Babolat Pure Drive Original and Babolat Pure Drive XL

[RyVo]

Hey TT!

I have recently been pursuing and purchasing first generation Babolat Pure Drives! I received my first PD Original around a month ago and am currently loving playing with it, and also just bought 2 Pure Drive XL frames. I have been actively searching for more info on all of these frames, but I've found it to be quite limited, so I was hoping someone on here could lend a hand if I asked the right questions. I find that information on these frames is actually quite misconstrued. You'd have no idea how many people think that the 2nd edition (swirly) is actually the first, and there is a lot of conflicting detail about these frames, if any can be found at all. In my independent research, it appears that there were actually several iterations of the first generation, with different balances, swingweights, and even frame weights. The most intriguing, however, is the "PCM Index", which has 3 corresponding numbers. My PD Original (which I deduce to be one of the more recent ones) has a 75, 50, 55 reading (from top to bottom), and I was hoping someone could elaborate on what these figures mean. On the XLs that I bought, the Index reads 68, 45, 58, for reference. I can post pictures if it helps!

What I'm really asking is:

Has anyone played with Babolat Pure Drive Original and XL and could make a comparison for me as far as feel (RA is slightly higher on the XL frame, but head size and string pattern are the same), and overall play?

Can anyone describe what the PCM Index means, and how these numbers affect the racquet?

And any other insight on the Pure Drive Originals would be a great help! I've played with the original, 2nd (+), 3rd, 5th (Roddick +), 7th (Tour and Team), and 8th generations, but my play with the Original generation is limited, and I'm eager to learn more!

Thanks!

 

[SackFeral]

I have an original, also a 2nd (swirly) + and found the feel and power level was completely different, even considering the plus length of the swirly. The original plays like nothing else, I’m looking for more now. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the XL original as that’s what caught my eye the most too. I’d ideally like to play with an extended length if I can.

Don’t go too low stringing on the pure drive original, it doesn’t have the vibration dampening to deal with it at all. It was actually a bazooka with still great spin when I chucked a multi in there for a laugh so go figure. I wish the grip was a little longer, but nothing serves like it that’s for sure

 

[RyVo]

Yes! This is the one thing I've noticed most with the original in the few weeks that I've been able to play with it. As someone who'd been playing with Babolat racquets with tighter string patterns, the serve was the main adjustment. The amount of extra spin I get naturally vs my Pure Drive Teams (I have 4 of the 2002 line, normal 27in length) is insane, especially on the serves as you mentioned. I really never have served better before getting that racquet!

I also had a Swirly + (it cracked sadly), and I found that racquet way more crisp and powerful than my Pure Drive Teams. I haven't played with my XL originals yet (I bought a pair on a certain auction site, but there's also guy on Instagram offering a couple as well if you're interested). I have one strung at with Element at 20kg (came prestrung with this setup, this isn't my personal choice), the other I'm stringing with RPM Blast at 23kg. I'll be sure to check back in here with the contrast between the XL and both the Original and the Swirly +. I'm very excited to hit with them!

 

[SackFeral]

Yes! This is the one thing I've noticed most with the original in the few weeks that I've been able to play with it. As someone who'd been playing with Babolat racquets with tighter string patterns, the serve was the main adjustment. The amount of extra spin I get naturally vs my Pure Drive Teams (I have 4 of the 2002 line, normal 27in length) is insane, especially on the serves as you mentioned. I really never have served better before getting that racquet!

I also had a Swirly + (it cracked sadly), and I found that racquet way more crisp and powerful than my Pure Drive Teams. I haven't played with my XL originals yet (I bought a pair on a certain auction site, but there's also guy on Instagram offering a couple as well if you're interested). I have one strung at with Element at 20kg (came prestrung with this setup, this isn't my personal choice), the other I'm stringing with RPM Blast at 23kg. I'll be sure to check back in here with the contrast between the XL and both the Original and the Swirly +. I'm very excited to hit with them!

If you could PM me the details of the Insta seller that would be awesome as I’m not on there so haven’t seen. Only said auction site. It’s so hard to find a fun racket that has feel, I genuinely don’t know who does it these days. I’m not sure what it is on the originals but nothing feels, serves, or cuts through the air like them. An XL version sounds like a dream!

 

[Automatix]

PCM stands for Power Control Manoeuvrability. You get those on a Babolat RDC machine.

 

[RyVo]

If you could PM me the details of the Insta seller that would be awesome as I’m not on there so haven’t seen. Only said auction site. It’s so hard to find a fun racket that has feel, I genuinely don’t know who does it these days. I’m not sure what it is on the originals but nothing feels, serves, or cuts through the air like them. An XL version sounds like a dream!

I'm very excited to take them out! I think I'll be able to hit with them on Sunday or Tuesday so I'll let you know how they play! I messaged you with the info for the seller if you'd like to acquire some for yourself as well! The extended length will be huge at increasing the power on serve even more. I'm hoping that I can volley with the XL as comfortably as I can with the original, the feel on that racquet is unparalleled, none of the other generations come close to the feeling of the original at the net, as well!

 

[codonnell]

I wish the original pure drive was more accessible or Babolat made a remake. If I’m correct the pure Drive original has an extended bumper closer to the 3-9. I played with a Babolat swirly a hand full of times but never really gave it a true chance and it was rather beat on, but the feeling of the frame was solid and the cost of paint and materials was fantastic.

 

[RyVo]

I wish the original pure drive was more accessible or Babolat made a remake. If I’m correct the pure Drive original has an extended bumper closer to the 3-9. I played with a Babolat swirly a hand full of times but never really gave it a true chance and it was rather beat on, but the feeling of the frame was solid and the cost of paint and materials was fantastic.

Yes, the 'side-bumpers' are a fun feature of the original series that you simply don't see anymore (on any racquet, let alone the following generations of PDs). I think the current iteration has small ones that are meant to mimic the side bumpers on the originals (likely because Fabio Fognini still uses the original under all the paint, and the side bumpers are tough to miss, so they wanted to make something that made the differences less noticeable, although with his inevitable retirement coming up, they may veer off of this design in the next gen). I would love to see them do a 'Pure Drive Origin' similar to what they did for the Rafa racquet recently, but it is doubtful that a frame like that would live up to the feel of the first generation (in the same way that the Rafa Origin has many differences from the APD Original). Swirly is also a fine stick, I used this as my primary racquet before buying my Original and my XLs

 

[codonnell]

I agree. Even with a re release, they would find something to change. And thank you for confirming the cool looking side bumpers. Only other babolat frame to do this was probably the current pure strike vs but there is no taper to the side it’s just a longer bumper.

 

[RyVo]

I agree. Even with a re release, they would find something to change. And thank you for confirming the cool looking side bumpers. Only other babolat frame to do this was probably the current pure strike vs but there is no taper to the side it’s just a longer bumper.

Yes! The Original's side bumpers are actually a separate grommet piece, too, which is cool. I was not a fan of the Strike VS design, but the utility of an extended headguard is very advantageous, and I definitely worry less about accidentally cracking the sticks now that I have a little bonus protection. The oldest frames (discontinued lines, Pure/Soft Power, Soft Drive, Pure/Soft Control) all had something similar to the Pure Drive Original's side bumper, but the Power line got discontinued (at least the frame did, they had other Pure Powers and Soft Drives that were completely different molds), as did the 'Soft' versions of the other lines, and the Control and Drive second gens both had big updates that evolved beyond side bumpers, despite keeping the same mold.

 

[codonnell]

Yes! The Original's side bumpers are actually a separate grommet piece, too, which is cool. I was not a fan of the Strike VS design, but the utility of an extended headguard is very advantageous, and I definitely worry less about accidentally cracking the sticks now that I have a little bonus protection. The oldest frames (discontinued lines, Pure/Soft Power, Soft Drive, Pure/Soft Control) all had something similar to the Pure Drive Original's side bumper, but the Power line got discontinued (at least the frame did, they had other Pure Powers and Soft Drives that were completely different molds), as did the 'Soft' versions of the other lines, and the Control and Drive second gens both had big updates that evolved beyond side bumpers, despite keeping the same mold.

That’s very interesting. I feel like once you get to the first gen of babolats when it comes to the pure drive it’s a lot more confusing with all the different styles they tried. I feel like a softdrive would be an awesome hit too. It’s funny because once they hit the 2nd gen there really wasn’t too much change minus the cortex from swirly to 2012 gt. Which was actually my favorite pure drive.

 

[storgris]

The original Pure Drive is a great racket I own 5. Great power and spin, but also feel.

 

[SackFeral]

The original Pure Drive is a great racket I own 5. Great power and spin, but also feel.

Great collection! I see you’ve taken extending the grip up into your own hands as well. Tough on the 2h backhand otherwise

 

[codonnell]

Great collection! I see you’ve taken extending the grip up into your own hands as well. Tough on the 2h backhand otherwise

Hahah I remember realizing how short the grips were on older babolats when I would buy them second hand. They certainly have made it easier for 2 ganders now.

 

[RyVo]

Ciao guys!

I've taken the last couple weeks and played a LOT of tennis with the two frames. I found that the XL provided more power and less control. Despite the fact that I took the time to ensure that the weights and balances of both racquets were equitable, I found that the XL really plays very differently, and I even felt like I had a long adjustment period between them when I switched between racquets in the same session.

I felt very comfortable with the XL, and it definitely provides a lot of extra power, while still producing the same amount of spin. I do feel like the standard length version may be more reliable on volleys, and gives a more accurate serve, I feel like the XL was very advantageous for returning against bigger serves and for groundstrokes, while also offering a much more powerful serve (although I had a harder time hitting my spots as precisely). I know that a lot of people choose a + frame to hit with more power on their serve, especially at my height (5'10" or 178cm), so this a big help in that department, especially if I can hone in on serving more accurately with the XL frame.

Personally, I add a lot of weight to my frames, so this also helps to provide an immense amount of spin and power as well. I do recommend the use of silicone in the handles of these frames as well. I have silicone in the handle of my 27in frame, but have not yet added any in my 27.5ins, which may account for some of the difference in feel as well. I generally prefer the feeling of the racquet with silicone injected, especially when playing with the two of them side by side. I would love to hear how you guys customize your frames too!

I also found it prudent to replace the butt-cap with the new ones that Babolat (although it could be from any company) makes. The old ones have a different, shorter angle to the end of the grip that felt odd (Babolat only used these caps on this iteration of the Pure Drive, and all others since have had the modern shape), so I bought new ones for all 3 of my 1st gen frames, and they feel more natural as someone who is used to using newer PDs. They are fairly cheap online, but do require you to remove the old cap, which comes stapled-in. I actually accidentally cut my thumb doing this for one of my racquets, so be careful when you remove them (if you choose to). I used a thin flathead screwdriver and some pliers to remove the staples, then used a staplegun to apply the new cap.

Thanks for reading through my spiel! I'm always up to talk tennis equipment, especially about these frames!

-RyVo

 

[RyVo]

That’s very interesting. I feel like once you get to the first gen of babolats when it comes to the pure drive it’s a lot more confusing with all the different styles they tried. I feel like a softdrive would be an awesome hit too. It’s funny because once they hit the 2nd gen there really wasn’t too much change minus the cortex from swirly to 2012 gt. Which was actually my favorite pure drive.

Yes! I hear that the Soft Drive is incredible! Even more rare than the Pure Drives though, sadly. There's one on the unnamable auction site for about $200 now, but it isn't in the best of shape. I am interested in buying, but the price is just too high for the condition sadly... hopefully there's a positive change there. I know that the Soft Drive has an even lower RA, but I believe that this leads to slightly less power. This frame is also 30g lighter than the Pure Drive (so essentially a softer Pure Drive Lite), but this leaves a lot of room for customization.

It is really true, the frames have stayed almost exactly the same over the years. The racquets had the same string pattern from 1999 to 2015, and other than Cortex in 2005, and a recent inability to decide on a string pattern (I believe that the last 3 iterations have had 3 different string patterns, but I may be mistaken on that note as I have not played with the most recent model), there hasn't been much change after the 2nd generation. It's really astounding how different the first one is from the rest though.

I have actually never played with the 2012 version either... that, the first Cortex model, and the most recent are the only ones I've never at least played with for a session or 2. I'll have to try it out!

 

[codonnell]

Yes! I hear that the Soft Drive is incredible! Even more rare than the Pure Drives though, sadly. There's one on the unnamable auction site for about $200 now, but it isn't in the best of shape. I am interested in buying, but the price is just too high for the condition sadly... hopefully there's a positive change there. I know that the Soft Drive has an even lower RA, but I believe that this leads to slightly less power. This frame is also 30g lighter than the Pure Drive (so essentially a softer Pure Drive Lite), but this leaves a lot of room for customization.

It is really true, the frames have stayed almost exactly the same over the years. The racquets had the same string pattern from 1999 to 2015, and other than Cortex in 2005, and a recent inability to decide on a string pattern (I believe that the last 3 iterations have had 3 different string patterns, but I may be mistaken on that note as I have not played with the most recent model), there hasn't been much change after the 2nd generation. It's really astounding how different the first one is from the rest though.

I have actually never played with the 2012 version either... that, the first Cortex model, and the most recent are the only ones I've never at least played with for a session or 2. I'll have to try it out!

I cant answer the questions on the soft drive mold too much but I can do my best with the rest .

The mold of the pure drive hasn’t really changed since gen 2 as far as the structure and the frame is concerned and the string spacing was the same from the swirly (early 2000s to the Roddick GT 2012-14). Of course they all had different technologies in them and they do have different feel based of materials paint job and cortex Versions but the overall throat, hoop, and string Pattern remained unchanged, even the woofer grommets were present in all of these versions (which I like). The 2015 they started to tinker with the pure drive more by adding FSI which is I believe an opening in the string bed to move the sweet spot up, I played briefly with this one and figured it was close to my roddick active cortex but definitely felt different. I switched to the 2018 light blue one as well. I believe the widened the string spacing even more throughout the frame and included FSI. I never clicked with it compared to my pure drive roddick. I’m not as sure about the new version, but I do know there is no longer woofer grommets present just like the 2018. I believe people are still asking for the old string spacing which I agree.

Based of community, with the the typically mold from 2002-2013 people liked the pure drive team, the model right before the first cortex model (black and light blue).

People say it’s the most comfortable and I believe least stiff, but not taking into account the original versions with a different layup!

 

[David Le]

Hahah I remember realizing how short the grips were on older babolats when I would buy them second hand. They certainly have made it easier for 2 ganders now.

Idk. I much prefer the short handle mold and shape. Maybe cause I’m used to that itself when the OGAPD came out, that’s what I switched to as a junior from a Head Ti Radical Jr

 

[codonnell]

Idk. I much prefer the short handle mold and shape. Maybe cause I’m used to that itself cause when the OGAPD came out, that’s what I switched to as a junior from a Head Ti Radical Jr

I don’t think the shorter handles were bad in itself either. My first top line frame had a shorter grip as well. And I never really doubted the grip, even now I may be wrong but arnt the handle Molds the same? They just grip further up in the factory frames?

 

[David Le]

I don’t think the shorter handles were bad in itself either. My first top line frame had a shorter grip as well. And I never really doubted the grip, even now I may be wrong but arnt the handle Molds the same? They just grip further up in the factory frames?

No the mold aren’t the same. The APDs had a slightly rounder mold, the bevel edges weren’t prominent compared to the PAs. The older Babolat felt smoother