Racquet closest to Babolat Pure Control Tour???

[sman]

I haven't played for about 4/5 years, but I used to play at a pretty high level. I am looking to demo some new racquets since my old frames are pretty dead. I used to use the babolat pure control tour but haven't kept up at all with the current line of racquets. I was thinking about trying the following, am I on the right track? What should be closest to old pure control tour?
-New Pure Strike VS
-Pure Strike 3rd gen
-Pure Strike Tour 3rd gen

Any other recommendations for sticks to try? Head speed/wilson prostaff??

 

[McLovin]

Purely on specs, I'd say the Solinco Whiteout 305. Other than the string pattern and being a little lighter, it looks to be similar (98 sq in, 21.7mm straight beam, 66 RA).

For the record, I used the Pure Control + 'Swirly' 20 years ago, and after going through a few trials, I've settled on the new VCORE 98 +. I really cannot say, though, how similar it is to the Pure Control as I'm certain my strokes and playing style has changed since then. Also, I was using Kevlar/gut back then, and am now using full poly.

Of the Head frames, I'd give the Boom Pro or the Extreme Tour a look.

 

[Chairman3]

Spec wise the Pure Strike VS is a lock, albeit a 97 head, 310g unstrung, and tapered beam. It's a nice racquet, mine came in underspec though.

As I understand, most other strikes are pretty stiff.
So I'd say try the new Blade for a more classic feel.
The TF40s (16x19) are really nice too, I am currently trying the 305 as the 315 wasn't available. So far plenty of control from the 16x19.
For a firmer feel maybe the Radical Pro/MP, main difference is weight and beam width. The Pro had some really nice pop.
The new Prince ATS Tour 98 is getting rave reviews, I tried the 95 and really liked it.

Lot of good options for what you're after.

 

[Artanis]

Played in the past roughly 5 years with Pure Control (not tour). Pure Strike VS seems strikingly similar, even if some years passed since last touched a Pure Control...
Had a break from Babolat trying some Yonex frames, Ezone 98 and VcorePro 97, but now happy to have that "Babolat" feeling back.

 

[Tranqville]

@socallefty I always wondered how PST compares to Pure Control Tour - I think you played with the latter?

 

[socallefty]

@socallefty I always wondered how PST compares to Pure Control Tour - I think you played with the latter?

I played with the Pure Control ‘swirly‘ from 2000-2005 and I started playing with the G1 Pure Strike Tour from 2014 and G3 from 2019. So, I don‘t remember what the differences were as I had AeroStorm Tours in between 2005-2014 and I also had a 5-year break in that period when I didn’t play tennis. All the specs were very similar and I don’t remember any big differences between any of these racquets that cannot be tuned by varying strings, gauges, tensions etc. Part of why I kept playing with these 12 oz racquets from Babolat is because it was a really easy switch between them.

The Pure Strike Tour G3 feels very plush for me and does not come across as stiff as the G1. It is worth trying for anyone who likes heavy, thin beam Babolats. The new Strike VS feels too lightweight to me when I tried it and it needs to be leaded up.

 

[Tranqville]

@socallefty You and I believe PST is "very plush", but most reviewers do not recognize it as such. I wonder why. Maybe did not spend enough time with the racquet to find the right string setup?

 

[socallefty]

@socallefty You and I believe PST is "very plush", but most reviewers do not recognize it as such. I wonder why. Maybe did not spend enough time with the racquet to find the right string setup?

The fact we play with gut/poly hybrids in the mid-forties makes a difference. If it is played with polys, 40-42 lbs works best. Also, my reference is the G1 PST which played stiffer than its spec. Some call the G3 PST muted as opposed to plush, but I’ve never understood the difference of what they mean by the two terms.

 

[morten]

Head Extreme Tour..

 

[mhkeuns]

I think the closest thing to Pure Control Tour today is the new Pure Strike VS. It will need some weight added to the hoop for a bit of more power but is more stable than the Pure Control Tour. It is my go to stick that I’m currently rotating between the Blade 98 V8 18x20, which is another great stick that‘s not as easy to swing as the PSVS but is bit more powerful. The Head Speed Pro & Vcore Pro 100 two well-rounded 100” rackets. The new Prince Tour 98 might be really close to the Pure Control Tour.