Hi all - will post here as I know there are a few threads on this topic but wanted to share my first impressions of these two blades. I have played with the Q968 for over a week and clocked up around 20h + as was at a training camp. The S968 I have played for around 2h so early days, but I did compare directly last night at my training session.
Both blades weigh the same and have almost identical rubbers - T05/T05fx on Q and T05/T64fx on S. Total blade weights within .2g of each other at 186.4g. The 64fx is slightly lower throw and a little more dynamic so "may" be having an impact, but regardless and despite these two blades clearly coming from the same family and having the same construction, they do play a little differently.
At this stage I cannot say which one I prefer playing with or play better with although I have played singles and doubles in both drills and matches with them.
So where do they differ..
1. Handle - no doubt that the S handle is larger and more substantial which feels different in hand. The Q handle is bigger than the King and regular HL5 and is not too small, but the Q is more solid all round. Balance - the S, with the bigger handle probably feels more balanced and slightly less head heavy than the Q, although both feel very well balanced.
2. Speed / Dynamics - the S feels slightly faster and more lively all round than the Q. The BH is probably where this was more apparent (may be influenced by the 64fx so need to consider this) but there is no doubt that whenever I swapped back to the S that it felt just that bit more dynamic and with a more penetrating arc.
3. Control - the Q feels like a slightly safer and more controlled blade and is probably more in the W968 domain than the S, which to me feels like it leans slightly more towards the outer carbon feel than the Q. It is however still very much an inner blade with the characteristics you would expect from this construction.
4. Spin - edge to the S here, the extra dynamic and speed seemed to be reflected in slightly more spin and penetration on the ball for the same effort, but I need to spend more time with both to really clarify this.
The bottom line is that these are both great blades and I enjoyed playing with both. At the end of the evening I had found myself enjoying the safety that the Q offered whenever I picked it up - but I spent more time with the S overall and found myself drawn back to it time and again because it just had the edge in terms of fun to use.
I wouldn't be surprised if this changes as I play more matches and seek consistency, but let's see..
