Pure Strike 16x19 P17 TW testers?

[TennisHound]

Why aren't more testers using the Project One Seven Pure Strike 16x19? Let's look at those scores again:

Babolat Pure Strike 16x19 Racquet Scores
Power 87
Control 86
Maneuverability 90
Stability 86
Comfort 88
Touch/Feel 87
Serves 87
Groundstrokes 94
Returns 91
Slice 89
Topspin 90
Volleys 86
Overall 90

This could possibly be the highest rated racquet ever and certainly the most aggressively marketed racquet "ever".

Yet . . . only one of the TW testers (Hannah) liked it enough to switch to it.Why?

With ratings this high, this should be the number one best selling racquet of all time.

Was it overrated? If so, why was it so overrated by TW?

 

[Noah Swift]

not necessarily overrated, maybe joint issues due to stiffness if continually used, or just doesn't want to change comfort zone

 

[Backhanded Compliment]

scoring is just a guideline... people get excited, have a honeymoon then back to old trusty

 

[JOSHL]

I think Jason switched to it to but he wasn't a tester

 

[amarg]

It would be interesting to know why they switch frames in general. For example Chris used to play with wilson 6.1 95s. How did he customize it and what did he gain/lose transitioning to babolat pure drive plus? I suppose his style hasn't changed drastically in between. How did each racquet suit his game?

 

[Roland G]

Why aren't more testers using the Project One Seven Pure Strike 16x19? Let's look at those scores again:

Babolat Pure Strike 16x19 Racquet Scores
Power 87
Control 86
Maneuverability 90
Stability 86
Comfort 88
Touch/Feel 87
Serves 87
Groundstrokes 94
Returns 91
Slice 89
Topspin 90
Volleys 86
Overall 90

This could possibly be the highest rated racquet ever and certainly the most aggressively marketed racquet "ever".

Yet . . . only one of the TW testers (Hannah) liked it enough to switch to it.Why?

With ratings this high, this should be the number one best selling racquet of all time.

Was it overrated? If so, why was it so overrated by TW?

I, like an idiot, bought two without demoing based on the extremely high scores and praise from the TW review.

I found it be completely overrated, brassy, stiff, uncomfortable with a small sweetspot and ditched them after two months.

Honestly, I cannot see what all the fuss was about and will taking any future reviews with a large pinch of salt.

 

[kingp1ng]

After all, TW is a business. They need to sell racquets. I think the Pure Strike 16x19 was overrated. It still retains the Babolat feel that 50% people love and the other 50% hate. Although the new Pure Strike is better than the old Pure Strike, Pure Control, and Pure Storm. Holy crap those racquets were clubby, stiff, and had a small sweet spot. (Or maybe I just sucked with those frames)

Demo demo demo!

 

[2HBH-DTL]

those reviews were hilarious to me. if you look at hannah's scores, she inflated them so high that it threw off a lot of the numbers. racquets will feel different for everyone. i'm sure it's a decent frame but it got so overhyped.

 

[SCSI]

I wish there could be a more objective way to rate rackets. But then rackets are like people or places, meaning much of that depends on the eye of the beholder. So, the whole idea of giving a score seems silly. Plus, the honeymoon effect is real. I have been going to tournaments (junior and ITF) and saw very few so called Project One 7 rackets out there.

 

[TW Staff]

We always recommend to demo for you buy. As others have said, a racquet is going to have different appeal to each player, however, certain attributes tend to ring true across player styles.

We do our best to give an unbiased review of racquets, shoes and strings. We don't always give positive reviews. It is not in our best interest to hype something and disappoint people. To do so would be very shortsighted and would result in distrust from our customers. The better we can describe, review, show (image/video) and inform you of the products we sell the better for all of us. Our goal is simple: we want to help you find the best equipment for your game.

When we reviewed the Project One7 I was one of the testers that really loved the racquet. I thought long and hard about switching to it. Jason and Hannah made the switch and both still love the racquet. For me it offers some Pure Drive power with some Pure Control feel and control. It's light enough to be a good platform racquet for customization. In stock form I had a lot of control and got great spin -- very reminiscent of the Yonex DR 98 which was another racquet I enjoyed testing.

At TW I head up the playtest crew and can tell you each one of them is very passionate about the game. From playing, testing, competing to watching pro tennis, each tester you see and read about loves tennis. They have the freedom to express their positive and negative impressions of products. At times that might upset vendors and fans of products, but I feel it's an essential part in helping you find the right gear.

I hope you enjoy the reviews and find them useful. You certainly don't have to agree with them and I'm glad we have this message board so we can hear your thoughts and findings as well.

Happy hitting and all the best,
Chris, TW

 

[ZirkusAffe]

I, like an idiot, bought two without demoing based on the extremely high scores and praise from the TW review.

I found it be completely overrated, brassy, stiff, uncomfortable with a small sweetspot and ditched them after two months.

Honestly, I cannot see what all the fuss was about and will taking any future reviews with a large pinch of salt.

Just curious were you a fan of the previous Strike or just looking for a tween with extra zest?? Like everyone says you either love or hate the strike (well, or it's hard on the arm).

 

[MisterP]

For an 11 oz racquet with a 16x19 pattern, that's probably the one to beat. I like the Textreme Warrior 100 a lot more than I liked the Pure Strike, though. I never felt like I got as much spin out of the PS17 as the TW playtesters did. Especially on my second serve. Then again, I hit with @g4driver's customized P17 and it was money. So, what do I know?

 

[Mareqnyc]

I think it is a fantastic stick for modern game. Whenever I put anything else next to it I always seem to play better with the P17. I loved it from day one and haven't looked back.
I started using it before the TW playtest so wasn't affected by their high scores.

 

[SCSI]

To TW's credit, though I haven't tried the Project One 7 racket yet, their reviews on the rackets that have used quite a bit - Head Extreme Pro 2.0 and Dunlop F3.0 Tour were right on. I am not sure if I would have discovered these sleeper rackets without their reviews.

 

[g4driver]

For an 11 oz racquet with a 16x19 pattern, that's probably the one to beat. I like the Textreme Warrior 100 a lot more than I liked the Pure Strike, though. I never felt like I got as much spin out of the PS17 as the TW playtesters did. Especially on my second serve. Then again, I hit with @g4driver's customized P17 and it was money. So, what do I know?

But then my customize Prince Textreme 100 16x18's are so much more $$$$. And you haven't hit with it yet. [emoji6]

 

[smalahove]

I think it's a great frame, but like all frames, it's not for everyone. My take on it: it's a Pure Drive for Prestige players wanting to migrate over to the dark side, but hate the fat beamed tweeners (but want some of that dark side magic).

 

[Roland G]

Just curious were you a fan of the previous Strike or just looking for a tween with extra zest?? Like everyone says you either love or hate the strike (well, or it's hard on the arm).

Never used the previous. Was just looking for a frame with extra zest, like you say. The review was so positive, I felt it had to be a winner (dumb, I know) so I went for it. I'm sure it's a great stick for many players, but I really didn't dig it [emoji20]

 

[Roland G]

To TW's credit, though I haven't tried the Project One 7 racket yet, their reviews on the rackets that have used quite a bit - Head Extreme Pro 2.0 and Dunlop F3.0 Tour were right on. I am not sure if I would have discovered these sleeper rackets without their reviews.

Yes. The TW review of the F3.0 Tour was spot on. Great stick. Kicks the *ss of the PS17!

 

[Mareqnyc]

I think it's a great frame, but like all frames, it's not for everyone. My take on it: it's a Pure Drive for Prestige players wanting to migrate over to the dark side, but hate the fat beamed tweeners (but want some of that dark side magic).

Sounds like me

 

[TennisHound]

We always recommend to demo for you buy. As others have said, a racquet is going to have different appeal to each player, however, certain attributes tend to ring true across player styles.

We do our best to give an unbiased review of racquets, shoes and strings. We don't always give positive reviews. It is not in our best interest to hype something and disappoint people. To do so would be very shortsighted and would result in distrust from our customers. The better we can describe, review, show (image/video) and inform you of the products we sell the better for all of us. Our goal is simple: we want to help you find the best equipment for your game.

When we reviewed the Project One7 I was one of the testers that really loved the racquet. I thought long and hard about switching to it. Jason and Hannah made the switch and both still love the racquet. For me it offers some Pure Drive power with some Pure Control feel and control. It's light enough to be a good platform racquet for customization. In stock form I had a lot of control and got great spin -- very reminiscent of the Yonex DR 98 which was another racquet I enjoyed testing.

At TW I head up the playtest crew and can tell you each one of them is very passionate about the game. From playing, testing, competing to watching pro tennis, each tester you see and read about loves tennis. They have the freedom to express their positive and negative impressions of products. At times that might upset vendors and fans of products, but I feel it's an essential part in helping you find the right gear.

I hope you enjoy the reviews and find them useful. You certainly don't have to agree with them and I'm glad we have this message board so we can hear your thoughts and findings as well.

Happy hitting and all the best,
Chris, TW

Thanks Chris!

 

[jdhaynes]

I am a switcher from Prestige Pro. Read TW review, hit a friend's with a setup similar to what I would use and loved it. Bought one, strung it with Tour Bite 20 ga. @ my usual 48 lbs. and for the last 6 weeks, has been one of my favorite racquets ever. I have definitely gained a bit in power and penetration, but haven't noticed any comfort problems and no problems with control either. In fact, I think I like it more every time I hit with it.

I will say I umpired a National Level 3 18's tournament here in Shreveport, LA last weekend, and can only remember seeing two in the boys' draw (the winner from South Carolina was one, and a local kid that went deep in consolation draw the other) and one on the girls' side. Empirically I would say Pure Aero/APD was number one, and Pure Drive number two as far as numbers. Tons of PDs on the girls' side. Surprisingly, I didn't see near as many Blade 98's as I usually see at these high level USTA Jr. events.

 

[ZirkusAffe]

Never used the previous. Was just looking for a frame with extra zest, like you say. The review was so positive, I felt it had to be a winner (dumb, I know) so I went for it. I'm sure it's a great stick for many players, but I really didn't dig it

I was just curious, both ways (either coming for loving a previous model) or stepping over to a new racquet that is intriguing based on countless reviews can be daunting. I've been very close to getting the newer Strike for awhile and I still use the previous version (16x19) but before projectOne7 ended I bought the DR98 (yellow) and it was sort of the same thing, great reviews, great following, I owned the xi98 which I loved but the new one is more muted, plush, control, spin, comfort.. etc..etc.. it's a tremendous racquet, I love hitting with it but I can't put people away with it.. not very much heft in the ball but all aspects are very good, (volley, serve, spin, touch)... xi98 was/is better, I'm gun shy about the strike but I've heard from a buddy that he likes it more than the previous, eye of the beholder right?? No dig on the DR98 but that was my P17 that you experienced, and I like and still use the previous Strike so from a guy who likes the Strike any update is awesome right? Probably still safer to test it first. If I would've done it again I would've tested the DR98 with the DR100 (the RA on the 100 is closer to the xi98 and that alone could be a bump in power). Now they are taunting me with the DR98/100 +plus... ugh never ends, love new racquets and PJ's though.

As for P17 I think I would demo the 16x19, 18x20 and the Strike Tour (which I think is more of a pure control tour).