Tecnifibre TFlash 315 VO2 Max Racquet Review

Tecnifibre has beefed up and spiffed up its TFlash line. The TFlash 315 introduces a heavier player's frame into the TFlash line-up. This new 315 comes complete with new technology and new cosmetics.

The new technology, VO2 Max, allows Tecnifibre to engineer more flex into strategic areas of the frame. This leads to increased feel and improved response. Meanwhile, the new cosmetics tell a story of the racquet's emphasis. Mixed in with Tecnifibre's traditional black and red paint, ATP pro Marcos Baghdatis' racquet of choice sports an image of Zeus, the powerful Greek god.

Armed with the TFlash 315 VO2 Max, our playtesters hit the courts to see if they could rule the courts with god-like performance and controllable power. After a month of testing, our testers reported back with their feedback.

Groundstrokes - Score: 73

The TFlash 315 offers a 100 sq in. head, head light balance and an open 16/20 string pattern. Chris found that these specs helped him generate a lot of spin. "I found this stick to be very whippy off the ground. I was able to generate lots of racquet head speed and that resulted in lots of spin. Being able to swing this racquet fast was a good thing, as I had to swing for the fences to get any depth. I first hit the racquet strung at mid tension (60 lbs) and it felt WAY underpowered. We strung it up again at 50 lbs and I found the racquet played much better. With the lower tension I was able to find depth more easily, the sweetspot felt bigger and I seemed to be getting even more spin. Still, the upper hoop really dropped off in power, and comfort wasn't great when I caught the ball high up in the hoop."

Also finding lower tensions beneficial was Tiffani. "I might describe this as a love-hate relationship. I loved the feel of this stick when I was in a groove, hitting the sweetspot every time. I wasn't finding tons of power or spin, but I was able to swing away and have little worries of balls flying. However, if I found myself out of sync, I struggled. This racquet punishes you for missing the sweetspot. I need a racquet that's more forgiving. Another thing to note is the tension. With the TFlash 315, I liked the tension pretty low, 50 pounds, to help on those mis-hits."

Jason found it took a while to adjust to the TFlash 315. "It definitely took me some time to get acclimated to this racquet. Not just because it was different from mine, but also because of how it played from ball to ball. When I did hit it in the sweetspot, there was a nice soft feel, I got plenty of spin and I was able to get the ball deep. I noticed that when I was hitting balls off center, or just slightly off center, the racquet would become unstable and the vibrations would be quite noticeable. When I was rallying with bigger hitting players, I felt that this racquet got bullied around a bit. Either the beam width is too thin or it's just too light. What I do like about this racquet is the spin potential and the fact that it is so maneuverable. I had an easier time hitting high hopping balls with this racquet than my own."

Spencer also noted a substantial difference when hitting outside the sweetspot of the TFlash 315. "Before I even got to the courts, I loved the feel when I picked up this racquet. The weight and balance in the hand seemed to be right up my alley. I couldn't wait to get on the court to start hitting some balls. When there, the racquet felt good. I liked the feel and spin I was getting. However, when my ball strikes were just outside the sweetspot, the 315 let me know loud and clear. There seemed to be a lot of fall-off in power as well as a lack of stability. Suffice it to say, I liked it off both wings when hitting it in the sweetspot; not so much on off-center hits. With a 100sq. inch head size, I expected a bit more forgiveness from this racquet."

Volleys - Score: 79

The maneuverability of this Tecnifibre was top notch at the net for the team. Spencer enjoyed volleying with the TFlash 315. "I found volleying to be my favorite aspect of this playtest. It was heavy enough to handle good paced passing attempts, and maneuverable enough for me to be able to get the racquet in a good position. The head size made it easy to get the string bed on balls. Because it's a pretty flexible racquet, touch was easily acquired, as there is a lot of feel with this stick. All in all, the TFlash 315 had a great blend of attributes when at net."

Chris found the racquet's power level favorable to net play. "I much preferred volleying with this stick over hitting groundstrokes. It felt maneuverable, and the low power level enabled me to be very aggressive, with no fear of hitting long. I found some nice touch with this racquet, but comfort could have been better."

Noting the extreme mobility of the racquet was Jason. "I enjoyed this racquet up at net. The best part of it was how easily I was able to put the racquet where I wanted. I especially found the maneuverability of it useful on the body shots, I was able to quickly move the racquet and get the strings on the ball. Overheads were just as easy, putting away a ball was a snap-of-the-wrist away."

Like the others, Tiffani was comfortable at net. "The feel, again, was a good feature for me. Not being a natural volleyer, I liked the mobility of the racquet at net as well. The feel I was getting from the TFlash 315 helped me with those touch volleys. Though, if someone rocketed the ball and I missed the sweetspot, the racquet sent a lot of feedback up my arm."

Serves - Score: 72

The team noted the precision and spin friendly aspects of the TFlash 315 on serve. Jason enjoyed his improved consistency. "Much like my volleying, I had good success with this stick while serving. Lacking a bit in the power department, it provided good control and spin. I was able to be consistent with my second serve, which is something that my game is lacking. With this stick, consistency was the name of the game."

Tiffani was finding it difficult to produce power. "Accuracy was good, but power was lacking. This is the area where I need a racquet that will help provide power. This wasn't the stick to do it. I found good accuracy, but I felt like I was throwing up patsy serves every time because I couldn't get any pace."

With the spin-friendly set-up, Chris got aggressive with his placement. "I continued to find lots of spin from this racquet, which suited my serve well. I tend to hit with spin on both deliveries, and I was getting a lot of grip and bite on the ball with this stick. After dropping the tension to 50 lbs. the spin and pace got even better. I was able to go for the corners aggressively and get some good action on the ball. Flat serves were nothing special for me with this one, so I stopped going for them."

The sweetspot was finicky for Spencer. "Similar to groundstrokes, I felt the racquet performed well when striking it in the middle. When slightly off the mark, I felt velocity dropped substantially. That being said, the spin and placement were good, and easy to achieve. I feel the control trumped the power when serving with this racquet."

Serve Returns - Score: 74

The control and maneuverability of the TFlash 315 helped the playtesters on returns. Tiffani found she wanted some added stability on returns. "Maneuverability once again played a role. It was easy to get my racquet on the bigger serves. I did, however, again find that the racquet didn't always have the guts to handle the heavier, big serves. It got pushed around a bit and again demanded that I find the sweetspot." Jason concurred: "When returning bigger serves, I really had to make sure I was hitting the sweetspot on the racquet; otherwise, torsional stability (or lack of torsional stability) came into play."

Able to keep the ball in play was Chris. "I was able to be aggressive returning with this racquet. I never felt like I was going to over-hit. Again, spin was very impressive and I was able to stay on the gas and hit aggressive topspin returns. Off-center hits did not feel good; comfort was lacking especially when catching hard and heavy serves slightly outside of the sweetspot."

Returning was another highlight for Spencer. "This was another area where I thought this racquet stood out. My confidence was boosted because of the versatility of this racquet when returning serve. Good mobility helped my ability to put a good swing on the ball, while a healthy string bed kept the ball on the strings, helping keep the ball in play."

Overall - Score: 75

As mere mortals, the playtesters won't be relocating to Mount Olympus anytime soon. Even with Zeus on the side of the frame, our testers found this racquet to be somewhat demanding. A drop-off in power outside of the sweetspot had us stringing this one at the low end of the tension range, where racquet performance was much improved. However, the team did find a good mix of control, feel and spin from the racquet. This racquet does require players to generate their own power, though. With its excellent maneuverability from all areas of the court, this stick should excel for the all-court player who is looking for a control-oriented offering.

Tecnifibre tFlash 315 VO2 Max Scores

(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)

Chris Power 6.3 Serves 7.3 Control 7.9 Groundstrokes 7.5 Maneuverability 8.4 Returns 7.4 Stability 6.8 Slice 8.3 Comfort 6.7 Topspin 8 Touch/Feel 8 Volleys 7.8 Overall 7.5	Jason Power 7 Serves 7.6 Control 7.5 Groundstrokes 7.3 Maneuverability 7.8 Returns 7.2 Stability 6.8 Slice 7.7 Comfort 7 Topspin 7.7 Touch/Feel 7.3 Volleys 7.8 Overall 7.7	Spencer Power 7.6 Serves 7.5 Control 8 Groundstrokes 7.4 Maneuverability 8.1 Returns 8.1 Stability 7.1 Slice 8 Comfort 8 Topspin 7.8 Touch/Feel 8 Volleys 8.3 Overall 7.6
Tiffani Power 6.5 Serves 6.5 Control 7.7 Groundstrokes 6.8 Maneuverability 7.8 Returns 6.7 Stability 6.8 Slice 7.5 Comfort 7 Topspin 7 Touch/Feel 7.5 Volleys 7.5 Overall 7

Review date: December 2008. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

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