Please help me pick a new Babolat Racquet

[BlueRay]

I’d like some help choosing a new Babolat Racquet.

Late 30s male with 3.5 US NTRP ranking (so maybe 4 UTR?). Style is retriever/intermediate baseliner. Intermediate power.

Currently have a Babolat Pure Drive Team OS from around 2005 (head size is 110, 9.6 oz, 16 x 20 strung at 58 lbs.) I like it and am used to it. Only complaint is I tend to hit a few shots “unexpectedly” longer so maybe not quite enough spin as an old old racquet I had as a junior (Prince Thundercloud but I used 17g at 62 lbs string then and now use 16g for increased time before string breaks).

Considering…

Pure Drive 107/110 (maybe closest to what I have now?)
Pure Aero (more spin which i would like)
Pure Aero Team (maybe a little better for intermediate player then the standard Aero)

Not sure if I’m good enough/hit hard enough for the Aero series with the smaller head size. Will demo these but was hoping for some input. Thanks for advice!!

(I posted this in the Babolat thread, but maybe that is more for questions to company ? Hope ok to start a thread).

 

[atatu]

The pure drive 107 is a nice frame, the pure aero 2023 might feel a little underpowered but you might like the 2019 version.

 

[Roddickulous]

Pure Strike 103 might be a nice option to demo. A little bit less power, thinner beam. Pure Drive Team 100 would be a little bit more your style more than likely.

 

[esgee48]

What is your current string, ref tension. and duration in your 2005 PD OS? If you have more than one, do you plan to replace all? Can you get grommets for your current frames?

 

[BlueRay]

What is your current string, ref tension. and duration in your 2005 PD OS? If you have more than one, do you plan to replace all? Can you get grommets for your current frames?

Use Gamma TnT2 16 gauge. Ref tension is 55-62, strung at 58.

I actually just have the one racquet. Unsure if I can get grommets the the current racquet.

 

[esgee48]

How long have the strings been in the racquet? If you’ve used it for a while, tension has dropped which would lead to your flyers.

 

[Injured Again]

Hey, @BlueRay - I recently switched to the Babolat Aero 112. I'm a 60 year old competitive singles player at the 4.5 level. Due to worsening eyesight and speed but still playing with young 4.5 and 5.0 level players, I needed to go larger than the SW104 that I had been using the previous few years.

The Aero 112 is the best of the OS Babolats in my opinion. It's got significant heft to it. It's spec'ed at 324 swingweight but all of my racquets (I have four or five of them) have been significantly higher - closer to the 340 swingweight range. The racquet is solid and vibration-free. It has a large sweetspot that feels very linear - there's no hot spot where the ball just flies. And best of all, it's inexpensive - only $129 retail. I don't think Babolat sells it through conventional channels like Tennis Warehouse any more, but they are available in local sporting goods stores around where I live.

Many years ago, I used the Babolat Overdrive 110, which seems to be the spiritual ancestor of the Aero 112. I tried a couple of generations of subsequent Pure Drive 110s and those felt flimsy and tinny by comparison.

I string mines with a low powered, thin poly at relatively low tensions. I'm currently using Confidential 1.20 at 53/51. I also have handle weighted my Aero 112s to about 345 grams so the balance point is around the 32-32.5 mm mark where I seem to like it. In this configuration, it's less powerful feeling than my SW104, and feels like it has similar oomph compared to the v8 Blade and Pure Aero Plus. Good luck.

 

[Jonesy]

Go for the Aero or Drive if you trust yourself with improving your technique for spin. Strike if you don't trust yourself to do that.

 

[Chairman3]

I'd go for the Pure Strike 103
Probably maintain good power like your Pure Drive but better control