Reminder to the Pure Aero Tour Playtesters
Your reviews are due by Friday, October 30th!
Thanks,
TW Staff[/QUOTE
Nice call !
Tennis experience/background: Currently 4.5 self rated, but mostly play with 5.0’s. Coming back from a ~5 year break, but have been playing since I was 5. Played for a high ranked HS team that had several D1 players, took a break during college, and now currently play USTA leagues and tourneys. Finished Top 15 in Norcal 4.5 Singles about 5-6 years ago.
Describe your playing style: Serve and Volley in Doubles, Counterpuncher/All Court in
Singles. Strengths are volleys, kick/twist serve, return of serve, and 2 HBH.
Current racquet/string: Prince Speedport Tour w/ Big Hitter Blue 17 at 54/52
String set-up in test racquet: Spiraltek – Prestrung and RPM Blast – 54/52
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 15+ Hours mostly doubles.
Initial Thoughts Before Hitting: Racket has some heft to it, I’d estimate the SW to be 330+, Grip Size is large (feels like a 4 ½), Balance seems right, love the matte paint job, was 11.9 oz prestrung with Spiraltek, TournaTac OG, and #64 rubberband.
Groundstrokes: This racket is a beast from the baseline. Depth and power are both easily accessible. The racket isn’t as whippy as I expected it to be. Feels very solid and stable, no shock or vibrations. Spin as expected was above average. I definitely had to tame the power at times, but overall I didn’t feel like I had to adjust my game to control the ball. Plow through is amazing and one of the racket’s best qualities. One of the few rackets that allows me to go from defense to offense with one stroke. The easy power is addicting, but this racket plays with a lot more control than other Babolat rackets of the past. Even if you wanted to hit flat with this racket, it still imparts a decent amount of spin coming off the racket. However, the racket really excels when hitting topspin. The string bed really bites into the ball and gives some nasty spin. Once I started to add a little extra topspin on my strokes, my hitting partner instantly noticed a heavier ball even though the depth was the same. The ball really jumps off the court with this racket. Had no issues hitting slice either.
Serves: The heft of the racket is noticeable, but once you get the racket moving it does the rest of the work by itself. Kickers had good spin and it felt like I had some extra pace on them. Flat serves were good, but spins serves really excel with this racket. Due to the heft, this racket is not for everyone. I can imagine players that are used to lighter rackets may have trouble with their swing speed and controlling the ball.
Volleys: Volleys with this racket were surprisingly good. The weight of the racket makes it very stable and gives plenty of power with reaction volleys. While this racket volleys well, it lacks the wand-like maneuverability that most volleying rackets have. I think having a more HL balance could really make this racket a weapon at the net. Volleying is one of my strengths and I really enjoyed volleying with this racket. Had no issues with touch when needed or putting the ball away with power.
Serve returns: Definitely a highlight of this frame. Due to the heft, it’s easy to handle pace and block the ball back with depth. On slower serves, I was able to step in and really rip returns. Returns are very predictable and solid. Never felt like my racket was being pushed back. For my game, it’s very important that I’m able to get good depth and pace off blocked returns.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: I am considering switching to this frame after this playtest. The weight and balance of this frame are perfect for my game. My one main gripe is that the grip size is larger than any other 4 3/8 from other companies. The larger grip definitely hindered me from being able to really whip through the ball at times. I expected this to be more or less similar to the Pure Drive Roddick, but it is vastly different. The Pure Aero Tour is pretty much better in every category. It feels/swings heavier, its feels more solid, control is superior, spin is better, better balance, etc. I always felt like I had to tame the power of the PDR which is not the case for the PAT. The PAT reminds me a lot of the original AeroStorm Tour, with more power and a larger head. It is also much more forgiving, but still has the same stability and heft. Much more of that player’s racket feel than the Pure Drive Roddick, though it is still not a traditional player's racket like Prestige or Prostaff.
I didn’t like the racket when strung with Spiraltek. I really dislike the feeling of syn gut and having to re-adjust my strings every point. I strung it up with RPM Blast 17 at 54/52 and while it felt good, I think I should have strung it a lb or two higher. Maybe 56/54. The racket feels a ton better with RPM Blast and really benefits from having poly in it. The strings notched more than I’m used to for a poly after just one 5.0 doubles match. The second time hitting, the strings seemed to have lost all their tension and the stringbed felt too mushy and was hard to control. I would have to try another set of RPM Blast, but this set was only good for a few hours of play before dropping a massive amount of tension and being uncontrollable. This is a string issued though, not a racket issue. I will be stringing up with my normal Big Hitter Blue 17 tonight at 56/54.
Compared to my Prince Speedport Tour, it definitely has more power and less maneuverability. The stability and plow through are about equal. The PAT may get a slight nod in plow, but not by much. Groundstrokes are surprisingly similar with the PAT having a little more power. I was able to get similar spin from both rackets and was little more consistent with the Speedport Tour. The Speedport Tour gets the nod in control, while not sacrificing much power. The Speedport Tour volleys better only because it is more maneuverable. Both are stable at the net and both perform well on touch and power volleys. In the long run, I currently play better with the Speedport Tour, but part of that is my familiarity with the frame. Most likely I see myself eventually transitioning to the PAT as my main stick.
I do plan on replacing the stock grip with a Prince Resithin grip with extra weight in the handle or a TW 1.3mm Leather Grip. My goal is to reduce the grip and make the racket a tad more head light.
To echo JohnBPittsburgh’s review: While I was leaving the club last night, the PAT was resting against the fence and when I was going to pick it up, it slid off the fence and fell to the ground. To my dismay it scratched the paint at the top of hoop a decent amount. Was kind of surprised it scratched so easily, but whatever, it was bound to get scratched while playing sooner than later.
I plan on hitting on Thursday this week so I'll provide some updates with the mods and string change.Thank you TW and Babolat for this awesome opportunity. Hopefully I can participate in future playtests as well.
Is the racquet itself really that underpowered? It is a pure aero/aero pro still...other users have said that it "bludgeons" the ball.
I think you have to take into consideration that the playtester uses a V1 OS, which is pretty much a rocket launcher the PAT is not built to be that type of frame. It's all relative to what you are used to.
this racket plays with a lot more control than other Babolat rackets of the past.
Have you played much with the 2013 APD?
Other reviewers are saying that the PA and PAT do not have the same levels of Control as the 2013 APD.
Put the TW 1.3mm Leather Grip on last night and the grip size did seem more in line with other companies 4 3/8 grip size. Racket is also more whippy. Unfortunately I don't have access to a balance board, so I can't measure the exact balance, but the balance seems more in line with my Speedport Tour. Will be hitting with it tonight and will report back.
Great review and btw if they are smart EVERY MANUF. SHOULD ASK YOUR INPUT you single handedly kept TW sales up during recessionFirst off, I want to say thank you to TW and Babolat for doing this. Not only did I get to try the one frame I was very interested in for months, but I got to keep it as well. Plus free strings? Just awesome. Really appreciate you guys and I wanted to spend as much time with the frame as I could, hence me sliding this in before the deadline.
Tennis experience/background: Currently playing USTA/Ultimate at 4.0. I fluctuate between 4.0 and 4.5 depending on how much tennis I am playing that season.
Describe your playing style: Baseliner, but I crash net when I see a window.
Current racquet/string: Head IG Extreme Pro - Volkl Cyclone 17 at 48#
String set-up in test racquet: RPM Blast at 50# and Spiraltek
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 20
Initial Thoughts Before Hitting: First impression was that this is the best PJ in a racquet I have owned. Last time I said that was the infamous Black Drive and the graphene Prestige MP. Both awesome PJs, but this one is my all time favorite. A lot of matte black and a little bit of mid 90's Jimmy Connors flair makes it the best looking frame I have seen in years. Second thoughts were that this weighted a lot like my frame - the Extreme, but i was not sure about the handle.
Groundstrokes: Coming from the Extreme Pro, even the new PAT feels a little narrow now, so I had to get used to that, it was a small adjustment to go back though. The first impression is that this is not at all like an APD in feel. Gone is that hollow feeling and high frequency vibration on a mishit. This is a solid frame that plays like a club. It's not for hitting and giggling either. I would say you could hand this to most players even at the highest level and they could go out and play a match with it stock. The spin to me was good, I was told by a hitting partner that the ball was heavier. Slicing was easy. I had no issues there. The only thing I noticed was my frame was a bit sluggish. If I had to guess, the SW is 335 or so. It just swung slower than my Extreme and felt a little more advanced to use. The usual large sweetspot was evident on this frame. On contact it was still a nice trampoline from the sweetspot , but the usual crisp, bouncy woofer feel was replaced by a more thumpy, springy sensation if that makes any sense. In other words, if the old APD was more crisp and thin/hollow in feel, this is more dull and solid. It really does give off the vibe of being a powerful club that you can melee the ball with.
Serves: Huge standout for me. The serve power from this version was much bigger than prior. A flat serve feels like the ball is shooting out of the huge sweetspot and I noticed an increase in power there. Where the APD was once not thought of as much of a serving frame compared to the PD, I think things have changed. This frame has a lot of power on tap for serving and I believe the open pattern and wide grommets add to the trampoline sensation of when you really crack one.
Volleys: Very good and stable. To me the best volleying frames are closer to 12 ounces in weight and don't twist in your hand. This checks both boxes. Just get the frame in position and you are good.
Serve returns: a standout feature but not as good as the Extreme Pro, which I consider the best returning frame I have ever used. That is tough competition but the PAT performs just fine. It is a little slower to move and a little more oomph is required to get the serve back deep, where I am used to almost pointing and clicking the ball back deep with my Extreme.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: This frame to me will probably go down as one of the best Bab frames ever released. I say this because it has all the power and spin you could ever want, plus it has actual feel that is solid and how you would imagine a pro's APD would feel if customized. Much like a PT57A though, these frames are not meant for anyone. And by anyone, I mean those of us who are not playing at least 4-6 times a week and have at least 4.5 stroke technique. This frame is truly for 4.5 play and above IMO. The reason I say this is because it is a click more advanced than my Extreme Pro, which is considered a players frame already. It is still easier to use than a classic thin beam 12.5 95 though. And if you are a player who loves those types of frames and plays a lot, and wants to move to a modern racquet, this is the one to demo. Spend the time with it because it is that good. If you are a collector or someone who wants to know what a touring pro's modern frame may feel like - you will want to buy this frame. Not only does it look awesome,but it really is specced perfectly for anyone who plays tennis at a high level to just pick up and play with.
Since there are plenty of people using the RF97A who are under 4.5, I would not say this is impossible for anyone to use. Just like the RF97, is is most likely not optimal for you and your timing may suffer in the 3rd set, but it is not an impossible racquet to use. I am just setting expectations for those who think this is your standard APD - it is not.
Me personally, I can use this and I would if I did not have the Extreme Pro, which I prefer. I like the Head because the feel is more crisp and direct, it is a little easier to use and I prefer the grip shape. Now about that grip shape - I don't mind a 3/8ths grip and have frames in that size. But this is way too big and I never put an OG on it. I really like this frame a lot though and am strongly considering getting the handle modded to match my Extreme so I can use the racquet. This racquet is so similar to what I use that I would love to have it in the bag as my alternate frame to the Extremes. But the grip size is so large (feels like 1/2) that I would either go down to 1/8th in Babolat or get the 1/4 Head grip, whatever is easiest to do. Long story short, consider buying a grip size smaller than you prefer with this frame.
I hope this covered a lot for folks and feel free to ask me more questions if I was not clear about anything. Again thank you to Babolat for sending me a frame that will sell so many copies that I am not even sure why they needed my inputBut I am thankful to be selected and appreciate owning this great frame.
That's because you missed the deadline please return your pure aero tour at:I just wrote a novel of a review, but was logged off and given an error message after I logged in. -_-
My review will be posted shortly.
Btw are you going to play citrus (club and or open)Next time I am there ill bring it. I rarely go anymore.
What got me head scratching reading reviews so far is that higest rated player so far gave the most negative conflicting review...wonder if qc is at play here...or was he simply conflicted since he was obviously a volkl fan...I almost felt his struggle reading his review like he wanted to like it but did not want to admit or give it too much credit.
Btw are you going to play citrus (club and or open)
In what state did you go to high school?Tennis experience/background: I currently play D3 college tennis and placed top 16 in my state when I was in high school.
Describe your playing style (e.g., serve & volley): At my core, I am a big 1-2 punch player. I love hitting a big serve and I look to hit a forehand winner off of it. If I cant, I work the point until I either get a short ball to finish or come in on. I am very comfortable at net, and I often rush the net a la Federer to put on pressure and mix it up.
Current racquet/string: Yonex Ezone XI 98 strung with Solinco Hyper G 1.25 at 55/53 on a Klippermate
String set-up in test racquet: Babolat RPM Blast 17 at 54 lbs.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?: In total, about 14 hours, 2 hours outside and the rest indoors. 2 of the hours were doubles.
Comments on racquet performance:
-groundstrokes: I will divide into sub sections.
Forehand: This racket hits a heavy ball. Way heavier than my Yonex, in fact. My hitting partner had trouble initially adjusting to the pace and spin that I was producing. The open string pattern produces a crazy high launch angle that did take some time to adjust to. My 16/19 yonex feels like an 18x20 after hitting with the pure aero.
The extra weight and higher swingweight definitely helps, BUT, when I was rushed or when I wanted to create more racquet head speed to kill a ball in the middle of the court, I found myself being a little bit late, and I usually missed wide.
Backhand: I consider my backhand to be a combination of David Ferrer and Novak Djokovic. Going crosscourt, I merely look to get the ball deep. When I go down the line I step in and pull the trigger. The Pure Aero Tour helped me go crosscourt because of the extra plow. All I had to do was let the racket do the work and I got excellent depth and spin. Going down the line wasn’t as bad as being aggressive with my forehand because I just let the racket guide the ball.
-serves: The open pattern produced some of the best kick serves I have ever hit. They bounced high and to the side, even towards the end of the string’s life. Slice serves moved a lot as well. Flat serves were bombs when I made good contact, but I didn’t jive with frame for some reason on flat serves. I think my racket head speed was lacking.
-volleys: Having a brief stint with the pure drive in the past, I know that babolat frames typically lack feel. The Pure Aero Tour was a big improvement in terms of getting a nice thud on the ball. My volleys were crisp and I could punch them deep. I was very pleased at the net. All I had to do was be a wall and the frame did the work.
-serve returns: This is where the high swingweight hurt me the most. Any return on my backhand side went wide trying to hit it inside out. I was just too late on the ball. On the forehand, when I made good contact the returns were excellent, but that was not something that I could control.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: I think a lot of my troubles stemmed from an awkward frame balance. This was in between head light and head heavy, either of which I can use successfully. My Yonexes are more headlight than this, and that is one reason why I can really use my left hand to maneuver the ball on backhand returns. It is also why I can pickup balls right off the bounce on the baseline. This babolat didn’t have enough weight in the handle or in the head for me to do that, and adding lead tape would’ve made the frame too heavy for me. As a whole, if I took a few weeks to really train with this, I think it would be an excellent frame. As it currently stands, Im interested in trying the non-tour model so I have more room for customization.
Thanks to Babolat and TW for letting me test out and keep this frame!
will TW have test for pure aero plus soon ?
In what state did you go to high school?
Mind sharing your size (e.g. height)?
Do you normally have a longer swing or shorter swing (sounds like some of your issues were related to swing length, so curious)?
Did you find the grip size/shape unusual, like some of the other testers?
Tennis experience/background:
High school PE and Intramurals. Goofing around with friends on summer break. Got serious when I met my wife who is from a tennis family. Now I play 3 or more times a week. Compete in interclub tennis at 3.5 singles and low 4.0 doubles
Describe your playing style (e.g., serve & volley):
Most of the games I play are doubles. Will move to the net as often as I can and trying to do so with serve and volley. Semi-western forehand, Eastern 1h backhand, and I depend on serves to be at top form.
Current racquet/string:
Thin beamed players racquet MP. Prefer around 12 oz and 6-8 pts HL. Racquet I was hitting with most often the past couple of months were Pro Kennex Redondo 98 Type C, Head YouTek Prestige Pro, and Head i.Prestige MP. 1.25g shaped poly most of the time. Latest favorite is Tier One T1 Firewire 1.25 full bed or crossed with IsoSpeed Baseline Spin 1.20 at 45-48 pounds. Strung on Gamma 6 pt, fixed clamps, Tennis Head Wise 2086 with 10% pre-stretch
String set-up in test racquet:
Hit with the pre-strung Babolat Spiraltek 1.25. Second string bed was Dunlop Hexy Fiber 1.30 55#. Latest string bed is Tier One Triump 1.30 / Volkl vStar 1.25 55/50#
How many hours did you play with the racquet?
Just under 20 hours. Estimated 40% of the time was singles
Comments on racquet performance:
-groundstrokes:
The racquet was easy to swing and had free power. That was the first impression that hit me. The next was the change of launch angle. I was previously hitting with an 18x20 98 si frame so that was expected. It was much more though that my other 16x18 frames. A couple of my opponents said that the ball felt heavier. I hit with moderate top spin that I try and get to land half way between the service and base line. Sweet spot seemed to be in the middle and if hit high you could feel a flutter. Hit low and it was a bit more stable than hitting high.
Forehands were just deadly with the added spin. I tried not to be timid and really swing out as if I was playing with my i.prestige / Redondo racquets. The ball seemed to fool the the opponent and make them think it was going longer than expected. The topspin would bring the ball down hard.
The 1st string I used was the Spiraltek and I was able to get good depth.
The 2nd string was Dunlop Hexy Fiber 1.30. I went with this string wanting to keep some comfort (with the high RA of the frame) and get some extra spin. This string did not play well for me and was also a low powered multi. I had to adjust my game to hit a bit higher. The lower power and the added spin seemed to barely get the ball past the service line. Once adjusted it was fine.
3rd string was a multi/poly hybrid. Tier One Triumph 1.30 55# / Volkl vStar 1.25 50#. I found the added power that I yearned for with the Hexy Fiber. This string bed had very good snap back. Durability is very low but I am not too concerned as the playability of this set up was very nice.
-serves:
1st serve bombs all day (when my toss was working). The ball jumped off and drifted a little for a first serve. 2nd serves had some nice heavy weight to it and a big jump catching receiver off guard. Hitting high in the string bed gave the same flutter as in my ground strokes
-volleys:
This was where I was disappointed. Granted I often play with thin beamed and head light racquet which are fast and stable at the net. The PAT seemed sluggish at the net even though it measured at 8 pts HL. On touch volleys it was surprisingly nice though considering it’s a power based racquet. I was able to make some nice drop shots. After a solid time with the racquet in stock form I built up the grip with a full size heat shrink and a leather grip. I have yet to re-weigh and balance but the racquet is much faster and stable at the net.
-serve returns:
I was very happy with the performance on return of serve. The mass added stability on very heavy serves. On other moderate serves I tried to play aggressive and was often rewarded with a good shot. Racquet swings fast through the strike zone and helped you get the racquet head in position even though your body/feet were late.
General reaction/comments on overall performance:
I have gravitated towards flexible player type racquets and don’t have much experience with Babolat. I do have a Pure Drive from 2013 and felt that it gave a hollow feedback. The PAT did not do that and was pleasant in feedback. The ball pocketing was also very pleasant It felt like the ball sat on the string bed a tad longer (could be my string set up). I am not a string breaker. In my other racquets I can play with a full bed of multi/synthetic for over a month. I broke the Spiraltek in a week and the Hexy Fiber in less. I attribute that to the wide grommet holes. The benefit of those grommet holes seemed to be where the extra power and spin was coming form.
My dislikes of this frame was that I got some shoulder and wrist pain. Even some elbow pain. I have had a bout with golfer elbow a few years ago but not for a while. I attribute this discomfort primarily from the smaller grip size (4 3/8 whereas I play with a 4 ½ or 5/8).
Another dislike is the low profile of the bumper guard. It seems that it is not tall enough to protect the grommets. I had a ground strike on a chip/charge and the grommet was partially covering the string.
In closing I have had very positive experiences with this racquet. I would like to try it in my appropriate grip size with a leather grip. I liked this play test so much that I am considering selling some of my inventory and getting one or two more.
Tennis Warehouse has been very good to the tennis players of the world. Babolat works well with TW and is very generous to make such play tests available. I am thankful for your time and consideration.
May I ask you for a short summary about why are you considering getting two more PAT? Sorry to bother but I got mixed feelings from your review. I am in the same racquet category as you are - thin beamed, heavier frames with head light balance and lower power - but the PAT really intrigues me and you are the kind of player who can provide invaluable info to me. Thanks
What mixed feelings did you get about the review? I can probably explain.
I often like to have at least x2 of a racquet that I play with regularly. I would consider x3 as these racquets are string eaters. THis is if I were to make this my primary racquet. I do need to thin the collection before I consider doing such.
I actually liked LuminaSpin, better than RPM Blast. I got to hit with RPM Blast in my PAT for the last two days (and RPM Team in my Angell TC-100). So far, Kirschbaum Black Shark 17 is far superior to both IMO. After RPM Blast is done (and the playtest unfortunately) "Shark Week" will begin for me, in both frames. Definitely check out Gosen LuminaSpin as well (if you like shaped copolys that play comfortably and look bad @$$ IMO)
I actually didn't feel the grip problem that seems so prevalent among the other testers. I enjoy playing with the frame, but I will probably stick with my customized Prince Textreme Tour 100 T and TC-100. It isn't for everyone, but people should at least demo this one, just to see how it plays. Just my final thoughts on this frame/string playtestThank you TW and Babolat, for this wonderful opportunity!
Well, after a cursory reading I was not expecting you to order two frames at all and was quite surprised. Your review is quite "technological"(talking about strings etc), pointing out flaws(flutter) rather than praising benefits and in your summary there are two clear dislikes and two likes (pocketing and feedback). That's why I find your final conclusion - wanting another PAT - rather contradictory to the overall tone of your review. (P.S.: its not a criticism, I'm just curious and explaining myself).
Edit: other reviews that end with ordering another PAT or even switching to it are a bit more enthusiastic. But maybe I am being silly...sorry.
I would be very much interested in your match results, empowerments and benefits of the PAT vs. your regular, thin beamed racquets that made you pull the trigger on another two of them. In plain words - if it does not feel that good then why?
New to the site. How do we sign-up for future playtests?EuroTraveler,
We will be playtesting the Jet shoes. However, the shoe doesn't launch until March (which is when the review will be posted!).
Thanks,
Brittany, TW
I may use a "rocket launcher", but with near flawless control it doesn't matter what racquet I use. I need something which gives me more power & this Babolat absolutely wasn't it. The weight & SW weren't actually as heavy as I was expecting it, but compared to my current stick, of course it's a big difference.I think you have to take into consideration that the playtester uses a V1 OS, which is pretty much a rocket launcher the PAT is not built to be that type of frame. It's all relative to what you are used to.