My Pure Drive is killing my Arm!

Im sure this is a common question! Ive used a pure drive for years, love it, but man it kills my arm. Ive tried every string known to man, doesnt help much. I need a racket that is similar but more arm friendly. I love the pop and bounce of the pure drive, use a western forehand, two handed backhand, slice quite a bit. Any suggestions?!
 
That’s easy: Donnay Formula 100, the more Cores in it the better. I’ve been in the same boat, and the formula is literally made specifically for people in that situation. Donnay foam frames have a kinda unique feel that take a tad to get adjusted to, but after that there isn’t much in the way of a performance drop off from the pure drive, and you get much better touch and feel.


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That’s easy: Donnay Formula 100, the more Cores in it the better. I’ve been in the same boat, and the formula is literally made specifically for people in that situation. Donnay foam frames have a kinda unique feel that take a tad to get adjusted to, but after that there isn’t much in the way of a performance drop off from the pure drive, and you get much better touch and feel.


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Im having a hard time finding it, where is it available?
 

Rally

Professional
I've heard that increasing the recoil weight makes arm-breaking racquets much easier to use.

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rafa_prestige89

Professional
Tried the Pure Drive once, it's the worst feeling racquet I've ever used, nothing vibrates as much as that thing (and I was using a dampener).
 

redmini

Semi-Pro
Angell TC100. Foam filled, reputation for arm friendliness, can match PD specs and still choose flex. I had the 63RA version looking for a more arm friendly version of pure drive / Apd and it was exactly that.


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Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
The Prince Phantom line will for sure save your arm. Will not feel like a Pure Drive but with the right string setup you can get power and spin out of the frame.

I've got a Phantom 100 strung with gut/Cream hybrid at 54/48 lbs and it's got same spin as my PD with just a little less pop. But way more arm friendly, stable and controllable.

Other manufacturers making comfy frames these days include Volkl, ProKennex, Yonex. You might find a racket like the Yonex EZone DR 98 to be a lot closer to your PD.
 

Kevo

Legend
Im sure this is a common question! Ive used a pure drive for years, love it, but man it kills my arm. Ive tried every string known to man, doesnt help much. I need a racket that is similar but more arm friendly. I love the pop and bounce of the pure drive, use a western forehand, two handed backhand, slice quite a bit. Any suggestions?!

I have a pair of PK Asymmetic Frames in the sale forum. It's a similar style but has the asymmetric frame designed to cancel out the bad vibes. Also has an interesting handle design with a silicon rubber insert under the grip to give even more comfort. Pretty neat setup.

I never had any issues with those. I also played the Pure Drive Roddick for a while and I think it was better about arm issues because of some extra length, but still a bit harsh.

I also have some old school PK Copper Ace and Rossignol Frames I haven't put up yet, but I've pretty much switched to these old fiberglass composites because of the nice flex and feel. Won't have the power of the PK Asymmetric or Pure Drive, but the feel is sweet. I haven't had time to write up what I have for sale yet.

If you are interested in getting any of these, just search the sale thread or if you can't find it PM me. The PK Asymmetric are in good shape with new grips. The older PKs and Rossignols vary. I have a stack I need to go through and decide what I can part with. They are all good hits, but I collected too many while searching around and trying things so need to clear some out at some point.
 
Second on the Angell TC100 being a great comfortable frame that isn’t going to lead to a big drop in power. Donnay are only available through their website. The name xenecore is attached. They offer a reasonable demo program that I would recommend doing, or just buy a formula and return it if it doesn’t work out.


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gazz1

Semi-Pro
Second on the Angell TC100 being a great comfortable frame that isn’t going to lead to a big drop in power. Donnay are only available through their website. The name xenecore is attached. They offer a reasonable demo program that I would recommend doing, or just buy a formula and return it if it doesn’t work out.


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Angell TC100 for sure.

I purchased 2 of the TC100 RA70 rackets and I have gone from years of constant tennis elbow issues to no TE at all.
After owning and trying so many rackets, I won't touch another racket now.

The RA70 rating is unstrung. It actually comes down to about RA65 equivalent of a racket on tennis warehouse. It feels much more comfortable than a 63RA Yonex that I own.

Don't think for a moment that you'll giving something up...it's a far better racket than the Pure Drive in every way.
I stand corrected - you will be giving up tennis elbow :)
 

MarioRich

Rookie
Im sure this is a common question! Ive used a pure drive for years, love it, but man it kills my arm. Ive tried every string known to man, doesnt help much. I need a racket that is similar but more arm friendly. I love the pop and bounce of the pure drive, use a western forehand, two handed backhand, slice quite a bit. Any suggestions?!



Very difficult to find something similar considering what makes the Pure Drive so unique is its stiffness which generates so much power. I would suggest the Prince Warrior or the Volkl Feel 8 300g. The Yonex DR 98 and Diadem Elevate are also good options but in 98inch.
 

3loudboys

G.O.A.T.
The Pro Kennex range of rackets are great for joint care and the Ki10 (305) has very similar specs to the Pure Drive - maybe a tad more swing weight but with the addition of the kinetic tech. That stuff really works and is not BS marketing.

Other alternatives could be the Prince Textreme range such as the Beast 100 either O port or solid beam are more comfortable.

Also the new offering from Wilson - 'Clash' - that is currently being discussed on these boards looks to have interesting and comfortable specs for a tweener. You'll have to wait for that one to be released.

Volkl do a number of frames that are similarly power orientated tweener material but with great comfort.
 

David Le

Hall of Fame
Wilson Burn 100 Team. Needs a lot of lead and maybe a leather grip (if you use it) or weight under the buttcap. The RA is great.
 

makinao

Rookie
Been there. I had PDs ten years ago for a couple of years. Arm got destroyed. Changed to a more arm friendly Dunlop Aerogel 4d 300 for a year and my game lost its punch. A breakthough came when I got a second hand POG. No pain, forgiving OS frame, and some punch. Added a Radical LE (which they were practically giving away at the time) and finally got back my pre-PD first-strike game. I just turned 60 and noticed myself slowing down a bit, so I'm alternating with low-tensioned POGs again. Things suddenly clicked after one memorable singles match against a fellow senior. I learned that long flowing strokes end up with slower but deeper balls, and that kept me in points longer.

Based on my experience, my suggestion is to go the opposite way. But be prepared for technical and mental adjustment. Start with a flexible OS like a POG or Radical. Buy used or bargain bin. Find a setup that comes close to what you want, then learn its virtues. It will be easy to shift to something either stiffer or smaller from there.
 

Shroud

G.O.A.T.
Im sure this is a common question! Ive used a pure drive for years, love it, but man it kills my arm. Ive tried every string known to man, doesnt help much. I need a racket that is similar but more arm friendly. I love the pop and bounce of the pure drive, use a western forehand, two handed backhand, slice quite a bit. Any suggestions?!
Add weight to the PD.
 

TagUrIt

Hall of Fame
Im sure this is a common question! Ive used a pure drive for years, love it, but man it kills my arm. Ive tried every string known to man, doesnt help much. I need a racket that is similar but more arm friendly. I love the pop and bounce of the pure drive, use a western forehand, two handed backhand, slice quite a bit. Any suggestions?!


Not at all trying to be a smart ***, but if it hurts when you do that, stop doing that. LOL Seriously, it might be time to accept that this might not be the racquet for you. I use the Wilson Ultra 100 CV, (I have three) I absolutely love these racquets. I string them at 55lbs with Luxilon ALU Power 16g. I have zero arm pain, no tennis elbow or any other issues. I know everyone is different, so you have to do what works best for you, but these are some great racquets in my opinion.
 

Yoneyama

Hall of Fame
Yonex Ezone or DR series. You will keep the pop, spin and power of the pure drive, with a much more comfy frame.
 

dxrysiko

New User
I had the same experience with the pure drive, trying multiple string including natural gut (babolat vs), nothing helped.
I bought a new Angell TC-100 with the same specs of the pure drive except the stifness , 63 in my Angell. Love it out of the box.
In my opinion it plays similar but better than the pure drive and the important thing is ... NO PAIN.
Strung it with luxilon natural gut for now, next i am trying velocity multi.
 

gazz1

Semi-Pro
You sound like me...I strung my TC-100 with gut to start with, then gut/poly and I've just gone full poly.
No pain at all, but I was pretty cautious after having TE for so long.
I purchased the 70RA version which is really comfortable, but your 63 is even comfier.
 
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dxrysiko

New User
Oh yes it is as comfortable as it can get... Not to mension the joy of just looking at it, i mean its a beautifull frame.
I am going to stick with this frame, i am getting a second one by christmas. It was a risk buying it without trying it first, but the Angells guys here are really persuasive. And they are right, at least in my opinion.
 
Haven't had my TC100 long but I have to say that it might overall be the objectively best racquet I've ever hit with. However, it is a bit more of a player's frame and I still think that the best place to start would be at Donnay-xenecore. People rave about the comfort levels of different sticks, but I have to say that any donnay hexacore blows them all out of the water as far as comfort goes, even the angell ones. It's like 20 bucks to demo a racquet in the us for two weeks. Definitely worth checking out the formula, as performance-wise it is very similar to the Pure Drive, just with a tad less power and improved touch and comfort. I say demo a donnay and if it doesn't work out then go for a tc100.
 

time_fly

Hall of Fame
You might have seen my other thread about stringing my friend's Pure Drive (most recent model). I've never tried one before, and just doing a brief wall test after stringing it felt like hitting a tennis ball with an aluminum bat to me. The performance seemed fine but I could never tolerate that feel. I guess if you grow up with it versus traditional frames like I did, you get used to it. If you want comparable power without that horrible stiffness, however, you will need to go for an even more open or loose string bed (challenging) or more weight.
 

Roland G

Hall of Fame
Im sure this is a common question! Ive used a pure drive for years, love it, but man it kills my arm. Ive tried every string known to man, doesnt help much. I need a racket that is similar but more arm friendly. I love the pop and bounce of the pure drive, use a western forehand, two handed backhand, slice quite a bit. Any suggestions?!

If you like the general specs of the PD - weight, head size and beam thickness, you should get on with the Yonex DR100. A much softer but similarly specced frame
 

Zoolander

Hall of Fame
^^^ I second this! The new ezone 100 was a much better feeling racquet, stiff but better comfort than PD, and pretty open pattern like the latest PD with lots of spin.
 

TypeRx

Semi-Pro
Switched from a PD+ to a Volkl V-Sense 8-315g about 10 months ago and have never looked back. Extreme comfort with good power, maneuverability, etc. Spin and power are very minimally decreased vs. the PD+ but I can now play every day with no worries. I am also using Kevlar (75 lbs) - Monogut ZX Pro (45 lbs) and control is wonderful.

I demo'd a bunch of rackets to arrive at the VS8...my runner up was the Yonex DR98.

Most importantly, get your arm healed up.
 

counterpuncher

Hall of Fame
As per above Yonex DR 100 and Volkl 8 series are your best option.

Another thing worth a shot is a Pure Aero with a soft string (given the softer RA and better dampening imo), if you're struggling to adapt your game. My elbow never got along with PDs or APDs in the past, but it can cope with the PA and PAT with a softer string.
 
If you already have the Pure Drive, string it up with a full bed of natural guy and and see if that helps with tennis elbow. Adding a poly to a Pure Drive is only gonna make it more harsh on the arm.
 

Tommy Haas

Hall of Fame
If you already have the Pure Drive, string it up with a full bed of natural guy and and see if that helps with tennis elbow. Adding a poly to a Pure Drive is only gonna make it more harsh on the arm.

The Pure Drive is a stiff and powerful racquet made for poly to tame it. Using natural gut would literally make it a rocket launcher. I suggest to the OP to find a new frame that's sub 60RA since the damage has already been done. Where normally a low 60s RA might be okay.
 

TennisCJC

Legend
Try volkl 8, or volkl v1 pro, or volkl classic v1, or yonex ezone 100. All are good rackets and more comfortable than PD
 

redmini

Semi-Pro
A POG 100, if you can get one, is super comfy , solid and spin friendly.


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tennisplayer1993

Professional
Have always had trouble with recent PDs post 2010. Although I will admit the best racket I have ever hit with was a 3rd gen Pure drive with Lux mains/old babolat VS gut. The feel is far better pre all the crazy "technology" adjustments Babolat claims.
 

Nostradamus

Bionic Poster
Im sure this is a common question! Ive used a pure drive for years, love it, but man it kills my arm. Ive tried every string known to man, doesnt help much. I need a racket that is similar but more arm friendly. I love the pop and bounce of the pure drive, use a western forehand, two handed backhand, slice quite a bit. Any suggestions?!
what about that 2018 pure drive, I heard that was much better for arm issues ?? if not, I would switch to Yonex Vcore, great racket with good power and great spin
 
Try a Prince frame, like a Phantom or a 100P. Low RA racquets are such a joy to use and sure, they don't offer the free power the pure drive does, but they sure as hell have other benefits that the stiffies don't. Initially it till feel weird to play with a flexy frame, but stick with it, you will get used to it and end up regretting you hadn't switched sooner.
 

jacob22

Professional
I heard the Dunlop Srixon CV 3.0 F Tour plays a lot like the Pure Drive and perhaps more comfortable.
 

prosealster

Professional
Prince beast 100. Plays more comfortable than 67RA ..so it'll be a lot more comfortable than your pure drive. Plenty of power and a tad more control
 
Tecnifibre tfight 295
Snauwaert vitas
Head extreme 360
Pro kennex q15

Try the Technifibre Tfight 295. Very arm friendly. Specs place it between a player racquet and some of the lighter rec frames in terms of flex, stiffness and swing weight.
 
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