Estusa Power Beam Pro Racquet Review

There is only a handful of classic racquets that have survived the last 10-15 years of technology "advancements". Their appeal lies in a purity of design, simplicity and quality of components. Like a well made wine, these racquets are a good blend of design, raw materials and production. They're balanced, and, like a fine wine, just seem to get better with age! The Estusa Power Beam Pro is such a racquet. Originally made famous by Boris Becker back in the late'80s, it faded into obscurity over the last several years. We were fortunate to find and bring back this classic player's racquet. We had lots of fun playtesting the Power Beam Pro over a two week period on hardcourts.

Groundstrokes

The Power Beam Pro has a nice pick-up weight, or first moment. Just picking it up makes you want to go out and hit tennis balls! Granville offers, "At first, I had trouble looking at this racquet without visualizing Boris at Wimbledon. This is a player's racquet with a capitol P! Hefty, head-light and flexible, the balls seemed to sink into the stringbed like I sink into a leather couch - luxuriously! For such a heavy frame (12.4 ounces), it is remarkably maneuverable, and I had no problems in stroke preparation or follow-through. When on the run, or driving the ball from the center of the baseline, I could swing out and hit deep, penetrating shots with little concern for hitting the ball too long. With such extended dwell time, I felt I could consistently put the ball within a foot or so of my target. The head shape makes it look like the sweetspot might be lower in the hoop, but I found it to be dead center, again with very pleasant results."

Mark adds, "I loved the feel of this racquet. Whoever coined the term 'sweetspot' must have been hitting with the Power Beam Pro, because it's as sweet as honey. You can find racquets with bigger sweetspots but I don't know that you can find a racquet with a better one. I was surprised how easy it was to swing the Power Beam Pro. When I first picked it up, I thought it was going to be much too heavy. However, the distribution of weight made it very maneuverable. I wasn't able to generate a lot of spin with this racquet, though. The string pattern is too dense and my swing speed isn't fast enough. However, I was able to produce enough spin to keep the ball in the court and slice was better than topspin. Despite the lack of spin, I really enjoyed hitting groundstrokes this racquet. It had such a solid feel when I hit the sweetspot that I couldn't wait for the ball to come back so I could hit it again. My control was good, power was adequate and enjoyment was high!"

John comments, "I found the Power Beam Pro to be a smooth, comfortable performer. The weight lends to the racquet's stability and comfort level. From both sides, I was able to swing out with confidence, consistently placing the ball deep cross-court, up the middle or down the line. The sweetspot is generous, if somewhat low, and the medium-dense string pattern allowed me to produce topspin or slice with relative ease. Slice approach shots were especially comfortable, as the thin beam frame undercut the ball and sent it deep and low. Compared to some of the more modern racquets, the relatively flexible Power Beam Pro dampens vibration extremely well. If you don't mind the weight, this racquet is very easy on the arm and shoulder."

Don says, "Hitting groundies with the Power Beam Pro is pure pleasure. Despite the small, 92 square-inch head, 12.4-ounce weight and standard length, this racquet delivers adequate power for my medium-fast swing. Granted, my shots didn't have penetrating pace or depth without a full swing, but control was fantastic. I was able to guide passing shots down the line or hit dipping cross-court winners with ease. They just didn't travel as fast as with some other racquets. The 1-1/8 inch head-light balance results in a dynamic swingweight of 326, making the Power Beam Pro surprisingly maneuverable. It's hefty, for sure, but not sluggish. The 80/20 mix of graphite and fiberglass provides a comfortable ride without masking the racquet's feel. Stability on off-center shots is solid, although balls hit high on the stringbed do lack some power. Nothing most other player's racquets don't suffer from, though."

Dan continues, "Having known the specs and the reputation this racquet holds before even picking it up, I was pleasantly surprised that there were no surprises. It's ultra flexible, and predictably takes some know-how and advanced swing mechanics to start the engine. That's what I loved most about this racquet - It's for the no-holds-barred swing type who loves to swing away without being penalized. If I remember correctly, that describes a player (who used this racquet mold) we knew at some point in the past... For a 92 square inch head, the lower sweetspot was soft and forgiving, and seemingly larger than most racquets in this "advanced player" category. It plays larger than its 92 square inches.

Volleys

The Power Beam Pro is impressive at net for players who possess good technique. Don explains, "I was able to volley effectively, provided I was on my toes and moving forward. Maneuverability was above average for a racquet this heavy, thanks to the head-light balance. I could react to hard-hit passing shots easily enough. While I didn't hit that many penetrating volleys, I won many points on touch and angle volleys. Picking up half-volleys was fun; the racquet's heft kept it stable and provided enough oomph to get the ball back deep, but without fear of flying... My only concern here is the lack of a bumper guard and I'd suggest adding head tape for protection."

Granville adds, "The combination of this racquet's components make it one great volleying racquet. As with my groundstrokes, I felt I could hold the ball on the strings a little longer, allowing me to drain all the speed from the ball for a touch volley or drop shot, or return the power off a passing shot and place the ball in the corner with emphasis. I should reiterate that this racquet is heavy, and while the balance makes it maneuverable, players who aren't used to this much weight will likely suffer from fatigue to some degree. Having said that, players who already use full-bodied racquets will find a lot to like about the Power Beam Pro at net."

John says, "I found the Power Beam Pro very maneuverable at net. The head-light balance gave me lots of confidence and I was able to deflect balls hit hard at me with the slightest flick of the wrist. If given time to react, it was possible to direct deep, penetrating volleys. Overheads were a breeze for some of the same reasons. The maneuverability of the racquet made it easy to prepare and strike the ball with authority."

Mark comments, "I enjoyed hitting volleys and half-volleys with this racquet because I didn't feel I had to baby the ball to keep it in the court. The stability provided by the racquet's weight and the low power level of the Power Beam Pro let you hit low balls aggressively and effectively."

Serves

Serving with the Power Beam Pro elicited varied responses from our playtesters. John begins, "I was able to generate some serious racquet head speed with the Power Beam Pro, producing sufficient power. The open string pattern made it easy to hit good spin and kick second serves." Granville adds, "the added dwell time made this a very comfortable serving racquet. Spin serves were very effective. At times I felt like I was throwing curve balls, feeling the last strings leave the ball. Power is up to the player. At 12.4 ounces, the racquet will provide as much power as you can muster, nothing more. If you've got the game, this racquet won't let you down."

Dan comments, "The unique frame symmetry (variable shape) of the Power Beam Pro seemed to produce its best results on serves. I felt the wider string bed bolstered spin control and slice, whether out wide in the deuce court or into the body in the ad court. This makes sense with the shape of the racquet opening the string bed up a bit in the middle. I had the feeling I was serving with a 95 or 98 square-inch racquet." Mark says, "I served OK with the Power Beam Pro but nothing special. Spin and power were moderate but my placement was good."

Don offers, "the racquet's heft was noticeable on serves. It didn't feel as maneuverable as when hitting groundstrokes, but the head-light balance allowed for adequate racquet head speed. I wasn't hitting my hardest serves but had good spin and excellent placement."

Returns

Returning serves is fairly predictable with the Power Beam Pro. Dan offers, "What you find with the Power Beam Pro from the baseline, you can generally expect on return of serve. Smaller/shorter swings will land short in most cases, while swings with a larger radius will find depth. If you're on time though, and on the mark, this racquet drives itself by virtue of its weight and balance - simply a great feeling frame in the right hands." John continues, "returning serves with this racquet was a pleasure. When given time to react, I was able to swing through the ball with confidence that my return would land between the lines. If faced with a booming serve, I was able to block the ball back with decent pace."

Don comments, "returns were my weakest shot with the Power Beam Pro. While I could block back hard first serves, they were usually anemic. Sometimes this worked out well against net-rushing serve and volley players. However, it often ended up offering my opponent a sitter that he was able to put away or use for an approach shot. Second serve returns were a little different, allowing me to take a full swing and still keep the ball in the court."

Says Mark," I just swung as hard as I could at the returns and most of them went in. I was surprised at how many hard serves I was able to catch up to. It's really hard to hit the ball long with this racquet so you don't have to be afraid of attacking a hard serve. It was fun!"

Granville continues, "One on the big benefits of the Power Beam Pro comes from its weight and stability. This is particularly evident on serve returns. If you're playing against a big server, you can simply block the ball and have enough energy return to make a good play on the ball. If your timing is good, and you stay ahead of the ball, you can take the offensive right away by powering the ball deep in a corner or finesse the cross-court shot to open up the court. For such a heavy racquet, it is surprisingly maneuverable and friendly on returns."

Summary

The Power Beam Pro is worthy of its "classic" status and offers 4.5-7.0 players a nice choice in a control-oriented racquet with good feel. It favors all-court players but will work fine for aggressive baseliners or pure serve and volleyers. If you like the Head Classic Tour Mid, Prince Graphite Classic (Original) Mid and/or Wilson ProStaff 6.0 85, we urge you to give the Power Beam Pro a try. It's like a sports car with new tires and good shocks; comfy, while still allowing you to feel the road and hug those curves. Fasten your seat belt and enjoy the ride!

Review date: February, 2001. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

All content copyright 2001 Tennis Warehouse.