Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 87

If there were a "Star Wars" quote to describe the Wilson Blade 100 v7 from the baseline, it would be, "Impressive. Most impressive." Our playtesters were fond of the generous sweetspot and thought the stability felt surprisingly similar to the Blade 98, even though this Blade 100 is 5 grams lighter. Tiffani appreciated the ability to execute both flat and spin shots. She said, "The Blade line has been my favorite from Wilson, and I'm really pleased to see a 100-square-inch version. This Blade 100 v7 felt great for my game, and it offers a good balance of power and precision. It's a little more forgiving than the Blade 98 16x19, so I felt more at ease during point play. I felt confident going for flatter shots and wasn't afraid that I would overhit. I could mix in a slice as well when I wanted to change the pace of a point, and I could generate topspin easily enough, which I typically use when I'm trying to pull opponents out wide. This racquet felt both stable and maneuverable. I can't really think of any downsides for me from the baseline."

Sage was able to utilize flat shots as well, which is not his typical shot of choice. He said, "Where the 98 leans toward control, the Blade 100 v7 swings fast and rewards the player with easy power. It didn't take long for me to get comfortable with this racquet, and I found it to maintain the identity of the Blade family. I loved the versatility from the baseline. The launch angle facilitated a deep ball with plenty of spin, while the more impressive aspect for me was a reliable flat ball. This isn't normally a shot I'm looking for, but I could flatten a ball cross court with confidence. I also expected less stability considering the 5-gram difference in weight, but that really wasn't the case. It felt solid on contact and provided plenty of plow through against a heavy ball."

Jason discovered that the Blade 100 v7 swung faster than its measured 326 swingweight, and he had a great playtest from the baseline. He said, "At last, a Blade that I feel immediately comfortable with and that's easy to use. This was such an easy racquet to swing from the ground. It was very easy to generate racquet head speed, so I was getting great spin and angles on my shots. It definitely swings faster than the listed swingweight. It's still a Blade, so control was really good, and I felt well connected to my shots. Unlike the typical Blade racquet, I was able to generate plenty of power and depth on my own."

With plenty of experience with modern 100-square-inch head size racquets, Brittany enjoyed the versatility and extra control from the Blade 100 v7. She explained, "I have been playing with a lot of low-powered 100-square-inch head size racquets lately, so it was an easy adjustment period with the Blade 100 v7. The racquet offered an extremely forgiving response, and it felt like there was a pretty large sweetspot. I loved the surprisingly easy access to both topspin and slice. I was able to hit deep, heavy groundstrokes off both wings, pushing my opponent back behind the baseline. For whatever reason, I was really clicking with this racquet on slices and found success on both offensive and defensive slices. I was able to keep them low and penetrating, which allowed me to stay in the point."

Volleys - Score: 85

With a great blend of speed and feel, the Wilson Blade 100 v7 defies the specification odds and maintains substantial stability at net. All of our playtesters took note of the successful balance of maneuverability and stability. Jason began by saying, "This racquet felt really good up at net. Not only was it maneuverable, but it also felt solid. Usually, it's one or the other for me, so I was impressed. I would've liked just a bit more weight in the hoop to help stabilize off-center shots, but I really have no complaints here."

"With its impressive slices, it is no surprise that this racquet translated to my volleys well," Brittany added. "Additionally, the racquet was stable, yet surprisingly maneuverable. It offered a nice balance between the two, and I enjoyed the lively response off the stringbed. I could hit a variety of volleys, from punching volleys deep to softening my hands for a drop volley and everything in between."

Tiffani was also pleased with the Blade 100 v7's volleying capabilities. She said, "I was impressed how solid this racquet felt at net. There didn't seem to be any issues with stability, even though racquets at this weight sometimes flutter a bit on off-center shots. At the same time, the Blade 100 v7 felt plenty maneuverable, so I felt confident moving forward to close out a point at net."

This racquet felt stable, comfortable and maneuverable in Sage's hands at the net — a winning combination for volleys. He described, "The Blade 100 v7 was easy to maneuver at the net. I'd point to the average swingweight being in the high 320s paired with a light overall weight. This combination of specs allowed it to stay comfortable, and just like the shots from the baseline, it was nice and stable. The flexible feel of the racquet was front and center. While it didn't stick volleys like frames with a stiffer layup of graphite, I did feel connected to the stringed and was confident in my control over the shot."

Serves - Score: 83

For serving, the playtesters were mixed on the amount of added power when comparing the Wilson Blade 100 v7 to the Blade 98. Sage thought the updated racquet got a significant power boost on serves, while others were expecting more pop. Sage said, "This is where I felt the increase in power the most. It felt solid on contact, and I could swing it all day without fatigue. I also noticed the forgiving feel when I made contact outside the sweetspot. I think the open pattern made this an enjoyable racquet to serve with. The ball bite helped offset a lighter weight than I'm accustomed to. There were times when I wanted more mass coming through the ball, but it produced plenty of pop and great spin compared to other 'in-class' racquets."

Brittany noted a good balance when it came to serving with this racquet. She said, "The Blade 100 v7 had just enough power for flat first serves, but with the ability to tap into my slice and kick serves as well. I wouldn't say any one particular serve stood out, but I was able to execute them all efficiently. I liked how easy it was to generate racquet head speed, which allowed me to get the racquet up and over my head without any arm fatigue over the course of a match."

Tiffani and Jason felt in control of their serves with the Blade 100 v7, but they were left wanting a little more power. Tiffani described, "Although I love racquets that offer a little more control than power off the ground, I don't mind some extra juice on serves. The Blade 100 v7 offered some free power, but not a ton. I could execute my serves with ease since I found it easy to swing above my head. Directional control was good, so it was a game of placing my serves well rather than trying to blow serves past my opponents, which is typical for me."

Jason had similar thoughts, adding, "I was serving at a high percentage with this racquet. It offers really good access to spin, which really helped my consistency because I hit a slice 80 percent of the time. It's not the most powerful racquet, but it's certainly more than serviceable."

Returns - Score: 87

All of the playtesters thoroughly enjoyed returning with the Wilson Blade 100 v7. It cut through returns with ease, making it "dangerously fun," according to Sage. He continued, "When I saw the opportunity to attack, I had a tendency to overswing and get ahead of the ball. When I had the self-control to take a little off and focus on my timing, I could place the ball deep. The sweetspot felt great, and even when I hit outside it, the ball still usually found the court."

Brittany was returning with confidence with the Blade 100 v7 in her hands. She said, "Like with most racquets, I preferred to return over serving with the Blade 100 v7 for a couple of reasons. The first is that I felt I could navigate the racquet around my body with ease and get it into position without feeling rushed. I also loved the ability to swing out without fear of overhitting. I appreciated this on both first and second serve returns, and I felt confident starting off the point."

"It didn't matter whether I was going for an offensive return or blocking a return back, the Blade 100 provided great results," Jason added. "The blend of easy power, spin and control allowed me to be aggressive on my returns and go for smaller targets."

Utilizing the Blade's all-around return capabilities, Tiffani concluded, "The Blade 100 v7 had a great blend of performance for my return game. I liked that I could take a good swing at the ball and also go for smaller targets when I was feeling on my game. It swung quickly and felt more precise than many other 100-square-inch racquets. I also found it comfortable and solid enough to stand up to bigger servers."

Overall - Score: 86