Volkl V-Sense 8 315g Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 86

All of our playtesters gave glowing reviews of the V-Sense 8 315g for their groundstroke games. Even though it's a little different than something she would normally use, Karly appreciated the easy power and feel the V-Sense 8 315g had to offer. She praised, "The V-Sense 8 315g offers noticeably more power than control, but it was manageable power. I thought most of the power came from its mass and exceptional plow through. I could drive through the ball so easily, and the response felt firm and crisp. Its solid feel on contact and the tremendous stability were my favorite things about the V-Sense 8 315g. Although it also felt stiffer than most racquets, it wasn't uncomfortable by any means. The dampening system within the frame made it so I never experienced any harsh vibrations. Although I normally prefer control-oriented racquets, I thought the V-Sense 8 315g was a great racquet to play with."

Chris liked the Super G version, and he enjoyed this update even more. He raved, "From the first hit to the last, the new V-Sense 8 315g felt completely different than the Super G 8 315 it replaces. The response of this racquet was much firmer and more solid. The racquet felt crisp, yet comfortable. I felt very connected to the ball and loved the blend of power and control. I found enough power to bail myself out of tough situations and could find depth even when I was pushed onto my back foot. When I was attacking I had ample power to put the ball away, but I also found the control I needed to keep those shots within the lines. I liked the V-Sense 8 315g strung up with a full bed of poly because it upped the control a little further and maximized the spin potential of the racquet."

The V-Sense 8 315g was well suited for Michelle's powerful, aggressive baseline style of play. She shared, "I really enjoyed this playtest. I had fond memories of the previous version of this racquet. On my first hit I was worried that the racquet was too stiff, but it was more the string I didn't like. Once we got some Solinco Hyper G in there I had a blast drilling off the ground with this racquet. Power was really easy to come by with the thicker beam, and the racquet felt really forgiving. I also appreciated how maneuverable it was; it wasn't whippy per se, but it felt fast through the air. It was comfortably crisp. When I got into pressure situations and point play there were times it felt a little too powerful, and I think I would have enjoyed an extra cross string. The racquet felt similar to a Babolat Pure Aero Tour despite the more open string pattern, but there were a few times when I didn't think spin was as easy to generate as it should have been. I can confidently say that I liked this update better than the Super G version. I just had more fun banging big groundies with this racquet, and I loved how I was able to crank the pace up easily without ever feeling like I had to try extra hard. The racquet was solid and stable, and there were no issues with any unwanted twisting. I also enjoyed how stable this racquet was when I was in a defensive position - I was able to get the ball back deep, which allowed me to get back in the point and keep my opponent from hurting me."

Andy found the V-Sense 8 315g very user-friendly as well, but he would have liked a bit more spin potential out of it. He explained, "This racquet was very forgiving and solid from the baseline. It was very easy to rally with and turn defense into offense quickly. The heft of the frame gave it good stability and power at impact, while I never felt that the power was so great that it was unruly. The racquet felt great when I was going for flatter shots and it offered decent (though not exceptional) spin potential for topspin groundstrokes. It had a crisp, modern feel that reminded me a bit of the Dunlop F5.0 Tour and Tecnifibre TFlash 315."

Volleys - Score: 84

The love affair with the V-Sense 8 315g continued as our playtesters approached the net. It had the put-away power Chris wanted, along with great touch and feel. He said, "I volleyed well with the V-Sense 8 315g. My touch shots were finding their targets, and again I felt very connected to the ball. The racquet felt stable even when the pace picked up, and I liked the feel when punching through volleys. The spec was pretty spot on for me, and the racquet also felt fast and easy to get into position. I volleyed well with this racquet in both singles and doubles matches and really enjoyed attacking the net with it."

Karly also liked how easy it was to use this racquet around the net, and the nice blend of power and control it offered. She shared, "With its powerful feel and outstanding stability, it didn't come as much of a surprise to me that it was an easy racquet to use at net. I loved how it did most of the work for me. All I had to do was stick the racquet out in time to hit a powerful volley back. The power wasn't overwhelming, either. It still possessed enough control to prevent me from overhitting my volleys. I also really appreciated the excellent touch. While it was simple to hit aggressive volleys, the V-Sense 8 315g made it easy to produce great finesse shots, too."

Andy said, "It was very easy to play around the net with this racquet. It had a solid, stable feel that was great for blocking back hard-hit shots from my opponents. The feel was crisp, yet responsive, so there was plenty of feel when going for finesse shots as well. I thought the top of the hoop dropped off in power a little bit, but all in all this racquet was point-and-shoot on my volleys and overheads."

Michelle had her full arsenal of volleys working during this playtest. She praised, "This racquet continued to play solidly at the net. It was easy to be defensive and block big balls back. It was also pretty simple to create what I wanted with my volleys. I could push my opponents back and then drop a short volley or angle. The beam played really stable for me and allowed me to hit with good depth and precision."

Serves - Score: 83

The easy power and good heft of the V-Sense 8 315g worked well for serving. Michelle, who had all her serves working during the playtest, said, "I found easy power when serving with this racquet. I really enjoyed it. I was playtesting the V-Sense 9 at the same time, and I definitely could get some more speed on my first serves with this racquet. Kick serves were effective, too, and I could get the ball slicing off the court if need be when trying to mix it up."

"I loved the easy power I could get on serves with this racquet," Andy agreed. "I felt like I could reach back, unload and get rewarded every time with some explosive pace on my flat first serves. However, I wasn't able to find my targets all that consistently, so I had to aim a little closer to the middle of the box. I was also surprised that I couldn't generate as much spin as I would've liked considering the amount of power I was getting. All in all, though, I adjusted my targets and still served effectively during this playtest."

Karly thought the racquet helped add some pace to her serves, but she struggled at times. She explained, "The easy power was really nice, and I hardly put any effort into hitting fast serves. It was really noticeable how the V-Sense 8 315g boosted the MPHs on my serves. The added pace also helped the ball jump off the ground on my second serves. The only thing I struggled with a bit was the maneuverability. It wasn't terrible, but I had to concentrate on snapping my wrist faster because of the powerful feel. If I didn't snap down fast enough, the ball launched way outside the service box."

Chris wasn't quite finding the same level of power that he gets out of his current racquet of choice, but he still appreciated the power and spin the V-Sense 8 315g had to offer. He shared, "I found a decent level of power from this racquet on serves. If anything, I missed the added length of my Babolat Pure Drive Plus, but otherwise all was good. My first serves had enough heat for me to confidently follow them to net. I was also able to get ample spin to keep aggressive serves within the service box."

Returns - Score: 85

For the most part our playtesters continued to really enjoy the V-Sense 8 315g when returning serves. "I liked the easy power and stable feel this racquet provided," Andy said. "I found myself taking fearless cuts at the ball because of how forgiving it felt. The heft of the racquet made it nice for chipping back returns deep in the court, too. However, there were times when it was a little challenging to find my targets consistently. Like I did with my service game, I just adjusted a bit more toward the middle of the court and found I could return effectively throughout the playtest."

Michelle was completely dialed in during her return games, and raved, "I loved returning with this frame. If anyone served anywhere near my forehand I blasted the return, and it felt awesome. The V-Sense 8 315g was pretty easy to just take big cuts with, and I was rewarded more often than not. I could attack the ball or block balls back. If I was jammed I could hit a defensive return and place the ball deep enough to keep me out of trouble. I also appreciated the angles I could find on the court."

Chris also returned well during this playtest and loved the feel the V-Sense 8 315g offered on his returns. He praised, "The blend of maneuverability and stability I found at net was also evident on returns. The racquet was easy to get around, and I had no issues maneuvering it. I also liked how the V-Sense 8 315g felt at impact. I found a comfortable response that didn't leave me feeling disconnected from the hitting experience."

Karly liked the forgiveness but finally found a shot where she wished she had more control with this racquet. She critiqued, "Returns are where I had to put more effort into keeping the ball in because it was really easy to overhit due to the natural power. I had to give myself a wider margin for error when concentrating on my targets. However, when I hit the ball in I was able to get on the offensive quickly with an aggressive return. I just wish I had more precision and control on my returns."

Overall - Score: 85