Review: Volkl V1 Classic Racquet (2022) · Unstrung
Published on 07/19/2023 · 3 min readCurated Tennis Expert Brandon M. shares his experience with using the 2022 Volkl V1 Classic Racquet, Unstrung. Note that experts are not sponsored by any brands; these are their honest opinions.By Tennis Expert
Brandon M.
9 photos
The Curated Take
4.0/5
The Volkl V1 Classic racquet is a versatile and user-friendly choice, suitable for a wide range of players, from beginners to advanced levels. Its features include a forgiving head size for effective volleying, good ball pocketing for accuracy and spin, exceptional maneuverability, and solid stability. It also offers a comfortable feel without harsh vibrations and has a decent power level. This racquet serves well in all areas of the court and is particularly beneficial for those who desire easy control and power in their game, even with fast, long strokes.
Ideal for
- Easy to rip groundstrokes with
- Really forgiving
- Easily controllable power
Not ideal for
- Lacks stability against biggest hitters
Volley
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....Read more
Control
The Volkl V1 Classic offers really nice control for a 285g racquet. I often find these racquets a bit more power focused and hard for me to swing with my...Read more
Maneuverability
The V1 Classic is nice and maneuverable whenever I need it to be. I can get it around and be aggressive while out of position from the baseline and react...Read more
Stability
For most of my test periods with the V1 Classic, I never found that it lacked stability, especially for a 285g racquet. When I stepped up against a couple of...Read more
Feel
The Volkl V1 Classic offers a really nice feel. It reminds me a lot of the new Head Auxetic racquets, where there is a crisp feel on impact with good...Read more
Comfort
Volkl is well known for producing very arm-friendly frames, and the V1 Classic is no different. While it doesn't have all of the new dampening technology of the V-Cell V1...Read more
Durability
The durability of modern performance tennis racquets has never been a concern of mine, and the Volkl V1 Classic is no exception. With quality carbon/fiberglass construction and nice paint quality,...Read more
Sweet Spot Size
The Volkl V1 Classic has used the same mold since it first appeared in the 1990s. It has a nice sweet spot size overall, but it is a little lower...Read more
Ground Stroke
The Volkl V1 Classic is a rare racquet in that I can pick it up and instantly feel comfortable hitting groundstrokes with it. I do not have to adjust my...Read more
Serve
Serving with the V1 Classic is very nice. There is ample power and spin for both first and second serves, and if I miss the sweet spot slightly, it is...Read more
Power
The power level of the Volkl V1 Classic is not huge like some stiff, larger head racquets. Still, it offers plenty of usable power to help players put balls away...Read more
Versatility
The Volkl V1 Classic is a really versatile racquet. It does well in all areas of the court without any glaring weaknesses or standout characteristics. This makes it well-suited for...Read more
Expert Reviews of the Volkl V1 Classic Racquet (2022)
Brandon M. It’s no wonder that the V1 Classic has such longevity in Volkl’s lineup. It has a nice mix of usable power, maneuverability, and arm-friendly construction. The Volkl V1 Classic is a racquet that makes the game of tennis easy for beginner to intermediate-level players. Yet, they can keep using it as they improve a lot. It does so many things well without any glaring issues or standout characteristics. It should suit a variety of playing styles.
Review Ratings
Volley
4/5
Brandon M. gave 4 of 5 stars. 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. I feel confident from both sides using driven and touch volleys when going to the net with the V1 Classic.
Control
4/5
Brandon M. gave 4 of 5 stars. The Volkl V1 Classic offers really nice control for a 285g racquet. I often find these racquets a bit more power focused and hard for me to swing with my normal strokes and find the depth I want. With the V1 Classic, there is good ball pocketing that helps with spin and accuracy and lets me go for my targets confidently.
Maneuverability
4/5
Brandon M. gave 4 of 5 stars. The V1 Classic is nice and maneuverable whenever I need it to be. I can get it around and be aggressive while out of position from the baseline and react to hard-hit passing shots. It moves quickly on overheads and serves so I can be confident in my options.
Stability
3/5
Brandon M. gave 3 of 5 stars. For most of my test periods with the V1 Classic, I never found that it lacked stability, especially for a 285g racquet. When I stepped up against a couple of 5.0 playing partners who hit deep, heavy, and hard groundstrokes, I found the racquet twisting in my hands more than I would like in a racquet that I play with regularly.
Feel
4/5
Brandon M. gave 4 of 5 stars.
The Volkl V1 Classic offers a really nice feel. It reminds me a lot of the new Head Auxetic racquets, where there is a crisp feel on impact with good feedback of where the ball is on the strings, but vibrations are dampened where it doesn't feel harsh on the arm. I find good ball pocketing, which lets me hit touch shots and confidently change direction.
Comfort
4/5
Brandon M. gave 4 of 5 stars. Volkl is well known for producing very arm-friendly frames, and the V1 Classic is no different. While it doesn't have all of the new dampening technology of the V-Cell V1 MP, which uses the same mold with added technology, it still offers really good comfort. The feel can be tweaked based on strings and tension to suit one's preference.
Durability
4/5
Brandon M. gave 4 of 5 stars. The durability of modern performance tennis racquets has never been a concern of mine, and the Volkl V1 Classic is no exception. With quality carbon/fiberglass construction and nice paint quality, it is built to handle the demands of the modern game. Durability is on par with all other performance racquets on the market.
Sweet Spot Size
4/5
Brandon M. gave 4 of 5 stars. The Volkl V1 Classic has used the same mold since it first appeared in the 1990s. It has a nice sweet spot size overall, but it is a little lower in the frame than some of the newer racquets, such as the Head Boom or Gravity models with more teardrop-shaped hoops. This can be an issue for some players who prefer to hit the ball higher in the hoop on their groundstrokes.
Ground Stroke
5/5
Brandon M. gave 5 of 5 stars. The Volkl V1 Classic is a rare racquet in that I can pick it up and instantly feel comfortable hitting groundstrokes with it. I do not have to adjust my strokes for too much or too little power, the sweet spot is nice, and I can put the ball where I want. It just makes playing tennis easy.
Serve
4/5
Brandon M. gave 4 of 5 stars. Serving with the V1 Classic is very nice. There is ample power and spin for both first and second serves, and if I miss the sweet spot slightly, it is quite forgiving. It's a racquet that rewards good technique and lets players bring as much power and spin as possible.
Power
4/5
Brandon M. gave 4 of 5 stars. The power level of the Volkl V1 Classic is not huge like some stiff, larger head racquets. Still, it offers plenty of usable power to help players put balls away when needed. This lets improving players develop longer, faster strokes without worrying that their racquet is too powerful to handle the added speed.
Versatility
4/5
Brandon M. gave 4 of 5 stars. The Volkl V1 Classic is a really versatile racquet. It does well in all areas of the court without any glaring weaknesses or standout characteristics. This makes it well-suited for a wide variety of playing styles and abilities. It's a really easy racquet to pick up and play with.
FAQs
What was your favorite moment with this gear?
Brandon M. 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.
Why did you choose this product?
Brandon M. 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. Based on the specs, specifically swingweight and static weight, it would always be a little overmatched for me when playing 5.0-level players, so I didn't make it my personal racquet. In spite of that, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to a wide range of players looking for a racquet they won’t outgrow right away.
What is the value for the money versus other options?
Brandon M. 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.
What do you love about this product?
Brandon M. The Volkl V1 Classic is a legend for a reason. It’s a very user-friendly racquet that rising beginners to advanced players can pick up and play with for a long time. With nice controllable power, solid stability, above-average maneuverability, and an arm-friendly feel with outstanding comfort, it should suit a lot of players quite well.
4.91
Brandon M.
Tennis Expert70 Reviews
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