Posted by This is the review of the Wilson Clash 98, a more controlled version of the Clash 100. The Clash racquet line was released last year with Wilson’s groundbreaking technologies including FreeFlex, StableSmart and Parallel Drilling. The thing about this racquet line is that the racquet is supposed to bend in all possible directions on impact and it is the most flexible racquet on the market but will still feel solid in your hands giving the player confidence to take a full swing at the ball. So it’s essentially that, it’s crazy flexible.
- FreeFlex: allows the frame to bend for more ball pocketing and controll
- StableSmart: unique frame geometry to make the racquet stable yet flexible and soft
- Parallel Drilling: gives the racquet consistent and forgiving stringbed response
Racquet specs
- Head size: 98 in² or 632 cm²
- Length: 27 inches or 68,6 cm
- Weight unstrung: 310 g or 10,9 oz
- Balance unstrung: 305 mm or 12 pts HL
- Swingweight: 326
- String Pattern: 16/19
- Beam Width: 24/24/24 mm
- Stiffness: 55 RA
- Power level: Medium
- Strings: Wilson Revolve at 24/25 kg
This racquet offers great ball pocketing and of course a lot of flexiblity, you can feel the softness of the frame really easy and you can actually feel the frame ”bend” when hitting, it’s a very different feeling compared to other racquets so keep that in mind. The closest racquet i’ve tried in terms of feel is the Head Gravity MP, my friend uses that racquet he absolutely loved the feeling and the playability of the Clash 98.
So all in all this racquet is very spin friendly and offers really good precision and power with that 24mm beam and tighter 16/19 pattern. I had one huge problem with this racquet and I had exactly the same problem with the Clash 100 aswell, I can’t serve with it. I maybe hit 3/10 serves and I consider my self as a great server and rely on it in matches. I didn’t have a bad day because when I switched racquets the problem disappeared instantly. If you watch the video you can see all serves going right in to the net constantly but then again, if you are used to a Gravity racquet this might work because I have the same problem with those.
So what do you get and what do you not get with this frame? You’ll get great access to power, spin, precision and a very arm-friendly racquet considering it does have a 55 RA. You do get great pocketing but at the same time a slight disconnected feel on impact since it does feel like the ball stays on the stringbed a little bit longer which didn’t give me any confidence. I recommend trying to demo this racquet because it’s a very different racquet and you’ll have to try it for yourself.
That is all for this racquet review, don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube and follow me on Instagram! I’ll see you next time! Bye!
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