Need Babolat Pure Storm Ltd GT Advice

[Texas Scrambler]

How are your PSL GT stability issues? Does a little lead tape go a long way on this racket?

I currently hit with a Wilson K 6-1 95 and the racket offers wonderful comfort and stability. I demo'd the Babolat PSL GT twice and like the lighter racket head for generating topspin. The PSL GT felt a little unstable on off center hits and volleys (yah I do that sometimes).


I am a 4.5 with long strokes and a SHBH. All court and like to S&V.

 

[WhiteStripes]

The Ltd. takes very well to adding lead in the head. I don't find it that unstable in stock form actually, but it's not too surprising coming from a beefier and much stiffer racquet like the K6.1 95 (which I used to use years ago) that you may feel the Ltd. feels more unstable. The fact that the K6.1 95 packs a wallop and the Ltd. is extremely low powered, coupled with a very small sweetspot, also probably makes it seem that the K6.1 is a bit more forgiving.

The Ltd. is extremely head light, so you can add some weight at 3/9 without radically altering how whippy the racquet is. That should help with some stability on off center hits and provide a bit more pop to your groundies assuming you maintain the same racquet head speed with the added weight.

 

[KenC]

As WhiteStripes said, the culprit really is the rather small sweetspot on the PSLGT and power drops off drammatically once you move away from the sweetspot. You really have to hit the ball cleanly to get the most out of the PSLGT.

I didn't really notice any unstability when I demo'ed it and during the first few months of using it, although I did notice the lack of power on off center hits. I have been using the PSLGT for over a year and a half and it has forced me to hit more cleanly. It has also forced me to improve my footwork and to use my whole body to produce good shots with pace. Although I often describe the PSLGT as a more forgiving alternative to the PS85 or BLX90, it really still is a demanding racket.

Your ranking and style of play seem perfect for the PSLGT. Like me, you may have to spend much more time than a demo to really get it dialed in for you. I like to play all court and finish points at the net and am a good 4.5 on bad days and a bad 5.0 on good days. I still use the racket stock with an overgrip and that's it. I also use a soft multi at low tension which helps soften up the racket a good bit.

I must say that I am the only person that I know of in my area that uses the PSLGT. Most people who try my racket don't like it. The Bab Pure Storm Tour is very popular with the better players around here as is the Head Prestige MP. Maybe you may want to enlarge your demo choices?

Lastly, there is nothing wrong with Wilson 95's. They seem to be made for generating pace but seem to offer a good bit of control as well. What don't you like about the K95?

 

[Texas Scrambler]

Why don't I like the K 6 1 95?

Great reads from both and I agree with both assessments of my instability comment. It is stable but with a much smaller sweetspot.

I like my K6 1 95's a lot. Easy on the arm, lots of plough through, volleys wells, but...

When I testsed the PSTL, I was able to swing bigger, get more top spin, and everything seemed to drop in where I will hit long with the K6 1 95. My only drawbacks to the PSTL racket were off center hits causing my arm to be a bit sore after swinging away for about an hour.

I guess I am looking for a racket like my K6 1 95 but a bit more head light and flexible so I can generate top spin and swing away and keep the ball in the court.

 

[KenC]

I see what you mean. Head light is getting to be pretty rare these days, especially for anything over 8pts HL. Maybe you could try out a ProKennex Redondo C?

 

[WhiteStripes]

Are you using the open or dense string pattern K6.1? If you're hitting with the open, I'm surprised you can get more spin with the PS Ltd. I used to hit with the open K6.1 95 and can get a bit more easy spin with it than the Ltd.

What you will get from the Ltd. over both open and dense K6.1 is exactly what you mentioned -- the ability to swing out much more (which you can get some serious racquet head speed because of the very headlight balance) and still keep the ball in the court since it's so low powered. To be honest, I found the K6.1 difficult to control at times and felt it had too much pop, and balls would spray unless I bumped up the tension or stuck in poly, which made the stick way too boardy for my tastes (I much prefer a soft, flexy feel).

If you're looking for just a little more plow/stability, then I'd suggest just playing around with a little lead. Start with a little, perhaps a few grams at 3/9 o'clock or 2/10, and adjust to your preferences, whether that's adding more/less weight or shifting the location of the weight. You'll also expand the sweetspot a little bit as well.

As I mentioned before, the stick is extremely headlight in stock form that a little lead in the head won't take away too much of the whippiness of the frame. It'll still swing much easier/faster than the K6.1 in my opinion. FWIW, I actually prefer the racquet in stock form, but everyone's different.

The Redondo mentioned by the other poster is also a very nice stick. Another low powered and soft/flexy frame.

 

[Texas Scrambler]

K Six 1 95 String Pattern

I am swinging a 16X18 string pattern with a soft syn gut (Gamma Dura Sping 16G). I can generate good spin but I generated more spin with the PSTL. My guess is lighter racket head and way more flex allowing for a bigger swing and still keeping the ball in court.

I think I will purchase one of the older models on sale for $129 and give it a try. I will purchase a pack of lead tape also and will let you know how it goes.

My problems with the K Six 1 95 are small but the same as yours. I sometimes spray the ball long and like the forgiving nature of the PSTL.

Any string advice on the PSTL and tension? I like soft strings; easy on the arm and shoulder. Poly and me did not get along with the K6one95.

 

[WhiteStripes]

Everyone's different when it comes to string and tension preferences. Given the low power level, flexibility of the frame, and dense string pattern, I like using gut in something like the Ltd. Adds a bit more pop and forgiveness to the stick.

I play with VS mains / RPM crosses ranging from 52 to 56, with a 2 lb drop in the crosses. I've actually played with full poly at low tensions (mid to high 40s), the control and spin are even further magnified. But I personally didn't like the feel, and it made an already low powered stick even more low powered, even at low tensions.

I used to use Lux Alu Power in my K6.1 95 because I felt it was the only way to control balls from spraying, but the feel of poly in the K6.1 was harsh to say the least.

Good luck with experimenting with the stick. Be careful/slow taking off any lead tape though. Babolat paint is fragile as hell. I've pulled quite a bit of paint off a number of Babolat sticks, including my various Storms, in the past.

 

[KenC]

Any string advice on the PSTL and tension? I like soft strings; easy on the arm and shoulder.

This is the beauty of the PSLGT: because it is low powered you can get away with using low tension to add some power back. I string mine at 50m/48c with 17g TF Multifeel. I can practice the serve for more than an hour and not feel any discomfort in the elbow, arm and shoulder with this racquet and setup.

Other strings that I like are Babolat Xcel Power and TF X-One. I prefer the Multifeel because it is a little less powered and seems to really help out with control while being extremely arm friendly. I also break strings pretty quickly and often and Multifeel is a lot less painful on the wallet than X-One is, and seems to be as durable, if not more, than X-One and Xcel Power.

 

[mhj202]

I am swinging a 16X18 string pattern with a soft syn gut (Gamma Dura Sping 16G). I can generate good spin but I generated more spin with the PSTL. My guess is lighter racket head and way more flex allowing for a bigger swing and still keeping the ball in court.

I think I will purchase one of the older models on sale for $129 and give it a try. I will purchase a pack of lead tape also and will let you know how it goes.

My problems with the K Six 1 95 are small but the same as yours. I sometimes spray the ball long and like the forgiving nature of the PSTL.

Any string advice on the PSTL and tension? I like soft strings; easy on the arm and shoulder. Poly and me did not get along with the K6one95.

Have you tried the pure storm tour gt? Very similar to the ltd but with more open string pattern so should make spin even more accessible.

 

[Texas Scrambler]

Have I tried the Pure Storm GT?

I tried the Pure Storm GT and it was a too head heavy for me. I guess I am a dying breed that like a head light racket. I could generate groundies pace and spin with the Pure Storm but lacked control.

 

[RNBABOLAT]

Hi I need an advise this racquet have more control and is more manuevrable than the prestige MP because im going to buy one tomorrow please help me!!!!! :???:

 

[KenC]

Hi I need an advise this racquet have more control and is more manuevrable than the prestige MP because im going to buy one tomorrow please help me!!!!! :???:

I wouldn't buy the PSLGT on a whim. You really need to demo it for a week or so, and probably with your favorite strings before you can decide if it suits your game or not. You have a better chance of liking the Prestige MP without a test than the PSLGT. That being said, I find the PSLGT more control oriented than the MP and it is more head light and maneuverable as well.

 

[RNBABOLAT]

I wouldn't buy the PSLGT on a whim. You really need to demo it for a week or so, and probably with your favorite strings before you can decide if it suits your game or not. You have a better chance of liking the Prestige MP without a test than the PSLGT. That being said, I find the PSLGT more control oriented than the MP and it is more head light and maneuverable as well.

thanks for the advise and really help me so I will test both

 

[Live Wire VS]

The PSL feels like other Babolat sticks in terms of both sweetspot and off-center hits. The one major difference is that it's much more flexible and slightly more comfortable. If you're coming from a PS 6.1, then I'll suggest that you would look for something more stiff as the lack of power potential became detrimental to my game. Also like any other 18x20 racquets, the PSL does not offer decent spin potential, which was another one of my problems with this racquet. I'd strongly recommend trying a Dunlop 200 as both the sweetspot feel and power/spin potential is very similar to that of the PS 6.1.

 

[TimothyO]

No problem with off center hits but I did add lead at 12 and 6 for more plowthrough and at the butt to counter balance.

 

[TimothyO]

Good luck with experimenting with the stick. Be careful/slow taking off any lead tape though. Babolat paint is fragile as hell. I've pulled quite a bit of paint off a number of Babolat sticks, including my various Storms, in the past.

Good to see I'm not the only one experiencing paint issues. My other frames show far less chipping. But my PSLGT is covered in chips and nicks.

 

[TaihtDuhShaat]

I liked mine with around 6g @ 12 and 3g @ 3 & 9

good whip on topspin shots with the extra mass at the tip, and stable enough for volleys and flattening it out with just enough mass at 3/9. If you play flatter try more mass at 3/9 than 12.

 

[chizzle]

The PSL feels like other Babolat sticks in terms of both sweetspot and off-center hits. The one major difference is that it's much more flexible and slightly more comfortable. If you're coming from a PS 6.1, then I'll suggest that you would look for something more stiff as the lack of power potential became detrimental to my game. Also like any other 18x20 racquets, the PSL does not offer decent spin potential, which was another one of my problems with this racquet. I'd strongly recommend trying a Dunlop 200 as both the sweetspot feel and power/spin potential is very similar to that of the PS 6.1.

I get loads of spin when I need it, particularly on my FH. BH will depend on your stroke (Flat or using the left more on a 2HBH).

I feel fortunate that my game has evolved around this stick as well. I had the BLX 90 before this, but it was just a tad too much for me compared to this one.

 

[recaffeine]

Felt compelled to add my 2 cents..
I wanted to move from 15 yrs of pro staff 85s,90s n all Fed 90s..
at 38 yrs old,just needed something more whippy but not too
light,n flexible enuf to keep me playing til i drop dead from playing..
went & got a PSLGT at a really good bargain,and liked the specs..
now here's the lowdown;
i had gotten so used to the open string pattern n the PWS helping
me out all the time,that i seriously thought i had gotten the
wrong stick to migrate to,off-center hits were jarring,my shots
had no pace(no thanks to my strokes),n volleying,which is a
big part of my game was useless..
leading up saved the day,counterbalancing kept it whippy,my baseline
drives are deeper n i can put away my put-away volleys..
long story short,dont give up on the PSLGT,just learn what u can do
to make it work for u,i know coz at the end of it,my arms are
able to get back to work smacking them balls the next day without
worries..

 

[Texas Scrambler]

Time to Lead up

I have my new PSTL and find it is a bit light and underpowered for my needs. I am thinking lead at 3 and 9 and some in the handle to maintain same head light balance. The racket is strung with Gamma Dura Spin 54# x 52# and quite soft on the arm. Now I need more punch, spin, and heft.

Any recommendations on how much lead to start?

 

[KenC]

You can also put lead inside the throat area centered around the balance point. This will give you more heft and more plowthru without increasing the swingweight so much. This way the racquet still remains relatively maneuverable. I also would think it is more arm friendly to have the weight closer to the handle than on the head.

 

[Texas Scrambler]

What a difference a little lead makes

I placed about a 1/2 gram lead at 3 and 9 on my newly acquired PSTL and now love it! I switched right away from my Wilson K6one95. The higher flex allows me to make bigger swings and keep the ball in the court. My American twist and topspin serve are better with the weighted PSTL.

My next lead try is in the handle when I regrip.

Keep sending the ideas, you are bang on so far.