time410s
Semi-Pro
The reasons I don't fully mesh with it have nothing to do with the pattern and more to do with balance and twistweight. Doesn't swing quite to my liking.
Gee
Hall of Fame
I don't know your level and playing style but I don't understand why you would play easier with the Head Pro Tour. The Elevate has a much more forgiven string pattern and a bigger sweetspot than the Head Pro Tour. Did you customize your Elevate Tour to the same specs as your PT? Do you only hit flat strokes?
Gee
Hall of Fame
Yesterday I added some putty (ca. 2-3 grams) on the trapdoor of my EFS that lowered the balance to about 32 cm. Immediately I noticed that I was able to accelerate my serve motion easier. It also feels more maneuverable with my groundstrokes and volleys in spite of the higher static weight. The feel is a little softer as well. However it makes sense that my groundstrokes feel a little less heavy but I compensate that by swinging faster.
Hit 'em clean
Semi-Pro
Just got a demo of the Nova and Elevate FS. Was very curious about Diadem sticks after reading through these posts. The came strung with a round poly, felt pretty tight to me... a lot tighter than I would string these days. Played doubles last night and warmed up with the Elevate FS. Liked it out of the gate. Swings easily, but with a nice swing weight. I’m normally not crazy about 305g sticks, but was really impressed with the feel and weight of shot I was hitting. There was some slight instability on volleys, but not terrible. Tried the Nova and it was okay, but I was having a hard time getting the same spin. I think it was just strung too tight for me and ball just kep flying.
Played with my Speed Pro 360+ first two sets. 3rd set I played mostly with the Elevate FS. Loved, loved hitting serves... the amount of acceleration and pop I was getting was noticeable. I was able to get it moving faster, earlier and the easy rhs showed up on the groundies as well. My opponents said I was hitting a heavier ball with the Elevate over the Speed... which really surprised me. I tried the Nova again, but put it down quickly. Just stiffer than I’d like and ball didn’t dwell on the strings and just came off high w/o spin. I’m sure I could adjust or a different string setup would get better results, but the Elevate just fits me much better out of the gate.
The Elevate FS definitely gave me flashbacks to the older Radicals and weirdly the Fischer Vaccuum Pro. I have an old Vacuum Pro and even though it’s heavier... the way it swings through the air and the way the ball reacts off the stringbed is very similar. I could hit flat, spin, good controllable power, touch... it’s all there. Really impressed with the first outing.
Played with my Speed Pro 360+ first two sets. 3rd set I played mostly with the Elevate FS. Loved, loved hitting serves... the amount of acceleration and pop I was getting was noticeable. I was able to get it moving faster, earlier and the easy rhs showed up on the groundies as well. My opponents said I was hitting a heavier ball with the Elevate over the Speed... which really surprised me. I tried the Nova again, but put it down quickly. Just stiffer than I’d like and ball didn’t dwell on the strings and just came off high w/o spin. I’m sure I could adjust or a different string setup would get better results, but the Elevate just fits me much better out of the gate.
The Elevate FS definitely gave me flashbacks to the older Radicals and weirdly the Fischer Vaccuum Pro. I have an old Vacuum Pro and even though it’s heavier... the way it swings through the air and the way the ball reacts off the stringbed is very similar. I could hit flat, spin, good controllable power, touch... it’s all there. Really impressed with the first outing.
I grew up playing with the Dunlop M-Fil 200 and then the Wilson Blade 93, so it just feels more natural. I don't necessarily find a more open string pattern more forgiving, as it feels less reliable for me.
With the Head Pro Tour 2.0 I feel I know exactly where the ball is going to go, but without the racquet completely lacking pop.
I don't only hit flat, I play relatively arced forehands regularly as well as slice and kick
serves.
I'm still playing around with racquets though. I have the ProKennex Tour 325, the Head Pro Tour 2.0, the Diadem Elevate Tour and the Angel ASL2. Each have quite different qualities and weights.
TennisLogic
Semi-Pro
Just reading this thread again.
This is an interesting point.
I remember when babolat first came out with their first line in Europe, the racquets were very affordable and were of great quality. Everybody was picking some frames up and enjoying them.
I believe the soft drive could be had for about 75 dollars or so.
Racquet offerings from new brands are priced incorrectly nowadays.... and this is evident in the slow market penetration of these racquet makers
time410s
Semi-Pro
How much were other rackets then? 75 dolars then is certainly not what it is now since the first babolat offerings. That's a long time ago.
Also, a lot of people shy away from cheaper rackets. However, I think their price is totally justified but you wouldn't know that until you got to know it yourself. They're not established but meanwhile Wilson is and most of your money of the profit is for a racket that has inferior quality control and to pay for an insanely high sponsorship contract. So if that's where you feel better putting your money, I get it.
But you can think about the other side of things as well. I don't think Diadem is asking an unreasonable price. If you knew how tight their QC is and how interesting or unique their technology is, you might feel differently. But if all you think is "new brand never heard of them" and that's as far as your interest brings you to learn, then that probably says more about you and your decision making tree than it does about Diadem.
Plus, you're just one consumer, there are many kinds. And Diadem has increased their prescence a lot in a few years. Babolat has been around for like 150 years, you know... So I wouldn't correlate their rate of growth with the price so much and even if you did, do you know what numbers you're looking at?
Their growth trajectory is looking pretty good, by my understanding. I just hope they offer what they already do but in a relatively more headlight option as I think this really holds the usability of their rackets back A LOT. More than they realize.
Tennisist
Professional
I think you are correct. I have the Elevate Tour. While it is great in easy hitting, in matches it reveals a certain slowness. It has been affecting me. I bought a regular Elevate, thinking it would be lighter and faster than the Tour, but it is not. It also has this slowness to it, which is detrimental in high-pressure play.
I ended up liking it for other reasons: it has a considerably longer dwell time. This gives me more control, or at least an illusion of it. I know I am talking about a microsecond difference, but for some reason I feel the ball lingers on the strings longer, and I feel I can shape the shots better with it. The response is smoothed and less variable.
[ With the Tour, the ball is in and out of the string bed very quickly, even with a soft and stretchy string as Diadem Flash.] I also did not experience any instability with it that some people mentioned. So far, I like it better than the Tour.
The only two things I would improve is:
1) lower the swing weight ( at least on the regular version );
2) get rid of the green color.
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
The lower RA of the regular EFS 98 would probably be responsible for what you described. The colour is not my favourite, but it is Diadem's signature colour so that makes things a bit complicated (or not).
It is not easy to get in Australia, but I may look to get one if I can. I want the FS version and not the original.
adriantennis
New User
The national distributor for diadem in Australia is located in Perth.
Name is Kartel sports. Got in contact with them and was told they are still waiting for stock of the FS version.
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
Thanks for that. Yeah, I knew that the distributor was Kartel Sports, but I haven't contacted them. I saw that they only had the original Elevate 98 in stock, and there was another retailer that had them as well. I actually purchased one from them (the retailer), but then got a message that they only had grip size 4 1/4 (despite showing 4 3/8 as being available as well). Oh well!
I assumed that since Kartel Sports only had old stock they might be having a hard time getting more in during COVID.
Thanks for letting me know though. I really appreciate it.
Gee
Hall of Fame
In stock condition I also think the Elevates FS have a too high balance that feels a bit too cumbersome. Besides I also prefer the regular FS Elevate because of the lower RA stiffness.
After I customized my Elevate (to 348 grams but with a lower balance at 32.1cm) it doesn't only feel more solid and powerful but also more maneuverable.
Especially I noticed this as I was able to accelerate easier my serve motion with this balance.
TimePlease
Semi-Pro
Good review, thanks. I haven't tried the Elevates yet but my impression is that they're similar to the Angel Custom line with the foam filling, and it's that which makes them harder to swing. I wish manufacturers could find a happy medium with foam filling - perhaps a less dense foam, or less of it? - so that they're a bit less cumbersome.
BallBasher247
Semi-Pro
If that's what you want, you've gotta start looking at Tecnifibre's TFight RS line. They're entirely foam-filled from my understanding but their beam construction makes them very fast compared to the Elevate's IG Radical-esque beam. I've been messing around with the 300RS and even though I haven't quite dialed it in yet, I think it's got serious potential. Tons of wiggle room for customization. But the catch is you HAVE to customize it; unstable and way less power and spin stock than the Bab Drive/Aero VS even with a thicker beam and similar RA.
I don't actually find the Elevate hard to swing. I customized it to 336g/32cm (7HL) strung though; if you're playing the Elevate only 4-5HL and w/I weight added it'll feel cumbersome but unstable because its weight distribution is too centralized.
Last edited:
time410s
Semi-Pro
I like their color but maybe not the way it's used in this gradient. Also their nova doesn't really use this color so is is really that signature? I guess on the logo.
Hope they see this thread, a lot of people feel that way about the balance and those who might not are still affected by it.
TennisLogic
Semi-Pro
Important to note here that my message was general, about consumers in general. Not me. Yet your reply is constructed as an argument against me...I find this
Great message. How do you compare the two?
Angel vs diadem.
Angel allows customization, I heard has tighter ac tolerances, and seems cheaper.
TimePlease
Semi-Pro
I haven't used Diadem yet unfortunately. If they were cheaper in Europe, I would try one.
Gee
Hall of Fame
I purchased 2 Elevates for only 320 euro (incl. strings). Not as expensive at all.
RelentlessAttack
Hall of Fame
I've been playing with the Elevate tour lately and enjoy it. I used to play with a K93, and wound up trying the elevate tour on a whim based on the spec meeting what I was interested in at the time. It took me a while to get used to it, but at this point any limitations in my game are certainly not due to the racquet. I feel like it does everything pretty well and is reasonably forgiving, but doesn't have an absolute standout feature. By that, my only recent long term, non-demo points of comparison are the K93 and K95; the K93 is incredibly precise and responsive on slices/volleys/drop shots, and the K95 was just an absolute hammer when I really connected on a first serve or a flat forehand. On the other hand I hit my defensive one hander a lot better with the Diadem and so I can stay in rallies a lot longer even if I can't end them as easily. I haven't tried adding weight on the Diadem yet but I might. I went to the Diadem partially because it wasn't heavy and I felt like my fitness had declined, but recently I've worked hard with a functional trainer to get it back up on par with my younger days and now find myself longing for some more weight and power potential.
time410s
Semi-Pro
From this point on, I think I will only be buying or messing with the lightest Diadems possible, specifically to leave as much room as possible to tail-weight these rackets. I love them but the balance just fights me and I still really think it goes against the spec/range that many players of most ranges would prefer. Especially with how baseline and topspin heavy today's game is. But it's so much easier to add a little weight to the head than add a ton of weight in the handle to try and counter-balance it.
That's how I feel about Diadem these days. Otherwise, I really think these rackets are amazing and if you like that balance, great! You're in for a good time.
gold325
Hall of Fame
I'm thinking about the same concept for every racket in future for me and anyone else who asks me about my opinion. I personally believe that 3.5-4.0 players have very little to gain from playing 5.0+ level frames.
time410s
Semi-Pro
I would agree. Do you think that these Diadem frames are more for that style? Even if so, I don't think that represents a majority of people at that level at all. I actually think in any class, their stock balance and weight is not the most popular.
gold325
Hall of Fame
Its kind of like a more comfortable Pure Strike but with a 16x20 pattern. Foam filled racquets always feel more solid. It only costs $20 to demo 2 racquets from diadem directly.
Last edited:
gold325
Hall of Fame
NOVA = Pure Drive SPECS
ELEVATE = Pure Strike / Blade SPECS but with the 16x20 string pattern of the old Pure Control / Pure Storm sticks which is just about perfect.
ELEVATE TOUR = Pure Strike Tour SPECS with 16x20
The only racquet have that has unusual specs is NOVA PLUS which is a little unwieldy.
I plan to buy the NOVA LITE now since it has same beam width and flex as NOVA and weigh it up to what is most comfortable for me. Other brands TEAM racquet look similar to their main racquets but have different specs like beam width and mostly feel cheap and tinny.
And eventually I will get the ELEVATE as well since it has my favorite 16x20 pattern (my favorite racquet of all time is the Wilson Burn Team 100 which I have weighed up to Pure Drive Specs but is softer than my Prince Phantom 100.)
time410s
Semi-Pro
Well said. I might extend the elevate light sometime but I'm sure it would still be too head heavy, especially after adding the length. But maybe...
time410s
Semi-Pro
Do you think the elevate lite is really any lighter? It's a few points more head heavy but 15g lighter overall. It's unclear to me where the weight was really removed but clearly some has been in the handle if the balance became more head heavy.
So I'm thinking the weight difference actually is very negligible as far as SW is concerned.
gold325
Hall of Fame
NOVA LITE is what what I talking about
5gm in handle reduction is approx 1HL reduction but this is 6HL unstrung (3HL string) vs the base Nova (7HL unstrung which is 4HL strung)
This Lite is 1HL unstrung less than the base Nova but 15g total weight less. So adding 15g to handle will make this 6HL strung vs 4HL strung for the base Nova. This allows more room to add weight to the head and play around with grips and stuff to adjust for player specs.
Westerwick
Rookie
Diadem and some third party vendors are selling the first generation Elevates for about $150. Does anyone have any experience with both and know what the differences are? What will I be missing if I pocket the $70 difference?
Herb
Semi-Pro
The first gen are foam filled, the newer ones have more of a honeycomb structure.
Westerwick
Rookie
Thanks for the explanation. Foam can come in densities from fluffy to structural foam we used in military shipbuilding that is essentially the density of water. Same with kind of range with honeycomb. Sounds like I want to demo the new ones and see how they feel, then figure out if I want to put out a few more bucks for the later tech.
PistolPete23
Hall of Fame
Pretty sure the 2nd-gen are entirely foam-filled as well. Somebody posted pictures earlier in this thread. However, the 2nd-gen has what they call FS tech. Instead of a hollow tube of graphite composite, there's an additional carbon fiber rib structure.
Herb
Semi-Pro
Maybe that is what my rep was trying to tell me. He said that First gen were foam filled and second gen are ribbed like a honeycomb. That is how he explained it to me.
gold325
Hall of Fame
My Nova Lite arrived at 304.5g strung (4.5g over spec) and 2HL (1HL less than expected). Calculated swingweight came to 314. So yes I agree that the weight difference is very negligible as far as SW is concerned....
This would make a great standard length racquet (323g, 323mm, 318-320SW, my specs) but an excessively swingweight heavy (for a weekend warrior) over spec custom extended racquet all said and done.
Last edited:
time410s
Semi-Pro
Darn that's too bad. You should tell them how you feel about the balance because I've said this to them and that many might feel this way but I don't think they hear it enough but I definitely do.
gold325
Hall of Fame
After adding some weight to the head and handle have it at 321g weight, 323mm balance and 320 SW which is absolutely god damn perfect for me.
No standard frame will make a good extended frame due to swing weight going up a lot for 0.5" of length. Only ultra light weight head light racquets (example Wilson Burn Team at 283g/1HL/294sw strung) would work a good platform to make an extended racquet and add weight to balance out for my specs if I ever wanted one.
Stock - This is way closer to spec than almost everything else I bought.
time410s
Semi-Pro
I really liked extending my vcore pro 97 (310) definitely felt more manageable than nova plus.
Glad you got it down.
gold325
Hall of Fame
Yeah the VCP97 is more HL to begin with. Listed is 7HL strung but could have been 8HL or 9HL. And you skills seem better than the average weekend warrior. My guesstimate on your VCP97 is your extended swingweight is now 350 or so...
Infact your video about the Nova Plus on YouTube was one of the reasons I bought my Nova Lite...
Thank you.
Last edited:
Burn
New User
I've bought the Diadem Nova Plus thinking it could be the right replacement to my modified Clashes Tour/Pro (extended and static at 340g, same balance), based on the insights gathered here. I was looking for a more consistent and controlled response from the stringbed, without loosing stability, comfort and power I get from the Clashes. Well, I tell you power wise the Nova Plus (modified to same Clash Specs) is a lot less powerful than the Clash Tour and that was a huge setback. I mean, it's a well constructed stick, solid, good plow and with a nice feel but those comparisons with the PD make no sense. Not even close, maybe except for the shape. I wanted this to be the holy grail but it just isn´t unfortunately.
I find it very similar to the Angell K7 Cyan XL but with larger sweetspot. Both good rackets, but they don't tick all boxes...the problem might be me.
There are rackets that did wow me and made me switch (PS Classic 6.1, Six.One 95, RF autograph and the Clash Tour...recently I found some love in the ProKennex Ki Q+5X Pro) and the Nova Plus is not in that category although it looked like it would be
I find it very similar to the Angell K7 Cyan XL but with larger sweetspot. Both good rackets, but they don't tick all boxes...the problem might be me.
There are rackets that did wow me and made me switch (PS Classic 6.1, Six.One 95, RF autograph and the Clash Tour...recently I found some love in the ProKennex Ki Q+5X Pro) and the Nova Plus is not in that category although it looked like it would be
FlaredButt
New User
Hey if anyones trying to unload a lightly used Nova+, let me know- for whatever reason I quite like it in near stock form. Just some tailweight with tape (to flare the butt) is all I needed.
gold325
Hall of Fame
Out of curiosity. What was the balance number or HL balance number that you managed to match the Clash Pro and Nova+ at? Any ideas on the swingweights at the same spec?
I've loved the Nova being a more controlled, more solid slightly less powerful version of the Pure Drive... So this issue you have with Nova+ being less powerful than an extended Clash Pro is quite surprising....
Burn
New User
The balance is at 4pts HL. I don’t know about the swingweight since I have no way to measure it but I would say inbetween 340 and 350 judging by the Beast 100 LB I have around.
I don’t know why it surprises you the clash Pro being more powerful than the Nova+ cause I think it already is in stock form. The Nova+ was quite disappointing in the power department for me
Burn
New User
Mine is like new but I’m considering selling it
faded_lines
Rookie
I have a first gen Nova+ if anyone is interested. Just PM me. I’ve been experimenting with more control racquet these days. The Elevate FS are really decent sticks and I enjoy hitting with them. They do feel a little sluggish to me at times tho.
gold325
Hall of Fame
My Bad. I tried the regular Clash vs the regular Nova Lite (285g frame but my unit was 290g). Also strings were not identical. You could be right fore sure..... Nova is a more stable, more controlled Pure Drive from multiple reviews I have read and in my personal experience.
Burn
New User
No problem! It’s all about perspective and if I was coming from a Prestige or say an Ultra Pro I would probably say the Nova is too powerful but coming from a Clash Pro or a Pure Drive it seems the Nova+ lacks some. Not a bad racket at all but it is failed try for me unfortunately
Similar threads
