ADPGT: Why the fuss?

[Vcore89]

Get some leverage. Apportion ROI to Barbie and Ken since that's what kids are calling them these days. Win-win situ? Will never know of course. But their Storm series are great.

[Power Player]

The beter you get the better you can control the Babs power and then it boils down to deciding if that is for you or not.

I think Babolat makes very good racquets. when it comes to feel, the PDs are much better now. I respect any stick that can be used from any level player...that is pretty cool. At the same time, I dont think demand for a nice solid racquet with some flex will ever go away, and that is where babolat falls short....or do they? Rumor is they are remaking the Pure Storm with some Samprassy specs...

[Vcore89]

Sampras-sy specs? Hmmm, how about mold an 88 sq in ala KF88? I'm sure the Storms can be that solid.

[EDK]

Every person I played who used an APDGT at 4.0 hit a noticeably heavy ball, making it tougher to deal with.

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by EDK

Every person I played who used an APDGT at 4.0 hit a noticeably heavy ball, making it tougher to deal with.

For every one of those heavy balls from a 4.0 player, there are 2 balls that sailed long! LOL

[Down_the_line]

I'm nowhere close to being an authority on racquets but it seems to me that the Pure Drives, and now the AeroPro Drives, sort of revolutionized the racquet industry by being great frames for everyone.

They're powerful, yet controlled, reasonably weighted with room to customize, they have great spin potential, great for singles and doubles etc. etc. They're well rounded racquets that appeal to a lot of players. Simple as that.

[Down_the_line]

Even I'm considering switching to it for the simple reason that I'm stressing out trying to find the perfect racquet for me, as my Speeds just aren't cutting it even after a year with them. It's getting to the point where I'm saying to myself "Screw it, just buy a couple APDGT's. Problem solved". Lol.

[Ramon]

Originally Posted by Down_the_line

Even I'm considering switching to it for the simple reason that I'm stressing out trying to find the perfect racquet for me, as my Speeds just aren't cutting it even after a year with them. It's getting to the point where I'm saying to myself "Screw it, just buy a couple APDGT's. Problem solved". Lol.

I used to play with the APDGT. I switched less than a year ago.

There are some very appealing things about the racquet. It has a huge sweetspot, easy to maneuver, has plenty of power, good for spin, and it has a solid feel. That being said, it's tough on the arm and has too much power for a lot of players who take full swings and aren't gifted with the shot making ability of Rafael Nadal.

For me, it was fun to hit with it and feel all that power, but long-term it's just not my type of racquet. Maybe it's good for you or maybe it's not, but no racquet is a panacea, and if you expect it to be everything you ever wanted in a racquet, you'll most likely be disappointed.

[davydenko_fan]

racket "feel" is totally dependent on the player. what feels great to one, may feel awful to another. currently, i use this racket and love the feedback. i appreciate the stiffness and have never had any injury at all while using this frame. while i used a prince frame years ago (prince o3 tour) i developed some acute tennis elbow and immediately ditched it. i think the aeropro drive is a good racket but i will not bash other rackets to place this one above others. i am simply putting in my opinion of how i feel about this frame.

[morandi]

I think to me the biggest asset of the Pure Drives is their unbelievable forgiveness for the average player, yet can be weapons when you are on point. I find there is very little adjustment period with these racquets, which allows you to get going very quickly.
I have struggled finding a racquet that does this as well, because I am not the hugest fan of the way they feel in play. I am currently playing with the Head Radical Pro, which while has been working well for me, and I love the feel of the racquet, I have been struggling a bit on second serve consistency, which when I played with the ADPGT was never an issue. Definitely a technique issue, but I guess what I'm saying is that the ADPGT and pure drive are more forgiving if your technique falters slightly under pressure.

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by Blaxican10s

The combination of effortless power & spin are almost unmatched in mind. Most frames either are spin machines and lack power or have power but are hard to control.

I've been in an on again, off again relationship with this frame since it came out. I feel like I'm cheating when things are clicking w/ my APDGT.

Have to say I played the Juice 100 for the first time earlier today and I thought, well, the APD has a rival now IMO re the power and spin combination you refer to.

[Thepowerofchoice]

I just bought a APD Original. Does it play much different than APDGT?

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by Thepowerofchoice

I just bought a APD Original. Does it play much different than APDGT?

For me the differences between the Original black APD and later iterations are very small. I like the slightly lower RA and find there's a tad better touch/feel. These are minor aspects though.

[ArliHawk]

Looking forward to the review of the 2013 version. From Andy and Chris' comments, it sounds like it's a good update.

[db10s]

The APD is a horrible frame... Its is overwhelmingly stiff. It looks gross. And plays like a Wal-Mart racket.

[Roforot]

I'm wondering, why is it that the APD seems to be valued for groundstrokes and heavy spin over the Pure Drive which is notorious for being a serving machine... is it really a function of the racquet and specs or the pros who use the respective frame?

I've said in other posts, I am most surprised about the Pure Drive Roddick by how well I hit touch shots (droppers and lobs)... haven't seen anyone else praise the frame for this.

[srvnvly]

Originally Posted by Roforot

I'm wondering, why is it that the APD seems to be valued for groundstrokes and heavy spin over the Pure Drive which is notorious for being a serving machine... is it really a function of the racquet and specs or the pros who use the respective frame?

I've said in other posts, I am most surprised about the Pure Drive Roddick by how well I hit touch shots (droppers and lobs)... haven't seen anyone else praise the frame for this.

I'm guessing plow through as the reason, therefore specs; the Roddick version has great plow through, it's just a little heavy for some of us. If you can touch shots with the 2012 PDR more than an hour into a match, it's a stick that definitely fits you. I really liked PDR, but I had arm fatigue later into a match.

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by Roforot

I'm wondering, why is it that the APD seems to be valued for groundstrokes and heavy spin over the Pure Drive which is notorious for being a serving machine... is it really a function of the racquet and specs or the pros who use the respective frame?

I've said in other posts, I am most surprised about the Pure Drive Roddick by how well I hit touch shots (droppers and lobs)... haven't seen anyone else praise the frame for this.

Well, for me, all I can say is the APD hits a higher trajectory, slightly spinnier, slightly heavier groundstroke. The higher SW is a major factor. I think it's maybe to do with the throat too actually. Anyone who's played an APD for any length of time before knows what I mean when I say it just has a unique feel from the backcourt - the ball seems to 'blast' and 'boom' off the strings. However, though it seems to make for a spinnier ball (in some people's views), I tend to the opinion it's more just a by-product of the power. There's a lot of it inherent in the APD, though, a little strangely, it's true IMO that the PD serves with more power and action. That said, with mods, string choices, tensions, etc, these frames can be made to play extremely close to each other. As I'm presently looking at a PD 2012, I'm trying to achieve this very result.

[Fuji]

Originally Posted by db10s

The APD is a horrible frame... Its is overwhelmingly stiff. It looks gross. And plays like a Wal-Mart racket.

Man you're nuts!

I think the APD original is sweet. Lower flex with good feel. Super classic tweener which is awesome.

-Fuji

[Ross K]

Originally Posted by db10s

The APD is a horrible frame... Its is overwhelmingly stiff. It looks gross. And plays like a Wal-Mart racket.

Yaaaaaawn.