Diadem Nova V3

konstantinos kalfountzos

konstantinos kalfountzos

Hall of Fame
Out of town for a few more days, but tennis related notifications keep on rolling!

Diadem has released their V3 Nova, adding a Tour version.

Kraibon added along with another "tech" at 9 and 3.

Paint finish seems to be the Elevate V3 - Head Speed velvet they call it, rubbery I call it... Seems like a new trend and I'll have to gloss my own rackets TennisSpin way.

Either way, I'd really like to play the Nova V3 100 side-by-side with the V2 Nova I have and also try the headlight Tour version.

https://diademsports.com/collections/nova-tennis-rackets
 
dr. godmode

dr. godmode

Hall of Fame
I've hit both now:

Nova V3 Unstrung | Strung w/ Pro X 1.25mm @ 49lbs
298g | 321g
32.3cm | 33.1cm
288 SW | 320 SW
13.6 TW | 14.5 TW (Briffidi TW v2)

Nova Tour V3 Unstrung | Strung w/ Confidential 1.30mm @ 49lbs
317g | 341g
31.1cm | 31.8cm
290 SW | 325 SW
14.2 TW | 15.1 TW

The hitting feel is quite plush, lots of trampoline effect at 49lbs. I'll prob bump to 52lbs soon. Spin and power are great. Stability is solid, probably not as good as the EZ100, FX500. Generally playability is more Pure Drivey than the other two, though it's been a very long time since I've hit a proper 100. Probably the last one was the PA100 in August.

To me, the Nova Tour is largely pointless. Despite the specs being incredibly close to my customized WO, the extra weight doesn't seem to translate to much better stability or plowthrough, especially considering the maneuverability trade offs. The Tour feels like it's more suited to a flatter, more linear stroke compared to my Fritzhand.

The base model, on the other hand, was very fun in my first session with it. Stood up extremely well against big pace and I could really roll the ball back slowly to buy some time with height and spin over the net.

The PJ sucks. It's cool that its black with teal metallic flake, but it just buried in the hideous rubbery/velvet finish and the graphics are pretty low budget. Thankfully it's mostly all black so I can forgive.

Overall I'm left with this burning question: why don't you use a more powerful racquet?
 
konstantinos kalfountzos

konstantinos kalfountzos

Hall of Fame
dr. godmode said:
I've hit both now:

Nova V3 Unstrung | Strung w/ Pro X 1.25mm @ 49lbs
298g | 321g
32.3cm | 33.1cm
288 SW | 320 SW
13.6 TW | 14.5 TW (Briffidi TW v2)

Nova Tour V3 Unstrung | Strung w/ Confidential 1.30mm @ 49lbs
317g | 341g
31.1cm | 31.8cm
290 SW | 325 SW
14.2 TW | 15.1 TW

The hitting feel is quite plush, lots of trampoline effect at 49lbs. I'll prob bump to 52lbs soon. Spin and power are great. Stability is solid, probably not as good as the EZ100, FX500. Generally playability is more Pure Drivey than the other two, though it's been a very long time since I've hit a proper 100. Probably the last one was the PA100 in August.

To me, the Nova Tour is largely pointless. Despite the specs being incredibly close to my customized WO, the extra weight doesn't seem to translate to much better stability or plowthrough, especially considering the maneuverability trade offs. The Tour feels like it's more suited to a flatter, more linear stroke compared to my Fritzhand.

The base model, on the other hand, was very fun in my first session with it. Stood up extremely well against big pace and I could really roll the ball back slowly to buy some time with height and spin over the net.

The PJ sucks. It's cool that its black with teal metallic flake, but it just buried in the hideous rubbery/velvet finish and the graphics are pretty low budget. Thankfully it's mostly all black so I can forgive.

Overall I'm left with this burning question: why don't you use a more powerful racquet?
Click to expand...
Beam width is 23.5 all the way like the previous version, good.

Who thought of this new paint-finish trend? The "velvet" - soft touch - rubbery feel? Head is getting buried for this choice for the new Speeds. Some neglected to mention it on the MP at first, but now they cannot but mention it on the Pro review.

Tennis Guy from Chezh Republic spit out what I noticed right away about this velvet-paintjobs: the soft and sticky touch that is just not as good as a generic matte or even better a glossy finish, both very easy to choose for manufacturing.
 
dr. godmode

dr. godmode

Hall of Fame
konstantinos kalfountzos said:
Beam width is 23.5 all the way like the previous version, good.

Who thought of this new paint-finish trend? The "velvet" - soft touch - rubbery feel? Head is getting buried for this choice for the new Speeds. Some neglected to mention it on the MP at first, but now they cannot but mention it on the Pro review.

Tennis Guy from Chezh Republic spit out what I noticed right away about this velvet-paintjobs: the soft and sticky touch that is just not as good as a generic matte or even better a glossy finish, both very easy to choose for manufacturing.
Click to expand...
I was hoping it would die after people were peeling the finish off the CV Wilson's but I guess not. Sad.
 
P

PRS

Semi-Pro
dr. godmode said:
The PJ sucks. It's cool that its black with teal metallic flake, but it just buried in the hideous rubbery/velvet finish and the graphics are pretty low budget. Thankfully it's mostly all black so I can forgive.
Click to expand...
I actually love the PJ. It feels better than the Wilson velvety finish they used. My main concern is the bright blue they use on it isn't the same as their strings, neither the solstice power (closest to it) nor the blue pro x. Not sure why they'd do that. But overall I think it looks really nice. I'll be taking it out on court for the first time tonight.
 
dr. godmode

dr. godmode

Hall of Fame
PRS said:
I actually love the PJ. It feels better than the Wilson velvety finish they used. My main concern is the bright blue they use on it isn't the same as their strings, neither the solstice power (closest to it) nor the blue pro x. Not sure why they'd do that. But overall I think it looks really nice. I'll be taking it out on court for the first time tonight.
Click to expand...
The blue/teal they use is the same colour as the packing for Solstice Power, but you are right, it's not the same as the actual string. I guess that's what happens when you've got a small dev budget.
 
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PRS

Semi-Pro
dr. godmode said:
The blue/teal they use is the same colour as the packing for Solstice Power, but you are right, it's not the same as the actual string. I guess that's what happens when you've got a small dev budget.
Click to expand...
Yeah, after I opened the package I thought about putting the string back in the package and grabbing a different string to match better, haha.
 
S

Soundbyte

Hall of Fame
dr. godmode said:
To me, the Nova Tour is largely pointless. Despite the specs being incredibly close to my customized WO, the extra weight doesn't seem to translate to much better stability or plowthrough, especially considering the maneuverability trade offs
Click to expand...
I look at those specs and think I'd be adding weight at 3/9 or 12 to beef up the SW to 340 and get it to a similar balance as the 100, while now being more stable and having more plow through.

But you felt similar about the FX500 Tour. You didn't feel like the extra weight was doing much IIRC.
 
E

emhtennis

Professional
Soundbyte said:
I look at those specs and think I'd be adding weight at 3/9 or 12 to beef up the SW to 340 and get it to a similar balance as the 100, while now being more stable and having more plow through.

But you felt similar about the FX500 Tour. You didn't feel like the extra weight was doing much IIRC.
Click to expand...
I can understand. Going from 300g to 315g I'm not sure I'd want it all in the handle. Would be much spicier to split it between the handle and hoop to polarize the frame.
 
dr. godmode

dr. godmode

Hall of Fame
Soundbyte said:
I look at those specs and think I'd be adding weight at 3/9 or 12 to beef up the SW to 340 and get it to a similar balance as the 100, while now being more stable and having more plow through.

But you felt similar about the FX500 Tour. You didn't feel like the extra weight was doing much IIRC.
Click to expand...
Well the 500T is only 5g difference. I wouldn’t expect a huge difference. 15g on the other hand should do something but it’s distributed in all the wrong places for me.

Clunky, slow, reminds me of the SX300T in that way.
 
L

Leen

Rookie
For the nitty gritty nerds here I actually messaged Diadem about the widths for V2 and they replied with:

The racket is 23 mm at the throat, 23.5 at the middle, and 24 at the top of the head.

Idk if V3 changed though.
 
djNEiGht

djNEiGht

Legend
curious about the v3. the v2 didn't wow me but it is a nice racquet. I prefer the EZ100 though.

v3 with the option of the Tour...i kinda don't see the point of just having it heavier with SW/Balance specs just a few points difference. I wonder if it would have been better to have
-tighter string pattern
-98 head size

but that's just my weekend warrior opinion

most likely the v3 will cross my path somehow and hope this works out for Diadem.
 
konstantinos kalfountzos

konstantinos kalfountzos

Hall of Fame
I can see some Tecnifibre inspiration for the "Diadem" name placement, am I wrong?

I'm actually quite keen on trying the V3 side-by-side with the V2 Nova 100. I'll try to make this happen as soon as I can.



 
konstantinos kalfountzos

konstantinos kalfountzos

Hall of Fame
TennisViking said:
Review of the Diadem Nova V3 on TennisNerd:

tennisnerd.net

Diadem Nova V3 Review

I have been testing the new Diadem Nova racquets and it's been a nice experience. Here is my Diadem Nova V3 Review.
tennisnerd.net tennisnerd.net
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I remember Jonas really liking the previous Nova. He was absolutely spot on on his feedback, as I have been playing with it for 3 years and still have it and hit with it a few hours every month.

Hope he releases a video on YouTube, not just the written review.

Playing the V2 Elevate for 2 years also and having played the V3, Kraibon really makes a difference. Dampens the string bed, maybe more than I personally like, makes the racket twist much less on returning serves and at the net. I'd really like to try the V3 Nova, not the Tour version, the 300gram one side by side like I did for the Elevates
 
S

Soundbyte

Hall of Fame
Anyone know if anyone used the Nova+?
I used to play the Pure Drive Roddick +, so I'm curious if anyone has hit with it. Overall the reviews of the 100 and Tour seem quite positive.
 
S

Soundbyte

Hall of Fame
I have one of the 100 and the Plus on the way.
I hit with the V2 Briefly. Its been a hot minute since I've used the Pure Drive (nothing since the Pure Drive Roddick) days. But the Nova was noticeably less stiff.
Will hopefully have these new models by end of week
 
djNEiGht

djNEiGht

Legend
Roforot said:
for ppl who play w babolat pure drive, is the nova really better? Or hype?
Click to expand...
I have the purple wimbledon PD which IIRC is the of the current mold and I've enjoyed that a lot. Have used it with various synthetics/multi as well as some polys. I really like it a bunch. I did not get to hit it back to back with the Nova v2 but the v2 wasn't no slouch. I will say though that my favorite 100 power racquet these days are the current EZ100. I can't seem to put that down. Otherwise i'll split time with the VCP97D and the dark blue/previous version of the EZ98

the v3 is incoming so I hope to take that for a spin. Sadly...i'm badly injured so my court time has been limited but I think I can at least have a good rally session with it. Then...under the knife I go and tennis will be on the back burner for prob the rest of the year....okay...enough...

i'm lining up the Nova v2 and the EZ100 with hyperG and then the incoming v3 will also have hyperG. If I have enough time, I might even get the PD tied up with HG and have a personal playtest.
 
T

TripleFault88

Rookie
Soundbyte said:
Anyone know if anyone used the Nova+?
I used to play the Pure Drive Roddick +, so I'm curious if anyone has hit with it. Overall the reviews of the 100 and Tour seem quite positive.
Click to expand...
I played the v2 nova plus for a little bit. It was a powerful racket but still very comfortable on my arm. I normally get elbow, forearm, or wrist pain if the stiffness gets too high.
Less power and spin than pure drive plus but more control.
In the end, maybe because of foam filling, balance, and extended length, it just felt slow to me.
 
djNEiGht

djNEiGht

Legend
measured the L3 batch that came in with the plastic still on

299g 318mm 278SW
301g 319mm 279SW
298g 319mm 275SW

I'll check the L2 next time

the soft touch paint in interesting. Doesn't feel as aggressive as some other soft touch paint jobs. It looks great in person. Can't wait to see it in the sun.
 
S

Soundbyte

Hall of Fame
djNEiGht said:
measured the L3 batch that came in with the plastic still on

299g 318mm 278SW
301g 319mm 279SW
298g 319mm 275SW

I'll check the L2 next time

the soft touch paint in interesting. Doesn't feel as aggressive as some other soft touch paint jobs. It looks great in person. Can't wait to see it in the sun.
Click to expand...
You talking about the Nova V3 standard, I presume?
 
djNEiGht

djNEiGht

Legend
correct...the standard. if memory serves me right...plastic cover is often 3-5g so these are underspec on weight. balance would prob hit the target 320/7
 
R

Roforot

Hall of Fame
djNEiGht said:
measured the L3 batch that came in with the plastic still on

299g 318mm 278SW
301g 319mm 279SW
298g 319mm 275SW

I'll check the L2 next time

the soft touch paint in interesting. Doesn't feel as aggressive as some other soft touch paint jobs. It looks great in person. Can't wait to see it in the sun.
Click to expand...
with strings, SW would be around 310... seems kind of light vs Pure Drive but let us know how it feels on the court, especially the serve!
 
djNEiGht

djNEiGht

Legend
Roforot said:
with strings, SW would be around 310... seems kind of light vs Pure Drive but let us know how it feels on the court, especially the serve!
Click to expand...
yup...the numbers do seem light. On my PD, I added 2g at 12. These might def call for it as well.

my v2 SW is 281 as well as my EZ100 and I've been pretty happy with that spec BUT am curious to add a little more lead. I will check the PD later on the SW.
 
S

Soundbyte

Hall of Fame
Roforot said:
yeah, perhaps the Nova Tour is more alligned w/ the PD? I think this is what has been reviewed by Mark and Tennis Nerd. The regular is very customizable and you can probably get it close to the tour and choose how headlight you want it.
Click to expand...
They noted the different is just extra weight in the handle. Hoop mass is apparently the same between the standard and Tour
 
S

Soundbyte

Hall of Fame
Just got mine in. Won't get around to hitting with them for a week.
But the Nova 100 standard has a unstrung SW of 289
The Nova+ has a unstrung SW of 323. I rechecked this 5 times and re-calibrated my Brifrridi (a second time) after not believing.

Neither feel unwieldy with shadow swings though. And I play with higher SW frames without much issue...but I found that curious.
 
djNEiGht

djNEiGht

Legend
Soundbyte said:
Just got mine in. Won't get around to hitting with them for a week.
But the Nova 100 standard has a unstrung SW of 289
The Nova+ has a unstrung SW of 323. I rechecked this 5 times and re-calibrated my Brifrridi (a second time) after not believing.

Neither feel unwieldy with shadow swings though. And I play with higher SW frames without much issue...but I found that curious.
Click to expand...
i need to check my eyes with those unstrung SW. lol maybe if it was an Angell TC97 which has a sneaky high SW...but wow 323.
 
flyhome

flyhome

Rookie
Soundbyte said:
Just got mine in. Won't get around to hitting with them for a week.
But the Nova 100 standard has a unstrung SW of 289
The Nova+ has a unstrung SW of 323. I rechecked this 5 times and re-calibrated my Brifrridi (a second time) after not believing.

Neither feel unwieldy with shadow swings though. And I play with higher SW frames without much issue...but I found that curious.
Click to expand...

I was checking Diadem website and watching the specs of the Nova +, when I saw 305gr and 33.5 cm unstrung balance I started counting.

Considering 305 gr and the extra lenght...it will have similar specs to Isner's Prince Beast.
 
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