Bonjour from Babolat

[Francis27]

Hi! How do the Babolat Aeropro drive gt 2013 compare to the Pure drive 2012?

[Boricua]

Many people say that the Aero Pro in stock form does not have the stability and weight to deal with heavy serves and heavy hitters.

1) How would you answer this?

2) Why did Babolat not give the Aeropro more mass to deal with this situation?

[MikeHitsHard93]

Welcome! Thank you for stepping up to the plate! I personally love Babolat rackets.

[Babolat Official]

Originally Posted by I Heart Thomas Muster

Thank you for doing this Daniel. My question is are you aware of any talk of releasing Pure Drives or Aeropro Drives with a softer flex? I love the way the racquets play but they can irritate my wrist tendinitis and that was with Tonic/RPM hybrid I currently use.

Thanks in advance.

Sorry to hear about that. The stiffer flex contributes to the Pure Drive and Aeropro Drive power. Think about hitting a ball against two walls, one of concrete and one made of sponge. The ball hitting off the concrete (PD or APD) comes back with much more power. While the ball hit against the sponge wall (Pure Storm) comes back with less power but more control.

In short, the flex will not be changing in the immediate future.

Glad you like our string though!

[Babolat Official]

Originally Posted by Francis27

Hi! How do the Babolat Aeropro drive gt 2013 compare to the Pure drive 2012?

Both were updated with the New Cortex Dampening system. You really have to decide for yourself by demoing. I personally did not like the updated PD as much as the 2009, but I really like the updated Aeropro Drive more than the 2010. I found it plays with more feel and I had a little more control on every shot except my slice backhand (probably lack of user ability as opposed to product deficiency).

[TimothyO]

Originally Posted by Babolat Official

Pure Storm will not be getting an update in 2013. The Aerostorm is being discontinued.

Welcome Daniel!

Does the Pure Storm's "no update in 2013" apply to its construction or cosmetics?

In other words, will the current 2011 Pure Storm cosmetics remain the same in 2013?

I actually prefer the 2009 cosmetics and just purchased three 2009 PSGTs from TW.

OTOH, it would be fun to see something new in 2013 (just didn't like the 2011 cosmetics...only a subtle difference with 2009 but I prefer the black stripes).

[Babolat Official]

Originally Posted by Boricua

Many people say that the Aero Pro in stock form does not have the stability and weight to deal with heavy serves and heavy hitters.

1) How would you answer this?

2) Why did Babolat not give the Aeropro more mass to deal with this situation?

1. It is really hard to make blanket statements. There are top college players who play with the Aeropro Drive stock and don't seem to have an issue. However, there are a lot of players who customize with lead tape as well. We have a lot of requests for a "heavier" version, which we send to our product team.

2. One of the best things about this racquet is that a wide variety of players can play with it. It also is a great racquet to experiment with and lead tape up. There are many in this forum who can advise you on customizing.

[Babolat Official]

Originally Posted by TimothyO

Welcome Daniel!

Does the Pure Storm's "no update in 2013" apply to its construction or cosmetics?

In other words, will the current 2011 Pure Storm cosmetics remain the same in 2013?

I actually prefer the 2009 cosmetics and just purchased three 2009 PSGTs from TW.

OTOH, it would be fun to see something new in 2013 (just didn't like the 2011 cosmetics...only a subtle difference with 2009 but I prefer the black stripes).

2013 Pure Storm will be the same cosmetically and technologically.

Sorry, you didn't like the 2011 cosmetic. Hopefully you got a great deal on the 2009s! It is the same racquet technologically.

[db379]

Originally Posted by Babolat Official

Pure Storm will not be getting an update in 2013. The Aerostorm is being discontinued.

Salut Daniel,

I must have read it wrong.... aerostorm is being discontinued !??? That's my favorite Bab. and it seems to be a really unique stick. The aero pro is just too stiff for me, the aerostorm has this special feel it is the right amount of control, spin and power. I really liked the red one, the last version was great too but slightly too stiff for my taste. It's a very popular stick as well. Why get rid of it?

[Mongolmike]

Hi Daniel,

Thank you for stepping out of the shadows. No questions, just throwing some support your way. I used a Babolat stick in the past (switched because it was too powerful and I couldn't harness the power), and my wife still uses a Babolat stick and Xcel strings and is very happy.

One of my favorite strings was the Hurricane Pro Tour. A bit harsh, but that string had everything else I liked. I switched racquets and it didn't quite work as well with a new stick, so I switched strings too, but again, good racquets, great strings, very good accesories (grips, dampeners, etc.)

So welcome, and I don't think you will catch too much flak, but if you do, take it with a grain of salt!

[smirker]

Originally Posted by Babolat Official

Sorry to hear about that. The stiffer flex contributes to the Pure Drive and Aeropro Drive power. Think about hitting a ball against two walls, one of concrete and one made of sponge. The ball hitting off the concrete (PD or APD) comes back with much more power. While the ball hit against the sponge wall (Pure Storm) comes back with less power but more control.

In short, the flex will not be changing in the immediate future.

Glad you like our string though!

Well unfortunately I won't be buying another one then. I had a PD 2012 for 6 months during which my tennis elbow returned to haunt me. Since selling it my elbow is back to healthy again.

Tant pis as I really liked in all other respects.

babolat need to address this issue as it does alienate a significant number of people. An aquaintance of mine actually had to give up a career in tennis due to acute tendonitis developed whilst playing with the APD. They are rackets for young men with young joints/tendons.

[Boricua]

1) How many playing hours do you get from RPM at 48 pounds in your APD?

2) Are you swithching to the new 2012 APD?

3) Why did Babolat change the swingweight in the new 2012 APD? (in comparison with the prior model)

4) You use your APD in stock form?

[Boricua]

Originally Posted by smirker

Well unfortunately I won't be buying another one then. I had a PD 2012 for 6 months during which my tennis elbow returned to haunt me. Since selling it my elbow is back to healthy again.

Tant pis as I really liked in all other respects.

babolat need to address this issue as it does alienate a significant number of people. An aquaintance of mine actually had to give up a career in tennis due to acute tendonitis developed whilst playing with the APD. They are rackets for young men with young joints/tendons.

A possibililty is to have a racket with the aero design but less stiff, so that is why the aero storm will have to be replaced in case its discontinued. In the case of the Pure Drive maybe some people could like a Pure Drive with more flex.

In my case I play with Babolat and Yonex (VCORE Tour 97 right now) to balance things out. But, Im getting the 2012 APD.

[CFreeborn]

Bonjour!
Can I cut 1/2" off of the end of a Pure Storm"+" model to make it into a regular length racquet?
Merci!

[smirker]

Originally Posted by Boricua

A possibililty is to have a racket with the aero design but less stiff, so that is why the aero storm will have to be replaced in case its discontinued. In the case of the Pure Drive maybe some people could like a Pure Drive with more flex.

In my case I play with Babolat and Yonex (VCORE Tour 97 right now) to balance things out. But, Im getting the 2012 APD.

I got a Pro Kennex Ki5 and my elbow cleared up.

[anubis]

Thank you for posting here, Daniel. It's always nice to see official representatives from major tennis organizations posting on this forum.

I just have to say thank you for creating quality products. I used to use the Pure Drive line, but stopped using it due to arm issues. I now use much softer, more arm friendly racquets.

But I love your strings. I think the Nv.Y is the absolute best syn gut on the market. It's a great string, and if I wasn't using poly, I'd be using the Nv. Y.

thanks again!

[Babolat Official]

Originally Posted by Boricua

1) How many playing hours do you get from RPM at 48 pounds in your APD?

2) Are you swithching to the new APD?

3) And, why did Babolat change the swingweight in the new APD (in comparison with the prior model?

1. I play with 18 gauge...so it breaks in about 2-4 hours. 17 gauge lasts 8-14.
2. Yes. I played with a couple versions of the PD, but liked the 2010 APD better better than the 2012 PD. However, I really liked the APD update for 2013. More control and feel for me on everything but slice backhands (still working on that).
3. I do not know if this was a conscious choice or a byproduct of the new cortex. Shoot me an email dbecker@babolat.com and I will try to get a response from the product team.

[Babolat Official]

Originally Posted by db379

Salut Daniel,

I must have read it wrong.... aerostorm is being discontinued !??? That's my favorite Bab. and it seems to be a really unique stick. The aero pro is just too stiff for me, the aerostorm has this special feel it is the right amount of control, spin and power. I really liked the red one, the last version was great too but slightly too stiff for my taste. It's a very popular stick as well. Why get rid of it?

Yeah. The Aerostorm is gaining popularity with the frequent players and some up and coming pros, but it was a company wide decision. We've got something coming in the future...

[Babolat Official]

Originally Posted by Mongolmike

Hi Daniel,

Thank you for stepping out of the shadows. No questions, just throwing some support your way. I used a Babolat stick in the past (switched because it was too powerful and I couldn't harness the power), and my wife still uses a Babolat stick and Xcel strings and is very happy.

One of my favorite strings was the Hurricane Pro Tour. A bit harsh, but that string had everything else I liked. I switched racquets and it didn't quite work as well with a new stick, so I switched strings too, but again, good racquets, great strings, very good accesories (grips, dampeners, etc.)

So welcome, and I don't think you will catch too much flak, but if you do, take it with a grain of salt!

Hopefully not too much. I have received some interesting emails...Still figuring out how to respond to "why do your racquets suck?"

Thanks for the kind words.

[Babolat Official]

Originally Posted by Boricua

1) How many playing hours do you get from RPM at 48 pounds in your APD?

2) Are you swithching to the new 2012 APD?

3) Why did Babolat change the swingweight in the new 2012 APD? (in comparison with the prior model)

4) You use your APD in stock form?

4. Sorry didn't see your last question. The only modification I make is using a leather grip with VS Origional over grip.