Top Tennis Rackets of 2018: Babolat Pure Strike Review
Today we will look at the Babolat Pure Strike, one of the most popular tennis rackets on the market today. We’ll go over the features that make this racket a great choice for beginners or club pros as well as the benefits the Babolat Pure Strike can bring to any player’s game. Babolat has been designing finely-crafted rackets used by the world’s top professionals for years and the Babolat Pure Strike is no exception. It offers a terrific combination of comfort, lightness, strength, and speed. Which translates to an improved game for players at all levels. The Babolat Pure Strike was introduced in 2014 as the first iteration of a racket designed with professional players in mind. Subsequent versions kept the qualities most professionals want in a racket while also appealing to a wider audience.
What is the Babolat Pure Strike?
The Babolat Pure Strike is a graphite racket designed for players who like to speed up the ball and want a weapon that helps increase their precision. The Babolat Pure Strike is not a traditional control racket but rather a hybrid racket that is forgiving without sacrificing power. Babolat’s Hybrid Frame Technology offers a unique combination of power and control that we felt the first time we used the Pure Strike.
To achieve this, Babolat designed the throat sections of the racket to feature wider beams at the key 3/9/12 o’clock points on the racket face which further enhances precision while increasing stability when impacting the ball.
Testing The Babolat Pure Strike
With the development of a tennis racket, testing plays a prominent role in the process. For the new Pure Strike, Babolat took the process a step further by responding to the needs of professional players joined in a large network. These ambassadors from around the world collaborated with Babolat engineers on all phases of the design process to produce a racket that was ultimately to become the new Pure Strike.
First, there was the analysis of the original Pure Strike, the first version released in 2014. We tested that racket and it was a highly technical stick and targeted to a narrow group of professionals. With the introduction of the Babolat Pure Strike 2018, the company is hoping to appeal to a wider group of players without sacrificing the speed, power, and playability of that first model. We think they’ve done that and then some with this latest model. For the Pure Strike, ideal testers were players who prefer to end the point quickly, those adept at generating power and those who prefer to move on the ball early. By following these specific criteria and melding the gathered data with the design team the Babolat Pure Strike became the ultimate expression of a modern tennis weapon.
Babolat Pure Strike Design: Two Choices
Babolat builds beautiful rackets that also incorporate a high degree of playability. And we found the Pure Strike racket a pleasure to hold as well as play with. And Babolat gives players a choice with the Pure Strike by offering it in two configurations; The Pure Strike 18x20 pattern and a 16x19 pattern. We preferred the Pure Strike 16x19 as it fit our game a little better.
Some pro’s like to carry a variety of sticks in their match bag so it’s nice that Babolat offers us a choice too. At the end of the day, it’s a matter of playing style and what you are accustomed to. In any event, Babolat has you covered with two versions of the Pure Strike.
Are you’re a counter puncher who likes to prolong points through control instead of spiking kill shots? If so, then the 18x20 might be a choice. But, if you play a power-oriented, topspin game that features a heavy serve and you enjoy blasting rockets into the corners then the Babolat Pure Strike 16x20 is the battle cannon for you.
Specs
The Babolat Pure Strike 16x19 is a Graphite racquet with a Length of 27 in (69 cm) and a Head Size of 98 sq in (632 sq cm) with a Weight of 11.3 oz (320 gm) and a Balance Point of 13 in (33 cm). And as the name implies the Pure Strike features a String Pattern with 16 Mains and 19 Crosses. This pattern offers a little more speed and spin than the more forgiving 18x20 configuration. A 4pt Head Light tops off the racquet making it lighter at the head than the handle and provides added control.
Pricing
The Babolat Pure Strike can be purchased for around $200 and is available at most tennis pro shops, online tennis, and sporting goods stores and Amazon.
Of course, if you’re good enough to make the tour and receive sponsorship from Babolat they’ll ship free racquets to your door.
How it Compares
We wanted to compare the Babolat Pure Strike with some other rackets on the market to see how they stack up. Let’s dive in and take a look at rackets we’ve used in the past or in some cases are now using.
Wilson Blade 98 18x20 Countervail $$$
The Blade family of rackets were originally launched in 2006. Recently, Wilson added another impressive product to this line with a flexible racket made of Countervail, a uniquely flexible carbon which minimizes impact vibrations. The original Blades were good and this new Blade has evolved through tech tweaks and updates to deliver even more precision and stability than it’s predecessors. We found this racket scored highest in comfort and at 11.3 ounces strung, is lighter than traditional player’s rackets. But that’s not to say that it lacks power. With a swing weight in the upper 320s and some serious heft above the grip, the Blade provides solid and confidence inspiring play. We did feel that the racket could feel a little too hefty during extended play even while appreciating its ability to drive the ball into the corners or keep our opponent on the baseline with heavy shots. Another minor complaint is the somewhat dampened feel that the racket transmits to the player. It’s sometimes hard to feel the ball when it contacts the racket face. We found this most prevalent during extended rallies. As stated, this is minor because the Blade offers an almost unmatched combination of stability and precision which makes it a racket any mid-level or advanced player should consider.
Consensus: Putting the Blade up against the Babolat Pure Strike was an interesting and fun comparison, but we found that the Pure Strike was easier to play with out of the box. Also, we had a better success rate hitting first serves with the Pure Strike. We give the nod to the Babolat Pure Strike in this match-up.
Pro:
- Comfortable
- Stable
- Precise
Con:
- Dampened feel
- Feels heavy during extended play
Rating: 3/5 Stars ✭✭✭
The Wilson Blade Countervail retails for about $220 and is widely available wherever you shop for tennis equipment or at Amazon.
Warranty: One year, materials and workmanship, when used in the manner intended.
Yonex VCORE Duel G 97 (310g) $
Lightweight and fast and featuring a comfortable grip, precise feel and plenty of torque to spin balls deep to the baseline the VCORE Duel offers a great choice for intermediate to advanced players.
The VCORE is an update to the Tour G line and returns to the more popular 16x20 string pattern while adding the proprietary Tough G fiber technology to the frame’s throat to increase stiffness and stability. Don’t worry, the classic Yonex Isometric head shape featuring the enlarged sweet spot is still there. We hit groundstrokes with reckless abandon and enjoyed both power and control with some great kill shots at the net but found the racket rather lacking when trying to accurately direct off-center volleys on the approach.
Where this gun shines is in the serve and return game. If you like to stand back and rain bombs on your opponent with a big serve and follow it up with withering groundstrokes VCORE will be your best friend.
Consensus: The VCORE 310 is a lighter version of the Duel G 97 and is a racquet that tends to favor those with big serves and an aggressive ground game. But for playability right out of the box we’re sticking with the Babolat Pure Strike.
Pro:
- Big sweet spot
- Light and fast
- Lots of torque
Con:
- Lacks stability when hitting off-center approach shots
- Tends to favor players with a big serve and aggressive ground game
The Yonex VCORE Duel G97 (310g) retails for about $149 at most tennis pro shops and sporting goods stores. Also, available on Amazon.
Warranty: One year, materials and workmanship, when used in the manner intended.
Babolat Pure Drive $$
The Babolat Pure Drive is one of the most popular rackets in the world and helped to transform the modern game of tennis. When updating the Pure Drive, Babolat analyzed where most players make contact with the ball and adjusted the placement of the sweet spot based on their research. What resulted was a new design that moved the sweet spot in closer proximity to the top of the racket face. We felt this updated design was an immediate success for two reasons. The Pure Drive is still one of the easiest rackets to use and now with the improved design, we found that we could play with even more power. Babolat features FSI (Frame String Interaction) in the new Pure Drive. FSI incorporates a redesigned drill pattern to allow for a denser string pattern in the new sweet spot. The result is improved control with added power.
Consensus: What’s not to like? In fact, we couldn’t find anything worth mentioning as far as complaints with the updated design for the Babolat Pure Drive.
Pro:
- Enhanced sweet spot
- Denser string pattern; better control
- Improved power
Con:
- We’re still looking for negatives
The Babolat Pure Drive sells for about $179 and is available at most tennis pro shops, sporting goods stores and online at Amazon.
Warranty: One year, materials and workmanship, when used in the manner intended.
Rating: 5/5 Stars ✭✭✭✭✭
Babolat Pure Strike $$$
The Balobat Pure Strike features quick head acceleration and extraordinary playability. The tradeoff is that it comes with a reduced stiffness level and boxier beam than it’s pricier Babolat stablemates. But that is a downside that will be lost on all but the most discerning of professionals. On the upside is a racket that delivers the explosiveness associated with the modern game without sacrificing control. It’s a fast and lively racket with a juicy stringbed that gave us the pop we desired and the confidence we needed to place explosive shots wherever we wanted. And the topspin we generated with this stick was impressive. The Babolat Pure Strike packs a response that’s stable and light into a quick player’s frame. The Pure Strike is a racket that has universal appeal and one that commands freaky control over the ball. And at around 200 bucks it’s hard to find fault with this graphite cannon.
Pro:
- Lightweight
- Fast head acceleration
- Extraordinary playability
Con:
- Top level pros may find it lacks stiffness
Warranty: One year, materials and workmanship, when used in the manner intended.
Rating: 5/5 Stars ✭✭✭✭✭
