Babolat Pure Drive 2012 vs. 2015

M

Misha

New User
It looks to me that the new 2015 Pure drive is balanced differently compering to 2012. In my feeling the 2012 is more head light than the new one. Anyone got the same feeling?
 
OK, so I went ahead an bought one of the 2015s. They are definitely an upgrade from the previous model. I've been using the 2012 PD off and on since 2013, and the 2015 definitely has more power. It has the same amount of control, yet more stability. I feel like they were able to add the right amount of mass around the hoop to boost the swing weight, yet keep enough mass at 3:00 and 9:00 in order to keep the racquet stable.

Definitely a great stick!

Misha said:
It looks to me that the new 2015 Pure drive is balanced differently compering to 2012. In my feeling the 2012 is more head light than the new one. Anyone got the same feeling?
Click to expand...

Yes the 2012 is more headlight because it has a lower swing weight. There is more mass in the hoop of of the 2015 version to increase the swing weight by approximately 9 or 10 points. That translates into approximately 3 grams of weight directly at noon, or 6 to 10 grams dispersed across the entirety of the the hoop from 9:00 to 12:00 to 3:00.
 
anubis said:
Yes the 2012 is more headlight because it has a lower swing weight. There is more mass in the hoop of of the 2015 version to increase the swing weight by approximately 9 or 10 points. That translates into approximately 3 grams of weight directly at noon, or 6 to 10 grams dispersed across the entirety of the the hoop from 9:00 to 12:00 to 3:00.
Click to expand...
Actually, no. If we consider 2 average racquets, the the balance is the same according to TW: 4pts HL. The 2015 model indeed has a higher SW, which means a slightly different mass repartition yes, but not a different weight/balance. However, it's also not impossible that the two frames OP possess have a variance in specs along with the difference in SW.

But if the question is "Is the 2015 model designed to have a different balance compared to the 2012 model?", then the answer is no.
 
I was part of the TW Playtest. The 2015 comes around noticeably quicker. So much quicker that I kept frame hitting the inside of the trailing edge of the frame.
 
For me, the 2012 PD is the best line of PD's ever made. Absolutely love how crunchy they are and how well they play. I feel like the muted the 2015s and IME (this is key) it actually comes around slower than the 2012. I had a really hard timing the ball with the 2015 (in comparison) to the 2012.

-Fuji
 
I hated the 2012 Pure Drive, demoed this new one and love it. Feels similar to the Aero Pro somehow, just much lighter.
If I need controlled power, I use the 2015 Pure Drive.
If i'm playing well I use my 2013 Aero Pro Drive. (more pop, less effort)
 
I hit all the 2015 PD's and preferred my 2012 PDR. The demos had smaller grips than I am used to so that had an effect perhaps. I felt the 2012 was a bit more stable. The differences are very minor however.
 
Yes, I made the same observation. I've played the PD2010 (the beautiful red Babolat 135-th anniversary edition) and just bought the new PD2015. It is clear that the 2015 is less HL than the 2010. If 2010 is 4HL, I'd say the 2015 is 1-2HL... Still the 2015 is overall remarkably lighter (!) than my 2010...


Misha said:
It looks to me that the new 2015 Pure drive is balanced differently compering to 2012. In my feeling the 2012 is more head light than the new one. Anyone got the same feeling?
Click to expand...
 
RetroSpin said:
I hit all the 2015 PD's and preferred my 2012 PDR. The demos had smaller grips than I am used to so that had an effect perhaps. I felt the 2012 was a bit more stable. The differences are very minor however.
Click to expand...

I think the 2012 PD models were the best.

Also like that paint job the best. Not sure why they went back to that
powder blue?
 
I demo'd the 2015 for a week and liked it at first and then liked it less as I played more with it. It definitely needed some weight and I didn't play around with that. I was early with a lot of forehands and sprayed them out wide. I think I could get used to it but I couldn't adjust to it coming from a leaded up Radical.

I didn't like the paint job much. The Pure Strike is my preferred scheme but I didn't do too well with that demo.
 
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I went from a Blade to a PD. The PD was too light and just spun in my hand when volleying. Now its leaded and is a beast. Super fast at the net (quicker than the 98) and nice depth from the baseline. Its an all court weapon. The raised sweetpot is good too, really helps the serves.
 
What was the weight of your PD? Maybe it's the PD 'team' version which is remarkably lighter? Where did you add lead?
 
No its the PD 2015. I own the 2012 PD as well. The 98 is 330 stock weight and the PD is about 317. But the PD is much much head lighter than the Blade , so less plough through and stability returning a heavy ball. I'd really recommend adding a little weight on the 3 and the 9. It makes the racquet more solid without losing any of its speed.
 
Sorry for this semi-necro-hijack but I have a dilemma maybe you guys can help me with. I just ordered a 2012 for $149 but they sold out and automatically upgraded me to the 2015 for the same price. I think I understand the differences but I wanted the '12 based on hitting a friends. So I look today and the '12s are back in-stock?! I'm a 37 year old 3-3.5 getting back into the game. Is it a no-brainer to just keep the '15?
 
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dbbdbb said:
Sorry for this semi-necro-hijack but I have a dilemma maybe you guys can help me with. I just ordered a 2012 for $149 but they sold out and automatically upgraded me to the 2015 for the same price. I think I understand the differences but I wanted the '12 based on hitting a friends. So I look today and the '12s are back in-stock?! I'm a 37 year old 3-3.5 getting back into the game. Is it a no-brainer to just keep the '15?
Click to expand...

The frames do not play quite the same... Not sure if you can notice.. I did..
 
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