Tennis Warehouse Playtest: Babolat Pure Drive Racquet

[RafaBabolat]

Just a note to people, the paint on this racquet is very interesting. It isn't a velvet-like Wilson paint, but it has a very nice matte finish, and it feels great to the touch. Can't comment on the durability of the paint, but will include later on.

 

[ejdtennis]

Hi, got a late start due to some family health issues, but had my first hit with the Pure Drive today. Strung with the RPM Rough at 53 lbs. First impressions:

Groundstrokes: Wow, this racquet makes the game easy. The sweet spot is huge and I got noticeable extra depth. Maybe it was the fresh string, but even balls I thought were going out seemed to dip nicely at the last minute. I did notice the dampened feel and using the racquet with no dampener didn't bother me. This wasn't the case with the previous version or the 2012 model. It was not too muted though/I still had a little feel.

Volleys: This was where I struggled a bit. When I got the racquet into position, all was well, but that was a bit difficult sometimes. I could probably get used to it, but used to something a bit more maneuverable and precise. I have access to a Prince PTC and the racquet came out at 330 swingweight (320 weight/33.25 balance) so maybe that had something to do with it.

DId not hit many serves as we were just hitting around, but got some great pop and spin on the few I did hit.

Background: Played college tennis back in the day, but now middle aged (late 40s) and carrying some extra weight - about 4.0 level. Play mostly baseline in singles but will attack short balls and come in. Play quite a bit of doubles as well. HIt some topspin, but slice an increasing number of backhands now too. Currently playing with Prince Tour 100P strung with various polys in mid-upper 40s.

More to come in the coming weeks.

 

[Devil_dog]

Hey, fellow playtest folks, what's the static weight of your Pure Drive you got? Mine weighed 11.6 ounces strung with Babolat RPM Blast Rough, an overgrip and a wilson circular dampener. Just curious to know. Thanks.

 

[RafaBabolat]

328 g with bab damp and RPM Blast Rough. @Devil_dog

 

[TennisHound]

Edited

 

[glenWs]

Hitting around little bit with new pd and my impressions are that it's pretty solid offering from babolat this year.

Few random thoughts:

String pattern reminds me of 1st gen pure drive. Might even be the same. Like the one Fognini is using.

Overall solid feel also reminds me of 2nd gen pure drive swirly.

Feel is now closer to Wilson like pro open etc... small to none existent hollow feel.

It might be my favorite version since graphite Kevlar pd team version from the year 2001 I think.

Did not like cyclone in it as much in it but let's see...I strung it at 50

I have it and for the most part like it, especially for ripping second serves. But I’m playing RPM 16 on it at 53 and think it’s too loose. The racket is such a rocket launcher that without good technique control is all over the place. So easy to bash one 5 feet long. Want to try and get more control out of it without ruining my arm.

 

[A_Instead]

I guess I have proper technic as I don't have control issues..agreed it's powerful..but I put that power to good use..

 

[dgoran]

I strung it at 50 with hybrid might go 45 full poly next time but it just feels bad when hitting with phantom and ultra tour 97 Monfils.

If I did not hit back to back with those flex monsters pd would be fine but comparing those 3 you really see crappy feel that pd has

 

[A_Instead]

Flex feels nice..just wish they had more umph...

 

[dgoran]

Flex feels nice..just wish they had more umph...

By dropping tension in ultra I found pop and comfort and phantom is on another level because well... physics
I’ll drop tension on drive to see if feel re-emerges...
What truly is easy with drive is defending and ability to not move and still play half way decent.

 

[lidoazndiabloboi]

Finally had a chance to type this up and share my experience. Thank you again to @TW Staff & @Babolat Official for this awesome opportunity to playtests for the forums.

String and tension used for test: Babolat M7 17 at 52 lbs, Babolat RPM Rough 17 at 52 lbs
Tennis experience/background: Played high school tennis. Currently a 4.5 league player.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All court tennis player that can play aggressive and finish at the net, or grind behind the baseline.
Current racquet/string setups: Wilson RF97 strung with Solinco Tour Bite at 52 lbs
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 10 hours and on going

Comments on racquet performance:
-Groundstrokes: When you think of a Pure Drive, you instantly think power and spin. That is exactly what you got. Now I have been nursing a wrist injury recently so my time out on the courts have been sporadic. With my Pure Drive, it came in at underspec from the listed, so the swingweight was on the low side. But making contact with the ball was easy and quick. I got lots of power off my shots and could spin the ball very well. But with the low weight, I was having a hard time getting both power and spin together to create a heavy shot. I could tell my ball would be easily returned, just by sticking out the racket. I think if I were to customize it by adding some more lead tape, it would be more in my wheelhouse. Also, the Pure Drive did lack some feel from the ground, didnt feel as connected as I would with my RF97, but in this case it actually worked as a positive for me, as the lack of feel made it easier on my wrist. Even with it strung with RPM Rough, I had no wrist pain at all when hitting from the baseline.

-Serves: Just like from the baseline, power was definitely easily accessible. The stock weight made it very easily to swing quick right through the serve. My flat serves had a lot of power. Was able to create a lot of spin on the kick serves, but again just like the groundstrokes, i was having a hard time generating a heavy ball with the retail specs. There was a bit of disconnect when trying to hit with accuracy. The lack of feel made it a little bit tougher to find my spots.

-Volleys: Volleys took some time to get used to. Contact and maneuverability were definitely the plus, but feel is where it greatly lacks. So I struggled with finding the short angles and drop volleys. Most of my short angles and droppers would land much longer than anticipated, resulting in the ball getting hit back for a winner. I would really need more time to familiarize myself with controlling the racket more. Now sitter volleys and overheads were easy pickings. The large headsize made it easy to kill any ball within arms reach. The light weight and easy maneuverability, allowed me to easily block back volleys in the quick exchanges at the net.

-Serve returns: The big head size and light weight made it easy for me to react and swing out on returns. I had to put all my concentration on making sure I was giving the ball enough spin to keep it in the court. On numerous occasions, my returns would fly too far out when I would try to take the ball on early and return it with power.

General reaction/comments on overall performance: I initially started with M7 on this racket. After 2 sessions and about 3-4 hours on the string, I could tell the strings were barely hanging on and about to go. So I decided to switch it out for the RPM Rough provided. The Pure Drive definitely plays better for me with a poly string than a multi. Even though my racket came in underweight from the listed specs, it still felt decent from all aspects of the court. Casual rallying would be fine, but if I were to use it for competition, then I would definitely need to load it up with a little more weight. This type of racket would definitely be for people that have a hard time generating their own power. My personal preference is to use a lower powered control racket, which would allow me to swing out more and not worry about the ball flying. But for fans of the Pure Drive, this is a great addition to the line. The update to the paintjob with a matte feel is a change from the old PD. The light blue colors might appeal a little more to the female players but overall, I like how it looks. Some have said the change in the string spacing has gone back to the original Pure Drive days. It's good to see Babolat reinventing old techniques and combining it with new technologies, unlike other companies who release the same things over and over again just under new paintjobs. I'm excited to see the other versions of the Pure Drive as they roll out in the next couple of months.

 

[loosegroove]

I strung it at 50 with hybrid might go 45 full poly next time but it just feels bad when hitting with phantom and ultra tour 97 Monfils.

If I did not hit back to back with those flex monsters pd would be fine but comparing those 3 you really see crappy feel that pd has

My first string job was also a hybrid @50. Felt nice, but I didn't get the spin I was hoping for. Poly is a must for me in this frame.

 

[loosegroove]

String and tension used for test:

Pro’s Pro Hexaspin Twist poly mains and synthetic gut crosses at 50 lbs.

Full Pro’s Pro poly at 45 lbs.

Tennis experience/background:
Played a bit as a kid and a year in high school, then returned to the game in my 30’s. A bit of a gear freak in all of my hobbies. Currently play rec and USTA matches at the 4.0-4.5 level.

Describe your playing style:
From style of play to stroke mechanics, think of a vastly inferior David Ferrer, a 4.0 David Ferrer if you will. So a grinding, topspin heavy baseline game. Also play a lot of dubs, where I play more like an adapted singles player. I’m aggressive at net, but don’t frequently serve and volley or try to rush the net after returns, unless it’s really called for.

Current racquet/string setups: Yonex Duel G 97 310 & Prince Phantom 100 with various polys.

How many hours did you play with the racquet? 14

Comments on racquet performance:

Groundstrokes:
It’s been a while since I’ve tried a standard Pure Drive (predominantly a 2012 model), and while that one immediately struck me as hollow/brassy and light, this latest iteration feels much more muted and comfortable, plus a bit beefier. I can definitely tell the swingweight is up, and it feels more solid like a Pure Drive Roddick, but without the static weight or headlight balance. Actually my example felt a tad sluggish at first, and my doubles partner even commented that “it feels heavy” when he took a few shadow swings (he uses a Pure Strike 16x19).

I initially tried it with a poly/synthetic gut hybrid, and was immediately rewarded with free power and a nice feel, but spin was lacking. On my forehand, it was as if I couldn’t sense the string bed biting into the ball, and in turn I wasn’t getting a consistent response, sometimes hitting flat into the net, other times launching shots way long. I needed a full bed of poly to really tap into this frame’s potential, and then groundstrokes really came alive. Power remained ample, and it was effortless to hit with solid depth, spin, and court penetration. It was easy to turn defense into offense, and put the ball back in play with interest, even when out of position. I could hit deep arcing topspin shots, but still had the ability to hit flatter for the putaway. And though the spin came rather effortlessly once I had the full bed of poly, I still wasn’t really tapping into this frame’s full spin potential. I think that’s due to it not being as headlight as I’m accustomed, nor was I completely comfortable really ramping up the racket head speed on my forehand. But I didn’t need to for good results with this racket.

I did really like the Pure Drive for my two handed backhand which is flatter and quite compact. I tend to redirect pace on this side, rather than generate lots of racket head speed and my own power, so the frame's free pop was much appreciated, as was its solid stability. And much to my surprise, backhand slices were quite good. Slices came off the racket fast, low, and biting. I could be really offensive with my slices, rather than just using them to chip and charge, or when on defense. Touch shots, were another story.

Serves:
I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again: My serve is the weakest point of my game, and I can use all the help I can get in this department. I had high hopes that the Pure Drive could raise my serving from abysmal to the astronomical heights of mediocre, but I had a difficult time adjusting. The maneuverability and headlight balance of my Yonex and Prince allow me to get away with some hitches and flaws in my service motion, but the more head heavy Babolat was not as forgiving in that regard. I just wasn’t getting the racket head around on my serve like I should, completely nullifying the free power that the Pure Drive offers. Every now and then I would dial it in for a few good serves, allowing me to realize how much potential there is in this stick...but I just couldn’t sustain it. In this aspect, it’s certainly operator error and not the the equipment. However, if you like fast feeling, headlight rackets for serving, I don’t feel like this fits the bill.

Volleys:
Volleys were great; stable and solid at net, with plenty of punch and a generous sweet spot. Even when I wasn’t able to properly transfer my weight into a shot, I could let the Pure Drive do the work and hit a solid volley. And when I did hit a clean volley, it traveled deep and fast into the court. More volley winners with this racket in dubs than usual. Maneuverability was not an issue. And this thing was a beast for hitting overheads (for some reason I’m awful at serving but good at overheads). Despite the high stiffness of the frame, I even found it pretty good for touch volleys, which was greatly facilitated by the stability.

Serve returns:
Serve returns were a mixed bag. If I tried to step in and crack a forehand on a first serve that landed in my wheelhouse, it tended to go long. I felt much more grooved conservatively rolling in these returns. Though I feel like in time, I might become more comfortable being aggressive; it just didn’t happen during the duration of this playtest. It was great for punishing poor second serves that sat short, but I did have to focus on not overhitting. And I did love it for stepping in on cross court backhand returns, and for hitting low slices. Plus the stability and power level were nice for chip and block returns, getting the ball effectively into play without putting myself totally on the defensive.

General reaction/comments on overall performance:
The new Pure Drive was reported to have more power and spin, with a higher arcing launch angle, and this seems to be true, but it’s all relative. Though the launch angle was higher (with the poly), it certainly didn’t have as high a launch angle as say the Prince Phantom I’ve been using or the Head MXG3 I recently tested. And I think with a little more time on the court and tinkering with strings, I’d be able to more fully tap into that spin potential. But the power was definitely there.

This racket is a bit like using Thor’s hammer; more of a bludgeoning tool than a precise instrument on the court, though it does have adequate control (much more so than that Head MXG3). Really it’s just an all around easy racket to use. This actually might be my choice for “hangover racket”. Meaning if I had to play a match with an excruciating hangover, this would be my ticket. Even with poor preparation and footwork, you can still get off a decent shot with the Pure Drive. It hits a deep penetrating ball with minimal effort, and rarely did I leave sitters at the service line waiting to be crushed by my opponent. If only I could dial in my serve.

And while it was more dampened and comfortable feeling, that didn’t necessarily translate to superior arm health in general. After long hitting sessions, I could feel that high RA rating a little bit in my wrist and arm. And full poly is definitely preferred to get the most out of this racket. This in contrast to my old Volkl Super G 8 (similar RA), which felt more crisp on court, but didn’t seem to bother me afterwards. Though this new 2017 version is certainly more comfortable than previous iterations.

The latest Pure Drive remains a Pure Drive, though some may not like the new muted feel. Personally it didn’t bother me, but I’m accustomed to playing with Prince O-ports. And it’s definitely beefier in the swingweight department. With the swingweight as high as it is, I’d personally just opt for a Pure Drive Tour variant with a little more static weight and more headlight balance, but that falls in line with my usual preferences. Overall fun playtest and easy to use racket. It’s not what I would normally gravitate towards, but my favorite among the Pure Drives I have tried.

 

[RafaBabolat]

Took some time, not hitting as much, but here it is.

String and tension used for test: RPM Blast Rough 1.25mm @ 52 lb
Tennis experience/background: 4.5-5.0 player, 15 years old, on my high school team. (Yes, not varsity, but top 6 players are all nationally ranked. As you can see, I'm not even close to that . ) Played tennis for about 5 years.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Aggressive baseliner, but I can play all styles.
Current racquet/string setups: Pure Aero, Solinco HyperG mains, Babolat RPM Blast crosses, @52/58 lb, 1.20 mm.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 15 hours, and will update review.

Comments on racquet performance:

-Groundstrokes: Groundies are amazing. The racquet's power and spin are perfectly matched, and when I rip a huge swing at the ball, it just goes in. I have a lot more confidence in strokes, and I can truly hit out on balls without worrying. With my Pure Aero, it is a very surgical process of swinging through the ball, and pinpointing the right spot. The power level and spin are there, but you have to make it happen. In a way, it has helped me develop my strokes. I did not notice that the Pure Aero was a harder racquet accurately swing, until I hit with the new Pure Drive. The Pure Drive is literally point and shoot, and it will go in. I think the RPM Blast Rough also complemented the Pure Drive very well overall, and especially with the groundies. It lets you grip the ball more, and the extra dwell time gives you a better feel of the ball. Side comment, did have trouble with drops. Slice backhand was fine, goes deep enough, but getting the ball to drop at the net was a bit of a struggle. I was hitting with this racquet in stock form, and I have basically no problems at all with groundies.

-Serves: Had some trouble here, and still kind of adjusting to the feel of the racquet. The Pure Aero is just the soo good at serving in my opinion (Querry). The Pure Drive is not far behind, however I do feel a lack of spin compared to my Pure Aero on topspin and kick serves. I think some lead tape at 12 would help with the feel of the serves also. Both PA and PD are at exactly the same balance (30.5cm), but the Pure Drive just feels too easy to swing, which kinda messes up the serve. Anyways, with some more sessions, the serve will also be a great plus on this racquet for me.

-Volleys: This is where the Pure Drive got less praise from others, and I can agree with that. Stability is fine for volleys, even if the stock weight was low, the racquet held up pretty well. However, the touch shots got me on a lot of points. I could not get the feel of the racquet, and touch volley drops, or light returns for dropshots over the net, and they would always sail past the service line. This of course to me losing the point most of the time. I swear, I lost about 10 points in a set about a week ago, just because I couldn't get touch shots go over the net, or stay close to the net. The stiffer feel of the Pure Drive just doesn't cope well with nice touch volleys or dropshots. Anyways, my results for volleys have improved by a lot, but the feel of the racquet just takes getting used to.

-Serve returns: Almost the same as groundies, but even better. Since you get that extra pace from your opponent, the Pure Drive just feels even better when you crush that down the line return winner. No probs at all.

General reaction/comments on overall performance: Now, let me just tell you, this is not your average Babolat racquet, as you can see from my review. By no means is a Babolat an average racquet, but oh boy, them French people are doing their tennis homework. The Pure Drive, is really a pure racquet. It does everything almost perfectly, and it is the first racquet in years that I truly love. This is the winner winner that gets the chicken dinner. I'm serious. The material of the racquet itself is amazing. Babs aren't known for quality control, however the racquet that I received was truly high quality. The paint is not like previous Pure Drives, it has a matte look, but smooth finish. It's almost like the Frost paint on the current Burn lines, but more smooth. It is of a much higher quality than my Pure Aero. If you want to rek some noobs, this is the racquet for you.

Thank you @TW Staff and @Babolat Official for this playtest. Many of us on TT appreciate the opportunities you give for playtests, and also contributing to our TT community. Truly an amazing experience from another legendary Babolat, and hope to try more in the future. (edits to come after more playing time)

 

[blackpearl2007]

Okay, Here we go:

String and tension used for test: Babolat RPM Blast Rough .17
Tennis experience/background: High School/ Jr College 2 years
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Serve and Volley until about 2 years ago, more serve and put first ball away (ohbh)
Current racquet/string setups: 2013 Blade 16x19 (some weight on grip and 3&9) RPM Blast .16 55lbs.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 10-12
Comments on racquet performance:
-Groundstrokes: Coming from a slightly heavier racquet, I immediately wanted to add weight since it felt very light, but I kept hitting it stock. After several hours of ball machine and hitting, I began to enjoy the easy power, especially on high forehands and backhands. I was a little ahead of everything for about an hour and then started timing it a little better. My ohbh took some adjustment since it felt very lightweight. The adjustment period was short as it became easier and easier to hit a solid ohbh, either slice or topspin. I found it easier to hit approach shots crosscourt than down the line. With the spin, the ball curves a little more than a regular racquet so I had to make sure to aim a little farther inside the line. Spin was there, but the ball rockets off the stringbed so quickly, it was easier to just whack it with fast racquet head speed than looping the ball back high over the net (pushing or moonballing) or consciously trying to hit spin. Slice backhands sere very easy to hit, but topspin was so fun, that the only bh slices I hit, were approach shots and high backhands. The high bhs were easy to hit through. The racquet has enough plowthrough, however I might add just a little weight at 12 for a little extra.

-Serves: Serves probably took the longest to dial in, since having a slightly weighted racquet makes it easy to have plowthrough and let the racquet do the work. But again, the adjustment period didn’t take too long. I began using faster arm speed instead of pushing up to the ball with my legs and this helped, but it took a little change in my service motion and ball toss. Again, it was easier to hit flat hard serves than spin serves for me. I could hit spin serves, but the racquet took so little effort to generate pace, and was so light, that I could just basically stand there and hit a good serve without doing a whole lot. If I tried to muscle it or really crank on a serve as I would with a heavier racquet, I would waste my energy and mistime the serve. I would imagine this would tire my arm and shoulder out in a long match.

-Volleys: Crisp and sweet. The only problem I had was trying not to scratch the frame on low volleys. Every now and then I would hit one out but adjusting to a powerful racquet is way more fun than to a low-powered one. Every volley was fun with this one. The only slight adjustment I had to make was to try and hit it a little earlier and grip the last 2 fingers. I found that less of a continental grip and more of an eastern fh and bh grip worked better. This gave it a little more straight shot than a floater or too long of a volley. This is certainly not a gripe or worry, but the maneuverability was slightly sluggish, hit a little later and behind. This is only splitting hairs though, since its just a big headed racquet and takes a little to get it in position. Fortunately its just the right weight. Poaches and overheads were just plain fun to hit. A few went long, but none in the net.

-Serve returns: This is probably the strongest attribute for this racquet. Simply touch the ball and its over. The bread and butter shot was running around the bh on a high kick second serve and cranking a high fh. I did notice I had to make a conscious effort to swing earlier since I was a little later with this racquet than my weighted Blade. The results were totally worth it, as I hit several winners this way, which had a significant better result than with the Blade. Slice returns (fh and bh) were equally easy and fun to hit, along with more depth and pace than the Blade. Slow pansy serves were a little different story. These were easier to hit with slice sometimes than with topspin.

General reaction/comments on overall performance:
Positives were:
-Plenty of power for everything.
-Enough control built in to the racquet to dial it in with strings and tension
-Biggest sweetspot on any racquet available today
-Excellent vibration dampening, not overly dampened.
-Best racquet engineering available. Every little thing works – grommets, FSI, etc. actually does something to enhance performance.
-Minimal dead spot in upper hoop
-Amazingly stable for a sub 11oz racquet.

Negatives were:
-Some instability, racquet-twisting, and stress flex (in the throat) on hard shots or shots hit at the very edge of the string bed.
-A little sluggish on reflex shots.
-Noticeable wind resistance on swings. I don’t know of a better way to put this. Comparing this to a Blade or thinner beamed racquet, the wind resistance was noticeable. It’s a fat frame.
-Depth control took some time to adjust (only on spin shots). Switching to more of a closed grip helped, but at times the ball did not land where expected.

In Summary:
This is hands-down the best 100 sq. in racquet you can buy. It is the best engineered, least gimmicky, and most controlled powerful racquet you can buy. The string pattern is slightly wider, but certainly not too wide (like the Pure Aero) too closed (nowhere near as closed as the Speed Pro). It feels better than last year’s PD and has more power. The paint is better and doesn’t look as wide as previous versions. You can pick this racquet up just like it is and win matches with it easily, regardless of your level. I wish I could play with it more, but everyone in my family keeps using it. I guess I’m gonna have to get about 5 or 6 of them.

I have some video of playing with the racquet but I've got to edit it a little and I'll get it uploaded in the next couple of days.
Thanks TW for the opportunity to test and play with the racquet!

Nice review. Your experience is similar to mine. It is amazing how much spin and power you can get with this racquet but yet still get a good blend of control. I am excited to try a Tour version of this frame.

 

[Roland G]

Sounds like everyone had a blast with this frame, cranking out forehands amd serving bombs!!

Did anyone find it uncomfortable at all?

 

[TW Staff]

Attention playtesters:

This is your friendly reminder that your comments are due on Friday, October 20th. Please post them in this thread to remain eligible for future playtests.

Thanks,
Brittany, TW

 

[Devil_dog]

I've updated my review with my latest impressions! Thanks again to Tennis Warehouse and Babolat for this playtest!

https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...ure-drive-racquet.599546/page-2#post-11660546

 

[mrtrinh]

String and tension used for test: Since I have a sensitive elbow, I used Klip Legend 16/Isospeed Cream 17 at 52/48.
Tennis experience/background: Use to play high school tennis and now only play recreationally and USTA 4.0 doubles.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All-around player, I play from the baseline and serve and volley occasionally.
Current racquet/string setups: 2015 Pure Drive plus, Klip Legend 16/Isospeed Cream 17 at 52/48.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 14 hours.

Comments on racquet performance:

-Groundstrokes: When I thought they couldn’t improve the pure drive even more, babolat proves me wrong. My specs came in a little on the heavier side, 328g strung and felt like a 325-330ish SW but I preferred these specs as they were close my 2015 pure drive plus. It definitely hits a heavy ball and the more open string pattern gave it such a high arc. I can block returns with so much pace. As many have said this Pure drive is much more muted than the previous generations. If you have played with the PO17 then the feeling will be similar. This can be a plus for some but for me, the lack of feedback made it hard to predict the ball. However, it does seem more elbow friendly which is a plus for me as I came from a 6 month layoff from TE.

-Serves: Just like all Pure Drives you serve bombs effortlessly. This is one aspect that never changes with the pure drive. With the extra SW I was able to generate an extra 5mph easily

-Volleys: The pure drive was never a “feel” racket and now that it is more muted made it even a little more difficult to volley with. As mentioned above, the lack of feedback made it hard to predict where the ball was going. Sometimes the ball just flew off the strings and others it hit a nice solid punch.

-Serve returns: Racket is pretty rock solid on returns; I can return heavy flat serves just by blocking. This is probably my favorite aspect of the racket. It’s maneuverable yet stable enough to hit a strong return and go from defense to offense.

General reaction/comments on overall performance: Already looking at the specs I knew I was going to like the frame. It actually exceeded my expectations and I may very well switch to the new pure drive. My main concern is with my tennis elbow and like many users have said, for such a high stiffness rating, it feels much softer. I just want to wait and see the specs of the plus version before I change frames.

Thank you @TWStaff for this playtest. It was my first time playtesting a racket for TW and I hope I was able to contribute to people looking to buy this frame.

 

[mpournaras]

For the purpose of this review I will be comparing it to my racket of choice... a weighted up Youtek Radical MP (340g, 332 SW, lead and leather baby)

String and tension used for test: RPM Rough/ M7 at 53# all around
Tennis experience/background: Started playing after high school. On and off for 8 or so years. 4.0 strokes with 3.0 footwork. A solid 3.5 average
Describe your playing style: I am a trigger happy 6"0' player. Go for the winner any chance I get, much to my demise. I don't mind net play but prefer to approach in singles as opposed to starting at the net in doubles. 1HBH, Semi-western forehand. I am fairly comfortable hitting my one-hander from anywhere on the court, but if I had to pick a weakness it would be this.
Current racquet/string setups: Youtek Radical MP (340g, 332 SW, lead and leather baby) ALU Soft/Premier Power 16 51#.
I have fiddled with various polys and have decided I like this string the most. Round poly hybrids of all kinds should work though. Not a huge fan of textured strings (more on that later)
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 15-20 (shared between this and my Radical for compare purposes)


Some back story:
I have always liked the Pure Drive... or the idea of it at least. I blame Andy Roddick. Easy groundies? Huge serves? Easy spin? why doesn't everyone use a Pure Drive. I hit with a friend's in college that had cortex and that was strung up with NRG 16. I think it may have even been a + model. At this point I had used a beat up demo nBlade from my club that they gave me after all the 3.5 beer leaguers beat it to hell. That was my base point for all the rackets I would ever use after that. This Pure Drive was amazing. It had power, more than enough for my janky strokes to land deep in the court. All was well. I liked it and made a note of it.. but I had a racket already, and I was broke. That was that. Then I developed tennis elbow and learned about RA and stiffness and never really considered the Pure Drive ever again beyond a curiosity from time to time. Haven't had issues for 3 years and this playtest rolled around and it was BLUE again... I had to try

That is what lead to me the current Radicals I have now. 98", low flex, 18/20, butter. This is the "nBlade" that I wanted but no one made anymore after my Wilson finally succumbed to cracks. So that is what I landed on and what I will compare this to.

Groundstrokes: 8/10
The name of the game here was easy ground strokes. It is that 50% swing that could put a ball back court where I would have had to swing much more with my Radical for the same ball. I really enjoyed this warming up and immediately liked it from the first ball. I kinda knew I may have to dial it in when I went for bigger shots... but we were warming up and it was great. The RPM Rough and the M7 were probably strung a little too low all said and done, but it was very comfortable and easy access to power and spin. You could give this to ANYONE starting to play and they could move all the way up to 4.0 with it. It really is that catch all racket. The best part about it is, comfort aside, that it produced a very decent ball even when not struck in the center.

The forehand is the shot I put most spin on. I was generally able to keep those in during rally play. There was not so much "extra" spin compared to may Radical... I just had to swing way less to get it. I could focus way more on spin and not have to swing through it as much with the Pure Drive than with the Radical. Winners were easy. Shots that I was pulled out wide on... easy. Mid-court shots... easy. Every forehand was easy. I think this would all be enhanced with full poly... but I want to keep my elbow away from that these days. I just don't break strings often. I really don't mind swinging out though as I have not been tired out in a match for a while. I am used to having to bring my own power Not to say I didn't enjoy it from the Pure Drive though.

The backhand. I drive most of these. A couple of these went out and this is something that I definetley prefer my Radical for. The swing weight was high on my Radical but it was surprisingly whippy. This one although the better part of an ounce lighter didn't feel near as whippy. Not terrible. But not preferred. The slices floated but I am going to attribute this to my technique. I prefer the plow of my Radical on this shot but I am entirely sure I could eventually dial it in.

Serves: 7/10
Good enough. I think most could serve with this just fine. But much like my slice I prefer the weight and balance of the Radical to just push through the ball. I assume if I brought the Pure Drive up to my Radicals spec I may be able to hit a better serve. I just don't see this cutting through the air like a heavy 98 inch thinner beamed racket. Maybe the Tour version of this will fare better in this department.

Kick serves were fine. I don't hit a huge kick regardless... so the lack of maneuverability didn't hurt me too much here. I would say (like most strokes) they were generally easier than with my Radical. I may be able to get more out if it if I honed my technique, but as it stands now I prefer the HEAD. This should not discourage others though, there are plenty of people that I have played than can serve bombs with these things.

Volleys: 7/10
The beefy stock swing weight of this racket lends itself to stable volleys, as long as you were able to get it into position in time. I had to make sure I didn't go for too much tough and control my arm take-back. I usually punch volleys long and I was actually able to control that better here than with my Radical. Color me surprised. Simple was better in this department. I would say I was half and half on drop volleys with this. I hit them fine... they just didn't *feel* as good as my Radical. But that is just me being picky and could be chalked up to almost 10 RA points difference in stiffness. Over heads were bombs. I found I didn't have to swing as hard to hit huge over heads so that let me focus more on contact and as we all know that lends it self to generally better hitting.

Serve returns: 8/10
Once again the name of the game here was "easier strokes with less effort". If I step in and swung out on it I would say I was 50/50 going long. I think with the lower power of my radical my regular return racket speed keeps them in a little more often. But a grooved cross-court forehand return was sublime with this. The thickness of the frame had me shanking a few... but that was when I was intentionally going for extra spin so I would not necessarily knock this racket for it.

Where this shined however was my one-handed back hand return. I was reluctant to swing out on them and like the forehand i was about 50/50 when going for the beans. But where this shined through was with the blocked backhand drive. Not too much spin, not too much swing... just body weight moving forward and good contact. These were landing consistently in the back 2 feet of the court and I could hit those with this racket all day, This may have been my favorite shot with this racket.

General reaction/comments on overall performance:
I am going to take a moment in this section to talk about "comfort" as there was not a particular section for it.

Comfort: 7/10

This was by far the least brassy-feeling pure drive I have hit with. I would count that as a positive for comfort considering the RA is over 70. I don't think anyone including myself would have any type of arm issues long-term with this... *as long as you are hitting in the center*. The only other racket in this spec that has generally been this comfortable for me was the 2012 BLX Pro Open. Which is not surprising considering it was Wilson's crack at the Pure Drive clone just with a mid 60's RA. So in conclusion, with a hybrid string job I don't think anyone would have an issue with comfort if they can hit a decent ball. That however is not me. When I swing out I catch the tip of the frame too much and that just sent a little too much "buzz" back into my arm for my comfort. The ball this produced with an off-center shot is certainly better than my Radical, but that comes at the cost of comfort for me which is a no go.

At then end of the Day it is still a Pure Drive. You could argue there differences against previous generations until the cows come home... but if you liked the old ones you should like this one. Unless you particularly enjoy brassy rackets. I would string this up a bit higher as I feel that the older (Cortex and GT) versions had tighter middle mains and you could get a touch more control with higher tensions.

I do NOT however like the RPM Rough/M7 combo. They didn't really snap back in to place and I didn't feel like I would have gotten any less spin with a smooth poly. I feel that the rough polys are best suited to full beds if that is what you are able to play with. I think full poly would reward fast swing speeds with this racket very well.

I could give this another shot in the spring and update this if anyone is still reading.

Overall: 7.6/10 (which is a fine score) I think I just gel better with thinner flexier frames :/

As always, thanks TW for these awesome opportunities you provide your loyal fan base. It counts, and it separates you guys from the other major competitors. I finally got a chance to hit my very own Pure Drive. I hope some peeps like this review.

 

[mpournaras]

Addition! Sorry I broke the character count

For visual comparison here is how it stacks up to my Radical: These contain overall scores... not just the specific shots that worked as described up top

1st Serve: PD < RAD
2nd Serve: PD = RAD
Forehand: PD > RAD
Backhand: PD < RAD
Power: PD > RAD
Feel: PD < RAD
Spin: PD = RAD
Control: PD < RAD
Comfort: PD < RAD
Plow: PD < RAD​

 

[mpournaras]

Oh and since no one asked... I think it is the best looking Pure Drive since the other blue GT. MAYBE the original Cortex.

Either way all good PDs were basically Carolina Panther rackets. GO BLUE!

 

[RafaBabolat]

Sounds like everyone had a blast with this frame, cranking out forehands amd serving bombs!!

Did anyone find it uncomfortable at all?

Nah. Feels perfectly fine. But had a session yesterday, and was not so great with spin. The RPM rough loses its spin pretty quickly (I was also on the RPM Blast Rough playtest). Is there a string that increases the launch angle of this racquet efficiently? I struggled with the lower launch angle because of the lack of spin, and missed in the net a lot.

 

[blackpearl2007]

First,thank you very much to TW and Babolat for this opportunity. Very much appreciate opportunities like this.

Second, here is my review (video review coming soon):

String and tension used for test: RPM Blast Rough 17 gauge at 53lbs
Tennis experience/background: Started playing right out of college - been playing for about 20 years now.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Attacking (4.5 rating) - like to dictate play with forehand and look for opportunities to come to the net (in doubles I serve a volley a good bit). I have a one handed backhand with a semi-western forehand.
Current racquet/string setups: Babolat Pure Drive Tour with Wilson Revolve 17 at 53lbs (however, I am kinda having an 'affair' with the Wilson CV Blade 18x20 but haven't fully made the change - not sure I will)
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 18+ hours

Comments on racquet performance: Racquet specs after stringing with overgrip (Tourna) and dampner: 11.6 oz strung weight, 3 pts headlight (almost 3.5) and a swingweight of 329 (strung with RPM Blast Rough 17).

-Groundstrokes: 8.5/10. Personally, I find that most all Babolat sticks shine at the baseline. I am not sure why but that has been my experience and the new Pure Drive was no exception. This Pure Drive racquet is begging you to stay three feet behind the baseline and dictate play with spin and crank winners on the run. With the string setup I put in it, I found that I got a lot of spin with very good depth. My racquet specs were a bit on the heavier side for this racquet in my opinion and I sort of liked that. The trajectory of the ball was higher than the previous Pure Drive versions so when I first started hitting I had to compensate for that a bit but it wasn't anything that I hard a tough time adjusting to. Overall, I thought the control was above average as my stroke doesn't produce a ton of top spin so I had to shorten my swing at times to ensure I hit with a bit of precision. Now, I want to ensure you that I didn't think the control was bad but it was something that I had to be a bit more conscious of when I hit approach shots. The spin that this racquet imparts on the ball can more than compensate for control particularly if you are someone that hits with a lot of spin. I did find that I get more spin with my racquet of choice (Pure Drive Tour) and that may be a function of more HL, weight and / or just more grooved with that frame. However, the changes that Babolat made to this racquet I would rate overall as positive. I am still a big fan of the previous versions with my favorite being the GT version but this one is a good change. Off of the forehand side, I felt like I could dictate play hitting a good heavy ball (not Pure Drive Tour heavy) with spin to hit the angles. Depth control on the forehand was good after the adjustment to the higher trajectory window I was speaking about earlier. On the one hand backhand, at times I struggled getting the head through the ball given the more HH as well as swingweight as I like frames that are more HL. However, I found that I was able to get great spin and absolutely loved the slice with this frame. The ball would stay low and carve to the outside with the spin that I was getting on my backhand slice. In fact, I found that I hit more slice with this frame than I did coming over the top of it on my backhand side.

-Serves: (8/10) My serve has never been a consistent weapon. At times I can crank some good serves but for the most part I try to part a good bit of spin and hit my spots (an analogy may be pitcher in baseball who doesn't have a big fast ball but can dial up the curve, slider, etc and hit the spots with precision). At times I struggle with hitting my spots but with the new Pure Drive I found that I could put good spin on the serve and hit my spots with good precision. This racquet, like other Pure Drives, I found to be a good racquet for serves. While I prefer HL balance and if I would were to play with this particular racquet I would put more weight in the handle, for whatever reason, I found that I could serve the flat ball well with this frame. I do get more spin from my Pure Drive Tour on the serve and while I liked the flat serve I could hit I would like to be able to hit more spin on my serve which I believe is a function of the HH balance of this frame. But, overall, I did like to serve with this frame.

-Volleys: (8/10) As mentioned in my playing style, I like to attack and come to the net when possible and I play a serve / volley game in doubles. With previous versions of the Pure Drive (before the last model - GT, etc), I struggled with precision on my volleys. When Babolat made the string pattern change with the last version, I could volley with more precision and with this frame I found that it was a mixed bag. I couldn't control my volleys like I can with the Pure Drive Tour (latest version) but I found that I had maybe more control than the later versions. I found that my volleys would stay low to the ground and penetrate through the court which I liked. Maneuverability was OK as I like more HL balance at net. I wouldn't call it a hindrance that dramatically impacted my net game but there were times that I thought I was late or slow from a reaction perspective. With the specs of the frame that I played with, stability of the racquet was very good. With previous iterations of the Pure Drive, I found that it needed lead to volley back those hard hit shots but with this frame and the specs I found very good stability for a mid 11 ounce frame. That was a welcome change as with previous versions, I found that comfort at net with the volleys was an issue but not so with this one. Directional control of the volleys was good as long as I was prepared for the volley and hit it out front. If I wasn't, I struggled a bit with directional control. With some other frames, you may be able to get away with swinging at the volley or being late but this one does require good fundamentals for control (at least it did for me). It has a nice sweet spot so you feel that on the volleys as well. I did struggle a bit with touch as I had to really concentrate to take pace off the ball and hit those drop volleys. At times I felt like the ball would 'spring' off the frame too much so I would need a good bit of time practicing on touch shots with this frame. Again, that may be more of balance issue as I find that I have good touch with the Pure Drive Tour.

-Serve returns: (8/10) While this racquet is a weapon on serve returns, I had to be conscious to not 'swing for the fences' with this frame. At times I had to choke up on the frame to ensure I was controlling it particularly on serves where I felt like I should put it away. This is probably a bit of more of getting used to the frame than anything and to be honest I have been struggling on returns lately and this also may be in between my ears versus a racquet thing. My favorite return was the chip and charge particularly in doubles. The return in the chip and charge would stay low to the ground and I found I could control the depth fairly easy with this frame. This gave me lots of options in doubles and I often found my self hitting a short chip return coming to the net and putting away the next shot which was a higher shot from my opponent. When I went for a big return is where I had to be conscious of the power and higher trajectory of the ball. In doubles, my opponent had an easier time poaching my return given the height of the ball and I also found that I had a loss of control in doubles on the topspin return. In singles, I returned better and found a bit more confidence given there wasn't a net guy at the net. However, as stated earlier, I did find I was choking up more on the return to control it a bit better (which I know may not make a lot of sense given I liked the control off the ground but with heavy serves my swing can get too big on the returns).

General reaction/comments on overall performance: Overall, I am a big fan of the Pure Drive racquets and this new line is no exception. The Pure Drive is such a versatile frame where players ranked 5.0 and higher can play with it but so can beginners and intermediate players. Since I first started playing tennis some 20 years ago, I have always preferred the thin beam racquets. My tendency today is to still gravitate towards the thin beamed racquets. However, as I age and find that my time on the court lessens my game benefits from a racquet like the Pure Drive. As noted earlier, I am playing with the Pure Drive Tour but also alternating with the CV Blade 18x20. I have also had a good bit of experience with the Head Extreme Pro. To me, the Pure Drive is superior frame to the Head Extreme given the spin and I find I have more control with it. There is no doubt that I could switch to this Pure Drive and be successful with it. I believe the main thing that is preventing me from doing that is that I know a tour version is coming in January. I am very excited for the Tour Version given the changes that Babolat have made I find are good changes. I am not sure how they do it but they keep the heritage of the Pure Drive and continue to make improvements (in my opionion). Lastly, from a comfort perspective, I never really had an issue and didn't feel like the comfort was better than the previous version. I haven't had a whole lot of comfort issues with the Pure Drive as for me it has been more strings than the racquet. Overall, great racquet.

Lastly, here are my overall ratings: Control (8.5/10), Comfort (8/10), Spin (9/10), Maneuverability (8/10), Stability (8.5/10), Slice (9/10). Overall 8.5/10

Thank you again TW and Babolat.

 

[Devil_dog]

Nah. Feels perfectly fine. But had a session yesterday, and was not so great with spin. The RPM rough loses its spin pretty quickly (I was also on the RPM Blast Rough playtest). Is there a string that increases the launch angle of this racquet efficiently? I struggled with the lower launch angle because of the lack of spin, and missed in the net a lot.

Interesting. I experienced a similar effect. I restrung with a smooth copoly that I typically use and 17g and regained a bit of spin and seemingly better launch. It's the same string I use on my Pure Aeros which the frame and string gives me lots of spin.

 

[Roland G]

Nah. Feels perfectly fine. But had a session yesterday, and was not so great with spin. The RPM rough loses its spin pretty quickly (I was also on the RPM Blast Rough playtest). Is there a string that increases the launch angle of this racquet efficiently? I struggled with the lower launch angle because of the lack of spin, and missed in the net a lot.

Try Max Power Rough 1.25. Keeps it's playing characteristics for a decent amount of time.

 

[ejdtennis]

Here is my updated review:

Racquet: Pure Drive 2018

String and tension used for test: Babolat RPM Rough 17 – 53 lbs.

Tennis experience/background: Played in college – D2. Almost 49 now and could lose some weight – playing at about a 4.0 level I’d say.

Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All court in singles – start at baseline and try to attack short balls and come in. May serve and volley a couple points per set. Come in quite a bit in doubles. Slight topspin on forehand, 2 handed backhand, but more and more one handed slices.

Current racquet/string setups: Prince Tour 100P – RPM Blast – 47 lbs

How many hours did you play with the racquet? 12.5 hours

Comments on racquet performance:

-Groundstrokes: Big thing I noticed was all the free power I got from this racquet. As noted in my initial thoughts a couple of weeks ago, I seemed to get almost a foot of extra depth from the Pure Drive. For hitting and drilling I loved this - made me feel like superman, but in matches I had to make sure to add a bit of topspin to make sure balls went in. I felt like I had decent control, though not near the level of my current Prince 100P. I had to leave a bit of extra margin. Slice backhands I also preferred the feel of the Prince.

-Serves: Every time I serve with a Pure Drive, I feel like it helps me in terms of pace and this version is no different. Without more effort, I seem to gain a few MPH. This one also seemed to enhance spin somewhat when compared to my Prince. This is probably my all-time favorite serving racquet.

-Volleys: When I first picked up the Pure Drive, I struggled with volleys. It just felt bulky, sluggish, and difficult to get the racquet into proper position. Feel was also a bit lacking. I stuck with it though and must have gotten used to the weight and by the end, was hitting clean volleys though I still don’t think I have much feel at the net for touch shots

-Serve returns: This is almost as good as serves. With the racquet’s stability and huge sweet spot, I could comfortably return hard serves even if stretched out. As with previous Pure Drives, I felt like I had to shorten my swing a bit (probably a good idea for me in general on returns) to maintain control. If I did connect on a big return, it was a blast to see the result – made me feel like a better player than I am.

General reaction/comments on overall performance: I think this is a worthy upgrade. The dampening material seemed to serve its purpose as I didn’t find this Pure Drive as harsh as previous versions. I fact, this was the only version I was able to use without a dampener. It's interesting that many manufacturers seem to be going to a more dampened feel (ex: Countervail, Graphene Touch). Compared to the previous Pure Drive, I felt like I maybe lost a little directional control, but gained some spin – maybe due to the pattern. As another poster noted in this or some other PD thread, my biggest takeaway is that this racquet’s huge sweetspot and stability makes it easier for me to still play half decent tennis even if I can’t get into proper position to hit the ball (i.e. slight mis-hits become decent shots). If I was to switch to a Pure Drive, I would be interested in taking a lighter “Team” version and getting the weight right where I wanted it.

Thank you TW and Babolat. It’s very generous of you to give us this opportunity to test new products!

 

[RafaBabolat]

Interesting. I experienced a similar effect. I restrung with a smooth copoly that I typically use and 17g and regained a bit of spin and seemingly better launch. It's the same string I use on my Pure Aeros which the frame and string gives me lots of spin.

Try Max Power Rough 1.25. Keeps it's playing characteristics for a decent amount of time.

Thanks. These will go on my list of strings to try. I'm thinking about Quadro Twist or Square x in the racquet, will that be a good combo? Thanks!

 

[loosegroove]

Interesting. I experienced a similar effect. I restrung with a smooth copoly that I typically use and 17g and regained a bit of spin and seemingly better launch. It's the same string I use on my Pure Aeros which the frame and string gives me lots of spin.

Yeah, I alluded to this as well in my review. Ended up with a low powered round poly at lower tension, and it performed much better. I'm not sure if our reviews read similarly, but I definitely think I felt similarly to you regarding certain aspects of this frame.

 

[JonnyAbs]

Does 17 or 16 gauge string seem to be better in this, being that the strings are more spaced out? I like 17 in previous PDs.

 

[Devil_dog]

Does 17 or 16 gauge string seem to be better in this, being that the strings are more spaced out? I like 17 in previous PDs.

Because of the more muted feel of the new Pure Drive, I felt like 17 gauge provided a bit more feel and livelier play from the frame. But really it all depends on what you prefer.

 

[Liam Grennon]

Check out my review thread! It has video!

 

[TennisHound]

Check out my review thread! It has video!

Here's a short clip of ball machine hitting