HOLY CATS! I just LOVE this racket. If you play and like the latest Pure Drive 100 you may like this even more! It is everything I was hoping for!... I've been playing the P.D 100 for quite a while, I love the easy power, big sweet spot, good spin and the big soft feel to each shot :- It is however a bit wild/uncontrolled at times and a touch unwieldy, so long term, unless you make yourself, you don't find yourself doing so many little touch shots etc. I was using Luxilon ALU Power at 52lbs but changed to Solinco Hyper G at 54lbs. I would recommend this set up on the 100, if you want a bit more control and crispness. However it still wasn't enough for me, so I ordered the 98, hoping for more control and maneuverability, and I was really hoping the launch angle and the power would be similar!!! It has exceeded all my expectations!! I just got it and have played a few times, with Luxilon ALU Power at 52lbs. Wow! It is a bit more stiff/crisp but it's not over muted or anything, I still like the feel, in fact maybe prefer it. It's maneuverable and really stable. You get nice touch with it and good spin AND AND AND, with ALU power at 52lbs I'd say it's at least as powerful as the 100 with Hyper G at 54lbs! Amazing! I'm in love! I'm just going to go and stroke it a little (the racket!!) while I watch Murray play Tsitsipas on centre court Wimbledon! Cammm onnnnnnn Andyyyyy! :)
Great comment 👏👏👏. Very informative. I'm moving from a TSi6 and will be trying to PD100 Vs a Radical MP, but your commentary on the PD98 has been noted. Also great to hear your string and tension combos 👍👍👍
@@davidhale8034 The PD 100 is quite different to the Radical MP.. I had the Radical too at one point.. I'm a bit of a racket addict, but have now found my partner! For a year I'd say at least!...
@tomr1056 I'm a bit of a racket addict too; at the moment, I'm in love with the Yonex Vcore 95-2018 version. But, I'm tempted by this Pure Drive 98, my only concern is the thick 23mm beam in the 3'o Clock and 9'o Clock position. I like rackets with a thinner beam that cut through the air with little to no drag and are manoeuvrable to swing. How monouverable is this Pure Drive 98? How does it compare to the Vcore 95, if you have ever used that racket?
My '21 Pure Drive is just fine. I don't need to spend money on new rackets. My '21 Pure Drive is just fine. I don't need to spend money on new rackets. My '21 Pure Drive is just fine. I don't need to spend money on new rackets. My '21 Pure Drive is just fine. I don't need to spend money on new rackets.
Thanks for sharing. I had been using Pro Staff 97 V13 (w/ ALU Power @ 50 lbs) for about one year and quite love its control boosting my confidence on the serve and topspin, but it is stiff negatively impacting the maneuverability. Wanted to contribute to a data point, and to try a different racquet. I bought Pure Drive 98 w/ Silinco Confidential 17G @51 lbs and played it for about 3 hours. It looks good, and yes it gives me easy power for baseline attack. I also feel that Pure Drive 98 offers better maneuverability, especially for the one-hand backhand compared to Pro Staff. However, I found it hard to control: the ball is easier to fly out the baseline and is hard to serve inside the court, which I do understand from its power-driven gene. I also feel the huge difference between hitting the ball on the sweet spot and outside the sweet spot. Not sure if it is due to the racquet, confidential string, 17 gauge (120 mm), or 51 lbs tension. The sweet spot is very soft while non-sweet spot hit has a quite cheap feeling (maybe I am used to ALU Power). One thing I am confused about is I barely have the top spin on this Pure Drive 98, but I am normally able to have it on Pro Staff. Do you have any thoughts on the lack of top spin on this racquet? (Maybe I need more time to get used to it or prefer a firmer string like ALU Power :) thanks!
Selling my two vcore 98’s(2023) now after buying two of these. Had first hit tonight and racket felt great all round. Serve was big, stable off the ground and volleys were crisp and effortlessly deep. Had been looking at the Dunlop Fx 500 tour as well but think I’ll hold off for a while now 😅
heyo! i just orderd the 98 PD and i used to use both the 2022 PD and yonex ezone so once i get it and get some hitting sessions in ill let you know if you'd like
I like the specs and size, I'm sizing down on the SW of my racquets.. I'll be curious how this plays vs something like the TFlight 300 RS which I think is similar spec-wise. I feel like light versions of racquets are usually too big and too light not stable but this at 98 and lower SW with some stiffness is an area more manufactures need to keep releasing racquets into. great review, definitely on my list to try.
Its crazy all the reviews of people loving it or hating it. I think those that hate it, like to make all of their own power. But if you want to get some better accuracy and control from your pure drive, you will love it because it offers some add power too but not as much as the pure drive. Its a good trade off for those that want to improve there game rather then siting on the base line the whole match. You can now drop shot slightly better and volley a little better then the pure drive 21
Thanks for this review, Harry and Chris. Question: Based on all the strengths and advantages over the other Pure Drives that you have found in the Pure Drive 98, do you anticipate that many competitive players will begin switching over to the 98? FWIW, I own a pair of Pure Drive 2015 which I like a lot, and they are the first "real" modern, competitive racquets I've purchased since owning/playing with a Head ("Red Head") Professional with a Fairway leather grip from the mid-/late 1970s -- yeah, I was out of it for that long. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, guys...
The specs of this particular demo racket are way too off and way too low. Strung weight 317g = 300g unstrung. There is the extra 5g missing. Strung balance 326 mm = 316 mm unstrung. 9 mm more balanced to the hand. And that's why the swingweight is so extremely low for this racket, just 309 strung. If you compare it to Tecnifibre TFight 305 ISO with the same head size, weight and balance (SW 338), this racket feels like a toy. Even the standard 10inch Pure Drive has SW 320. I believe this demo version just shows that Babolat's quality control issues are still present. Good thing is, it looks like a great platform racket for custom job.
Oh I play with the vs for 3 years, tested the new one and liked the old model much more. Also my team colleague the same, he liked the feel from his old vs more. We play both college n1 level. Much more quality the shiny VS
Problem is, the previous one was so crap, that you could roll a turd in a new grip, and it would have a chance to be better. No wonder this one is like a perfect croissant by comparison. The bigger question is, how does it compare to other 98's? How does it compare to the DR's you picked up in Japan just now? The DR is my favourite stick ever, so I'll put my hand up and admit bias right up front.
Started playing tennis again during the pandemic after not playing for a while. I have a Babolat Pure Control Team 97 - 320gr, 310mm balance, 97 sq in, 16 x 20. Would this new Pure Drive 98 be a good replacement for my aging racquet? Or would a different model be closer to what I have? I love my Pure Control, but it's starting to show its age. Thanks Harry!
Coach Chris, looking stacked! Has CC started weight training for his tournament play? On the racquet, the last PDVS was poorly rated, no feeling in the top of the hoop, etc.. has that been rectified? You mentioned you like the pocketing, but is that good feeling across the full racquet face? I bought the PAVS last year and like it but coming from Wilson UT2.0 and now using Prince ATS98 Tour I found the PAVS stiff and painful on my elbow (especially with RPM Blast) and requiring a lot of technique (timing). I demoed the new PA98 and really noticed a better (softer) feel, which they say is from Flax Fibers (unfortunately it was not for sale at the time I got the PAVS, probably why the PAVS was on discount). Does the PD98 have the same? How would you compare it to PAVS and the regular PD (also quite stiff)? Thanks for all the content!