Tennis Warehouse: Babolat Pure Drive VS Playtest

Phantasm

Semi-Pro
String and tension used for test: Hyper G 17G at 50lbs

Tennis experience/background: Play around currently a 4.0 level. A bit rusty with time off for the winter and busy work hours.

Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Lefty Baseliner grinder with 2HBH, trying to be more aggressive/attacking. Mix it up sometimes with serve/volley.

Current racquet/string setups: Currently using Wilson Clash with Hyper G at 50lbs. Before that, Pure Aero w/ Hyper G. Then DR98 before with Yonext PTP 52lbs before that.

How many hours did you play with the racquet? 14-15 hours. Mix of Ball Machine, Singles, Doubles.

Comments on racquet performance:
Was looking to try a Pure Drive model in the first time in a long time. Last time I used one for an extended time was when I demo’d the Black Pure Drive Roddick with blue accents many years back.
I did very slightly the new 2019 Pure Drive for 10-15 minutes but I quickly gave it back to my friend who let me try it. It felt way too light and felt unconnected to the ball when trying it and didn’t feel click with me. I did not go into this playtest with any biases though since I didn’t give the regular Pure Drive a fair try.

First outing with the racquet was with the ball machine and some light swings before ramping it up. It lives up to its namesake - Pure Drive. Easy Power was easily noticeable right off the bat. Definitely more than the Clash.

-Groundstrokes: The power level feels somewhat similar to the Pure Aero. It felt much easier to swing and less cumbersome than the Aero though. I got enough spin and depth to keep the ball deep to prevent my opponent from easily attacking. I could be aggressive and attack earlier than I usually do.

I liked slicing with the PDVS more than the Aero. My slices were the Aero were always a bit floatier than I wanted to be and I could keep the ball lower.

It has good directional control and I aimed for big targets as my control is definitely off since I couldn’t play a lot during the rainy winter, and it’s only been 6-7 weeks of playing again consistently.

-Serves: I usually hit a flat first and a slice/slidey second serve taking advantage of being a lefty. Definitely noticed the easy power on serves. Especially during doubles, my usual crew that I played with said they noticed a bit more pop than usual on my serves. Got a few noticeable unreturned serves.

-Volleys: I’m not the best volleyer but the lightness made it very maneuverable to volley at net easily during doubles. I did notice some stability issues when hitting off center or against harder hitters. Part of it may just be my net skills as well. The racquet did not hinder my volley ability at all though.


-Serve returns:
Block returns and chip returns were both fine with this frame. I got a couple deep returns that I was quite pleased with the mobility of the frame.


General reaction/comments on overall performance:

Super fun playtest. I love the racquet cosmetic of the gunmetal/blue. Easy, controllable power. Maneuverable and easy to swing. Maybe a bit too light and powerful for some people's taste.

Reminds me of the Pure Strike(white) which I had a chance to demo as well. I think compared to the Pure Strike, it was slightly more maneuverable but the Pure strike was a bit more stable.

Alas, I do not know if I’d switch fulltime to the PDVS as I originally switched away from the Pure Aero from the occasional discomfort I got from after using the Aero for extended sessions for preventative reasons.

That being said, I never felt any discomfort using the PDVS or after using it. The longest outing I had on it being about 2.5 hours - 3 hours. I don’t think using this racquet or any high RA racquets are arm injuries waiting to happen, but I just believe to be slightly sensitive and choose to be safer than sorry with my racquet choices.

Thank you very much to TW and Babolat to participate in the playtest!
 

A_Instead

Legend
A Instead's review of the PDVS.. Any feedback would be appreciated so I can improve..

String and tension used for test: Hyper G at 45 lbs (constant pull)
Tennis experience/background: Many years of competitive club and organized league play. Both singles, doubles(male/female) with ages ranging from 15 to 80. Plain and simple.. I will play tennis with anyone and anytime as long as I am on playing the game I love.. Tennis.
As mentioned before I do suffer from racquetholism and always itching to try something else (new and old) even if I am content on the racket I am currently using.
Having said that I have tried and owned “a many” racquet over there years, so I have seen the good the bad and the indifferent in manufactures and their racquets.
As it relates to the Pure Drive, I have owned and played with every STD PD version starting with swirly version after I saw Andy Roddick using it at Legg Masson in DC.
I have also tried many of the Roddick and Tour version as well the plus versions of both the STD and Roddick/Tour.
Now I was excited to see what a 98 square inch head size Pure Drive would do and could bring to my game and “itch”

Describe your playing style : Lazy feet/ trust in the arm tennis which translates into camping at the baseline and bashing balls with power and spin.. I wish my 1st instinct was to move and be creative to shorten the points but I prefer swing out and go toe to toe until to “winner” is achieved or an unforced error occurs (hopefully opponents)

Current racquet/string setups: Wilson Blade 99 Team (non modified) with Hyper G at 45lbs. Overgrip and TW worm dampener weighing in at 329 grams

How many hours did you play with the racquet? Logged 25 hours which included hitting and match play.. and still going.
Overgrip and TW worm dampener. 325 grams

Comments on racquet performance: It’s a beauty and plays as good as it looks.. When I am using it people stop to ask me what is it? as they are only familiar with the tradition STD 100 PD. They see the Pure Drive markings but the head size is visually smaller than the std. And the snazzy paint scheme is a looker and catches the eye.
I have won some matches with it and also lost.. I like it and could use it full time.
Pros:
  • It’s a Babolat
  • Fast and easy to swing
  • World class spin
  • Stunning Paint Scheme
  • Improved accuracy over the STD PD
  • More comfortable than STD PD
Cons:
  • Not as forgiving as the STD PD
  • Could use just a few grams of weight to firm up the hoop to offer more plow
  • Should not carry the Pure Drive name (heritage)
  • Very close to the Pure Strike
Groundstrokes: The PD VS was a very easy racquet to swing and use.. It comes through the strike zone with not much effort that translates into easy pop and spin..really good spin for me.. both forehands and backhands.. Ball hop is very noticeable both my me and my opponents.. I can easily see the ball jump left or right and straight into the person on typical forehands and backhands. Ball tends to explode and accelerate after it hits the court on the opponents side. It checks all of my boxes on the forehand side.. fast whippy and easy to swing big. My one hand backhand is my weakness with any racquet. The PDVS didn’t bring any help to my backhand nor did it suffer using it. Backhand slice was very impressive. Low and away which squid nicely.
Could use a tad more weight to give a more solid hoop feel and more plow..
Serves: Not its best attribute as I feel it needed a little more swing weight to get more penetration for me. But serving was easy and spin was off the chart. Accuracy was fine..
Maybe as little as 2 grams up north could help with plow and penetration..
Volleys: No issues here.. its fast and mobile so getting into position is not a problem. I sort of chop at my volleys and don’t have good form so I don’t know if it’s the racquet or me. But I didn’t have any issues. Its whippy.
Serve returns: I really liked and enjoyed the PDVS here.. I was able to chop, block, chip, take full cuts, depending on where the serve came to me.. Depth was not an issue.. I can even hit winners if my opponents was dumb enough to hit a serve right to my forehand in my wheel house… Just point, swing and cha ching..
When I did have to scramble and get off balance , the grippy string bed has enough spin and propulsion on the ball to get it back with decent depth that didn’t cause many issue for me.
Its whippy.. so its fast.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: It’s a good one… would you expect anything less from Babolat?? There is a reason why they are one of the top selling and most brand recognized
Tennis companies out there.. They know the industry, market and the players demands including ATP/WTA/NCAA etc as well as the 99% who don’t play professionally.. Simple formula….Make a great racket and they will come. (some MFG don’t get this idea anymore)
I could tell it wasn’t the 100 STD PD as the sweet zone was smaller and wasn’t quite as forgiving as the STD PD.. But it was designed with a smaller headsize in a 98 and I had that expectation going in. I knew there was going to be some trade-offs and differences… but the 98 worked well..
My only thought is that it is very similar to the Pure Strike in terms of playability and performance.. but it is more comfortable and easier to play with than the Pure Strike . Looks better too IMO..
As is its very similar is the Pure Strike… that’s a good thing for Babolat… now all they need to do get it in the hands of a few Touring Pros and then they can watch its sales grow… then the next generation will buy more and the its product life cycle continues.,, Nothing beats in house competition and favorable market share.. The more “2 Stripes” seen.. The better..
The PDVS is exception as the advantages it brings may outweigh any disadvantages. It depends on what you are looking for…
Racquet choice is a personal decision based on your own criteria and discretion. Who are we to judge..? If a racquet works for you.. then use it. My bet is the PDVS can work for you..That is what Babolat does best.. Makes a “world class” tool for a “world class” tennis player.. including us..

Thanks everyone.
A
 

time_fly

Hall of Fame
Yeah, I did have a beast 98 in my bag for a couple of months. Sure I’ll add my thoughts on how they compare.

@topspn, I'm still interested in the comparison to the Beast 98. Since I like and own the Beast, is it worth going out of my way to demo the PDVS because it's different or better enough to consider? Or are they close enough in feel and performance that if I own one it's not worth the cost / effort to think about switching to the other? On paper they seem pretty similar.
 

mrtrinh

Professional
String and tension used for test: Klip Legend / Isospeed Cream 44/40
Tennis experience/background: 4.0 and age 32. Played varsity in high school and now only play recreationally.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All around player, mainly play doubles and will occasionally serve and volley.
Current racquet/string setups: Babolat Pure Strike PO7 with a Wilson shockshield grip Klip Legend / Isospeed Cream 44/40
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 8 hours

Comments on racquet performance: What can I say, it’s a babolat pure drive in a slightly different form/specs. With babolat you can always expect power and spin.


-Groundstrokes: In stock form, this racquet swings very fast given its low SW and the weight feels mainly at the throat. Groundstrokes felt very familiar given this is still part of the pure drive family. Power and spin were easily accessible. However, given its low SW and static weight the racquet lacked plow and would get pushed around against big hitters. Sweet spot is smaller than the standard pure drive but that was expected. Adding lead at 2&10 helped tremendously.

-Serves: I typically only serve flat on my first serve and a kick on the second. This was probably my favorite aspect of the racket.

-Volleys: The lightness of the racquet really helped the maneuverability. Similar to groundstrokes though, it lacked stability against fast pace balls.

-Serve returns: This is where I found the racquet’s greatest weakness. Against slow high kickers I can crush the ball but against flat serves the racquet really fluttered. Again, lead could fix this easily.

General reaction/comments on overall performance: Overall, fun playtest and it is a just a pure drive in a different package with a slightly lower RA. What does this remind me of? That’s right a Pure Strike. However, a Pure Strike is more stable and feels slightly more muted than the PDVS. I would only recommend this racquet to a person who prefers a pure drive feel.

Thank you TW and Babolat for the playtest!
 
I was selected as a play tester for the Babolat Pure Drive VS. I really appreciate TW and Babolat offering this play test as I was really excited to try the racquet out. Here are my thoughts:

String and tension used for test: For the play test, I used Wilson Revolve 17 in the mains at 54lbs and the supplied Babolat Xcel at 57lbs in the crosses. I used Wilson Revolve to try to extend Xcel a bit as I find that RPM Blast / Rough eat right through Xcel.

Tennis experience/background: I have been playing for over 20 years now and am a 4.5 player. I play in various leagues and enjoy training with my 11 year old daughter who is a strong tournament player.

Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): I would categorize my playing style as an aggressive baseliner. I like to set up my forehand for the put away shot. I do find myself coming to the net more as I get older to make the points a little shorter. I have a semi-western forehand and a one handed backhand. I hit more slice on the backhand side than I do top spin but if I have the time I will hit the topper on the backhand side.

Current racquet/string setups: My current racquet is a customized Wilson 16x19 Blade CV. I currently have the racquet customized at 11.9oz / 328sw / 7pts head light (strung specs). My Blades are strung with Wilson Revolve 17 in the mains at 54lbs and Wilson NXT 16 in the crosses at 57lbs.

How many hours did you play with the racquet? Overall I logged over 24 hours with the Pure Drive VS.

Comments on racquet performance:

Quick Summary: Overall, I really liked this frame. It was real easy to swing and produced more spin than my Blade. I struggled a bit with the weight but kept it stock to do the play test. I really think this is a great offering from Babolat and I hope that they extend this line and offer maybe a plus version or even better a Tour version. I think I could really do well with this frame with added weight. In stock form, it was a bit too light for me.

-Groundstrokes: One word for me - excellent. To me, all Babolat frames hit well off the ground. For whatever reason, I find the response of Babolat frames very good off the ground. I found ample spin in my shots and found easy power to put away the short balls. At times, I felt like the racquet was a bit 'too hot' meaning I would put a good swing on the ball but it would fly a good bit out. I really think some weight would do the trick for me in this department. I would also add that as I continued to play with the frame my control improved. The strings broke on me about half way through the play test and while I didn't change the string tension the second time I probably should of. However, I really liked the frame on the ground. Power was on demand! I have hit with the regular Pure Drive and played with the Pure Drive Tour for an extended amount of time. I always found the Pure Drive Tour to have great control (probably the added weight for me) and comparing the VS to the regular Pure Drive I would say there isn't too much difference. Probably a very small increase in control and a small decrease in power (for me). The sweet spot also felt nice a large for me but all Babolat racquets have a big sweet spot (in my opinion - with the exception of maybe the 95 18x20 frame they did for a while). I also found the backhand slice to be an easy shot with this racquet. My ball would stay low with a lot of spin. The racquet had a bit of unstableness to it when I went up against the bigger hitters (particularly outside the sweet spot).

-Serves: My serve is not a weapon but this was a fantastic serving racquet for me. Maybe it was the lighter weight but I really felt like I could hit nice and big serves. I won more free points on my serve than I typically do and even had my opponents comment on my serve. Second serves are easy to spin in and and I found myself really flattening out the first serve. I really enjoyed serving with the frame and found myself dictating the point at the serve. Very nice frame to serve with!!!! It has me questioning if I need to go down in weight for my serve as having a bigger serve is a nice weapon to have.

-Volleys: Overall, volleys were good (not great). Here is where I really missed the added weight from my customized Blade 16x19. I had to really focus and hit the volley dead center to find good directional control and plow through with my volleys. I wouldn't say I didn't have control on the volley but I would say that my overall volley precision was impacted by the low static and swing weight. The ball coming of the frame just didn't have the same plow through so the ball would 'sit up' at times off my volley. I found myself swinging at times to put away the volley. I really think some added weight in the hoop would fix this issue no problem (the racquet also moved in my hands a bit at net when the ball hit the racquet - yes, some of this is me maybe not watching the ball closely or swinging but I do think overall weight has a role in this as well).

-Serve returns: Both first and second serve returns were great with this frame. I struggled at times returning the big serves as the frame would sputter a bit due to the lack of plow through but on the second serves I was really able to go for an aggressive return. Early on, I found some control issues but as I adjusted to the frame I was able to correct those by changing my swing path a bit. While I can be aggressive on the serve return, I couldn't be as aggressive as I am with my Blade 16x19. I believe some of that is that I have been playing with the Blade for about 18 months now as well as the overall trajectory from the Pure Drive VS being a bit higher than my Blade. Again, big servers I would struggle with and even when I went for a block return I found myself hitting shorter in the court than I am used to. I know I sound like a broken record but weight can fix this.

General reaction/comments on overall performance: Overall, I really enjoyed this play test. If you haven't seen the paint job on this frame it is excellent. After 24 hours of playing, it still looks great. Babolat has done a terrific job with the color scheme and paint job of this racquet in my opinion. I really hope Babolat continues this line and produces a Tour version. I could find myself switching to this frame with more weight. To this point, I am going to weight this one up and try it and see how I like it. I truly believe the only thing missing for me was weight. Overall, I never had an issue with comfort but I find Xcel to be really soft so if I were to try it in an all poly that probably wouldn't be the case. I do find comfort issues with the regular Pure Drive but never did with this one. I never did try the Aero VS as I don't really like 16x20 frames but this Pure Drive VS has me thinking of making the change (assuming it takes weight well which I expect it to - plus you don't have to buy them in pairs now). :)

I really want to thank Tennis Warehouse and Babolat again for the play test. This has been one of my favorites. Thank you!!!
 

mhkeuns

Hall of Fame
I apologize for posting the review on the last day. Just wanted to put in as many hours of playing with the Babolat Pure Drive VS and be more thorough on the review. BTW, now that the buyers can opt to buy a single frame, I think there should be more of a following. Everyone around me asked how it played and commented on how nice the frame looked.

Here is my review:

String and tension used for the test: 1. RPM Blast Rough 16G @ 50 - 13 hours,
2. RPM Blast 17G Mains @ 50lbs w/ Xcel 16G Crosses @54 - 8 hours
3. RPM Blast 17G @ 50 lbs - 8 hours (*modded with a leather grip and weight)

Tennis experience/background: Played since the early 80's. High school varsity tennis and college level tennis in the late 80's to early 90's. Currently playing recreational tennis. Playing around @ 4.5 level.

Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Used to play the grinding counter-punching game and waited for my opponents to make the mistakes or the short balls to attack. Now that my legs can't support that type of play, I became more of a baseline basher. Though camping at the baseline and trading shots is easier on my legs, I have been trying to make the transition to play a more all-court game and come to the net more often. Prefer to play singles than doubles, but my legs have been liking the doubles a lot more than the rigorous singles game.

Current racquet/string setups: Head IG Prestige Mid strung with Luxilon Alu Power 18G @ 50 lbs.


How many hours did you play with the racquet? Put in about 20+ hours initially without any modification (*325 Grams with overgrip and dampener). With modification (*leather grip, 4 Grams @ 12, 4 Grams in the buttcap & 4 Grams in the handle) - 342 Grams, I played around 8+ hours.

Comments on racquet performance: In my opinion, in its stock form, this frame was intended for the real high-level players - top high school varsity players, top juniors or collegiate players. It's powerful, maneuverable and light with nice control and spin.

Initially, I couldn't get the most out of the frame. There was potential but for some reason, I couldn't get my timing down with this frame. During light rallies, I'd hit nice deep shots with very good control, but in the game situation where I needed to hit hard winners, I just couldn't get enough juice behind the ball. Perhaps it was the weight of the frame that I had to get used to because I was coming from using a frame that weighed around 365 grams. But in truth, I just wasn't making the cleanest contacts with my strokes. I felt the potential when I was pulled wide but still hit a clean running forehand down the line. It was a powerful frame and a pretty accurate one at that. I felt I just needed to adjust my timing, and it would become a major weapon. That wow moment never came to me in its stock form, unfortunately. I feel that in its stock form, it suits the fast counter-strikers to who don't force themselves to hit hard but like to use the opponents' power. Or, maybe the all-courter who like to attack the net more than camp at the baseline. It's a capable stick in its stock form, but for my skill level, my shots felt anemic.

For me, the frame performed much better to my liking when I added the leather grip and added some weight at 12 (*4 grams), in the buttcap (*4 grams) and 7" above the buttcap in the handle (*4 grams). With that weight added, I loved the plow and was able to hit the shots I wanted without losing any control. As a matter of fact, my control became better with the weight, I guess due to the increase in my confidence to go for the shots more, instead of counter-punching. With the added weight, this frame became more potent Wilson Ultra Tour with lots more spin. It also has a bit of Pure Drive feel but with the more flexible feel and swings so much easier, even with the added weight. Unlike how it was in its stock form, this frame can be used for all types of players who don't mind adding weight to their frames.

-Groundstrokes: As mentioned above, even in its stock form, it was a powerful frame with nice control. The depth and directional control were easily achieved. It was just that in the game situations when I had the floaters or slow balls to attack, it felt anemic coming off the stringbed. It felt like my shots lacked the oomph that I would have had with my current playing frame. Having that feel, I was losing confidence to rip the ball and played more of a counter-punching game, where the only time I would go for the winner was when I was forced wide and had to resort to the running forehands/backhands down-the-line as the only option. Definitely not my favorite type of play. I'd much prefer to play the attacking style of play where I control the points, but in its stock form, I had to rely on my opponents' pace to hit harder shots.

With modification, I was able to hit the winners from the baseline when I had the opportunities to attack. The added weight gave me the plow that I needed and really gave me the confidence to take big cuts at the balls. It just felt like there was lots of inherent control with this frame. Adding spin came easy, as well as hitting the flat hard shots. It is a fast swinging frame that even with the added weight, there was zero hindrance. It doesn't take a lot of weight to make the difference, either. I just prefer the heavier frames, and wanted to make it closer in specs to the Stock Pure Drive Tour.

Just wanted to mention that, though they share the same name, the VS shouldn't really be compared to the Pure Drive. I feel that this frame is great for the former Ultra Tour users who just couldn't get enough out of the frame, or the players seeking more maneuverable Pure Strike or Blade 98. This is a player's frame, imo. Power is there when you need it, but I found the control to be more of one the frame's pluses. The slices were skidding and stayed low for real effective approach shots.


-Serves: I loved serving with the Pure Drive VS. Because it was so easy to swing, all I had to focus on was making the right contact. I usually have a hard time serving hard with the heavier frames and resort to doing two second serves. With this frame, I was able to hit real hard first serves without wasting too much energy. The kick on the second serves was great but didn't notice more height or the movement. I do have decent kick & topspin serves that bounce around the shoulder level to sometimes higher with some movements. Overall, I think this is a great serving stick will help the players with weaker first serves, or the ones with sensitive shoulders. The maneuverability of the frame really helped me to disguise the types of serves, as well as the placement.
 

mhkeuns

Hall of Fame
-Volleys: I'm not the greatest volleyer, so initially in its stock form, I just punched back the incoming shots. I found it to be quick up at the net with pretty good put away punch volleys. To me, it lacked the weight to really do too much with the volleys, but as I got more used to the frame, I was able to make the cuts and went for the touch volleys or the angle shots effectively. I think the most outstanding feature of this frame is its maneuverability. It moves quickly around the net and often found myself defending better at the net than I usually am. It felt like there was no lag time between me seeing the ball and moving the racket to make the volleys.

After the modification, though, it felt even more stable and was easier to get depth and power behind the put-away volleys.

-Serve returns: This is where I struggled the most in the beginning. I would either overhit or hit to the net and couldn't find my form to attack the serves, which is usually one of the best parts of my game. I fared better with harder first serves than the spinny second serves. I actually had a tougher time making the correct contact on the ball when I had more time to prepare because I went for it a bit too much. After a while, my timing got better and the return winners came. However, my serve return game improved with the added weight. I was able to react quickly to the flat, hard serves, and I was also able to adjust quickly and attack the spinny second serves.

-Additional comments: As I mentioned, I feel that high-level players will seriously benefit from using this frame. It swings quickly and has a nice balance. It's easily modifiable, so it will suit the players who prefer the heavier frames. If the player's style is to retrieve the incoming balls and wait for the chances to attack, this would be a great stick. I usually like to end points early and didn't like the fact that I had to hit more shots to get the short ball I needed to attack. I don't have the patience of the type of game to grind out the match anymore, but current high-level grinders should take a look at this frame. Also, for those who like to serve and volley, but the mids they used to play with are too heavy to use should take a look at this frame. This frame can serve bombs and really easy to maneuver at the net.

For those that like to modify the frames, this is a great platform frame that does not require so much added weight for it to be effective. The balance and the static weight of the frame make it easy to modify the frame. I found it to be more effective than control frames like the Ultra Tour, or Blade 98 16x19. It is more powerful, easier to maneuver and offers more spin than the rackets mentioned.

The feel is completely subjective, but I found the feel to be very solid without being too muted. To me, it was more solid than the Pure Drive 2015 version and less muted than the 2018 version. It feels more flexible and not as powerful as the regular Pure Drive, but in comparison, the VS feels like the player's racket, whereas the Pure Drive feels like what it is, a powerful tweener.

I also had my son who is 14 and going to be playing varsity tennis next year, and my daughter who 16 and is playing varsity tennis currently playtest the Pure Drive VS in its stock form. From the receiving end, my son (*who uses the Pro Staff 97S) hit really nice deep, spinny strokes. He was hitting well from the get-go. His coach enabled my son to hit massive topspin on all his strokes, and the frame seems to fit his strokes really well. That said, he felt the frame lacked the power that he gets from his regular frame. I didn't notice any lack of spin, power or depth, but the person who was using it felt it didn't offer him enough power. Though he hasn't played with the modded version, yet, I feel that he would like the modded version a lot better.

My daughter hits flatter and uses the Prince Textreme Harrier Pro 100. She likes to hit hard but doesn't quite have the consistency to trade bombs after bombs. She likes to attack hard, but when she's attacked hard, she overhits. With this frame, I noticed that her consistency went up a lot. I could see that, though, her shots were landing shorter. Her comment was that while she liked how predictable it was to hit, it felt like she had to put too much into her shots for her to feel some satisfaction on her shots.

I guess the common theme from my kids was that the developing junior players will most likely feel that the racket was more difficult to use than their more evenly balanced frames with higher SW.

Overall, I think this frame is best suited for the higher level players, probably 3.5 or above. In its stock form, I feel that the strong and fit counter-punchers will benefit the most from this frame, as well as the experienced serve and volleyers who are seeking lighter frames. When its modded, I think it can be more user-friendly and can be used for all types of players. Still, I would recommend this frame to the higher level players to want a light, powerful, yet maneuverable and controllable frame.

Thank you, TW. Thank you, Babolat. It was a great playtest for me. I feel that this frame will get a lot more attention (*that it deserves) since it's being sold in singles, too. I do think buying in pairs put some people off, but don't let that hinder anyone from trying this frame. I feel that this is a unique frame that deserves some demoing.
 

mhkeuns

Hall of Fame
Just wanted to mention that the racket felt much better with a full-bed of poly than hybrid with Xcel crosses. The hybrid stringing made the frame feel disconnected.
 

mhkeuns

Hall of Fame
Wil be hitting against some hard hitting 4.5 level players today. Before the mod, I was only able to counter punch and not be able to dictate the points. I want to see how it fares since the VS has been modded a bit.
 

mhkeuns

Hall of Fame
I love this frame. It isn't the easiest racket to get accustomed to, which required lots of hours of just honing in on the basic stroke mechanics for me, but when you do, it does become a more powerful Blade or more versatile & accurate Pure Drive.

It reminds me of the Pure Strike Tour, where it took me over a month of constant playing to feel.comfortable with how it played. They don't play similarly, but once dialed in, I am hitting harder shots with less effort and more accuracy.

I needed a few grams of weight for it to suit my game, but I still feel that very athletic higher level players (5.0 or above) will benefit from using the Pure Drive VS, with or without adding weight
 

A_Instead

Legend
Agree...it's not a "turn key" racket..
It takes some additional investment to suite ones needs/desires...but after some time and work..it can be exceptional...
Its instant gratification like the standard Pure Drive or Pure Aero..
 
Top