Pure Aero Rafa 2023

codonnell said:
I honestly wish they would have kept the original apd pattern in the 290. It would be cool to hit with the original apd, but it will play a bit different I’m sure with FSI.
Click to expand...

Yeah I agree - I think. The more open pattern may soften up the feel of this frame a bit so it may work out. That said, if I love playing with the weight and balance of the RAFA but want the PA23 pattern, there is the PA 23 Lite version which can be modded to the RAFA with ~ 8 grams at 12 and then add desired weight to the handle for the balance.

EDIT - Actually I just saw that the Team still has the old open pattern to it. So basically it's mod a PA23, but that will be much heavier, or just get used to the open pattern.
 
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Power Player said:
Yeah I agree - I think. The more open pattern may soften up the feel of this frame a bit so it may work out. That said, if I love playing with the weight and balance of the RAFA but want the PA23 pattern, there is the PA 23 Lite version which can be modded to the RAFA with ~ 8 grams at 12 and then add desired weight to the handle for the balance.
Click to expand...

I don't know how good you are, but I'm real curious to see who actually plays their best tennis with this thing.

Switching from an EZONE 100 (SW 320ish) to an EZONE 98+ (SW 336ish) feels like a huge leap to me. I cannot imagine what 370 even feels like.
 
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tennisandtennis said:
I don't know how good you are, but I'm real curious to see who actually plays their best tennis with this thing.

Switching from an EZONE 100 (SW 320ish) to an EZONE 98+ (SW 336ish) feels like a huge leap to me. I cannot imagine what 370 even feels like.
Click to expand...

Im not using that model. I ordered the light 290 gram model which is called the Pure Aero Rafa. The one you are thinking of is called the Rafa Origin.

It is a pretty huge leap to switch to the Ezone + because the SW is high and the balance is like 4 pts hl. It's an odd balance for an XL frame, I had that one too.
 
TW Staff said:
I just spec'd an additional 20, there were 2 over of 300, and 9 south of 290 (-RDC calibrated, memory cleaned). If you want a particular spec, e.g., closest to factory target SW, give us call. There is typically a charge for this.

Jon/TW
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Awesome thanks for sharing info that with us Jon! They are a bit varied it appears. Let’s see what I get. Haha.
 
got mine from tw today. The sw was 291 so I added some lead under the bumper and got it it to 298.

Plays amazing. Have to give credit to @marceloriosfan who described it quite well. My initial hit was very favorable and will play some matches with it this weekend. The spin and power i can generate on serve and groundstrokes is nuts for such a light frame.

Feel is great too. You get nice plow and a raw ball feel that is not present in the pure aero line.

My suggestion is to get one with a higher sw. I believe that is the way it was meant to be played based on Babolats listed specs and my experience hitting with the frame.
 
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Power Player said:
got mine from tw today. The sw was 291 so I added some lead under the bumper and got it it to 298.

Plays amazing. Have to give credit to @marceloriosfan who described it quite well. My initial hit was very favorable and will play some matches with it this weekend. The spin and power i can generate on serve and groundstrokes is nuts for such a light frame.

Feel is great too. You get nice plow and a raw ball feel that is not present in the pure aero line.

My suggestion is to get one with a higher sw. I believe that is the way it was meant to be played based on Babolats listed specs and my experience hitting with the fr
Click to expand...

Pumped you liked the first hit. As I get older, I find there are few things better than helping a fellow player discover a new racquet they might enjoy (even if doesn't end up being a forever relationship). Happy hitting and pay that sh*t forward!

And more importantly, thanks for squashing my own doubts that I might be going crazy in enjoying a 290 gram racquet.
 
TW Staff said:
I measured an additional 20 samples, unstrung.

Highest = 302, lowest = 282.

The new strung average is 323.

The upside is that if you don't mind taking advantage of our racquet services, there are a wide variety of swingweights to take advantage of.

Jon
Click to expand...

I would like to formally amend my informal (one session of hitting) estimate of mid/high 320s to low/mid 320s.

unless my damp added a couple points?!
 
did anyone try both 2023 PA Rafel and 2023 PA? I currently have the previous PA Rafel team. If I want to get another racket, which one should I get? thank you.
 
marceloriosfan said:
Pumped you liked the first hit. As I get older, I find there are few things better than helping a fellow player discover a new racquet they might enjoy (even if doesn't end up being a forever relationship). Happy hitting and pay that sh*t forward!

And more importantly, thanks for squashing my own doubts that I might be going crazy in enjoying a 290 gram racquet.
Click to expand...

Yeah I have the PA23, which I also really like. But I was surprised by how big the 290 Rafa hits the ball. I think it must be something with having the 1pt HL balance and the 330ish SW combined with the open pattern that makes into something special. Only way I can describe it from the first 90 minutes of hitting is it just enhances a low to high swing path.

Positives of such a light frame is the ability to get it into position faster and get a clean shot on heavier incoming balls. Typically that would mean using a frame with low plow or a lesser feel at contact, but this frame feels pretty stable and the sweet spot is really pure. I need to test serve returns with it this weekend in matches, but I will do that. The PA23 is incredible on returns, very stable. If the Rafa is as stable at 10 grams lighter, than it could easily be my #1 for the season starting next week.

The serves are just amazing with it. A light frame that swings like a hammer is crazy nice for serving.


bigapple33 said:
did anyone try both 2023 PA Rafel and 2023 PA? I currently have the previous PA Rafel team. If I want to get another racket, which one should I get? thank you.
Click to expand...

I really want to try the Origin, but if you want a frame you can actually play with - get the light version. Especially since you used the Team already. The Origin would be dramatically harder to use and is more of a novelty piece for 99% of players.
 
bigapple33 said:
did anyone try both 2023 PA Rafel and 2023 PA? I currently have the previous PA Rafel team. If I want to get another racket, which one should I get? thank you.
Click to expand...
The PA Rafa Team will probably be closest to the 2023 PA Team... if you wanted the new Rafa head heavy experience, try the 2023 PA Rafa 290. But it is going to feel VERY different than your previous PA Rafa Team.
 
David Le said:
The PAR has the ‘16/‘19 PA pattern 7T 9T, 7H, 9H where the PARO has the APD pattern at 8T, 8H which the ‘23 PA also has.
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I am really confused among…

APDO (Original version)
21’PA
23’PA (98 sq. in. 305g un.)
23’PAR (RAFA - 290g un.)
23’ PARO (RAFA Origin, heavier version)

So,
Does the PAR comes with different grommet/frame , compared with PARO?


And as you told,
- PAR = APDO,
- PARO = 23’PA ?
(* In terms of frame shape/grommet/stringing patterns?)

However the 23’PA comes with smaller head size (98 sq. in.) …?
 
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marceloriosfan said:
The PA Rafa Team will probably be closest to the 2023 PA Team... if you wanted the new Rafa head heavy experience, try the 2023 PA Rafa 290. But it is going to feel VERY different than your previous PA Rafa Team.
Click to expand...
thank you very much. i just ordered the demo of the 2 rackets you mentioned.
 
Power Player said:
Yeah I have the PA23, which I also really like. But I was surprised by how big the 290 Rafa hits the ball. I think it must be something with having the 1pt HL balance and the 330ish SW combined with the open pattern that makes into something special. Only way I can describe it from the first 90 minutes of hitting is it just enhances a low to high swing path.

Positives of such a light frame is the ability to get it into position faster and get a clean shot on heavier incoming balls. Typically that would mean using a frame with low plow or a lesser feel at contact, but this frame feels pretty stable and the sweet spot is really pure. I need to test serve returns with it this weekend in matches, but I will do that. The PA23 is incredible on returns, very stable. If the Rafa is as stable at 10 grams lighter, than it could easily be my #1 for the season starting next week.

The serves are just amazing with it. A light frame that swings like a hammer is crazy nice for serving.




I really want to try the Origin, but if you want a frame you can actually play with - get the light version. Especially since you used the Team already. The Origin would be dramatically harder to use and is more of a novelty piece for 99% of players.
Click to expand...
thank you for your reply. i am going to try both the 290 Rafel and PA 23 next week.
 
Freedom M.D. said:
I am really confused among…

APDO (Original version)
21’PA
23’PA (98 sq. in. 305g un.)
23’PAR (RAFA - 290g un.)
23’ PARO (RAFA Origin, heavier version)

So,
Does the PAR comes with different grommet/frame , compared with PARO?


And as you told,
- PAR = APDO,
- PARO = 23’PA ?
(* In terms of frame shape/grommet/stringing patterns?)

However the 23’PA comes with smaller head size (98 sq. in.) …?
Click to expand...

The Rafa (290 gram) is an aero pro drive original but the drill pattern is the PA19's. It does not feel at all like a PA19, imo it feels much more connected to the ball.

The grommets will not be the same on the 2 Rafas since the drill pattern is different. That said, they are both the old school woofer grommets from the OG APD. I believe the Rafa Origin drill pattern is slightly different from the APDO, since those grommets to do not fit. It is safe to say that over the past 15+ years, Rafa may have requested some slight adjustments to the drill pattern and that is why it is not the exact same as the APDO (but it is very close).

So essentially both Rafa's are the APDO but they have different drill patterns from the APDO and each other. Even though I typically don't like open patterns, I think this is a good thing though, since the 290gram Rafa plays a little less stiff due to the pattern being more open and the spin is very heavy.

The 23 PA is a 100 head size, not a 98. It has a similar drill pattern to the APDO, althought I am not sure if it is the exact same.

The 98 size belongs to the Pure Aero VS which is the Alcaraz/Rune endorsed frame. Plays and feels bit different than the regular Pure Aero 23. I have owned both.
 
Freedom M.D. said:
I am really confused among…

APDO (Original version)
21’PA
23’PA (98 sq. in. 305g un.)
23’PAR (RAFA - 290g un.)
23’ PARO (RAFA Origin, heavier version)

So,
Does the PAR comes with different grommet/frame , compared with PARO?


And as you told,
- PAR = APDO,
- PARO = 23’PA ?
(* In terms of frame shape/grommet/stringing patterns?)

However the 23’PA comes with smaller head size (98 sq. in.) …?
Click to expand...
Okay let’s break it down the Aero family:
AeroPro Drive (2004, 2007, 2010, 2013) AeroStorm (2007, 2010) Pure Aero VS (2016/17-same as AeroStorm w/o the plastic cortex piece on throat) Pure Aero VS (2020, 2023), Pure Aero (2016, 2017, 2023) and Pure Aero Rafa (2020, 2023)

•16 Mains / 19 Crosses, Mains skip: 8T 8H, Two Pieces, No Shared Holes- ‘04 APDO (original) ‘07 APDC (cortex) ‘10 APDGT (graphite tungsten) ‘13 APDAC (active cortex), ‘23 PA, and now ‘23 PARO. All of these frames share the same string pattern, and skips when stringing. Despite the PAVS (2016/‘17, 2020/‘23) having a 16x20 pattern, the stringing method is the same being the mains skips 8T, 8H, two pieces and no shared holes but with one extra cross.

•16 Mains / 19 Crosses, Mains skip: 7T,9T,7H,9H, Two Piece, No Shared Holes- ‘16 PA (original) ‘19 PA (banana), ‘20 PAR (starburst) and now ‘23 PAR (cotton candy). Again, all of these frames share the same string pattern and skips when stringing.

•Yes, the ‘23 PAR comes with different grommets/bumperguard compared to the PARO cause of what I mentioned above.

•In terms of mold of the APD/PAs, all the APDs have the same Aeromodular1 mold (different techs) The 2016 has the Aeromodular2 mold where the 2019/2023 PA has the Aeromodular3 mold. For the PAR/PARO, the 2020 PAR has the Aeromodular3 mold where the 2023 PAR/PARO has a slight different APD mold but close enough to the original in which Babolat tried to produce.

•For grommets/BG, all the iterations of the APDs has the same grommets/BG. I believe the 2016 PA is slightly different than the 2019 PA/2020 PAR cause of the mold. As for the 2023 PA, some of the APDs grommets/BG will fit (sides, bottom throat, and BG with some tweaking) The only thing that it wouldn’t fit is the side end pieces (different drilled holes in the area) And lastly for the 2023 PAR/PARO, the APDs grommets/BG will mostly not all fit (PARO) as one of the users mentioned above.

Hopefully you have now a clear understanding and I made some sense lol
 
Power Player said:
The Rafa (290 gram) is an aero pro drive original but the drill pattern is the PA19's. It does not feel at all like a PA19, imo it feels much more connected to the ball.

The grommets will not be the same on the 2 Rafas since the drill pattern is different. That said, they are both the old school woofer grommets from the OG APD. I believe the Rafa Origin drill pattern is slightly different from the APDO, since those grommets to do not fit. It is safe to say that over the past 15+ years, Rafa may have requested some slight adjustments to the drill pattern and that is why it is not the exact same as the APDO (but it is very close).

So essentially both Rafa's are the APDO but they have different drill patterns from the APDO and each other. Even though I typically don't like open patterns, I think this is a good thing though, since the 290gram Rafa plays a little less stiff due to the pattern being more open and the spin is very heavy.

The 23 PA is a 100 head size, not a 98. It has a similar drill pattern to the APDO, althought I am not sure if it is the exact same.

The 98 size belongs to the Pure Aero VS which is the Alcaraz/Rune endorsed frame. Plays and feels bit different than the regular Pure Aero 23. I have owned both.
Click to expand...
Now if they would only make a pure aero Rafa +. Ha….j/k. Pretty happy with the ‘23
 
Power Player said:
The Rafa (290 gram) is an aero pro drive original but the drill pattern is the PA19's. It does not feel at all like a PA19, imo it feels much more connected to the ball.

The grommets will not be the same on the 2 Rafas since the drill pattern is different. That said, they are both the old school woofer grommets from the OG APD. I believe the Rafa Origin drill pattern is slightly different from the APDO, since those grommets to do not fit. It is safe to say that over the past 15+ years, Rafa may have requested some slight adjustments to the drill pattern and that is why it is not the exact same as the APDO (but it is very close).

So essentially both Rafa's are the APDO but they have different drill patterns from the APDO and each other. Even though I typically don't like open patterns, I think this is a good thing though, since the 290gram Rafa plays a little less stiff due to the pattern being more open and the spin is very heavy.

The 23 PA is a 100 head size, not a 98. It has a similar drill pattern to the APDO, althought I am not sure if it is the exact same.

The 98 size belongs to the Pure Aero VS which is the Alcaraz/Rune endorsed frame. Plays and feels bit different than the regular Pure Aero 23. I have owned both.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your reply. I am not a Babolat’s and Aero guy and not familiar with its family.
Now I just wondering why Babolat just made the 2 Rafa’s with different drill pattern each other.

Oh, and what I meant to say is there exist “23PA” and “23PA 98”(98 sq. In. head size with slight heavier), also come with different drill pattern each other…

David Le said:
Okay let’s break it down the Aero family:
AeroPro Drive (2004, 2007, 2010, 2013) AeroStorm (2007, 2010) Pure Aero VS (2016/17-same as AeroStorm w/o the plastic cortex piece on throat) Pure Aero VS (2020, 2023), Pure Aero (2016, 2017, 2023) and Pure Aero Rafa (2020, 2023)

•16 Mains / 19 Crosses, Mains skip: 8T 8H, Two Pieces, No Shared Holes- ‘04 APDO (original) ‘07 APDC (cortex) ‘10 APDGT (graphite tungsten) ‘13 APDAC (active cortex), ‘23 PA, and now ‘23 PARO. All of these frames share the same string pattern, and skips when stringing. Despite the PAVS (2016/‘17, 2020/‘23) having a 16x20 pattern, the stringing method is the same being the mains skips 8T, 8H, two pieces and no shared holes but with one extra cross.

•16 Mains / 19 Crosses, Mains skip: 7T,9T,7H,9H, Two Piece, No Shared Holes- ‘16 PA (original) ‘19 PA (banana), ‘20 PAR (starburst) and now ‘23 PAR (cotton candy). Again, all of these frames share the same string pattern and skips when stringing.

•Yes, the ‘23 PAR comes with different grommets/bumperguard compared to the PARO cause of what I mentioned above.

•In terms of mold of the APD/PAs, all the APDs have the same Aeromodular1 mold (different techs) The 2016 has the Aeromodular2 mold where the 2019/2023 PA has the Aeromodular3 mold. For the PAR/PARO, the 2020 PAR has the Aeromodular3 mold where the 2023 PAR/PARO has a slight different APD mold but close enough to the original in which Babolat tried to produce.

•For grommets/BG, all the iterations of the APDs has the same grommets/BG. I believe the 2016 PA is slightly different than the 2019 PA/2020 PAR cause of the mold. As for the 2023 PA, some of the APDs grommets/BG will fit (sides, bottom throat, and BG with some tweaking) The only thing that it wouldn’t fit is the side end pieces (different drilled holes in the area) And lastly for the 2023 PAR/PARO, the APDs grommets/BG will mostly not all fit (PARO) as one of the users mentioned above.

Hopefully you have now a clear understanding and I made some sense lol
Click to expand...

Thankyou very much for your reply.

As I am not a Babolat guy, I am more familiar with APD, not PA. Oh and wow, they had changed the “drill pattern” more denser since “Pure Aero”, and now the 23PA regains the ‘decade-ago APD style’ 8T/8H skip drill pattern. Really interesting.
 
Freedom M.D. said:
Thank you for your reply. I am not a Babolat’s and Aero guy and not familiar with its family.
Now I just wondering why Babolat just made the 2 Rafa’s with different drill pattern each other.

Oh, and what I meant to say is there exist “23PA” and “23PA 98”(98 sq. In. head size with slight heavier), also come with different drill pattern each other…



Thankyou very much for your reply.

As I am not a Babolat guy, I am more familiar with APD, not PA. Oh and wow, they had changed the “drill pattern” more denser since “Pure Aero”, and now the 23PA regains the ‘decade-ago APD style’ 8T/8H skip drill pattern. Really interesting.
Click to expand...

So they made the light Rafa to give a rec player the same experience that Rafa has using his weighted up APDO. Essentially you get the APDO specced to a 1 pt HL spec with a higher SW than static weight, just like how Rafa mods his APDO. Its just a lot easier to use. I believe they opened up the pattern so you can generate the same type of heavy spin that Rafa can generate with the Origin. I am not a huge fan of open patterns typically but the more I use this frame, the more I think this was the right call. the APDO is a stiff frame with no dampening tech and the open pattern not only softens it up but the spin I can generate with it is crazy and I played some incredibly consistent tennis with it today.

I also was able to return serves and volley today and am very pleased with the stability of the frame for being so light. I faced a pretty big server at some points and I was making clean contact and hammering returns back without the frame jostling around in my hand. It's been a very enjoyable racquet for me so far and I think it could really be a good fit for any player with pretty well developed topspin strokes.

If you are a flat hitter or someone with a sensitive arm, it's probably not the best option out there.
 
Power Player said:
So they made the light Rafa to give a rec player the same experience that Rafa has using his weighted up APDO. Essentially you get the APDO specced to a 1 pt HL spec with a higher SW than static weight, just like how Rafa mods his APDO. Its just a lot easier to use. I believe they opened up the pattern so you can generate the same type of heavy spin that Rafa can generate with the Origin. I am not a huge fan of open patterns typically but the more I use this frame, the more I think this was the right call. the APDO is a stiff frame with no dampening tech and the open pattern not only softens it up but the spin I can generate with it is crazy and I played some incredibly consistent tennis with it today.

I also was able to return serves and volley today and am very pleased with the stability of the frame for being so light. I faced a pretty big server at some points and I was making clean contact and hammering returns back without the frame jostling around in my hand. It's been a very enjoyable racquet for me so far and I think it could really be a good fit for any player with pretty well developed topspin strokes.

If you are a flat hitter or someone with a sensitive arm, it's probably not the best option out there.
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I get it! So in conclusion, Babolat did make different drill pattern for more open stringbed in PA Rafa 290gram to generate heavy topspin which 370+ SW Rafa Origin can produces, FWIW.
 
I guess I got lucky and happened to try to get a demo right when they became available. I received a demo with the plastic still on the handle and strung with some kind of multifilament. Hit with it today and I have to say it does have a lot of power, comparable to my PA 2016 that I've leaded up and added a leather grip to. I could definitely play with this racket, even with the crazy paint job, but a crazy paint job AND a $300 dollar price tag is too much to ask. Anyway, back to the playability, I like the feel, I like the power and the control is about what you would expect. If you use the 2016 or 2019 Pure Aeros (non tour) you'll like this one just fine.
 
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Yeah I thought $300 was high but then I looked on the Bay at used APDOs going for $400 plus and decided to go for it. Glad I did. This is one heck of a frame. I love the PJ too, it is loud but most of my favorite frames from back in the day were as well (Agassi Donnays, Connors Estusa..etc).
 
Power Player said:
Yeah I thought $300 was high but then I looked on the Bay at used APDOs going for $400 plus and decided to go for it. Glad I did. This is one heck of a frame. I love the PJ too, it is loud but most of my favorite frames from back in the day were as well (Agassi Donnays, Connors Estusa..etc).
Click to expand...

Can you do some video?
 
movdqa said:
Can you do some video?
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm working on getting a good back angle. My park i'm at most has windscreens blocking holes to mount to, so I have been trying to prop a phone on my bag but that fails, which is annoying me since I want to slow mo my serve.

What are you looking to see? I took some vid from my slingerbag view but it doesn't really show much in terms of ball flight.
 
Power Player said:
Yeah I'm working on getting a good back angle. My park i'm at most has windscreens blocking holes to mount to, so I have been trying to prop a phone on my bag but that fails, which is annoying me since I want to slow mo my serve.

What are you looking to see? I took some vid from my slingerbag view but it doesn't really show much in terms of ball flight.
Click to expand...

Sound, arc, dropoff and kick.
 
Freedom M.D. said:
@Power Player I've read that Pure Aero [Rafa Origin] comes with 'no cortex'. But is the [Rafa 290gram] also free from tech? I mean, 'NO cortex' ?
Click to expand...

Yes correct. The new Rafa is different from the prior releases. It has zero tech in it, just the woofer grommets. So it's essentially the APDO with a different drill pttern and specs. In essence it is what a pro stock frame would be, except it is customized for the masses instead of one player.

The old 2019 model is differet. It has the dampening tech..etc. It's not an APDO. I did some reading on this and the closest I could get to the 290/297SW/3pts HL unstrung specs of the Rafa would be to heavily modify a PA Lite. That is an option I have if I end up deciding to play at this spec moving forward and want 2-3 frames ready to go. Also it could be a more comfortable alternative to the APDO. It's too early for me to make that call as I really love the feel of the new Rafa and can't say the stiffness is an issue for me right now.
 
Power Player said:
Yes correct. The new Rafa is different from the prior releases. It has zero tech in it, just the woofer grommets. So it's essentially the APDO with a different drill pttern and specs. In essence it is what a pro stock frame would be, except it is customized for the masses instead of one player.

The old 2019 model is differet. It has the dampening tech..etc. It's not an APDO. I did some reading on this and the closest I could get to the 290/297SW/3pts HL unstrung specs of the Rafa would be to heavily modify a PA Lite. That is an option I have if I end up deciding to play at this spec moving forward and want 2-3 frames ready to go. Also it could be a more comfortable alternative to the APDO. It's too early for me to make that call as I really love the feel of the new Rafa and can't say the stiffness is an issue for me right now.
Click to expand...
What about the 2021 Rafa model? I think that's the previous one, to the 2023. Is the 2021 Rafa just a new paint job for the 2019 Pure Aero?

tennisnerd.net

Babolat Pure Aero Rafa - The best looking racquet?

The Babolat Pure Aero Rafa is soon here. Is it the best looking racquet out there? I know several players that think so!
tennisnerd.net tennisnerd.net

 
Freedom M.D. said:
@Power Player I've read that Pure Aero [Rafa Origin] comes with 'no cortex'. But is the [Rafa 290gram] also free from tech? I mean, 'NO cortex' ?
Click to expand...

Power Player said:
Yes correct. The new Rafa is different from the prior releases. It has zero tech in it, just the woofer grommets. So it's essentially the APDO with a different drill pttern and specs. In essence it is what a pro stock frame would be, except it is customized for the masses instead of one player.

The old 2019 model is differet. It has the dampening tech..etc. It's not an APDO. I did some reading on this and the closest I could get to the 290/297SW/3pts HL unstrung specs of the Rafa would be to heavily modify a PA Lite. That is an option I have if I end up deciding to play at this spec moving forward and want 2-3 frames ready to go. Also it could be a more comfortable alternative to the APDO. It's too early for me to make that call as I really love the feel of the new Rafa and can't say the stiffness is an issue for me right now.
Click to expand...

Fintft said:
What about the 2021 Rafa model? I think that's the previous one, to the 2023. Is the 2021 Rafa just a new paint job for the 2019 Pure Aero?

tennisnerd.net

Babolat Pure Aero Rafa - The best looking racquet?

The Babolat Pure Aero Rafa is soon here. Is it the best looking racquet out there? I know several players that think so!
tennisnerd.net tennisnerd.net

Click to expand...

hypervox said:
The previous rafa pink and yellow is the 2019 PA with a different paint job
Click to expand...

The 2019 PARG did not have Cortex tech in it either.

2019-french-open-day-two.jpg
 
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innoVAShaun said:
2019 PARG placard says 71 RA:
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No, on line and in reviews I think the stiffness is marked 67 for the 2019 Pure Aero(2021 Pure Aero Rafa?), while 2023 Pure Aero Rafa is 66, more flexible, less stable, less powerful, less spinny, while more controlled.
 
Power Player said:
Yes correct. The new Rafa is different from the prior releases. It has zero tech in it, just the woofer grommets. So it's essentially the APDO with a different drill pttern and specs. In essence it is what a pro stock frame would be, except it is customized for the masses instead of one player.

The old 2019 model is differet. It has the dampening tech..etc. It's not an APDO. I did some reading on this and the closest I could get to the 290/297SW/3pts HL unstrung specs of the Rafa would be to heavily modify a PA Lite. That is an option I have if I end up deciding to play at this spec moving forward and want 2-3 frames ready to go. Also it could be a more comfortable alternative to the APDO. It's too early for me to make that call as I really love the feel of the new Rafa and can't say the stiffness is an issue for me right now.
Click to expand...
But the PA Lite still has the cortex dampening system right?

Thankyou for your reply about the 290g Rafa. I’d like to try tech free but lighter version. I ordered one!
 
Fintft said:
No, on line and in reviews I think the stiffness is marked 67 for the 2019 Pure Aero(2021 Pure Aero Rafa?), while 2023 Pure Aero Rafa is 66, more flexible, less stable, less powerful, less spinny, while more controlled.
Click to expand...

Make sure you're comparing the same info from the same measurement method. Babolat lists their RA unstrung, but TW lists strung, etc. Stringing lowers the RA.
 
has anyone tried adding weight to the handle or throat to make it more head light?

just wondering if i should buy and do that or am i better off playing the racquet as is.
 
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