Yonex VCORE 95 Racket Review

The Yonex VCORE 95 (310) is the heaviest of the red VCORE range and has the smallest head at 95sq. inch.

Having played with the VCORE 100 and the VCORE Pro 97, I was quite excited to play with this 95.

The VCORE 100 was quite a deadly spin machine, whereas the Pro 97 was a very stable, controlled stick.

I was hoping the 310g VCORE 95 would be something in between.

I have to say I was a little worried about the 95 sq. inch head. The Yonex rackets have an isometric head shape that tends to lead me to shanking a lot of balls when I start out.

I had enough problems with the 100 sq. inch racket, so the 95 sq. inch could have turned out to be a little bit of a challenge.

Once I got used to the Yonex’s head shape I did end up playing some good tennis with both the VCORE 100 and the VCORE Pro 97 though.

This resulted in some pretty good ratings for both rackets, with the VCORE Pro 97 getting a very high score of 8.5 out of 10.

The VCORE 100 got a 7.5 out of 10, but in theory, the specs of the 95 suit me a little bit more.

I like the 310g weight and it has a very good swingweight of 325.

To keep the balance of the racket the same, a lot of that weight has been placed towards the handle of the racket, which gives it a huge 7PTS head light balance.

This indicates one thing – huge racket head speed.

This huge racket head speed potential is further complimented by Aero Fin, which makes the frame more air efficient, and Aero Trench grommets that submerge the grommets for yet more air efficiency!

The VCORE rackets are known for producing huge amounts of spin, and these specs suggested the 95 would be the same.

This racket offers an interesting blend of the kind of specs you would expect on a classic pro racket and a modern players racket.

You have the small head size and decent swingweight of the classic rackets, but the easy manoeuvrability of the modern rackets.

It’s a blend that young Canadian, Denis Shapovalov clearly enjoys, as he is the poster boy for this racket.

Like Yonex, he has always threatened to break into the very top echelons but has not quite made it yet.

Perhaps that’s a bit harsh on Yonex, but I feel they’re still not as big as Wilson, Babolat, and Head.

After a mental note to myself – that I must focus on the ball extra hard with this racket, I took this bright red racket out on court to see what it could offer.

Groundstrokes

8out of 10

This was the area I got along best with the VCORE 100 and from the moment I got onto court, it was clear that the VCORE 95 would be similar.

You get the same easy spin with this racket as with other models in the VCORE series, but the extra weight and smaller head just give it a little bit of added control.

Off the backhand side, the effortless power and spin made my life nice and easy.

I just swung away at the ball, as the racket did much of the work for me and my technique brought the ball back into court.

For a 310g racket, this stick is incredibly easy to swing; it feels more like a 300g racket.

This means you can swing away from the back of the court without using too much energy.

Again, I saw lots of similarities between this racket and the Babolat Aero range, this time with the Pure Aero Tour.

The Aero Tour is a bit heavier and has a slightly bigger head, but they have many of the same qualities.

The racket head speed you can generate in both rackets is huge, and this leads to huge amounts of spin and power.

This was the area I got along best with the VCORE 100 and from the moment I got onto court, it was clear that the VCORE 95 would be similar.

You get the same easy spin with this racket as with other models in the VCORE series, but the extra weight and smaller head just give it a little bit of added control.

Off the backhand side, the effortless power and spin made my life nice and easy.

I just swung away at the ball, as the racket did much of the work for me and my technique brought the ball back into court.

For a 310g racket, this stick is incredibly easy to swing; it feels more like a 300g racket.

This means you can swing away from the back of the court without using too much energy.

Again, I saw lots of similarities between this racket and the Babolat Aero range, this time with the Pure Aero Tour.

The Aero Tour is a bit heavier and has a slightly bigger head, but they have many of the same qualities.

The racket head speed you can generate in both rackets is huge, and this leads to huge amounts of spin and power.

Volleys

7.5out of 10

This was the one area where I noticed a big difference between the VCORE 95 and the VCORE 100.

The extra weight and smaller head of the VCORE 95 made it a much better racket to volley with.

I didn’t get on with the VCORE 100 at the net at all and gave it quite a low score of 6.5 out of 10.

I had no such problems with the VCORE 95 and found it to be a much more solid volleying racket.

For me the key to good volleying is stability.

You want the racket to absorb the power of the ball without moving too much in your hand.

The VCORE 95 (310) does a far better job of that and I ended up playing some pretty good volleys with this racket.

I wouldn’t say this is a racket for a serve-volleyer necessarily, but it is definitely an all-round racket.

I don’t spend a great deal of time at the net when I’m playing singles, but I do want something that is going to be solid when I do end up at the net.

The VCORE 95 fits the bill nicely.

On easy put-away volleys, I found the racket to be nice and responsive, punching the ball into the areas I was aiming for.

Then, when the ball was hit very hard at me, and I had to hit a more difficult volley, I was helped out by the racket’s easy manoeuvrability and “dialled in” feel.

It’s not up there with the best volleying rackets out there, but it will do a good job at the net.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Yonex V Core 95’s performance at the net.

I found it to be slightly better than its lighter brother from the back of the court, but it is a big improvement at the net. To reflect this improvement, I have given the VCORE 95 a 7.5 out of 10 on volleys.

Serve

8out of 10

This was the area I was most looking forward to with the VCORE 95.

I find you can get a lot of power and spin with these super speedy rackets, and the small head should also give plenty of feel.

I certainly wasn’t disappointed with what I found.

The Yonex VCORE 95 (310) is so speedy through the air that it can’t help but add a little bit of speed to your swing.

Swing speed is a huge part of generating speed and power, and those are both things the VCORE 95 delivers on.

I was hitting through my serve with great excitement with this racket, watching as the ball went powering down the court, picking me up a number of free points.

When it came to the second serve, I also benefited greatly from the VCORE 95.

It has a good blend of spin and control that gives you the confidence to hit through the ball.

This leads to a good flight path over the net that gives you plenty of margin for error, whilst the spin brings the ball safely back into the court.

Again, for me, the 95 is a slight improvement on the 100.

I like the 310g weight and the extra stability that brings.

They both make for good serving rackets, but I think you can just maximize the power with the 95 a little bit more.

Of course, there are lots of people who will feel more comfortable with the 300g racket, but there’s not too much difference in performance.

The VCORE 95 gets another 8 from me for the serve, to complete a very good playtest.

I was able to generate good power and spin with this racket without losing too much feel.

I also hit a fair few aces throughout the playtest, so that always makes me happy!

Overall

8out of 10

Overall, a really good playtest.

I would certainly take a look at this racket if I was looking for a really speedy racket with good levels of power and spin.

I feel like it would suit a strong all-round player who likes to hit with plenty of spin, and anyone looking at the Babolat Pure Aero Tour should take a look at this racket too.

On the groundstrokes, the Yonex VCORE 95 (310) makes powerful hitting seem effortless as the racket cuts through the air with ease.

You’ll find access to the kind of spin that’s synonymous with the VCORE range, but you also get an extra bit of control from the 95 sq. inch head and the extra weight.

This extra weight has also benefited the 95 at the net, giving it much better stability than some of the VCORE’s lighter models.

It’s still not an out and out volleyer’s racket, but it’s more than good enough at the net for someone who plays an all-around singles game.

Like many of the rackets in this spec range, the VCORE 95 is capable of hitting some monster serves, and I had great fun with this aspect.

It might take a little bit of getting used to if you’re using a more classic style frame, but there are benefits to be had if you feel like you need a little power injection.

This was a very good playtest indeed and the Yonex VCORE 95 very much deserves its overall score of 8 out of 10.

It’s one I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

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Groundstrokes

8

out of 10

Volleys

7.5

out of 10

Serve

8

out of 10

Overall

8

out of 10

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