Pure Aero Rafa Origin 2023

Anyone here maining this stick? I've got two @ ~340ish sw strung, loved hitting with it the first time, once I get through some playtesting of strings in the next week or so, I plan on maining these for a month or two to see how it goes. I couldn't believe the plow through I was getting from the baseline, great stability and power at the net, and serves with a ton of pace. Just worried about how it will fare in a 2 hour singles match given the weight.
 
Chopin said:
Thanks for this information. Why did Babolat make the Nadal racquet: 73 +/- 3: https://www.babolat.com/us/pure-aero-rafa-origin-unstrung/101509.html

It's interesting to me that on the website that it reads:

"Specially designed with a stiffer frame and a more head-heavy balance, this racquet will help you set the pace on the court with powerful shots."

It's also interesting that Babolat's description never claims these are Nadal's specs; it only claims he helped design it/offer input to produce a tour spec racquet.

I still think they should have made it less stiff. I hit with it again today...so solid and fun to hit with, but a little too stiff.
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in one of the podcasts (TW one?) the product manager says Nadal changes balance point depending on surface and the retail version is the average of what he uses throughout the year.
 
Fighting phoenix said:
Anyone here maining this stick? I've got two @ ~340ish sw strung, loved hitting with it the first time, once I get through some playtesting of strings in the next week or so, I plan on maining these for a month or two to see how it goes. I couldn't believe the plow through I was getting from the baseline, great stability and power at the net, and serves with a ton of pace. Just worried about how it will fare in a 2 hour singles match given the weight.
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have one to hit with for fun but this middle-aging body can't play with it full time
 
Fighting phoenix said:
Anyone here maining this stick? I've got two @ ~340ish sw strung, loved hitting with it the first time, once I get through some playtesting of strings in the next week or so, I plan on maining these for a month or two to see how it goes. I couldn't believe the plow through I was getting from the baseline, great stability and power at the net, and serves with a ton of pace. Just worried about how it will fare in a 2 hour singles match given the weight.
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340ish swing weight? Is it normal to have that type of variance from the published specs on TW? Or do you mean 340 unstrung?

I'm interested in playing with this racquet as my main stick. I'm not concerned but the weight, but I am concerned about the stiffness. I'm going to try the regular version Aero Pro 2019 and see how I like it and maybe add some weight to it. The power and plow through are great on the Origin though. The feel is good too.
 
Chopin said:
340ish swing weight? Is it normal to have that type of variance from the published specs on TW? Or do you mean 340 unstrung?

I'm interested in playing with this racquet as my main stick. I'm not concerned but the weight, but I am concerned about the stiffness. I'm going to try the regular version Aero Pro 2019 and see how I like it and maybe add some weight to it. The power and plow through are great on the Origin though. The feel is good too.
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Based on what I've been reading on these boards and other places, ~350-360ish strung SW seems to be closer to the average than the 371 TW has posted in their description (which was based on a sample size of 3). So the 345sw strung ones I have isn't too far off, but I had to spend some time procuring these lower spec ones.
 
These are still my go-to if I'm playing a match that I NEED to win. But I've also been enjoying the PC2.0 lately. But these stay in my bag. I have two of them. I don't recall swingweights off the top of my head but I believe that we're in the 340s range. maybe low 350. Definitely not 371
 
Not even a fan of Nadal (in fact one of the player I dislike the most), but TWE deal at 50% off got me. I'm really curious to give this one a try.
 
Soundbyte said:
These are still my go-to if I'm playing a match that I NEED to win. But I've also been enjoying the PC2.0 lately. But these stay in my bag. I have two of them. I don't recall swingweights off the top of my head but I believe that we're in the 340s range. maybe low 350. Definitely not 371
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We always need to win matches
 
I have 2. One at 360sw and the other at 345sw. Bought a 3rd with the TW Sale. Figure I have a 50/50 chance to see where the 3rd lands. I like both, but prefer the 360sw if I had to pick a favorite.
 
Curious about these 340-range SW Origins. Mine is mid 360s strung and I like it there. Too bad I was on the fence on the sale though, oh well.

Been playing mostly with the Shift Pro v1 and the Percept 100D lately. Pretty happy with those but a few contenders are always lurking and lingering.
 
Chopin said:
340ish swing weight? Is it normal to have that type of variance from the published specs on TW? Or do you mean 340 unstrung?

I'm interested in playing with this racquet as my main stick. I'm not concerned but the weight, but I am concerned about the stiffness. I'm going to try the regular version Aero Pro 2019 and see how I like it and maybe add some weight to it. The power and plow through are great on the Origin though. The feel is good too.
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the 340ish must be unstrung, no? Babolat website lists unstrung SW at 335
 
marceloriosfan said:
of the Origin? if yes, call Babolat Warranty, they've been helpful.
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Yes of the Origin. What would calling Babolat Warranty do? You mean try to get them replaced by Babolat?

Per their site it's for purchases direct from Babolat or has to be returned to the retailer I purchased from, which seems like a hassle. Was your experience different?
 
Soundbyte said:
Yes of the Origin. What would calling Babolat Warranty do? You mean try to get them replaced by Babolat?

Per their site it's for purchases direct from Babolat or has to be returned to the retailer I purchased from, which seems like a hassle. Was your experience different?
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That's also not a bad variance in SW given how beefy the racquet is to begin with, not to mention that I'm guessing Babalot warranty would probably only honor significant variances in static weight.
 
How are you all measuring SW, are you all in possession of a proper sw-measuring machine, or are you relying on hanging the racquet off a pencil using a stop watch? Just asking because the reported SWs here seems to be a bit too inconsistent.

Just got my origin last week, and have used it just once. Never been a Rafa fan, but I am old (50+) and am used to heavier racquets. The Rafa Origin packs a punch, while still being quite manageable to swing.
 
Soundbyte said:
Yes of the Origin. What would calling Babolat Warranty do? You mean try to get them replaced by Babolat?

Per their site it's for purchases direct from Babolat or has to be returned to the retailer I purchased from, which seems like a hassle. Was your experience different?
Click to expand...

I did not purchase from Babolat. I had a spec question and ended up getting connected with Josh (the actual Babolat official guy!). It was super easy and he helped me understand the issue (was within range but had some lead tape advice that worked as a solution). Then we geeked out on stringing and what I've been testing. Overall good experience and one reason I'm so blindly a Babolat fanboy.
 
4-string said:
How are you all measuring SW, are you all in possession of a proper sw-measuring machine, or are you relying on hanging the racquet off a pencil using a stop watch? Just asking because the reported SWs here seems to be a bit too inconsistent.

Just got my origin last week, and have used it just once. Never been a Rafa fan, but I am old (50+) and am used to heavier racquets. The Rafa Origin packs a punch, while still being quite manageable to swing.
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Briffridi SW1
 
Just strung up my two Origins: one with Enso in the mains, wasabi x in the cross (51/49lbs), the other with Super Toro in the mains, Caviar in the cross (51/50). Swing weights are 345 and 347. Excited to main these the next few weeks and wreak some havoc
 
mogo said:
I have 2. One at 360sw and the other at 345sw. Bought a 3rd with the TW Sale. Figure I have a 50/50 chance to see where the 3rd lands. I like both, but prefer the 360sw if I had to pick a favorite.
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Received my 3rd Origin and it is measuring 366sw strung. I think I am going to possibly sell/trade my lighter one for an Origin 360sw or higher.
 
mogo said:
Received my 3rd Origin and it is measuring 366sw strung. I think I am going to possibly sell/trade my lighter one for an Origin 360sw or higher.
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What grip size are yours? I just got one that is 358sw. Id probably prefer the lighter one you have depending on the other specs.
 
Got my racquet yesterday. Strung it (Yonex PTP) and put it in the Briffidi.

Unstrung:
325sw
15,03tw

Strung:
356sw
15,50tw

I am a bit bummed I wanted to try the 371sw beast. However, 15,5tw is way up there!! Should be as stable as anything I ever tried in my life and then some.
I'll see how it plays. I can always add lead to bring the specs up.
 
Played doubles today. Really loved the racquet. It is not hard to swing, All the videos from youtube saying it is a beast etc, well I guess I’m just used to these type if frames because it felt really good.

I won’t go through all my impressions just the ones that really stood out for me.
-easier to swing than anticipated
-good movement on 2nd serves
-holy stable at volleying
-comfortable for a head heavy ultra stiff racquet. I expected some arm/shoulder discomfort but nothing.
-my usual mid 40s tensions were too low. That frame seems like it will work better at higher tensions

I could see myself switching to this. I need more game time obviously but for a first day, it was much better than most tests racquets I’ve had in recent years.
 
AMGF said:
Played doubles today. Really loved the racquet. It is not hard to swing, All the videos from youtube saying it is a beast etc, well I guess I’m just used to these type if frames because it felt really good.

I won’t go through all my impressions just the ones that really stood out for me.
-easier to swing than anticipated
-good movement on 2nd serves
-holy stable at volleying
-comfortable for a head heavy ultra stiff racquet. I expected some arm/shoulder discomfort but nothing.
-my usual mid 40s tensions were too low. That frame seems like it will work better at higher tensions

I could see myself switching to this. I need more game time obviously but for a first day, it was much better than most tests racquets I’ve had in recent years.
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This mirrors my experience. Completely surprised me. I also string this one at 48lb compared to my usual 40lb
 
AMGF said:
Nice to know I’m not crazy on this one. (y)
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I've been trying to tout this racket more. For one, the tennis warehouse swingweight specs seem to be way off. Most ended up in the 350s strung, (Mind were 319 & 326 unstrung).
Secondly, this is a perfect racket the demonstrates RA isn't the definitive metric for "comfort."
It's a great frame. Interestingly enough, it has the highest Twistweight of all my frames, even a full point higher than the RF97. My Origin twistweight is 15.6 vs the RF97 14.3. Most of my frames are around 12.6-13.
 
Based on experience from my Italian Forum, 2g of lead in the throat (1g x side) and 2g just above 3 & 9 o'clock make the Rafa 290g almost perfect :)
 
mmazzinin1 said:
Based on experience from my Italian Forum, 2g of lead in the throat (1g x side) and 2g just above 3 & 9 o'clock make the Rafa 290g almost perfect :)
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That's a different frame than the Origin tho. I personally added leather grips to the origin to help with balance.
 
I picked up the Pure Aero 2019 on sale and was thinking of trying to customize it a bit to play more similar to the origin. Would someone be willing to advise me on how I might dod that? I was thinking of trying the Babolat tungsten balancing tape. Feel free to message me if anyone is interested in giving some pointers. Many thanks.
 
Soundbyte said:
@Fighting phoenix I see you listed yours for sale. Moving on? What's the new weapon of choice?
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Yeah it's a little depressing cause I loved hitting with this racquet, the problem was that I went to a drill with a lot of doubles play, and I had a hell of a time maneuvering this bad boy at the net. Playing singles - it was great when I was set up perfectly; however, if a ball came into my body, or I had to whip an awkward shot on the run, it was just too much of a stick to maneuver effectively, and a lot of my game is being crafty, fast, etc.. Serves had a ton of power, but also it was hard to generate a lot of rhs on kick serves in particular. Unbelievably stable, especially on returns or at the net, but if I had to adjust to reach a high volley in particular it was really hard to react in time.

I wanted this to work cause I loved playing with it, but it just isn't a fit for my game and I'm not young or strong enough to yield it effectively. For now, back to my Aux Extreme Tour to get through some upcoming matches and a tournament. On the docket after that are a Radical Pro and an Angell React MP Pro - I'm wondering if either of those will help solve my search for something more stable than the ET (or I just have to accept its faults)
 
Fighting phoenix said:
Yeah it's a little depressing cause I loved hitting with this racquet, the problem was that I went to a drill with a lot of doubles play, and I had a hell of a time maneuvering this bad boy at the net. Playing singles - it was great when I was set up perfectly; however, if a ball came into my body, or I had to whip an awkward shot on the run, it was just too much of a stick to maneuver effectively, and a lot of my game is being crafty, fast, etc.. Serves had a ton of power, but also it was hard to generate a lot of rhs on kick serves in particular. Unbelievably stable, especially on returns or at the net, but if I had to adjust to reach a high volley in particular it was really hard to react in time.

I wanted this to work cause I loved playing with it, but it just isn't a fit for my game and I'm not young or strong enough to yield it effectively. For now, back to my Aux Extreme Tour to get through some upcoming matches and a tournament. On the docket after that are a Radical Pro and an Angell React MP Pro - I'm wondering if either of those will help solve my search for something more stable than the ET (or I just have to accept its faults)
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Go for the Angell React MP Pro. I have a custom one at 320g 12pts HL at 27.25" and it's quite good. I add lead to up my swingweight though but it's a gem of a frame.
 
Soundbyte said:
Go for the Angell React MP Pro. I have a custom one at 320g 12pts HL at 27.25" and it's quite good. I add lead to up my swingweight though but it's a gem of a frame.
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Mine is their stock MP Pro - I was tempted to try one like you have, the extra .25 inches and more head light, but I'm hoping it will work.
 
Like many before me, I have replaced these frames with others (see Angell and the PC2.0). So time to purge. My 2 matched frames will be hitting the classified once approved by mods. Feel free to hit me up or anyone looking 1 or 2 L2s (with spare grommets!). This frame is too much power for my liking.
 
bogdan101 said:
I have fully switched to the Rafa Origin now; I got 2 from the TWE sale at the end of November. One required a bit of extra weight in the handle and at 12 in the hoop to match the other; now they're both about 344.5g static weight, balance point 33.3 cm and sw ~ 355, strung, with og and dampener.
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What you love about it?
 
Just tried one of these, the 290 version. Great frame, for me the best aero ever. Somehow they made it feel extra spin friendly and feel smaller than 100 head size. The power spin and so far comfort are very good.
 
michael valek said:
Just tried one of these, the 290 version. Great frame, for me the best aero ever. Somehow they made it feel extra spin friendly and feel smaller than 100 head size. The power spin and so far comfort are very good.
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The PAR 290 version has the FSI tech which is what the PA 2016 and 2019 has. The string spacing is much more open so gives that extra spin that you felt. The PARO doesn’t have the FSI tech so similar to the current 2023 PA
 
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