• Head Size: 98 sq. in MP
• Length: 27 inches
• Weight: Strung — 11.2 oz Unstrung — 10.7 oz
• Tension: 53-63 Pounds
• Balance:  3 Pts Head Heavy
• Beam Width: 20.6mm
• Composition: Basalt/Karophite Black
• Flex: 64
• Grips Type: Wilson Pro Hybrid
• Power Level: Low-Medium
• String Pattern:
  
• 18 Mains / 20 Crosses
  Mains skip: 8T, 10T, 8H, 10H
  One Peace
  No Shared Hole 
• Swing Speed: Fast
• Swing Weight: 336

Groundstrokes

The new BLX Blade 98 provides an extremely solid feel and nice pop off both sides of the ball. At just over 11 ounces it packs a lot of punch from the baseline while still providing lots of touch. With its tight string pattern and almost even balance I found a very solid and soft feel. I felt Very little vibration and I was able to generate good power from all areas of the court.

Volleys
 
At net, the stability it the first thing you notice, as this stick handles incoming passing attempts with little to no twisting. For a 98 inch racquet I found a huge sweet spot, solid feel, and good forgiveness when volleying. I had no issues adding punch to my follows volleys either. I was confident on both placement and put aways and the softness from the BLX was noticed on drop volleys which was a pleasant surprise. Overall I could easily keep volleys low and had good control on touch volleys.

Serves

When serving I found plenty of control and placement. I found a very comfortable response but I also had all the power I needed. I did find in fact the more I relaxed and let the racquet do the work the better the response. I had excellent pop and was able to get all the spin I needed on my serves. The 98in head, tight string pattern and almost even balance was very forgiving and solid. This new BLX offers a solid, vibration free feel, with good pop in all aspects of the serve.

Overall

I found the new BLX version of the Blade 98 a solid frame with good power, offering forgiving feel from all areas of the court. Compared to the K Blade 98 I got a lot more pop on all of my shots. I would recommend this racquet for any players at the 4.0+ level or any player with long fast ground strokes looking for a control oriented racquet.