TW just posted their RAVING review of the 16x19:
Balance: 4 pts HL
Swingweight: 323
Stiffness: 67
Wow, very surprising from TW on the "super" positive review. The project one 7 was pretty mediocre to me and not very powerful. Maybe Babolat changed something.
Got a 90 score!!
Looking forward to read the review for the PS100
Both are quite attractive
What kind of ridiculous rating! 94 on groundstrokes. That makes me just want to buy it straight up without demoing lol. I hope it lives up to the hype cuz I've never seen a racquet drastically improve that much from a previous iteration that was not well-liked at all.
The scores on this racquet review are freaking OUT OF CONTROL.
Can someone find a racquet review that has this kind of rating that is not Federer's racquets?
guys ... it is entirely possible that this is a perfectly decent frame.
"AMGF: Maybe Thiem will switch to the new frame in the off season. But right now it seems clear he's still on the old pure strike. Not surprising as I don't believe pros make huge change like that mid-season.
What will most likely happen is Thiem will continue to use the same frame unless he can find something that feels so much better that it overrides the psychological doubt/angst of changing - some pros are incredibly sensitive to flex and other variations; I remember my Yonex rep back in the day telling me how they sent Hewitt over fifty of the same frame but with minute flex differences (kinda like the tiny variations in 'kick point' available to the elite on golf club shafts) inviting him to pick the one he liked best so that they could replicate it for him consistently; yes Yonex QC is THAT good, especially with world #1's. What will happen eventually is Thiem's 'old' frame will be altered - where it doesn't count dynamically, such as bumper strip and covered up x-siders - to enable it to be passed off as a new model. Or, as per the addition of the cap system on the retail 'version' lol of Murray's Radicals, the consumer version will be brought into line with the pro's model. We dance on...
In the TW play test video Michelle (man I love watching her and Andy blast and dance respectively; the others - meh) claims she altered the 'NEW' 16x19 Strike to her specs. Given that in bald terms that means taking a 305 gram racquet to the 340 grams of the RF97A, that's some impressive customization. Like the equivalent of 70 inches or nearly six feet of 1/2 inch lead tape, +/- silicon or whatever - I'd like to see a thread on that alone ; reminds me of that thread about wrist bands vs. no wrist bands. MAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH!!
Check your eyes.
I don't care what Dominic is using in sense of me trying to be like him I care about lies that Babolat is spreading and trying to deceive us one more time.
Check your eyes.
I don't care what Dominic is using in sense of me trying to be like him I care about lies that Babolat is spreading and trying to deceive us one more time.
No. Two words: weight distribution.New Pure Strike 98 (16*19) specs looks identical to the current one:
Unstrung Weight: 10.8oz / 305g
Unstrung Balance: 32cm / 7 pts HL
wouldn't that mean same swing weight? unless there were changes to Beam width? any info on that?
1. Could be both.Now that Babolat is making a new version of a line that was going nowhere fast and it is getting great reviews. But that makes me wonder:
1-Was the original Pure Strike really bad or people just didn't care because no top player was "endorsing" it?
2-Did Thiem had any word to say in the new version or are they just using his recent successes to promote the new frame?
3-If Thiem had any word, is he gonna change to this new frame first chance he gets or is he sticking to the original 18x20?
The 18x20 could play rather differently and fsi could be done in a different way (dense string pattern in the sweet spot to bring the power and spin down) so we should wait for it to be released to make conclusions. In first iteration it's by no means a pure drive clone, I have one and it's a different beast.Having read the rest of the TW review, particularly where they conjecture that the new model is between the old model and the Pure Drive, I think it's extremely unlikely Thiem would switch to the (appropriate18x20) new model (obviously suitably modified/weighted etc). If it is more towards the tweener end of things and more user friendly than previously, that would presumably be the last thing he needs.
In the TW play test video Michelle (man I love watching her and Andy blast and dance respectively; the others - meh) claims she altered the 'NEW' 16x19 Strike to her specs. Given that in bald terms that means taking a 305 gram racquet to the 340 grams of the RF97A, that's some impressive customization. Like the equivalent of 70 inches or nearly six feet of 1/2 inch lead tape, +/- silicon or whatever - I'd like to see a thread on that alone ; reminds me of that thread about wrist bands vs. no wrist bands. MAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH!!
Someone knows the launch date in Europe?
Lol @ the Wilson shade.Man I'm seriously tempted to order one of these. The playtester comments have totally whetted my appetite.
And kudos to Babolat for the sane pricing. They could have thrown in a letter from Thiem and some rubber paint and added 30% to the RRP lol
The babolat leather grip on my pd felt perfect, I added some more lead to my preferred balance and met my first rotator cuff tear - follow through on my forehand messed up... That was weird. So I'm aware of messing with the hl balance, too many years with leaded hh pd I suppose. High racquet head speed on stock ps 18x20 is making really heavy ballIDK. I have to say, I have loved the original 18x20 with leather grips and an overgrip. Looking forward to trying the new version of the 18x20, just bummed to have to wait until February.
Don't really want to get into yet another discussion about what rackets the pros do and don't play with. But the older the pro, imo, the less likely they are to be playing with a current frame. And yes, they all get truly matched frames and customize (don't most of us customize). The fact that Thiem and Bouchard play with nearly stock frames that they customize supports my belief. I suspect PS 97 Auto is at least close to what Fed plays with. But I also know that everyone here has strong opinions and I will not be changing them...
tennissavvy and others,
We really did like the racquet! Hannah and Jason are contemplating switching (both have a racquet at their desk) and Chris keeps going back to the racquet in his hitting sessions. Several of the other playtesters who were not on the review really enjoyed hitting with the racquet as well. And believe me, if we don't like something even from a popular brand, we will let you know (check out the Nike Ultrafly review).
And if you have any questions, please ask! We would love to answer any!
Thanks,
Brittany, TW
for me, tw reviews have been most reliable one out there.
I'll be waiting for upcoming new speed pro and blades.
i noticed Michelle crushes the ball, by the way. my guess is she was a pro, possibly world class, no?Ditto, i took the plunge and ordered a pair of the new pure strikes. They were spot on about the pure aero vs. It's a shame, i really wanted to like the racket but I just couldn't serve well with it.
Man I'm seriously tempted to order one of these. The playtester comments have totally whetted my appetite.
And kudos to Babolat for the sane pricing. They could have thrown in a letter from Thiem and some rubber paint and added 30% to the RRP lol
I have a question, I loved the review and all the positive comments on the racquet, but the one thing that concerned me was Michelle's comments on losing control and having the ball fly on her at times. This is very important to me as there's nothing I hate more than shots that sail on me. So my question is, did she feel it was more of a technique thing or did the racquet feel conducive to losing control and how did she feel overall about the control overall in a little more detailed way?tennissavvy and others,
We really did like the racquet! Hannah and Jason are contemplating switching (both have a racquet at their desk) and Chris keeps going back to the racquet in his hitting sessions. Several of the other playtesters who were not on the review really enjoyed hitting with the racquet as well. And believe me, if we don't like something even from a popular brand, we will let you know (check out the Nike Ultrafly review).
And if you have any questions, please ask! We would love to answer any!
Thanks,
Brittany, TW
She said why.I have a question, I loved the review and all the positive comments on the racquet, but the one thing that concerned me was Michelle's comments on losing control and having the ball fly on her at times. This is very important to me as there's nothing I hate more than shots that sail on me. So my question is, did she feel it was more of a technique thing or did the racquet feel conducive to losing control and how did she feel overall about the control overall in a little more detailed way?
I asked him about it. This is what he saidI'd like to hear Andy's thoughts on this frame. He plays with the DR 98 if I'm not mistaken and the review mentions this frame is similar to it.
I believe you, but where exactly? I have ADD and missed it.She said why.
I asked him about it. This is what he said
"I liked it, but I'm still sticking to my DR 98. This update provides more power and a more solid feel compared to the version it replaces, but I didn't feel like it gave me the same level of control and feel that the Yonex racquets do. But, that is just my personal opinion! As you can tell from the review, our playtesters that got to hit with it a little more extensively LOVED the racquet, and since they have more experience with it than I do I'd trust their opinions more than my own Andy, TW"
Now I'm interested in what modifications Jason, Hannah, Chris would make to their pure strikes. I don't think 11.3oz racquet would really work for them. I know Jason in the review said he would add to 3 and 9.
If I were to get this racquet, this is probably what I would do.IMO, all it needs is a leather grip to move the balance point down a bit.
does he talk about extended version ?TW just posted this video. In it, Chris talks about the new Pure Strike 16x19, 100, and Team versions.
Don't forget the "more control" version, 18x20 is not out til spring.
It's all about marketing strategy. Forinstance, people are more likely to buy the 18x20 version as well as the 16x19 if they are released seperatly in time. The economoists at Babolat know what they are doingWhy does it take so long to shell out the same frame with more holes in the hoop?
Check my post history I posted already that he is using old versionAnyone got any close up pics of Thiem's racket at the US Open? I'm I retested to see if he's still using the old one with X-sider or whether he's switched to the new strike
Lol actually it's not very wild at all. Besides, I don't imagine michelle actually added 40g to the racquet. Probably just had some weight added to the handle and boosted the swing weight up above 330.In the TW play test video Michelle (man I love watching her and Andy blast and dance respectively; the others - meh) claims she altered the 'NEW' 16x19 Strike to her specs. Given that in bald terms that means taking a 305 gram racquet to the 340 grams of the RF97A, that's some impressive customization. Like the equivalent of 70 inches or nearly six feet of 1/2 inch lead tape, +/- silicon or whatever - I'd like to see a thread on that alone ; reminds me of that thread about wrist bands vs. no wrist bands. MAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH!!
Holy Cow, a 90?! I'm telling you, they must have completely tweaked it quite a bit from the Project One 7.
LOL so, I have to tell you, that's their job. That's what they're paid for. That's how TW makes money.Man I'm seriously tempted to order one of these. The playtester comments have totally whetted my appetite.