Chris - your Pure Drive Plus?

[TripleB]

Chris,

I know in the review for the Yonex EZone DR 98 Plus (I tried the standard version and just couldn't find the groove on my touch shots or the maneuverability I need with it) you said that you are switching to that racquet, but I'm hoping you can give me some information on the Pure Drive Plus you used prior to the DR 98+ switch.

How did you modify the weight of your Pure Drive Plus?

I used to use the Pure Drive Roddick and found over the course of three sets of 4.5 singles the weight (and swingweight) was just too much for me to be able to whip my forehand (my weakest shot) crosscourt.

Recently I've been trying several of the racquets I've used in the past attempting to nail down my ideal specs and it seems like my racquet sweetspot is around 11.5 ounces (before overgrip/headtape/rubberband), wide open string pattern, crisper response than my Pure Strikes (older 16x19 version), 5 to 7 points headlight, and swingweight between 315 and 325.

In looking at racquets there are not many in stock form that fall in my sweetspot...Yonex VCore SV98 and Yonex VCore Duel G 97 310 are two of the few.

In addition to trying those two racquets I'm thinking of trying the Pure Drive and Pure Drive Plus, then adding some weight to bump them up to the 11.5 ounce range. I know the Roddick wasn't extended length, but in order to get some extra leverage on my serve I thought the extra length might be of help. Just interested in how much weight you ended up adding to yours.

I appreciate any help you can provide and keep up the amazing work at Tennis-Warehouse.

TripleB

 

[TW Staff]

TripB, hope you are well!
On my PD+ I just added a leather grip and called it good. I felt the racquet had enough swingweight and plow through on its own thanks to the extended length.

On the standard length front, I'd go with the Duel G 97 310 over the SV as I found it far more comfortable and thought it had a very nice feel to it. The SV offers great power, but I was very surprised at the power I got from the Duel G.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[TripleB]

TripB, hope you are well!
On my PD+ I just added a leather grip and called it good. I felt the racquet had enough swingweight and plow through on its own thanks to the extended length.

On the standard length front, I'd go with the Duel G 97 310 over the SV as I found it far more comfortable and thought it had a very nice feel to it. The SV offers great power, but I was very surprised at the power I got from the Duel G.

Hope that helps.

Cheers,
Chris

Thanks Chris....that helped a great deal!

I appreciate the input on the SV 98 vs. G 97 310 as well. Andy being pretty stoked about the SV 98 is one of the reasons I was giving it a look. But as a former RDX 500 Midplus user I'm afraid the SV 98 would be a huge departure from that type of feel. Of course the Pure Drive I'm considering isn't going to feel like an RDX 500 either

I know it varies depending on the weight of the original grip on a racquet, but about how much weight did your leather grip add to the Pure Drive Plus? Am I correct in thinking that the addition of a leather grip will make the racquet more headlight but won't affect the swingweight of the racquet a great deal?

Again, I appreciate you taking the time to respond and all your hard work at Tennis-Warehouse!!!

Have a fantastic weekend!!!

TripleB

 

[TW Staff]

Strung with a poly and no overgrip my PD+ racquets are 11.8oz and 10 pts HL. We usually factor a leather grip to add .6oz and it seems that was spot on with my sticks.

Cheers,
Chris, TW

 

[TripleB]

Strung with a poly and no overgrip my PD+ racquets are 11.8oz and 10 pts HL. We usually factor a leather grip to add .6oz and it seems that was spot on with my sticks.
Cheers,
Chris, TW

Thanks Chris! That sounds like a perfect racquet!!!

The weight and power of the Pure Drive Roddick I loved, close to the balance of my Prince Original Graphite (thus improving the only area, maneuverability, I struggled with when play with the Roddick), an extra half inch for help on serve, and a leather grip!!! On paper it doesn't get much better for me than that!

Again, I appreciate you taking the time to respond to all my questions! Have a fantastic rest of the week!

TripleB