Babolat or Yonex?

M

MortenSuren

New User
Hi.

Been playing tennis for about a year now. Been playing with a Babolat boost D(drive), 105sq.inch head. I have established a decent stroke, and now feel there is to much power in the racket for me. Looking for more control, but still have som free power in the serve etc.

I have narrowed it down to Pure Strike 100 16/19 or the Yonex ezone 100, after hours of reviews. I dont have a shop where i live, so i can't demo rackets(Norway).

What do you guys suggest? Are these good options for me?

Ask if you need some more info about anything. Hard to say what level i am on, maybe around 3.0. Played golf for years, and consider myself a fast learner.

-Morten
 
C

cortado

Semi-Pro
I started playing tennis 18 months ago with a 97 inch Yonex. Seems to have enough power but not too much. Yonex Vcore Pro 97 might be worth looking at.
 
Roquestil

Roquestil

Rookie
As a blind recommendation between those two. Yonex Ezone 100. Really balanced. Pure Strike 100 might be a little more control.

But you can't go wrong with either.
Note: Yonex Ezone 100 should definitely be easier to sell if you don't like it.
 
kailash

kailash

Professional
MortenSuren said:
Hi.

Been playing tennis for about a year now. Been playing with a Babolat boost D(drive), 105sq.inch head. I have established a decent stroke, and now feel there is to much power in the racket for me. Looking for more control, but still have som free power in the serve etc.

I have narrowed it down to Pure Strike 100 16/19 or the Yonex ezone 100, after hours of reviews. I dont have a shop where i live, so i can't demo rackets(Norway).

What do you guys suggest? Are these good options for me?

Ask if you need some more info about anything. Hard to say what level i am on, maybe around 3.0. Played golf for years, and consider myself a fast learner.

-Morten
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Yes, both of those are good racquets. You cannot go wrong with either of those.

For more control, better go with Pure Strike 98 (18x20) or the Yonex Ezone 98.

Another option I would recommend is the ProKennex Q+5. The head shape of that would be similar to Boost D, but with more control.
 
M

MortenSuren

New User
kailash said:
Yes, both of those are good racquets. You cannot go wrong with either of those.

For more control, better go with Pure Strike 98 (18x20) or the Yonex Ezone 98.

Another option I would recommend is the ProKennex Q+5. The head shape of that would be similar to Boost D, but with more control.
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I'm afraid that 98 is a little to small, when i dont hit the sweetspot consistently. Or do you think i should consider a 98?
 
M

MortenSuren

New User
cortado said:
I started playing tennis 18 months ago with a 97 inch Yonex. Seems to have enough power but not too much. Yonex Vcore Pro 97 might be worth looking at.
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How do you feel about the sweetspot and off center hits? Im a little conserned about going for a to heavy racket, when im used to playing with the boost d(260g). Maybe transition with a tweener around 300g is the way to go? What do you think?
 
Roquestil

Roquestil

Rookie
I think you are on the right track sliming down to a 100 sq in from a 105 sq in.

The last thing you want is an abrupt change in specs where you will have to adapt to the racquet instead of the racquet complimenting your tennis "journey".
 
SinneGOAT

SinneGOAT

Hall of Fame
I’d say the Yonex for consistent response and of course that quality control. I tried the ezone 100 against something like a pure drive, the Yonex feels better in terms of not being an arm killer, gotta the em though.
 
M

MortenSuren

New User
Thanks for all the reply. After all this feedback, it seems the Yonex ezone 100 is the way to go. Ill order one tomorrow. I will let you know how i like it, if you're interested.

Thanks again.
 
AceyMan

AceyMan

Rookie
mid 50s ex-5.0 here.

Babolat.

I never found a Yonex with any feel, despite my opinion that it's a great brand.

/Acey

on the Yonex side of things: I'd say try a VCore Pro model since that's the one line I've yet to try out (but I haven't been in a rush to do so on account of the aforementioned track record).

[edit: clarity]
 
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Roquestil

Roquestil

Rookie
MortenSuren said:
Thanks for all the reply. After all this feedback, it seems the Yonex ezone 100 is the way to go. Ill order one tomorrow. I will let you know how i like it, if you're interested.

Thanks again.
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I assume you don't want to buy a tweener racquet right now and then in 2-3 years when you skill up buy a 98, making double investment. The Yonex Ezone 100 is already a great "final" racquet even if you progress in level. You can simply micro adjust with weight or lead if you start to need more heft.

And yeah I Would be interested in your thoughts once your new Ezone arrives :).
 
Villain

Villain

Semi-Pro
Yonex. Better quality imo. The difference in headsize between a 98 and 100 is hardly noticeable so don’t be afraid to take a look at the 98 too.
 
S

Steve Huff

Legend
To give you an idea of how slight the difference is, I had an old Pro Kennex Ceramic Destiny (95 sq in) that needed grommets/bumperguard. I had a set for from a much newer Pro Kennex Type S (100 sq in). These grommets and bumperguard fit fine, and even gave the burgandy racket a great look with dark gray instead of white plastic pieces.
 
ichaseballs

ichaseballs

Rookie
the babolat pure strike is very popular among intermediates to advanced players.
good racquet and 16x19 will help your spin. you already playing with a babolat makes the transition easier with the PS.
i have 3 ezones (2018, 2020, tour) and i used to use babolat. yonex has a different feel that is a bit polarizing, either you like it or don't.
personally i think they are more "work" to use, but more rewarding... if that makes any sense
also currently playing with a clash a lot these days
in the end... it's the archer, not the bow.
 
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socallefty

socallefty

Hall of Fame
Are you taking lessons from a coach or are you just playing on your own? If you are taking coaching lessons, you will improve fast and you might as well buy the 98 sq inch versions of these racquets. I think the Pure Strike is a very good line of racquets.

My wife started tennis with an oversize Pure Drive and switched to the Pure Strike 16x19 after about an year.
 
M

MortenSuren

New User
socallefty said:
Are you taking lessons from a coach or are you just playing on your own? If you are taking coaching lessons, you will improve fast and you might as well buy the 98 sq inch versions of these racquets. I think the Pure Strike is a very good line of racquets.

My wife started tennis with an oversize Pure Drive and switched to the Pure Strike 16x19 after about an year.
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Not taking any lessons yet. Its not that easy to find a coach in my area. Been playing with a couple of friends who are better than me, and learning alot from them. Im considering lessons when the outdoor seasons start again in spring time(every outdoor court closes in october). I hate that i cant demo any racquets, it would be nice to try both 98/100 in yonex and pure strike.

On a side note, what do you think about strings? I been playing with a syntetic gut(original on the racquet). Should i go for a multifilament? Its a 1 hour drive to the nearest stringing shop, so durability is important for me.
 
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M

MortenSuren

New User
ichaseballs said:
the babolat pure strike is very popular among intermediates to advanced players.
good racquet and 16x19 will help your spin. you already playing with a babolat makes the transition easier with the PS.
i have 3 ezones (2018, 2020, tour) and i used to use babolat. yonex has a different feel that is a bit polarizing, either you like it or don't.
personally i think they are more "work" to use, but more rewarding... if that makes any sense
also currently playing with a clash a lot these days
in the end... it's the archer, not the bow.
Click to expand...
What would you say is the biggest differense between the two racquets? Im a agressive baseliner and like to swing quite hard. Need a little less power and more control. My mind was set on the Yonex, but you got me rethinking.
 
Roquestil

Roquestil

Rookie
MortenSuren said:
What would you say is the biggest differense between the two racquets? Im a agressive baseliner and like to swing quite hard. Need a little less power and more control. My mind was set on the Yonex, but you got me rethinking.
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Both are going to offer a lot of control. These two racquets are so similar to each other than they are apart. You would just be nit-picking. In my experience (I owned a pure strike 3rd gen 98), I switched to Ezone 98 and didn't notice any change. I just switched because my pure strikes got lost and I always wanted a Yonex.

Pure strike doesn't really offer more control, anybody who says so hasn't playtested both. Pure strike does offer more control compared to other babolats that's for sure, and the Ezone is not the "control" line with Yonex. But comparing these two they are basically the same.
 
Roquestil

Roquestil

Rookie
Having said that and to answer your question, the biggest difference would be the paintjob haha :). This is my playtest experience without looking at the specs (which are basically the same)
 
Johnny505

Johnny505

Rookie
Buy both, try them in matches, sell the one that doesn't suit you. Demo program is too short to decide which frame works best, speaking from experience.

You can always add weight to a lighter frame to make it right for you but not the other way round. Whichever frame you settle on, either the Strike or Ezone won't be difficult to sell on as both are quite new models as mentioned by others already.
 
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M

mctennis

Legend
MortenSuren said:
Not taking any lessons yet. Its not that easy to find a coach in my area. Been playing with a couple of friends who are better than me, and learning alot from them. Im considering lessons when the outdoor seasons start again in spring time(every outdoor court closes in october). I hate that i cant demo any racquets, it would be nice to try both 98/100 in yonex and pure strike.

On a side note, what do you think about strings? I been playing with a syntetic gut(original on the racquet). Should i go for a multifilament? Its a 1 hour drive to the nearest stringing shop, so durability is important for me.
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Stay with syn gut for now. It lasts longer for you. If you are worried about Covid situation you may have to wait until spring until you can be outdoors to take some lessons.
 
joohan

joohan

Hall of Fame
mctennis said:
Stay with syn gut for now. It lasts longer for you. If you are worried about Covid situation you may have to wait until spring until you can be outdoors to take some lessons.
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It’s more about weather in Norway than about Covid, I’d say. Indoor courts are very expensive in Scandinavia (even for locals) plus if he has to drive an hour to the nearest shop for stringing, I’d reckon it’s about the same for an indoor tennis court.
 
ichaseballs

ichaseballs

Rookie
MortenSuren said:
On a side note, what do you think about strings? I been playing with a syntetic gut(original on the racquet). Should i go for a multifilament? Its a 1 hour drive to the nearest stringing shop, so durability is important for me.
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multi is a good place to start. TF nrg2 being maybe one of the best. definitely stick with 16 (1.30mm), no thinner.
but durability goes to poly. downside they recommend you change poly often. (10-20 hours i hear a lot)
on the other end, i know a few people who use their poly forever and like that extra dead feeling. but the consensus on the forums is that it's not good for your arm.
yonex ptp is a great soft poly if you wanna try it out. one of the recommended string on ezones.


MortenSuren said:
What would you say is the biggest differense between the two racquets? Im a agressive baseliner and like to swing quite hard. Need a little less power and more control. My mind was set on the Yonex, but you got me rethinking.
Click to expand...
you can't go wrong with either. at this point, you can pick the one you think looks cooler. blue or white paint job? haha
strings will be another big variable you can adjust to control how the racquet plays
 
ajspurs

ajspurs

Rookie
Its definitely a shame you can't demo as different people just feel differently with different racquets. I haven't used those in particular, but I've owned a Pure Drive Roddick and have recently demoed an Pure Aero and Pure Strike 98, then demoed the Yonex VCore Pro 97 HD and was almost blown away by it, I've never used a racquet like that before and it just felt so precise and more pleasurable to swing and hit with with than all of the babolats I'd tried, it's also made me realise how much I maybe don't like the slightly 'chunkier' racquets and possibly how much I may like an 18 x 20 string pattern. The Pure Strike is weird as it has a thinner beam but the thinner beam it didn't make it as nice to swing around as a Blade, Ezone, VCore Pro or even the Pure Aero to me.
 
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M

mctennis

Legend
joohan said:
It’s more about weather in Norway than about Covid, I’d say. Indoor courts are very expensive in Scandinavia (even for locals) plus if he has to drive an hour to the nearest shop for stringing, I’d reckon it’s about the same for an indoor tennis court.
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I go about that far to get my racquets strung up. There are other places closer to me but they do not do a very good job of stringing. I rather go to the place that is about an hour away and get the type of stringing that I know will be done correctly. I understand the long distance drive. It is a chore to drive that far if you constantly need to have your racquets re-strung. I normally get strings that last longer than using just polys that need to be restrung every 8-10 hours or so. I normally play about 5-6 hours a week so I would be re-stringing about every week or so. WAY too much traveling to and from the pro shop to have my racquets re-strung if I were just using poly.
The weather is a big issue. I completely understand. The court fees are horrible in certain places. Our weather is just about to the point of not being able to play outdoors. So I may not get to hit any more until March or later.
 
M

mctennis

Legend
ajspurs said:
Its definitely a shame you can't demo as different people just feel differently with different racquets. I haven't used those in particular, but I've owned a Pure Drive Roddick and have recently demoed an Pure Aero and Pure Strike 98, then demoed the Yonex VCore Pro 97 and was almost blown away by it, I've never used a racquet like that before and it just felt so precise and more pleasurable to swing and hit with with than all of the babolats I'd tried, it's also made me realise how much I maybe don't like the slightly 'chunkier' racquets and possibly how much I may like an 18 x 20 string pattern. The Pure Strike is weird as it has a thinner beam but the thinner beam it didn't make it as nice to swing around as a Blade, Ezone, VCore Pro or even the Pure Aero to me.
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Are you talking about the Yonex VCore Pro 97 HD?
 
socallefty

socallefty

Hall of Fame
MortenSuren said:
Not taking any lessons yet. Its not that easy to find a coach in my area. Been playing with a couple of friends who are better than me, and learning alot from them. Im considering lessons when the outdoor seasons start again in spring time(every outdoor court closes in october). I hate that i cant demo any racquets, it would be nice to try both 98/100 in yonex and pure strike.

On a side note, what do you think about strings? I been playing with a syntetic gut(original on the racquet). Should i go for a multifilament? Its a 1 hour drive to the nearest stringing shop, so durability is important for me.
Click to expand...
If you think you will improve fast from playing with your friends and you are trying to copy shots/serves with proper technique instead of bunting the ball, just get a 98 sq inch racquet. Also, as one of the posters mentioned above, Babolat has a distinct feel and if you want to stick with that kind of feel like your current racquet, buy a Pure Strike 98 16x19. Less to adjust to compared to the Yonex and you will get a lot more control than your current racquet while still getting decent power.

Multifilament will feel much better than synthetic gut with more comfort and feel. If you want to spend a bit more, try natural gut - it will retain tension twice as long as multi filaments (more than 40-50 hours) and as a beginner, you are unlikely to break it. If you can get Klip gut, it is not much more than some of the high-end multifilament strings and it is a better deal as it will retain tension much longer if you are not a string-breaker.
 
M

mctennis

Legend
socallefty said:
If you think you will improve fast from playing with your friends and you are trying to copy shots/serves with proper technique instead of bunting the ball, just get a 98 sq inch racquet. Also, as one of the posters mentioned above, Babolat has a distinct feel and if you want to stick with that kind of feel like your current racquet, buy a Pure Strike 98 16x19. Less to adjust to compared to the Yonex and you will get a lot more control than your current racquet while still getting decent power.

Multifilament will feel much better than synthetic gut with more comfort and feel. If you want to spend a bit more, try natural gut - it will retain tension twice as long as multi filaments (more than 40-50 hours) and as a beginner, you are unlikely to break it. If you can get Klip gut, it is not much more than some of the high-end multifilament strings and it is a better deal as it will retain tension much longer if you are not a strI gotta-breaker.
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Agree with you 100% about gut. It costs more per set but lasts a long,long time and plays great during the entire time you have it in your racquet. In the long run using get is the more cost effective string to use. IF you are not a chronic string breaker that is and do not shank the ball a lot.
 
M

MixedMaster

Semi-Pro
I've recently switched from the Babolat Pure Strike 100 to the Yonex VCore 300g and I'm playing the best tennis in years. I'm really enjoying the Yonex and it seems to have given my game a boost! Too bad you can't demo a few rackets...
 
ajspurs

ajspurs

Rookie
mctennis said:
The Yonex VCore Pro 97 HD racquet feels amazing to play with. I just switched over to using it. Geat control and feel.
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Yeah it really does, feels extremely precise and like you say has great feel. I was really surprised. Am currently demoing quite a few racquets and this has gone straight to the top of my list. Trying out the Ezone 98 this week but if I don't prefer that I think I will purchase a VCore Pro 97 HD.
 
M

mctennis

Legend
ajspurs said:
Yeah it really does, feels extremely precise and like you say has great feel. I was really surprised. Am currently demoing quite a few racquets and this has gone straight to the top of my list. Trying out the Ezone 98 this week but if I don't prefer that I think I will purchase a VCore Pro 97 HD.
Click to expand...
I liked the HD so much I bought two of them, so far.
 
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