time_fly
Hall of Fame
If you've seen my other posts lately you know I've been searching for a good replacement for my 2017 Babolat Pure Drive 16x19s which were giving me arm trouble. The bottom line is that this Volkl may be the closest viable option I've found yet. I'm surprised that it gets scant mention on the forums.
The specs on this racquet make it a bit of an oddball. The thicker beam, 100" head, 16x18 pattern and reputation for competing against the Pure Drive scream "tweener" but the 315g static weight and 328 swing weight are closer to player's specs. As with many of the newer "player's tweeners" like the DR 98 and Pure Strike, this one also has an irregular string pattern that has 8 mains up the middle and relatively dense spacing in the sweet zone. I ended up looking at this stick because I was about 80% sold on the Prince Phantom 100 and, aside from the very different beam and flex, the Volkl actually has nearly identical specs.
I found it very easy to pick up this racquet for the first time and play against some very good players without embarrassing myself. It has easy depth and pace without being too difficult to control; I hit a few good drop shots and touch angles within the first 30 minutes. Stability is excellent for the weight class. I had a few loose swings go long that might have dropped inside the line with the Phantom, but the trade off is a more penetrating shot on good swings. I found the depth and power level comparable to the Pure Strike 16x19, and just a bit more than the Pure Strike 18x20. Another reasonable comparison in terms of performance is the Prince Textreme Tour 100p (note I've never tried the Textreme Warrior).
It is much more crisp and linear feeling than the Phantom, but it still has above-average comfort for a stiff frame. The closest comparison that I've played lately is my Six.One 18x20. Both are around 67 or 68 RA but feel relatively plush unless you take one right off the tip.
The biggest weakness of this frame may be the paint job. This could very well be the ugliest frame I've ever owned, with garish reds, yellows, and an oddly uneven base grey coat. The design looks like it was outsourced to an intern at Crayola.
I ordered this racquet strung but when it arrived I was disappointed to find it felt a good 10 lbs looser than it was supposed to be. I quickly restrung it with Babolat VS Team @ 56 in the mains and Tecnifibre Red Code Wax 17 @ 53 in the crosses (I use this hybrid a lot) and found this be a good crisp but forgiving setup.
The specs on this racquet make it a bit of an oddball. The thicker beam, 100" head, 16x18 pattern and reputation for competing against the Pure Drive scream "tweener" but the 315g static weight and 328 swing weight are closer to player's specs. As with many of the newer "player's tweeners" like the DR 98 and Pure Strike, this one also has an irregular string pattern that has 8 mains up the middle and relatively dense spacing in the sweet zone. I ended up looking at this stick because I was about 80% sold on the Prince Phantom 100 and, aside from the very different beam and flex, the Volkl actually has nearly identical specs.
I found it very easy to pick up this racquet for the first time and play against some very good players without embarrassing myself. It has easy depth and pace without being too difficult to control; I hit a few good drop shots and touch angles within the first 30 minutes. Stability is excellent for the weight class. I had a few loose swings go long that might have dropped inside the line with the Phantom, but the trade off is a more penetrating shot on good swings. I found the depth and power level comparable to the Pure Strike 16x19, and just a bit more than the Pure Strike 18x20. Another reasonable comparison in terms of performance is the Prince Textreme Tour 100p (note I've never tried the Textreme Warrior).
It is much more crisp and linear feeling than the Phantom, but it still has above-average comfort for a stiff frame. The closest comparison that I've played lately is my Six.One 18x20. Both are around 67 or 68 RA but feel relatively plush unless you take one right off the tip.
The biggest weakness of this frame may be the paint job. This could very well be the ugliest frame I've ever owned, with garish reds, yellows, and an oddly uneven base grey coat. The design looks like it was outsourced to an intern at Crayola.
I ordered this racquet strung but when it arrived I was disappointed to find it felt a good 10 lbs looser than it was supposed to be. I quickly restrung it with Babolat VS Team @ 56 in the mains and Tecnifibre Red Code Wax 17 @ 53 in the crosses (I use this hybrid a lot) and found this be a good crisp but forgiving setup.
