Racquet Playtest Comparison:

About the play testerAbout the racquets

Name: Kreative

Playing Level: 4.0

Regular racquet, string & tension: Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 95, Ashaway Crossfire 17, 54 lbs.

Tell us about your game: An aggressive counter-puncher developing a more all-court game. Moderate to fast swing speeds, short backswing. Full western forehand grip, 2-handed backhand, 1-handed backhand slice, serves and volleys range between continental and eastern backhand. Playing 50% singles, 50% doubles.

Power

Flexpoint Radical Tour: Ranked second of the four racquets tested in the power department. The Flexpoint Radical Tour had generous pop, but I really had to get the head moving in order to get it. The racquet initially felt heavy, but its headlight balance gave it a sort of whippy feel. On volleys, I really had to prepare early and punch through the shot in order to get any power. Just blocking the ball caused volleys to land short around the service line. Power on serves was surprising. If I could get the racquet head moving, I could generate some serious pace with this racquet. Flat serves were blazing, and slice or kick serves were heavy and deep in the corners. You really have to have the strength for it thou, as I noticed my serving power dropped after a set or so when I started getting tired.

Volkl Tour 10 Gen II: Generally speaking, the T10 Gen II is a low powered racquet, but I was still able to generate some decent pace with it. This racquet is suited for those with longer, fuller swings. Definitely did not have the same pop as its Tour 10 V-Engine Midplus brother.

Tecnifibre TFight 315: The least powerful racquet in this playtest. I really had to swing out to keep the balls deep. Serves lacked pace, so I found myself going more for placement. With a racquet with such a dense pattern (18x20), I think I would string in the lower tension range (50-52 lbs) to get a little more pop.

Babolat Pure Control: The most powerful out of the 4 racquets tested. I felt its power was nearly on par with my Pure Drive. I was consistently able to keep the ball deep, as long as I hit with spin. Flatter shots tended to land a bit beyond the baseline. I think by adjusting string type and tension, I could find a better power range. There was a lot of power on the serve, and I could really turn up the heat on flat serves. Spin and kick serves also had a lot of pop.

Control

Head Flexpoint Radical Tour: I enjoyed good control with the Flexpoint Radical Tour. Although swinging it felt sluggish at times, when I was able to generate good racquet head speed, shots would land deep and kick out. Volleying the short angles was nice because I was just setting the racquet and deflecting.

Volkl T10 GenII: Ranked second in control of the 4 racquets in this playtest. Relatively low-powered, I also felt much confidence in going for my shots without fear of them sailing long. The feel off the stringbed was very consistent. Because of its low swingweight, I was able to generate lots of head speed, which resulted in spin. Backhand slices were definitely my favorite shot with this racquet; they were just biting and skidding.

Tecnifibre TFight 315: The TFight 315 had the best control out of all the racquets tested. With its low power and dense pattern, I was able to hit out and keep the ball in. I had confidence going for my shots, and really enjoyed hitting short angle shots and volleys. I don't think I've hit a drop volley better than I have with this racquet. I had great placement with serves as well.

Babolat Pure Control: The Pure Control had the least amount of control of the racquets I tried. Contrary to its namesake, I had to consciously hit with spin, else balls would sail past the baseline. Again, I think adjusting string and tension would make it much more controllable. It was tough to control volleys especially the short angled ones. I found myself hitting the volleys deeper into the backcourt.

Maneuverability

Head Flexpoint Radical Tour: Tied for third in maneuverability with the Babolat Pure Control. I had to be really prepared and get the racquet moving early. Reflex volleys were a little more sluggish than usual. I really had to keep my racquet out in front, and practically no backswing at the net. I found myself being less aggressive at the net, and standing closer to the service line for volleys. From the baseline, and on serves, once you get the racquet head moving, it's weight will do the rest.

Volkl T10 GenII: Ranked second for maneuverability in this playtest. It reminded me of my current racquet, the 6.0 95. Similar to the TFight 315, the low swingweight (315) made the racquet very maneuverable. I only ranked it second because its slightly heavier, and I feel that weight is in the throat area.

Tecnifibre TFight 315: I felt the TFight 315 was the most maneuverable of the bunch. With its lighter weight and low swingweight (318), I really enjoyed it at the net during quick exchanges. If I were playing mainly doubles, with mostly serve and volley, I would consider switching to this racquet after customizing it a bit more with lead.

Babolat Pure Control: The Pure Control had similar maneuverability to the Flexpoint Radical Tour. I felt a little clumsy with it at the net, but when I had time to setup, it was easy to close.

Stability

Head Flexpoint Radical Tour: I'd rate the Flexpoint Radical Tour as the most stable of the 4 racquets. It's solid heft just plows through the ball when returning big serves or heavy shots. The upper hoop is a little soft, but not unstable.

Volkl T10 GenII: The T10 GenII ranked third in stability. Its weight gives it stability to handle heavy hit balls, but most of that is concentrated in the lower half of the hoop. Shots hit higher on the stringbed were slightly jarring, and reflex volleys hit in this area caused the racquet to twist in my hand. If I were to switch to this racquet, I'd think about adding some lead at the 3 and 9 positions.

Tecnifibre TFight 315: The TFight 315 was the least stable racquet in this playtest. It had a tinny feel off the stringbed that was hard to get used to. Shots hit outside the smallish sweetspot yielded weak results. Shots hit in the upper hoop had a jarring feel. I felt that the TFight 315 lacked "plow" and was not stable enough to block back shots during heavy hitting. My service returns tended to be weaker with this racquet. I would consider adding lead tape to the 3 and 9 positions to widen the sweetspot, and make the racquet more stable.

Babolat Pure Control: The stability of the Pure Control was pretty good. Shots hit in the upper hoop or outside of the sweetspot still resulted in a decent shot. Off center hits did not cause the racquet to twist in my hand. I was able to block back hard serves with good pace.

Comfort

Head FLEXPOINT Radical Tour: The FLEXPOINT Radical Tour was definitely the most comfortable racquet in this playtest. I'm not sure if it's the "Flexpoints" working, but it's weight and flex really dampened the impact of the ball.

Volkl T10 GenII: Ranked second in comfort only because of the slight jarring feel on shots hit high on the stringbed. The Sensor Tour grip dampens vibration nicely, and it has a slightly muted, yet comfortable feel.

Tecnifibre TFight 315: It's tough for me to describe the comfort of this racquet. I got some good results using it, but I just couldn't get used to the "tinny" feel. Shots hit in the sweetspot felt solid, but off-center shots had some jarring effects.

Babolat Pure Control: The Pure Control felt stiffer than the Pure Drive. I didn't come out with a sore arm or anything, but the response was stiff. Perhaps stringing lower or with a softer string like a Multifilament would soften up the stringbed.

Spin

Head Flexpoint Radical Tour: As long as I could generate good racquet head speed, I was able to impart some nice topspin on the ball. The head seems to flex, and the ball just dwells on the stringbed as I brush up. The more open 16x19 pattern over the non-Tour 18x20 version also gave a livelier stringbed. Slice serves were amazing with tremendous bite.

Volkl T10 GenII: Even with a 16x19 pattern, I was able to generate a lot of spin with the Tour10 Gen II. Its heft, along with its low swingweight is a recipe for racquet head speed, which results in spin. I could hit some nice topspin lobs, topspin shots that swung opponents wide, or nice low biting slices.

Tecnifibre TFight 315: The TFight 315's low swingweight allowed me to generate lots of racquet head speed and spin, although not as much as with the T10 GenII - due to it's denser 18x20 pattern. Slices also tended to float a bit more with the TFight. For more spin, I would try a thin gauge string (18g), strung at low tensions (50-52 lbs).

Babolat Pure Control: Shots with the Pure Control came off firmer and flatter than I expected. To get more topspin, I had to consciously swing up on my shots. Slices tended to float a lot more with less bite into the court. Adjusting string type and tension may help with spin.

Comfort
Head FP Radical Tour 80
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 78
Tecnifibre TFight 315 75
Babolat Pure Control 72
Control
Tecnifibre TFight 315 85
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 82
Head FP Radical Tour 78
Babolat Pure Control 73
Groundstrokes
Head FP Radical Tour 85
Babolat Pure Control 82
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 80
Tecnifibre TFight 315 75
Maneuverability
Tecnifibre TFight 315 85
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 83
Head FP Radical Tour 78
Babolat Pure Control 78
Power
Babolat Pure Control 80
Head FP Radical Tour 75
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 70
Tecnifibre TFight 315 65
Serve„Returns
Head FP Radical Tour 80
Babolat Pure Control 78
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 75
Tecnifibre TFight 315 72
Serves„and„Overheads
Head FP Radical Tour 80
Babolat Pure Control 80
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 75
Tecnifibre TFight 315 72
Slice
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 85
Head FP Radical Tour 82
Tecnifibre TFight 315 75
Babolat Pure Control 72
Stability
Head FP Radical Tour 82
Babolat Pure Control 79
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 77
Tecnifibre TFight 315 73
Topspin
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 81
Head FP Radical Tour 80
Tecnifibre TFight 315 76
Babolat Pure Control 73
Touch/Feel
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 85
Tecnifibre TFight 315 81
Head FP Radical Tour 79
Babolat Pure Control 75
Volleys
Tecnifibre TFight 315 85
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 83
Head FP Radical Tour 79
Babolat Pure Control 75
Overall
Head FP Radical Tour 80
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 79
Tecnifibre TFight 315 76
Babolat Pure Control 75


Playtest date: February, 2006.
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