Volkl V-Sense 8 285g Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 82

The Volkl V-Sense 8 285g has the maneuverability, power and spin potential to be a weapon from the baseline. Brittany tested the 285g alongside another racquet in the 8 family, the 300g. She said, "I was interested to see how this lighter version compared to the V-Sense 8 300g. I was pleasantly surprised with the results from the baseline. I found the V-Sense 8 285g very easy to use, and I adjusted to it easily. I was able to switch back and forth between the 285g and 300g without any issues. Just like with the 300g, there was plenty of power and spin potential in the 285g. The 285g was also just as maneuverable, if not more so, than the 300g, and there were times when I was hitting the ball earlier than I expected. One thing I noticed was that I had to work harder to end the point. I didn't feel like my groundstrokes were penetrating well, and I had to hit a couple extra shots to finish points."

"When a racquet has 285g in the name I have some preconceived notions, and with this V-Sense 8 285g, some of them were met," Tiffani offered. "As expected, this racquet swung quickly -- very quickly. It has a very whippy feel, which comes in handy when I'm out of time and can flick my wrist to make a shot. Where I was surprised somewhat was with the stability. I had surprisingly few issues with instability, and I found that by speeding up my stroke I could combat those few problems I encountered. When I could tell my opponent was going to hit a bigger shot I just prepped myself to take a faster, bigger swing, knowing the racquet was going to be pushed back a bit. With the ability to swing fast, I could also turn that into topspin easily. As with other lighter racquets, I struggled to find consistency with my backhand slice, which at times would float on me. Otherwise, I was impressed with the easy pace -- there's a springy feel off the stringbed -- and general easy playability of this Volkl racquet."

Mark hit against a variety of opponents to get a good feel for the V-Sense 8 285g. He said, "The first session I had with Volkl's new V-Sense 8 285g I played with my lunchtime nemesis, Spencer. We began with some short court groundstrokes, then backed up to the baseline. Whether I was hitting the short topspin shot near the net or from the backcourt, my impression of the V-Sense 8 285g was that it is a very nimble and responsive racquet. Access to spin was a breeze, and I was able to generate some great dipping, angled shots. Admittedly, Spencer was able to bully me around the baseline a little more than I would have liked, which I am sure is mostly due to how hard he hits the ball relative to how light the V-Sense 8 285g is. My next session was with a younger player who isn't able to hit every shot with excessive pace, and this is where the new V-Sense 8 285g really shone. I couldn't miss from the backcourt against a more middle of the road level of pace and spin."

Chris found immediate success from the baseline. He said, "From the first swing to the last I found the V-Sense 8 285g fast and spin-friendly. It was just so easy to whip this racquet around and get tons of spin on the ball. I felt like I could do a lot with the ball, but unfortunately the ball wasn't doing a lot. Let me explain. I was moving the ball around the court well. I was swinging with all my might and hitting the corners. The problem was my shots tended to sit up a little with this racquet, and my opponents were able to chase a lot of my shots down. I also had issues hitting through opponents because I struggled to hit a heavy ball. However, I was very, very consistent with this racquet, and I played well with it. I was very impressed with how solid the racquet felt. This is the most solid, lightweight racquet I've hit. I also thought the comfort was great. I would not normally string a racquet this light with a poly, but this racquet handled it without any uncomfortable responses."

Volleys - Score: 79

All of the playtesters were impressed with the maneuverability of the Volkl V-Sense 8 285g. However, not all of the playtesters found enough stability due to the light weight. Tiffani enjoyed the maneuverability at the net. She said, "The quickness of this racquet was really key when I was at net. I'm not always the most confident volleyer, and I can freeze when I'm at net. Because I could maneuver this racquet so easily, I felt confident that I had the time to make adjustments that I don't usually have the luxury of making."

Mark said, "Again, nimble and responsive are the words that come to mind when wielding the Volkl V-Sense 8 285g at net. Even with a full bed of a polyester string, this racquet exhibited a lively feel anywhere near the net. I had the same overall feeling at net as I did when I was hitting groundstrokes. When I played against heavier hitters the V-Sense 8 285g was a little unstable, but I was unstoppable when I was playing someone who hit the ball just under that level of pace."

"I liked the feel and response of this racquet at net," Chris added. "I felt connected to where my volleys were going. Even heavier incoming shots didn't push this racquet around too much, which was remarkable considering how light and fast it felt. I hit my touch volleys well with this racquet. I liked the feel and controlled response. Getting it into position was never an issue. I liked the maneuverable feel when I was looking to add some swing to a high volley/low overhead. I thought the V-Sense 8 285g performed very well on those in between shots where one has to improvise a little."

Brittany had mixed results when hitting volleys with the V-Sense 8 285g. She explained, "The positives were that it was extremely maneuverable and I enjoyed the feel. On the other hand, It was also missing some stability when the ball hit outside the sweetspot or when I was reaching for the ball. I could feel the racquet twisting slightly in my hand. However, it weighs less than 11 ounces strung, so it wasn't a surprise."

Serves - Score: 78

The TW playtesters were able to create racquet head speed with ease when serving with the Volkl V-Sense 8 285g. For Chris, the response of the V-Sense 8 285g on serves was similar to the response he found when hitting groundstrokes. He said, "I was getting lots of spin and consistency, and great placement. However, I struggled to find put-away power and had to work some to finish off points. My best serves were spin serves. I was able to work my spin serves into the returner's body or pull them wide for a weaker return. However, if I missed my target even slightly I had a tendency to leave the ball hanging with this racquet. In those instances my opponents were eating it up and hitting an aggressive return."

"I loved that I could get the racquet moving fast over my head with ease," stated Brittany. "This was helpful when I was playing sets, as my arm never fatigued. I could get good power, and there was access to spin. I wasn't 100 percent confident hitting second serves, so I found myself aiming for a bigger target in the middle of the service box. Like with groundstrokes, I felt my serve was sitting up just a touch longer than I like, giving my opponents a little extra time to go for their returns."

Typically a fan of heavier racquets when it comes to serving, Tiffani was impressed with the V-Sense 8 285g, saying, "I can't seem to stop talking about how quickly this racquet moves through the air, but it really stood out on serves, too. Typically, I enjoy heavier racquets that just accelerate through the ball on their own, but this V-Sense 8 285g was just so easy to snap, and I could move my serves around the box well."

This was the one area of the test where Mark would have liked a little more weight. He offered, "My serve was consistent, but I did feel as though I had to use more of a wristy serve motion to get the ball moving, and I had a hard time eclipsing the 100 MPH barrier with the V-Sense 8 285g."

Returns - Score: 81

The playtesters enjoyed returning serve with the V-Sense 8 285g. Mark said, "When I was playing some younger players around here, who are not quite at the advanced level yet, my serve return was very effective, even when I took a topspin cut at the ball, which I don't normally do on the return. Once the ball speed reached the 90 MPH range I started to notice that the V-Sense 8 285g felt a little light for this area of the test."

"The V-Sense 8 285g worked better for me on returns," raved Chris. "I was able to take big cuts at many serves. The racquet felt very fast, which opened up many return options. My topspin cross court returns were working well, and I felt confident taking a good rip at those shots. Even defensive slice returns were working well, which surprised me. I usually like a heavier racquet in my hands for that shot."

One of Brittany's favorite shots is the return of serve, and this racquet did not disappoint. She raved, "Again, the maneuverability was great on returns. I was getting the racquet around my body and making contact in front of my body with any serve that was hit at me. I didn't have as much issues with stability or weight on my returns. I could go after my returns without any hesitation."

Tiffani appreciated the extra time she had on returns. She concluded, "Because this racquet gave me more time to decide what I was going to do with my shots, I was being a little craftier and pickier with my shot selection on returns. I could wait longer to pull the return cross court or go up the line. I overlooked the issues I had with stability because I was just having a lot of fun returning with the V-Sense 8 285g."

Overall - Score: 81