@GitarooJack - I was on the Pure Strike VS playtest, got about 40-50 hours with it (until my sister "took possession" of it because she fell in love with it, lol). And I own both a v2 Elevate FS and Elevate FS Tour, with ~30 hours on the EFS and ~20 hours on the EFS Tour -- so, enough time to at least know their basic ins and outs, especially the PSVS. The v3 Elevates are somewhat close to the v2's, just a bit more cushioned (if not muted) due to the use of Kraibon (a thin layer of non-cross-linked rubber). That said, here's my breakdown:
PSVS vs. v2 Elevate vs v2 ETour,
in stock form:
- Overall - PSVS is kind of a slightly-modernized reincarnation of the Pure Control: 90% all-court player's stick; 10% tweener. The Elevate is a bit more of a spin/power baseline/all-court frame. Both are made for constant attacking tennis, the PSVS a bit more so than the Elevate, which is slightly more comfortable for baseline bashing / counterpunching, if need/want more of that in your game.
- Control - PSVS > E = ET -- PSVS on top due to more dense string pattern, more pocketing/dwell and a bit more naturally whippy for finer-grained adjustability mid-swing. The E and ET get decent marks for control, primarily from the linear flex and constant-width hybrid "D" beam, in a 98" head, with still better-than-average maneuverability. However, the pattern on the Elevates is quite possibly the most open of any 98" on the market, which typically means a more swipey swing path is required to maintain equivalent control than you might otherwise get with the PSVS swung more flat.
- Spin - E >= ET > PSVS -- The E and ET get the lion's share of their spin from such an open pattern; again, we're talking 2019 Aero, Dunlop SX/FX, etc. level open. You get that thing moving wth enough swipe and racquet head speed with a full bed of shaped, high-snapback poly, and the level of spin can be borderline hilarious. That said, the PSVS is no slouch; it's quite possibly the most spinny 97 out there, from the combo of the medium-open pattern and supremely whippy nature of its mass distribution.
- Power Potential - ET >= E > PSVS - The Elevates definitely have a higher power potential, the Tour the most from the slightly firmer flex and higher swing weight than the regular Elevate, but both also from their more dynamic, open string beds. The PSVS is measurably lower powered, but not shockingly so. For a 97 16x20 63RA 320-ish SW control stick, it has just about as much power as one might expect or hope for (a lot of which can be augmented with customization, which I'll talk about later).
- Launch Angle - E >= ET >> PSVS -- The open pattern gives the Elevates a fairly high default launch angle, noticeably higher than the PSVS, which I'd still say is on the medium-high side itself, especially compared to most 97" control frames. To approximate: if hitting an average southwestern forehand from the baseline, if the PSVS is clearing the net by 2-4', the Elevates would be in the neighborhood of 5-8'.
- Stability - ET > E > PSVS -- No question, the E Tour is the most stable of the three, mainly due to the added mass (predominantly in the upper handle and throat), with the Elevate only a tad bit behind though. Stability is one place where the Elevates punch noticeably above their weight class. I think it's a combo of the "FS" system and foam fill. The PSVS in stock form is not necessarily unstable, but definitely has a level of flex on impact, a tad more hoop flutter, and I believe also a slightly lower twist weight, that all together make it a bit more prone to instability. That said, for a hollow-core stick, it's still pretty stable, especially considering how whippy it is in stock form.
- Flex (RA firmness) - ET > E > PSVS -- PSVS is softest and has somewhat of a triple flex profile: flexier in the neck, firmer in the low-to-mid hoop, with a slight bit of tip flex. The Elevates are very much linear, singular, progressive, and they don't pocket anywhere near as much. As for which you prefer, that's completely based on taste. One thing is for certain: you'll immediately notice more "thud factor" from the Elevates (especially the Tour, which is very Pro Staff -esque in its "thuddyness"), making them better for counterpunching and/or getting more bludgeoning force with less input.
- Feel - PSVS >= E = ET -- PSVS, although slightly muted, will transmit a bit more feel than the Elevates, primarily due to more flex, dwell, rawness of layup and tightness of string pattern. The v2 Elevates still have decent, albeit dampened feel. As for the v3's, they're a bit much cushioned in feel, if not muted, with the addition of Kraibon. This to me just narrows down the best choice of strings for the v3's to the most crisp ones (silver/gray poly's, Lux gut, crisp syn-guts/multi's, etc), and potentially makes it have even worse feel, but if you like that more soft, muffled feel, it could be better in a way. Personal taste there again.
As to whether you might favor the Ev3 over the PSVS, it would have to come down to what you're looking for. If you have a younger/more-modern style with a more western, swipier ground stroke, I could see how you'd potentially enjoy the Elevate more. If you tend to hit more flat, though, I could certainly see how the PSVS could perform better, or at least more reliably. I think the PSVS takes customization better than the Elevates, primarily because the "thuddier" feel and handling of the Elevates makes them have a higher propensity to feel more "clubby" per unit of added mass, whereas the PSVS's lower flex, hollow layup and supremely whippy nature just makes it more ripe for adding weight in general. On the flip side, you can generally get a bigger, spinnier ball out of the Elevates with less total mass/swing-weight (they're definitely more tweener-ish in that sense), so there's a potential upside there, if lightening up a bit is what you're going for.
Anyways, I hope some of that helps. Please keep us updated on how both sticks compare, and if you stick with the PSVS or move to the Ev3.
