Racquet Playtest Comparison:
| About the play tester | About the racquets |
Name: Rabbit
Playing Level: 4.5
Regular racquet, string & tension: Volkl C10 Pro, Luxilon Big Banger TiMO 18 @ 54lbs.
Tell us about Ir game: All court player with a compact swing, fast swing, and use a Continental grip.
I was sent three frames, the Fischer Pro Number One FT, the Babolat Aeropro Control+, and the Tecnifibre TFeel 305 XL. I was really glad to see three frames that I hadn't seen around and looked forward to the test. My doubles partner and I alternated the frames in our hit and I am going to try and outline both of our comments.
Cosmetically, the Tecnifibre was the most appealing frame. It is mostly Ferrari red and the hoop is black; two colors that every racquet should have. The next most appealing was the AeroPro which had the now standard Babolat configuration, but the white striped section is now an off yellow. Last in the group was the Fischer which was largely main stream. The Babolat had the best shaped grip and it feels good in Ir hand. The grip is slightly rounder than what I'm used to, and it just lends itself to squaring the racquet face and whaling on the ball. The Tecnifibre was closer to what I'm used to with the Volkl grip, a little rounder, but comfortable all the same. The Fischer had round grip shape that I couldn't get used to. The butt cap likewise is a weird shape. It just doesn't feel good in the hand, it seems like it would be a grip shape that one either loved or hated. If you loved it you wouldn't like anything else.
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Quickly, the stroke specifics that aren't covered below. The Babolat was by far the best off the ground followed by the Tecnifibre and then the Fischer. None of these racquets are great at net, but the Tecnifibre is probably best followed closely by the Babolat and then the Fischer. Serves were about equal for all three, but if I were to play exclusively with any of them, I'm sure I could serve well with any of the three. Service returns were best for me with the Tecnifibre, my doubles partner preferred the Babolat. If I had to recommend one of the frames over the other two, it would be an easy choice. My doubles partner and I both really liked the solid feel of the Babolat which is unusual since both of us play with Volkl and prefer more flexible offerings. The Babolat and the Tecnifibre have absolutely no flex, but in the case of the Babolat, it almost feels like that stiffness enhances the cushioning of shots. It's hard to explain, but the Babolat just feels great; far better than the other two.
Power
1.) Babolat AeroPro Control+ - this one had unbelievable power off the ground. When I swung with this racquet at about 75%, it felt so unbelievably good that I wanted to swing harder. The combination of the aforementioned grip shape and the really solid feel of the racquet just fills me with confidence that I can hit the ball as hard as I can. Of course, not everything goes in, but it is a dream to hit groundies with. I very much enjoyed hitting with this racquet as did my doubles partner.
2.) Tecnifibre TFeel 305 XL - this one was smack dab in the middle of the three in terms of power. There was nothing particularly special about the racquet in terms of power, but when I swung out, I was rewarded with nice pop on all groundies. From the start, this one felt like it was controllable and solid.
3.) Fischer Number One FT - I better be able to hit a ton to get some juice out of this racquet. If you're looking for a racquet to tame those powerful groundies, look no further than this one. It took everything I had to generate power with this racquet and because I had to swing so hard, I really didn't have any confidence in the racquet.
Control
Tie
1.) Babolat AeroPro Control+ - my doubles partner loved this racquet from the first swing. I did too, but had a little trouble wrestling it from him. We were both able to put the ball where we wanted it with this racquet. It is unbelievably solid off the ground and breeds confidence. The only thing that hampens control is fighting the urge to overhit with this racquet. We both really liked the feel of this racquet and the control it gave.
1.) Tecnifibre TFeel 305 XL - my doubles partner didn't like this racquet nearly as much as the Babolat, and I have to say that feel wise I didn't either. But, result-wise this racquet was better in my hands than the Babolat. The Tecnifibre is stiff, stiffer than I would have expected from a company known for soft strings. But, the racquet delivers good control and is very comfortable when I met the ball.
2.) Fischer Number One FT - this racquet had decent control, I hate to say it, but I really think the grip shape hurts the racquet. We couldn't hit two balls in a row with the Fischer.
Maneuverability
The Fischer was the most maneuverable simply because it was by far the lightest of the three. Second was the Tecnifibre and last was the Babolat. It should be noted that there really wasn't that much difference between the three racquets, and the Babolat weighs in at over twelve ounces. Neither of us thought that the aero portion of the racquet helped that much, but of the three, this one was just a tad bit less maneuverable.
Stability
Last place here goes to the Fischer. As previously noted, it was the lightest of the three, but made up for it by being underpowered. Again, the grip shape didn't help here and the racquet seemed to wobble when I hit with it no matter what I did. Next was the Tecnifibre and first was the Babolat. The Tecnifibre felt average in terms of stability and was nothing special. The solid feel of the Babolat won here again. Every time I met the ball, I were rewarded with a solid feel and felt like I could plow through every ball.
Comfort
First place here goes to the Babolat. The solid feel translated to a comfortable feeling in my hand and arm. Next was the Tecnifibre and last was the Fischer. The Tecnifibre's stiffness hurt it in the comfort area especially if I hit off center. I tried it both with a dampener and without and preferred it with. The Fischer didn't miss by much, but didn't have the plush feel of the other two.
Spin
The Babolat by far delivered the most spin and the heaviest ball off both wings. It seemed that I could generate topspin at will with this racquet. It was a good thing, too. The way the racquet encouraged me to hit the ball, I had better put some top on the ball to keep it in. Please note that the racquet is not overpowered, it just feels damn good. Next in line was the Fischer. I think it's comfortable flex allowed spin. Last place in this category was the Tecnifibre.
| Comfort |
| Babolat AeroPro Control+ | 85 |
| Fischer Pro Number One FT | 80 |
| Tecnifibre TFeel 305 XL | 50 |
|
| Control |
| Babolat AeroPro Control+ | 80 |
| Tecnifibre TFeel 305 XL | 75 |
| Fischer Pro Number One FT | 60 |
|
| Groundstrokes |
| Babolat AeroPro Control+ | 90 |
| Tecnifibre TFeel 305 XL | 70 |
| Fischer Pro Number One FT | 40 |
|
| Maneuverability |
| Babolat AeroPro Control+ | 75 |
| Tecnifibre TFeel 305 XL | 75 |
| Fischer Pro Number One FT | 75 |
|
| Power |
| Babolat AeroPro Control+ | 80 |
| Tecnifibre TFeel 305 XL | 70 |
| Fischer Pro Number One FT | 40 |
|
| Serve Returns |
| Babolat AeroPro Control+ | 80 |
| Tecnifibre TFeel 305 XL | 70 |
| Fischer Pro Number One FT | 40 |
|
| Serves and Overheads |
| Babolat AeroPro Control+ | 75 |
| Tecnifibre TFeel 305 XL | 75 |
| Fischer Pro Number One FT | 40 |
|
| Slice |
| Babolat AeroPro Control+ | 85 |
| Tecnifibre TFeel 305 XL | 60 |
| Fischer Pro Number One FT | 60 |
|
| Stability |
| Babolat AeroPro Control+ | 85 |
| Tecnifibre TFeel 305 XL | 75 |
| Fischer Pro Number One FT | 40 |
|
| Topspin |
| Babolat AeroPro Control+ | 90 |
| Tecnifibre TFeel 305 XL | 60 |
| Fischer Pro Number One FT | 60 |
|
| Touch/Feel |
| Babolat AeroPro Control+ | 85 |
| Fischer Pro Number One FT | 75 |
| Tecnifibre TFeel 305 XL | 50 |
|
| Volleys |
| Babolat AeroPro Control+ | 50 |
| Tecnifibre TFeel 305 XL | 50 |
| Fischer Pro Number One FT | 40 |
|
| Overall |
| Babolat AeroPro Control+ | 80 |
| Tecnifibre TFeel 305 XL | 70 |
| Fischer Pro Number One FT | 45 |
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| Playtest date: April, 2005. |
| All content copyright 2007 Tennis Warehouse. |