consistent. I have to admit, anytime I set new speed records, I get a little giddy, so the serves I produced with this racket made me a bit smitten, too! "
Dislikes
Andy- "A little too much power with not enough spin potential to help control my shots. "
Mark- "I have to be honest, the 310g version suits me better. I would love to say that I am Stan the Man, but compared to him, I am Mark the Boy. "
Troy- "Not quite manoeuvrable enough for my liking. "
Michelle- "Not really much to dislike here! "
Comparing it to other racquets they've used, our testers said:
Andy- "For starters, I liked this over the previous version (Yonex VCORE Tour G 330). I thought the feel was improved and slightly crisper/more solid. I also thought this version was a bit more manoeuvrable. I'd put it in the same class as the Babolat Pure Strike Tour, Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph and Volkl Super G 10 Mid 330g. All of those rackets offer tons of heft for the experienced player. "
Mark- "It felt similar to the Volkl Super G 10 Mid (330g), Wilson Burn FST 95, Pro Kennex Ki 5 (320g) and Tecnifibre TFight 325 Dynacore. "
Troy- "I found this Yonex VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) to feel very similar to the Yonex VCORE Tour G 330, but with this update I found a crisper and more responsive feel. I found this racket to do a lot of things similarly to my Wilson Six.One 95 (18x20) but with slightly less power. I found this Yonex VCORE Duel G 97 (330g) to be much more stable and have a bigger sweetspot than the Head Graphene XT Prestige Pro and MP rackets. "
Michelle- "I wasn't on the previous version's review, so can't compare it well to that. However, I will compare it to my racket of choice, the RF97. Initially, the grip shape and Isometric shape of the Yonex threw me off a bit, but after that, I felt like I was generating power with more ease with the new Yonex, although I find the RF97 offers me a heavier, more dangerous ball. Both rackets are stable at net, but I would give a bit of an edge to the RF97 there. In the past month or two, I've spent more time playing with the Duel G 330 because of the playtest, so I need to put some quality time in with my RF97 and see if I can get my serve speed up - I am pretty confident I can, but I loved how simple I could generate power on my serves with this Yonex. "