Tennis Warehouse Playtest: Babolat Pure Strike VS 2022

EggSalad said:
This is the best looking racquet on the market, imo. I’d love to just hang one up on my wall and look at it all day. Lol.
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My only wish is that they'd have toned down the "pure strike" writing.
I get it, they want it to match the non-VS models, but something a little cleaner would have made it look that much better.
Otherwise it is great looking all-around
 
mhkeuns said:
Thinking about going low like 45lbs to see if it can be an effective stick without the mods.
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I think 47lbs with Big Banger Original is what I've settled on. Could probably go lower but seems better to start a tad higher.
I have already played it with synthetic gut at 52lbs, that was too tight
 
Chairman3 said:
I think 47lbs with Big Banger Original is what I've settled on. Could probably go lower but seems better to start a tad higher.
I have already played it with synthetic gut at 52lbs, that was too tight
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I already string poly at 45. I was thinking going 42 or lower on this. I used to go 35 back in the day when I used the Dunlop 100 and prestige mid
 
SlowTiger said:
I already string poly at 45. I was thinking going 42 or lower on this. I used to go 35 back in the day when I used the Dunlop 100 and prestige mid
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I was doing 45lbs in my ultra tour, but haven't ever gone super low like sub-40 lbs
I feel like there's a point at which going lower doesn't provide anything additional, but you never know without trying
 
I've done 18g poly @ 44lbs with Phantom 93P 18x20, and I've strung the Black Ace Pro with 17g poly at 44lbs. Both played well, so I might go down 2-3 lbs lower than 45lbs with the Pure Strike VS. Can't wait to try it out.
.
 
Look what I found in the mailbox today when I came back! No tracking... no problem! Thanks TW
Babolat outdid themselves on this one ! Absolutely Beautiful!! Side by side with my current Pure Strike Project One 16x19.

If it plays like it looks - look out!

20220507-154100.jpg
Message-1651964952489.jpg
 
StringStrungStrang said:
Look what I found in the mailbox today when I came back! No tracking... no problem! Thanks TW
Babolat outdid themselves on this one ! Absolutely Beautiful!! Side by side with my current Pure Strike Project One 16x19.

If it plays like it looks - look out!

20220507-154100.jpg
Message-1651964952489.jpg
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Where you located....trying to decide if I should be excited or depressed? :D:D:eek:

P.S. excited for you, my friend
 
Plenty of room for customization / weighting if you are so inclined.
Playing this one stock for the Playtest, but will let you know if anything changes.

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FYI Stock Specs per TW's website: Saves you a trip!
Head Size: 97 in / 625.81 cm
Length: 27in / 68.58cm
Strung Weight:11.7oz / 332g
Balance: 12.59in / 31.98cm / 7 pts HL
Swingweight: 322
Stiffness: 63
Beam Width: 21mm / 22mm / 21mm
Composition: Graphite
String Pattern:
16 Mains / 20 Crosses / Mains
skip: 7T,9T,7H,9H
No Shared Holes
 
Just put mine on the scales ... 305 g / 10.8 oz. unstrung; a bit under spec. as well. Still amazed by how much I like the way the new Pure Strike VS looks!
 
First hit (not official review)

This is a GOOD racquet

It is more than comfortable enough (something that’s previously been keeping me away from Babolats)

Groundstrokes went well. Good controllable power. More than enough spin (but not crazy Aero spin). A tad light, but honestly not that light (I'd wager the swingweight is still in the 320s, despite the static weight being under spec, but haven't tested), still playable in stock form.

Volleys were solid too

didnt serve/return today

need to keep hitting with it, but it’s off to a great start
 
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First Impressions with Pure Strike VS
Got in 30 minutes of easy rallying with it and immediately noticed:
- stability (more like my ProStaff than a Pure Strike)
- connectedness ( more plush more plow with less harsh feelings vs Pure Strike) ; and
- launch angle ( much flatter trajectory when compared to my Pure Strike 98 16 x19)

After I get a chance to really put it through its paces will write up a full review

With strings / overgrip / dampener / band mine tipped the scales @ 330 / 11.6 .
My Pure Strike is 11.5 as played so the weight is very similar, but the personality of the two frames is very different.
 
StringStrungStrang said:
First Impressions with Pure Strike VS
Got in 30 minutes of easy rallying with it and immediately noticed:
- stability (more like my ProStaff than a Pure Strike)
- connectedness ( more plush more plow with less harsh feelings vs Pure Strike) ; and
- launch angle ( much flatter trajectory when compared to my Pure Strike 98 16 x19)

After I get a chance to really put it through its paces will write up a full review

With strings / overgrip / dampener / band mine tipped the scales @ 330 / 11.6 .
My Pure Strike is 11.5 as played so the weight is very similar, but the personality of the two frames is very different.
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My kinda racquet hehe
 
Didn't get in this one but excited to see what all you guys think about it! I grabbed some off-spec gravity pros from the pro shop (348 swingweight strung on both) just for kicks and really like them, so I'm more than occupied. But very curious how y'all experience the Strike VS. Anybody planning to customize theirs?
 
After having played three hours with the Pure Strike VS, here are initial,thoughts:

Pros:
Extremely maneuverable - Good on serves, volleys & defensive shots
Stable & predictable
Nice firm feel
Great sweetspot feel
Good spin & control
Adequate power (*strung with RPM Blast 17G at 45lbs)

Cons:
Needs more plow through

The feel was really nice, It felt solid and connected without being harsh. Super easy to swing and generate RHS. Very spin friendly and easy to hit touch shots. Good on ground strokes, even hard flat shots. Serves were great, as well as the volleys. The Pure Strike VS is a great racket for serve-and-volleyers, as well as attacking players who like using the angles and placement to set up the winners.

That said, trading ground strokes against a heavy hitter was a challenge, I had to focus very hard to not try to go for more than I should, I’d often try too much and overhit due to not having enough plow through to crush the incoming shots,

The racket could use some weight in the hoop, but if I could just hit the sweetspot more consistently even under pressure, there is more than enough pop and power. Any balls hit outside the sweetspot had big drop offs in power.

I loved everything about the Pure Strike VS. But I did miss the plow through of the rackets with bigger SW because it did wear me out a bit to constantly having to swing big.

Gorgeous paint job, btw.
 
mhkeuns said:
After having played three hours with the Pure Strike VS, here are initial,thoughts:

Pros:
Extremely maneuverable - Good on serves, volleys & defensive shots
Stable & predictable
Nice firm feel
Great sweetspot feel
Good spin & control
Adequate power (*strung with RPM Blast 17G at 45lbs)

Cons:
Needs more plow through

The feel was really nice, It felt solid and connected without being harsh. Super easy to swing and generate RHS. Very spin friendly and easy to hit touch shots. Good on ground strokes, even hard flat shots. Serves were great, as well as the volleys. The Pure Strike VS is a great racket for serve-and-volleyers, as well as attacking players who like using the angles and placement to set up the winners.

That said, trading ground strokes against a heavy hitter was a challenge, I had to focus very hard to not try to go for more than I should, I’d often try too much and overhit due to not having enough plow through to crush the incoming shots,

The racket could use some weight in the hoop, but if I could just hit the sweetspot more consistently even under pressure, there is more than enough pop and power. Any balls hit outside the sweetspot had big drop offs in power.

I loved everything about the Pure Strike VS. But I did miss the plow through of the rackets with bigger SW because it did wear me out a bit to constantly having to swing big.

Gorgeous paint job, btw.
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Nice review! Just a bit of lead at 12 and the plow through problem will likely be solved. Every time I hit with this thing, I get more amazed by it.
 
mhkeuns said:
if I could just hit the sweetspot more consistently even under pressure, there is more than enough pop and power. Any balls hit outside the sweetspot had big drop offs in power.
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I cringe to mention this ... But do you think this racquet would derive a huge benefit from using Proportional stringing?
 
Karma Tennis said:
I cringe to mention this ... But do you think this racquet would derive a huge benefit from using Proportional stringing?
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Didn’t know what ‘proportional stringing’.meant, but it does sound interesting. I guess if one can pull it off or has an access to someone who can, it would benefit having the uniform stiffness of the string bed. That would, in theory, create a larger sweetspot? I’d be all for that, except it sounds like a PITA to string in that way.
 
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