About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the tennis racquet, which I tested for 19 days in March of 2023.

My take

The Volkl V-Cell 8 300g is a powerful racquet with great stability. It’s a great choice for intermediates looking for power and advanced players looking for speed.

About the racquet I tested

• Model: Volkl V-Cell 8 300g
• Grip Size: 4 ⅜ (3)
• String: Volkl Power Fiber II
• Head size: 100 in2
• Racquet Length: 27 inches
• Any Customizations: N/A

About me

• Height: 5’10”
• Weight: 168 lbs
• Previous Racquet Played With: Wilson Clash 100, Volkl V-Cell 10
• Experience: 15+ years of tennis
• NTRP/UTA Rating: 3.5–4.0

Test conditions

• When I tested it: March 2023
• Days tested: 19
• Court Surfaces: Hard
• Match Play/Practice Session/Both: Match and practice
• Where I’ve used it: HCC Tampa Tennis Club, Morningside Clearwater Tennis Complex

How it performs

What I was looking for

The V-Cell 8 caught my attention immediately because of its easy power. While casually hitting, I started to really feel good hitting the backhand with this racquet. I’ve been looking for a racquet that would give me a bit more power, so I jumped at the chance to test this racquet for a few weeks.

Why I chose to test this racquet

Since we’re partnering up with Volkl, they sent us a handful of racquets for us to try out. I tried them all and narrowed down my two favorites as the V-Cell 10 and the V-Cell 8.

What I love about it

• Power: This racquet feels great from both sides. On the backhand side, especially, it is really a joy to swing with. I can really feel the power of a full swing. With the larger racquet head and extra pop, hitting with power is fun and rewarding.
• Net Play: With the power this racquet has, it does not get pushed around. Upon coming to the net, I find it to be very stable and useful when performing volleys. The 16x18 string pattern helps for this aspect of play.
• Maneuverability: I love how easily maneuverable this racquet is. It’s easy to serve and easy to swing. Plus, I experience no arm pain after using it.
• Stability: This racquet does not get pushed around by hard serves or forehands. Plus, it holds its own at the net. With its powerful frame, it can handle pace at the net without losing stability.
• Feel: Spin and slice shots are a blast to execute with this racquet. Slices come off with a bit more pace than usual, which the 16x18 string type helps with. The wider stringing bed also adds more power to each shot.
• Serves: This is a powerful and light racquet, so it’s easy to maneuver for any type of serve I feel like hitting. Plus, I do not experience any arm pain afterwards.
• Volleys: Since it is a stable racquet, it handles pace at the net quite well. I experienced very few mishits in my testing. The racquet does not lose its positioning if a harder shot comes at me.
• Groundstrokes: This racquet feels very powerful off both sides, and is one of the best racquets I’ve played to hit backhands with. It really rewards full swings.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Control: While power is on point, sometimes it feels like I am at the mercy of the racquet—as far as where the ball lands. Crosscourt forehands are precise, but hitting down the line sometimes sends the ball into the first row.
• Other: Slicing is not as easy as it is with my main racquet (Wilson Clash 100), but that may be due to my lack of familiarity with this racquet.

Favorite moment with this gear

The first few shots I hit with this racquet were backhands. They felt smooth and looked like they were more powerful than my usual shots. The player I was hitting with said he had never seen my backhand have that much pace. I had to smile.

Value for the money vs. other options

The V-Cell 8 is lower priced than similar power racquets like the Babolat Pure Drive 2021 or the Head Boom MP. All three are powerful 100” racquets that provide great maneuverability. Though the V-Cell 8 is slightly lighter than both the Pure Drive and the Boom MP, and similarly potent. It gives off great power and the 16x19 string bed generates solid spin. In my opinion, this is one of the better light power racquets on the market right now.

Final verdict

The Volkl V-Cell 8 is a solid option for intermediates and advanced players looking for speed and power at a great value.