Babolat Pure Drive + vs Babolat AeroPro Drive +

[itsn3o]

I've been hitting with the Babolat Pure Drive + for about 2 years now and the racquet feels great, but there are somethings about the Pure Drive + that can be adjusted to make my playing level superior. I am a 4.5-5.0 player depending on a day I'm having. Overall, I have a huge serve and ground game. I'm looking to generate a little more power and spin while sticking with a racquet similar to that of the Pure Drive +. I tried lead tape and it worked on the power game, but spin remained the same.

Does anyone recommend that I switch over to the AeroPro Drive +? Thanks for your input.

P.S.
I've read other posts about the AeroPro Drive + and wasn't able to come to a conclusion of making a change in equipment.

 

[TennisMD]

I demoed the AeroPureDrive standard and + extensively for 2 weeks ,about 16 hrs hitting time and recently bought the standard. I also played with the pure Drive + on and off since 2001 but posts about destroying ones arm made me cautious. Play 4.0 to 4.5 on good day middle aged warrior but came into this game from masters track and triathalons so very fit and continue to run and lift.
So conclusions: 1)I am sure the Aero will not add more power to your game but on the other hand this is good. I thought I served just as well with the Aero, the + version the best , and all other aspects of my game were better. So in essence the Aero gives better control better feel and still great power to rip balls past your opponent. I chose the standard just because I play alot of doubles as well as singles and like standard size rkts better. However the + was very nice and it was a coin toss in the end to choose wich rkt.

 

[IN210S]

TennisMD,

Just curious, what sort of arm problems have you read or heard about?

 

[IN210S]

TennisMD,

Just curious, what sort of arm problems have you read or heard about?

 

[scez]

I heard it gives a lot of people shoulder pain.

 

[NoBadMojo]

i've been playtesting the AeroDrive+...it's way diff than the PureDrive+....The AeroDrive+ does not beef up your serve like the PD+, but it is better to volley with and alot more spinny from the backcourt with tons of power from back there. It's a less harsh hit than the PD+

 

[johnathan smith]

I will mimic what Ed said.
I fooled around with the PD plus a couple Summers ago and really liked the extra juice on serve, but my arm suffered. On the other hand the I am now hitting the aeropro plus frames and have not felt any arm problems at all. My arm usually tells me one way or another right away. I have been hitting these extensively for a little more than a week and my arm feels great. One difference, I actually thought the aero lets me serve bigger than the pd plus, but maybe that is because my shoulder isn't sore and I can swing it harder :" I am not playing mine anything close to stock and maybe that has something to do with it also. Anyhow, I think Babolat has finally gotten it right with this one, but we'll see.

 

[SC in MA]

...I am not playing mine anything close to stock and maybe that has something to do with it also....

Hi Johnathan: Can you share what you've done to your APD+ ? And why did you make these changes ? TIA.

 

[johnathan smith]

Sure... I have been building a knob on the end of my frames for almost 4 years now. I started it with some old fischer frames because of the lack of flair on the end of the butt-caps and just got used to it and can't play without them. To counter that, I have 4 inches of lead at 12:00 on the frames themselves. I also play with 16g poly strings which I feel adds a little weight as well. It's a GREAT set-up for me, with lots of heft on the balls I hit, but may not be right for everyone (of course)
thanks, JS

 

[TennisMD]

IN21OS:

There have been alot of posts in this regard, in the pros rkt section I believe a fellow by the name of Marius Hancu goes on about its dangers. However some believe it is the function of poor technique more than the rkt. I believe it is some of both. That being said after several hrs of PD+ play my forearm felt stressed. Now one could argue this is technique as I usually hit with the standard length and the extra .5 inches caused me to hit late. In any case after hrs on the Aero standard and + my arm felt fine

 

[itsn3o]

alright guys, thanks for the input. i'm switching my pd+ to the aeropro drive +.

 

[scez]

Tell us how you like the aeropro drive + when you get it.

 

[Marius_Hancu]

IN21OS:

There have been alot of posts in this regard, in the pros rkt section I believe a fellow by the name of Marius Hancu goes on about its dangers.

Yes, check:
Need ideas to help reduce elbow problems w/ my current Pure Drive specs (inside)!!!!
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=41093
Babolat = elbow pain?
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=27161
Lots of tennis elbow reports recently so lets poll it ...
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=32697


But I go on about the dangers of any light and/or rigid racket, check this:
Default Life after cortisone shots
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?p=328559
the original poster used a 280g, 72 stiffness Wilson racket.

 

[itsn3o]

So I've switched the Aeropro Drive + and it's okay but I miss the power that the Pure Drive + had... However the light weight of the racquet helps me hit harder shots more frequently. I'll update more as I hit with it this week.