Review: Pure Storm Tour GT vs. Pure Drive Roddick GT

ebster

New User
If you are just interested in the reviews, please go ahead and scroll down!

Background:

Well due to some arm issues with my current racquet (Prince EX03 Rebel) I am making the switch back to Babolat and am currently hitting with two of their new player's frames. I would appreciate and welcome anyone's own comments/questions about either frame and just preface these following reviews as my own opinion and how I feel personally about each frame; I am a strong believer of the idea that everybody's game style varies greatly and racquets and strings affect everyone differently. That said, here goes..

First, a little background on myself. I am a Div. I college tennis player with a NTRP rating of a solid 5.5. I have an aggressive all-court game and I am a solid doubles players. My major weapons are my serve and forehand, which nicely set up one another. I play a power game and look for a short ball I can place in the corners and tend to have fairly short points; not a clay court grinder by any means. My recent racquet history in order of most recent are as follows: Prince Rebel, Prince Diablo Tour mid, Yonex 002 Tour, Babolat Pure Storm Tour +, Babolat Pure Control Team. I have had arm issues with the Rebel and the Yonex, and looking back I should have never switched away from the Babolat frames, which I only did because I wasn't crazy about the plus length storm tour after a while. Lastly, I must add that I play full poly and have been forced to do so for durability the last few years. I have been going back and forth between Red Code and Weisscannon Matchpower.

Reviews:

Both the Pure Storm Tour GT and Pure Drive Roddick GT are standard length frames; the PST is strung with Matchpower at 57lbs and the PDR was strung with Red Code also at 57lbs. The PST was played stock while I had a small amount of lead on the PDR at 10 and 2. I hit with both frames on a ball machine for an hour, hit a basket of serves, then played a set with each frame afterwards against a strong serve and volley player.

Pure Storm Tour GT Std. -

I was very excited to try this racquet; having played this line of frames (PST and Pure Control) I felt right at home easing back into the frame. Took a slight adjustment as I remembered the feel of the woofer grommets, but I got things dialed in pretty quickly working with the ball machine. The weight felt spot on at right about 12oz strung and the balance felt good at right about 8pts head light.

I felt a great blend of power and control off the ground that I can only describe as the "Babolat Feel"; anyone that has played with and enjoyed a Babolat frame will know what I mean! Switching from the 95 sq in Rebel I noticed an increased sweetspot and good pop coming out of the racquet. The 16 main string pattern also gives me more access to spin which I love, but the frame still has a tendency to want to hit a pretty flat ball.

Serves - what can I say? It is a Babolat so it feels great! Awesome power, and I feel that the PST blends great control and accuracy on the serve at the same time. The only thing I felt it lacked on the serve was easy access to spin; I noticed that my second serve kick was lacking some of the nice "jump" that I like to get on it and I ended up getting burned on some that just sat up in my opponents strike zone.

At the net this frame really impressed me with some great feel and control on volleys. Babolat racquets are not known to be the best at the net, so my expectations were fairly low. I was able to control and easily redirect hard groundstrokes towards the open court.

Pure Drive Roddick GT Std. -

I had the previous misconception that the Pure Drive line of racquets wasn't geared towards my level of play; I see so many 12-14 girls hitting with these frames which forced them to the back of my mind as a possible stick. After reading raves of the Roddick version I checked out the spec's and thought I would give it a shot, and let me tell you I am so glad that I did.

I have never hit such a heavy ball from the baseline with a frame. My semi-western forward really shined as I could flatten out and pound a forehand in the corner or roll a heavy nadal-esque topspin kicking shot up high to my opponents backhand. I loved having this variety! The extra access to spin came in handy on my backhand slice which was highlighted as a great way to take off pace and give my opponent a different look at each shot. Lastly I feel that this frame had a sweetspot much bigger than the small extra 2 sq in over the PST would imply; I was hard pressed to shank a ball at any point while playing with it.

Serves - Wow. And I though the PST had some pop.. oh my. I had heard the rumors about this behemoth, and it met every expectation. I have been clocked hitting serves up at 125 mph, and I could have sworn I was nailing them around 130 with awesome consistency. The few first serves I missed I followed up with an awesome kick that gave my opponent extra trouble. I am still smiling thinking about some of the serves I hit :)

Like the PST, the PDR impressed me at the net. Maybe not quite as maneuverable as the PST but it made up for it in feel and having the large sweetspot helped deal with some great stabs at tough passing shot attempts. Overheads were right on par with serves.. sooo niceee.

Conclusion:

And the winner is... the Pure Drive Roddick GT. For me ( and I emphasize the me part ) this frame fits my game style right on; a serving monster with great power and control off the ground strung up with full poly. This is not to take away from the Storm Tour GT which is also a great frame that in my opinion offers a little more control and accuracy and easier to move around at the net. If I had not played the PDR I would probably be placing an order for the Storm Tour right now; it is a close second place.

For me the PDR GT is perfect; I may play with putting a little more lead at 10 and 2, but other than that I like it stock. I was also expecting the tension to be too low to tame the power of this frame, but I was nicely surprised with the combination of power and control that the full poly at 57lbs gave me. Most importantly; no arm pain! Woohoo!

I am going to keep playing with this frame throughout the week but I am fairly convinced this is the one; I will provide updates for any of those interested. If anyone wants me to compare either frame to something else, please let me know. I have tried most every players frame on the market the last few years and have played with a fair amount of frames in recent years as my list near the start of the post shows.

Any questions/comments are welcome and appreciated!
 
T

TennisandMusic

Guest
Good review, and I agree both racquets are solid. I just switched from the PDR to the Storm Tour GT, and the PDRGT is great as well. I could see anyone going for either, I think the new GT stuff is great so far.

About your arm problems, did you ever think to try something besides Red Code (besides match power)? Ouch man, that stuff is harsh.
 

dadozen

Hall of Fame
I'm kinda interested on testing a PDR GT. Does this racquet feel heavy to swing? I was too a PControl Team user, and, although I loved how that racquet played, the 335g strung weight gave me arm problems.

Plus, the PD GT's look awesome! Maybe me first collector's item?;)

Great review!
 

amx13

Semi-Pro
Great review man!, thanks a lot. I wonder how would you compare the stiffness feel of the 2 frames. Im currently demoing the Pure Storm Tour GT. I put a full multifilament string-job on it first but I didnt like at all. I will try it out with full poly today. I guess if the 2 of them are close enough I could try out the PDR also.
I've always likes the specs of the PDR, except for the stiffness, thats the only reason I havent try it out yet, so it would be great to know how can they compare to each other.
 

JackB1

G.O.A.T.
I am confused why you stayed with such a stiff racquet since you have arm issues? The Pure Storm is much less stiff than the PD. I think a better choice would have been the Prince Ozone Tour Pro!
 

amx13

Semi-Pro
I forgot to ask...why are you switching to babolat if you have arm issues? Most of the time you see people staying away of the babolats for exactly that reason. I wonder if you have tried flexier racquets (head Radicals, PK Redondos, etc)
 

ebster

New User
About your arm problems, did you ever think to try something besides Red Code (besides match power)? Ouch man, that stuff is harsh.

I am thinking about switching to a softer poly, but I love the control I can get on the slightly stiffer stringbed of these strings. Any suggestions for something inbetween say Red Code and SPPP or Cyber Blue? I don't want a too powerful poly/mushy poly in there.
 

ebster

New User
I'm kinda interested on testing a PDR GT. Does this racquet feel heavy to swing? I was too a PControl Team user, and, although I loved how that racquet played, the 335g strung weight gave me arm problems.

To me the pure storm tour gt felt heavier to swing than the PDR gt, but not by too much. The PSTGT as tested was right at 12oz and the PDRGT w/ lead was at 11.9oz, so they were pretty close. You should note that I am coming from playing months with the Rebel, which with the leather I had on in was close to 12.8oz, so both the Babolat's feel nice and easy to swing and generate some serious racquet head speed
 

ebster

New User
Great review man!, thanks a lot. I wonder how would you compare the stiffness feel of the 2 frames. Im currently demoing the Pure Storm Tour GT. I put a full multifilament string-job on it first but I didnt like at all. I will try it out with full poly today. I guess if the 2 of them are close enough I could try out the PDR also.
I've always likes the specs of the PDR, except for the stiffness, thats the only reason I havent try it out yet, so it would be great to know how can they compare to each other.

I think (personally) that both frames benefit from a full poly stringbed; whether you go with something stiff-er like Red Code or Cyberflash or something softer like Cyber Blue is up to you.

I wouldn't get too hung up on the stiffness rating of the PDR; my old Rebel has a low stiffness rating of 60 but due to the heft and tight pattern plays (in my opinion) a lot stiffer than either Babolat frame. My arm was killing me with the Rebel but I was able to hit a ton of balls on the ball machine and multiple sets afterwards pushing 3-4 hours of tennis with no pain. Everyone is different, but I think the Babolat woofer system has enough give to just soften the stringbed enough to be able to play with a slightly stiffer frame.

hope that helps!
 

ebster

New User
JackB1 and amx13 -

I appreciate your guys' concern with the stiffness of the Bab's, but I have played with them in the past and they are the only frames that really have not givin me any issues. I know the stiffness ratings would say otherwise, but like I said the woofer system seems to provide some relief and the open stringbed plays very comfortably. It is also really nice having a bigger sweetspot. To me the stiffness difference between the PST and PDR was noticeable but didn't appear to play as big a difference as their ratings would suggest.

I have tried the Head line, and I have never been crazy about their frames (or grip shape, for that matter). The other Prince frames with 03 ports (including the Ozone) gave me arm trouble worse than most racquets as I tested out their range of frames when I got the Prince Sponsorship.

It may seem weird, but the PDR actually plays comfortably with full poly, at least for me. Everyone is different and alternate gamestyles will cause different feedback from the racquets and the affects on the arm.
 

Kirko

Hall of Fame
Thanks >>>>>>>>>>

If you are just interested in the reviews, please go ahead and scroll down!

Background:

Well due to some arm issues with my current racquet (Prince EX03 Rebel) I am making the switch back to Babolat and am currently hitting with two of their new player's frames. I would appreciate and welcome anyone's own comments/questions about either frame and just preface these following reviews as my own opinion and how I feel personally about each frame; I am a strong believer of the idea that everybody's game style varies greatly and racquets and strings affect everyone differently. That said, here goes..

First, a little background on myself. I am a Div. I college tennis player with a NTRP rating of a solid 5.5. I have an aggressive all-court game and I am a solid doubles players. My major weapons are my serve and forehand, which nicely set up one another. I play a power game and look for a short ball I can place in the corners and tend to have fairly short points; not a clay court grinder by any means. My recent racquet history in order of most recent are as follows: Prince Rebel, Prince Diablo Tour mid, Yonex 002 Tour, Babolat Pure Storm Tour +, Babolat Pure Control Team. I have had arm issues with the Rebel and the Yonex, and looking back I should have never switched away from the Babolat frames, which I only did because I wasn't crazy about the plus length storm tour after a while. Lastly, I must add that I play full poly and have been forced to do so for durability the last few years. I have been going back and forth between Red Code and Weisscannon Matchpower.

Reviews:

Both the Pure Storm Tour GT and Pure Drive Roddick GT are standard length frames; the PST is strung with Matchpower at 57lbs and the PDR was strung with Red Code also at 57lbs. The PST was played stock while I had a small amount of lead on the PDR at 10 and 2. I hit with both frames on a ball machine for an hour, hit a basket of serves, then played a set with each frame afterwards against a strong serve and volley player.

Pure Storm Tour GT Std. -

I was very excited to try this racquet; having played this line of frames (PST and Pure Control) I felt right at home easing back into the frame. Took a slight adjustment as I remembered the feel of the woofer grommets, but I got things dialed in pretty quickly working with the ball machine. The weight felt spot on at right about 12oz strung and the balance felt good at right about 8pts head light.

I felt a great blend of power and control off the ground that I can only describe as the "Babolat Feel"; anyone that has played with and enjoyed a Babolat frame will know what I mean! Switching from the 95 sq in Rebel I noticed an increased sweetspot and good pop coming out of the racquet. The 16 main string pattern also gives me more access to spin which I love, but the frame still has a tendency to want to hit a pretty flat ball.

Serves - what can I say? It is a Babolat so it feels great! Awesome power, and I feel that the PST blends great control and accuracy on the serve at the same time. The only thing I felt it lacked on the serve was easy access to spin; I noticed that my second serve kick was lacking some of the nice "jump" that I like to get on it and I ended up getting burned on some that just sat up in my opponents strike zone.

At the net this frame really impressed me with some great feel and control on volleys. Babolat racquets are not known to be the best at the net, so my expectations were fairly low. I was able to control and easily redirect hard groundstrokes towards the open court.

Pure Drive Roddick GT Std. -

I had the previous misconception that the Pure Drive line of racquets wasn't geared towards my level of play; I see so many 12-14 girls hitting with these frames which forced them to the back of my mind as a possible stick. After reading raves of the Roddick version I checked out the spec's and thought I would give it a shot, and let me tell you I am so glad that I did.

I have never hit such a heavy ball from the baseline with a frame. My semi-western forward really shined as I could flatten out and pound a forehand in the corner or roll a heavy nadal-esque topspin kicking shot up high to my opponents backhand. I loved having this variety! The extra access to spin came in handy on my backhand slice which was highlighted as a great way to take off pace and give my opponent a different look at each shot. Lastly I feel that this frame had a sweetspot much bigger than the small extra 2 sq in over the PST would imply; I was hard pressed to shank a ball at any point while playing with it.

Serves - Wow. And I though the PST had some pop.. oh my. I had heard the rumors about this behemoth, and it met every expectation. I have been clocked hitting serves up at 125 mph, and I could have sworn I was nailing them around 130 with awesome consistency. The few first serves I missed I followed up with an awesome kick that gave my opponent extra trouble. I am still smiling thinking about some of the serves I hit :)

Like the PST, the PDR impressed me at the net. Maybe not quite as maneuverable as the PST but it made up for it in feel and having the large sweetspot helped deal with some great stabs at tough passing shot attempts. Overheads were right on par with serves.. sooo niceee.

Conclusion:

And the winner is... the Pure Drive Roddick GT. For me ( and I emphasize the me part ) this frame fits my game style right on; a serving monster with great power and control off the ground strung up with full poly. This is not to take away from the Storm Tour GT which is also a great frame that in my opinion offers a little more control and accuracy and easier to move around at the net. If I had not played the PDR I would probably be placing an order for the Storm Tour right now; it is a close second place.

For me the PDR GT is perfect; I may play with putting a little more lead at 10 and 2, but other than that I like it stock. I was also expecting the tension to be too low to tame the power of this frame, but I was nicely surprised with the combination of power and control that the full poly at 57lbs gave me. Most importantly; no arm pain! Woohoo!

I am going to keep playing with this frame throughout the week but I am fairly convinced this is the one; I will provide updates for any of those interested. If anyone wants me to compare either frame to something else, please let me know. I have tried most every players frame on the market the last few years and have played with a fair amount of frames in recent years as my list near the start of the post shows.

Any questions/comments are welcome and appreciated!

Great review !!!!!! I just got back hitting with my PDR weighted to 12 oz. all the lead at twelve o'clock. like you said hits a heavy ball and the spin access is as addictive !!!!!! the main reason I went with it. Power is super-abundant also ! Thanks again !!
 
T

TennisandMusic

Guest
I am thinking about switching to a softer poly, but I love the control I can get on the slightly stiffer stringbed of these strings. Any suggestions for something inbetween say Red Code and SPPP or Cyber Blue? I don't want a too powerful poly/mushy poly in there.

Pro Line II would be excellent in the PDR IMO. One of the best polys around.
 

spacecoyote

New User
Great reviews, Ebster. I was stoked to see this post, because I am demoing the PDGT and APDC. I also want to demo the PDRGT, but it's such a popular demo, I'm on the waiting list. Now, after reading your review, I will have to try the PSTGT as well.
I tried the APDC first, and from the first groundstroke I understood what all the Babolat hype is about. The combination of power and control is amazing. I was suddenly hitting these unplayable crosscourts; the racquet just seemed to have a natural draw. Same thing with the PDGT. These were the first Babs I have used, so I don't know what the PD w/o the GT felt like, but I will say that the claims of stability added by the GT must be true. This racquet felt so solid, and the access to spin was just as incredible as the APDC. Again, on normal, easy groundstrokes with my SW grip, I really felt like the shots were naturally bending to the duece side, so when I did go crosscourt, I was able to create wicked angles. Going inside out actually required a little adjustment, but was not a problem. When I wanted to rip it, I had to reel in the power with added spin - no problem. The resulting shots were as heavy as I have ever hit.
I have demoed several racquets over the past few months, and the one's that have stood out so far were the MGP, K6.1 95, and TFight320vo2. These are all somewhat heavier and lower powered than the Babs, and for a while this is what I thought I wanted. All of these racquets have great feel, stability, plow through, etc. Then the other day, I picked up my Ncode N5 110 (9.1 oz!) for the first time in several months and played great with it, especially serving. That made me realize that maybe a lighter (not as light as the N5, but not heavy either), more powerful (again, not granny stick powerful) stick would be better for my game (big serve, big forehand).
I now can say that I will be buying a Bab in the very near future. Got to give the PDRGT and PSTGT a chance to surpass the PDGT.
 

Kirko

Hall of Fame
wow theres a waiting list for the Pure Drive Roddick GT >>

also where I get my rackets strung. I demoed the PD Team for about a month and just decided to get ther Roddick version just had add a bit of tape at 12 o'clock instead of a "lead mine" worth of lead tape to get the Team to my preference.
 

amx13

Semi-Pro
I think (personally) that both frames benefit from a full poly stringbed; whether you go with something stiff-er like Red Code or Cyberflash or something softer like Cyber Blue is up to you.

I wouldn't get too hung up on the stiffness rating of the PDR; my old Rebel has a low stiffness rating of 60 but due to the heft and tight pattern plays (in my opinion) a lot stiffer than either Babolat frame. My arm was killing me with the Rebel but I was able to hit a ton of balls on the ball machine and multiple sets afterwards pushing 3-4 hours of tennis with no pain. Everyone is different, but I think the Babolat woofer system has enough give to just soften the stringbed enough to be able to play with a slightly stiffer frame.

hope that helps!

You were absolutly right! The Pure Storm Tour GT is a totally different racquet with full poly strings on. I tried it with babolat pro hurricane and it felt great, just the right amount of control and power. Also it felt softer than my old iprestige, so I guess there wont be any arm problems by using it, even with full poly.

The stiffness of the racquet really pluzzles me, it has 69 written on the plastic board it came with, then you have 63 on the TW specs, and the frame feels even softer than that. I would really like to try out the PD Roddick GT, but right now Im really happy with the PST GT.
 
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Jack & Coke

Professional
ebster,

Great review! Not because it was a positive review, but the way you structured it, shared your background, hitting experiences, and justified your conclusion.

I too have been hitting with this frame for the last 3 weeks, and have been very happy!
icon10.gif
icon14.gif


It's like working your arse off at hip deep powder using old school skinny skiis, and then using the new school fatty skiis.

My PDRGT is almost stock.. only have .25 oz (~7 grams) of lead tape at 3 & 9.

Final setup is 11 7/8 oz, 3-4 points HL.
Kevlar mains @ 55 lbs, MSV 1.10 crosses @ 60 lbs.

My previous stick [K]PS "88", was a much better fit for me on BH slice and blocking shots (BH return, BH half-volley, stab-volley). Basically any defensive shot where I had to hold out my racquet and "let it do the work".

However, my current stick PDRGT, has been a much better fit for me at serves (flat, lefty can opener, tricky bouncing american twist), booming overheads, big aggressive forehands, and crushing sitter volley's. Overall, this racquet has made the game easier and more fun.

I've been cutting the ball with aggressive pace and spin like never before with NO arm or shoulder issues whatsoever.


[rant]

There's an ongoing myth here that Babolat have cornered the market on arm problems. There are many factors that contribute to arm or shoulder injuries. Racquets are only a small part of the equation. And certainly your arm doesn't know what "brand" of stick you are swinging.

Flawed technique, poor physical conditioning (e.g. not enough rest/recovery, too much playing, over-use, inadequate warm ups, etc.), and mismatched swing styles are much heavier contributors to arm/shoulder injuries and whatever "brand" of racquet you use.

If Bab's were so bad for the arm/shoulder, they would be so ubiquitous at rec parks, tennis clubs, USTA or Grand Prix tournaments, pro tours, etc. They are everywhere..

Not saying bab's are the "best". Just sayin' they are not "evil". Babs are unfairly crapped upon on this forum. It's like BOS fans chanting Yankees suck.

[/end rant]
 

Fed Kennedy

Legend
No doubt jack and coke. I made the same skiing analogy in the pure drive player profiles thread. I remember getting a pair of volkl explosivs in like 97 it was friggin awesome! Only old dudes used them back then. Haha. Now everyone does. Even glen plake who like the biggest fat ski hater in the world. Sorry to go off topic.
 

ebster

New User
Jack and coke -

Great comments. I completely agree with your comparison; I feel a lot of people that maybe grew up with the old pro staff frames may either not be willing to or in some cases able to adjust to some of the "new age" player frame offerings from a company like Babolat. For me personally, and it sounds like some others out there, taking the time to make the switch to a 100 sq in frame (something I never thought I would end up hitting with) that is more like 5 pts HL is a "best of both worlds" situation.

I can get amazing pop on serve and groundstrokes while maintaining similar accuracy due to the nice full poly stringbed.

Tonight I am trying out the frame with two different tensions just to see where I may like to set it up; 57lbs and 62lbs. I have been hitting with the 57lbs frame and I honestly can't tell which direction I want to go with the tension; up, down or keep it where it is. I also think I am going to switch over to a poly with a little more pop and give than the Weisscannon Matchpower - anyone have any experience with head sonic pro? I have a chance to buy some up pretty cheap.

Will update when I decide on my ideal setup!
 

Fed Kennedy

Legend
ha ha jack. All the racer dudes were laughing at me at first. There was so much macho bs about using 190cm granny sticks. Stiff, long and skinny titanium laminate K2 GS RACE boards everyday until McConkey showed me the light. RIP.
Similar to tennis, now every 14 year old kid can lay down figure 11s on every formerly gnarly line at squaw, throw a 720 off the cat track and not even feel a quad burn.
Good stuff.
I hope I end up loving my pure drives half as much as I love my fats.
 

dgoran

Hall of Fame
have you hit with Aeropro ebster? You could lead that one and have it match your specs. IMHO it is a better stick overall. Little more flex and less hollow feel
 

prjacobs

Hall of Fame
Yesterday, as I posted, I tried the PDR cortex version. I had far more control than I expected, especially since I really didn't feel the ball on the racquet. Again, for me, it felt like a thick club. My serves were inaccurate. And the thickness of the beam seemed to effect both my slice and topspin one handed backhand. I liked the Dunlop 4D500 tour much better. I can only judge by how well it works for my game, and the PDR just wasn't right for me. I'm going to try the new pure drive GT. Thinner beam....
 

Jack & Coke

Professional
..And the thickness of the beam [PDRC] seemed to effect both my slice and topspin one handed backhand. I liked the Dunlop 4D500 tour much better..

4D500T = 23-25-23 mm Tapered Beam
PDRC = 22-26-23 mm Tapered Beam

:roll:

4D500T is lighter (12 g), has a lower SW (than the PDRC (325 vs 330), and is closer to even balance (2 pt HL vs 5 pt HL).

Maybe a lighter, more even balanced racquet works better for your game.. ?
 

prjacobs

Hall of Fame
4D500T = 23-25-23 mm Tapered Beam
PDRC = 22-26-23 mm Tapered Beam

:roll:

4D500T is lighter (12 g), has a lower SW (than the PDRC (325 vs 330), and is closer to even balance (2 pt HL vs 5 pt HL).

Maybe a lighter, more even balanced racquet works better for your game.. ?

Jack, the dunlop just felt better and bottom line, my game was clearly better. Most of my life I used a 12.9 0z. prince precision graphite, with a very low power rating and a thin beam. I'm going to demo the becker pro, the pure drive gt, and the volkl PB8... And play with someone who hits really hard:)
 

Power Player

Bionic Poster
Agreed. I have had babs for months now with full poly.

People see the stiffness rating and forget that the woofer system allows the racquet to be stiffer. The woofer system completely softens the stringbed and makes it much more flexible. It is just a different feel, but Babs do not cause arm problems.

When you ask someone on the board why babs cause TE, they always reference stiffness. It's hilarious.

I love thin beam flex racquets. But I also appreciate that the Babs are extremely innovative racquets with real technology in the woofer system.

I would disagree that the apdc is a super control stick though. It's not bad, but I get more control with others.
 

Brad Bartlett

New User
RPD GT with VS Gut 17 @ 55

55 Year old 4.0 Line Two or Three USTA Team Tennis Captain, going to the playoffs each year and winning State in Seniors. New GT Roddick is stiff for me, and I am having some golfers (inside) elbow problems, but the VS Gut and the 17 thickness along with PRESTRETCHED 55 has helped. I am still going to demo the Pure Storm Tour GT if only for the stiffness part. I like the beam width on the PS and I know it is in my mind, but 64 versus 73 on the stiffness has gotta help. By the way, using gut, if you prestretch the string, it is amazing how long the tension will last. I don't break strings :( but it usually goes dead or frays in the center after a month.
 

ebster

New User
Power player - great commentary. I too have historically liked thin beam precision frames; man it feels good when you line up a sweet shot with a nice head light 90 sq in racquet. That said, when I am out there slugging away and trying to return (with some good depth and pace, mind you) 125+ mph serves from foreign college tennis players that eat, sleep and breathe tennis, I would rather have nothing other than my PDR GT in my hands. I can flatten out and hit a huge forehand or sit back and add some extra spin that kicks up to an opponents backhand. The more I hit with this frame the more I get addicted to it and its extreme versatility!


Anyways, I tested out the two identical frames with Matchpower in them, one at 57lbs and the other at 62lbs. I love the one at 62!! Still great pop but I can really go for my nice long fast strokes without having the ball fly on me. Initially when I had tested the frame at 57 it still felt good but it took the comparison of the alternate tensions to show me that I had to subconsciously shorten my strokes to fit the lower tensioned frame. 62 feels pretty much right on; still pounding groundstrokes and serves, but with full strokes and some more control. Man I love this frame!

Lastly I am switching from Matchpower back to Pro Supex Big Ace; a string that I have felt plays amazing in Babolat frames. I just ordered the 1.28 diameter which will give me some decent life (hopefully) and with my partial sponsorship the price is right. The plan is to string it up with the big ace at 63 lbs and adjust from there; reel should be here Monday or Tuesday.
 

dgoran

Hall of Fame
Hi ebster you never responded if you tried Aeropro Drive. It's like pure drive but less power and more flex, more comfort IMHO. Also if you go with big ace you will probably have to bump up the tension to 65 but I am sure you know that.

Also when comparing PD with Aeropro I get more feel with aeropro than PD and its variants.

Try Aeropro Drive if you have not in many ways its like improved Pure Drive. Weight and balance is not an issue as you can easily replicate with lead and silicone what ever weight and ballance you need.
 

amx13

Semi-Pro
Hey dgoran, sounds like you have played with oth the APD and the PDR...One of the main complains I´ve read about the APD is on the service, wich is also the strongest parts of playing the PDR. I wonder how would you compare them.

Ive tried the APD (havent tried the PDR still), but Im kind of intrigued about the PDR GT. The APD was a nice frame IMO, but I never could dial in with my service game and I decided to traded it up. Right now Im playing with the Pure Storm Tour GT, and I think I got the "best of both worlds" so to speak. This frame is great fo serving, you can get really nice spin on grounstrokes (not as much as APD, but still nice) and its very comfortable. Im still not sure about trying out the PDR GT, since Im having such a great time with the Storm GT.
 

ebster

New User
dgoran -

Sorry I didn't respond to your inquiry before. I have tried the APDC and although I liked it, for whatever reason it felt a little less solid all around than both the PDR and the PST. Also, because there is no "roddick version" for the APDC is what a little harder to tell how well I would like it leaded up just above 12oz. I know I could add lead and mess around but I would personally rather go with something that plays how I like it pretty much stock.

amx13 -

I loved the PST GT a lot till I tried the PDR GT.. now I still like it but I think the PDR GT beats it in serves, spin potential (groundstrokes and serves) and a little bit bigger sweetspot, imo. Both are great frames by all means but I would encourage you to at least give the PDR GT a hit (something I was very hesitant to do) and see how you like it.. I am sure glad I did :)

String update -

Still waiting on the big ace, but after hitting again today I am seeing that my tension is going to need to be up around 65 (good call dgoran!). I have a random set up pro hurricane tour that I am gonna put in (broke a string) to hit with the next day or so till my big ace reel arrives.
 

dgoran

Hall of Fame
I found Big ace too powerful in APD (and PD is even more powerful). Big ace is almost synt gut like and I had to string syn gut at 70 in my apdc's. My guess is that you will have to go western on both ends or you will not be able to swing out. Big Ace was ok but it was definitely more suited for my (now ex, lol) Pure Storm Tour, in it it shined as it would increase power of that stick just the right amount.

amx13:
I played APD(c) and PST for almost a year and my sole purpose was to compare long term those two and I demoed PDRGT and I now own PDGT and am currently testing just to see if there is anything better than APDC.

Stock for Stock PST was better than APDC on serves for me as is any flexible racket as I serve much better with flexi rackets for some reason, but in terms of power. in terms of variety APDC wins hands down as slices kickers spin serves were all worse with PST. Also I found that I miss more of my serves since too often with PST I go for broke while variety of APD serves makes me think more which one is better serve for the moment, maybe also because PST options for me were limites as kickers (one of my fav. serve) were not jumping as kigh as often.

Now to answer your question APD can serve bombs but you have to modify it for your liking. For me Ideal specs of apdc are 335 gr about 13in balance. That translated to 5gr of lead at 12 oclock (2 5in strips) and 1 overgrip on the handle (5-6gr). This of course varies according to the weight of your strings+dampner but you get an idea. Try some lead at 12 and you will be shocked by the difference of even small amounts of lead.

If I were you start with maybe 3 5in strips or maybe even smaller amounts of lead (6 3in strips) so you can take it off gradually to see what works for you.

Aeropro Drive is a little more head light than Pure Drive so maybe you did not like that in combination with relatively low swing weight. Adding lead at the top the balance is more even thus higher sw while still maintaining low static weight so you can really whip it.
 

amx13

Semi-Pro
You are right dgoran, Im regreting having traded my APDC without having modified with some lead. Did you feel it any less comfortable with the lead tape on? I felt that the frame was a bit to stiff in stock for, contrary to the comfortable feel of the PST GT.

Right now Im not really sure what to do. The PST GT feels great, but I still would like to get a new APDC and modified it with lead, and I would also would like to try out the PDR GT before setting on the PST and getting a couple more.
 

Kcraig

Professional
Great review and intersting comparison--got my attention. So much, that I plan on testing these 2 very sticks tonight. I just recently picked up a PSTGT after an extensive 10+stick demo period (those demos did NOT include the PDRGT). I really like the control/heavy ball of the PSTGT, but am just not getting the rippin winners I sometimes like to hit on the fh side. This may be due to the sometimes sluggish weight. Don't get me wrong, the PSTGT is a great stick and I have a nasty heavy ball with it, but when I go to really flatten it out, something is just missing:confused:

The PSTGT weighs in at 349g (OG/dampner)
The PDRGT comes in at 341g (OG/dampner)

We shall see how it goes and I'll report back:)
 

Power Player

Bionic Poster
Figured I'd bump this since I just demoed both racquets.

Loved them both. Amazing racquets. At first I wanted the PDRGT, but after hitting with the PSTGT for a while I was sold. I had to slightly regroove my forehand, which took a few days, but once you spend a few hours with the racquet you get it. I honestly got at least 90% of the power as with the PDR. It rewards prep and footwork just like the PDR. The feel is just far better to me, and touch shots, especially lobs and down the line slices are much easier. Also, I can keep the poly tension between 48-56#s like I prefer. I need 55 and up in the Roddick.

These are easily 2 of the best racquets out there if you have been playing a while. The PSGT hits real heavy with full poly.
 

Ross K

Legend
in terms of power. in terms of variety APDC wins hands down as slices kickers spin serves were all worse with PST. Also I found that I miss more of my serves since too often with PST I go for broke while variety of APD serves makes me think more which one is better serve for the moment, maybe also because PST options for me were limites as kickers (one of my fav. serve) were not jumping as kigh as often.

Now to answer your question APD can serve bombs but you have to modify it for your liking. For me Ideal specs of apdc are 335 gr about 13in balance. That translated to 5gr of lead at 12 oclock (2 5in strips) and 1 overgrip on the handle (5-6gr). This of course varies according to the weight of your strings+dampner but you get an idea. Try some lead at 12 and you will be shocked by the difference of even small amounts of lead.

If I were you start with maybe 3 5in strips or maybe even smaller amounts of lead (6 3in strips) so you can take it off gradually to see what works for you.

Aeropro Drive is a little more head light than Pure Drive so maybe you did not like that in combination with relatively low swing weight. Adding lead at the top the balance is more even thus higher sw while still maintaining low static weight so you can really whip it.

X 2!... Agree with main points here about APD/PST/serve, and agree about leading up APD @ 12 - I've just gone back to a few grams at the top of the hoop to give it a bit more hurt, and to assist the, er, 'whip factor'.:)

These are all great frames, it's a qsn really of which one suits you best... hard though to decide, I know that for sure.:wink:
 

Bud

Bionic Poster
Figured I'd bump this since I just demoed both racquets.

Loved them both. Amazing racquets. At first I wanted the PDRGT, but after hitting with the PSTGT for a while I was sold. I had to slightly regroove my forehand, which took a few days, but once you spend a few hours with the racquet you get it. I honestly got at least 90% of the power as with the PDR. It rewards prep and footwork just like the PDR. The feel is just far better to me, and touch shots, especially lobs and down the line slices are much easier. Also, I can keep the poly tension between 48-56#s like I prefer. I need 55 and up in the Roddick.

These are easily 2 of the best racquets out there if you have been playing a while. The PSGT hits real heavy with full poly.

They are so different in terms of feel. The PS is nice and plush, the Roddick more harsh but solid as well. If you feel some twinges in your elbow, go back to the PST.
 
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Bartelby

Bionic Poster
My apd is 327 strung so that's 312 unstrung, so has anyone else had what I consider this good fortune?

Not surprisingly, I've had less success with lead although 3 & 9 was the best trial.
 
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