Fantastic review once again. Really enjoying watching your reviews. As for Control, I do feel - and you do say that - that there has do be a discrimination between control though top-spin and control through flat hitting. With top-spin you find larger targets consistently and then there's the issue of how heavy your top-spin is so that the ball doesn't sit up for too long making you a sitting duck. With flat hitting accuracy, how consistent is the attacking hitting closer to the sidelines and down the line forehands and backhands.
I've tried Babloat PureDrive, Pure Strike and Pure Aero and various times in my tennis career and always came back with serious arm issues. I Use the Speed MP as my primary racquet now for 4 years and I have absolutely no arm issues and perfect for my game. Its got plenty of control too!
Its good there is options for the sensitive arms. a plusher racket also means more dwelltime which can be nice and good for redirection, but then it also react less quick against better players with powerfull strokes and here the MP will feel like a noodle. It also depends on the players strength and level of play. The Pro Staff 97, a known players racket, has a simular stiffness as the Pure Strike. And its here the comparison should be.
Take also this into account: The stiffness will go down after some few restring-ings.... and use on the court. After a year or two the MP will be like a noodle..... and the Pure Strike will still be playable. longevity is important too when you invest in an expensive racket. If you like more dwell time and power then chose a softer string and string it at a lower tenision. if you like more responsiveness and control then chose some other string and tension. Strings and tension is 50 % of the racket. ALso remember that the Speed Mp is considered a tweener. A racket aimed for all players. A racket that does everything well without being significant in one thing. A stiffer racket will be more powerfull on serves and can fininsh better with a winner. Racket choice also has to do with what type of player you are. defender/attacker...baseline counter/baseline rallyer or net seeking finisher. Sampras would chose the Pure Strike over the Speed.
In stock form....The Speed MP has 330 SW and the Pure Strike 322. This is probably why you like the MP better. add 1 or 2 grams of lead at 12 on the Pure Strike and you got your winner. After 10 string jobs the stiffness goes down on any racket. so better to start out with slightly too much stiffness.
I’m personally debating (and play testing) between the pure strike 98” 16x19 vs the 100” 16x19. I know you’ve reviewed both, just not one against the other. To me it feels 98” more stable due to higher swing weight. 100” more manoeuvrable due to slightly lighter frame (and maybe 100” size playing some difference). Power wise I think the 100” may have a bit more but not ridiculously more. Have you any wise words to help me with my decision?
you can dial yourself in to a racket through fitness. The 98 is the best one of the two if you can wield it. If you feel the 98 is one step over you then you should go with the 100. For people with great technique more power can be a challenge and tehy prefer the one with a bit less power. But you can very much dial the power in both rackets through string choice and tension. larger headsizes do drag more through the air than the smaller headsize.
Definitely wish the Strikes were more plush. As I have a special love for them. Babolats tend to be stiffer and with muted almost no vibrations. And Heads tend to be flexier and with a proper amount of vibration. It would be nice if next time you could also compare both rackets with the same string. Like with one that is very middle of the road. Or that you really know and like. Say Alu Power. And then also with the manufacturer’s recommended string. Because that one may complement the racket.
Hey Guys. Please help me out here? I am an Intermediate player. Play around 2 - 3 times a week socially. At the age of 45, I obviously do not move as quick anymore nor is my reaction as fast as the younger guys. I play singles and doubles and I am an All rounder. My serve is average. I am looking for a comfortable all round racket with some good power and control. I did suffer some tennis elbow but that seems to be better nowadays. Your recommendations will be highly appreciated. Thanks 🙂
Great review. I switched from the Graphene 360+ MP to the PSVS and it was like night and day. In my opinion, you can really feel how the MP has way more drag (especially for the one-handed backhand). Around the PS 100 16/20 there's a bit of hype and seems to be great.
@@philiplb haven't tried tho. I use the PSVS 16/20 and I have pin point accuracy, but I haven't tried the 2024. Hope they release a video about it. Tennisnerd had a video btw
I have ordered the new blade 100 v9 i am getting it from TWE because of thier matching service! So my specs are 287g sw 288 and balance 320 this means i can add lead myself so its open to a little customisation. I was interested in the mp however the high sw dettered me! I would rather have a lower sw that i can adjust since its easier to do that than vice versa
30 swingweight points difference sounds like a lot! There must be a big difference on how it plays. Also you really should string them with the same string at the same tension. Strings do bigger difference than racquets.
You mention Auxetic 2.0. I'm curious now, is it noticeably better than the original Auxetic from 2023? The tinny ping doesn't bother me much, but lack of control gets me rattled.
This is a good question, and one we haven’t specifically answered. I don’t think there is any difference in the material, just the amount of it and where it is placed in the frame. I will get the tech answers from Head and make a video on this! Josh
The strike is a little stiffer so would Go for the Speed personally! If your in the UK drop us a message on insta @primalhealthtennjs and I’ll give you a discount code! Josh
You could argue this would/will always be a valid question. We went with the manufacturers recommended string as thought this could give the racket the chance to show how it is suppose to feel (from the brand's perspective)
@@ph-tennis most people have their own preferences on string use, regardless the brand of racket. On top of that the users that don't care generally get a preferred default string from their stringer or stay with what they always use as default. My experience is that the impact of different strings and tension on feel, spin, control and power is greater than 50% of the total experience and the racket itself less than 50%, so the test you did could say more about the strings than the racket. But worse, you actually don't know. This to me makes the test invalid. But that's my humble personal opinion.
Sick of watching the reviews. You can't Review using different strings. You can't especially when the review is so close for each racket. you're doing categories of spin power the strings will make a big difference. Just do the review on the Using the strings you play with And tension
Appreciate the comment and sorry you feel so upset! We went with the manufacturers recommended string as thought this could give the racket the chance to show how it is suppose to feel (from the brand's perspective). Shall we give it another go?
I do not agree you should compare the racquets with the best string for each. This way you are getting most out of both. Otherwise you would be bringing either one or both down in performance.
