About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the tennis racquet, which I tested for five days from February to May of 2023.

My take

The Volkl V1 Classic is a legend for a reason. It’s a very user-friendly racquet that rising beginner and intermediate players can pick up and play with for a long time. With nice controllable power, solid stability, and arm-friendly appeal, it should suit a lot of players quite well.

About the gear

• Model: Volkl V1 Classic
• Grip Size: 4 ⅜ / EU 3
• String and Tension: Tennis Only Proto M1 at 56lbs
• Head size: 102 Square Inches
• Racquet Length: 27”

About me

• Height: 5’11”
• Weight: 185lbs
• Previous Racquet Played With: Head Graphene 360+ Gravity MP
• Experience: 29 years of playing golf
• NTRP/UTA Rating: 5.0

Test conditions

• When I tested these: February and May 2023
• Days tested: 5
• Court Surfaces: Hard, Hard Indoor
• Match Play/Practice Session/Both: Both
• Where I’ve used it: Kingsford High School, Kingsford, MI, and Marinette County Rec Plex

How it performs

What I was looking for

As a racquet produced nearly unchanged for nearly 30 years, the Volkl V1 Classic is a legend in the tennis world. It is still one of Volkl’s top sellers and suits various players in the beginner to intermediate range. Therefore, I would be remiss not to take the chance to demo this racquet and learn why it is so popular after this many years.

Why I chose to test this gear

It’s no wonder that the V1 Classic has such longevity in Volkl’s lineup. It is a racquet that is just really easy to play with. It has a nice mix of usable power, maneuverability, and arm-friendly construction. It was always a little overmatched for me when playing 5.0-level players, so I wouldn’t personally choose it. Still, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to a wide range of players looking for a racquet they won’t outgrow right away.

What I love about it

• Feel: With a 69RA stiffness rating, one would expect quite a harsh feel from the V1 Classic, but Volkl’s Dual Dampening grip system takes the shock away nicely without making for a dead feeling stringbed.
• Power: The power level of the V1 Classic is not huge like some stiff, larger head racquets, but it offers plenty of usable power to help players put balls away when needed.
• Serves: Serving with the V1 Classic was very nice. There was ample power and spin for both first and second serves, and if I missed the sweet spot slightly, it was quite forgiving.
• Groundstrokes: The V1 Classic makes groundstrokes easy. It has a good mix of power, spin for control, and maneuverability to get the racquet into position. The arm-friendly feel makes for a comfortable response that just works from the first swing.
• Control: There was more than enough spin generation to help keep my shots in the court.
• Maneuverability: The 317RDC swing weight let me get the racquet moving quickly to generate nice racquet head speed on the move.
• Volleys: The V1 Classic just works at the net. A forgiving head size, nice maneuverability, and enough stability against all but the hardest passing shots make for a great volley partner.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Stability: The V1 Classic has more than enough stability for its intended audience, but when playing 5.0-level players, big power can overwhelm it.

Favorite moment with this gear

My favorite moment with the V1 Classic was the first strokes I took with the racquet. It just felt so easy to play with and took no adjustment at all. It’s rare for a racquet to feel like I’ve used it for years instantly, but the V1 Classic did just that.

Value for the money vs. other options

The V1 Classic is priced right in the sweet spot for intermediate-level performance racquets. It provides great value and compares well to the Babolat Pure Strike Team, Wilson Blade 100L, and Head Speed Team.

Final verdict

The Volkl V1 Classic is a racquet that makes the game of tennis easy for beginner to intermediate-level players. It does so many things well without any glaring issues or standout characteristics and should suit a variety of playing styles.