Fake 2019 Pure Drive??? (cracked)

DavidBart

Rookie
I bought it on ****, brand new. From and US based seller but well below msrp ($175). It looks pretty damn good, and it plays OK, hard to tell... BUT! It's my second session playing and it cracked...

I have this stupid habit of hitting my foot with my racket when I get pissed, sort of like when guys clear their shoes on clay... but I've done it with other rackets and none ever cracked. I'm leaning towards the fact that it's fake, but could it just be a faulty mold?

Crack is at approximately 2 o'clock on the head.

What do you think? Does anyone know what to look for in a fake?

Couldn't insert images so here's a link to photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cPjJTi4QbWVJZod16


Thanks in advance.
 

rlau

Hall of Fame
I have this stupid habit of hitting my foot with my racket when I get pissed, sort of like when guys clear their shoes on clay... but I've done it with other rackets and none ever cracked.

A mate of mine cracked his APD2013 by simply hitting his foot out of anger after missing an easy shot. And his frame was definitely legit. So apparently Babolat’s build quality is not that awesome.
 

g4driver

Legend
Sorry to read your frame cracked. That is a bummer, but that isn't a Pure Drive. It is a 2019 Pure Aero. It has the dimples (anti-counterfeit measure) which indicates it likely isn't fake.

My 02: Save your self the cost of sending the frame to Babolat and stop hitting your frame against anything when you get angry. I have two friends who own Tennis Stores and they say Babolat has never replaced a frame for 'racquet abuse', and your pictures and own words indicate you hit your frame on your shoe in anger. Babolat officials post on this forum frequently, so you could ask them their opinion. FWIW, I have hit my frames on my shoes for 10+ years while playing on Har-Tru multiple times a month and never cracked one. I have seen frames cracked out of anger while hitting shoes, courts, fences and benches. Babolat, Wilson, Head, Yonex and others will all crack if you hit something not designed to hit.

Technique: drop your frame on the court (gently), then rest your foot to the side of it and kick it. It will slide across the court about 10 to 15' feet and you'll never crack another frame. I have two 4.5 buddies who have adopted this practice after they broke several frames.
 
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a12345

Professional
Well, it turns out 300 grams of metal spread out over a giant hollow loop with 70 holes punched through it isnt that structurally strong when hit sideways on.
 
Well, it turns out 300 grams of metal spread out over a giant hollow loop with 70 holes punched through it isnt that structurally strong when hit sideways on.
300 grams of Metal?? This isn't that whole: 'There's tungsten in our racquets - oops no there isn't' thing again is it?
 

grhcan99

Semi-Pro
I bought it on ****, brand new. From and US based seller but well below msrp ($175). It looks pretty damn good, and it plays OK, hard to tell... BUT! It's my second session playing and it cracked...

I have this stupid habit of hitting my foot with my racket when I get pissed, sort of like when guys clear their shoes on clay... but I've done it with other rackets and none ever cracked. I'm leaning towards the fact that it's fake, but could it just be a faulty mold?

Crack is at approximately 2 o'clock on the head.

What do you think? Does anyone know what to look for in a fake?

Couldn't insert images so here's a link to photos:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cPjJTi4QbWVJZod16


Thanks in advance.

That's not a Pure Drive.
 

DavidBart

Rookie
A mate of mine cracked his APD2013 by simply hitting his foot out of anger after missing an easy shot. And his frame was definitely legit. So apparently Babolat’s build quality is not that awesome.
I better be careful. My regular raquet is a 2013 APD. I have to find other means of diffusing my anger.
 

Fairhit

Hall of Fame
I better be careful. My regular raquet is a 2013 APD. I have to find other means of diffusing my anger.
You should, I've never been so angry as to hit my racquet with anything, I think you should respect and take care of your equipment, just think about how much work costs to buy any racquet.
 

Zoolander

Hall of Fame
Two anger management techniques for the irate player.......
1) grab the nearest ball and smack it a couple of blocks into the middle of next week. Cheaper to replace a ball......
2) keep a crappy old racquet in your bag..... if the urge is too great then just resist for a few seconds until you reach your bag and grab it out, then go to town on it!
 

Steve Huff

G.O.A.T.
Don't hit a ball into next week. That just irritates everyone else you're playing with. That is, unless you are prepared to open another can of balls.
 
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Bartelby

Bionic Poster
Apple just produced an iPad that comes off the production line bent and they state that this is perfectly normal.

Some companies are like that, Babolat included.

While your bad habit does not come within the rubric of 'reasonable or normal use', I wouldn't buy from a company that produces such fragile racquets.
 

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
I bought it on ****, brand new. From and US based seller but well below msrp ($175). It looks pretty damn good, and it plays OK, hard to tell... BUT! It's my second session playing and it cracked...
If it cracked it probably is fake but on a chance just return it, Pray the warranty is not fake. Send it back to Babolat and be sure to tell them you bough it on an auction site below MAP. They’ll get a good laugh out of that. They will probably dispose of the racket for free of charge or return it on your dime.

Even if the racket is a Babolat racket you will probably not be able to get the racket replaced. You may get the seller’s account closed by Babolat though if they can identify who is selling rackets below MAP.
 

Zoolander

Hall of Fame
I don’t know why anyone ever smacks their foot with their racquet like Djoko does...... just the thought of it going slightly wrong and cracking the ankle bone makes me cringe in pain.

If it cracked it probably is fake but on a chance just return it, Pray the warranty is not fake. Send it back to Babolat and be sure to tell them you bough it on an auction site below MAP. They’ll get a good laugh out of that. They will probably dispose of the racket for free of charge or return it on your dime.

Even if the racket is a Babolat racket you will probably not be able to get the racket replaced. You may get the seller’s account closed by Babolat though if they can identify who is selling rackets below MAP.

Can’t quite tell if Irvin is serious, what with all that irony getting in the way and all.......
 

Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
babolat Pure Aeros are hollow stiff frames with little in the way of resiliency. They can be easily cracked because of that built in brittleness. I doubt its a fake. I think you just caught it on a structural weak point in a brittle frame. Don't hit anything other than the ball with your racket.

Personally I intentionally drop my racket gently when angry at myself so I don't do anything worse with it. Pick it up once the initial frustration is diffused.
 

DavidBart

Rookie
Just an update on my Saga.... I'm kind of glad I hit my foot and cracked it. I caught it just within the 30 day return window and they Ebayer accepted the return. Had I waited longer, he wasn't required to honor it, and Babolat would not honor 1 year warranty because Ebayers are not "authrized dealers" so be careful everyone....

I believe the racquet wasn't fake and had some structural damage. So the sooner I found out, the better. I make it a habit to smack my new racquets agains my shoe (like Djoko) ...just to make sure they're structurally sound. Not super hard. With some force, but controlled. If I missed my shoe sole I wouldn't hurt my self or anything.

We'll I got another 2019 Pure Aero again off of ****. This one is fine but on the inside of the frame has been chipping... right around the grommets, where it's painted black (not the yellow paint) My friend has the same one and his doesn't. I've touched it up with black marker and it's looks ok, but has peeled a bit more since.

It seems as though Babolat may have had some quality control issues with their 2019 Babolat production...
 
Sorry but that's akin to buying a brand new car, driving it out of the dealership, crashing it into a pole a mile or so down the road and then taking it back to the dealership and telling them their car is faulty; lucky the seller was so generous, on the face of it, I wouldn't have been.
 
Just an update on my Saga.... I'm kind of glad I hit my foot and cracked it. I caught it just within the 30 day return window and they Ebayer accepted the return. Had I waited longer, he wasn't required to honor it, and Babolat would not honor 1 year warranty because Ebayers are not "authrized dealers" so be careful everyone....

I believe the racquet wasn't fake and had some structural damage. So the sooner I found out, the better. I make it a habit to smack my new racquets agains my shoe (like Djoko) ...just to make sure they're structurally sound. Not super hard. With some force, but controlled. If I missed my shoe sole I wouldn't hurt my self or anything.

We'll I got another 2019 Pure Aero again off of ****. This one is fine but on the inside of the frame has been chipping... right around the grommets, where it's painted black (not the yellow paint) My friend has the same one and his doesn't. I've touched it up with black marker and it's looks ok, but has peeled a bit more since.

It seems as though Babolat may have had some quality control issues with their 2019 Babolat production...
please never buy from me lol imagine the money it is costing people accepting your broken racket returns!
 

dr325i

G.O.A.T.
Just an update on my Saga.... I'm kind of glad I hit my foot and cracked it. I caught it just within the 30 day return window and they Ebayer accepted the return. Had I waited longer, he wasn't required to honor it, and Babolat would not honor 1 year warranty because Ebayers are not "authrized dealers" so be careful everyone....

I believe the racquet wasn't fake and had some structural damage. So the sooner I found out, the better. I make it a habit to smack my new racquets agains my shoe (like Djoko) ...just to make sure they're structurally sound. Not super hard. With some force, but controlled. If I missed my shoe sole I wouldn't hurt my self or anything.

We'll I got another 2019 Pure Aero again off of ****. This one is fine but on the inside of the frame has been chipping... right around the grommets, where it's painted black (not the yellow paint) My friend has the same one and his doesn't. I've touched it up with black marker and it's looks ok, but has peeled a bit more since.

It seems as though Babolat may have had some quality control issues with their 2019 Babolat production...
Why don't you pay extra $20 and buy it from an authorized dealer next and have the warranty in place, etc.
And try your head instead of foot next time. I do it, safe for the racket and makes you refocus. But watch out, the head warranty has probably expired.
 

loosegroove

Hall of Fame
Sorry but that's akin to buying a brand new car, driving it out of the dealership, crashing it into a pole a mile or so down the road and then taking it back to the dealership and telling them their car is faulty; lucky the seller was so generous, on the face of it, I wouldn't have been.

It's okay though. He makes it a habit to crash his new cars into poles...just to make sure they're structurally sound. Not super hard. With some force, but controlled.
 
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