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 V-Cell 8 315g is a very user-friendly racquet for advanced players looking for a bit of extra mass to help step up the pace of their games. With loads of power, fast moving swingweight, and an open 16x18 string pattern, the V-Cell 8 315g lets players play an attacking style of tennis from all over the court.

About the racquet I tested

• Model: Volkl V-Cell 8 315g
• Grip Size: 4 ⅜ / EU 3
• String and Tension: Volkl Power Fiber II 16g Strung at 56lbs
• Head size: 100in2
• Racquet Length: 27in
• Any Customizations: Gamma Supreme Overgrip

About me

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

Test conditions

• When I tested it: February, 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, Marinette County Rec Plex

How it performs

What I was looking for

As a gear junkie, I am always looking for the next best setup for my game. I tinker with strings and racquets with an eye on marginal gains to help me perform at my best. My current Head Graphene 360+ Gravity MP has suited me well, but I am on the hunt for a more stable option that retains the easy playability and feel I like from that racquet.

Why I chose to test this gear

I was very intrigued by the V-Cell 8 315g, as I generally like the extra weight of 315g frames, but also want to maintain racquet head speed that generally gets lost due to heavier swingweights. With a more head-light balance, the V-Cell 8 315g keeps that overall weight for power but is very fast moving. In the end, I found myself looking for just a bit more control, so I am going to make a switch to another Volkl model.

What I love about it

• Feel: Volkl prides itself on having very arm-friendly racquets, oftentimes despite having relatively high stiffness ratings. The V-Cell 8 315g offers a comfortable crisp feel on impact that can get a little vague when I miss the sweet spot; but when the contact is right, the feel is outstanding.
• Maneuverability: For a 315g unstrung weight, the V-Cell 8 315g is extremely maneuverable thanks to its 7pts head-light balance. Coming in with a 316RDC swingweight, the V-Cell 8 315g makes generating racquet head speed extremely easy while on the run and on serve.
• Power: With a tapered beam that thickens to 24mm at the sweet spot and a higher 315g static weight, the Volkl V-Cell 8 315g makes it easy to generate loads of power on groundstrokes and volleys.
• Serves: The Volkl V-Cell racquets all have a bit of something special in them when serving for me. The lower swingweight, easy power, and open string pattern let me confidently attack with both first and second serves.
• Groundstrokes: The V-Cell 8 315g is a guilty-pleasure-type racquet for me when hitting groundstrokes. The ball explodes off the racquet with a high launch angle and plenty of spin to drop the ball deep, which drives my wife nuts and makes me quite happy.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Control: With so much speed and power on tap, it can be easy to overhit with the V-Cell 8 315g—especially when trying to flatten out the ball. I found that I needed to give myself a little more room for error when moving forward with an approach shot in order to keep the ball in the court.
• Stability: Typically, I find 315g static weight racquets to have really nice stability, but with a more headlight balance than most in the class, the V-Cell 8 315g could use some more stability—especially when returning serves.
• Volleys: There is easy power for putting away volleys and it is easy to get the racquet on reaction volleys, but overall I don’t love the V-Cell 8 315g at the net. I found myself looking for more touch to hit drop volleys, and when I tried to cut a backhand volley they tended to float.

Favorite moment with this gear

The first forehands I hit with the V-Cell 8 315g were quite impressive. I was playing with my wife indoors and I instantly felt at ease with the racquet getting great depth and spin without having to swing out of my shoes.

Value for the money vs. other options

The Volkl V-Cell 8 315 is a great value for the money, and is priced slightly less expensive than similar racquets such as the Babolat Pure Aero Tour, Head Graphene 360+ Radical Pro, and Yonex VCore Pro 97.

Final verdict

The Volkl V-Cell 8 315g is a fast-moving, spin-friendly weapon for the attacking, all-court player who likes a little more mass in their frame. With an open string pattern, tons of power, and moderate swingweight, it’s a joy to try to rip the cover off the ball. While the control and stability could be better, overall this is a great modern players racquet for advanced players who want something with an arm-friendly feel.