Any 5.0 Players Switch From Players Frame to Babolat and Get Even Better?

[Anton]

Skin feel plus OG? Skin feel feels good because it's thin and quite grippy. Why not try Syntec Feel? It's a little thicker than Skin Feel and alleviates the need of the OG,

But exacerbates the need to replace the grip itself.

 

[asifallasleep]

My APD Plus has a 348 strung swingweight, I added 4 grams at 12 extra to get around 360.
Added some silicone to the handle to adjust balance and for maximum comfort. I can't remember stick weight, not too fussed about that as long as I'm happy with swingweight and balance.
Just weighed it, static weight is 344g.

thanks

 

[asifallasleep]

Specs for my APD were 345/327/338 with a little bit of weight at 12 and the handle.

thanks

 

[Shaolin]

Gonna hold off on adding silicone or blue tac in the handle until i'm sure i'm switching. As of now added Wilson leather grip and two overgrips to take me to 11.9oz and 8pts hl.

I think the French Open color scheme is just amazing.

Props for using the GOAT dampener

I have the pandas in my black C-10 pros strung with black cyclone.

 

[asifallasleep]

Arming the ball with tweeners only gets you so far....Light or not, stamina is still required to maintain RHS to keep the ball within the lines . Yea I play with my RF every now and then, love the racquet.

You were right. Against better players i'm not sure the Bab frames are that much easier. My RF97 and H19's are more maneuverable because of their thinner beams and HL balance, even though they both have higher static and swing weights. At least for me the biggest dividends with the Bab Pure Aero has been the serve and the volleys.

I actually feel I have to work harder on my groundstrokes to get my racquet back because I'm not used to a 100 head and also because the beam, especially in the head is soooooo thick. I imagine I'll get used to it.

I cannot ignore how easy it is to serve bombs with the Bab considering how important the serve is in today's game.

And volleys are great too btw. How can anyone miss with this thing?

I've modded my H19 to my RF97 specs and will be battling the Bab against the H19 this week to see which stick will emerge the winner.

 

[donnayblack99]

Hit with a Pure Drive and a Pure Aero today and was just floored as to how easy it is to absolutely crush the ball with 1/3 of the effort required with my H19 and friends RF97. You can just blow the ball away like nothing. Seems like an insane advantage to use these frames. I know this is old news, but I was like, wow.

Have any 5.0 players ditched their player frames and never looked back after seeing huge advantages and improvements after changing to Babolat?

I'm not crazy about the feel of the Babolat's compared to my H19 and RF97, but the Pure Aero with Hyper G actually felt a wee bit plush. Pure Drive was too stiff for my liking.

I played with the Pire Aero Plus for a year and blew my shoulder out. Had to wait 6 months before I could play again. I’m back to my trusty Volkl C10s. Babolat almost permanently put me out of the game. The power was nice but I prefer the control and comfort of a true player’s frame.

 

[Power Player]

You were right. Against better players i'm not sure the Bab frames are that much easier. My RF97 and H19's are more maneuverable because of their thinner beams and HL balance, even though they both have higher static and swing weights. At least for me the biggest dividends with the Bab Pure Aero has been the serve and the volleys.

I actually feel I have to work harder on my groundstrokes to get my racquet back because I'm not used to a 100 head and also because the beam, especially in the head is soooooo thick. I imagine I'll get used to it.

I cannot ignore how easy it is to serve bombs with the Bab considering how important the serve is in today's game.

And volleys are great too btw. How can anyone miss with this thing?

I've modded my H19 to my RF97 specs and will be battling the Bab against the H19 this week to see which stick will emerge the winner.

It takes a while to decide honestly. It's not like one week and you will know. Really the only way to do it right is to commit to using the new frames for 60 days or so. They are such different frames. H19 is better for flatter hitting, unless you have the stamina of a pro, and the Bab is best for SW grips and spin hitting. So switching between both can really be bad. Have to ask yourself what style of play is better for you? For me, the SW, spin game keeps me making less errors, so I choose that.

 

[Attila_the_gorilla]

You really want your racket to have the most amount of power that you can still control. Whether the power comes from swingweight, string choice and tension, string pattern, head size, racket stiffness, usually a combination of these.
Your defensive blocks and slices should go deep with just a compact, gentle swing.

This means that your faster swinging groundstrokes absolutely need to be controlled with topspin, even if you play with very low net clearance.

 

[KaiserW]

You really want your racket to have the most amount of power that you can still control. Whether the power comes from swingweight, string choice and tension, string pattern, head size, racket stiffness, usually a combination of these.
Your defensive blocks and slices should go deep with just a compact, gentle swing.

This means that your faster swinging groundstrokes absolutely need to be controlled with topspin, even if you play with very low net clearance.

This is a great point. The higher level player you are the easier that becomes. I have been recently switching between 4 racquets and that is not doing my game any good.

Pure Drive Tour - great stick I just have trouble controlling it sometimes.
6.1 95S - great spin and control just a little lack of plow thru even leaded up
Pro Staff Classic 4.2 - special place in my heart. Just don't play as well with it as my RF 97.
RF 97 - after all my back and forth with racquets recently I have realized it has the best balance of power and control. It has plenty of power on tap but also great control.

 

[asifallasleep]

You really want your racket to have the most amount of power that you can still control. Whether the power comes from swingweight, string choice and tension, string pattern, head size, racket stiffness, usually a combination of these.
Your defensive blocks and slices should go deep with just a compact, gentle swing.

This means that your faster swinging groundstrokes absolutely need to be controlled with topspin, even if you play with very low net clearance.

The Pure Aero is the most powerful frame I've ever hit with and I have no issues with control stringing it at 45lbs 18g Cyclone. If I can adjust to the headsize and feel i'll be switching. Serving is just sooooo easy it's insane.

 

[asifallasleep]

It takes a while to decide honestly. It's not like one week and you will know. Really the only way to do it right is to commit to using the new frames for 60 days or so. They are such different frames. H19 is better for flatter hitting, unless you have the stamina of a pro, and the Bab is best for SW grips and spin hitting. So switching between both can really be bad. Have to ask yourself what style of play is better for you? For me, the SW, spin game keeps me making less errors, so I choose that.

I think I'll give the Pure Aero a go because serving is just so easy compared to my H19. My serve was lacking with my RF97 and the H19 due to their weight.

 

[haqq777]

I think I'll give the Pure Aero a go because serving is just so easy compared to my H19. My serve was lacking with my RF97 and the H19 due to their weight.

Are you playing PA stock?

 

[asifallasleep]

Are you playing PA stock?

I went back to stock as it seems to work best for me. Only change was adding a Bab Skin Feel Grip.

 

[Sardines]

I always play with an overgrip. I just go with it because it feels good in hand and that is what I am used to. If you click on link above and scroll a little towards the top, I explained that Syntec is thicker and having played with Leather + OG for over a decade, I like a little more defined bevels for feel. That is where Skin Feel + OG come in.

My apologies. I was referring to Syntec Pro, which is 1.9mm. The Skin Feel is 1.55mm and an overgrip is usually 0.4mm.

But exacerbates the need to replace the grip itself.

A replacement grip is pretty much as easy as replacing an overgrip in my experience and it lasts longer than 3-5 overgrips, saving several regripping efforts. For me, it's a lot of time saved. I suppose like the grip choice, it's "to each their own poison"! haha

 

[TennisCJC]

I am old man 4.0 but played higher when younger.

Why don't you 5.0 players look at Volkl 8 or Volkl V1 Pro or Yonex Ezone DR 98. all have a bit thicker beam like the Babs and all have vibration dampener built into the handles stock. A v1 pro customized to about 335-340 SW and 6 HL plays like a Wilson 6.1 95 on steroids. Yonex dr98 has good power stock and with a touch of lead in the head could be a monster.

All of these are very comfortable and the handle systems kill vibrations - very muted feel.

The volkl 8 is 16x18 which I isn't my preference but v1 pro and dr98 are 16x19 which is very good.

 

[beltsman]

I am old man 4.0 but played higher when younger.

Why don't you 5.0 players look at Volkl 8 or Volkl V1 Pro or Yonex Ezone DR 98. all have a bit thicker beam like the Babs and all have vibration dampener built into the handles stock. A v1 pro customized to about 335-340 SW and 6 HL plays like a Wilson 6.1 95 on steroids. Yonex dr98 has good power stock and with a touch of lead in the head could be a monster.

All of these are very comfortable and the handle systems kill vibrations - very muted feel.

The volkl 8 is 16x18 which I isn't my preference but v1 pro and dr98 are 16x19 which is very good.

The 16x18 is dense though. Definitely not open.

 

[bkr]

For me DR98 type of frames won't allow one to hit bigger and heaver shots espcially one is slowing down with age.Pure Aero Plus type of frames allows one to play still at high level with less energy as they allow bigger serves i.e free points and knowing you have the power at your disposal to unload quickly wihtout running all over to build the point.

I have been a prostaff and Wlson 6.1 user and I've always liked these kind of stiffer frames and these frames have this edge and I know that in a match situations when I have a ball to rip there is going to be a high chance to win the point either a heavy ball ( RF97) or faster ball ( lighter stiffer frames Babolat type).

As I get older I seem to prefer lighter frames with swing weights above 330 to hit a heaver serve or heaver ball.In fact I went back to my really old Head Liquidmetal 4 ( 335 SW ) custoimized from RF97 for two weeks and won all the practice matches easier compared to RF97.These racquets are easier to play and wait for decent ball to pounce to finish points quicker.

The big negative is to learn to hold back with these frames as one doesn't need full swings to hit a deep shot.

During some of the practice matches I couldn't trust the Head LM4 ( almost tempted to go back to RF97) as balls were flying compared to RF97 but I was also hitting bigger shots with less effort esp serve being big edge with the longer racquet.

It seems so far results have been good but with a different type of points played vs player type of frames but good thing is level is still good as results are showing with less running which is needed as I get older.

The big test for any frame for me is to test the frame under match conditions within ones muscle memory so far results have been promising with lighter ,longer and high SW frames for my game.

just my two cents

 

[TennisCJC]

yea, do you want tweener power or do you want to be able to swing out and not have to worry about it going out. That's why I like the v1 pro as it is between a players frame and a true tweener IMO. V8 might be another option.

 

[Sardines]

I am old man 4.0 but played higher when younger.

Why don't you 5.0 players look at Volkl 8 or Volkl V1 Pro or Yonex Ezone DR 98. all have a bit thicker beam like the Babs and all have vibration dampener built into the handles stock. A v1 pro customized to about 335-340 SW and 6 HL plays like a Wilson 6.1 95 on steroids. Yonex dr98 has good power stock and with a touch of lead in the head could be a monster.

All of these are very comfortable and the handle systems kill vibrations - very muted feel.

The volkl 8 is 16x18 which I isn't my preference but v1 pro and dr98 are 16x19 which is very good.

For open 16x19 racquets in Yonex, the SV98+ is probably the closest to a PDTP, but with "player" characteristics. Hey I'd love to be able to play well with a PDT+ or PDP, I just don't have to like the feel I get from the ball and also for me, will take me too long to adjust my game and I'm too old to revamp my game too much. The reflex touch volleys are too difficult to finesse as I've grown too accustomed to the heavy frames and using the mass from them to slow the ball.

 

[Gee]

The big negative is to learn to hold back with these frames as one doesn't need full swings to hit a deep shot.

First it seems an improvement as you win more but this is destructive for your game in the long run.
Earlier I played with a widebodies frame that gave me more forgiveness and free power but after the honeymoon period I was playing worse. I didn't hit through enough anymore because I didn't dare to hit full swings and I also lost feel into my strokes.

 

[Pete Player]

Intresting insight, frightened to play the winning game.

Why try to hold back, if the opposite is, what you’re looking for with the new frame?
——————————
On pain meds - all contributed matter and anti-matter subject to disclaimer

 

[Gee]

Intresting insight, frightened to play the winning game.

Why try to hold back, if the opposite is, what you’re looking for with the new frame?
——————————
On pain meds - all contributed matter and anti-matter subject to disclaimer

A frame that gives me confidence in hitting through but one that is still forgiven enough for the modern game.
At the moment I play with the Angell TC97 18x20 12pts HL and 300 SW. Terrific control with enough serve power.
I also tried the TC100 for a few months. Though my serve speed cranked up considerably I also lost a bit of confidence due to less precision control and maneuverability. I think it has a lot to do with the kind of playing style you have. I used to play on artiifcial grass courts with a lot of slice (backhands) and a rather flat forehand with a little topspin. Heavy topspin strokes don't really work on that surface.

However I can imagine that you can control a power frame like a Pure Drive easier if you are a player with heavy topspin strokes. I demoed once that frame but I really disliked it. No feel with volleys at all.

 

[asifallasleep]

Well I've decided that the Bab's are not for me. I may sell them, give them to my wife (she rarely if ever plays, lol) or keep them for when guests need a frame.

The serve is bonkers and the volleys are pretty awesome too with the Bab, but there's something exhilarating, connected, therapeutic, natural, instinctive, and rewarding about playing with a heavy thinner beamed player's frame. I guess it's in my DNA from all the decades of playing with them.

I have to work a bit more on my serves with the H19, but even errors kinda feel good with it. It's similar to the feeling I get when I dust off my PS85 and the joy of playing tennis is just happening for me.

When I play with these things I feel like art is happening!!

 

[Phantasm]

Well I've decided that the Bab's are not for me. I may sell them, give them to my wife (she rarely if ever plays, lol) or keep them for when guests need a frame.

The serve is bonkers and the volleys are pretty awesome too with the Bab, but there's something exhilarating, connected, therapeutic, natural, instinctive, and rewarding about playing with a heavy thinner beamed player's frame. I guess it's in my DNA from all the decades of playing with them.

I have to work a bit more on my serves with the H19, but even errors kinda feel good with it. It's similar to the feeling I get when I dust off my PS85 and the joy of playing tennis is just happening for me.

When I play with these things I feel like art is happening!!

thanks for documenting your experience! I'm going through a similar process with my H22s vs DR98. I've been sticking with my DR98s lately for the extra power and pop. Been picking up my conditioning again the past few weeks so I'm starting to move better/generate more RHS and really trying to figure out the racket choice/spec to stick with.

 

[asifallasleep]

thanks for documenting your experience! I'm going through a similar process with my H22s vs DR98. I've been sticking with my DR98s lately for the extra power and pop. Been picking up my conditioning again the past few weeks so I'm starting to move better/generate more RHS and really trying to figure out the racket choice/spec to stick with.

I'm realizing that unless a different frame is making a undeniably HUGE improvement in my game, that the frame that "feels" best is the one to go with. I think that's the attribute that determines more than anything what one sticks with in the end. There is no perfect frame, and feel may be the determining factor for most.

Your H22 vs the DR98 is apples and oranges. I'm biased, and I'd say stick with the H22. It's a real racquet!!

The DR98 just like the Bab feels like a toy when compared to the heavier player frames.

 

[Phantasm]

I'm realizing that unless a different frame is making a undeniably HUGE improvement in my game, that the frame that "feels" best is the one to go with. I think that's the attribute that determines more than anything what one sticks with in the end. There is no perfect frame, and feel may be the determining factor for most.

Your H22 vs the DR98 is apples and oranges. I'm biased, and I'd say stick with the H22. It's a real racquet!!

The DR98 just like the Bab feels like a toy when compared to the heavier player frames.

Agreed. They are drastically different rackets. DR98 is my go to "easymode" racket or for playing doubles where the points are short.

Before the H22s or the DR98s, the pt630s were my go to for precision and accuracy when I'm playing someone that I can't just overpower. Albeit, my level is only 4.0 so quite a level under from what you play. The PTs just started feeling unruly at time which is why I got some more modern rackets but I kept the 630s in the bag whenever I need them.

Unfortunately, not spending as much time on courts lately as I'd like since its cold out and gets dark early, so no chances to practice and mess with the H22s specs. Spending more time in the gym and shaving off the holiday flabs.

 

[tennisBIEST]

Well I've decided that the Bab's are not for me. I may sell them, give them to my wife (she rarely if ever plays, lol) or keep them for when guests need a frame.

The serve is bonkers and the volleys are pretty awesome too with the Bab, but there's something exhilarating, connected, therapeutic, natural, instinctive, and rewarding about playing with a heavy thinner beamed player's frame. I guess it's in my DNA from all the decades of playing with them.

I have to work a bit more on my serves with the H19, but even errors kinda feel good with it. It's similar to the feeling I get when I dust off my PS85 and the joy of playing tennis is just happening for me.

When I play with these things I feel like art is happening!!

Demo the Phantoms!

 

[el__zopilote]

Demo the Phantoms!

I second that.

 

[mscream]

If you remember, I took your recommendation early this year. Couldn't agree more. Was looking for that happy medium which I got with Skinfeel + OG on my APD. Leather is way too harsh on Babs for me.

https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/pure-drive.583367/page-3#post-11122733

Gamma Hi-Tech is great choice as well, firm like Skin feel but thicker (1.9 mm) so much less of an impact on grip size. Same thickness as Syntec Pro but much less squishy, should be a great replacement.

 

[asifallasleep]

thanks for documenting your experience! I'm going through a similar process with my H22s vs DR98. I've been sticking with my DR98s lately for the extra power and pop. Been picking up my conditioning again the past few weeks so I'm starting to move better/generate more RHS and really trying to figure out the racket choice/spec to stick with.

How long have you had your H22's?

 

[Deleted member 54265]

Perhaps the Prince TT95 or TT100P could be a good match for you.

The prince textreme tour 95 is a great players frame but still have a modern feeling, here is a review from draculie.

The TT100P is a great frame too, good review with some good hitting, he does not seem to lack power. In his French chanal he also reviewed the Pure Strike project one, but found it to be to powerful:

 

[Deleted member 54265]

I play both frames TT95 and TT100P but inspired by this thread, I just got hold of a couple of used Pure Drives 2015 to see what all the fuss is about.

 

[asifallasleep]

Perhaps the Prince TT95 or TT100P could be a good match for you.

The prince textreme tour 95 is a great players frame but still have a modern feeling, here is a review from draculie.

The TT100P is a great frame too, good review with some good hitting, he does not seem to lack power. In his French chanal he also reviewed the Pure Strike project one, but found it to be to powerful:

I used the TT95 for a brief moment. Great frame. I think I'm going to stick with my H19's as I seem to have found the proper setup now. Those lovely Bab's have all been sold.

 

[Phantasm]

How long have you had your H22's?

Just over 2 weeks? I saw them for very cheap on the auction site and got them for myself for Xmas.

Edit: I see that you've officially decided to move on from your Pure Aeros. Some lucky people will get some nice looking frames!

 

[Deleted member 54265]

I used the TT95 for a brief moment. Great frame. I think I'm going to stick with my H19's as I seem to have found the proper setup now. Those lovely Bab's have all been sold.

Hmmm sound interesting with that H19, where can you get hold of them ?

I just got two very used and very cheap Pure Drives, but I to my supprice it was the Pure Drive Team 2015 versions, anyone knows how they compare to the normal PD. Perhaps I can lead them up. Any suggestions will be apriciated.

Cheers T

 

[asifallasleep]

Just over 2 weeks? I saw them for very cheap on the auction site and got them for myself for Xmas.

Edit: I see that you've officially decided to move on from your Pure Aeros. Some lucky people will get some nice looking frames!

Wow that's an amazing steal. All 3 sold in two days!!! Gone.

 

[asifallasleep]

Hmmm sound interesting with that H19, where can you get hold of them ?

I just got two very used and very cheap Pure Drives, but I to my supprice it was the Pure Drive Team 2015 versions, anyone knows how they compare to the normal PD. Perhaps I can lead them up. Any suggestions will be apriciated.

Cheers T

Oh very rare and insanely hard to find. I got lucky.

 

[Pete Player]

Hmmm sound interesting with that H19, where can you get hold of them ?

I just got two very used and very cheap Pure Drives, but I to my supprice it was the Pure Drive Team 2015 versions, anyone knows how they compare to the normal PD. Perhaps I can lead them up. Any suggestions will be apriciated.

Cheers T

The paint job looks at least same as 2015 tour on these.

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Babolat_Pure_Drive_Team/descpageRCBAB-PDT.html

And the descriptions on Tennis-warehouse has been really informative and accurate in general.
——————————
On pain meds - all contributed matter and anti-matter subject to disclaimer

 

[ushynoti]

Hit with a Pure Drive and a Pure Aero today and was just floored as to how easy it is to absolutely crush the ball with 1/3 of the effort required with my H19 and friends RF97. You can just blow the ball away like nothing. Seems like an insane advantage to use these frames. I know this is old news, but I was like, wow.

Have any 5.0 players ditched their player frames and never looked back after seeing huge advantages and improvements after changing to Babolat?

I'm not crazy about the feel of the Babolat's compared to my H19 and RF97, but the Pure Aero with Hyper G actually felt a wee bit plush. Pure Drive was too stiff for my liking.

Honeymoon period, that's all I have to say. As a Prostaff 85/90 and Prince Graphite 90 user, I crossed over to Babolat Pure Aero then Pure Drive for about 3 months solid, and they were awesome for a while but I realized I was launching balls I never launched before but you kind of overlook that in the beginning because you get so much power from these frames and it's amazing at the start how you can just kill the ball....then the honeymoon ends and now I'm back to the Prostaff 85/90s. SO much better....you lose some power but the control you get is well worth it.

 

[Phantasm]

Wow that's an amazing steal. All 3 sold in two days!!! Gone.

yup got 2 for the price of just a bit more than 1 new retail racket. I couldn't not pull the trigger as a racket enthusiast.

Still not able to get time to play with them. Went out to hit with a ball machine and now comes the rain =/

Grats on the Quick sell!

 

[bkfinch]

I salvaged a 1st gen Aeropro Drive non cortex today and had a short hit with it including some serves.

I felt like a savage. It doesn't crush the ball... it grinds it to pieces... I could get under tough low balls with less effort and deliver some nasty spin and depth. OHBH surprisingly great and really great in manipulating the angle of the spin. Serves super easy. Maybe it stays in the bag...

I think the low twistweight of the original is essential to what makes it so good. It looks bulky but it cuts through the air very easily.

Feel of course is garbage... pretty hollow outside the sweetspot but it's a generous sweetspot IMO

 

[stingstang]

I've tried switching several times. The Head Extreme Pro 2.0 was the closest I got to a permanent swap, they played pretty nice but I still didn't feel totally in control, esp serving and flatter groundies. I've settled back to the 6.1 95 with thin poly at low tension. They are brutally powerful when you want but you don't feel scared of spraying random shots all the time.

 

[DukeLit]

Can this thread be a support group? I played national juniors back in the mid-90s and have never really gelled with many modern racquets. But I'm coming back from a back injury and my beloved Prestiges are just a bit too demanding out there. I might try out the new Pure Drive Tour Plus as something more user-friendly and powerful as I work my way back into match fitness.

 

[RetroSpin]

The real question for a decent, ie 5.0, player is what kind of string setup he wants to use. If the answer is gut or a gut hybrid, then he's probably better off with a more traditional frame. If he wants to go full poly, then that is basically what Babolats were designed for. Use the right tool for the job.

 

[grover]

I'm a 53 year old 5.0 doubles only player who used a Boris Becker 11 with full gut until this time last year. I was mired in a two year slump and couldn't hold serve. Out of desperation I demoed the Pure Aero and it changed my tennis life overnight. I now own two of these matched at 11.9 ounces and 5 points headlight. String is important and after a little experimentation I found with the open string pattern 16 gage multi strung at 58 pounds added stability to the racket. For me tennis is all about winning and this racket gives me the best chance to win.

 

[gutfeeling]

I salvaged a 1st gen Aeropro Drive non cortex today and had a short hit with it including some serves.

I felt like a savage. It doesn't crush the ball... it grinds it to pieces... I could get under tough low balls with less effort and deliver some nasty spin and depth. OHBH surprisingly great and really great in manipulating the angle of the spin. Serves super easy. Maybe it stays in the bag...

I think the low twistweight of the original is essential to what makes it so good. It looks bulky but it cuts through the air very easily.

Feel of course is garbage... pretty hollow outside the sweetspot but it's a generous sweetspot IMO

I play the same frame, the plus version, and I 100% agree. Gut helps with the feel but the extra power is not necessary. I use full soft poly (currently yonex poly tour pro 1.20) and a dampener and the feel is better. Low twist weight helps with spin in my opinion, but requires racquet head speed, otherwise the racquet is prone to twisting on off center hits. Mine weigh 330 grams all in yet feel very stable.

 

[bkfinch]

I play the same frame, the plus version, and I 100% agree. Gut helps with the feel but the extra power is not necessary. I use full soft poly (currently yonex poly tour pro 1.20) and a dampener and the feel is better. Low twist weight helps with spin in my opinion, but requires racquet head speed, otherwise the racquet is prone to twisting on off center hits. Mine weigh 330 grams all in yet feel very stable.

Since I enjoy kevlar/poly on my other racket I restrung this with kevlar/poly. Kevlar is way more comfortable than people give it credit and it reduces vibration which helps with/mutes the 'Babolat feel' problem. I also added some weight at 12 and under the grip, I think I am in the mid-high 330s for weight, maybe 340 with overgrip, I have to check it again.
Tonight I had some consistency and overpowering issues but overall a really amazing frame. I think if I up the tension it will be more successful. I don't think I ever hit so many backhand winners in one night. It is also the first 100" racquet I used which feels good on the one hander, I am sure because of the low twistweight. Nothing my opponent gave me intimidated me if I could get the racket on it. Actually, I started to get more erratic as I became too relaxed with how much power and spin was available. If I can get used to the racket enough to reduce the consistency issues it could be a very tempting switch. Serves should be illegal with 100".

 

[Topspin Shot]

Hit with a Pure Drive and a Pure Aero today and was just floored as to how easy it is to absolutely crush the ball with 1/3 of the effort required with my H19 and friends RF97. You can just blow the ball away like nothing. Seems like an insane advantage to use these frames. I know this is old news, but I was like, wow.

Have any 5.0 players ditched their player frames and never looked back after seeing huge advantages and improvements after changing to Babolat?

I'm not crazy about the feel of the Babolat's compared to my H19 and RF97, but the Pure Aero with Hyper G actually felt a wee bit plush. Pure Drive was too stiff for my liking.

Update: I switched to a Babolat. I'm young enough and have good enough technique that it doesn't hurt my arm. And the sweetspot is huge, so I can play with more confidence.

 

[jmacdaununder2]

Well I've decided that the Bab's are not for me. I may sell them, give them to my wife (she rarely if ever plays, lol) or keep them for when guests need a frame.

The serve is bonkers and the volleys are pretty awesome too with the Bab, but there's something exhilarating, connected, therapeutic, natural, instinctive, and rewarding about playing with a heavy thinner beamed player's frame. I guess it's in my DNA from all the decades of playing with them.

I have to work a bit more on my serves with the H19, but even errors kinda feel good with it. It's similar to the feeling I get when I dust off my PS85 and the joy of playing tennis is just happening for me.

When I play with these things I feel like art is happening!!

I'm realizing that unless a different frame is making a undeniably HUGE improvement in my game, that the frame that "feels" best is the one to go with. I think that's the attribute that determines more than anything what one sticks with in the end. There is no perfect frame, and feel may be the determining factor for most.

Your H22 vs the DR98 is apples and oranges. I'm biased, and I'd say stick with the H22. It's a real racquet!!

The DR98 just like the Bab feels like a toy when compared to the heavier player frames.

Update: I switched to a Babolat. I'm young enough and have good enough technique that it doesn't hurt my arm. And the sweetspot is huge, so I can play with more confidence.

It's not about being good enough to use them; it's being bad enough to use them... Sorry, just messin' around; personally though I only find a 'bigger' sweet spot/head size is useful on a rough surface - like less than mint grass or clay - or on the net in higher level dubs to get something on reflex volleys when it's hard to maintain perfect technique.

 

[Attila_the_gorilla]

For me the extra power and spin was attractive, so I use them every now and then. My Babolats (APD Plus and PD Plus) don't actually have a larger sweetspot than my 95 in frames, which I like, cos they swing a bit faster than expected. Especially the APD Plus, what a spin monster that is.

 

[Topspin Shot]

It's not about being good enough to use them; it's being bad enough to use them... Sorry, just messin' around; personally though I only find a 'bigger' sweet spot/head size is useful on a rough surface - like less than mint grass or clay - or on the net in higher level dubs to get something on reflex volleys when it's hard to maintain perfect technique.

When my opponent is blasting 120 mph serves or ripping heavy topspin forehands a big sweetspot helps. Even Fed needed a bigger sweetspot.