Pure Strike 2024

Pleb123

Semi-Pro
Had my first hit with the PS 18x20 last night and can make a few observations about the frame. But a little background first. As a long-time fan of this line I have played with every generation since the black/orange original (best colourway). I was keen to see how much of a difference a few subtle changes would make compared to the 3rd gen. The mold changed slightly between the original and the Project One but has stayed the same since. The Project One was a shoulder-killer. The 3rd Gen 16x19 I used for about a year until I started having chronic wrist soreness and switched. The softer flex in the 4th gen is exactly what this racquet line needs. I have mainly been playing with a weighted-up Head Gravity Tour and the RF97 v13 lately. I'm around 5.5 UTR, which is a relatively new rating system in Australia.

A few things that stand out for me with this frame so far are:

Sweet spot - 'players racquets' tend to have smaller and more defined sweet spots. The first gen's sweet spot was tiny. Although it rewarded you with excellent feel, off-centre hits were vibey and harsh and the ball died suddenly off the string bed. This was improved over the next generations and now the 4th gen feels like virtually the whole string bed is the sweet spot. In short, a great improvement.

Sound - one of the things I love most about this frame is the deep boom you hear when nailing your shots. That was not present in previous generations in my experience using them;

Dwell time - decreasing the stiffness seems to have increased dwell-time and gives a good sense of where you are placing the ball which for a control frame is essential;

Power and pop - plenty. Decent swing weight means put-away power is there when you want it. No lead in the hoop required for me;

Stability - not an issue;

Comfort - compared to previous generations it is substantially more comfortable and plush. No unpleasant vibes or harshness at all.

Spin - I'm a big believer in spin production being mostly about technique and not the type of racquet or string pattern you use. There is ample spin with the 18x20. However, second-serve kickers are probably easier to generate with a more open pattern.

Overall, the reduction in stiffness has made a good racquet even better. The deep boom as the ball flies off the string bed is wonderful.
 

billsedd

Rookie
i bought a 100" 16x20, had racquet matching service with SW which should come out to around ~325-327.
I will try it out and compare to my current racquet of choice (gravity tour 2021) & pure strike 16x19 (PO7), though i havent used the PO7 in years and sold it.
VS touch 16g 55lbs mains, wilson revolve 16g 50lbs in the cross.
 

topspn

G.O.A.T.
Well - to each their own! My 16x20 Strikes have been in the mid to upper 320s SW, with RPM rough around 45 lbs, and I felt they had plenty of power on tap and ability to keep the ball deep with as much topspin as I wanted to put on the ball. I tried the 100 Blade v8 last year, partially cause of Henrik's strong support, and I thought it was just an OK racquet compared to the PA 2023 and now this Pure Strike 100.

I was also worried about serves, as I felt like I was getting more on the 98 Strike I demo-ed; however, I think the better comfort will be worth it for me in the long term as I still have lingering muscle memory issues with the v3 PS98 wrecking my shoulder. Plenty of service placement, kick, etc., on the Pure Strike 100 for me.
So you have settled on the 16x20? Played my demo again last night and I started really going after my serve and got more action and power. You can get heat on serves but you really have to go after them. I am curious how the 100 16x19 would play in comparison.
 

Fighting phoenix

Professional
So you have settled on the 16x20? Played my demo again last night and I started really going after my serve and got more action and power. You can get heat on serves but you really have to go after them. I am curious how the 100 16x19 would play in comparison.
Yeah - this is what I was looking for since I played with the Gen 2 and 3 98s, which I put down after giving me shoulder problems - and now getting a little older and wanting something more forgiving and comfortable, but with good control and a little extra pop. I couldn't fully get over the high launch angles of the Pure Aeros, and the Extreme Tour is still one of my favorites, but this new Pure Strike with its better feel and comfort is so much more stable than the ET and strikes the right balance of power / control / launch angle for my game.

I agree that serves aren't quite as powerful with this stick, and when I demoed the 100 16x19 I found that hit a bigger serve being stiffer; however, like you when I'm going for an aggressive slice or kick serve, I get a lot out of it and feel confident about where it's going.
 

topspn

G.O.A.T.
Yeah - this is what I was looking for since I played with the Gen 2 and 3 98s, which I put down after giving me shoulder problems - and now getting a little older and wanting something more forgiving and comfortable, but with good control and a little extra pop. I couldn't fully get over the high launch angles of the Pure Aeros, and the Extreme Tour is still one of my favorites, but this new Pure Strike with its better feel and comfort is so much more stable than the ET and strikes the right balance of power / control / launch angle for my game.

I agree that serves aren't quite as powerful with this stick, and when I demoed the 100 16x19 I found that hit a bigger serve being stiffer; however, like you when I'm going for an aggressive slice or kick serve, I get a lot out of it and feel confident about where it's going.

Yeah, I am not totally sold yet but I thought it was worthy of a more long term play test so I purchased one. I’d still want to try the 16x19 and compare what I’d get from each. It is very comfortable and delicious on volleys, 1/2 volley or any touch shot
 

Fighting phoenix

Professional
Yeah, I am not totally sold yet but I thought it was worthy of a more long term play test so I purchased one. I’d still want to try the 16x19 and compare what I’d get from each. It is very comfortable and delicious on volleys, 1/2 volley or any touch shot
Yeah - if I wasn't worried about my arm health, and I am (shoulder and tennis elbow have flared in the past), I would have spent more time with the 16x19 100 and the 98. I did try them all though, and felt that the 100 16x20 was the right compromise for me.
 

Fighting phoenix

Professional
That dude is annoying :X3:
Dude has a very high opinion of himself, plus the two forehand thing is kinda bizarre to me and not practical for real match play.

Agree on his thoughts relative to the comfort/flex of the frame, but don't see that as a major hindrance to hitting with spin the way he does. I'm also surprised by how he dismissed the 100 16x19 so quickly - I just looked up the previous gen, and the flex is much lower on this new version (63 on the new vs. 69 on the v3), so I don't get why he sees them as basically the same.
 
That dude is annoying :X3:
Dude has a very high opinion of himself, plus the two forehand thing is kinda bizarre to me and not practical for real match play.

Agree on his thoughts relative to the comfort/flex of the frame, but don't see that as a major hindrance to hitting with spin the way he does. I'm also surprised by how he dismissed the 100 16x19 so quickly - I just looked up the previous gen, and the flex is much lower on this new version (63 on the new vs. 69 on the v3), so I don't get why he sees them as basically the same.
I always post before I watch. I also don't think getting rid of the backhand for a leftie forehand, for now, doesn't work. Some more intense hitting would be better to share than this casual hitting.
 

dl32

Rookie
The dude in the video is right at least about the fact that there is flex in the frame. BUT, I’ll call it a modern flex. The frame pockets and catapults the ball out.

I played indoor today for the first time ever and my 2nd real session with the 16x20 against a D3 college team coach. Young guy, mid 30’s not a big guy but can hit pretty big. Indoor courts are fast, insanely fast.

My follow up echos my first review. Spin is good, but it’s not for free. You need to work ball a little, which is not necessarily a bad thing IMO. You really get to pick your shot, flat or spin. The flatter driving shots are important to me as I like to put away balls. That said, close the face and hit more vertically, there is more than adequate spin.

1HBH is absolute perfection, flat, topspin and slice.

I did modify the frame, it is definitely more stable than stock, and it absolutely crushes the ball. Day 2 was not a disappointment.

I’m used to hitting with flexible frames, I don’t have issues rolling the ball cross court or inside out with a flexy frame. The strike 16x20 flexes, but release a ton of energy.

I’m going to keep hitting with it but I do want to try the Wilson 100 16x19 v9.
 
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Nostradamus

Bionic Poster
is the 2024 pure strike the reason why Norrie did so well at the australian open ??

skysports-cameron-norrie-tennis_5721118.jpg
 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
is the 2024 pure strike the reason why Norrie did so well at the australian open ??

skysports-cameron-norrie-tennis_5721118.jpg
Did he do well? 19th seed making it to the round of 16 is nothing to write home about. Doesn’t he also continue to use his Pure Control Tour which he has used since his college days - the Strike is just a paintjob.
 

billsedd

Rookie
Yeah - this is what I was looking for since I played with the Gen 2 and 3 98s, which I put down after giving me shoulder problems - and now getting a little older and wanting something more forgiving and comfortable, but with good control and a little extra pop. I couldn't fully get over the high launch angles of the Pure Aeros, and the Extreme Tour is still one of my favorites, but this new Pure Strike with its better feel and comfort is so much more stable than the ET and strikes the right balance of power / control / launch angle for my game.

I agree that serves aren't quite as powerful with this stick, and when I demoed the 100 16x19 I found that hit a bigger serve being stiffer; however, like you when I'm going for an aggressive slice or kick serve, I get a lot out of it and feel confident about where it's going.

i agree with your posts.
played with it today. i think the 100" 16x20 is pretty solid. my SW Is around 325-327 (strings- gut mains, poly cross, 55/50).
took me a few hits to click with it- i was shanking balls at the beginning. here are my thoughts:
- good balance of stability, maneuverability, power, control. i never played with Gen3 but this reminds me of my PO7. i can't really tell subtle differences in things like feel personally. i could feel when i hit out of the sweetspot though. the racquet never felt unstable to me and was easy enough to maneuver for me.
- comfortable, but not plush like my gravity racquets. feels very much like a pure strike. the stiffness feels higher than 61. if you gave it to me blindly, i would say it felt closer to what the ezone 98 or vcore 100 feel like (i.e. 65 stiffness). i didnt have any jarring pain on off-center hits which I did have on the PO7, so it's an improvement from that respect.
- control- it feels similar in control to my 18x20 frames. slightly less control than gravity tour, speed pro. noticeably better control compared to like a speed MP or a Vcore 100- though this could be the way i hit the ball through contact. i felt like i could go for my shots and be confident that i could hit my targets and the ball would stay in.
- spin- good enough for me. i had a few shots that dipped in that might have gone out with some of my other racquets. i could hit with spin if i needed to, but noticeably less spin potential or ease of spin generation compared to something like the speed MP or Vcore 100
- groundstrokes- felt great. not as effortless as with my actual racquet, but i suspect thats just because i'm used to the other one. the longer i played with it, the more natural these felt. it doesn't pancake the ball like the GPro does for me, but i think it can hit a really heavy ball with good RHS.
- serve- did not have any issues adjusting. i felt it serves as well as my racquet. placement was good. serves were good enough to pressure my opponent.
- volleys- i felt like it was easier to volley with this racquet for some reason. felt stable enough for me, and i could place them reasonably well.

my feeling is that it plays closer to an 18x20 type racquet than a 16x19 (at least with my string set-up). performance wise, it feels a little bit like it fits in between a speed pro and a speed MP to me. the speed line is noticeably more comfortable though.
i honestly could pick this up and just start playing with it. would i switch to it? at the moment, i wouldnt. but not because the racquet isnt a good fit for me. the gravity tour just does everything the PS100 16x20" does for me and has never given me any issues with comfort.

i think it's a good blend of everything in a modern package. i still have some reservations about comfort though.
 

topspn

G.O.A.T.
@Fighting phoenix have you purchased a 16x20 yet? Mine is coming in Monday and I am contemplating strings. I have a big selection and between Tour Sniper or Super Toro @50lbs. What strings are you trying?
 

Fighting phoenix

Professional
@Fighting phoenix have you purchased a 16x20 yet? Mine is coming in Monday and I am contemplating strings. I have a big selection and between Tour Sniper or Super Toro @50lbs. What strings are you trying?
Yeah I have - so far I’ve only played it with rpm rough, which I like in it. Tour sniper would probably be good, and toro as well, but I’ve only tried that in a hybrid.

Gonna try book vsquare lava next - sticking with the red strings for now lol
 
Considering to try out following but I’d like to weed out some before hand…
- Blade 100 v8
- Strike 100 (16x20)
- Prince Tour 100P (2019)
- Strike 98 (16x19)

How do they perform in terms of power/control, spin, serve and volleys?
 

Fighting phoenix

Professional
Considering to try out following but I’d like to weed out some before hand…
- Blade 100 v8
- Strike 100 (16x20)
- Prince Tour 100P (2019)
- Strike 98 (16x19)

How do they perform in terms of power/control, spin, serve and volleys?
I played with the blade 100 v8 for a bit - great all around racquet, does require some weight in the hoop as swing weight is in the 310s. The strikes I find to be as controlled, and slightly more powerful and spin friendly. I would for sure demo both of those strikes, not sure about the prince since I haven’t tried it.
 

Trip

Legend
Anyways my goal is to keep performance of ezone98+ but just a bit more maneuverable.
Considering to try out following but I’d like to weed out some before hand…
- Blade 100 v8
- Strike 100 (16x20)
- Prince Tour 100P (2019)
- Strike 98 (16x19)

How do they perform in terms of power/control, spin, serve and volleys?
Why not just handle-weight the EZ98+ a little bit, to lower the balance point? Problem potentially solved right there.
 
@Trip Interestingly I actually add a leather grip to my ezone 98+ which I think helps. I could probably settle with my current racket (which I have for over a year) but you always wonder if the grass is greener on the other side.

I could also decide to go with a regular length ezone 98 with some added weight if all else fails.
 

Trip

Legend
@patrickluvsoj - If you specifically like most everything about the EZ98+ and can get used to, or even prefer, the extra length, then the grass may not be greener anywhere, though I'd say of anything on your shortlist, the new Strike 98 16x19 and 2019 Tour 100P would be the most worth trying (especially since you came from playing the 2019 Tour 100 310). As for the other two, I think you'll find the Blade to be too flexy, both lengthwise and widthwise, and Strike 100 16x20 lower on precision and power-per-unit-swing-weight.

Hope that helps. If you want to explore this much further, I would suggest making your own thread, so we don't derail this one any further (no fault cast; it happens inevitably in threads like this).
 

Fighting phoenix

Professional
People who have tried Babalot RPM Rough Red/Flourescent in the Pure Strike? What do you think of it? Any thoughts on the best string set up for these frames? I'm using the 16x20 100 Strike right now and am gonna experiment - I liked the RPM Rough, but I'm not a regular user of Blast and not sure what better options are out there for this racquet.
 

topspn

G.O.A.T.
People who have tried Babalot RPM Rough Red/Flourescent in the Pure Strike? What do you think of it? Any thoughts on the best string set up for these frames? I'm using the 16x20 100 Strike right now and am gonna experiment - I liked the RPM Rough, but I'm not a regular user of Blast and not sure what better options are out there for this racquet.

I will be trying tour sniper, durafluxx. Wasabi and super toro. Will see how which one I like the most
 

dl32

Rookie
People who have tried Babalot RPM Rough Red/Flourescent in the Pure Strike? What do you think of it? Any thoughts on the best string set up for these frames? I'm using the 16x20 100 Strike right now and am gonna experiment - I liked the RPM Rough, but I'm not a regular user of Blast and not sure what better options are out there for this racquet.

Can only comment on 2 tests so far for the 16x20.

1. Razor Soft 1.25 full bed at 53, pure test and was not great, locked up fast and wasn’t anything special. Would use Alu Power or a Toroline variant 1000 times over.

2. Tour Bite 1.25 @ 50 in mains and Tour Bite 1.20 @ 47 in crosses. This was and continues to be exceptional in all aspects of the game and about 4 hours in. Also, No arm fatigue or aggravating an old golfer elbow thing I had a few months ago. Feels like butter and we know what Tour Bite does to the ball.

3. Next test will be Toroline super toro mains with their absolute in the crosses. Similar concept to the Tour Bite setup but with a six sided slicker poly.
 
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AZJ1973

Rookie
My 16x20 is in the TW classifieds. I played 4 sets this weekend and I really love the frame but just wish Babolat could have built it to the specs they listed. My frame ended up being 328g SW. It was fun to play with but I could feel my elbow getting irritated after playing. As a tennis elbow survivor as soon as even the hint of elbow irritation occurs I race back to my Clash 100 v2.
 

topspn

G.O.A.T.
Hmm..yesterday played a doubles match indoor. First time the demo has too much launch and just more trampoline effect seeping in. RPM rough has had 7hrs of hitting and is playing too loose. To the point that I just switched to my PA98 on this faster indoor court. I got my own frame PS100 16x20 yesterday and going with Wasabi @50
 

Trip

Legend
3. Next test will be Toroline super toro mains with their absolute in the crosses. Similar concept to the Tour Bite setup but with a six sided slicker poly.
That's going to create a noticeably softer string bed, with more fluid movement and further snapback displacement on impact. Keen to see which you prefer more.
 

topspn

G.O.A.T.
I can’t seem to escape the porky SW on the PS lol. My new PS100 16x20 strung with wasabi is 336.6SW. Oh yeah, 334g and 31.9cm balance.
 
My TW demos came today and the PS 100 16x20 came out to 331 grams or 11.7oz. It is about .4oz over spec so we shall see how it plays. I also got the Pure Strike 18x20 and that came out to about 11.4oz so on spec. We shall see how they play over the next few days.
 
Picked up some demos and decided to test the PS100 16x19 and Head Speed MP. Started out with the Speed but despised it. It felt like driving a suburban on a road track where I couldn’t really whip it on demand. Every ball was landing long. Switched over to the PS 100 16x19 and felt like I had control again - spin on demand and much more consistency.

Looking to put this PS against some other similar rackets - where should I start? Trying to get my hands on a PS 16x20 but can’t get it at the local shop yet. Any other recs for comparable rackets? 4.0 all court player that will run down everything.
 

dl32

Rookie
My first 16x20 came so under spec it was crazy, Strung SW was 314. Added almost 9 grams in the upper hoop to get me to 338, which was my target.
 

TwinCinema

Professional
Picked up some demos and decided to test the PS100 16x19 and Head Speed MP. Started out with the Speed but despised it. It felt like driving a suburban on a road track where I couldn’t really whip it on demand. Every ball was landing long. Switched over to the PS 100 16x19 and felt like I had control again - spin on demand and much more consistency.

Looking to put this PS against some other similar rackets - where should I start? Trying to get my hands on a PS 16x20 but can’t get it at the local shop yet. Any other recs for comparable rackets? 4.0 all court player that will run down everything.

I used to love my PS 100 16x19 Team (the 285g version), and for similar sticks but in the 305g category, I grooved with the Extreme Tour: plenty of spin and control, and very whippy. It's unstable so you have to add some lead, but it's a great stick. The PS 100 sounds like it's similar but much more stable. You can also look at the Blade 100 v8, which is a lot softer than a Strike but with great control. And, just because I can't stop talking about my own racket (and, like you, I'm a 4.0 all-courter who's tall and likes to run down everything), the Strike VS (or the new Strike 97) is whippy, spinny, laser precise, and comfy. If you can groove with a smaller head size, and don't mind adding lead (it needs 4g at 12), it's money.
 

Casper777

Professional
Just got the specs from the matching service for my PS 100 16x20

Those are almost all overspeced!!

Weight from 305 to 313

SW from 290 to 305

Got one at 310 with a SW of 294
Quite far from what's on the TWE website
 

topspn

G.O.A.T.
Just got the specs from the matching service for my PS 100 16x20

Those are almost all overspeced!!

Weight from 305 to 313

SW from 290 to 305

Got one at 310 with a SW of 294
Quite far from what's on the TWE website

Same, nothing that was close to TW numbers. Mine ended up at 336.6SW with wasabi
 

Casper777

Professional
Same, nothing that was close to TW numbers. Mine ended up at 336.6SW with wasabi

Should be close to 322-325

Wasabi is quite heavy and 123... maybe try Ether, it's thinner... or Hyper G Soft 115 and you should be able to get around 330.
 

topspn

G.O.A.T.
Should be close to 322-325

Wasabi is quite heavy and 123... maybe try Ether, it's thinner... or Hyper G Soft 115 and you should be able to get around 330.

Unstrung mine was 300SW so no way I would get to 325. I am fine with the higher SW as the racquet handles it like a champ.
 

dl32

Rookie
Mine were all in the 295sw unstrung range, and with 1.2 gauge strings they came out to be around 323-325sw strung. Loving it at that balance and swingweight - very whippy (7 pts headlight, 32.2ish), enough plough and stability in the hoop.
Both my customized static and SW are higher but spot on 32.2 balance. That balance point fits this frame well.
 
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