Tennis Warehouse Playtest: Babolat Pure Strike 2024 (98 16x19 and 100 16x20)

[SinneGOAT]

I think that comes from that really consistent response in the stringbed coupled with the weight distribution, which I think is perfect for the modern attacking player. Enough plow to have free power and block most balls back with some weight of shot. Sounding a probable switch for you mate?

I’ve already switched, it’s been eye opening. I realized how all over the place the extreme tour was with its stringbed. The strike was great for everything with me, volleys, serves, groundstrokes. I had to put more effort into volleying to get depth, serves didn’t get enough depth, and ground strokes would not have enough depth. With the strike everything’s fallen into place.

 

[Trip]

I think 307 grams unstrung, no clue swingweight but comparing with ones I have that are on spec it feels maybe 326-328 swingweight?

Presuming your "spidey sense" holds true on the swing weight, then that's a nice spec for the 98 16x19.

I’ve already switched, it’s been eye opening. I realized how all over the place the extreme tour was with its stringbed. The strike was great for everything with me, volleys, serves, groundstrokes. I had to put more effort into volleying to get depth, serves didn’t get enough depth, and ground strokes would not have enough depth. With the strike everything’s fallen into place.

Not entirely surprised. The ET's string bed is definitely more on the "hot" side, and for certain play styles, there's a lot to be said for having a more calm, stoic string bed, with more physical dynamics coming from the bludgeoning force of the frame itself. I, too, tend to like more of that blend in my setups as well. Best of luck with it!

 

[gino]

I’ve already switched, it’s been eye opening. I realized how all over the place the extreme tour was with its stringbed. The strike was great for everything with me, volleys, serves, groundstrokes. I had to put more effort into volleying to get depth, serves didn’t get enough depth, and ground strokes would not have enough depth. With the strike everything’s fallen into place.

I feel a bit like a snakeoil salesman saying this, but the strike 98 is the most consistent feeling stringbed and upper hoop I can remember feeling with an open pattern. It's a hard thing to describe, I think it boils down to the upper hoop response. Glad to hear it's resolving some frustrations with other frames. I think the ET is a sweet frame, but can also align with the stringbed being really lively. I think it's meant to really over emphasize spin production, so the spacing allows for some really hot spots. Kinda mentioned this in my video about some companies/lines of frames leaning too far into spin, I think you sacrifice some integrity of strike with the spin becomes too much of a focus. The APD original was a pretty tight spaced pattern in the middle/upper hoop. Think Rafa was breaking a string every 5 mins when he tried a modern "spin focused" Pure aero in 2015 maybe? says a lot about where the push for spin has led us

Presuming your "spidey sense" holds true on the swing weight, then that's a nice spec for the 98 16x19.


Not entirely surprised. The ET's string bed is definitely more on the "hot" side, and for certain play styles, there's a lot to be said for having a more calm, stoic string bed, with more physical dynamics coming from the bludgeoning force of the frame itself. I, too, tend to like more of that blend in my setups as well. Best of luck with it!

I think the strike (98 16M mold at least), has a really good balance between sweet zone & the surrounding areas gradually reducing power. As a legacy 6.1 95 user, I used to always get so pissed about the weird fluctuations in power around the sweet zone. Underneath it was more powerful, above nearly powerless. The prestige 95" molds I used (microgel, youtek, youtek IG) all had that inconsistent stringbed responses outside of the sweet spot. Even after adding weight to move the sweet zone, I never felt like I could trust the frame outside of the dead middle of the frame. The strike has that really consistent response all around the sweet zone, if I catch a volley a touch low or high, I still expect it to come out similarly

 

[gino]

Thanks again @TW Staff for selecting me for the PS98 16x19 playtest. It's been a joy to get to try this frame alongside my own pure strikes (my frame of choice is the Gen 3 Pure Strike Tour). See below for a written review - I also decided to put my thoughts/hitting experience into a review video (see video description for time stamps) to add a bit of a personal touch. Hopefully other members enjoy reading/hearing my thoughts. Thanks again TW!

String and tension used for test: Volkl Cyclone Tour 18 Black @48lbs

Tennis experience/background: Former NCAA collegiate player/coach & nationally ranked junior. Come from a long history of using player's frames (Wilson 6.1 95, HEAD Prestige Microgel - Youtek, HEAD Speed Youtek IG, & Wilson RF97)

Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All-court attacking player. Always seeking a midcourt forehand. Uses slice backhand frequently. These days more placement over power as my legs age. One-handed backhand & semi-western forehand grip.

Current racquet/string setups: My current frame of choice is a tie between the Wilson kBlade 98 & Babolat Pure Strike Tour. I can comfortably switch between both of these options in any given match. Strings rotate between Diadem Solstice Black, Topspin Cyber Flash, & Volkl Cyclone Tour.

How many hours did you play with the racquet? 8-10 hours

Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):

Groundstrokes: Groundies with the PS98 16x19 are terrific. For me, it's the perfect blend between power and control. Enough free power to use my opponents pace & redirect shots on defense, but also enough control to take a large cut at the ball & not worry about it sailing long. I enjoy the ball-pocketing with this open pattern, it grips the ball well but also doesnt impart an offensive launch angle. A great modern player's frame from the ground, allowing for considerable forgiveness with all groundstrokes. I'm a huge fan of the upper hoop response with these frames, a controllable level of power.

Serves: Serving with the PS98 16x19 was a really enjoyable experience. Tons of forgiveness but also control. The upper hoop response allows to a comfort in the attacking mindset, being able to take a big cut at a kick serve or slice serve without fear of imparting too much spin. Flat serves were excellent as well - great directional control and a solid level of power for a 98 sq inch player's frame.

Volleys: The touch on these frames is exceptional. I mentioned this in my video, but too often people have claimed this line of frames lacks feel. I believe that is an incorrect classification of a muted/dampened/soft layup. To me, the string bed is incredibly responsive & easy to trust, which is a more true reflection of feel/touch. The touch on volleys, overheads, and drop-shots is stellar & allows for a lot of confidence in the trajectory of touch shots. I love the way the string pattern catches a volley, the ball sinks into the stringbed, but comes out with interest. I think the experience at net is a lot like using a pro staff 97 with more forgiveness outside of the sweetspot.

Serve returns: I would echo my sentiments in terms of the groundstrokes. This frame is great at absorbing pace based on the beam design/molds construction. More of the same when compared to pure strikes of old. Great in terms of blocking the ball back but still having free power on board. One of the few players frames on the market today that can deliver a chip return with some weight of shot. I love the way the slice return bites with this frame.

Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)

Power/Control: As I mentioned in my video, the power on these is substantial but not alike to other thicker beamed Babolat frames. To me it’s more powerful than a blade or pro staff 97 but less so than a modern prestige, radical or speed. I would say enough free power onboard to feel like you aren’t losing anything, but not enough to get away with abbreviated swings and still feel like you are hitting with depth. The control is exceptional, especially for a 16 main frame. It allows for controllable power and spin off of ground, which makes for a really balanced hitting experience.

Top Spin/Slice: Also mentioned in my video review, the spin production on this 16 main PS98 is exceptional. The string pattern allows for a controllable degree of spin that doesn’t create a launch angle that makes you have to tailor your game to the frame. In short, enough spin on tap to take big cuts, but not so much that you feel like you have to consciously calculate the right level of spin.

Comfort: The PS98 16x19 is a really comfortable frame. The mid-60s RA coupled with a low vibration frequency make for a soft and dampened layup. As mentioned prior, this doesn’t affect the touch or string bed responsiveness. The softer band dampened feel just makes for a comfortable ride when hitting outside of the sweet spot, something very foreign for a frame with the Babolat branding. If I could compare it to any other frames comfort level, I think I would compare it to the Wilson blade pro, plush but not overly dampened or soft.

Feel: As mentioned in my section on volleys & netplay - the PS98 has a really predictable response across the stringbed and upper hoop, which allows for a ton of confidence in every shot. The predictability of the string bed and blend of control/power make this frame great from a feel perspective. Never really had to second guess my shot placement with this frame.

Maneuverability: This is is one area I think this frames could be better out of the box. For whatever reason the weight distribution & beam design make for a weighty head even if the balance doesn’t suggest it. I’m sure with tail weighting or even a simple leather grip this could be solved. I customize my pure strike tour gen 3 frames up to 370g with tail weighting and they are more maneuverable than the PS98 out of the box.

Stability: the PS98 is incredibly stable out of the box. The mid/upper hoop can handle pace and redirect the pace with interest. Really a gem of a frame in terms of stability, especially given the thin beam and 98 headsize. I found blocking heavy balls back with pace easy while still managing to hit with considerable depth.

Additional category - SOUND: I think the tone of a frame is important to consider. It can play a role in the tactile perception of a frames comfort. I think the Gen 3 was really dull in terms of sound but Gen 4 I feel a more bass/low-end frequency when I strike the ball. Check the end of my video for a sound test where I use Gen 3 and Gen 4 in consecutive alike shots with the same conditions (same string, tension, grips, weight, etc). Have spent some considerable time with other pure strike-truthers like @socallefty analyzing this notion relative to the pure strike tour.

General reaction/comments on overall performance: see above video for more in depth general comments. This frame is a great modern players option, something with controllable power & ample spin production. Highly recommended for the attacking player coming from the pro staff, prestige, or alike players frame lineage.

Concluding remarks: the pure strike 98 is a special frame to me personally. I switched back in 2017 to this frame full-time after years/decades of using classic player's sticks like the Wilson 6.1 95, HEAD Prestige Microgel - Youtek, HEAD Speed IG, and Wilson RF97. I've used the Gen 3 strike 98 tour competitively in men's opens & even had the privilege to take to Europe and use on the legendary Foro Italico (Rome Open) clay courts - see below pics.

To me, the pure strike 98 is the perfect well-rounded player's stick. Controllable power but also a lot of things I like in a player's frame (thin beam, 98 inch head, etc). The gen 3 pure strike tour is an all-time frame for me. Gen 4 Pure Strike 98 picks up right where Gen 3 left off. Offering a comfy soft layup with all of the benefits of a modern Babolat frame. The sound/tone of the Gen 4 is more of a pronounced "thud" - I think that will be a welcome change for a lot of people who wanted to use a pure strike 98, but didn't love the tactile experience of Gen 3.

Had some more time to hit with gen 4, thought I’d post a few clips to show the awesome sound/tone this frame has

 

[ulunxtns]

I think the strike (98 16M mold at least), has a really good balance between sweet zone & the surrounding areas gradually reducing power. As a legacy 6.1 95 user, I used to always get so pissed about the weird fluctuations in power around the sweet zone. Underneath it was more powerful, above nearly powerless. The prestige 95" molds I used (microgel, youtek, youtek IG) all had that inconsistent stringbed responses outside of the sweet spot. Even after adding weight to move the sweet zone, I never felt like I could trust the frame outside of the dead middle of the frame. The strike has that really consistent response all around the sweet zone, if I catch a volley a touch low or high, I still expect it to come out similarly

Totally agree, I think that's why I feel the 98 16x19 the sweetspot is quite generous. I also found 'rounder' shape strings(round or 8 sided+) that seems work better in this frame.

 

[socallefty]

Probably the biggest advancement of modern players racquets over old ones from decades ago is the bigger sweet spot and more consistent/predictable power dropoff away from the center.

 

[puppybutts]

Babolat Pure Strike 16x19 2024 Review (1/2)
Thank you Tennis Warehouse and Babolat for my first racquet playtest! I’m thrilled to see continued investment in these feedback programs even after COVID, and it speaks to the commitment both have to the tennis community. This review is broken into two posts (oops...I found the character limit for one post, and it's 10,000 lol)

First Impressions
Shipping box arrived with a few holes punctured in it. I was worried, but the holes didn’t appear to reach the plastic/bubble wrapping, and the racquet was in pristine condition.

I always appreciated that Babolat includes a quality rubber band to cover the end of the overgrip. This also helps prevent the replacement grip from unraveling over time. On first glance, design seems pretty similar. But if memory serves me correctly, the 2019 Pure Strikes were more of a true plastic white, whereas the 2024 model seems to have the tiniest tinge of fluorescent gray added to it. Tapping on the throat, the material feels the same, kind of a hallow ping of plastic.

I like the new STRIKE font on the throat, though the progressively faded repetitions kind of take away from the bold theme of the Strike line IMO. It kind of bugs me that the orange “STRIKE” isn’t vertically centered on the throat.

Overall, it won’t win any design contests in my book, but it’s a pretty and energetic racquet to look at, and you immediately recognize when someone is playing with a Strike. At this point, it’s starting to develop some of its own nostalgia/classic-ness.

String and tension used for test:

• Volkl Cyclone Tour Red 16G at 54 lbs
• I also use Tecnifibre 4S Black 17G at 46 lbs; I switch between them depending on if I want something softer and more powerful or stiffer and more dead. I’ve been playing a lot with Cyclone Tour this winter, so that’s what I strung with. Tension drops quickly on Cyclone Tour even without hitting, hence the higher starting tension, which is what I normally do on my racquet of choice.

Tennis experience/background: About an NTRP 4.0. Some group lessons as a kid, changed to volleyball midway through high school, sporadic play with large gaps of no tennis, picked it back up during COVID. So “several years” of experience but not consecutively until the past few years. Went from struggling to hit two balls in a row in in the court in 2020 to working my way up through my local flex league.

Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All-court but usually at the baseline, though in doubles I do like being active at the net. My serve, 2HBH, and movement are above level. My forehand and volleys can be strong but are prone to disappearing. I like to be unpredictable and mix in slices, dropshots, heavy topspin, angles, etc. to figure out what my opponent doesn’t like.

Current racquet/string setups:

• 2019 VCore Pro 330
• Tecnifibre 4S at 46lbs
• I often use a softer string, usually Volkl Cyclone Tour or a multifilament, esp. in the winter
• I did play with the Pure Strike 3rd Gen 18x20 for about 1-2 years. My main reason for switching was because the 18x20 felt money on my 2HBH, but I wasn’t getting what I needed on my forehand side. VCP 330 gave me something more HL while keeping a hefty SW.

How many hours did you play with the racquet? ~12 hours, all indoors due to weather. I even got some unplanned doubles in, which was a great opportunity to test the racquet more.

 

[puppybutts]

Babolat Pure Strike 16x19 2024 Review (2/2)

Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):

-Groundstrokes:

• Backhands are great on this racquet. I had no issue nailing DTL shots or short, CC shots. However, as I mentioned, my BH is my stronger side. I didn't measure specs, but the swingweight definitely feels similar to my VCP 330.
• I had no issues hitting deep with my forehand, but just as with my VCP, I sometimes struggled with short-angle CC forehands, which I attribute to the swingweight.
• My absolute favorite shot with this racquet is the inside-out forehand. I wasn’t sure why at first, but see “Feel” below – I realized the sweet spot is just a tad above center. This made it make sense, as with a sweet spot tilted towards the upper area, it’s easier to hit outward, whereas for CC it requires a bit more intention to wrap around the outside of the ball and move my feet to get the correct vantage point.

-Serves:

• Slice serves required an adjustment – I had to swing forward a little more to get it curving where I wanted.
• As with my VCP 330, it’s hard to get kick serves to kick much, but in lieu of height, I'm able to use the heft of the racquet to inject some pace into my second serves.
• Flat serves are great, and I found the wide serve from the ad side to be easy to nail.
• It provides good power and provides everything you would want assuming you feel comfortable swinging it.

-Volleys:

• Punching standard volleys away or putting away overheads is a breeze.
• Touch volleys are a little trickier (as they are generally). The denser string pattern in the middle means the spacing gets wider towards the frame, and the response is more erratic if you miss the sweetspot. I remember with the Pure Strike 18x20, off-center mishits still responded how I intended to hit the ball, but this 4th Gen 16x19 is more punishing in that regard, even compared to my VCP as well.
  • This makes fast-paced doubles a little trickier. I found instead of slightly cutting drop volleys like I do with my VCP, it was easier to kind of "bunt" a dead ball back like in baseball. But I'm sure this will develop more over more time with the racquet

-Serve returns:

• Again, this is where the sweet spot feels a little small and returns are more erratic than I’d like against big servers who serve above my level (one of my doubles opponents was such a player). I missed the mass and slightly more uniform string bed of my VCP 330.
  • However, the string bed is nicely reliable in the sweet spot, and outside of it not as erratic as some more open, spin-oriented frames
• It still provides good stability and power, and once I got a bit of a read on my opponents’ serves, it was a smoother sailing.
• No complaints when attacking weak serves, easy to pick a target and swing big.

Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)

Power/Control-

• I loved the power the 3rd gens had, and I was afraid the lower RA and tightened string pattern would ruin this, but there is still good access to power, esp. with a soft poly like Cyclone Tour in there.
• Control is definitely there. I don’t have the 3rd Gen Strikes anymore to compare directly the string spacing, but my VCP 330 16x19 with a 97” head barely has larger string spacing in the middle. I can see the center two main grommets of the Strike are just inside of my VCP’s, and then my VCP's are a little more closed/uniform as you go towards the edges.
  • My only knock as mentioned is the response off-center is a little more erratic, but I guess that is my preference for a more uniform string bed. For example, when on the run and hitting a squash shot, if I didn't nail the sweetspot, my ball tended to float higher than expected instead of skidding low. So I really had to remember the sweetspot is a little higher than center- something I got better adjusting to over the hours.
    • Keep in mind I am comparing this to my VCP 330 and Pure Strike 3rd Gen 18x20, so players coming from other sticks may find the string bed an improvement
  • It does feel like it shoots the ball out more quickly than my VCP. I know most people think of VCP as a low RA racquet line, but the 330 2019 actually had a 64 or 65 RA despite a thin beam. So maybe it's the beam thickness or my racquets' age, but I would say control is more similar to the Head Radical MP (a racquet that also happens to tighten the strings a bit in the center with similar RA and beam thickness) rather than the Blade v8/VCP '19/'21, and it still plays like a mid-60s RA racquet.

Top Spin/Slice-

• Slices are a beauty on this racquet. They feel a little easier to cut aggressively than my VCP. Sometimes, slices on my VCP make me miss the 18x20 Strike, but I don’t with the 4th Gen 16x19.
• I had no problem hitting heavy, looping forehands deep in the court. It was very easy to swing big and still have the balls land in. Sometimes, I was quite surprised at how easy it was to target the baseline and not hit out.
• Again, the only "issue" for me is curling those short CC balls due to the swingweight, but that's my own skill issue and natural compromise for the benefits of a hefty frame

Comfort-

• Comfort is just fine in the sweet spot. No harsh vibrations. Direct, firm feel. When I switched back to my VCP, I immediately felt the increased dampening by comparison (though, some of this could have been from the extra mass as well).
• However, if you frame a shot or mishit off-center, it hurts more than the 3rd Gens. Especially against big servers, ow, pain. Nothing long-lasting, just uncomfortable in the moment.
• Based on my experience with the 3rd Gen 18x20, I wouldn’t say it’s more or less comfortable. I don’t think they lowered the flex much at all (-2 RA on the 16x19 by TW's measurements), and the removal of dampening in the head means you feel it more. Maybe more comfortable in the sweetspot, less comfortable outside of it. Mostly just different.

Feel-

• It is definitely a more raw, direct feel from the 3rd gen. I was taken aback in a great way from the first hit just by the sound. When hit in the sweet spot, the sound is a loud and clear BOOM, which I love; it’s electrifying. It made me see why a lot of people dislike Yonex's VDM tech. You can definitely tell there is no dampening in the head, and the hard rubbery feeling of the 3rd gens is gone (an overall good thing I think).
• The downside to this is if you do hit off-center, you feel it. To elaborate more on comfort, I’ve never had full-blown tennis elbow, just tinges or early warning signs of it here and there. I did not experience any arm pain with this racquet, though on occasion I felt it in my wrists. Nothing that lasted or that would concern me.
• I can immediately feel the added plushness and dampening when switching back to my VCP.
• What I found interesting is I quickly noticed the sweet spot is actually just 0.5-1.0 inch above center of the racquet. I really zoned in on great feel (both in terms of comfort and string bed response) when I made contact farther from my body. Even just bouncing a ball around the face, you can immediately tell when you hit the sweet spot, as anywhere off results in warbly vibrations.

Maneuverability-

• While I feel lighter around the court compared to my VCP 330, it’s not necessarily more maneuverable. It definitely takes focus on any angled, whippy forehands to not dump the ball into the net and provide enough lift through the hefty swingweight.
• No issues with my 2HBH, but again, that is my stronger wing
• A little sluggish for reaction volleys and kick serves, but in return you get more stability and heft.

Stability-

• It's a perfectly stable racquet for something of this static weight
• Occasionally, I did miss the extra static weight of my VCP 330 like when picking up skidding slices or returning hard first serves, but the similar swingweight did the job in most situations

General reaction/comments on overall performance:
Overall, the 4th Gen is a solid update. It resolves the hard, rubbery feeling many people complained of from the 3rd Gens, while staying true to the Strike identity of being a control-oriented stick that still gives you some firepower. I think everyone will find something to like with this racquet, barring those with whippy forehands who prefer more maneuverable racquets.

This was a really exciting playtest from the first hit. I'm addicted to the sound of this racquet. I'm not sure it will take me away from my VCP 330s with the extra mass, comfort, and slightly more uniform string bed. But the Pure Strike 98 16x19 4th Gen is definitely one I'm happy to keep in my bag for when I want to feel more connected to the ball by touch and sound!

 

[am1899]

western NY

Small world! I’m also in western NY.

 

[am1899]

I have heard people say sometimes on certain racquets a leather grip can make it feel worse, never experienced it myself.
Conversely, a leather grip could possibly give a muted racquet a more direct feel because there's one less layer of cushion/dampening.
I'd just try it, it can always be undone

I’m one of those. My theory is, I tend to gravitate towards frames with a lot of dampening in the handle. If a leather grip reduces the handle dampening too much, the racquet develops a brassy feel. This is exactly what happened when I switched the base grips out on my BP for leather. Switched them back to PU and added weight on the handle and all was right as rain.

 

[Cowboy]

Babolat Pure Strike 16x19 2024 Review (2/2)

Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):

-Groundstrokes:

• Backhands are great on this racquet. I had no issue nailing DTL shots or short, CC shots. However, as I mentioned, my BH is my stronger side. I didn't measure specs, but the swingweight definitely feels similar to my VCP 330.
• I had no issues hitting deep with my forehand, but just as with my VCP, I sometimes struggled with short-angle CC forehands, which I attribute to the swingweight.
• My absolute favorite shot with this racquet is the inside-out forehand. I wasn’t sure why at first, but see “Feel” below – I realized the sweet spot is just a tad above center. This made it make sense, as with a sweet spot tilted towards the upper area, it’s easier to hit outward, whereas for CC it requires a bit more intention to wrap around the outside of the ball and move my feet to get the correct vantage point.

-Serves:

• Slice serves required an adjustment – I had to swing forward a little more to get it curving where I wanted.
• As with my VCP 330, it’s hard to get kick serves to kick much, but in lieu of height, I'm able to use the heft of the racquet to inject some pace into my second serves.
• Flat serves are great, and I found the wide serve from the ad side to be easy to nail.
• It provides good power and provides everything you would want assuming you feel comfortable swinging it.

-Volleys:

• Punching standard volleys away or putting away overheads is a breeze.
• Touch volleys are a little trickier (as they are generally). The denser string pattern in the middle means the spacing gets wider towards the frame, and the response is more erratic if you miss the sweetspot. I remember with the Pure Strike 18x20, off-center mishits still responded how I intended to hit the ball, but this 4th Gen 16x19 is more punishing in that regard, even compared to my VCP as well.
  • This makes fast-paced doubles a little trickier. I found instead of slightly cutting drop volleys like I do with my VCP, it was easier to kind of "bunt" a dead ball back like in baseball. But I'm sure this will develop more over more time with the racquet

-Serve returns:

• Again, this is where the sweet spot feels a little small and returns are more erratic than I’d like against big servers who serve above my level (one of my doubles opponents was such a player). I missed the mass and slightly more uniform string bed of my VCP 330.
  • However, the string bed is nicely reliable in the sweet spot, and outside of it not as erratic as some more open, spin-oriented frames
• It still provides good stability and power, and once I got a bit of a read on my opponents’ serves, it was a smoother sailing.
• No complaints when attacking weak serves, easy to pick a target and swing big.

Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)

Power/Control-

• I loved the power the 3rd gens had, and I was afraid the lower RA and tightened string pattern would ruin this, but there is still good access to power, esp. with a soft poly like Cyclone Tour in there.
• Control is definitely there. I don’t have the 3rd Gen Strikes anymore to compare directly the string spacing, but my VCP 330 16x19 with a 97” head barely has larger string spacing in the middle. I can see the center two main grommets of the Strike are just inside of my VCP’s, and then my VCP's are a little more closed/uniform as you go towards the edges.
  • My only knock as mentioned is the response off-center is a little more erratic, but I guess that is my preference for a more uniform string bed. For example, when on the run and hitting a squash shot, if I didn't nail the sweetspot, my ball tended to float higher than expected instead of skidding low. So I really had to remember the sweetspot is a little higher than center- something I got better adjusting to over the hours.
    • Keep in mind I am comparing this to my VCP 330 and Pure Strike 3rd Gen 18x20, so players coming from other sticks may find the string bed an improvement
  • It does feel like it shoots the ball out more quickly than my VCP. I know most people think of VCP as a low RA racquet line, but the 330 2019 actually had a 64 or 65 RA despite a thin beam. So maybe it's the beam thickness or my racquets' age, but I would say control is more similar to the Head Radical MP (a racquet that also happens to tighten the strings a bit in the center with similar RA and beam thickness) rather than the Blade v8/VCP '19/'21, and it still plays like a mid-60s RA racquet.

Top Spin/Slice-

• Slices are a beauty on this racquet. They feel a little easier to cut aggressively than my VCP. Sometimes, slices on my VCP make me miss the 18x20 Strike, but I don’t with the 4th Gen 16x19.
• I had no problem hitting heavy, looping forehands deep in the court. It was very easy to swing big and still have the balls land in. Sometimes, I was quite surprised at how easy it was to target the baseline and not hit out.
• Again, the only "issue" for me is curling those short CC balls due to the swingweight, but that's my own skill issue and natural compromise for the benefits of a hefty frame

Comfort-

• Comfort is just fine in the sweet spot. No harsh vibrations. Direct, firm feel. When I switched back to my VCP, I immediately felt the increased dampening by comparison (though, some of this could have been from the extra mass as well).
• However, if you frame a shot or mishit off-center, it hurts more than the 3rd Gens. Especially against big servers, ow, pain. Nothing long-lasting, just uncomfortable in the moment.
• Based on my experience with the 3rd Gen 18x20, I wouldn’t say it’s more or less comfortable. I don’t think they lowered the flex much at all (-2 RA on the 16x19 by TW's measurements), and the removal of dampening in the head means you feel it more. Maybe more comfortable in the sweetspot, less comfortable outside of it. Mostly just different.

Feel-

• It is definitely a more raw, direct feel from the 3rd gen. I was taken aback in a great way from the first hit just by the sound. When hit in the sweet spot, the sound is a loud and clear BOOM, which I love; it’s electrifying. It made me see why a lot of people dislike Yonex's VDM tech. You can definitely tell there is no dampening in the head, and the hard rubbery feeling of the 3rd gens is gone (an overall good thing I think).
• The downside to this is if you do hit off-center, you feel it. To elaborate more on comfort, I’ve never had full-blown tennis elbow, just tinges or early warning signs of it here and there. I did not experience any arm pain with this racquet, though on occasion I felt it in my wrists. Nothing that lasted or that would concern me.
• I can immediately feel the added plushness and dampening when switching back to my VCP.
• What I found interesting is I quickly noticed the sweet spot is actually just 0.5-1.0 inch above center of the racquet. I really zoned in on great feel (both in terms of comfort and string bed response) when I made contact farther from my body. Even just bouncing a ball around the face, you can immediately tell when you hit the sweet spot, as anywhere off results in warbly vibrations.

Maneuverability-

• While I feel lighter around the court compared to my VCP 330, it’s not necessarily more maneuverable. It definitely takes focus on any angled, whippy forehands to not dump the ball into the net and provide enough lift through the hefty swingweight.
• No issues with my 2HBH, but again, that is my stronger wing
• A little sluggish for reaction volleys and kick serves, but in return you get more stability and heft.

Stability-

• It's a perfectly stable racquet for something of this static weight
• Occasionally, I did miss the extra static weight of my VCP 330 like when picking up skidding slices or returning hard first serves, but the similar swingweight did the job in most situations

General reaction/comments on overall performance:
Overall, the 4th Gen is a solid update. It resolves the hard, rubbery feeling many people complained of from the 3rd Gens, while staying true to the Strike identity of being a control-oriented stick that still gives you some firepower. I think everyone will find something to like with this racquet, barring those with whippy forehands who prefer more maneuverable racquets.

This was a really exciting playtest from the first hit. I'm addicted to the sound of this racquet. I'm not sure it will take me away from my VCP 330s with the extra mass, comfort, and slightly more uniform string bed. But the Pure Strike 98 16x19 4th Gen is definitely one I'm happy to keep in my bag for when I want to feel more connected to the ball by touch and sound!

Great review! I find it interesting how some of your comments and findings are spot on with my experience; yet others are the exact opposite.

For example, I've had no arm pain with this frame either, and the inside-out forehand is an absolute pleasure. On the other hand, I didn't find off-center or frame shots to be harsh. Quite the opposite, in fact. I had one at-the-net volley/rally where I (embarassingly) hit the frame 2 or 3 times. Somehow, the ball stayed in play. The downside is that they weren't fast enough to put away and my opponent returned them. I was finally able to get one in the sweet spot and put it away to end the point, but I found myself amazed at how controlled (and not harsh) the frame balls felt.

 

[Cowboy]

I cut the Xalt crosses that were strung at 50 and put in Xcel at 55.

I have two more matches between now and the deadline for the review.

 

[SlowTiger]

I cut the Xalt crosses that were strung at 50 and put in Xcel at 55.

I have two more matches between now and the deadline for the review.

Why are you switching the crosses from the Xalt to Xcel?

 

[Cowboy]

Why are you switching the crosses from the Xalt to Xcel?

I just checked my records. It was actually 48, which was too low. I'm guessing it is the combination of the low tension and the slick coating on the Xalt, but the crosses were moving on me and I wanted more control.

Maybe the control aspect is in my head, but I just couldn't let go of the fact that I forgot to increase the tension on the crosses when originally stringing. So now, I'll get to find out for sure.

FWIW, I really like the RPM Rough / Xalt combo. So I blame myself and not the string.

I plan to keep this thread going for a LONG time. When the RPMr mains die, I'll go full bed RPMr (17). Then, either full bed Xcel (16) or Xalt (16 or 17). That should use all of the Babolat string I have on hand. I have some other string that I want to try in it as well.

 

[puppybutts]

Great review! I find it interesting how some of your comments and findings are spot on with my experience; yet others are the exact opposite.

For example, I've had no arm pain with this frame either, and the inside-out forehand is an absolute pleasure. On the other hand, I didn't find off-center or frame shots to be harsh. Quite the opposite, in fact. I had one at-the-net volley/rally where I (embarassingly) hit the frame 2 or 3 times. Somehow, the ball stayed in play. The downside is that they weren't fast enough to put away and my opponent returned them. I was finally able to get one in the sweet spot and put it away to end the point, but I found myself amazed at how controlled (and not harsh) the frame balls felt.

Thanks! Hah I guess that's how these reviews always go. I went back after writing and read some more posts, and I can see more people seem to be in agreement with you about off-center shots being more forgiving.

One factor to consider is the racquets we're both coming from will influence our perception differently of off-center performance. Another is perhaps a few dozen more hours with the racquets would eventually align our opinions more closely where they were different. And you are playtesting a different model, right? Maybe the bigger head-size allows for less harsh off-center shots.

 

[netlets]

Great review! I find it interesting how some of your comments and findings are spot on with my experience; yet others are the exact opposite.

For example, I've had no arm pain with this frame either, and the inside-out forehand is an absolute pleasure. On the other hand, I didn't find off-center or frame shots to be harsh. Quite the opposite, in fact. I had one at-the-net volley/rally where I (embarassingly) hit the frame 2 or 3 times. Somehow, the ball stayed in play. The downside is that they weren't fast enough to put away and my opponent returned them. I was finally able to get one in the sweet spot and put it away to end the point, but I found myself amazed at how controlled (and not harsh) the frame balls felt.

What tension did you use - IMO 54 is way too high for this frame - I’ve been using this racquet for the last couple of years and it’s very plush at 45 - I wouldn’t string it higher than 48 unless you are using a multi or gut.

 

[Fighting phoenix]

What tension did you use - IMO 54 is way too high for this frame - I’ve been using this racquet for the last couple of years and it’s very plush at 45 - I wouldn’t string it higher than 48 unless you are using a multi or gut.

Agreed - I ordered these strung by tw at 51, measured them upon arrival and they were at 41, but honestly they play great at this tension - opens up the sweet spot and the racquet is still controlled enough for me to hit out with confidence.

 

[Cowboy]

Maybe the bigger head-size allows for less harsh off-center shots.

I absolutely forgot that you had the 98. Yes, the different head size likely does impact the perceived differences. Also, to your point, the racquet we come from will have an impact.

What tension did you use - IMO 54 is way too high for this frame - I’ve been using this racquet for the last couple of years and it’s very plush at 45 - I wouldn’t string it higher than 48 unless you are using a multi or gut.

The RPM Rough poly mains were strung at 48, though I know that they have dropped since then. The Xalt (multi) crosses were originally also strung at 48. Those were cut out in favor of Xcel (multi) at 55lbs.

 

[taydbear7]

String and tension used for test: RPM at 53 in the mains and Xcel at 50 in the crosses
Tennis experience/background: I’ve only been playing since 2019. I played in high school and took a long sabbatical before picking it up again in 2019. Computer rated 3.5
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Counter puncher but love to chip and charge.
Current racquet/string setups: Tecnfibre TF40 305 16x19 with Wilson Natural Gut at 55 in the mains and MSV Focus Soft at 50 in the crosses
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 10 hours (3 matches & 3 hitting sessions)

Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):

-Groundstrokes: I think my favorite shot with this is the backhand cross court. I don’t know what it is but if you let it rip it takes a angle where your opponent cannot reach it. I had multiple hitting sessions and the depth of the ground strokes is real weapon. My favorite shot is the backhand cross court. I feel like I can let that rip without fear. I would say the shot I struggle with is the running slice. I could never get that ball to float back. It seems like the ball would fly over to the other court every time. I mentioned it earlier but the ball makes a different sound. I can’t describe it but it sounds different from any other racquet I’ve had hit with almost like a muted sound. The launch angle isn’t very high and I feel like I have to lift the ball quite a bit. One of my favorite shot having to playing on the ad side is the inside out shot. For the most part I was able to consistently hit this shot so that was a real positive. Overall, I think trading groundstrokes and being able to experiment the cross court, down the line, inside out forehand and lobs, this was my favorite part of the demo. Grade 9.5/10

-Serves: With the racquet the best thing is angle. I was able to place the ball where I want to. During my tournament I was able to hit down the “t” on a consistent basis. The kick serve didn’t quite kick but I was able to hit angles on my serve when I took a little off the ball. I do feel like the racquet has a nice level of power where I was able to win some free points on my serve especially if you aim it to the body of your opponents. I experimented with a slice serve and have to say I was surprised that it was successful. I believe if I continue to practice that shot there will be more free points coming my way. Though I didn’t hit a ton of ace the combination of moderate power and angles I was able to hold serve quite a bit. Grade 9/10

-Volleys: For the most part the volleys have been pretty good. I played in an indoor tournament and was able to hit some nice angle volleys to keep it out of the reach of my opponent. I didn’t feel like I must force any volley with this racquet. A really good counter punch racquet. Even when I didn’t hit the sweet spot (which is generous), I was able to win some hitting off the center spot and even when I framed the volleys. Another fun aspect is the drop shot. I think the racquet has enough feel that you can really drop one right over the net. Grade 8.5/10

-Serve returns: I would say this is just okay. There’s been occasions where I would aim the ball down the middle, but the ball didn’t travel there. I’m a flat hitter and with the low launch angle I needed to put a little more bite on the ball to get it back in play. Block returned tends to sail on occasion which was disappointing as it tends to sail on me for some odd reason but at times, I was able to block the shots back close to the baseline. I think with time this area can improve with the right string setup and more time to gel with the racquet. I experimented with slice return but haven’t been able to gel with that aspect of the racquet. Overall, I struggled in the area and gave a away free points to my opponents so I was a little bummed with myself but did see improvement from the first match to the second match. Grade 8/10

Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)


Power/Control- It’s not a powerful racquet and has decent directional control. A very forgiving racquet when you frame the ball. I think the on the run downline the line shots are nice weapon with this racquet. I was able to control and put pace on it with ease when attempting that passing shot. Another shot that worked well during my match was the running backhand lob. I was able to lift the ball with depth over the net person. Grade 9/10

Top Spin/Slice- My favorite slice shot with the racquet is the backhand slice to allow me to approach the net. The ball stays low and nice back slice where it forces my opponent to get down and try to counter. Volley slice stays low, so this is probably the best asset of the racquet. Depending on the strings I think he can generate quite a bit of spin with this racquet. Racquet has easy access to spin. I will say that when your opponent hit big loopy top spin the racquet allows me to counter their spin with my own spin or just power through the ball consistently. Grade 9/10

Comfort-I would say this is probably my least favorite aspect of the racquet. On multiple occasions the racquet feels sluggish after an hour of hitting. Also, after every heavy hitting sessions, my arm specially the elbow is really sore the next day. You can feel a little bit of the vibration from the racquet. Grade 7/10

Feel- For the most part the feel on this is good. I was able to drop some nice angle shots on my opponents, though they were able to run it down (ex-football lineman), I kept attacking the individual with multiple angles. I do think that with time as you get to gel with this racquet, this could become a weapon. I also enjoyed the grip. I was able to grip the racquet without putting on another brand’s over grip. It feels very rubbery. Grade 8.5/10

Maneuverability- It’s not a maneuverable as my Tecnifibre. I constantly struggle with back hand volley picking up the low volleys. There were several times during the match where the opponents try to drill you at the net, I haven’t been able to stick the racquet’s sweet spot on the ball. One time I was able to move the racquet fast enough that it hit the frame and almost fell in for a winner. 7.5/10

Stability- Stability on the racquet is solid. I would be the most stability I got from this was the overhead smash. It seems like the racquet has an extra sweet spot since I was able to consistently put the ball away. Volleys tend to stay in play since most of the matches I played I had to be aggressive because my partner prefers to play from the baseline. I think the racquet could probably use a bit of lead for stability. Grade 8/10

General reaction/comments on overall performance: For the most part this was a really fun racquet to play with. For groundstrokes, it really hits with nice change and decent directional control. I’m a big proponent of the white paintjob on racquets. Head is the only racquet that has the main and cross tie off on the racquet. I wish more company would follow suit. Thanks again Tennis Admins and Babolat for allowing me to demo this racquet. I had a ton of fun with it and really enjoyed the volleys with this frame. I think for somebody that chip and charge this would be a racquet I would investigate trying out. I look forward to trying out different strings and tension so see if it would more comfortable than the poly I was using. Overall, I would say this is probably somewhere with a grade of 8.5-9/10

 

[Fighting phoenix]

String and tension used for test: RPM at 53 in the mains and Xcel at 50 in the crosses
Tennis experience/background: I’ve only been playing since 2019. I played in high school and took a long sabbatical before picking it up again in 2019. Computer rated 3.5
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Counter puncher but love to chip and charge.
Current racquet/string setups: Tecnfibre TF40 305 16x19 with Wilson Natural Gut at 55 in the mains and MSV Focus Soft at 50 in the crosses
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 10 hours (3 matches & 3 hitting sessions)

Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):

-Groundstrokes: I think my favorite shot with this is the backhand cross court. I don’t know what it is but if you let it rip it takes a angle where your opponent cannot reach it. I had multiple hitting sessions and the depth of the ground strokes is real weapon. My favorite shot is the backhand cross court. I feel like I can let that rip without fear. I would say the shot I struggle with is the running slice. I could never get that ball to float back. It seems like the ball would fly over to the other court every time. I mentioned it earlier but the ball makes a different sound. I can’t describe it but it sounds different from any other racquet I’ve had hit with almost like a muted sound. The launch angle isn’t very high and I feel like I have to lift the ball quite a bit. One of my favorite shot having to playing on the ad side is the inside out shot. For the most part I was able to consistently hit this shot so that was a real positive. Overall, I think trading groundstrokes and being able to experiment the cross court, down the line, inside out forehand and lobs, this was my favorite part of the demo. Grade 9.5/10

-Serves: With the racquet the best thing is angle. I was able to place the ball where I want to. During my tournament I was able to hit down the “t” on a consistent basis. The kick serve didn’t quite kick but I was able to hit angles on my serve when I took a little off the ball. I do feel like the racquet has a nice level of power where I was able to win some free points on my serve especially if you aim it to the body of your opponents. I experimented with a slice serve and have to say I was surprised that it was successful. I believe if I continue to practice that shot there will be more free points coming my way. Though I didn’t hit a ton of ace the combination of moderate power and angles I was able to hold serve quite a bit. Grade 9/10

-Volleys: For the most part the volleys have been pretty good. I played in an indoor tournament and was able to hit some nice angle volleys to keep it out of the reach of my opponent. I didn’t feel like I must force any volley with this racquet. A really good counter punch racquet. Even when I didn’t hit the sweet spot (which is generous), I was able to win some hitting off the center spot and even when I framed the volleys. Another fun aspect is the drop shot. I think the racquet has enough feel that you can really drop one right over the net. Grade 8.5/10

-Serve returns: I would say this is just okay. There’s been occasions where I would aim the ball down the middle, but the ball didn’t travel there. I’m a flat hitter and with the low launch angle I needed to put a little more bite on the ball to get it back in play. Block returned tends to sail on occasion which was disappointing as it tends to sail on me for some odd reason but at times, I was able to block the shots back close to the baseline. I think with time this area can improve with the right string setup and more time to gel with the racquet. I experimented with slice return but haven’t been able to gel with that aspect of the racquet. Overall, I struggled in the area and gave a away free points to my opponents so I was a little bummed with myself but did see improvement from the first match to the second match. Grade 8/10

Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)


Power/Control- It’s not a powerful racquet and has decent directional control. A very forgiving racquet when you frame the ball. I think the on the run downline the line shots are nice weapon with this racquet. I was able to control and put pace on it with ease when attempting that passing shot. Another shot that worked well during my match was the running backhand lob. I was able to lift the ball with depth over the net person. Grade 9/10

Top Spin/Slice- My favorite slice shot with the racquet is the backhand slice to allow me to approach the net. The ball stays low and nice back slice where it forces my opponent to get down and try to counter. Volley slice stays low, so this is probably the best asset of the racquet. Depending on the strings I think he can generate quite a bit of spin with this racquet. Racquet has easy access to spin. I will say that when your opponent hit big loopy top spin the racquet allows me to counter their spin with my own spin or just power through the ball consistently. Grade 9/10

Comfort-I would say this is probably my least favorite aspect of the racquet. On multiple occasions the racquet feels sluggish after an hour of hitting. Also, after every heavy hitting sessions, my arm specially the elbow is really sore the next day. You can feel a little bit of the vibration from the racquet. Grade 7/10

Feel- For the most part the feel on this is good. I was able to drop some nice angle shots on my opponents, though they were able to run it down (ex-football lineman), I kept attacking the individual with multiple angles. I do think that with time as you get to gel with this racquet, this could become a weapon. I also enjoyed the grip. I was able to grip the racquet without putting on another brand’s over grip. It feels very rubbery. Grade 8.5/10

Maneuverability- It’s not a maneuverable as my Tecnifibre. I constantly struggle with back hand volley picking up the low volleys. There were several times during the match where the opponents try to drill you at the net, I haven’t been able to stick the racquet’s sweet spot on the ball. One time I was able to move the racquet fast enough that it hit the frame and almost fell in for a winner. 7.5/10

Stability- Stability on the racquet is solid. I would be the most stability I got from this was the overhead smash. It seems like the racquet has an extra sweet spot since I was able to consistently put the ball away. Volleys tend to stay in play since most of the matches I played I had to be aggressive because my partner prefers to play from the baseline. I think the racquet could probably use a bit of lead for stability. Grade 8/10

General reaction/comments on overall performance: For the most part this was a really fun racquet to play with. For groundstrokes, it really hits with nice change and decent directional control. I’m a big proponent of the white paintjob on racquets. Head is the only racquet that has the main and cross tie off on the racquet. I wish more company would follow suit. Thanks again Tennis Admins and Babolat for allowing me to demo this racquet. I had a ton of fun with it and really enjoyed the volleys with this frame. I think for somebody that chip and charge this would be a racquet I would investigate trying out. I look forward to trying out different strings and tension so see if it would more comfortable than the poly I was using. Overall, I would say this is probably somewhere with a grade of 8.5-9/10

Thanks - but can you clarify which racquet this is? The 98 or the 100 16x20?

 

[taydbear7]

Thanks - but can you clarify which racquet this is? The 98 or the 100 16x20?

Sorry I should have included that but it's the 98

 

[Purestriker]

String and tension used for test: RPM at 53 in the mains and Xcel at 50 in the crosses
Tennis experience/background: I’ve only been playing since 2019. I played in high school and took a long sabbatical before picking it up again in 2019. Computer rated 3.5
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Counter puncher but love to chip and charge.
Current racquet/string setups: Tecnfibre TF40 305 16x19 with Wilson Natural Gut at 55 in the mains and MSV Focus Soft at 50 in the crosses
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 10 hours (3 matches & 3 hitting sessions)

Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):

-Groundstrokes: I think my favorite shot with this is the backhand cross court. I don’t know what it is but if you let it rip it takes a angle where your opponent cannot reach it. I had multiple hitting sessions and the depth of the ground strokes is real weapon. My favorite shot is the backhand cross court. I feel like I can let that rip without fear. I would say the shot I struggle with is the running slice. I could never get that ball to float back. It seems like the ball would fly over to the other court every time. I mentioned it earlier but the ball makes a different sound. I can’t describe it but it sounds different from any other racquet I’ve had hit with almost like a muted sound. The launch angle isn’t very high and I feel like I have to lift the ball quite a bit. One of my favorite shot having to playing on the ad side is the inside out shot. For the most part I was able to consistently hit this shot so that was a real positive. Overall, I think trading groundstrokes and being able to experiment the cross court, down the line, inside out forehand and lobs, this was my favorite part of the demo. Grade 9.5/10

-Serves: With the racquet the best thing is angle. I was able to place the ball where I want to. During my tournament I was able to hit down the “t” on a consistent basis. The kick serve didn’t quite kick but I was able to hit angles on my serve when I took a little off the ball. I do feel like the racquet has a nice level of power where I was able to win some free points on my serve especially if you aim it to the body of your opponents. I experimented with a slice serve and have to say I was surprised that it was successful. I believe if I continue to practice that shot there will be more free points coming my way. Though I didn’t hit a ton of ace the combination of moderate power and angles I was able to hold serve quite a bit. Grade 9/10

-Volleys: For the most part the volleys have been pretty good. I played in an indoor tournament and was able to hit some nice angle volleys to keep it out of the reach of my opponent. I didn’t feel like I must force any volley with this racquet. A really good counter punch racquet. Even when I didn’t hit the sweet spot (which is generous), I was able to win some hitting off the center spot and even when I framed the volleys. Another fun aspect is the drop shot. I think the racquet has enough feel that you can really drop one right over the net. Grade 8.5/10

-Serve returns: I would say this is just okay. There’s been occasions where I would aim the ball down the middle, but the ball didn’t travel there. I’m a flat hitter and with the low launch angle I needed to put a little more bite on the ball to get it back in play. Block returned tends to sail on occasion which was disappointing as it tends to sail on me for some odd reason but at times, I was able to block the shots back close to the baseline. I think with time this area can improve with the right string setup and more time to gel with the racquet. I experimented with slice return but haven’t been able to gel with that aspect of the racquet. Overall, I struggled in the area and gave a away free points to my opponents so I was a little bummed with myself but did see improvement from the first match to the second match. Grade 8/10

Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)


Power/Control- It’s not a powerful racquet and has decent directional control. A very forgiving racquet when you frame the ball. I think the on the run downline the line shots are nice weapon with this racquet. I was able to control and put pace on it with ease when attempting that passing shot. Another shot that worked well during my match was the running backhand lob. I was able to lift the ball with depth over the net person. Grade 9/10

Top Spin/Slice- My favorite slice shot with the racquet is the backhand slice to allow me to approach the net. The ball stays low and nice back slice where it forces my opponent to get down and try to counter. Volley slice stays low, so this is probably the best asset of the racquet. Depending on the strings I think he can generate quite a bit of spin with this racquet. Racquet has easy access to spin. I will say that when your opponent hit big loopy top spin the racquet allows me to counter their spin with my own spin or just power through the ball consistently. Grade 9/10

Comfort-I would say this is probably my least favorite aspect of the racquet. On multiple occasions the racquet feels sluggish after an hour of hitting. Also, after every heavy hitting sessions, my arm specially the elbow is really sore the next day. You can feel a little bit of the vibration from the racquet. Grade 7/10

Feel- For the most part the feel on this is good. I was able to drop some nice angle shots on my opponents, though they were able to run it down (ex-football lineman), I kept attacking the individual with multiple angles. I do think that with time as you get to gel with this racquet, this could become a weapon. I also enjoyed the grip. I was able to grip the racquet without putting on another brand’s over grip. It feels very rubbery. Grade 8.5/10

Maneuverability- It’s not a maneuverable as my Tecnifibre. I constantly struggle with back hand volley picking up the low volleys. There were several times during the match where the opponents try to drill you at the net, I haven’t been able to stick the racquet’s sweet spot on the ball. One time I was able to move the racquet fast enough that it hit the frame and almost fell in for a winner. 7.5/10

Stability- Stability on the racquet is solid. I would be the most stability I got from this was the overhead smash. It seems like the racquet has an extra sweet spot since I was able to consistently put the ball away. Volleys tend to stay in play since most of the matches I played I had to be aggressive because my partner prefers to play from the baseline. I think the racquet could probably use a bit of lead for stability. Grade 8/10

General reaction/comments on overall performance: For the most part this was a really fun racquet to play with. For groundstrokes, it really hits with nice change and decent directional control. I’m a big proponent of the white paintjob on racquets. Head is the only racquet that has the main and cross tie off on the racquet. I wish more company would follow suit. Thanks again Tennis Admins and Babolat for allowing me to demo this racquet. I had a ton of fun with it and really enjoyed the volleys with this frame. I think for somebody that chip and charge this would be a racquet I would investigate trying out. I look forward to trying out different strings and tension so see if it would more comfortable than the poly I was using. Overall, I would say this is probably somewhere with a grade of 8.5-9/10

Interesting that you didn't find it as manueverable as your current stick. The project one 7 was very quick and really did a great job on everything.

 

[TW Staff]

ATTENTION PLAYTESTERS:

Reminder, your review is due tomorrow.

Thanks,
TW Staff

 

[taydbear7]

Interesting that you didn't find it as manueverable as your current stick. The project one 7 was very quick and really did a great job on everything.

I think I need more time with it.

 

[Trip]

ATTENTION PLAYTESTERS:

Reminder, your review is due tomorrow.

Thanks,
TW Staff

@TW Staff graciously have me another week, as my frame took an extra week to arrive. So you'll all have to wait a few more days for my take.

 

[gutfeeling]

Pure Strike 100 16x20 Review

String and tension used for test: Luxilon Big Banger @ 55 lbs (constant pull)
Tennis experience/background: 36 year old, played USTA juniors and adult 4.5 leagues. Work and life (new parent) have been busy lately, currently in the ~ 1x a week club.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All court player, prefer to counterpunch, working on playing more aggressively and moving forward to finish points at the net.
Current racquet/string setups: 2022 Yonex Ezone 98 with Luxilon Big Banger @ 55 lbs
How many hours did you play with the racquet? About 10 hours

Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum): I played the PS 100 alongside the Pure Aero 98 and 2022 Ezone 98 with the strung spec below measured on my Briffidi (shoutout to @bfroxen). I used Luxilon Big Banger @ 55 lbs with a Tourna Tac overgrip on all three racquets. The PS and PA were stock, but I added weight to the head of the EZ to make the comparison more apples to apples. I used a dampener with the PA to tame the ping. I found that the PS and EZ were already muted enough to not need a dampener.

	Weight	Balance	SW	TW
PS 100	331 g	32.1 cm	330	13.7
PA 98*	333 g	32.1 cm	328	13.9
EZ 98	333 g	32.2 cm	327	13.5

*With dampener (~ 2 g)

Below I tried to rank the PS compared to the PA and EZ. Each racquet is top tier, so ranking performance on different strokes feels like splitting hairs, but generally each racquet’s combination of attributes makes it better in certain areas than others. For me, the PS excels on serves and returns due to its maneuverability and control. It is also very comfortable and has good feel.

	PS 100	PA 98	EZ 98	Comments
Groundstrokes	2	1	2	The PS is the most forgiving on groundstrokes and stands out in terms of maneuverability and comfort. It pockets the ball well but also gives the impression that the ball comes off the strings fast. It does not have the plow of the PA or the predictability of the EZ.
Serves	1	2	2	I serve the best with the PS in terms of my ability to shape the ball, but my serves with the PA are more penetrating, and my placement is better with the EZ.
Volleys	2	1	1	The PS is stable on volleys and places the ball well, but the extra weight in the head of the PA and the higher hoop stiffness of the EZ are noticeable here.
Returns	1	2	2	I love returning with the PS, it gives me the confidence to swing out, and at times makes me feel like I can’t miss. The PA is more stable, and the EZ is more precise.
Power	3	1	2	The PS has accessible power, but it requires sound mechanics in terms of racquet head speed and weight transfer. I think this is due in part to its flexibility/ability to absorb the pace of incoming shots. The PA hits a heavier ball in terms of spin and penetration through the court, as does the EZ with a flatter trajectory.
Control	2	3	1	The PS pockets the ball nicely but also releases the ball quickly. The EZ has more predictability due in part to its denser string pattern.
Topspin	2	1	3	The PS has accessible topspin with a medium launch angle. The PA has more spin, whereas the EZ hits a flatter ball.
Slice	2	1	1	The PS slices the ball nicely, both on my backhand and serve. The PA and EZ hit a more penetrating slice.
Comfort	1	3	2	The PS is very soft on impact. I do not have any arm issues stringing it tight with a stiff poly. The higher frame rigidity of the PA and EZ creep up on me if I frame the ball too much or don’t restring frequently.
Feel	2	1	3	The PS has a pleasant muted feel and has more feedback than the EZ. The PA is not as comfortable as the PS, but it has more feedback, due in part to its smaller sweetspot and rigidity.
Maneuverability	1	3	2	The PS’ maneuverability is one of its strongest qualities, which is most apparent on serves and returns. It feels whippier than the EZ, which feels like it has more weight concentrated in the middle of the racquet.
Stability	2	1	2	The PS has plenty of stability despite how flexible and comfortable on impact it is. I think this is due in part to its healthy swingweight and twistweight, unlike the EZ which derives its stability from its overall rigidity.

General reaction/comments on overall performance: Really cool to see Babolat introduce a flexible, lightweight option in the Strike line. I think intermediate and advanced players will appreciate its maneuverability, comfort, and accessible power, and tweaking its response by adjusting string stiffness and tension. Beginners could also pair it with a more forgiving string and grow nicely into the frame as they improve. Thank you @TW Staff for letting me be part of this playtest. It was also nice to geek out to the other playtesters’ reviews. We are (or at least I am) a special bunch, so it’s nice to know that we are in good company .

 

[XFactorer]

Babolat Pure Strike 98 (16x19), Grip 2

String and tension used for test: Tecnifibre Razor Code 1.20mm at 45 and 50 lbs
Tennis experience/background: USTA 4.5 league player
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Baseliner
Current racquet/string setups: 2022 Osaka EZONE 98, Luxilon ALU Power 1.20 at 45 lbs
How many hours did you play with the racquet? ~10 hrs, mainly doubles

Comments on racquet performance for each stroke:

-Groundstrokes: The flax fibers added something new to the Pure Strike. I much prefer this feeling (and I preferred it in the new Aeros) over the previous generation PS. This generation is less metallicky at impact. However, as with the previous 2 generations, I didn't find the torsional stability to be great. No matter where I hit the ball on the stringbed, I would get a fluttery sensation from 3 and 9 o'clock of the face.

-Serves: This is where I really excelled with the racquet. The swingweight lent itself to easy power, but only on flat serves. In fact, I served an ace in my very first service game of the demo. But when I tried to spin the serve, I got into trouble with shanks. I was trying to compensate too much for the lack of spin or the swingweight would throw off my rhythm - I never got quite confident with my otherwise consistent second serves.

-Volleys: I didn't mind volleying with the PS. They were crisp and, to my surprise, stable with lower speed balls. Mostly I attribute it to slower shots where I can actually volley. Most of the rockets fired near me from the opponents would be left for my partner (even if I had to hit it, that's just how I play). I can't trust this racquet to block higher speed shots. The swingweight here didn't matter as much, but the weight distribution made fast pace balls harder to control. I did still enjoy the volley response on most volleys.

-Serve returns: This is a specialized groundstroke - and it's normally a weapon of mine, when wielding the right racquet. I was confident most of the time swinging outright on a return, but the closed string pattern didn't do me any favors. Only until hour 2 or 3 did I realize I couldn't take such big cuts with my normal swing.

Comments on racquet performance in each area:

Power/Control- For a control frame, there's plenty of power to be had. And even at the lower tensions that I'm used to, the frame controlled the power well enough. I'm a bit surprised how powerful the control-oriented frame is.

Top Spin/Slice- The string pattern doesn't produce enough spin for my liking. I feel like my Percept 100D produces more spin than the PS. If you're a flat hitter, you'd like this. If you want more topspin, the 100 or the Aero line would be better suited for you.

Comfort- The flax fibers really help a lot. It's a different comfort than the VDM in the EZONE. It's more muted than the EZONE and if the flax fibers weren't there, I very well might have wrist issues. Despite the higher RA (compared to the EZONE), I found the racquet to be reasonably soft.

Feel- Even with the muted feel, I have a good sense of where on the stringbed I'm engaged in groundstroke rallies. The only feeling I don't like is the wobbly face of the frame when hitting clean groundstrokes. On volleys, it's quite crisp and places the ball where you aim it.

Maneuverability- The racquet feels sluggish on groundstrokes because of the swingweight. At the net, I could quickly position it into either side of my body. On flat serves, it swings through cleanly. Using it mostly from the baseline, I had a long learning curve on how to maneuver this racquet.

Stability- The face's stability is the downfall of this racquet. Every groundstroke comes with a flutter from the face, but the racquet handle wouldn't twist in the hand. I try not to modify any racquet, but if I had to, I would add lead to 3/9 on this frame.

General reaction/comments on overall performance:

As a baseliner, how the racquet performs on groundstrokes is key. The heavy swingweight and flimsy face of the Pure Strike prevent it from becoming a favorite of mine.

I play with a 318 SW racquet, the EZONE 98. The 330 SW of the Pure Strike really caught me off guard in the beginning. Both racquets are 305g, but the PS's distribution of weight seems so polarized to make it 330. It swings heavy but doesn't plow through the ball like a heavier racquet. It volleys nicely and can be maneuvered quickly at net - but then the frame absorbs the impact and seesaws the handle in your hand. This didn't hurt my arm/wrist, but it wasn't what I was used to.

I got plenty of pop from the racquet, especially with my first session with Tecnifibre Razor Code at 45 lbs. I had to restring it at 50 lbs to get a more predictable depth from the racquet. Once I dialed in the tension, I figured out that I still needed more from the stringbed - the spacing in the center is too closed and I struggled to generate spin with it. But the closed pattern kept me from spraying balls left or right of my intended target. The closed pattern also benefited me in volleys. However, volleying isn't my strength and I generally retreat to the baseline for topspin rallies. And this racquet gave me a lot less spin than the EZONE. It was very hard for me to find a happy medium between cranking up RPMs and powering through a shot. Even at the end of the playtest, I wasn't comfortable with my groundies.

The racquet is best suited for those who don't rely on spin and want tamed power. I can see all court players and serve 'n' volleyers tapping into the strengths of the Pure Strike. But a baseliner (with my strokes) would have a harder time finding enough spin and stability from the frame. If I had to pick a Babolat frame, I would use the Aero line over the Strike line.

Thank you to TW for coordinating this playtest. It's always fun to be able to test out something new and provide feedback. Now I can finally read what everyone else is saying and whether my opinions match!

 

[XFactorer]

Additional category - SOUND: I think the tone of a frame is important to consider. It can play a role in the tactile perception of a frames comfort. I think the Gen 3 was really dull in terms of sound but Gen 4 I feel a more bass/low-end frequency when I strike the ball. Check the end of my video for a sound test where I use Gen 3 and Gen 4 in consecutive alike shots with the same conditions (same string, tension, grips, weight, etc). Have spent some considerable time with other pure strike-truthers like @socallefty analyzing this notion relative to the pure strike tour.

When I went from 45 to 50 lbs in my playtest, I was immediately self-conscious with how loud the sounds were! Glad you called out the sound as something to consider... not that it would sway my feelings one way or another as long as the groundies were good.

 

[XFactorer]

Looks like I'm a lone wolf when it comes to poor stability and low spin production! I'm reading that other 98 playtesters really like the stability and spin they're getting! *shrugs*

 

[Cowboy]

Babolat Pure Strike 100 16x20 Review

String and tension used for test: Hybrid - RPM Rough 17 mains at 48 lbs / Xalt 16 crosses at 48 lbs. (Replaced with Xcel crosses at 55lbs @ 6 hours)
Tennis experience/background: Played competitively through middle school and stopped in HS. Took 20 years off and joined a neighborhood ALTA league a few years ago. I now captain of two ALTA teams, and also play some T2 Tennis (mostly singles) and Ultimate Tennis (mostly doubles).
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): 3.0 (or 3.5-) All-courter. I'm just as comfortable at the baseline as I am at the net.
Current racquet/string setups: Wilson Blade 100L v8 Customized (~69 RA stiffness with added weight in the hoop and handle). I think my go-to string setup has shifted from Luxilon 4G Rough mains (48 lbs) and NXT Control crosses (53 lbs) to Babolat RPM Rough mains and Xalt crosses (48/53 lbs). I like the tension maintenance of the 4G, but I think the feel of the RPM is a little more fun and forgiving (probably due to the lower stiffness).
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 10+

As you read this, keep in mind that I believe my specific racquet to be under spec. Also, since I've weighted my Blade, it took a bit for me to adjust to this racquet. Most of my comments will be about the racquet after I adjusted to it.

Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):
-Groundstrokes: This racquet was phenomenal at the baseline. I believe someone ahead of me already commented on the inside-out forehand, and I have to agree with them. Really, any full forehand swing with this racquet is pleasant. I felt like I was able to aim the ball with relative ease and just punish opponents. It didn't matter if it was a normal cross-court forehand, inside-out forehand, or cross-court backhand. This racquet delivered what I needed. If my form suffered, so did racquet performance. I did have a few forehand shots go deep that really should have been in. Both one-handed backhand and two-handed backhands felt solid and connected.

-Serves: This racquet really leaves nothing to be desired for me here. The balance and weight is good, and I'm able to equally hit hard flat serves, spin serves and kick serves. I think I could dial it in a little better by tweaking the string tension, but the frame consistently delivers everything I expect. If I had to pick one "downside," I would say that my serves felt less powerful (to me) than with my normal racquet; but the comments from the other side of the court made me feel as though there was no perceivable difference. I'd like to feel just a touch more power on serve (which feels weird saying since I felt it could have too much power on flat groundstrokes).

-Volleys: This is probably the area where I struggled the most with this racquet. I had more volleys go into the net than what I have become accustomed. I don't know what it was, but it seemed to get pushed around a little bit when hitting balls before they bounced. I had the same thought about my Blade before adding weight, so I think a little more heft in the racquet would improve this aspect. I'm not saying the racquet is bad at volleys. I almost feel like I'm looking for something to be critical about. I probably just need a little more play time to get dialed in.

-Serve returns: Return of serve is another area where this racquet performed well and exceeded expectation. It didn't matter what style of server I played, I was able to return serves with relative ease. Hard or soft, flat or spin. I didn't really face anyone with a kick serve, so no feedback there; but I can't really imagine it not handling that well. I faced a couple of softer servers that I was able to take full swings, and a few harder servers where you're really just blocking the ball back and redirecting their momentum. The racquet felt stable and consistent every time.

Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)

-Power/Control: Form and technique. This racquet has the ability to provide excellent power and control. In fact, the control is a bit higher than what I am accustomed. I'll touch on this a bit more in the top spin / slice section below. The racquet has the ability to provide loads of power while maintaining the control to aim the ball exactly where you want. All that power and control means nothing if you don't know how to use it.

-Top Spin/Slice: This racquet has the ability to be absolutely surgical with proper technique and good form. I was able to easily hit high loopy topspin shots, or hard topspin pace shots with relative ease when my form was good. Short slice and drop shots were also impressive. Touch shots were good enough, but could have been a little better. This is one area where I feel like a little extra swing weight would have been beneficial. That said, I had a good amount of cross court shots intended to pull my opponent wide. I was sure that I cut the angle too hard, but the ball would suddenly drop right on the outside line (somewhere between the net and service line).

-Comfort: If I were to make a switch, this would be the main reason. It's perfect. Babolat, don't change a thing!
I don't like soft racquets. I just don't. I feel disconnected from the ball when the frame is too soft. The trade-off is that I sometimes can feel my elbow after 2 hours of play. Not like a debilitating pain that would keep me from the courts the next day if I had a match, but enough that I was conscious of it. I'm thinking about it and paying attention to it as I write this, so I'm aware of it (as I played the last 2 nights); but it feels great by comparison to how it would normally feel. In fact, I really want to go out and hit some. The Pure Strike 100 16x20 strikes the balance of performance and comfort eloquently.

-Feel: I thought the feel was good. It was comfortable while still being able to control the ball. I never felt disconnected like I do with soft racquets. Touch shots were very close to "on point" in regards to making the ball do what I wanted it to do. The sweet spot seemed generous and dead center. Off-center shots were not harsh and remained predictable....as long as I didn't hit the frame.

-Maneuverability: I've been told that I have quick hands and generally can return a ball hit at my feet while playing the net. I had no issues moving the head of this racquet where it needed to be. I don't really have anything overly positive or negative to say about it here. It's a racquet that can be maneuvered without hindrance.

-Stability: I felt like this got pushed around quite a bit when I first started playing with it; however, it started feeling very stable as I adjusted to the racquet. This was most evident to me on return of particularly hard serves. It's weird to me that it handled really hard serves like a champ, but then got pushed around a bit on volleys.

General reaction/comments on overall performance:

Ultimately, I think this is an excellent racquet. I probably wouldn't put this in the hands of a true novice, but I think this racquet should be a serious contender for anyone in a 3.0- to 5.0 level player...maybe even beyond. If you're breaking into the 3.0 level and want a racquet that can take you higher, you need to demo this racquet.

I haven't had a chance to weigh mine yet, but I believe it to be "under" spec. Using the advertised static weight of the racquet, my swing weight calculations ranged from 298 to 312. I measured it 6 times. If you remove the high and low value, that puts my swing weight at about 300. I sincerely think this is why I felt the racquet to be a little lacking on touch shots and volleys. This is about the only time I felt that the ball had any impact on the racquet as opposed to the racquet impacting the ball. I also picked up and played with a friends gen 3 Pure Strike. While his isn't the exact same racquet, I could immediately feel the difference in swing weight. Maybe his was higher because he was using a full bed of poly, I don't know, but the difference was very apparent (even before swinging it).

HUGE THANK YOU to @TW Staff and @Babolat Official for putting on this playtest. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I'm looking forward to continuing to use this racquet. I anticipate it being in my bag on match day for a long time to come.

 

[Cowboy]

My racquet arrived the same day as @Trip, and we had something like 9+ days of rain over a two week period. My 10 hours should have been more like 16. I will continue to update this thread as time goes on.

I kept a log of my experience and thoughts after each time out. I'm happy to post that if anyone cares or thinks it would be beneficial.

I also avoided reading any reviews or watching any videos until after I had played with the racquet. I don't remember exactly what they said, but I remember thinking that I totally agreed with the women in Georgia on their comments in the TW Review video.

Video queued up to their comments:

 

[naturalexponent]

Babolat Pure Strike 100 16x20

String and tension used for test: Babolat RPM Rough 17g @ 48lbs

Tennis experience/background: Self-taught at around age 13/14. Played high school tennis. Have been playing on and off recreationally since then, with most of that coming in my early 20s. Now 38 and only started tennis up again in earnest about 2-2.5 years ago after about 6-7 years off. I started playing UTR matches last year and will be playing USTA league this year.

Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All-court? Default is aggressive baselining but sometimes I play defensive counterpunch when I’m not feeling super confident, and I generally approach too often and love to throw in some S&V. Historically eastern grip FH but have been migrating more SW as I’ve been playing on clay the last 2 years and looking to increase consistency in general. One handed backhand.

Current racquet/string setups: VC95 2023 with a variety of strings -- PT Rev / Tour M8

How many hours did you play with the racquet? 4 hours. I was hoping for way more but I was one of the last to receive my racquet being on the east coast, and it’s been a pretty chilly winter here with many of my opponents canceling matches last minute for all manner of respiratory illnesses. I could probably have two more matches of data if I had another week to review — if I have any changed impressions or updates, I’ll add to my review in a subsequent post.

Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):

-Groundstrokes: Super solid off both wings. My favorite part of this racquet, as some have already mentioned as a feature of this racquet, is the sound on impact. Satisfying, and encourages going after the ball aggressively. I was able to impart a good deal of spin - enough that balls that looked like they were going to go just long dipped in and clipped the lines. Accuracy and consistency were surprisingly good, in that I was able to hit my spots and hit very few UEs. Of course this could be more about my own performance than the racquet’s inherent characteristics but I didn’t find myself ‘blaming’ the racquet for anything. Any shortcomings were my tactics and fitness. I can’t tell if this is just a higher SW specimen compared to the average spec, as I saw on the TW playtest reviews that some found this racquet to get pushed around, but I found the PS100 16x20 to have plenty of plow. On the backhand side I didn’t feel like I had to rip every backhand — just felt like rolling them back was enough to keep the rally neutral.

-Serves: Much more oomph on my serve than my current racquet. Was able to hit all serves in the arsenal (to the extent I personally can, anyway) without too much effort. Placement was pretty good but not perfect. I would say my 100D is a bit more pinpoint, but the extra pace more than made up for it. Spin felt a little more pronounced as well. This category alone makes me consider trying this out a while longer.

-Volleys: Volleys were probably the most underwhelming category for me. I think the relatively muted plasticky feel did not give me the confidence I needed to place my volleys heading straight into battle with this vs. having had time to warm up and practice with it a meaningful amount. I could stick volleys and hit overheads adequately with it but I stayed conservative on where I directed the ball and definitely dumped a few attempted touch shots.

-Serve returns: Serve returns were a highlight. As noted above, mine felt like it had higher than average swingweight based on what I’ve seen/read in existing reviews, and returns were really solid for me. I tend to prefer heavy static weight or higher swingweight racquets in general but can occasionally struggle with those on returns because I’m a bit late, particularly on the backhand return (if any of you need a scouting report on me, take note). This toed the line a bit but usually fell on the correct side, offering a ton of stability and letting me hit consistently back into the middle of the court or taking pace off the ball on occasion for an unexpected drop return.

Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)

Power/Control- Good position on the power/control spectrum. Power comes easily when needed but isn’t necessarily the default setting. Power is just good enough on a standard swing for a good rally ball. Can place the ball well. Sometimes I found it went a little too deep if I didn’t consciously impart enough spin (unlike, say, an Aero or Extreme, where sometimes it falls shorter than you expect if you don’t consciously hit deeper).

Top Spin/Slice- Excellent topspin and slice potential but needs to be applied consciously. Also good at hitting flat, tbh. Loved that part especially on the aforementioned returns.

Comfort- Comfort level is extremely high. That said, I’ve never really had any issues with Babolat racquets. The only time I’ve had arm issues is with Head 360+ racquets and occasionally if I’m framing the ball too much with a PS85. Feels like I could play all day with it.

Feel- Feel, qualitatively, is a bit plasticky. Not my favorite, but if I were to embrace that, I could learn to love it. Feel in terms of feedback… almost none, for me. Whether I hit a short ball or a deep ball, the feel off the racquet face was the same and was all dependent on my being conscious of my own stroke input, and being confident in the correct output. Not my favorite in that regard.

Maneuverability- Pretty maneuverable for a 100 with seemingly overspec swingweight compared to the noted average. No issues getting it around in time for any stroke in particular. Not the most maneuverable but no surprises here in it being exceptionally maneuverable, or not, for that matter.

Stability- No stability issues for me. Found it to be solid without flutter and able to handle decently paced serves and passing shots.

General reaction/comments on overall performance: I could see myself switching to this if it had a bit more feedback and nuance in feel. The tactile feel isn’t my favorite but the sound I really love. Performance-wise it’s wonderful, and I prefer it by a hair to my 100D overall as it relates to match play as it feels like I don’t have to work as hard to get the same quality ball, especially on serve. 100D still has the edge on confidence and pulling the trigger on an attempted winner or at the net, because it has that extra degree of touch and feel. I also love it aesthetically — even though it at first appears to be a marginal change from the prior iteration’s cosmetics (briefly tried maining the PST gen 3), there’s something about the little changes that makes it feel like a much more significant design change when you’re holding it and playing with it. Good experience overall and something I’m going to hold onto, whether or not it makes its way into the main rotation. Also kind of makes me want to try the PS 98 16x19.

 

[Cowboy]

Well, maybe mine isn't under spec. I went to the store and bought a kitchen scale. Strung with over grip came in a 322g with no dampener or 325g with dampener.

Balance point was 12 7/8" or 12.875"

Time - SW
14.00 - 337
13.92 - 332
13.86 - 327
13.91 - 331
13.84 - 326
13.89 - 329
13.98 - 336
14.01 - 338

Average = 332

TW advertises 323g strung and 320 SW. I'm guessing they do not include an over grip in those numbers, so I'm close.

 

[nyc]

Well, I did it.

After putting in 30 hours+ with my PS 100 16x20 Demo, my results on court were convincing enough that I pulled the trigger on a second one.

With the swingweight around 326, my demo started to really shine when I focused on prepping really early and compacted my strokes. It's a great racquet to hit a heavy, penetrating ball, and after a while I got grooving with the volleys as well.

The frame I purchased comes in at 316 SW, gripped and strung - probably much closer to the demos the TW playtesters had in hand - and I will need to add a little bit of weight for stability and plow, although I'm loving the racquet head speed I can generate with it.

For you spec nerds, here's what they come in at, strung and gripped:

PS1: 330g 6HL 326SW

PS2: 326.2g 6.5HL 316SW

Which tells me most of the weight difference is in the throat, right?

 

[gino]

Looks like I'm a lone wolf when it comes to poor stability and low spin production! I'm reading that other 98 playtesters really like the stability and spin they're getting! *shrugs*

What’s your point of reference ? What frames do you gravitate towards ?

 

[chauvi88]

Babolat Pure Strike 100 (16x20) Playtest:



String and tension used for test: Babolat RPM Rough 17g at 51/48


Tennis experience/background: Self rated NTRP 4.0. Learned how to play tennis at a very young age and played throughout my high school days, but not at a good level. Took a very long break (20+ years) from tennis until Summer of 2019. Everything just “clicked” since then and have been playing at least twice a week since my return to the sport. I mostly enjoy rallying with friends over league plays. But all my hitting partners are flex league players, so all my hit sessions are filled with quality practices and game plays.


Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): I am an all-court player who prefers to finish the point at the net.


Current racquet/string setups: Yonex Vcore Pro 100 (2021), strung at 51/48 using either Grapplesnake Tour M8 or Solinco Tour Bite 16L


How many hours did you play with the racquet? Due to heavy rain in the SF Bay Area the last few weeks, most of my tennis sessions were called off. But I still manage to play roughly 12 hours using this racquet.

Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):
-Groundstrokes: I really enjoy hitting forehand using this racquet as I can generate tons of power and depth with my relatively flat forehand. I have a one handed backhand and I must say the easy power and depth have helped me tremendously as my backhand is in general the weaker stroke. I can focus on making clean contact and can expect the ball to push closer to the baseline.

-Serves: I don’t typically have a powerful serve. But when using this racquet I can blast out a few powerful flat serve ace. All I have done was focus on my serve’s follow thru technique and the ball will just go.
-Volleys: I struggled a bit on keeping my volleys within the service box using this racquet. I would have to squeeze the racquet a bit more to tighten up the string bed to avoid over hitting that results to a weak ball close to the opponent’s service line.
-Serve returns: This would be my favorite stroke when using this racquet! Again, the easy/controlled power and depth comes in very handy when returning serves. I just need to focus on my footwork and positioning for an awesome return.

Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)
Power/Control- It could be the string or the string tensioning or the racquet itself or all 3 things combined, but the combo I have is allowing me to hit all shots with tons of power when using this racquet. The precision is definitely therefore, but I will have stay in focus on the entire stroke to achieve that.
Top Spin/Slice- I have a somewhat hybrid Top spin/flat forehand and I am loving every forehand I hit. Despite not known for its top spin, but whenever I hit my forehand I can see the higher kick up after it bounces the ground. I do hit with slice backhand quite often, but I struggle to find control when using this racquet.
Comfort- I have used Pure Strike 98 (18x20 Gen 2) and 100 (Gen 2) before for about a year and they both are much stiffer than this racquet. My arm got destroyed using both racquets and that was when I switched to my current VCP100 (2021). This racquet is definitely much more comfortable than both Gen 2s as I haven’t experienced any elbow pain so far!
Feel- The one area I struggle the most when using this racquet is any touch shot. Not sure if it's the heavier swing weight vs my current racquet. I simply have very little success on to touch. Does that mean not much feel?
Maneuverability- Compare to my current racquet it’s definitely heavier. But I do find this racquet relatively maneuverable and easy to swing.
Stability- The higher swing weight definitely makes this racquet more stable than my current racquet. I just need to focus on hitting with good form and the racquet will do the rest of the work for me.

Thanks TW and Babolat for the fun playtest!

 

[XFactorer]

What’s your point of reference ? What frames do you gravitate towards ?

All EZONE 98s, the DR100 and current EZ100. The Percept 100D. Outside of Yonex, the latest gen Pure Aero and maybe the second generation Speed MP and Graphene Radicals, Blade v7. I even hit with the P17 PS a tad for this review. The heaviest SW of the EZONEs was 323 or so - the Ai/DR generations.

 

[ChanterRacquet]

Sadly, not a part of the playtest. Demo has to go back Monday

PS 100 16x20, fullbed Xalt somewhere between 52.5-55 lbs.

Part of me says Xalt is the perfect demo string because it’s a stiff multi; my only reservation is that there are plenty of multi and just about every poly with more spin.

I was surprised that SwingTool put the swingweight at 331 with TW at 320 avg since it felt 318ish, but the 322 g and 32.7 cm balance is consistent with the higher swingweight when TW’s avg balance is 32 cm. Quite maneuverable regardless.

Spin and power were hard to come by but I’m blaming high tension Xalt for that. Would love to try Tec’s Multifeel or NRG2, maybe with a poly cross.

Comfort was sublime. I’ve spent most of my time with Babo racquets: 2015 and 2018 PD, Gen 3 18x20 PS, CX 200 OS, Black Ace 300, and finally 2023 PA Rafa have so far been the longest duration frames. 16x20 is one of, if not the comfiest, of those frames listed. Babo finally gave a racquet some FLEX. You can feel it flex, no doubt. Almost as much as my Black Ace 300! No pain even as I indefinitely recover from TE.

The older CX OS is of similar RA but has more power because of the 105” head (or strings). With tighter crosses, the CX OS mimics the x20 pattern too. I’m starting to prefer stiffer frames for their better redirectional control, hence switch to Rafa. RA of the PS 16x20 is a little too soft for some redirections to be confidently struck for me.

I kinda want one just to try a better suited string. Xalt seemed to amplify the control of the 16x20, as opposed to complimenting it with a spin friendly string. I’d want more free power too. Flexy frame with Xalt is the ultimate firm pillow and just a bit more pop with spin would have been nice.

I really liked the control on bh slice even though nothing interesting happened spin-wise, the put away was the next shot. Volleys also highly controlled, stable, and despite swingweight it was plenty maneuverable.

Serves were natural, full force out the gate. Groundstrokes were fine even though demo string was limiting spin.

I hate how much strings affect your ability to evaluate the racquet, haha.

 

[Cowboy]

I hate how much strings affect your ability to evaluate the racquet, haha.

This is the truest statement in your post. All others could be argued. This one cannot.

 

[ChanterRacquet]

This is the truest statement in your post. All others could be argued. This one cannot.

All other statements could be argued? And yet I didn’t see you on my court. I come here to share my experience and it seems you perceive yourself as some sort of gatekeeper to truth.

 

[Cowboy]

All other statements could be argued? And yet I didn’t see you on my court. I come here to share my experience and it seems you perceive yourself as some sort of gatekeeper to truth.

I meant no offense. My intent was to reinforce that statement!

Your opinion and perception is as valid as mine. The racquet performed this way or that is all subjective and based on your experience (and I think we can agree....the string used). Mine might have been different, or it could have been similar. I did not say that you were wrong...just that someone else might feel differently.

 

[ChanterRacquet]

I meant no offense. My intent was to reinforce that statement!

Thank you for the clarification. The order of presentation and word choice clouded my perspective of what you were saying.

We can indeed debate this or that about our experiences with racquets, but between quality control and strings (definitely strings!!!), we’re rarely comparing apples to apples.

 

[nyc]

Psssst, don't tell anyone....but I always restring the demos with my string of choice, so I can compare apples to apples...

 

[ChanterRacquet]

Psssst, don't tell anyone....but I always restring the demos with my string of choice, so I can compare apples to apples...

Unfortunately, I was the first to hit this demo and will have to look people I know in the eye when I return it, so unlikely they’d believe I broke the string in 3 days of hitting and I wouldn’t want to risk drawing their displeasure. They do good by me.

Got in one last hit and holy smokes, what a great racquet. Only had time for one set but took it 6-2 with some dominating hunting 3rd-shot forehand winners (and a couple backhands too).

Finally got to return some serves and those were excellent also. I hope it’s the racquet and not the strings, lol.

3 days in a row is a lot for me with TE recovery and I’m just now starting to feel it. Quite comfy even with the stiff Xalt.

 

[ChanterRacquet]

Was comparing racquets at the shop this morning:

Mains are the exact same between PS 16x20 and Gravity MP. Crosses same spacing in the middle but wider on the top and bottom on the PS.

Shift 99 and MPL mains are the same at center but get tighter quick, making PS more open overall. Crosses tighter on the Shift top down to the middle. MPL crosses just a little tighter.

Local shop didn’t have the PS 100 16x19.

What racquets would you compare the PS 100 16x20 to?

 

[TwinCinema]

Was comparing racquets at the shop this morning:

Mains are the exact same between PS 16x20 and Gravity MP. Crosses same spacing in the middle but wider on the top and bottom on the PS.

Shift 99 and MPL mains are the same at center but get tighter quick, making PS more open overall. Crosses tighter on the Shift top down to the middle. MPL crosses just a little tighter.

Local shop didn’t have the PS 100 16x19.

What racquets would you compare the PS 100 16x20 to?

That’s interesting - I wonder if the 16x20 spacing mirrors that of the Strike 97 (and previously VS) just in a larger head size. I do think the latter feels pretty open for a 20-cross 97” frame.

 

[gino]

Babolat Pure Strike 100 16x20

String and tension used for test: Babolat RPM Rough 17g @ 48lbs

Tennis experience/background: Self-taught at around age 13/14. Played high school tennis. Have been playing on and off recreationally since then, with most of that coming in my early 20s. Now 38 and only started tennis up again in earnest about 2-2.5 years ago after about 6-7 years off. I started playing UTR matches last year and will be playing USTA league this year.

Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All-court? Default is aggressive baselining but sometimes I play defensive counterpunch when I’m not feeling super confident, and I generally approach too often and love to throw in some S&V. Historically eastern grip FH but have been migrating more SW as I’ve been playing on clay the last 2 years and looking to increase consistency in general. One handed backhand.

Current racquet/string setups: VC95 2023 with a variety of strings -- PT Rev / Tour M8

How many hours did you play with the racquet? 4 hours. I was hoping for way more but I was one of the last to receive my racquet being on the east coast, and it’s been a pretty chilly winter here with many of my opponents canceling matches last minute for all manner of respiratory illnesses. I could probably have two more matches of data if I had another week to review — if I have any changed impressions or updates, I’ll add to my review in a subsequent post.

Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):

-Groundstrokes: Super solid off both wings. My favorite part of this racquet, as some have already mentioned as a feature of this racquet, is the sound on impact. Satisfying, and encourages going after the ball aggressively. I was able to impart a good deal of spin - enough that balls that looked like they were going to go just long dipped in and clipped the lines. Accuracy and consistency were surprisingly good, in that I was able to hit my spots and hit very few UEs. Of course this could be more about my own performance than the racquet’s inherent characteristics but I didn’t find myself ‘blaming’ the racquet for anything. Any shortcomings were my tactics and fitness. I can’t tell if this is just a higher SW specimen compared to the average spec, as I saw on the TW playtest reviews that some found this racquet to get pushed around, but I found the PS100 16x20 to have plenty of plow. On the backhand side I didn’t feel like I had to rip every backhand — just felt like rolling them back was enough to keep the rally neutral.

-Serves: Much more oomph on my serve than my current racquet. Was able to hit all serves in the arsenal (to the extent I personally can, anyway) without too much effort. Placement was pretty good but not perfect. I would say my 100D is a bit more pinpoint, but the extra pace more than made up for it. Spin felt a little more pronounced as well. This category alone makes me consider trying this out a while longer.

-Volleys: Volleys were probably the most underwhelming category for me. I think the relatively muted plasticky feel did not give me the confidence I needed to place my volleys heading straight into battle with this vs. having had time to warm up and practice with it a meaningful amount. I could stick volleys and hit overheads adequately with it but I stayed conservative on where I directed the ball and definitely dumped a few attempted touch shots.

-Serve returns: Serve returns were a highlight. As noted above, mine felt like it had higher than average swingweight based on what I’ve seen/read in existing reviews, and returns were really solid for me. I tend to prefer heavy static weight or higher swingweight racquets in general but can occasionally struggle with those on returns because I’m a bit late, particularly on the backhand return (if any of you need a scouting report on me, take note). This toed the line a bit but usually fell on the correct side, offering a ton of stability and letting me hit consistently back into the middle of the court or taking pace off the ball on occasion for an unexpected drop return.

Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)

Power/Control- Good position on the power/control spectrum. Power comes easily when needed but isn’t necessarily the default setting. Power is just good enough on a standard swing for a good rally ball. Can place the ball well. Sometimes I found it went a little too deep if I didn’t consciously impart enough spin (unlike, say, an Aero or Extreme, where sometimes it falls shorter than you expect if you don’t consciously hit deeper).

Top Spin/Slice- Excellent topspin and slice potential but needs to be applied consciously. Also good at hitting flat, tbh. Loved that part especially on the aforementioned returns.

Comfort- Comfort level is extremely high. That said, I’ve never really had any issues with Babolat racquets. The only time I’ve had arm issues is with Head 360+ racquets and occasionally if I’m framing the ball too much with a PS85. Feels like I could play all day with it.

Feel- Feel, qualitatively, is a bit plasticky. Not my favorite, but if I were to embrace that, I could learn to love it. Feel in terms of feedback… almost none, for me. Whether I hit a short ball or a deep ball, the feel off the racquet face was the same and was all dependent on my being conscious of my own stroke input, and being confident in the correct output. Not my favorite in that regard.

Maneuverability- Pretty maneuverable for a 100 with seemingly overspec swingweight compared to the noted average. No issues getting it around in time for any stroke in particular. Not the most maneuverable but no surprises here in it being exceptionally maneuverable, or not, for that matter.

Stability- No stability issues for me. Found it to be solid without flutter and able to handle decently paced serves and passing shots.

General reaction/comments on overall performance: I could see myself switching to this if it had a bit more feedback and nuance in feel. The tactile feel isn’t my favorite but the sound I really love. Performance-wise it’s wonderful, and I prefer it by a hair to my 100D overall as it relates to match play as it feels like I don’t have to work as hard to get the same quality ball, especially on serve. 100D still has the edge on confidence and pulling the trigger on an attempted winner or at the net, because it has that extra degree of touch and feel. I also love it aesthetically — even though it at first appears to be a marginal change from the prior iteration’s cosmetics (briefly tried maining the PST gen 3), there’s something about the little changes that makes it feel like a much more significant design change when you’re holding it and playing with it. Good experience overall and something I’m going to hold onto, whether or not it makes its way into the main rotation. Also kind of makes me want to try the PS 98 16x19.

love the comparison with the 100D at the end, pretty similar specs so probably useful for people deciding between the two

 

[Holic]

Came to say that the 98 16x19 has a big sweetspot, certainly bigger than my PA98, yet more consistent stringbed at the same time. Amazing. I switched from ohb to 2hb the last three months and have found its somewhat difficult to hit the sweetspot consistently with the PA98 resulting to shortballs and jarring feeling, someone could argue its a technique issues and would actually be correct. HOWEVER, my 2hb with the strike98, probably due to larger sweetspot and stringbed consistency has been amazing, I feel like I have been playing years with 2hb, so much confidence!! Also the honeymoon period is certainly over after so many hours. I was literally switching between the two racquets during the cross court backhand training and the difference was immense. The stringbed consistency also resulted at better aiming at targets on the vertical lines(y axis) with the strike98.

 

[Trip]

@Holic - Nice. I take it that the 98 16x19 would be switch-worthy for you then? Too early to be certain? Or might you pull the trigger?

 

[Holic]

@Holic - Nice. I take it that the 98 16x19 would be switch-worthy for you then? Too early to be certain? Or might you pull the trigger?

It is certainly switch-worthy, the slices have the same quality, the forehand lacks a tiny bit spin potential compared to pa98(Mayami Tour Hex to both racquets) , however I recently stringed polytourspin to strike98 and ll check it out on Thursday. Also, the strike98 has so much more feel compared to the Pa98, that enables me to smooth out my strokes and play with strategy. With the Pa98 and its somewhat sh1t feeling, I am always looking to dominate with forehand at full rhs, kinda going to destroy the ball everytime, the always go in though hehe, so much spin.