Dunlop biomimetic M 3.0 review

JackB1 · 11-20-2012, 07:44 AM

Okay guys I just picked up a demo of the new Dunlop M3 .0. I was a user of the 4D 300 a couple of years back and really liked that racket. It was my main stick for over a year so that says a lot even though it was the tour model. I have to admit I was very curious when I heard about Dunlop redesigning the 300 model with a whole new mold. The new 3.0 really does feel like a whole new racket, for the better or worse I'm not quite sure. It definitely feels a lot more firm and stiff then prior years models. There is a little more power to be had this time, but not a whole lot just like the TW reviewers stated. This racquet feels very crisp to me, and maybe a little tinny feeling. The balance and swing weight feels perfect for me, I would say 325 is very accurate. The static weight on my demo came in at 325 grams and the balance came in at four points headlight. The racket feels great through the air, not too light and whippy and not too heavy and sluggish. Groundstrokes felt pretty good, easy to keep the ball in play and definitely more on the control side of things. Serves were also pretty good with a nice amount of power and spin. My biggest and really only issue with this racket, at this point, is the sweet spot that the TW reviewers speak of. Maybe I just need more time to get used to it, but it seems rather easy to miss the middle of the racket. This results in a lot of shots that don't go where you intended and also in some bad feeling shots. The feel of the racket on impact reminds me a lot of Babolat's feeling. I am curious to hear if other users here will find the same problem with this new 3.0. I will pay more attention to this next time I go out and hit with this racket which may be tonight. If that doesn't change that would definitely be a dealbreaker for me. Would love to hear from anyone else who has tried this racquet so far and what you thought of it. I am kind of surprised at the lack of discussion about this racket so far, as the prior models were quite popular. So that's it for now, more to come.

By the way, this entire review was done using my iPhone's text to speech feature, so if there are some misspelled words or strange sounding sentences please forgive me

. It's not perfect but it sure beats typing

Power Player · 11-20-2012, 07:48 AM

Tinny? That is a shame. Dunlop has gone to the Dark side. I always loved that solid/muted feel the old Dunlops had.

JackB1 · 11-20-2012, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Power Player

Tinny? That is a shame. Dunlop has gone to the Dark side. I always loved that solid/muted feel the old Dunlops had.

Me too. There was no sweeter feeling sweetspot than the AG4D 200.

The new molds feel nothing like the prior one's. Not much flex or pocketing going on. How much of this is due to my demo's string choice and tension is unknown. It has Dunlop Silk in it and it feels pretty high tension. I got the demo literally right off the truck.

Broly4 · 11-20-2012, 08:20 AM

To me, you've been influenced by the tw review before the test, take into account that only Mark has experience with Dunlop, the others use/prefer overpowered frames.

robbo1970 · 11-20-2012, 08:23 AM

I have read similar reviews, that Dunlop is going for a more 'modern' feel, which I guess means Babolat tinny feel.

Its a shame because the 'traditional' feel of Dunlop rackets is what makes them special. I just hope some of the 'Classic' range have kept the traditional feel to them.

I'm going off Silk too. It just feels......weird. I'm tempted to just stick in a decent nylon for now, at least I don't mind and know where I am with nylon.

Maybe the M3.0 just needs a re-string to improve feel.

What is it you mean by 'tinny'? Do you mean that feel you get when you hit with a lower end alloy racket?

JackB1 · 11-20-2012, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Broly4

To me, you've been influenced by the tw review before the test, take into account that only Mark has experience with Dunlop, the others use/prefer overpowered frames.

not at all. I have liked many frames that the TW reviewers haven't and I form my own opinion. I realized they are just 4 or 5 individual opinions and may or may not coincide with mine.

JackB1 · 11-20-2012, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robbo1970

I have read similar reviews, that Dunlop is going for a more 'modern' feel, which I guess means Babolat tinny feel.

Its a shame because the 'traditional' feel of Dunlop rackets is what makes them special. I just hope some of the 'Classic' range have kept the traditional feel to them.

I'm going off Silk too. It just feels......weird. I'm tempted to just stick in a decent nylon for now, at least I don't mind and know where I am with nylon.

Maybe the M3.0 just needs a re-string to improve feel.

What is it you mean by 'tinny'? Do you mean that feel you get when you hit with a lower end alloy racket?

Are you currently trying a demo too?

By "tinny" I mean, not solid and stable feeling. Hard to put into words exactly...like tasting a wine. Reminded me of the prior year Pure Drive's. Almost like a non-descript "blah" feeling on impact....not one that you remember and want to hit again and again. Also very "crisp" feeling...not plush and full feeling.

Perhaps that is why the TW reviewers as a whole, were very luke warm on it? Just kind of a "non memorable" hitting experience. Again...this is with their Silk string at their tension.. I haven't really liked ANY racquet yet with that string in it.

Broly4 · 11-20-2012, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackB1

Are you currently trying a demo too?

By "tinny" I mean, not solid and stable feeling. Hard to put into words exactly...like tasting a wine. Reminded me of the prior year Pure Drive's. Almost like a non-descript "blah" feeling on impact....not one that you remember and want to hit again and again. Also very "crisp" feeling...not plush and full feeling.

Perhaps that is why the TW reviewers as a whole, were very luke warm on it? Just kind of a "non memorable" hitting experience. Again...this is with their Silk string at their tension.. I haven't really liked ANY racquet yet with that string in it.

You should demo the racquet with your string of choice, it's the only way to know if the frame works for you, I usually break the strings in the first hitting session when demoing, but if not, cut them and restrung at my preference.

robbo1970 · 11-20-2012, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackB1

Are you currently trying a demo too?

By "tinny" I mean, not solid and stable feeling. Hard to put into words exactly...like tasting a wine. Reminded me of the prior year Pure Drive's. Almost like a non-descript "blah" feeling on impact....not one that you remember and want to hit again and again. Also very "crisp" feeling...not plush and full feeling.

Perhaps that is why the TW reviewers as a whole, were very luke warm on it? Just kind of a "non memorable" hitting experience. Again...this is with their Silk string at their tension.. I haven't really liked ANY racquet yet with that string in it.

No, I have the Bio 300, but still strung with the silk. Im not a fan of it but will persist for a bit. Ive always preferred a very basic tournament nylon personally or PSGD, this silk just feels too stiff and powerless to me.

JackB1 · 11-20-2012, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robbo1970

No, I have the Bio 300, but still strung with the silk. Im not a fan of it but will persist for a bit. Ive always preferred a very basic tournament nylon personally or PSGD, this silk just feels too stiff and powerless to me.

I agree. To me silk feels like a cheap synthetic gut. Very much different than most other premium multis I have tried. Dunlop they definitely missed the mark on that one. On the other hand their new black widow Poly string is fantastic.

robbo1970 · 11-20-2012, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JackB1

I agree. To me silk feels like a cheap synthetic gut. Very much different than most other premium multis I have tried. Dunlop they definitely missed the mark on that one. On the other hand their new black widow Poly string is fantastic.

Its a bit strange really, they have a great range of rackets but don't seem to back it up with a great choice of strings.

Like I said, I prefer Prince Nylon or SGD to silk.

JackB1 · 11-20-2012, 08:22 PM

Played three more sets of doubles tonight with the 3.0. My impression of the racket improved slightly but I still have an issue with off-center hits. There just seems like there's too many that hit slightly off center and really don't go anywhere. The racket feels great if you could consistently hit the center. I think for 3.5 - 4.0s there are more user friendly options. More accomplished players that rarely miss the sweetspot and want a lighter players type racquet may like this one.

JackB1 · 11-24-2012, 12:00 PM

would love to hear from anyone else that has tried this racquet.

11-20-2012, 07:44 AM	#1
JackB1 Legend Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Atlanta GA Posts: 8,308	Dunlop biomimetic M 3.0 review Okay guys I just picked up a demo of the new Dunlop M3 .0. I was a user of the 4D 300 a couple of years back and really liked that racket. It was my main stick for over a year so that says a lot even though it was the tour model. I have to admit I was very curious when I heard about Dunlop redesigning the 300 model with a whole new mold. The new 3.0 really does feel like a whole new racket, for the better or worse I'm not quite sure. It definitely feels a lot more firm and stiff then prior years models. There is a little more power to be had this time, but not a whole lot just like the TW reviewers stated. This racquet feels very crisp to me, and maybe a little tinny feeling. The balance and swing weight feels perfect for me, I would say 325 is very accurate. The static weight on my demo came in at 325 grams and the balance came in at four points headlight. The racket feels great through the air, not too light and whippy and not too heavy and sluggish. Groundstrokes felt pretty good, easy to keep the ball in play and definitely more on the control side of things. Serves were also pretty good with a nice amount of power and spin. My biggest and really only issue with this racket, at this point, is the sweet spot that the TW reviewers speak of. Maybe I just need more time to get used to it, but it seems rather easy to miss the middle of the racket. This results in a lot of shots that don't go where you intended and also in some bad feeling shots. The feel of the racket on impact reminds me a lot of Babolat's feeling. I am curious to hear if other users here will find the same problem with this new 3.0. I will pay more attention to this next time I go out and hit with this racket which may be tonight. If that doesn't change that would definitely be a dealbreaker for me. Would love to hear from anyone else who has tried this racquet so far and what you thought of it. I am kind of surprised at the lack of discussion about this racket so far, as the prior models were quite popular. So that's it for now, more to come. By the way, this entire review was done using my iPhone's text to speech feature, so if there are some misspelled words or strange sounding sentences please forgive me . It's not perfect but it sure beats typing __________________ Wilson Black Blade 104 - NXT Tour / Copoly at 55/51

11-20-2012, 07:48 AM	#2
Power Player G.O.A.T. Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: On my iPhone Posts: 13,555	Tinny? That is a shame. Dunlop has gone to the Dark side. I always loved that solid/muted feel the old Dunlops had. __________________ 🐐ing

11-20-2012, 08:20 AM	#4
Broly4 Rookie Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 129	To me, you've been influenced by the tw review before the test, take into account that only Mark has experience with Dunlop, the others use/prefer overpowered frames. __________________ Dark horse

11-20-2012, 08:23 AM	#5
robbo1970 Professional Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: UK Posts: 977	I have read similar reviews, that Dunlop is going for a more 'modern' feel, which I guess means Babolat tinny feel. Its a shame because the 'traditional' feel of Dunlop rackets is what makes them special. I just hope some of the 'Classic' range have kept the traditional feel to them. I'm going off Silk too. It just feels......weird. I'm tempted to just stick in a decent nylon for now, at least I don't mind and know where I am with nylon. Maybe the M3.0 just needs a re-string to improve feel. What is it you mean by 'tinny'? Do you mean that feel you get when you hit with a lower end alloy racket? __________________ X2 Dunlop Biomimetic 300 / X2 Prince Exo3 93

11-20-2012, 08:22 PM	#12
JackB1 Legend Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Atlanta GA Posts: 8,308	Played three more sets of doubles tonight with the 3.0. My impression of the racket improved slightly but I still have an issue with off-center hits. There just seems like there's too many that hit slightly off center and really don't go anywhere. The racket feels great if you could consistently hit the center. I think for 3.5 - 4.0s there are more user friendly options. More accomplished players that rarely miss the sweetspot and want a lighter players type racquet may like this one. __________________ Wilson Black Blade 104 - NXT Tour / Copoly at 55/51