First Impressions of Pure Aero 98

Very interesting that a racquet with a 62 RA and 318 swing weight is listed above as more powerful than a racquet with a 65 RA and 327 swing weight.
 
PAVS was a bit stiff and hollow feeling for me. Hoping the PA98 feels more solid and plush with new tech/layup
 
ball doesnt stay on the strings long enough. it just doesnt fit my game. i could paly with it if i am patient. not a bad stick. currentely paly with the yonex v core 97d
 
the new v core 98 and the ezone 98 have a bit tad more control. where i can rip. this is not that stick and i hit with tons fo spin
 
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I play with the PAVS as my primary frame, and I have a new PA98 on the way. However, I can see how many players would not like it. It does not give you the same pop or spin as the regular Pure Aero. If you are looking for a frame that helps you hit bigger so that you do not get overwhelmed by more athletic opponents, this is not the frame for you. I would not recommend it for 4.0 or lower players. If you are coming from a Pure Drive or 2019 Pure Aero, this will feel underpowered, tiny, and difficult to play with.
 
Moveforwardalways said:
I would not recommend it for 4.0 or lower players. If you are coming from a Pure Drive or 2019 Pure Aero, this will feel underpowered, tiny, and difficult to play with.
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But if you're a 4.5 or higher coming from a thin beam, low powered players frame like a Pro Staff or Prestige Pro, this will feel like Thor's hammer with tons of spin and super easy to play with. ;)
 
TennisManiac said:
Sounds like you don't like it. You're the first person with anything negative to say about it. Just not your type of frame I guess.
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I actually like it from the baseline. Good power/spin/control and create angles. I just think that it’s not very forgiving and I don’t like the net game.
TennisManiac said:
But if you're a 4.5 or higher coming from a thin beam, low powered players frame like a Pro Staff or Prestige Pro, this will feel like Thor's hammer with tons of spin and super easy to play with. ;)
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Agree with you. Still easier than PS97. I hit my backhand a lot better.
 
Tan Tennis said:
Power: VC98 > EZ98 > PA98
Spin: PA98 > VC98 = EZ98
Control: PA98 >= EZ98 > VC98
Comfort: VC98 >> PA98 = EZ98
Stability: EZ98 > PA98 > VC98
Maneuverability: EZ98 > VC98 > PA98
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Looks mostly on point except spin... no way does ezone have as much spin. Also VC98 might even be spinnier than the PA, its a spin monster this gen but thats debateable
 
Aestheticsaboveallelse said:
Looks mostly on point except spin... no way does ezone have as much spin. Also VC98 might even be spinnier than the PA, its a spin monster this gen but thats debateable
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Yea my opinion on Ezone’s spin goes against large majority of players. Anyway I feel like I hit more rpm with stiffer frames on the same, unadjusted swing.
 
Moveforwardalways said:
I play with the PAVS as my primary frame, and I have a new PA98 on the way. However, I can see how many players would not like it. It does not give you the same pop or spin as the regular Pure Aero. If you are looking for a frame that helps you hit bigger so that you do not get overwhelmed by more athletic opponents, this is not the frame for you. I would not recommend it for 4.0 or lower players. If you are coming from a Pure Drive or 2019 Pure Aero, this will feel underpowered, tiny, and difficult to play with.
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I'm going to strongly disagree.

I just started playing tennis this summer. I might be a 3.0 or 3.5 player. I don't know because I haven't played long enough to have a rating.

I started with two Pure Aero rackets. Something just didn't feel right.

So I bought a Pure Strike. Nice racket. But, again, something just didn't feel right.

Then bought a Pure Aero VS.

And the PAVS was a perfect fit for me, despite not being a very polished player.
 
My PA98 demo is scheduled to show up this afternoon. I will send you guys some strung static weight, SW, and balance numbers later today. My kid won't have a chance to play test it til tomorrow at team practice.
 
TennisManiac said:
Sounds like you don't like it. You're the first person with anything negative to say about it. Just not your type of frame I guess.
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All his comments are basically negatives carried over from the VS. Would be interesting to know if the control is improved or if the flax improved the softness/feel (which it didn't in the standard IMO, but the VS felt pretty jarring and muted so it must be better).
 
Yamin said:
All his comments are basically negatives carried over from the VS. Would be interesting to know if the control is improved or if the flax improved the softness/feel (which it didn't in the standard IMO, but the VS felt pretty jarring and muted so it must be better).
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I should be able to report on all if that by tomorrow afternoon.
 
Moveforwardalways said:
Very interesting that a racquet with a 62 RA and 318 swing weight is listed above as more powerful than a racquet with a 65 RA and 327 swing weight.
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My guess is that what you just said has to do with being able to come through the ball faster with the the PAVS. My kid plays with the PAVS, 4 of them all at 318 SW, and he hits the ball like a ton of bricks with it. Will be interesting to see what he thinks of the PA98 demo this weekend.
 
I’ve told my kid, in when demoing the Pa98 this weekend is to focus on a couple of things: 1. As the proud owner of 4 PAVS frames already, would a couple of PA98 frames be a good addition to his bag alongside his PAVS frames and be closely interchangeable (he is a smooth but hard hitting all court college player who breaks a lot of strings. Hence, 4 PAVS frames may not be enough; he is thankfully sponsored by Solinco). And 2. Note the similarities between the two frames and also the differences and determine whether the differences are good or bad for his game (and whether he can live with the differences he’s not so keen on.) I think that, if this thing truly comes in at a 327 SW he is going to love it.

Some of you may be asking, “If he is sponsored by Solinco, why isn't he playing with the Whiteout 305 or XTD? Well, the truth of that is that he wants to demo those after the upcoming season wraps up and doesn't want to introduce something new until that critical period is over. He is even a little wary of introducing the PA98 at this point, but is excited to try it.
 
Peyote Bjornsson said:
I’ve told my kid, in when demoing the Pa98 this weekend is to focus on a couple of things: 1. As the proud owner of 4 PAVS frames already, would a couple of PA98 frames be a good addition to his bag alongside his PAVS frames and be closely interchangeable (he is a smooth but hard hitting all court college player who breaks a lot of strings. Hence, 4 PAVS frames may not be enough; he is thankfully sponsored by Solinco). And 2. Note the similarities between the two frames and also the differences and determine whether the differences are good or bad for his game (and whether he can live with the differences he’s not so keen on.) I think that, if this thing truly comes in at a 327 SW he is going to love it.

Some of you may be asking, “If he is sponsored by Solinco, why isn't he playing with the Whiteout 305 or XTD? Well, the truth of that is that he wants to demo those after the upcoming season wraps up and doesn't want to introduce something new until that critical period is over. He is even a little wary of introducing the PA98 at this point, but is excited to try it.
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Problem is, I think the Solinco Whiteout is a great substitute for the Babolat Pure Strike.

But it's going to play a lot different than the Pure Aero VS.

Probably worth trying if he's sponsored by Solinco but it will take a little bit of adjustment going from one to the other.
 
SupahMan5000 said:
are my eyes deceiving or is this no longer a boxy style frame in the head?
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I believe that the hoop is the same as the previous vs as far as shape goes just with the flax inserts in it, but I wouldn’t say the previous model was truly boxy either compared to a pure storm, aero storm, or vs 2016 hoop :).
 
GimmeBackMyDog said:
Problem is, I think the Solinco Whiteout is a great substitute for the Babolat Pure Strike.

But it's going to play a lot different than the Pure Aero VS.

Probably worth trying if he's sponsored by Solinco but it will take a little bit of adjustment going from one to the other.
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Agreed. Any kind of change requires adjustment. During his latest racquet search/demo odyssey he liked the Strike, specifically the Strike Tour, but he liked the PAVS better than everything he tried. His top 3 were 1. PAVS, 2. Ezone Tour (2022 version), 3. Pure Strike Tour. I realize that numbers 2 and 3 have much higher SW than number 1, so his final choice surprised me (if I had chosen for him I would have gone with the Ezone Tour based on what I saw) but he felt that the playability the PAVS provided to what he does trumped the advantages of the others. All that being said, he may love some version of the Whiteout and he may not whenever he demos those, but he is smart enough and experienced enough to know what works for him, so between he and I he is the higher power about such things. Solinco folks have been great to him, but despite that, he won’t switch to their frames unless it is the right choice for him.
 
Peyote Bjornsson said:
Agreed. Any kind of change requires adjustment. During his latest racquet search/demo odyssey he liked the Strike, specifically the Strike Tour, but he liked the PAVS better than everything he tried. His top 3 were 1. PAVS, 2. Ezone Tour (2022 version), 3. Pure Strike Tour. I realize that numbers 2 and 3 have much higher SW than number 1, so his final choice surprised me (if I had chosen for him I would have gone with the Ezone Tour based on what I saw) but he felt that the playability the PAVS provided to what he does trumped the advantages of the others. All that being said, he may love some version of the Whiteout and he may not whenever he demos those, but he is smart enough and experienced enough to know what works for him, so between he and I he is the higher power about such things. Solinco folks have been great to him, but despite that, he won’t switch to their frames unless it is the right choice for him.
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So whats the differences?
 
Holic said:
So whats the differences?
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Based on what he was telling me and what I saw watching him, the PAVS offered the best overall playability, and at lest for him, overall power dynamics over all shots but the serve, given his ability to come through the ball faster with it. The Ezone Tour was a serving nachine and came in a close second in term of overall playability and was a bit more stable. The Strike Tour was the most stable of the three but in his mind wasn’t as precise as the other two; he hit great serves with it and despite the high SW, found it to be fairly maneuverable and playabie. On a scale of 1 to 10, based on the context of the entire group if racquets he tested, he gave the PAVS a 9.75, the Ezone Tour a 9.5, the Strike Tour an 8.75. Everything else he tried came in significantly below 8.5. For quite awhile it seemed he would choose the Strike Tour and be happy about it. Then the ither two came along.

His testing was based on the things his game relies on most: serve, groundstroke power/control/precision, approach shots, volleys, and if course feel. I understand that everyone has their own opinions on these things, this is just how he felt about the various options and I’m not trying to pick a fight with anyone who loves the options he didn’t choose.
 
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I too and other players that purchased the previous VS the grip size is bigger - how is the 98 grip size?
the previous version measured to 4-1/2" instead of 4-3/8"
i had to put on a smaller grip..
 
I personally think that Babolat grips in general feel a bit larger than the grips of others. When I played with the PD Roddick many years ago I was forced to drop from a 4 1/2 to 3/8, but my kid hasn’t expressed any dissatisfaction or difference with the VS 3/8 that he uses compared to previous frames he has used. He generally uses either TournaGrip or Heaven Grip, both of which are on the thicker side.
 
Demo PA98 got here; 329 static strung, 327 SW on the nose. Cant find my balance board at the moment. Brand spankin new with plastic on the handle.
 
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Peyote Bjornsson said:
Demo PA98 got here; 329 static strung, 327 SW on the nose. Cant find my balance board at the moment. Brand spankin new with plastic on the handle.
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4 pts HL, which makes it a couple points head heavier and a few grams of static weight heavier than TW reported, but SW is spot on. No I did not take the plastic off the handle. It goes back the way it came. The kid can just put his overgrip over the plastic.
 
Peyote Bjornsson said:
4 pts HL, which makes it a couple points head heavier and a few grams of static weight heavier than TW reported, but SW is spot on. No I did not take the plastic off the handle. It goes back the way it came. The kid can just put his overgrip over the plastic.
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All measurements I did were with no overgrip or dampener.
 
Interesting. The strung statis weight I measured is essentially identical to all 4 if my kid’s VSs, yet the SW is 9 pts more. I wonder how they did that? Its nothing different about the frame; other than paint, the VS and 98 appear to be identical. Im not going to dig for calipers to make sure, but sure seems like it must be something inside of the frame to achieve that. No way it could be the flax fibers. I know what flax is and there ain’t much mass to it. The only difference I can see other than paint that the 98 doesn’t have those annoying little nubs at 3 and 9 That prevent weighted tape from sticking there. No idea what that was. It is kinda rubbery stuff(maybe that was the Cortex?).
 
Peyote Bjornsson said:
Interesting. The strung statis weight I measured is essentially identical to all 4 if my kid’s VSs, yet the SW is 9 pts more. I wonder how they did that? Its nothing different about the frame; other than paint, the VS and 98 appear to be identical. Im not going to dig for calipers to make sure, but sure seems like it must be something inside of the frame to achieve that. No way it could be the flax fibers. I know what flax is and there ain’t much mass to it. The only difference I can see other than paint that the 98 doesn’t have those annoying little nubs at 3 and 9 That prevent weighted tape from sticking there. No idea what that was. It is kinda rubbery stuff(maybe that was the Cortex?).
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It appears that the new 98 is more polarized than the old VS, which results in a higher swingweight while keeping the same static weight. That is a welcome change because I had to add some weight at the tip on my VS to get some decent serve performance.

A more polarized racquet just means the weight is more distributed towards the ends of the racquet.
 
iceman_dl6 said:
It appears that the new 98 is more polarized than the old VS, which results in a higher swingweight while keeping the same static weight. That is a welcome change because I had to add some weight at the tip on my VS to get some decent serve performance.

A more polarized racquet just means the weight is more distributed towards the ends of the racquet.
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I agree, I was just curious how in fact they went about doing that. An time you distrubute, or redistribute, you are doing something differently than before. I'm not an engineer, just a curious nerd.
 
TennisHound said:
Man, there’s a whole lot of bs in this thread. Lots of depth to this comment:
“…I don’t apologize I just play it.”
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Well said, sir. In that spirit, I will refrain from further comment on this discussion until after my kid plays with this thing this morning and then report back here with the facts, and nothing but.
 
I have no idea if it was me you were referring to. But you had a valid point, nonetheless. Speculation leads to unintended misinfomation, which clouds understanding. So I figured it was best for me to report on facts (or solid impressions) based on a playtest, so that is what I will do.
 
Peyote Bjornsson said:
I personally think that Babolat grips in general feel a bit larger than the grips of others. When I played with the PD Roddick many years ago I was forced to drop from a 4 1/2 to 3/8, but my kid hasn’t expressed any dissatisfaction or difference with the VS 3/8 that he uses compared to previous frames he has used. He generally uses either TournaGrip or Heaven Grip, both of which are on the thicker side.
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Over time I hink grip sizes hav normalized to be closer across manufacturers (when I say over time, I mean since about 20 years ago since I last played competitively.) My kid has always played with 3/8 and hasn't voiced feeling a difference, but to me they all now feel like what I remember as as 4 1/2. And no, I have not authenticated that opinion via measurement. I was a feel player and I'm confident in what I feel.
 
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Yamin said:
Abysmal QC.....
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No disrespect, but I don't think anyone claimed that the 98 would match the VS in specs. I thought that the 98 demo I got measured remarkably close to what TW reported for the 98, and differences could easily be chalked up to me not being a trained racquet tech. The four VS frames my kid has measured out unbelievably close given that they were two different 2-packs from 2 different local stores (that was last October when these were getting really hard to find, so we bought what we could find). I'm not a Babolat homer, but I gotta give credit where I see it appropriate. I've seen far worse QC.
 
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