Racquet Playtest Comparison: Ki 15 PSE vs Pure Drive+ vs Tour 8 V-Engine
ProKennex Ionic Ki 15 PSE: Ranked second in the power category out of the 3 racquets tested. Had comfortable, useable power, but not overwhelming. Didn't have to struggle to consistently put the ball deep, whether I flattened it out or hit w/ spin, yet didn't have to worry about balls hitting the back fence. This nice blend of control and power could also be seen in the serve, where I was able to hit flat bombs as well as some nice spin serves to the corners. Volkl Tour 8 V-Engine: The least powered of the trio of demos, but that's not to say that it's a low powered racquet. For all the control freaks that need a little help at times, this racquet may fit the bill. Swings very light, giving you great racquet head speed on the ball. It was a little low powered for serving, so it seemed more suited for spin serves and placement rather than trying to blow by your opponent. Volleys stayed deep if I punched them, simply blocking them made them land a little short, around the service line. Control Comments: Babolat Pure Drive +: I'd have to vote that the PD+ had the least control of the 3 racquets I tried, which was very disappointing since I've been a loyal user of the standard length PD. It just felt like night and day. Again, I think adjusting the string and tension could help a lot with the control. I had to adjust my strokes to keep the ball in the court, and consciously hit more loopy shots for more spin. Didn't have much control on the serves, but it was pretty effective just blasting flat serves and overpowering the opponent. Short balls, and approach shots were tough to control unless I consciously hit a really compact stroke. ProKennex Ionic Ki 15 PSE: I'd rate this racquet in-between the other 2 in control. A little tough at times to hit the wide service line angle on groundstrokes or hit drop volleys. Serve control thou was excellent where I was able to place the ball down the T or wide with success. Volkl Tour 8 V-Engine: The Tour 8 had the best control out of these racquets. The increase in racquet head speed allowed me to generate lots of spin. Despite the extra length I was able to direct my volleys deep or hit the short angles. Maneuverability Comments: Babolat Pure Drive +: The extra length of the PD+ made it less maneuverable than it's standard length brother. The difference could definitely be felt at the net, where I felt clumsy trying to volley, especially balls hit into the body. From the baseline, I really had to start my swing early to make clean contact, else I would start spraying balls. Roddick, w/ so much extra lead in the head, bumps up the swingweight of this racquet tremendously, so it's no surprise that he stays so far behind the baseline to hit since it gives him extra time to bring the head around. Similarly, I felt myself backing up more to give me more time to hit as well. ProKennex Ionic Ki 15 PSE: I felt this racquet was fairly maneuverable, and reminiscent of my normal playing racquet (PD standard). The slight extra length (0.25") was not bothersome at all, and I was able to go through quick exchanges at the net with no problems. From the baseline, I didn't feel rushed into trying to bring the racquet head around. Volkl Tour 8 V-Engine: The Tour 8, despite it's long length (27.6") felt the most maneuverable of the 3 racquets I tried. This may have been due to the low swingweight of the racquet (315). I enjoyed serving and volleying w/ this racquet, and the length wasn't really a hindrance at the net. There were times I did choke up on the racquet, which helped for volleys hit into the body, but otherwise, the extra length was great for stretch volleys and overheads. Stability Comments: Babolat Pure Drive +: The PD+ felt fairly stable, even shots hit in the upper hoop yielded a decent shot without the racquet twisting in my hand. The sweetspot felt wide in the center, and balls hit there just flew off the racquet w/ a solid feel. ProKennex Ionic Ki 15 PSE: This racquet felt the most stable of the 3 demos. Felt solid on impact, whether I was serving, rallying from the baseline, or up at the net. The sweetspot felt like it was almost the entire hoop, and I experienced no twisting of the racquet on off-center hits. Volkl Tour 8 V-Engine: The Tour 8 felt the least stable in this playtest. Whether it was the lighter weight, extra length, or combination of the 2, the racquet lacked stability if you didn't take a nice cut at the ball. Shots hit in the upper hoop had a slight jarring effect. I felt the Tour 8 didn't have enough weight for "plowing through" or enough stability to block back hard hit balls which was evident in my service returns. If I was playing this racquet, I'd probably add some lead tape to the hoop for added stability. Comfort Comments: Babolat Pure Drive +: I thought the PD+ was fairly comfortable, despite it's stiffness, but then again, I've been playing w/ the PD standard (my normal racquet) for a while and never had any problems. There was some vibration on shots hit high in the hoop, but not to the point of discomfort. The extra length was nicely comfortable for my 2 handed backhand. ProKennex Ionic Ki 15 PSE: Definitely the most comfortable of the 3 racquets. It has a dampened, slightly muted feel, and it's large sweetspot made the racquet feel extremely comfortable. Volkl Tour 8 V-Engine: Aside from the jarring effect on shots hit in the upper hoop, the Tour 8 was a comfortable racquet to play with. It did feel a little "pingy" at times, but as long as I hit with full strokes, the racquet felt fine. 2 handed backhand felt extremely comfortable, especially w/ the extra handle length Spin Comments: Babolat Pure Drive +: The PD+ had adequate spin, as long as I consciously brushed up on the ball. Hitting my normal stroke, which usually has a good amount of topspin seemed to be too much of a flat drive in this racquet. Sliced had decent bite, thou spin serves didn't seem to have as much "action" as I normally get from the PD standard. ProKennex Ionic Ki 15 PSE: I was able to get more spin from the ProKennex Ionic Ki 15 PSE than the PD+. I felt comfortable hitting topspin or slicing, and getting a good blend of drive and spin. I was also able to hit spin serves to the corners effectively. Volkl Tour 8 V-Engine: With the Tour 8, I was able to get some massive spin on the ball. The low swingweight, coupled with the open string pattern helped increase my racquet head speed, and resulted in lots of topspin that kicked up at the opponent. I did tend to hit a bit flatter to get more drive on the ball thou, else balls tended to land a little short, around the service line area. I hit some of my best topspin lobs w/ this racquet. Slices had nice bite, and I enjoyed chipping and charging where my slices would be short. Deep slices floated a bit more. Spin serves were also nice w/ this racquet, and I was able to get action on the ball, but they weren't as heavy. Final Notes: Upon receiving the racquets, I initially thought I would like the Babolat Pure Drive + best, since I thought it would be similar to my PD std, but it was proven otherwise. Perhaps a change in string and tension would make it more playable for me. I had no expectations of the PK Ionic Ki 15 PSE, but it performed surprisingly well. I immediately felt at home with it, and it felt very similar to my Pure Drive std. One thing I didn't like was that the handle felt really short for my 2-hand backhand. The Volkl Tour 8 V-Engine was cosmetically gorgeous w/ the red and yellow paint. It looked really long, but didn't feel it as much on the court.
Playtest date: December, 2004. All content copyright 2004 Tennis Warehouse. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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