Tried the Dunlop SX 3oo, but at my own specs, and have my 2021 pure drive at those specs as well. So fair comparison.
The Dunlop is a fantastic racket, and it's really a shame that many aren't going to demo this, namely either because they don't know it exists or, perhaps even more to the point, because it's a Dunlop.
That being said, I came away from the session distinctly preffering my Pure Drive. This is more down to personal preferences though.
I was excited by two things with the racket, the denser stringbed in the sweetspot and the 64 stiffness rating.
The denser stringbed around the sweetspot did give a tad more directional control but I found with my more direct through the court striking, the Dunlop SX 300 stringbed was a bit erratic. I get a lot of control actually with the pure drive when hitting big, because of my swing, just enough spin to bring the ball in yet driving the ball through the court. I can consistently hit it deep with a lot of pressure and pace. With the Dunlop, I was making some laughable errors, the kind I'm supposed to be making according to common logic with a boom stick. Sometimes it was shooting off direct through the court, and other times it was shooting up in the air. At one point I almost hit the court on the other side of the fence when striking inside the court. This is not specific to this racket though, as I have the same problem with the Aero line. As well as the Yonex Vcore line (minus the 95, obviously). I think if you play a really heavy, loopy high topspin game, the Dunlop SX 300 is a must try. You won't have the problems I've had with it here.
Next, the 64 stiffness rating. I could actually feel the racket bending at impact, whereas the pure drive feels more solid. Back to back, I prefer the solid feel of the Pure Drive. That's a surprise to me because arguably my favourite racket I've ever used is the Yonex Vcore Duel G 97, which has a similar stiffness rating. For some reason, I counted the stiffness as a con for me with this Dunlop.
With that out the way though, the rest of the experience with the racket was great. And I agree with Tennis Nerd that the Dunlop SX 300 is arguably a better racket than the Pure Aero and the Head Extreme, its main competitors.
It is very muted and 'plastic like', but I don't find this to be a con. Its not like the terrible Wilson CV tech. I quite liked how this racket feels. Nice big sweetspot as well.
Thing is, this racket is what it looked like it was going to be on paper, and I should never have been recommended this racket. My issues with it are that it doesn't suit my style, thats all. As a racket, it's top class. And it's peaked my interest to try the FX 500, at my specs again of course.
Out of all the rackets I've ever personally tried, I would place this racket somewhere within the Yonex Vcore 98 and the yellow and white gen 2 Aero Pro range. It has qualities of both of those. Not as much power as the Pure Aero, head extreme, or pure drive, but with control similar to the Vcore 98, but with a more forgiving sweetspot and slightly more pop.
At this point, I'm now more keen to try the FX 500 than give this another go. I'd try it sooner rather than later if I can find a willing buyer for the SX 300, as I found enough out from one session to know this racket isnt for my style.
