Is this a real or FAKE Babolat APD cortex?

L

luckyfool

New User
I mentioned this in another thread but no one replied so i am gonna start a new thread myself.

So I just bought a new babolat APD cortex off 3bay. The seller has 100% feedback. We've communicated about the authenticity of the racquet and he assured me that the racquet is genuine. I received the racquet after 1 week being shipped from China.This is the one with a pro legacy halogram sticker in the throat along side with other standard logos. The racquet looks and feels like the real deal. I even went to my local tennis racquet shop and compared the 2, they look identical. The only place i haven't checked is inside the handle, because i don't know how to open the buttcap and i don't want to damage it in case this one is a fake and I want to return it. I took some pictures of my racquet..please tell me your opinion if you think this racquet is genuine or is it really a knockoff/FAKE. Thank you all very much!

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You don't have to remove the entire buttcap, just the trap door with the Babolat logo on it. There is a small opening that you can get a screwdriver or something similar into to pry it up, there is adhesive already on it so that you can put it back in.
 
these threads are really starting to bug me...
if it feels like an ideal stick for you, then who cares if its fake or real.
 
sorry Arzon, i am not a regular poster on this forum i dont know this is a popular topic.

Jessica, i can't lift the bottom cap i feel like i am going to distort the plastic. grrr
 
I'd say it is a fake. Those racquets don't come strung and they shouldn't have a halogram. you are going to have to take the grip off and look sor a serial number.
 
The American version should NOT have the Pro Legacy halogram sticker... Only counterfeit (counterfit sticker, counterfit racquet) and Chinese (real sticker, real racquet) versions have that sticker. If you bought it from someone in the US then it's fake.
 
I would say if it came strung it is most def a fake. Maybe you had the seller string it, I dont know. My friend has this stick i will take off the butt cap tomorrow and see what is under it.
 
well, what makes you think it's fake in the first place?

you thought it was fake before you even bought it, and you bought it anyways.
 
it is definitely a fake

luckyfool,
I am 101% it is FAKE. For 2 reasons:
1) when you open the buttcap (just the babolat red logo), it should open the inside with metal clips on both sides and a separator in the middle. your imag looked like there is no access to the inside of the butt (that sounded weird, no?).

2) second is that one of your image that shows the labels for weight, balance, and tension....although this fake really did a fine job imitating the fonts and stype of the numerals and letters, the babolat barcode should be sitting on the far right (your racket shows it to be at far left-which the racket grip size should be in the first place).

I hope the seller didnt intentionally tried to swindle you but he/she should offer you a refund.

a fake racket is USELESS to me personally and only belongs in the trash even if a freidn of mine gave it to me as a gift. I'd rather pay full price for the genuine and play with it.

arzon,
you may not care but especially people that paid decent prices expect a genuine racket. would you pay luckyfool for this racket and keep it to yourself?
 
FAKE.
1.To the left of the Babolat hologram sticker thing there should be another sticker with the grip size printed on it.
2.The Pro Legacy hologram is a dead give away.
3.wtf is up with what's under the buttcap. that's not right.
 
I have no opinion, I'm still trying to figure it out what fakes look like.

The only thing I can recomend is, learn to take better pictures. The background is in focus but the objective is not. Digital cameras have a Macro feature (flower icon). Learn how to use it!

Also Babolat has strict pricing guidelines, if it's too good of a deal it must be fake. It's Babolat's fault that fakes are flooding the market, because they expect people to pay top dollar for their racquets.
 
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yeah this is definately a fake the barcode is not prinited correctly, sizing is off, and its been put in the wrong place.
 
sorry dude... It's a fake. If you don't want the racquet, you should consult the **** return policy about buying something that was misrepresented. I think you have some recourse. I think you have to do it within 45 days of purchase.
 
you have a real rackquet but may used a fake camera - just kidding:)

-- dont get too close with your camera, it won't focus well unless it has macro function.
 
Typical focal length is 3 feet. Even if you are using your phone. Check your pictures before posting, if they are out of focus take them again. Please don't ask people to look at a picture that is not in focus.
 
luckyfool, you should be able to to quickly look at TW's sample pics of the APDc. The specs just above your grip dont look anything close to what a "real" APDc. On top of that, the butt cap on your racket is fully enclosed. A lot of people have mentioned already that your racket is 101% FAKE and look at their sigs. some of them actually plays with APD or APDc. i have 5 APD and 2APDC so i know my rackets in and out.
 
thanks all for your helpful replies. the racquet was indeed a fake and the seller quickly apologized and refunded my money. the only thing he didn't refund is my time.

sorry for my poor picture taking skills, i will use the macro function next time.
 
lol to tell a fake from a real one is the silver woofer writing and the aero prodrive cortex thats right over the throat area, if they're just dull grey then its fkae, real ones are somewhat shiny silver. the the cortex system isnt the same tone of color like the yellow paint on the raquet. hope you get a real on next time. my advice, just buy from tw or a legit site and/or a tennis sport shop locally .
 
I concur. Fake.

APDC's don't come strung and they don't have hologram stickers like this one. Besides, the plastic on the handle looks too thick and the bumper guard looks funny.
 
when I bought a fake pure drive off of e-bay, it was pretty obvious that it was fake...grommets were a black instead of grey, the butt cap was smaller and didn't come off, the racquet was longer, it had different stickers on it, etc, etc, etc....luckily I got my money back...
 
It looks fake from looking at the pictures. There is a guy I play tennis against regularly and he uses fake Babolat APDC's. He buys them for around $70 bucks on this tennis wholesale website and he says they play better then his authentic apdc, as strange as that may sound. To be honest with you he was using his authentic racquet against me today then when he broke a string, then he went to one of his fake APDC's and he played even better. He was serving bigger and hitting his forehand with more authority with the fake one.
 
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