Official Babolat Strike VS 2022 thread

Currently demoing the new Pure Strike VS now. Have used the Pure Strike 18x20 the last 2.5 years and really enjoyed it.

Has anyone else found that the leather grip seems to be a little bit thicker and that maybe the overall grip length is a tad shorter? Trying out a 4 3/8 but it feels more like a 4 1/2.

Other than that, I have loved the way this racquet feels. Definitely a little more weight than the standard PS 18x20 but yet it is a tad more head light so still fairly "whippy". The 16x20 pattern I think helps generate a little more spin. Honestly think the VS has a tad more power than the regular PS. Loved serving with this stick. My flat serve definitely was up a few mph and very penetrating through the court. This racquet will force you to keep your weight forward and hit through the ball. Only drawback I felt was that it was slightly less maneuverable and was a tad late on some of my shots especially volleys.
 
tennisralph4 said:
Currently demoing the new Pure Strike VS now. Have used the Pure Strike 18x20 the last 2.5 years and really enjoyed it.

Has anyone else found that the leather grip seems to be a little bit thicker and that maybe the overall grip length is a tad shorter? Trying out a 4 3/8 but it feels more like a 4 1/2.

Other than that, I have loved the way this racquet feels. Definitely a little more weight than the standard PS 18x20 but yet it is a tad more head light so still fairly "whippy". The 16x20 pattern I think helps generate a little more spin. Honestly think the VS has a tad more power than the regular PS. Loved serving with this stick. My flat serve definitely was up a few mph and very penetrating through the court. This racquet will force you to keep your weight forward and hit through the ball. Only drawback I felt was that it was slightly less maneuverable and was a tad late on some of my shots especially volleys.
Click to expand...
I've heard a few people mention the grip size, but have not found it to be large feeling. It seems right about where I'd expect an L3 to be.
 
Kozzy said:
I've heard a few people mention the grip size, but have not found it to be large feeling. It seems right about where I'd expect an L3 to be.
Click to expand...
Actually OP is right. Babolat always run slightly larger and yonex run slightly smaller, I believe it's due to the shape of the wood on the handle.
 
Also, do you guys have string/tension recommendations for the frame?

I heard one of the people saying Iso Cream and OGSM, any others?

Any others?
 
Chatting with TW, they recommended Solinco Hyper-G for adding more power to it and string it low tension. However, there is no way I will have a green color string in this racquet :eek:.

As for the grip size, I'm Wilson/Head L3 and they assured me in chat and in a YouTube comment that the size should be an L3. I've only played before with a Babolat L4 and was big for my hand, I can also play with L2 but I think it makes my racquet rotate a bit more than it should in some shots (call it blisters) and I don't like adding overgrips or anything to make it bigger so I ordered an L3. It worries me that two youtubers already mentioned it runs big for an L3.. but idk.. Pure Strike grip is said to be more standard than pure drive. On another note, it is possible that a smaller grip makes more damage to the wrist than a slightly bigger one in my experience and my coach opinion as well.
 
Does anyone happen to know when the next generation of Pure Strikes will be released? I would assume sometime this year. Just curious because I would like to try those before I fully commit to the PS VS. Thanks.
 
tennisralph4 said:
Currently demoing the new Pure Strike VS now. Have used the Pure Strike 18x20 the last 2.5 years and really enjoyed it.

Has anyone else found that the leather grip seems to be a little bit thicker and that maybe the overall grip length is a tad shorter? Trying out a 4 3/8 but it feels more like a 4 1/2.

Other than that, I have loved the way this racquet feels. Definitely a little more weight than the standard PS 18x20 but yet it is a tad more head light so still fairly "whippy". The 16x20 pattern I think helps generate a little more spin. Honestly think the VS has a tad more power than the regular PS. Loved serving with this stick. My flat serve definitely was up a few mph and very penetrating through the court. This racquet will force you to keep your weight forward and hit through the ball. Only drawback I felt was that it was slightly less maneuverable and was a tad late on some of my shots especially volleys.
Click to expand...

The handle is shorter than other models, i compared it with the regular strike an PAVS, and the handle of PSVS is a bit shorter.
 
JoaoN said:
The handle is shorter than other models, i compared it with the regular strike an PAVS, and the handle of PSVS is a bit shorter.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's definitely on the shorter side. If you have big hands and a 2 hander, probably not ideal. For those of us with a one hander, it's no problem.
 
The VS I am using has a pretty average feeling L3 grip. Shape seems more like Head's grip shape, but the feel in my hand isn't noticeably larger or smaller than other L3's that I use.
I'm more sensitive to small grips than large though
 
Chairman3 said:
The VS I am using has a pretty average feeling L3 grip. Shape seems more like Head's grip shape, but the feel in my hand isn't noticeably larger or smaller than other L3's that I use.
I'm more sensitive to small grips than large though
Click to expand...
Like Head? I'm still waiting for it to arrive but the other Babolat I had was more similar to Wilson than head.
 
DoubleD said:
Chatting with TW, they recommended Solinco Hyper-G for adding more power to it and string it low tension. However, there is no way I will have a green color string in this racquet :eek:.

As for the grip size, I'm Wilson/Head L3 and they assured me in chat and in a YouTube comment that the size should be an L3. I've only played before with a Babolat L4 and was big for my hand, I can also play with L2 but I think it makes my racquet rotate a bit more than it should in some shots (call it blisters) and I don't like adding overgrips or anything to make it bigger so I ordered an L3. It worries me that two youtubers already mentioned it runs big for an L3.. but idk.. Pure Strike grip is said to be more standard than pure drive. On another note, it is possible that a smaller grip makes more damage to the wrist than a slightly bigger one in my experience and my coach opinion as well.
Click to expand...

Its funny, I just put on Hyper G 1.25 yesterday. Thanks for the rec.
 
DoubleD said:
Like Head? I'm still waiting for it to arrive but the other Babolat I had was more similar to Wilson than head.
Click to expand...
I looked again, it's not as oblong as I thought, maybe halfway between Head and Wilson. I took a couple pics and will post later when I figure out how. Trying to from googledrive but it won't let me.
 
@DoubleD
Disclosure: the head grip is an L2 so could skew the comparison a bit. They're also not aligned very well

MO8z3m.jpg

It helps to look at the trap door, at least on the Bab v. Wilson
 
Chairman3 said:
@DoubleD
Disclosure: the head grip is an L2 so could skew the comparison a bit. They're also not aligned very well

MO8z3m.jpg

It helps to look at the trap door, at least on the Bab v. Wilson
Click to expand...
Yes, for me Wilson and Babolat feel similar.. Head feels much more oval/rectangular. On a side note Technifibre is literally a rectangle, I was feeling very uncomfortable when I tried it and is totally different from the rest at least for me. Will post a pic when it arrives compared to a wilson 3.
 
DoubleD said:
Yes, for me Wilson and Babolat feel similar.. Head feels much more oval/rectangular. On a side note Technifibre is literally a rectangle, I was feeling very uncomfortable when I tried it and is totally different from the rest at least for me. Will post a pic when it arrives compared to a wilson 3.
Click to expand...
Yeap, and Tecni similar to Head.
 
BabPlayer-JohnnyG said:
Hey All, I just got my hands on the brand new Pure Strike VS. Feel free to ask me anything. I love how thin the neck of the frame feels, not bulky like other frames. It's a great stick, similar to Pure Aero VS with more feel and a tad more weight, plus the leather grip is pretty awesome. Cheers!
Click to expand...

Hello, I was actually reading your review of the current gen pure strike 18x20 and it seemed like you had some really good things to say about that racquet. Between the 18x20 and the VS, both being "control" oriented racquets, which do you think has better access to power and spin? I would prefer not to get too far into the low powered category, and I know that the VS has an inherently lower swingweight, but wanted to see what your thoughts would be about comparing the two racquets, let's say, if the VS were weighted up to have the same swingweight as the 18x20.

Thanks!
 
tomato123 said:
Hello, I was actually reading your review of the current gen pure strike 18x20 and it seemed like you had some really good things to say about that racquet. Between the 18x20 and the VS, both being "control" oriented racquets, which do you think has better access to power and spin? I would prefer not to get too far into the low powered category, and I know that the VS has an inherently lower swingweight, but wanted to see what your thoughts would be about comparing the two racquets, let's say, if the VS were weighted up to have the same swingweight as the 18x20.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Would love to see the answer for this as well! Really looking at trying the Pure Strike VS.
 
tomato123 said:
Hello, I was actually reading your review of the current gen pure strike 18x20 and it seemed like you had some really good things to say about that racquet. Between the 18x20 and the VS, both being "control" oriented racquets, which do you think has better access to power and spin? I would prefer not to get too far into the low powered category, and I know that the VS has an inherently lower swingweight, but wanted to see what your thoughts would be about comparing the two racquets, let's say, if the VS were weighted up to have the same swingweight as the 18x20.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
The new PS VS 2022 is all about control such IS the design of the frame. If you need power go to another frame like PDrive.
 
ClaudTT said:
The new PS VS 2022 is all about control such IS the design of the frame. If you need power go to another frame like PDrive.
Click to expand...

That’s not what he asked though. We know the Pure Strike line is geared towards feel/control. We also know compared to the other companies control lines (VCore Pro, Prestige, etc…) the Pure Strike is known to have more power. Now which PS has more free power if any, regular or VS?
 
janelgreo said:
That’s not what he asked though. We know the Pure Strike line is geared towards feel/control. We also know compared to the other companies control lines (VCore Pro, Prestige, etc…) the Pure Strike is known to have more power. Now which PS has more free power if any, regular or VS?
Click to expand...
Don't have time for this.
 
ClaudTT said:
The new PS VS 2022 is all about control such IS the design of the frame. If you need power go to another frame like PDrive.
Click to expand...

Yes, I agree the main feature is control. What I'm curious about is that many Pure Strike 18x20 reviews said it had a "decent" or "moderate" amount of power despite being a control oriented racquet, and I've played with control oriented racquets such as the Ultra Tour where I felt like I put in more effort than I would like even after adding weight. So I'm more curious about where on that power spectrum the PSVS lies in along the line of control oriented racquets.

Edit: and also want to add another point of reference for me is the Yonex SV98, one of my favorite racquets, which is a 16x20 but produces good power and spin for me and is similarly specced as the PSVS. If it is considered very low powered, it may not be the racquet for me, that's all I wanted to know!
 
Last edited:
tomato123 said:
Yes, I agree the main feature is control. What I'm curious about is that many Pure Strike 18x20 reviews said it had a "decent" or "moderate" amount of power despite being a control oriented racquet, and I've played with control oriented racquets such as the Ultra Tour where I felt like I put in more effort than I would like even after adding weight. So I'm more curious about where on that power spectrum the PSVS lies in along the line of control oriented racquets.

Edit: and also want to add another point of reference for me is the Yonex SV98, one of my favorite racquets, which is a 16x20 but produces good power and spin for me and is similarly specced as the PSVS. If it is considered very low powered, it may not be the racquet for me, that's all I wanted to know!
Click to expand...

In my experience with both, PSVS has less free power than Yonex SV98, the big difference being the stiffness, which is way higher on the yonex.
 
The Pure Strike VS will, in general, be less powerful than all other strikes.
It has a lower RA, thinner beam, very slightly smaller head size, and lower swingweight.
I've been playing with it (stock) and it's fairly low powered and somewhat anemic. Meaning it needs a little weight to play more solid.
Stringbed is pretty controlled, I've had a little launchy-ness but that could've been as the strings were starting to go.
 
Is adding weights at the tip the go to modification for this stick regardless of play style? I guess less tension would help as well.
 
The Pure Strike Tour definitely has more power than the VS - see my post #312.

If I remember correctly from my demo a couple of years ago, the PS 18x20 has less power than a PS Tour. Without doing a side-by-side comparison, I can’t say if it is higher or lower power than the VS. In general, higher SW will give you more power on shots where you don’t have time to set up properly and take a full swing. However, lower SW can lead to faster racquet head speed (RHS) on shots where you have time to set up properly and it can offset the lower mass in terms of power.

The bottom line - buy a Pure Strike Tour:). Or at least demo the Pure Strike Tour side by side with the VS before deciding which you like best.

PS: My brand new Pure Strike VS (bought from TW) with less than 2 hours of play strung with VS17/HyperG Soft 18 at 47/44 is available if anyone wants to contact me directly. I’ll be putting an ad to sell it soon.
 
Last edited:
socallefty said:
The Pure Strike Tour definitely has more power than the VS - see my post #312.

If I remember correctly from my demo a couple of years ago, the PS 18x20 has less power than a PS Tour. Without doing a side-by-side comparison,

The bottom line - buy a Pure Strike Tour:). Or at least demo the Pure Strike Tour side by side with the VS before deciding which you like best.

PS: My brand new Pure Strike VS Tour (bought from TW) with less than 2 hours of play strung with VS17/HyperG Soft 18 at 47/44 is available if anyone wants to contact me directly. I’ll be putting an ad to sell it soon.
Click to expand...
I agree with you. When Gen 3 first came out, I did test both the Tour and 18x20 at the same time and wrote a detailed review at that time. I really loved both, coming from RF97. I liked the 18x20 for its slices and volleys, but Tour was so close and had more power with nearly the same level of control, I went with Tour, and have been using it since then. I highly doubt VS will be better for me, but the demo version should be here in a few days, I should be able to give some feedback comparing the two.
 
Ft.S said:
I agree with you. When Gen 3 first came out, I did test both the Tour and 18x20 at the same time and wrote a detailed review at that time. I really loved both, coming from RF97. I liked the 18x20 for its slices and volleys, but Tour was so close and had more power with nearly the same level of control, I went with Tour, and have been using it since then. I highly doubt VS will be better for me, but the demo version should be here in a few days, I should be able to give some feedback comparing the two.
Click to expand...
Hopefully you can weight it up to be similar to your PSTs. I don't think a comparison without similiar SW will be all that revealing, and according to the TW data, the PSVS is about 8g lighter than the PSTs, strung.
 
Kozzy said:
Hopefully you can weight it up to be similar to your PSTs. I don't think a comparison without similiar SW will be all that revealing, and according to the TW data, the PSVS is about 8g lighter than the PSTs, strung.
Click to expand...
I wish there was a VS Tour like in the last gen.
 
Kozzy said:
I put about 10g at 12, counterbalanced by 12g in the handle. My SW is 340, with a static weight of 350g and balance of 31cm. Hits like a dream.
Click to expand...

These numbers are with the strings on? I think it might be a massive weight for my intermediate level . I’ll check once it arrives.
 
DoubleD said:
These numbers are with the strings on? I think it might be a massive weight for my intermediate level . I’ll check once it arrives.
Click to expand...
Yes, that is strung. But, the nice thing with this frame is that you don't really need to go so big - probably 4 or 5 grams at 12 would be plenty. I just like the HL balance, and was aiming for 340 SW. It's working well for me at the moment. I'm hitting better serves than ever and groundstrokes are bliss.
 
Kozzy said:
I put about 10g at 12, counterbalanced by 12g in the handle. My SW is 340, with a static weight of 350g and balance of 31cm. Hits like a dream.
Click to expand...
I’m going in a similar direction with a different approach. Today I ordered a PS VS but will extend length to 27.5in. That half inch should give me 20sw more than stock. I think this will work great. It should be around 340g, 342sw, 6-7hl, 14,6tw when all is said and done.

It should have enough power at 342sw and no static weight penalty. I will report back in a few weeks.
 
AMGF said:
I’m going in a similar direction with a different approach. Today I ordered a PS VS but will extend length to 27.5in. That half inch should give me 20sw more than stock. I think this will work great. It should be around 340g, 342sw, 6-7hl, 14,6tw when all is said and done.

It should have enough power at 342sw and no static weight penalty. I will report back in a few weeks.
Click to expand...
Sounds awesome. How will you extend? Just curious about the general method.
 
AMGF said:
I’m going in a similar direction with a different approach. Today I ordered a PS VS but will extend length to 27.5in. That half inch should give me 20sw more than stock. I think this will work great. It should be around 340g, 342sw, 6-7hl, 14,6tw when all is said and done.

It should have enough power at 342sw and no static weight penalty. I will report back in a few weeks.
Click to expand...
Been wondering about extending one of these myself; as with the 1st gen. Prince TT95 the quite headlight balance could work out favorably.
 
I'm going to try out the Volkl Psycho hybrid in this - I have the 16g in there now, strung up at 50lb, with Cyclone in the mains and the Power Fiber II in the crosses.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Dennis Chan
Can the Pure Strike 97 (2024) grommets be applied on a Pure Strike VS (2022)?
Replies
1
Views
512
Dae18
Dae18
konstantinos kalfountzos
Babolat Pure Strike VS. Intermediate player feedback.
Replies
28
Views
4K
BallsOfFire
B
D
Babolat PURE DRIVE VS 2019
8 9 10
Replies
484
Views
77K
tomato123
T
M
Babolat Pure Strike 3rd (16x19) vs Head Gravity MP vs Pure aero Nadal 2021 vs Prince Textreme tour 100p
Replies
4
Views
2K
BallsOfFire
B
A
Babolat Pure Strike VS
Replies
1
Views
678
10S-Junkie
10S-Junkie
Back
Top