Volkl V-Feel 10 (320) Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 82

Comfortably crisp, the V-Feel 10 (320) presented our team a controlled response, an open string pattern and enough mass to dictate points. Chris, who appreciates a high level of control, was confident swinging at the ball very aggressively. He began, "This racquet lived up to its name and offered lots of feel. I felt comfortable going for the lines, although I had to work to go for the baseline since I tended to hit short with this racquet. The V-Feel 10 (320) is definitely a racquet I would string in the low 40-pound range to get a higher launch angle and open up some easier access to depth. When it came to getting spin, I was happy with the rotation I could get on the ball. The racquet is very well suited to hitting slice, and I liked the blend of feel and spin I could get on my backhand."

The heavier Volkl 10 series frames have always complemented Mark's game nicely, and the Power Bridge 10 Mid remains one of his favorite racquets. His affinity for the 10 series continued with this update. He said, "I was right at home at the baseline from the very first swing. Within an hour I could consistently flatten out or arch my backcourt shots. Typically, it is a safer shot for me to hit the ball back toward my opponent, but with this racquet, changing the direction of the ball was much easier than usual."

"Everything went relatively well for me from start to finish during this playtest," Michelle added. "I don't necessarily find any standout features with racquets like this V-Feel 10 (320) because they perform so well in all areas. While some playtesters thought this racquet felt lower powered, I could access decent power off the ground with my fast swing. I had the confidence to hit out without worrying too much about making mistakes. It also felt pretty stable, and it helped me hit shots deep into the court, even if I wasn't set up perfectly. The stringbed was pretty forgiving and consistent. The V-Feel 10 (320) swung relatively fast, and the 16x19 string pattern provided accuracy and precision, while still offering good access to spin."

Troy found the mix of control and spin to be up there with some of the best racquets on the market. He said, "The low-powered, controlled response of this racquet allowed me to swing big from the baseline and dictate points with precise, heavy shots. I felt like I could put the ball on a dime and keep my opponent scrambling around the court. The open string pattern helped me carve up some sharp angles, and I enjoyed hitting cross-court dippers to pull my opponent off the court. My backhand slice felt absolutely sublime with this racquet in hand. I would like a bit more swingweight, but the feel and spin I generated off the backhand slice was tremendous. This racquet has the same 16x19 string pattern as my Yonex VCORE Pro 97 (330), but I found I could generate even more topspin with the V-Feel 10 due to the added maneuverability. The V-Feel 10 (320) is noticeably stiffer than the previous version, but it still provided plenty of comfort. It felt plusher and more comfortable on contact than the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph 2018, which I hit side by side with this Volkl racquet."

Volleys - Score: 84

At net, the thinner beam of the V-Feel 10 (320) translated into outstanding feel and touch, and this racquet drew rave reviews from our playtest team. Mark enjoyed this racquet's performance from almost every part of the court, but he found the volley to be a particular highlight. He explained, "I was unusually comfortable volleying anywhere inside the service lines with this V-Feel 10 (320). The head-light balance made it easy for me to get it into place on time, and the almost 12-ounce strung weight helped maintain stability, even on off-center contact."

The thinner beam offered Michelle all the access to feel and touch she needed at net. She said, "The V-Feel 10 (320) felt pretty stable against bigger hitters. I was able to be aggressive when I wanted, and I had a good command of my volleys."

Troy continued to appreciate the control and feel of this racquet when he came to net. He noted, "No matter how hard the ball was hit at me, this racquet provided a smooth and comfortable feel on contact. It was not as soft and buttery as the Volkl C10 Pro or the Volkl Power Bridge 10 Mid, but there was a comfortable firmness to this racquet that I enjoyed. I was in total command of the ball when coming forward. The thin beam design had me feeling very crafty at net, and I could execute my drop volleys with confidence. Even with a lower swingweight than my racquet of choice, the V-Feel 10 (320) had a high level of stability on contact. The first time I played competitively with this racquet was a set of doubles, and I was dialed in on my volleys from the start. I was able to maneuver this racquet easily whenever I encountered a fast exchange at net. Together, the maneuverability and stability allowed me to be effective on reaction volleys by making it simple to block the ball back deep in the court."

Chris, too, loved the V-Feel 10 (320) at net. He added, "I had a ton of feel and control on my volleys. I also liked the response on low pick-up volleys. The racquet felt easy to maneuver, and I was still able to be creative when digging out a low volley. My drop volleys and angles were working well. I played some great doubles when I was at net with this racquet. Did this racquet offer up the kind of touch and sublime feel of a Volkl C10 Pro? Not quite, but I still felt very dialed in when I was looking to hit drop volleys and short angles."

Serves - Score: 80

Although slightly lower powered than our team's personal racquets, the V-Feel 10 (320) aided all the reviewers with spin and precision when they were serving. Michelle didn't expect to enjoy serving with this racquet nearly as much as she did. She explained, "I was worried that this racquet would be too low powered and would make me a sitting duck against aggressive returners, but there was something magical happening when I stepped up to serve. I could hit my targets really well, and I actually produced a handful of aces down the T on both sides of the court. I was able to get the ball moving into my opponent's body, but I could also make it jump up and out of the strike zone. I didn't need the speed to be effective here, which was an awesome surprise. However, I could swing relatively fast, and I did find some pace; paired with the accuracy, it was a winning combination."

The maneuverability and the open string pattern allowed Troy to generate heavy spin on his serves. He said, "My second serve was very consistent. I easily got the ball dipping down into the service box. My kick serve out wide on the deuce side was jumping off the court, and I was able to create sharp angles. This racquet's thin beam, open string pattern and maneuverability provided great feel on my spin serves. On first serves, this racquet had pinpoint precision, and I moved the ball around the service box with confidence. The one downside was that I didn't gain much power on my serves compared to some of the more powerful racquets I've used lately (like the Prince Textreme Beast Pro 100 LB and the Yonex EZONE 98+). It was a bit more difficult to generate pace with this Volkl."

Chris also served well with the V-Feel 10 (320). He said, "I was able to put the racquet's mass to good use and generate solid pace. While I was left wanting more power from the baseline, it was not as much of an issue on serves. Although I wouldn't say I got a whole lot extra from this racquet, all of my serves were working as expected."

"I have been working on my serve, which has improved and is slowly becoming my favorite shot to hit," Mark continued. "That being said, the combination of this racquet's specs made the serve my favorite portion of this playtest. I felt like the combination of this racquet's weight and stiffness boosted my serve's velocity. Also, my consistency on serve, which is my strength, was a weapon when serving with this racquet."

Returns - Score: 80

All four members of our team tapped into the control of the V-Feel 10 (320) when hitting their returns. Troy could take big swings on his returns without fear of overhitting. He described, "Whenever a serve sat up in my strike zone I was able to rip it back deep with a lot of pace, but it was hard to generate enough power and depth to hit effective replies when I was off balance or stretched out. There just wasn't any free power when I was in a defensive position. In doubles, I found great control on my returns and could easily direct the ball away from the net player. My backhand slice return felt nice and smooth on contact, but I was hoping for a little more plow through. I think some added weight at the tip of the racquet could help boost the power and plow through to make it a better racquet for me on returns."

The overall effect this racquet had on Mark's game was a positive one. However, all the weight that helped him from the other areas of the court hindered him on his return of serve. He said, "I tried to swing through the return more often, as opposed to chipping it back into play, but the racquet felt heavy, so I had to resort back to the chip."

"Returns were another bright spot for me in this playtest," said Michelle. "Because of the lower powered response and the confidence I gained drilling with this racquet, I knew I could be effective when attacking returns. I could really get ahold of the ball and swing big. The only downside was a lack of stability. The racquet would crumble a tiny bit when I was pulled off the court with a big first serve. I felt like if I lunged the racquet out it just sort of flopped in response. However, when I had a weaker first serve or a second serve to step up on, I could attack aggressively and dictate from there."

According to Chris, this racquet is tailor-made for returning serves. He explained, "Whenever I had to redirect my opponent's pace, having the V-Feel 10 (320) in my hands was a good thing. It felt very stable and comfortable on returns. Again, I had lots of feel with this racquet, which helped me place the ball to my targets. With only a short swing I could generate enough pace and spin to start the point aggressively."

Overall - Score: 82