Volkl V-Feel 8 300g Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 82

The Volkl V-Feel 8 300g is an easy-to-use racquet that offered our playtesters access to power and spin on their groundstrokes. Brittany has playtested the last several iterations of this racquet, and the specs have always appealed to her. She started, "This update was extremely easy to pick up and use, and I had no adjustment period. I felt very confident playing my game and didn't need to make any changes. I think that this racquet's best feature is its easy power and depth on groundstrokes. When I was in a defensive position I was able to get the ball back to at least a neutral position to stay competitive in the point. I also appreciated being able to generate racquet head speed and tapping into the spin potential, because it was very easy to overhit. I was able to take advantage of that spin to drop my groundstrokes inside the baseline consistently."

"From the baseline, the V-Feel 8 300g swings and feels more like the Super G than the Organix 8 300g," continued Mark. "Its approximate strung weight of 11 ounces, maneuverable sub-320 swingweight and firm beam made it easy for me to swing confidently from the backcourt. I had no issue at all keeping the ball inside the lines with the new V-Feel 8 300g. I could arc the ball and load my shots with lots of topspin from the baseline. On the other hand, I found it a little tricky to keep the ball low over the net using my backhand slice because of the racquet's topspin-friendly 16x18 pattern."

It didn't take long for Tiffani to feel right at home with the V-Feel 8 300g. She said, "The V-Feel 8 300g has that user-friendly quality that makes it easy to just pick it up and swing away from the baseline. It provides easy depth, but it took me a few minutes to get used to it, since my usual racquet has a lower shot trajectory. I relied on the V-Feel 8 300g's easy depth to get me back in the point when I was pushed back off the baseline. This racquet was easy to manipulate, so I felt comfortable adding spin as needed. I did have some issues controlling my depth when I was hitting flatter shots, though. I tended to miss long because I don't naturally add a lot of spin to my shots. The V-Feel 8 300g had good stability, and for a stiffer racquet the feel was pretty dampened."

Kristen really enjoyed rallying with this racquet. She explained, "The V-Feel 8 300g was a super easy racquet to pick up and play with. It had a fast-swinging nature and a firm, crisp response that made it easy to generate power. Although it has a higher RA rating of 70, that stiffness never transferred to my arm, and I found it to be much more comfortable than other racquets in its stiffness category. The open 16x18 string pattern gave me great access to spin, and with the addition of the high launch angle off the stringbed, it was super easy to hit deep in the court. However, the powerful, fast-swinging nature and high launch angle also made it easy to overhit, so I struggled a bit with this racquet when it came to playing points. When I had enough time to set up for a point I had to be sure to load up the ball with spin to keep it in the court. When I was under pressure against big hitters I was left wishing the racquet had a higher swingweight to help counteract pace and give me a more stable, controlled response."

Volleys - Score: 82

The V-Feel 8 300g's excellent stability allowed our playtesters to end their points aggressively up at net. This racquet's specs struck a great balance for Mark. He said, "At net, the Volkl V-Feel 8 300g felt maneuverable and nimble, with just enough mass to be stable against heavy-struck passing shots. My personal test for each racquet I playtest is to hit a number of volleys at full stretch, which often means off-center contact with the ball. In that position, I get some insight into whether the racquet feels too heavy or light for me, its level of stability and how generous the sweetspot is. That said, this racquet was plenty stable for me at full reach, and just about every volley within a one-step range was a point ender."

"I really liked this racquet at net!" exclaimed Kristen. "I found that it offered a really solid response, and the high launch angle made it easy to block back volleys with depth. It was solid and maneuverable enough to put away my volleys."

Brittany also noted the V-Feel 8 300g's maneuverability and stability, but she wasn't completely sold on the racquet's speed. She said, "I never had any issues getting the V-Feel 8 300g into position for a volley, but it wasn't the quickest racquet in my hands. However, that wasn't really a problem since the V-Feel 8 300g was plenty stable at net, which allowed me to punch put-away volleys deep in the court. I also found that this racquet offered a firmer feel than the previous version."

Tiffani's success volleying with the V-Feel 8 300g hinged on whether or not she could hit the sweetspot. She explained, "My volleys with this V-Feel 8 300g were fine. It's not a racquet that improved my net play, but when I connected in the sweetspot there was good power, stability and comfort. However, when I missed the sweetspot the power level and stability seemed to drop off, which might be expected for racquets around 11 ounces. There was still some good comfort, though, thanks to all the dampening qualities built into the frame."

Serves - Score: 80

Our playtesters were split when it came to the Volkl V-Feel 8 300g's power level on serve. Kristen was able to take advantage of the racquet's power to hit serves with some serious pace. She said, "On serves, it was really easy to generate racquet head speed and get around the ball to add spin or to smack down a flat serve. The firm, crisp response left the impression of hitting a more powerful serve."

In her last few racquet playtests Brittany was left looking for more easy power, and the V-Feel 8 300g was just what she needed. She praised, "I was able to get plenty of power with little effort. My first serves were landing deep in the service box, and they scored me a couple extra free points each set. I had enough spin on second serves to feel confident in high-pressure situations."

On the other hand, Tiffani wasn't finding enough power on her serves. She said, "I was fully expecting to love this racquet on serves because it reminded me a lot of the Beast 100 that we recently tested. However, some of that magic was missing. Don't get me wrong, this racquet wasn't bad on serves at all, but it just didn't have that extra something. My pace and spin were about in line with most racquets in this spec range, but nothing stood out."

Mark agreed, saying, "Although 11 ounces of racquet weight was plenty for me to be effective at net, I found it challenging to generate decent pace on my serve with the V-Feel 8 300g; this is where I preferred the extra weight of the V-Feel 8 315g."

Returns - Score: 81

The V-Feel 8 300g really shined on serve returns, providing a great blend of maneuverability and stability. Mark had to adjust his swing, but he ultimately found success on returns. He explained, "Typically, my return of serve looks a lot like my volley, which is a short punch or chip of the ball. However, with the maneuverability of the V-Feel 8 300g I favored a full swing over the top of the ball, making the return — and any other shot from the back court — my favorite to hit with this racquet."

Brittany also appreciated the V-Feel 8 300g's maneuverable, stable feel on serve returns. She added, "I had no issues getting the racquet around my body and was always able to contact the ball in front of me. No matter what serve was hit at me, whether it was with pace or heavy kick, I felt like the racquet was staying firm in my hands, and I did not experience any twisting. I felt that I could be aggressive off both first and second serves."

Kristen liked to start off on the offensive with the V-Feel 8 300g. She said, "I enjoyed this racquet on returns. I found I was able to hit powerful offensive returns and slice back heavier serves. I did notice, though, that when I was jumping on a serve to go for a more aggressive return I was naturally choking up on the racquet to get more stability and control."

The depth control issues that Tiffani experienced on groundstrokes followed her to returns. She concluded, "I hit even flatter returns than groundstrokes, so I had to adjust my targeting before I found success. Once I dialed in my targeting I was able to appreciate the V-Feel 8 300g's power level and quick swing."

Overall - Score: 81