Pure Drive GTs fragile paint...

[FedererForehand]

I can't believe how fragile the paint on the Pure Drives are (cortex and now GT)! I just bought my PDR GTs on Saturday and was hitting some serves with one of them and I dropped my racquet from about waist height as I was reaching for a ball and the paint instantly scuffed/ scratched in a couple of different places and it now looks as if had been used for a couple of months instead of 30 mins.

I'm not planning to switch frames for a while so I'm fine with it but if I wanted to sell it it would probably look closer to a 7.5-8/ 10 instead of what really is.

Why does Babolat use such cheap paint? I've had other frames that I played with for a season or more that the paint never looked as worn as this does from one fall. Should be interesting to see how it looks in a couple of months :-?

 

[dktracer]

I used head guard tape on my babolat LTD, and lets say when I took the Tape off, it also took off the paint Cheap paint job indeed

 

[TheDLink]

maybe it was the angle of which your racket landed?...

 

[FedererForehand]

maybe it was the angle of which your racket landed?...

Don't know, I mean I expected there to be some kind of mark but it looks like it went through a tough 3 setter...

 

[Caloi]

My Dunlops are like that too.

 

[delphi17]

havent dropped mine yet, but do have a minor scratch here and there, but i dont think i will ever be able to sell my GTs, i am liking them more and more every time I play with them...

 

[Dan007]

Babolat rackets have really fragile paint, I noticed that with the APDC too.

 

[tennisgeek1234]

Same for my pdr cortex, peal off some lead and the paint goes with it, same thing with my prestige mid

 

[DownTheLine]

They do use cheap paint on APDC the paint is coming scuffed where I've never dropped or rubbed the racket!

 

[Lefty78]

Not only is the paint rubbish, but the quality control isn't much either. + or - 7 grams means that two supposedly identical frames can be 1/2 ounce different!

At the end of the day though, they don't have much incentive to improve, given all the people buying their racquets.

 

[InsaneSpin]

ok so the paint is bad but how is the racquet? How does it play?

 

[Power Player]

ok so the paint is bad but how is the racquet? How does it play?

It plays quite well actually. I have a demo strung at 60# and it is a real nice stick. Less spin and more power then the APDC.

 

[BHud]

I demoed the PD GT Roddick (standard length) last night and was surprised at how quickly the racquet was moving through the air as compared to the previous verion (sure didn't feel like a 334 swingweight?). Now maybe it just felt that way because I've been playing with a heavier racquet for the past year (12.4 oz Wilson HPS OS), but I really had a good time with this stick. Volleys were excellent (something I was not expecting), groundies were killer (as expected), and my serve picked up 10+ mph (something this racquet is known for).

All in all, if you like Pure Drives (and a little more heft than the standard version), the Roddick version is a really nice racquet.

...and compared to the APDC, it serves much better (something I just couldn't get over no matter how much lead I placed in the APDC hoop).

 

[neverstopplaying]

Same for Pure Storm. "Pure Storm" is printed in silver metallic and it comes off easily - can easily scrape it off with your nail.

 

[henrybear]

I'm pretty sure that most modern rackets have really cheap paintjobs, I've noticed that the K90 has a paint job that's exceptionally prone to chipping more than anyone would like.

 

[LPShanet]

The durability of the Babolat finish went down notably when they switched to a matte paint scheme a few years ago. The older, glossy paint versions of the PC were much tougher than the PST that replaced it, for example. The old glossy finish was almost like a car's acrylic clear coat, and the matte stuff tends to chip more easily. This started when they first introduced the Pure Storms if I remember correctly. Let's hope they fix it eventually.

 

[taiketsu]

They will not be fixing it because it costs them money that could be invested in marketing. Players generally expect paint chips to occur. Besides, a chipped racket is harder to sell on the used market, so using cheap paint is one way to knock the used-market competition down a peg or two - if you want a shiny, new racket without blemishes, you would hard pressed to find one on e***.

Babolat would correct this if customers began to associate their rackets with cheap paint, thus affecting their buying decision. This will not happen because leading racket manufacturers, including Wilson, have been using equally shoddy paint. It's become the standard.

 

[LPShanet]

They will not be fixing it because it costs them money that could be invested in marketing. Players generally expect paint chips to occur. Besides, a chipped racket is harder to sell on the used market, so using cheap paint is one way to knock the used-market competition down a peg or two - if you want a shiny, new racket without blemishes, you would hard pressed to find one on e***.

Babolat would correct this if customers began to associate their rackets with cheap paint, thus affecting their buying decision. This will not happen because leading racket manufacturers, including Wilson, have been using equally shoddy paint. It's become the standard.

Actually, the switch to the matte paint was not cost-based. They just thought the matte finish looked more modern. The cost was pretty similar. However, it may be true that fixing the matte paint so it can last as long as the glossy used to may incur additional costs.

 

[bluegrasser]

I have another question about the new PD - all the pros using them have a white headguard, while the ones in the market have a black ?

 

[FedererForehand]

I have another question about the new PD - all the pros using them have a white headguard, while the ones in the market have a black ?

Like who- I haven't noticed this at all.

 

[FedererForehand]

The durability of the Babolat finish went down notably when they switched to a matte paint scheme a few years ago. The older, glossy paint versions of the PC were much tougher than the PST that replaced it, for example. The old glossy finish was almost like a car's acrylic clear coat, and the matte stuff tends to chip more easily. This started when they first introduced the Pure Storms if I remember correctly. Let's hope they fix it eventually.

Actually, the switch to the matte paint was not cost-based. They just thought the matte finish looked more modern. The cost was pretty similar. However, it may be true that fixing the matte paint so it can last as long as the glossy used to may incur additional costs.

Either way the new PD GTs are back to the glossy paint finish- no matte.

 

[naturallight]

I like the look of the matte, but yeah, it does chip easily. I've only had my APDC's for a month or two and they are starting to look worn.

 

[bluegrasser]

Like who- I haven't noticed this at all.

That girl from Poland' Whada.....whatever.