Babolat creates perfect racquet for offensive players - Pure Strike 100

[Roddickulous]

I finally got my hands on the Pure Strike 100. For reference here are the stock stats matched up against what I normally play with, as well as the customized stats of how I found the racquet to play best with my game:

(All static and swingweights are according to a Prince Tuning Center)
Pure Strike 100 (Stock):
Head Size - 100
Weight (strung) - 309g (RPM Blast 16 @25kg)
Swingweight - 313
String Pattern - 16x19

My Racquet (2013 Aero Pro Drive Plus):
Head Size - 100
Weight (strung) - 372g (RPM Dual 16 @25kg)
Swingweight - 370
String Pattern - 16x19

Customized Pure Strike 100:
Head Size - 100
Weight (strung) - 341
Swingweight - 351 (RPM Blast 16 @25kg)
String Pattern - 16x19

Notes on stock Pure Strike 100:
Excellent stability. I have now hit all of the pure strikes and they all have superb precision and control. I feel like I can place the ball anywhere in the court. It is easier for lesser opponents to hit through and dictate points. Much lower powered a la an IG Radical Pro, IG Prestige S or EXO3 Tour 16x18. Ball lands shorter in the court in comparison to my Aero (obviously). Placement of serve and volleys is much better in comparison to my Aero.

Notes on custom Pure Strike 100:
Added weight at 3:00 & 9:00 really amps up the plowthrough and power. I still have all of the control of the stock racquet. The racquet isn't quite the easy power of my Aero Pro Drive Plus but I can flatten out more shots and play more aggressive (something I am trying to do). At a 370 swingweight this racquet feels dead and too unresponsive, at 350 swingweight I feel like I'm right at home (oddly enough). Serves are still more precision than power but I can go for bigger serves more easily.


I'm not exactly sure if I'm going to switch to the Pure Strike 100 but I'm certainly going to be hogging this demo quite a bit. If they had made a Pure Strike 100 Plus this would be a great stick. Very easy to customize. I would probably put a leather grip on this racquet and drill out some of the foam in the handle and replace it with silicone. I certainly felt that at 340g I could play with more control and about 90% of the power I had with my current racquet of choice, so not needing that extra ounce is very odd.

Would love to hear more thoughts from others!

 

[Babolat Official]

I finally got my hands on the Pure Strike 100. For reference here are the stock stats matched up against what I normally play with, as well as the customized stats of how I found the racquet to play best with my game:

(All static and swingweights are according to a Prince Tuning Center)
Pure Strike 100 (Stock):
Head Size - 100
Weight (strung) - 309g (RPM Blast 16 @25kg)
Swingweight - 313
String Pattern - 16x19

My Racquet (2013 Aero Pro Drive Plus):
Head Size - 100
Weight (strung) - 372g (RPM Dual 16 @25kg)
Swingweight - 370
String Pattern - 16x19

Customized Pure Strike 100:
Head Size - 100
Weight (strung) - 341
Swingweight - 351 (RPM Blast 16 @25kg)
String Pattern - 16x19

Notes on stock Pure Strike 100:
Excellent stability. I have now hit all of the pure strikes and they all have superb precision and control. I feel like I can place the ball anywhere in the court. It is easier for lesser opponents to hit through and dictate points. Much lower powered a la an IG Radical Pro, IG Prestige S or EXO3 Tour 16x18. Ball lands shorter in the court in comparison to my Aero (obviously). Placement of serve and volleys is much better in comparison to my Aero.

Notes on custom Pure Strike 100:
Added weight at 3:00 & 9:00 really amps up the plowthrough and power. I still have all of the control of the stock racquet. The racquet isn't quite the easy power of my Aero Pro Drive Plus but I can flatten out more shots and play more aggressive (something I am trying to do). At a 370 swingweight this racquet feels dead and too unresponsive, at 350 swingweight I feel like I'm right at home (oddly enough). Serves are still more precision than power but I can go for bigger serves more easily.


I'm not exactly sure if I'm going to switch to the Pure Strike 100 but I'm certainly going to be hogging this demo quite a bit. If they had made a Pure Strike 100 Plus this would be a great stick. Very easy to customize. I would probably put a leather grip on this racquet and drill out some of the foam in the handle and replace it with silicone. I certainly felt that at 340g I could play with more control and about 90% of the power I had with my current racquet of choice, so not needing that extra ounce is very odd.

Would love to hear more thoughts from others!

Great feedback. I'm having my Strike 100 matched to my stock 2013 APD. It will be interesting to compare our experiences.

 

[g4driver]

Thanks for the post and comments after you customized it. I think these frames look so much nicer in person than in the photos. The photos really don't show how nice these frames look IMO. I hit with an 18x20 Pure Strike, but I like more open patterns.

Hope the customized 100 PS has the power level approaching a stock Pure Drive. The 65 flex is most appealing from Babolat.

Looking forward to demoing this frame soon.

 

[cmendez79]

I finally got my hands on the Pure Strike 100. For reference here are the stock stats matched up against what I normally play with, as well as the customized stats of how I found the racquet to play best with my game:

(All static and swingweights are according to a Prince Tuning Center)
Pure Strike 100 (Stock):
Head Size - 100
Weight (strung) - 309g (RPM Blast 16 @25kg)
Swingweight - 313
String Pattern - 16x19

My Racquet (2013 Aero Pro Drive Plus):
Head Size - 100
Weight (strung) - 372g (RPM Dual 16 @25kg)
Swingweight - 370
String Pattern - 16x19

Customized Pure Strike 100:
Head Size - 100
Weight (strung) - 341
Swingweight - 351 (RPM Blast 16 @25kg)
String Pattern - 16x19

Notes on stock Pure Strike 100:
Excellent stability. I have now hit all of the pure strikes and they all have superb precision and control. I feel like I can place the ball anywhere in the court. It is easier for lesser opponents to hit through and dictate points. Much lower powered a la an IG Radical Pro, IG Prestige S or EXO3 Tour 16x18. Ball lands shorter in the court in comparison to my Aero (obviously). Placement of serve and volleys is much better in comparison to my Aero.

Notes on custom Pure Strike 100:
Added weight at 3:00 & 9:00 really amps up the plowthrough and power. I still have all of the control of the stock racquet. The racquet isn't quite the easy power of my Aero Pro Drive Plus but I can flatten out more shots and play more aggressive (something I am trying to do). At a 370 swingweight this racquet feels dead and too unresponsive, at 350 swingweight I feel like I'm right at home (oddly enough). Serves are still more precision than power but I can go for bigger serves more easily.


I'm not exactly sure if I'm going to switch to the Pure Strike 100 but I'm certainly going to be hogging this demo quite a bit. If they had made a Pure Strike 100 Plus this would be a great stick. Very easy to customize. I would probably put a leather grip on this racquet and drill out some of the foam in the handle and replace it with silicone. I certainly felt that at 340g I could play with more control and about 90% of the power I had with my current racquet of choice, so not needing that extra ounce is very odd.

Would love to hear more thoughts from others!

This is exactly I want to do when I get my hands in the Strikes 100.

What is the balance in your stock form of the strike?

 

[RalphJ]

Excellent stuff. I've hit with them before but just recently added lead to mine (I started a thread on my mods). I think the PS100 is lower powered compared to the APR but it's supposed to be a flexy, more control frame. And that's just how it plays, especially compared to my uncontrollable Blade 16x19. Very arm friendly.

 

[KYHacker]

Well, Tsonga tried this....

 

[KluddKalle]

I wonder if this could be the racquet that I'm looking for...

I'm currently playing with the stock PD 2012, made the switch this fall from playing with Pure Storm for a few years. Been playing matches with the PD since September and have actually won a lot of matches with it.

How ever, it don't feel like I get the most out of my tennis with the PD, my one handed backhand doesn't feel as solid anymore. I particularly miss the precision from my pure storms. But I really like the free power I get. So what I'm looking for, preferably a babolat, is a racquet that gives me both the precision and power. And that is easy to swing (switched because of wrist problems).

I know it's really subjective but do you think the strike 100 modified could be it?

 

[MixedMaster]

I've been playing with the Strike 100 for about a year now and have grown to love it. The first month or so was a little sketchy, but I agree with Riddickolous that it is a stick that can be very easily customized.
I play with weight at 3 and 9 with some weight in the handle. It tool me a while to figure all of this out, but once I did it became one of the most comfortable sticks I've ever hit with. The control is tremendous and the power is enough that I can put shots away when needed. I find that I get great spin on my ground strokes and serve. Volley's are good.
I've let numerous younger players (most players are younger than me it seems) hit with my sticks and they really like it. A few have even switched. I'm having a great time with mine. Oh, I hit with gut/poly string set-up.

 

[RalphJ]

I'm still trying to come to terms with it, but I can't seem to get the weight just right. I've tail weighted the butt by about .25 oz and one 6" 1/4" strip of lead on each side 3 and 9. It hits good spin on serves, but not as much power as my Blade, which I normally pull out when I start missing shots with the PS. My backhand is great with it. My forehand is horrible with it. Its not a racquet that you can just pick up and start playing with. It takes a lot of adjustment to figure out the right stroke to make it work. I haven't decided if the racquet is designed for a flat or topsping forehand.

Talking about color schemes, I don't know what racquet companies have against flourescent colors. I guarantee you that hardly anyone would buy the Strike if it was as ugly as the Wison Burns, or the Juice. If the newer racquets would use some flourescent, they would sell like crazy, even if they played badly. On that note, if the Strikes were a little friendlier, they would be on ever court in America, especially Juniors.

 

[Bogdan_TT]

Please compare with RF97. Also, what is your stroke style? Thanks.

 

[Fuji]

I know two different open level players using this frame bare stock and are winning tournaments with it. I'm not a fan but obviously it works.

-Fuji

 

[RalphJ]

Please compare with RF97. Also, what is your stroke style? Thanks.

There is no comparison to the RF97. The RF is too heavy compared to the PS100. The RF head is too wide IMO, but the RF hits better on shots at 3 and 9ish. Balls hit at 3, 9, and 12 completely die on the PS100. When you hit the sweet spot, though, it makes all the mishits worth it.

My swing style would be close to Ivan Lendl or Fed, but I use more of a closed grip on my one handed backhand. I'm a little shorter, so I hit a semi western on most forehands since I hit these high a lot. I play a lot of doubles and S&V.

Right now the tail-weighted Blade 98 16x19 is head and shoulders better for my game than both of these racquets, even though the PS100 looks and feels attractive.

 

[mhkeuns]

Please compare with RF97. Also, what is your stroke style? Thanks.

RF 97 compares more with the Pure Strike Tour. They both have massive plow through. The RF 97 hits better spin balls and the Pure Strike Tour is better for the flatter *****. They both are awesome sticks.

 

[RalphJ]

I would think the PST would be more tunable than the RF, since it's lighter (even though it feels just as heavy).

 

[KluddKalle]

Ok, so I'm taking the plunge and getting a PS100 in the next few days. Tried it for a few hours, and even though I liked it I felt that I need more time with it. I'm switching to it from a pure drive 2012 and before that I played with a pure storm gt. The PS100 feels like it has the potential of combining what I like about both of my previous racquets.

I'm quite certain that I will customise it with weight and maybe a leather grip. Anyone here that has played some more with it that can give any suggestions? (Besides what is already mentioned here).

Also if anyone have any string recommendations please share your experience. I'm my PD I use a hybrid between savage and sensation at 25kg. In my storms the same but at 22-23kg.

 

[DJTaurus]

Any string recommendations for the PureStrikeTour 100?...Its low powered, control oriented so I am thinking to strung it at 22kg with RPM Blast 1.25.

 

[KluddKalle]

Any string recommendations for the PureStrikeTour 100?...Its low powered, control oriented so I am thinking to strung it at 22kg with RPM Blast 1.25.

Thanks! Have tried it with a hybrid between Head hawk and syn gut at 23kg and currently Blast 17 and syn guy at 23kg. Liking it a lot better with blast but hawk was really comfortable.

I think I probably will go down, maybe even to 21kg.

I've switched from the Pure drive to this and I find that the launch angle is much lower. This becomes especially apparent when I switch between the two during practice. So I can't decide if I should make the switch permanently or not. But it's a really comfortable racquet in comparison to the PD.

 

[Boogslice]

I'm late to the party but also just settled on the Pure Strike 100. Too light in stock form, all it needed for me was 5 grams at about 10 and 12 and 5 near the top of the handle. Not much - it still feels really whippy at about 10.6 unstrung (which is just about my sweet zone weight) but the difference in stability and power is incredible. Never considered weight customization before this and am amazed how much of a difference just a little bit makes. I'm going to play around with it a little bit longer and suspect I'll add just a tad more weight, possibly at 12 and counterbalance under the cap.

Incredible racquet with the new specs! For context, I was trying to recreate the balance/weight of my old Prince Tour 100T ESP, which was too wild for me and way too open of a string pattern (was breaking all the time). And yes I agree about the PS100 being low-powered...the weight helps, as would lower tension. Now with my pure strike I have what is essentially a solid control racquet with room to add power and plenty of potential for spin (though not like my ESP).

Anyway just wanted to add my two cents since many of these threads (including the ones that go into detail about weight customization) were very helpful to me in making my decision.

 

[JohnBPittsburgh]

Welcome to the forum! I loved my Pure Strike 100, but I ended up selling it. I had some good times with it. I threw in a hybrid, and loved it. Pictures don't do it justice, they look sweet in person.

 

[snafu]

So I'm coming from the Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 95 and after returning to the game from a long break, have decided to get a modern racquet. Last night I played doubles with the Babolat Pure Control Tour and I was amazed at how much I liked the racquet. My only complaint is that I could probably use a touch more power, but the racquet in stock form is already close enough to my preferred specs that I wouldn't want to add weight to it. Is the Pure Strike a good option to try if I'm wanting a touch more power but still maintain that feel/control? I see there is a tour version that is heavier, but it might be too heavy? I also come from a 16x18 string pattern so maybe the 16x19 Pure Strike with a little lead added, if needed? I play primarily doubles, self rated 4.0 due to 19 year break from the game, attacking style player.

 

[dgoran]

I would not classify pure strike tour as modern offering from babolat...(not to be confused with new offering) if you want modern go with aeropro drive or pure drive especially if you want more power and don't be shy to add weight to them as they are pretty much platforms to make it your own but platforms that play good on stock form as well...

 

[snafu]

I would not classify pure strike tour as modern offering from babolat...(not to be confused with new offering) if you want modern go with aeropro drive or pure drive especially if you want more power and don't be shy to add weight to them as they are pretty much platforms to make it your own but platforms that play good on stock form as well...

I used the term "modern" as in a current frame in production, unlike my beloved Pro Staff 6.0 95. So I see how my post is confusing, but what I liked about the PCT is that it is a modern (my definition) racquet with a classic feel. Hope that makes sense.

 

[dgoran]

I got you I call those newer racquets as in in production or latest in offering but Pct = pure control tour I thought you are we talking about pure strike

 

[maxpotapov]

Yeah, to me Pure Storm/Control is like a boxed beam version of Pure Strike. And while Strikes are easier to play with and maybe more arm friendly, I prefer Storm/Control for classic feel and controlled power with super easy access to spin

 

[SpinToWin]

Yeah, to me Pure Storm/Control is like a boxed beam version of Pure Strike. And while Strikes are easier to play with and maybe more arm friendly, I prefer Storm/Control for classic feel and controlled power with super easy access to spin

Funny, I find the Controls to lack feel, likely because of the woofer grommets.

 

[Turbo-87]

I have to say that the Strike line has the best paintjob of any racquet out there.

 

[maxpotapov]

Funny, I find the Controls to lack feel, likely because of the woofer grommets.

They may lack feel compared to some other boxed beam racquets, but they still have that "classic" feel compared to hollow modern frames.
By the way, Pure Strike does not feel hollow at all, and is more springy than Pure Storm/Control.

 

[SpinToWin]

They may lack feel compared to some other boxed beam racquets, but they still have that "classic" feel compared to hollow modern frames.
By the way, Pure Strike does not feel hollow at all, and is more springy than Pure Storm/Control.

I found the Strikes to feel… Mushy? I can't really explain it, it's weird.

 

[maxpotapov]

I found the Strikes to feel… Mushy? I can't really explain it, it's weird.

I don't know, maybe strings?..
Mine was strung with Volkl Cyclone Tour 18, felt great for the modern racquet

 

[bajadrifter]

I demoed (from TW) a Pure Strike 98 16x18 and was super impressed with it. So much that I bought two of them. For me, it is a good blend of old school feel and the stiffer, new style frames. The Strike 98 is 1/2oz. heavier than the 100. Swingweight is 320 for the 98 and 304 for the 100.

I think it often hard to distinguish between the characteristic of a frame and string/tension. That confusion may contribute to the differing opinions of a racquet (duh..).

 

[Babolat Official]

I demoed (from TW) a Pure Strike 98 16x18 and was super impressed with it. So much that I bought two of them. For me, it is a good blend of old school feel and the stiffer, new style frames. The Strike 98 is 1/2oz. heavier than the 100. Swingweight is 320 for the 98 and 304 for the 100.

I think it often hard to distinguish between the characteristic of a frame and string/tension. That confusion may contribute to the differing opinions of a racquet (duh..).

I recently tried out a heavily customized Pure Strike 16 x 19. It had a swingweight of 355 with quite a bit of lead added on. Strung with VS Touch Black and RPM Blast mains, and man could that thing hit a mean ball. The gut/poly hybrid gave me great spin. I'll have to tinker with it more, especially since the swingweight was a higher than my sweet zone, but the feel when I struck the ball, even on defense, was excellent.

I have to say that the Strike line has the best paintjob of any racquet out there.

The fluoro red with matte black has made me fall in love with this racket before even hitting. I love the look of it.