the Pure Storm LTD Support Group

SlapShot · Sep 5, 2009

Put me down guys. I hated this frame when I first demoed it (intending to replace my heavily customized FXP Prestige Midpluses), but demoed it again earlier this week and fell in love. I now own 2 of them, and will likely buy 2 more.

I was flirting with the Yonex RDS001 Mid, but just never quite got 100% comfy, probably due to the 16x18 pattern.

I was intending to do the same work to these that I did to my Prestiges (silicone in the handle, weight in the head, roughly 365 grams and 12 points head light), but stock, these are awesome. Right now, I've got them strung with Alu mains and NXT Tour crosses at 58#, and it's almost perfect.

It seems that I've finally found a "Head" frame without the Head grip shape, which makes it perfect.

Kevo · Sep 5, 2009

I just recently bought quite a few of the newer generation polys I've been wanting to try but haven't gotten around to. So far I've strung up MatchPower and PolyFibre TCS. I really like both of them. The polyfibre is a truly unique poly like people have said. It has a different feel to it, excellent spin and control like all good polys should have. Matchpower is also a softer polu, but not as stretchy as the TCS. It has good feel as well, also excellent spin and control.

I can't decide which one I like better right now. I spent about 90 minutes today on the ball machine swapping racquets after each bucket. I think I'm leaning to the matchpower, but I'll keep playing them both for a bit to see how they hold up over time.

I've also got polyfibre rapid and cobra, and silverstring to try out next.

What's really nice though, is no matter what string I put in the PSL, I really am pleased with this frame. I think this is going to be a keeper for a long time.

Yoh · Sep 5, 2009

Is this more of a volleying stick than a baseliner?

Compared to like the PST or the MG Prestige... this one is not as strong from the back is it?

star 5 15 · Sep 5, 2009

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A few of my new babys

SlapShot · Sep 6, 2009

Yoh said:
Is this more of a volleying stick than a baseliner?

Compared to like the PST or the MG Prestige... this one is not as strong from the back is it?

I just played 2 hours of tennis against a frequent hitting partner tonight with the PS LTD - it is definitely no slouch from the baseline - I was able to hit with plenty of depth and actually more spin than I was hitting with my previous Yonex frame, which is odd considering the tighter pattern.

My volleys were solid, but I had no trouble finishing short balls off of the ground with the LTD.

mrmo1115 · Sep 6, 2009

Can anyone give me a brief comparison of how the new LTD GT compares to the Prestige line specifically the FXP MP?

I want to try this out but I want to hear if this racquet is for me or not .

Another one of my options is to wait for the new Youtek Prestige when it comes out

rxblitzrx · Sep 30, 2009

just a note to keep this thread going. i restrung today at 53lbs. when i push on the stringbed it feels a little tight but we'll see how it holds up on court.

another note: not sure if i'm a fan of the new LTD GT yet

SmAsH999 · Oct 4, 2009

star 5 15 said:
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A few of my new babys

star 5 15, what do you think of the ltd. GT compared to the regular ltd? Also, have you tried any new pure drives? If so, how does the ltdGT compare?

Thanks, Smash

star 5 15 · Oct 4, 2009

SmAsH999 said:
star 5 15, what do you think of the ltd. GT compared to the regular ltd? Also, have you tried any new pure drives? If so, how does the ltdGT compare?

Thanks, Smash

I havent hit with the new pure drives. Actually I hit 3 balls with the roddick and I tohught it was horrible. Hollow and just sucked. they aren't similar in anyway. Completely different racquets.

In comparison to the old LTD though. It is the same mold, different layup. This results in just a different feel. It's definately different but I can't quite put my finger on whats different to put it in words. It is definately different though,

SlapShot · Oct 8, 2009

After hitting with the KPS88, I decided to add just a hair of weight to the LTD. I'm trying 10g split between 3 and 9, making the strung weight right around 345g and taking the SW in the ballpark of 320. Haven't hit with it yet, but dry swinging, it still feels quick enough for me.

PED · Oct 8, 2009

SlapShot said:
After hitting with the KPS88, I decided to add just a hair of weight to the LTD. I'm trying 10g split between 3 and 9, making the strung weight right around 345g and taking the SW in the ballpark of 320. Haven't hit with it yet, but dry swinging, it still feels quick enough for me.

Wouldn't 10g make the SW more than 320? I know it's at 3 and 9 instead of 12 but i would think that would put it more into the high 320's. Do you find that the LTD swings alot lighter than your Prestige Mid's and are you able to produce a nasty heavy ball with the LTD as well.

I'll be curious to your feedback on that setup-it sounds dead on. I was thinking of demoing one and doing the same.

SlapShot · Oct 8, 2009

The TW University calculator gave me the info that I used, and it might be a bit off. I used the spec'd stats (31.7 cm balance, 305 SW, 335 stock weight) and plugged in to make it 6 points HL and SW of 320. It definitely feels heavier, but not nearly as heavy as my Prestiges. The Prestiges were fine until I had to really dig in in a match, and then I ran out of gas at times. I am hoping that this setup gives me the extra bit of sting that I had with the Prestige, but makes it a bit quicker through the air.

I definitely found that while it was great stock, I just felt like a bit of weight would help me on some shots (inside-out forehands, etc) that seemed to need just a touch more guts to them.

PED · Oct 8, 2009

My findings with the Mid were the same, if I was in position to make the shot, then I was good to go, but alot of things need to go right constantly for me to be really effective with it. I have much better consistent form with the Prestige Pro.

I'm flirting with the PSL at the moment.

bowchikawow · Oct 9, 2009

This thread needs a few pics of this beautiful racket! :

bowchikawow · Oct 9, 2009

I have found that this racket is beautiful to just hit out with as I find it can hit both top and flat and mostly be certain that it will land just inside the baseline.
The pure storm ltd gt is really soild on the vollrys as well,. Have unfortuanatley yet to find the groove on serve : C
Playing around wiht string set ups atm so any suggetsions are welcome!

morten · Oct 10, 2009

I found it too light, wish it was 15grams heavier, so i could just do small tweaks with lead... i ended up buying the k95 18x20..

SlapShot · Oct 10, 2009

bowchikawow said:
I have found that this racket is beautiful to just hit out with as I find it can hit both top and flat and mostly be certain that it will land just inside the baseline.
The pure storm ltd gt is really soild on the vollrys as well,. Have unfortuanatley yet to find the groove on serve : C
Playing around wiht string set ups atm so any suggetsions are welcome!

I found it to serve pretty well, and then I added the lead to it. WOWZA.

I played some doubles with a couple of guys this afternoon, and I was serving bigger than I have in a long time, and was able to serve to spots.

It also volleys better than it did pre-lead, so perfect for dubs, that's for sure.

star 5 15 · Oct 11, 2009

SlapShot said:
I found it to serve pretty well, and then I added the lead to it. WOWZA.

I played some doubles with a couple of guys this afternoon, and I was serving bigger than I have in a long time, and was able to serve to spots.

It also volleys better than it did pre-lead, so perfect for dubs, that's for sure.

This is part of the reason I love this racquet so much. You can make it exactly how you want it.

downs_chris · Oct 11, 2009

what string setup are you using in your pure storm ltd gt?

star 5 15 · Oct 11, 2009

I play with alu power strung anywhere from 24-28kg and I have head calfskin leather grips on them all.

SlapShot · Oct 12, 2009

downs_chris said:
what string setup are you using in your pure storm ltd gt?

Luxilon Alu Power in the main, Wilson NXT Tour cross. All at 58 lbs.

chizzle · Oct 12, 2009

SlapShot said:
I found it to serve pretty well, and then I added the lead to it. WOWZA.

I played some doubles with a couple of guys this afternoon, and I was serving bigger than I have in a long time, and was able to serve to spots.

It also volleys better than it did pre-lead, so perfect for dubs, that's for sure.

I find about 0.3 oz is perfect for me (adds a lot of feel/control) for doubles. But for longer grueling singles matches, I like it stock so I swing aggressively.

I have the older version, but just inches away from 2 of the newer ones. I will use two set ups for dbles and two for singles (thats the plan anyway).

Great stick though so far. Amazing what an 18 X 20 has done for my game.

SlapShot · Oct 12, 2009

chizzle said:
I find about 0.3 oz is perfect for me (adds a lot of feel/control) for doubles. But for longer grueling singles matches, I like it stock so I swing aggressively.

I have the older version, but just inches away from 2 of the newer ones. I will use two set ups for dbles and two for singles (thats the plan anyway).

Great stick though so far. Amazing what an 18 X 20 has done for my game.

I can't change weights for different matches, personally. I have to stick with one setup, in order to have the confidence to hit with little margin if needed.

10g is right around .3 oz, so it sounds like we're on the same page weight-wise, though.

Kcraig · Oct 14, 2009

SlapShot said:
I found it to serve pretty well, and then I added the lead to it. WOWZA.

I played some doubles with a couple of guys this afternoon, and I was serving bigger than I have in a long time, and was able to serve to spots.

It also volleys better than it did pre-lead, so perfect for dubs, that's for sure.

At what posistion are you adding the lead and how much? Thx

SlapShot · Oct 14, 2009

Kcraig said:
At what posistion are you adding the lead and how much? Thx

I've got 10g distributed at 3 and 9 o'clock. 2 5 inch strips per side (so 20" total of 1/2" lead). I'll post up a pic tomorrow.

PED · Oct 15, 2009

Slapshot, how would you rate the stability of your modded PSL versus your old Prestige Mid?

I realize that your Mid was leaded up a good deal heavier so I'll bear that in mind.

Kevo · Oct 16, 2009

I prefer the longer frame myself, but it's not a big change from the standard length. I like that it feels slightly more flexible.

Also, the leather grip on the PSL (at least the old version which I use) does compress with use. It feels like the size is accurate after it's been played with for a month or so. I haven't measured it, but I can tell the difference between the two that I've used most and the third which hasn't been used but a couple of times.

SlapShot · Oct 17, 2009

PED said:
Slapshot, how would you rate the stability of your modded PSL versus your old Prestige Mid?

I realize that your Mid was leaded up a good deal heavier so I'll bear that in mind.

You're right - the Prestiges were almost 20g heavier, so they were truly rock solid. The PSL is no slouch stability-wise, though, but I've never been one to really complain about that, even when hitting against heavy hitters. The one thing that the little bit of lead helped with on the PSL is the volley - it became much easier to really sting the first ball, due to the added mass in the head.

Slzr.Matias · Oct 19, 2009

How does the PSL-GT feel in weight? I'm concerned that i won't be able to produce a good amount of topspin on the ball with 18x20 string pattern

Sangria Munky · Oct 19, 2009

THE WEIGHT IS GOOD (FOR ME). go for the other models if you're worried about the spin. I DON'T HIT WITH LOTS OF SPIN, but the string pattern still helps me when i try to hit topspin.

PED · Oct 20, 2009

Slzr.Matias said:
How does the PSL-GT feel in weight? I'm concerned that i won't be able to produce a good amount of topspin on the ball with 18x20 string pattern

I'm playing around in setups with mine and I usually prefer my lead at 9 and 3 but in the case of the PSL, I like the lead at 12. It's seems to help with the swing and also seems to help on spin generation. The 18 20 will still produce plenty of spin but coming from a 16X19 is an adjustment for me and I'm netting some balls ATM

subz · Oct 20, 2009

How does the PSL-GT compared with the old PSL ? I have played with the old a couple of times and really liked it. Are they similar or is PSL-GT even better ?

downs_chris · Oct 22, 2009

Kevo said:
I bought 3 PSLs and they all had the problem. I pulled the grips off and fixed the problem on all 3. Haven't had any trouble with those.

How exactly did you fix this issue? Glue? Staples? Thanks! I'm having this issue with my first PSL GT after only 3 hours of hitting...

PED · Oct 22, 2009

downs_chris said:
How exactly did you fix this issue? Glue? Staples? Thanks! I'm having this issue with my first PSL GT after only 3 hours of hitting...

A combo: a bit of super glue combined with a restaple fixed it for me .

Kevo · Oct 23, 2009

downs_chris said:
How exactly did you fix this issue? Glue? Staples? Thanks! I'm having this issue with my first PSL GT after only 3 hours of hitting...

I removed the grip, carefully pulled the staples out of the butt cap, and got rid of the plastic wrap on the handle so I had the bare foam.

Then I used a little spray adhesive and wrapped the bare handle with electrical tape. I wrapped it so there was no overlap, but it probably would be fine with a slight overlap.

I then put some more spray adhesive over the tape and reattached the butt cap. You kind of need to smack the butt cap on quickly. If you try to slide it on slowly then you will most likely scrunch up the tape. It might also help to remove the trap door so the air can escape easily.

Then I carefully reinserted the original staples with a pair of pliers and a small hammer. At this point, you can add a couple of extra staples along the face of the handle if you want with a staple gun. I don't think they are necessary, but might add a little peace of mind.

Then reattach the staples for the grip if you removed them earlier and re-wrap the grip and you are all set.

downs_chris · Oct 23, 2009

ok -- TW offered to take the racquet back and replace it -- should i just fix it myself? hmm...

Jdrizzle03 · Oct 23, 2009

Hey all just want to show my support for this thread seeing i also use the PSL

petercap · Oct 23, 2009

i used the ltd but eventually transitioned to the tours

Kevo · Oct 23, 2009

downs_chris said:
ok -- TW offered to take the racquet back and replace it -- should i just fix it myself? hmm...

My guess is that you'll end up with the same problem. I got 3 PSLs when they came out. All 3 had the problem. I called Babolat and asked for them to fix it or send me new frames, they said I could send them in and maybe they would fix it, maybe not. Depends on how bad it is or what's actually wrong.

I fixed those myself. About a year later I bought 3 PSL+ frames from TW Europe. All three had the same problem. Now it seems that the PSL GT is also having the issue. Apparently Babolat is clueless when it comes to this issue.

My suspicion is that if you like to use the butt cap for leverage when you hit you will run into this issue with this frame. The funny thing is I never had this issue with the other Babolat frames I owned. Just this one. Sad.

PED · Oct 23, 2009

Kevo, are you using any lead in the hoop on your xl psl's?

downs_chris · Oct 24, 2009

Kevo said:
I removed the grip, carefully pulled the staples out of the butt cap, and got rid of the plastic wrap on the handle so I had the bare foam.

so you removed that sticky plastic wrap under the leather grip? this may be a dumb question, but is the only thing holding the buttcap to the actual racquet, those 2 little staples holding the leather grip onto the base?

star 5 15 · Oct 25, 2009

downs_chris said:
so you removed that sticky plastic wrap under the leather grip? this may be a dumb question, but is the only thing holding the buttcap to the actual racquet, those 2 little staples holding the leather grip onto the base?

the plastic is just adhesive to help wrap the grip.

downs_chris · Oct 25, 2009

star 5 15 said:
the plastic is just adhesive to help wrap the grip.

hey star 5 15, have you had to fix your butt caps too?

ac3111 · Oct 25, 2009

Hi, guys. I am thinking of getting a PSL GT. I like headlight racquets and 18x20 pattern and thin beam as well. I am thinking of trying a few not expensive but powerful strings to compensate the loss of power. At first I may try the Tonic 16g @53 lbs because I have a set already in my tennis bag. I usually string @55lbs when it comes to Tonic 16 but since I read that PLS GT is a bit underpowered I may go 2notches down.
I have into consideration a few other strings like Klip Venom 17, WeissCannon Explosiv 1.30 and Topspin Cyberbly 1.24mm...
I am currently trying the Head RipControl 16 with PS 6.0 95 16x18 and the KGutPro 17 with K 6.1 95 18x20.
I would not go into trouble buying X-one B Phase or Xcel Power because their price is close to the Tonic 16. And since NG is better at tension maintenance, feel and power I do not see the reason why to buy such expensive multi's...
So when I get hold of the PLS GT I will be coming from a K 6.1. 18x20 and a PS 6.0 original 95 16x18...

downs_chris · Oct 25, 2009

my favorite string so far in that racquet is the MSV Focus Hex 18L (i'm doing a hybrid now, but i'm thinking about going full poly) -- it's sooo good in that racquet...

Kevo · Oct 25, 2009

PED said:
Kevo, are you using any lead in the hoop on your xl psl's?

Not yet. I had some lead on the regular length frames in the hoop, but I haven't added any to the extended frames. I did also have lead in the handles and have added weight with silicone in the new frames. At this point I don't really think I need any lead in the hoop, but who knows what I'll decide later.

Kevo · Oct 25, 2009

downs_chris said:
so you removed that sticky plastic wrap under the leather grip? this may be a dumb question, but is the only thing holding the buttcap to the actual racquet, those 2 little staples holding the leather grip onto the base?

No, there are four staples on the "corner" bevels closer to the opposite side from the grip staples.

I removed the plastic because I wanted to shim up the handle slightly to make the butt cap tighter. I figured it would be more consistent to do the whole handle than just under the butt cap. It seemed to me that the tape and the plastic were about the same thickness, so I didn't think it would change the size of the grip. Having the wrap under the butt cap seems to take up the slack that caused the squeak.

downs_chris · Oct 26, 2009

does this happen with any other babolat racquet?

Kevo · Oct 26, 2009

downs_chris said:
does this happen with any other babolat racquet?

I played with the PDR and Pure Storm Team version and both of those were very solid. I have friends who play with a few other types of Babs and I've not heard any other complaints regarding those frames, so I think it's mostly a PSL problem.

PED · Oct 26, 2009

Kevo, one more question, what's the strung weight on your xl PSL's currently?

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