Babolat PURE DRIVE VS 2019

[Karma Tennis]

Anyone else struggling with these types of decisions ?

Would / Could anyone care to comment about the stiffness feel difference between the PDVS and the trusty ol' 2013 APD?

 

[dgoran]

First impression is that it reminds me of lighter six one 95 very solid not hollow feel
Strung with alu at 45.

Impressive qc two I received are incentical in Bal, and weight. I did not measure sw but it swings identical if there is any difference in sw I can not detect it and I am pretty sensitive to that.

 

[dgoran]

Would / Could anyone care to comment about the stiffness feel difference between the PDVS and the trusty ol' 2013 APD?

Softer feeling not hollow but more like a foam filled feel. (No idea if it’s foam filled didn’t check).

Very close to new pure aero 2019 in flex if not the same

 

[dgoran]

 

[Daniel Waters]

I was able to demo the new Pure Drive VS 98 racquet. I have demoed many versions of the Pure Drive 100 and Pure Drive Tour racquets in the past, but they have always been a little too harsh and stiff for my preferences, so i was very exceited to give this frame a test run. I'm a 4.5 baseline player that plays with the Babolat Pure Strike 98 (16 x 19) (Project One). Here are my general thoughts and impressions.

Overall, I think the frame definitely feels less stiff than previous Pure Drives, so the lower RA Stiffness rating was definitely noticeable to me. The frame swung very easily and fast. This particular demo was strung with all synthetic gut, so this probably partially made the racquet feel a little softer than what I might have expected compared to my poly / synthetic gut hybrid string setup that I normally use. Also, someone else commented that the strung weight of the frame for them was less with a synthetic gut string job versus poly, so that might account for the slightly lower weight than what i was expecting or wanting. I'm in the process of adjusting the frame with some lead tape to get the weight exactly where I want it so that I can do a better comparison between this frame and my current Pure Strike. In general, though, I felt the frame could use a little more mass in the head, but the spin production and ball pocketing was excellent in my opinion. The racquet felt like the power was comparable to my Pure Strike frame, maybe slighly less actually. I actually prefer how the ball came off the string bed on the Pure Drive VS frame compared to my Pure Strike frame, and that difference alone is enough for me to consider making a switch. Compared to the Pure Drive Tour and Pure Drive 100 square inch models, the racquet is going to provide more control and comfort but less free power (but I would still classify this as a power frame). For anyone playing with the Babolat Pure Drive Team but wish it was a little heavier and less stiff, this might be an excellent option to try out. Anyone playing with the Pure Drive 100 models and wish they were slightly less stiff and more control, you should definitely check out this frame. As a Pure Strike user, I'm not certain there is enough difference to warrant me making a change, but take this comment with a large grain of salt, as the Pure Strike has several models that I think all play noticeably different from each other. Thus, your experience may be very different to mine depending on which Pure Strike frame you are using and what you may or may not like about your current frame.

 

[mrtrinh]

which felt stiffer to you, PDVS or the strike?

I was able to demo the new Pure Drive VS 98 racquet. I have demoed many versions of the Pure Drive 100 and Pure Drive Tour racquets in the past, but they have always been a little too harsh and stiff for my preferences, so i was very exceited to give this frame a test run. I'm a 4.5 baseline player that plays with the Babolat Pure Strike 98 (16 x 19) (Project One). Here are my general thoughts and impressions.

Overall, I think the frame definitely feels less stiff than previous Pure Drives, so the lower RA Stiffness rating was definitely noticeable to me. The frame swung very easily and fast. This particular demo was strung with all synthetic gut, so this probably partially made the racquet feel a little softer than what I might have expected compared to my poly / synthetic gut hybrid string setup that I normally use. Also, someone else commented that the strung weight of the frame for them was less with a synthetic gut string job versus poly, so that might account for the slightly lower weight than what i was expecting or wanting. I'm in the process of adjusting the frame with some lead tape to get the weight exactly where I want it so that I can do a better comparison between this frame and my current Pure Strike. In general, though, I felt the frame could use a little more mass in the head, but the spin production and ball pocketing was excellent in my opinion. The racquet felt like the power was comparable to my Pure Strike frame, maybe slighly less actually. I actually prefer how the ball came off the string bed on the Pure Drive VS frame compared to my Pure Strike frame, and that difference alone is enough for me to consider making a switch. Compared to the Pure Drive Tour and Pure Drive 100 square inch models, the racquet is going to provide more control and comfort but less free power (but I would still classify this as a power frame). For anyone playing with the Babolat Pure Drive Team but wish it was a little heavier and less stiff, this might be an excellent option to try out. Anyone playing with the Pure Drive 100 models and wish they were slightly less stiff and more control, you should definitely check out this frame. As a Pure Strike user, I'm not certain there is enough difference to warrant me making a change, but take this comment with a large grain of salt, as the Pure Strike has several models that I think all play noticeably different from each other. Thus, your experience may be very different to mine depending on which Pure Strike frame you are using and what you may or may not like about your current frame.

 

[Daniel Waters]

@mrtrinh I think the overall flex are very similar. As far as the actual feel, though, the PDVS felt softer to me. This softer feel may be due more to the difference in string setups than frame flex, though. The PDVS was strung with a full bed of synthetic gut, whereas i use a soft poly (luxillon power soft) for my main string and a synthetic gut cross string. When hitting, the Pure Strike felt like there was a little more mass in the hoop than the Pure Drive VS, so I'm not sure if the slightly extra oomph from the Pure Strike was more because of the slight weight differences, or how the weight is distributed, or the Pure Strike not flexing quite as much. I think the published stiffness ratings on Tennis Warehouse accurately reflect the similar flex of both frames. I've had some frames with a 68 rating that played stiff and some racquets with a 68 rating that play soft. I would characterize this as a "soft" 68 flex rating if that helps any. Overall, I preferred the ball pocketing, feel, and swing ease of the Pure Drive VS. I preferred my Pure Strike for the slightly more weight and plow through it seemed to add to my shots. Spin levels are similar from both frames, but how they come off the sweet spot just feel a little different to me. I'm not certain if I'm just imaging this or there are some actual technical / design differences that might create this...I know both are 16 x 19 string patterns, but I guess the spacing could be a little different and maybe the grommet system might create this effect that i think I'm noticing? I would love to hear other's comments in this regards.

 

[danbrenner]

@mrtrinh I think the overall flex are very similar. As far as the actual feel, though, the PDVS felt softer to me. This softer feel may be due more to the difference in string setups than frame flex, though. The PDVS was strung with a full bed of synthetic gut, whereas i use a soft poly (luxillon power soft) for my main string and a synthetic gut cross string. When hitting, the Pure Strike felt like there was a little more mass in the hoop than the Pure Drive VS, so I'm not sure if the slightly extra oomph from the Pure Strike was more because of the slight weight differences, or how the weight is distributed, or the Pure Strike not flexing quite as much. I think the published stiffness ratings on Tennis Warehouse accurately reflect the similar flex of both frames. I've had some frames with a 68 rating that played stiff and some racquets with a 68 rating that play soft. I would characterize this as a "soft" 68 flex rating if that helps any. Overall, I preferred the ball pocketing, feel, and swing ease of the Pure Drive VS. I preferred my Pure Strike for the slightly more weight and plow through it seemed to add to my shots. Spin levels are similar from both frames, but how they come off the sweet spot just feel a little different to me. I'm not certain if I'm just imaging this or there are some actual technical / design differences that might create this...I know both are 16 x 19 string patterns, but I guess the spacing could be a little different and maybe the grommet system might create this effect that i think I'm noticing? I would love to hear other's comments in this regards.

the diff in string here is crucial. you must compare apples to apples. and a full bed of sg is apples and oranges. plus once you put some poly in the pdvs you will improve plough just a little bit.

 

[avocadoz]

the diff in string here is crucial. you must compare apples to apples. and a full bed of sg is apples and oranges. plus once you put some poly in the pdvs you will improve plough just a little bit.

And even better spin potential. Lead @ 10&2 o'clock on the PDVS easily solves the plow problem.

 

[danbrenner]

And even better spin potential. Lead @ 10&2 o'clock on the PDVS easily solves the plow problem.

Let’s see. I have mine coming in Monday. And I’ll put it up against reg Pd and Ps. All with the same string set up. I will be the perfect playtester

 

[kblades]

@mrtrinh I think the overall flex are very similar. As far as the actual feel, though, the PDVS felt softer to me. This softer feel may be due more to the difference in string setups than frame flex, though. The PDVS was strung with a full bed of synthetic gut, whereas i use a soft poly (luxillon power soft) for my main string and a synthetic gut cross string. When hitting, the Pure Strike felt like there was a little more mass in the hoop than the Pure Drive VS, so I'm not sure if the slightly extra oomph from the Pure Strike was more because of the slight weight differences, or how the weight is distributed, or the Pure Strike not flexing quite as much. I think the published stiffness ratings on Tennis Warehouse accurately reflect the similar flex of both frames. I've had some frames with a 68 rating that played stiff and some racquets with a 68 rating that play soft. I would characterize this as a "soft" 68 flex rating if that helps any. Overall, I preferred the ball pocketing, feel, and swing ease of the Pure Drive VS. I preferred my Pure Strike for the slightly more weight and plow through it seemed to add to my shots. Spin levels are similar from both frames, but how they come off the sweet spot just feel a little different to me. I'm not certain if I'm just imaging this or there are some actual technical / design differences that might create this...I know both are 16 x 19 string patterns, but I guess the spacing could be a little different and maybe the grommet system might create this effect that i think I'm noticing? I would love to hear other's comments in this regards.

I felt the same way. I played both the PS and VS with Hyper G @ 52lbs. Like you, I felt the VS plays softer even thought it's stiffness is rated higher. I also think the ball comes off the string bed differently between the two, I think it may be partially due to the PS having 8 mains in the throat vs 6 for the VS. Overall, I really like both of them and don't think one is necessarily "better" than the other. I think it just comes down to which one better suits your technique and playing style.

 

[danbrenner]

I felt the same way. I played both the PS and VS with Hyper G @ 52lbs. Like you, I felt the VS pockets the ball better and plays softer even thought it's stiffness is rated higher. I also think the ball comes off the string bed differently between the two, I think it may be partially due to the PS having 8 mains in the throat vs 6 for the VS. Overall, I really like both of them and don't think one is necessarily "better" than the other. I think it just comes down to which one better suits your technique and playing style.

definitely. one plays more like an 18x19 because of the 8 mains .. and one like a PD or PA. so it comes down to having a little more control w PS, and maybe a little more spin with the vs. but ill have me vs next week so ill really put them through the paces and report back

 

[TennisHound]

I hit with mine briefly, but as usual with demos (TW included), it’s strung at about 1000lbs with a plain multifilament. You tell them about it and they say “We went with the recommended tension.” Nowhere on the frame does it say “Recommended tension 80-90lbs.” So, the demo did not feel very good - lack of power, unstable, and harsh outside sweetspot. It will need some weight, but I applaud Babolat for their first attempt. I will add a little weight and hit with it more extensively over the next week. In stock form, however, (IMO) the T-Fight XTC 300, Dunlop CV 3.0F Tour, and Head Touch Radical MP all feel more solid on contact.

 

[Daniel Waters]

Well, I hit with the Pure Drive VS again tonight but with a little more lead tape positioned in various spots. While I feel like it's a good stick, it just does not deliver the same punch that my pure strike 98 (16 x 19) does. So for me, I'm sticking with the Pure Strike.

I'm kind of bummed because I actually like the ball pocketing and feel of the frame. I may keep trying to add more lead and see if that can get it more in line to what I'm wanting.

 

[kblades]

I had my second outing tonight with the VS. I played well with it again, but not as well as last week. Like someone else mentioned, the shot im also struggling with is returning balls when I'm stretched out or in a defensive position trying to get back into the point. Most of these shots are landing at the bottom of the net on me.

I've also started to notice you have to keep your RHS speed up with this racquet. If not, balls are flying on me moreso than with other racquets I've played with.

 

[mctennis]

Sorry, I'm not having a racquet company telling me that I have to buy a pair of racquets at a time.

 

[Deleted member 746200]

Got my pair in hand today. Quality control is okay I would say. Weight is almost the same, with about 2mm balance difference. Swingweight difference is noticeable but quite close in hand (sorry I don’t have a swing machine with me right now). Add some lead at 3/9 right away and just finished hit for about 2 hours. Can not get anything in rhythm except serve. I don’t see it sit between a PO7 and a PD at all. I don’t even feel much control improvement compare to a regular PD...I remember playing better when I was demoing 2018 PD and PA...it’s a weird frame overall. I’ll adjust the weight again and see how it works. I’m a 4.5 aggressive baseline player, have been using a customized pure strike original for 3 years (310g unstrung, 328SW and 5pt HL). Today I put my go to string Tour bite at 53lbs. I just cannot play my aggressive tennis with PD. The ball bounced on stringbed too fast for me. I’ll try a thicker gage next time with a mid 40lbs tension.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[danbrenner]

Got my pair in hand today. Quality control is okay I would say. Weight is almost the same, with about 2mm balance difference. Swingweight difference is noticeable but quite close in hand (sorry I don’t have a swing machine with me right now). Add some lead at 3/9 right away and just finished hit for about 2 hours. Can not get anything in rhythm except serve. I don’t see it sit between a PO7 and a PD at all. I don’t even feel much control improvement compare to a regular PD...I remember playing better when I was demoing 2018 PD and PA...it’s a weird frame overall. I’ll adjust the weight again and see how it works. I’m a 4.5 aggressive baseline player, have been using a customized pure strike original for 3 years (310g unstrung, 328SW and 5pt HL). Today I put my go to string Tour bite at 53lbs. I just cannot play my aggressive tennis with PD. The ball bounced on stringbed too fast for me. I’ll try a thicker gage next time with a mid 40lbs tension.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks Russell. An amazing and honest review with no hints of HYPE. refreshing.
My vs comes in tomorrow. I can’t wait to put it through the paces.

 

[avocadoz]

Sounds to me like the overall impression is that if you're a PS fan, you will not like the PDVS. If you're a PD fan however, you will like the PDVS. As is the case for me. I never gelled with the PS but have a love/hate(arm issue) relationship with the PD, so the PDVS naturally felt like familiar territory to me. Hence, the difference between the PDVS and PS is quite a lot. Don't expect the PDVS to replace your PS.

 

[danbrenner]

Sounds to me like the overall impression is that if you're a PS fan, you will not like the PDVS. If you're a PD fan however, you will like the PDVS. Hence, the difference between the PDVS and PS is quite a lot. Don't expect the PDVS to replace your PS. As is the case for me. I never gelled with the PS but have a love/hate(arm issue) relationship with the PD, so the PDVS naturally felt like familiar territory to me.

Fair point. Which is why as a PS and PD owner I am looking forward to an unbiased play test.

 

[Deleted member 746200]

Thanks Russell. An amazing and honest review with no hints of HYPE. refreshing.
My vs comes in tomorrow. I can’t wait to put it through the paces.

Haha thx but I’m not giving up yet lol. I’m adding more weight today and see if it’s gonna provide more better plow through and solid feel. Looking forward your feedback.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Daniel Waters]

Haha thx but I’m not giving up yet lol. I’m adding more weight today and see if it’s gonna provide more better plow through and solid feel. Looking forward your feedback.

@Russell Jiang Since you're a Pure Strike user, if you come up with a lead set up you like on the PD VS, please share! I'm tried some weight at 2 and 10 and then tried 3 and 9 and even did some additional lead in the throat. I don't want to put too much more lead in the upper part of the frame, though, as I think it takes aways from the easy way it swings, but I think that's exactly what it probably needs versus what i've tried so far.

 

[Deleted member 746200]

@Russell Jiang Since you're a Pure Strike user, if you come up with a lead set up you like on the PD VS, please share! I'm tried some weight at 2 and 10 and then tried 3 and 9 and even did some additional lead in the throat. I don't want to put too much more lead in the upper part of the frame, though, as I think it takes aways from the easy way it swings, but I think that's exactly what it probably needs versus what i've tried so far.

I usually only add weight to 3/9 and bring the unstrung weight to around 310, unstrung swingweight around 325-330 (depends on different racket with different weight). My PDVS come with 299g so last night I only put 6g total on my PD VS (3g total at 3/9 and 3g inside butt cap) which bring my PDVS to 305g Unstrung. The strung swingweight in hand is a little bit more than 320 I would say. Didn’t like it felt too light for me. Right now I’m adding 8g total and will try it again tonight.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SpinToWin]

I used to think the same way. I don't any more.

For Singles play, young kids need to develop "weapons" as soon as possible. That means a Big Serve, and a Big Forehand, and great court movement. The "variety" shots can be developed later on as an addition to the weapons as required

Without weapons, the player's ceiling is limited. That is fine if the player doesn't aspire to play at really high levels. But for any player that does, weapons are the key. If the player doesn't have a huge serve and a huge forehand by the time they are 18yo, they are unlikely to get to Professional Level. (And don't get me started with the Mental side of the game!)

And for players who aspire to very high levels, winning every match is important? Why? The more successful the player is early on, the more attention they will attract from organisations and people that can smooth their path to the higher levels of the sport. The only caveat here is that player's appreciate the value of the odd loss in that a loss is not a failure but a learning experience. Junior players that "get that" will go a long way.

And ... the smartest players understand that they never "Peak". Even Roger Federer continues to work on improving his game. That is a great lesson for all of us.

Back OT, full beds of poly string will enhance the potency of the weapons.

I'd emphasize movement first. Weapons are a result of proper movement. The serve should be a given, seeing as it's the only shot in the game you completely control, but there's no good forehand or backhand in play without good footwork.

 

[Karma Tennis]

I'd emphasize movement first. Weapons are a result of proper movement. The serve should be a given, seeing as it's the only shot in the game you completely control, but there's no good forehand or backhand in play without good footwork.

"Movement" is part of every tennis stroke.

When I say "Developing Weapons" that presumes that excellent movement (inc. Footwork) is part of the development process.

 

[TennisHound]

Got my pair in hand today. Quality control is okay I would say. Weight is almost the same, with about 2mm balance difference. Swingweight difference is noticeable but quite close in hand (sorry I don’t have a swing machine with me right now). Add some lead at 3/9 right away and just finished hit for about 2 hours. Can not get anything in rhythm except serve. I don’t see it sit between a PO7 and a PD at all. I don’t even feel much control improvement compare to a regular PD...I remember playing better when I was demoing 2018 PD and PA...it’s a weird frame overall. I’ll adjust the weight again and see how it works. I’m a 4.5 aggressive baseline player, have been using a customized pure strike original for 3 years (310g unstrung, 328SW and 5pt HL). Today I put my go to string Tour bite at 53lbs. I just cannot play my aggressive tennis with PD. The ball bounced on stringbed too fast for me. I’ll try a thicker gage next time with a mid 40lbs tension.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It’ll just take a couple o weeks to gel with them

 

[danbrenner]

finally got mine in today. weighs in at 11.1 oz . and 6.25 pts head light. so a little lighter than advertised spec. and way more head light. mine also came with rpm blast strings which makes the head lightness a bit of a head scratcher..
in the hands it feels really nice.. nimble but solid. Pj. arguably the nicest pj Bab has ever released.
all that aside. i wont be able to play untill mid point next week. lets see how it fares against the stalwart PD. . and its cousin the PS 17..
all my sticks are strung with RPM blast. so this will really be an apples to apples playtest. cant wait.

 

[TennisHound]

Ive been hitting with my demo over the last week. Its a cool racquet and has potential. I’m hesitant to criticize it, because it’s such a cool thing for Babolat to do. Regardless if the performance, it’s still a win for Babolat.

But, on a performance note, it needs either really loose strings or weight added to make it playable. It’s not at all a bad racquet and I could play with it. If you add weight, then it’s in the territory of the Dunlop CV 3.0F Tour and Blade 98 CV 16x19 which are both more playable than the PDVS. As it is, the Tecnifibre TFight XTC 300 plays better.

 

[lidoazndiabloboi]

Babolat Pure Drive VS, weight guaranteed to be +/- 1.9gram of each other.
My rackets came out under spec. Listed specs are 300g 32.0cm
Still within the Babolat tolerance of +/-7grams

Racket 1: 294.8g 31.8cm SW278
Racket 2: 293.8g 31.6cm SW275

 

[avocadoz]

So you're telling me the strung sw is only 305? LOL

 

[McLovin]

Babolat Pure Drive VS, weight guaranteed to be +/- 1.9gram.

I believe there is a misunderstanding on this 'guarantee'...which reminds me of a line from 'Tommy Boy':

...because they know all they sold ya was a guaranteed piece of s4!t. That's all it is, isn't it? Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time.

But I digress...

From Babolat's website:

DESIGNED AND DEVELOPED FOR ADVANCED PLAYERS WHO
WANT TO COMBINE POWER AND PRECISION, THE PURE DRIVE VS
IS THE LAST-BORN OF THE ICONIC PURE DRIVE FAMILY.
It features the same benefits than the Pure Drive with slightly more control.
Frames are sold by 2 with a maximum weight difference of 1.9g.
- Part of the iconic Pure Drive family
- Perfect combination between power and precision

In other words...+- 1.9g between each other. It says nothing about published specs (unlike Fischer's No Tolerance guarantee back in the mid 2000s).

 

[jmacdaununder2]

Yep, all they promised was perfectly matched to each other; they didn't say they wouldn't be chick sticks. Last born children, particularly the progeny of 'older' parents, have a higher statistical rate of spectrum disorders - just sayin'...

 

[lidoazndiabloboi]

So you're telling me the strung sw is only 305? LOL

Yeah strung up with RPM 17, SW was 306

 

[TennisHound]

It looks like the TW review is a little inflated (ala PS17). I’m not sure I agree with the numbers on serves, power, topspin, etc. I like the racquet, though, so I don’t mind the skewed numbers too much.

 

[djpj]

Tennisnerd likened the launch angle to an 18x20. That’s a real head scratcher to me—found it to have great spin, but maybe that’s due to RHS from the low SW? However, I was surprised how nice it felt to flatten out on winners (difficult with standard PD).

String spacing is definitely larger than my Pure Storms/Controls (16x20). I guess the mains are pretty tight but the crosses are pretty distributed throughout the frame. Pretty unique.

I guess that contributes to the pretty good control.

Still evaluating this frame but I think I’m having an easier time playing aggressively than with my modded Pure Storms/Controls. Light mods on my PDVS: 3g at 2&10, overgrip, 2g in the cap ~325g.

 

[danbrenner]

I will play with these frames Thursday night. Mystery will be solved.

 

[Karma Tennis]

Tennisnerd

I love Tennisnerd's reviews. They are very practical, very "Real World".

He is specific about what he likes in a racquet and string, and he stays true to that with all his reviews.

 

[Karma Tennis]

I will play with these frames Thursday night. Mystery will be solved.

I'm thinking you will dislike them enough not to select them as your new racquet of choice !

 

[danbrenner]

I'm thinking you will dislike them enough not to select them as your new racquet of choice !

I will be playing with reg PD. Pdvs , ps17 and a pure aero 19. They are all strung with rpm
And I’m playing against my reg hittingvoartner. So the truth will be told. I’m not biased.

 

[Deleted member 746200]

Since last time I got total 4 hours only to play with the PDVS again (and it’s gonna keep raining for another weekend in the Bay Area...) right now I’ve add 8g total to the racquet which let the strung weight to 330. SW is about 325 right now. It feels pretty much identical or just a bit lower to my primary pure strike original (measured SW 327 on RDC at TW) and little bit higher than my friend’s customized Wilson Ultra tour (measured SW 321 on a swing machine). With that being said, feels better than last time. And because of the raised swingweight, I can finally get in the tempo hitting with them. The spacing on the stringbed is quite large but surprisingly doesn’t grab the ball too good. Having some problems on my kick serve and slice based on that. Still, the ball doesn’t wanna stay on the string even though the tension dropped. Flat serve is still money. Flat forehand/backhand is a rocket, I can easily hit a solid strike in the run, but when I was settle up and ready to smash a winner, I kept hitting longer than I attempt for decent amount of times. Top spin shots are not as good as my expectation. It has less spin potential than a regular PD, and less than a PO7. Stiffness is softer on stats and in hand as well. For me it has better feel on volley than a regular PD and PO7 (I majorly play singles only so I’m talking about when I approach to the net and try to finish the point most of time). Drop shot is quite nice for a PD but like I said, slice wasn’t pretty, ball comes out high and slow. And for people thinking about a 98 PD has better control than regular PD? Unfortunately I don’t see that on this stick. It is just a softer PD with slightly better feel. I do have fun hitting with them but not sure if i can play tournaments with them yet. Will test with a softer poly (most likely hyper G)or maybe gut hybrid next time depends on when the rain stops lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[chizzle]

What part of the Bay area do you live in (new to the area, looking for tennis ppl). This rain is crazy.

I found the PVDS to be good on slice and BH (but it wasn't my ideal setup, fresh multi so who knows).

 

[djpj]

Bay Area here too (SF) and am lucky enough to be able play indoors when it pours.

My BH slice feels actually really great with this stick—low and deep.

I’m starting to think that this frame benefits less loopy shots. Have to consciously keep up RHS to find those angles and reign in winners, though, which can be tough in matches!

Still working on finding “ the identity” of this frame.

 

[time_fly]

I was really tempted to ask on the Babolat Pure Drive VS Tennis Bag review if you have to buy those in pairs too ... but I decided I would confine my snark to the forums.

 

[jmacdaununder2]

Since last time I got total 4 hours only to play with the PDVS again (and it’s gonna keep raining for another weekend in the Bay Area...) right now I’ve add 8g total to the racquet which let the strung weight to 330. SW is about 325 right now. It feels pretty much identical or just a bit lower to my primary pure strike original (measured SW 327 on RDC at TW) and little bit higher than my friend’s customized Wilson Ultra tour (measured SW 321 on a swing machine). With that being said, feels better than last time. And because of the raised swingweight, I can finally get in the tempo hitting with them. The spacing on the stringbed is quite large but surprisingly doesn’t grab the ball too good. Having some problems on my kick serve and slice based on that. Still, the ball doesn’t wanna stay on the string even though the tension dropped. Flat serve is still money. Flat forehand/backhand is a rocket, I can easily hit a solid strike in the run, but when I was settle up and ready to smash a winner, I kept hitting longer than I attempt for decent amount of times. Top spin shots are not as good as my expectation. It has less spin potential than a regular PD, and less than a PO7. Stiffness is softer on stats and in hand as well. For me it has better feel on volley than a regular PD and PO7 (I majorly play singles only so I’m talking about when I approach to the net and try to finish the point most of time). Drop shot is quite nice for a PD but like I said, slice wasn’t pretty, ball comes out high and slow. And for people thinking about a 98 PD has better control than regular PD? Unfortunately I don’t see that on this stick. It is just a softer PD with slightly better feel. I do have fun hitting with them but not sure if i can play tournaments with them yet. Will test with a softer poly (most likely hyper G)or maybe gut hybrid next time depends on when the rain stops lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'd call it a Pure Drive 'Lite', but that nomenclature kinda exists already?

 

[TennisHound]

I wonder how it would perform with some weight in the handle (blu tack, or heavier grip) and maybe about 2x3x1/4 inch strips at 12? From my experience, the PD responds very well to weight and I’ll wager this one will too.

 

[danbrenner]

I wonder how it would perform with some weight in the handle (blu tack, or heavier grip) and maybe about 2x3x1/4 inch strips at 12? From my experience, the PD responds very well to weight and I’ll wager this one will too.

But that kind of defeats the purpose because the regular pure Drive doesn’t need any weight. So this one shouldn’t need any either and if it does it’s a letdown people in general just don’t like letading up rackets. Just call a spade a spade if it’s too late for you and it’s too flimsy then say so and move on

 

[danbrenner]

The pure strike for example doesn’t need any weight and has great stability. And it’s a 98 head.

 

[djpj]

But that kind of defeats the purpose because the regular pure Drive doesn’t need any weight. So this one shouldn’t need any either and if it does it’s a letdown people in general just don’t like letading up rackets. Just call a spade a spade if it’s too late for you and it’s too flimsy then say so and move on

There are a number of great sticks that are only great because the serve as platform rackets, but yes I see your point.

 

[TennisHound]

But that kind of defeats the purpose because the regular pure Drive doesn’t need any weight. So this one shouldn’t need any either and if it does it’s a letdown people in general just don’t like letading up rackets. Just call a spade a spade if it’s too late for you and it’s too flimsy then say so and move on

Well I’m not ready to call it a spade just yet. It’s still a solid 98” racquet with no gimmicks like CV or Graphene. The review is inflated, yes, but not over the top. It’s a racquet that has potential. It’s not for me but neither is the PS17 or PD, and they are both solid racquets for certain players. Just sayin

 

[michael valek]

mine just arrived, testing tomorrow. its going to need to offer something extra and above what i get from APD or pure aero in the departments of serve, slice and forehand, and to be a little less like a pure drive, I guess.