Racquet Playtest Comparison:
| About the play tester | About the racquets |
Name: TripleB on the Talk Tennis message boards
Playing Level: 4.5
Regular racquet, string & tension: Yonex RDX-500 Midplus; Luxilon Big Banger ALU Power 16L mains at 58 pounds and Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16g crosses at 56 pounds; 4 5/8 inch grip plus a Wilson Cushion Aire Super Tack overgrip
Tell us about your game: All court player; full western forehand grip; two-handed backhand; heavy topspin and slice from both sides; medium length strokes; fast swing speed.
Power
Babolat AeroPro Drive Plus: Overall the AeroPro Drive Plus had the most power of these three racquets, but the power wasn't uniform throughout the entire face of the racquet. All racquets have some noticeable drop off in power towards the edges of the racquet face but it seemed that there was a huge power reduction in the APD Plus when I missed the sweetspot by even the smallest margin. This also seemed to be the case when I tried to put heavy spin on the ball. It reminded me of the Pure Drive Plus in this regard because when I tried to hit a flat ball winner the ball tended to fly on me (albeit not to the extent the PD Plus did) and when I tried to hit with heavy topspin it seemed like there wasn't enough power behind the ball. I would say that this racquet had pretty big power when hitting the sweetspot but substantially less everywhere else.
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Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX: The power level of the Type SX was better than average with the ability to hit short ball winners proving to be no problem. I feel that if the racquet were to be strung at the lower end of the tension range I would obtain even more power and a more comfortable ride without losing any of the control that this racquet offers. The power level of the Yonex and Pro Kennex seemed equal on the serve but the AeroPro blew both of them away when serving the flat ball. The power at net was good enough to put balls deep into the corners so that my opponent had no chance of getting a racquet on them.
Yonex Nano Speed RQ7: The area of power is the only area in which I was not overly impressed with the RQ7. Groundstrokes and volleys lacked as much power to put balls away as easily as the other two racquets in this playtest and balls picked up on a short hop at my feet lacked pace. I did welcome the fact that this racquet gave me a slight power boost on groundstrokes compared to my RDX-500 Midplus. I was able to find some good pace on my serves with the high maneuverability of this racquet. I wasn't really serving any bombs but with the incredible control I had with this racquet (and the quickness of the racquet head through the hitting zone) I was able to hit quite a number of service winners. I would like to note that with this racquet I knew exactly how the ball was going to come off the racquet face - the sweetspot was huge and there wasn't a big drop off in power when I went high or low on the racquet face. Typically I find a big drop off in power when I try to hit a heavy slice but with the RQ7 the ball speed was almost equal to that of driving through the ball and the ball stayed extremely low. Although this racquet isn't as powerful as the Babolat or the Pro Kennex, it has adequate power for a player with a medium-fast to fast swing speed.
Control
Babolat AeroPro Drive Plus: Control with the Babolat seemed to suffer due to the fact that I couldn't tell exactly how the ball was going to come off the face of the racquet. Depending on my swing and how much spin I tried to put on the ball I ended up with balls that would fly on me and also with balls that would land way shorter than intended. Volleys tended to fly uncontrollably or else die unexpectedly. The control of this racquet suffered a great deal due to the fact that the ball reacted so differently depending on the type of shot I was trying to play and where on the racquet face the ball made contact. Due to my lack of confidence in the control of this racquet, I had to play a much more conservative game with this racquet in my hands. Unfortunately, I felt as though this racquet begged to be played with in an aggressive manner.
Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX: The control of the Type SX was a bit better than average and well above the control I achieved with the AeroPro Drive Plus. I feel that the control of the Type SX would have equaled what I got with the Nano Speed if not for the fact that I could never really find the ability to hit the corners with my serves when using the Pro Kennex racquet. I had to be a bit more 'careful' with the Type SX on my serves so the confidence I had in "going for it" with the Yonex never was achieved with the Type SX. The control at net with this racquet was excellent with volleys finding their intended mark.
Yonex Nano Speed RQ7: The Yonex Nano Speed had excellent control whether I was at the net, on the baseline, or serving. I was able to hit all corners of the court when banging groundstrokes and the corners of the service box at will. At the net I could drop the ball barely over the net ever so sweetly or place it into any corner I wished. I would say that the control I had with this racquet is equal, if not slightly higher, than what I get with my current racquet (Yonex RDX-500 Midplus). In fact, during this playtest, I couldn't help feeling that this racquet seemed to take the best of my RDX-500 Midplus and the Yonex RD-7 but give it to me in a lighter and much more maneuverable package.
Maneuverability
Babolat AeroPro Drive Plus: The Babolat was more maneuverable than I was expecting considering it has a swingweight of 335. I was never really caught late on my groundstrokes with the AeroPro Drive Plus and would have guessed the swingweight to be much closer to the 315 to 320 range. I was able to get a considerate amount of racquet head speed on my serves and even my crosscourt forehand (my trouble shot) was never a problem with this racquet. There was a slight problem getting the racquet quickly into the correct position at net but I think this was mainly a combination of the extra length and my laziness. This racquet didn't seem as slow on returns as the Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX did, especially on serves hit out wide.
Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX: The maneuverability of the Type SX was comparable to that of the Babolat (hence the same rating score in maneuverability) and the 319 swingweight seemed to be right on target. It seemed like the Babolat had the edge in maneuverability when serving and on groundstrokes but I would say that the Type SX seemed to be a little quicker at the net - especially noticeable when playing high quality doubles. When returning huge first serves I seemed to have problems getting the racquet moving quick enough to hit all my returns effectively.
Yonex Nano Speed RQ7: The Nano Speed RQ7, with its 10.8 ounce weight, is an extremely maneuverable racquet and it felt like I was playing with a 27" racquet that had a swingweight of 300 instead of a longbody with a swingweight of 318. It reminded me of the maneuverability I had when I playtested the Dunlop 300G. I was able to get the racquet quickly into the correct position at net and I was amazed at my ability to disguise my groundstrokes so well by waiting until the last moment before swinging. Due to the extreme quickness of this racquet, every type of service return (slice, topspin, down the line, crosscourt, dropshot, block the ball back, etc.) was possible.
Stability
Babolat AeroPro Drive Plus: I seemed to have the same problem with this racquet as I did with the standard length AeroPro Drive. The thickness of the frame and the lighter weight seemed to lead to a lack of stability when hitting groundstrokes and volleys. I don't think the stability was quite as bad with the Plus version (compared to the standard version) because of the increase in static weight and the extra length. The lack of stability from the baseline created the feeling of a very small sweetspot and an inconsistent feel that I could never get used to while playtesting this racquet. At the net it seemed that a strong forearm or a strong wrist was a requirement if you wanted to get a solid feel. The lack of stability wasn't as noticeable when serving with the Babolat.
Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX: While the extra weight of this racquet (compared to the other two in this playtest) may have hurt it a little as far as maneuverability is concerned, it really aided the feel of stability. I gave it an 80 in this area but I think if you lowered the tension of the stringbed to around 60 pounds, this racquet would have even felt more stable. Although I couldn't get this racquet moving as quickly on my serve, the stability really aided in my ability to have a consistent serve throughout the playtest. This racquet was stable at net with little racquet movement even against hard hit groundstrokes.
Yonex Nano Speed RQ7: While the lighter weight of the NS RQ7 really helped in maneuverability, I think the lack of mass hurt the stability of the Yonex somewhat. It is still a very stable feeling racquet but didn't quite have the stability of the Pro Kennex. It still had that solid Yonex feel, but at times you could tell you were using a racquet that could be pushed around by big hitters, especially at net. It seemed solid on returns and for a 10.8 oz racquet it seemed solid when blocking back serves from big hitters.
Comfort
Babolat AeroPro Drive Plus: The comfort level of this racquet was a step or two above that of the Type SX but floors below that of the Nano Speed. While I felt the comfort level (as well as the touch and feel) of the Type SX could be improved by lowering the string tension of the racquet, I don't think lowering or raising the tension could improve the comfort, feel, or touch of the Babolat. Maybe it was the Woofer system, I'm not sure, but the strings almost felt like they were disconnected from the racquet. Compared to the standard version of the AeroPro Drive I would say the extended version offered less comfort but better touch and feel.
Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX: This racquet offered the worst comfort of the three because of the stiff boardy feel that I had on all shots. Touch, feel, and comfort were just drained from the SX because of the tighter string tension, making this racquet play much worse than it's capable of playing. I would have given it lower than a 72 in the area of comfort but I think that if this racquet were to be strung lower than the middle of the tension range (58-60), it would give a more comfortable feel making it's comfort, touch, and feel number go up.
Yonex Nano Speed RQ7: The RQ7 offered outstanding comfort with the only spot being an uncomfortable hit was when I caught balls, especially groundstrokes, near the tip of the racquet. With the extra half-inch of length, balls hit near the tip of the racquet seemed to cause some vibration that could be felt all the way up your arm at times. Other than that, this racquet offered a very solid and comfortable play from everywhere on the court. For such a light racquet, volleys felt extremely solid as did groundstrokes. Compared to the Babolat and the Pro Kennex, the Yonex seemed to have more mass (in spite of the lack of static weight) coming through the ball, which seemed to help raise the comfort level when playing with this racquet. This racquet was a very sweet ride.
Spin
Babolat AeroPro Drive Plus: The spin achieved when using the AeroPro was quite a bit more than what I remember getting when I playtested its standard size brother. It may have the been the extra swingweight that made me feel like I was getting more bite out of this racquet but I found that the slice and topspin I was getting became a great asset when swinging all out. With the spin that was obtainable and the power that this racquet gave, this racquet was a dream to serve with. I was able to keep my opponent uncomfortable when he was returning my serve with this racquet because I could hit the flat bomb or use the spin that this racquet gave me and get huge kicking serves, especially out wide on the deuce side. The spin potential of this racquet made hitting "dippers" in doubles a breeze.
Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX: The Type SX offered a nice balance of topspin and slice. On approach shots slices stayed nice, low, and stayed close to the ground so that my opponent had little opportunity to make an aggressive topspin reply. The stiffer feel of the racquet and string bed seemed to make topspin a little tougher to come by making me feel like I really had to prepare early in order to get heavy topspin, especially on my backhand side. Kick and slice serves were mediocre with the stiffness of the stringbed and racquet making it feel like I lost a lot of pace on my serves when I tried to get heavy spin.
Yonex Nano Speed RQ7: The RQ7 offered the best combination of topspin and slice that I've ever found in a racquet. The spin I found with this racquet reminded me a great deal of the RD-7 but in a much more maneuverable package. I would say the topspin potential of this racquet is very similar to that of the Babolat AeroPro Drive Plus but the slice I got with the RQ7 was nothing short of amazing. The ball stayed extremely low, stayed even lower after it bounced, had speed, had control, and achieving all of this was effortless because of the low swingweight (and static weight) of the racquet. Kick and slice serves didn't have the jump of the Babolat but I still achieved enough of each to keep the returner guessing. Topspin lobs were a breeze with the Yonex, even off the forehand side (my weaker wing).
Final Thoughts
Babolat AeroPro Drive Plus: This racquet has similar characteristics to the standard AeroPro Drive but I feel like it is slightly more stable than it's shorter brother. Both the standard and plus version of this racquet serve incredibly well whether you are going for the high mph serve or kicking the ball into the corner of the service box. The major weak points I found with this racquet were it's lack of control, due to the non-uniform response of the stringbed, and it's lack of touch or feel. Due to those major weaknesses, this was my least favorite racquet in the playtest.
Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX: The Type SX is a very solid longbody racquet and probably my favorite Pro Kennex of the past 15 years. If strung at a looser tension (maybe around 60 pounds or so) I think it would offer a superb combination of power, control, touch, and feel. Its feel was more solid than the Babolat, but it just wasn't quite as well rounded as the Yonex, therefore it's my second favorite racquet of the playtest.
Yonex Nano Speed RQ7: This racquet is amazing from everywhere on the court. This is the best racquet I've ever playtested for TW or demoed - bar none. It feels to me like Yonex took the spin potential and control of the RD-7, combined it with better maneuverability of the RDX-500 Midplus, threw in the lightness and length of the Super RQ Ti-700 Long, and came up with the perfect racquet. This racquet is the only racquet I've found that improved the weak parts of my game (serve, volleys, and crosscourt forehand) and improved the strengths of my game (backhand, control, and dropshot). It's definitely one of my top 3 racquets of all time and a must order when the funds become available!
| Comfort |
| Yonex Nano Speed RQ 7 | 82 |
| Babolat AeroPro Drive+ | 73 |
| Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX | 72 |
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| Control |
| Yonex Nano Speed RQ 7 | 85 |
| Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX | 77 |
| Babolat AeroPro Drive+ | 71 |
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| Groundstrokes |
| Yonex Nano Speed RQ 7 | 87 |
| Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX | 77 |
| Babolat AeroPro Drive+ | 75 |
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| Maneuverability |
| Yonex Nano Speed RQ 7 | 86 |
| Babolat AeroPro Drive+ | 75 |
| Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX | 75 |
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| Power |
| Babolat AeroPro Drive+ | 79 |
| Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX | 76 |
| Yonex Nano Speed RQ 7 | 72 |
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| Serve Returns |
| Yonex Nano Speed RQ 7 | 79 |
| Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX | 78 |
| Babolat AeroPro Drive+ | 73 |
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| Serves and Overheads |
| Babolat AeroPro Drive+ | 82 |
| Yonex Nano Speed RQ 7 | 82 |
| Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX | 79 |
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| Slice |
| Yonex Nano Speed RQ 7 | 90 |
| Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX | 80 |
| Babolat AeroPro Drive+ | 77 |
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| Stability |
| Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX | 80 |
| Yonex Nano Speed RQ 7 | 78 |
| Babolat AeroPro Drive+ | 74 |
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| Topspin |
| Babolat AeroPro Drive+ | 83 |
| Yonex Nano Speed RQ 7 | 82 |
| Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX | 76 |
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| Touch/Feel |
| Yonex Nano Speed RQ 7 | 88 |
| Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX | 73 |
| Babolat AeroPro Drive+ | 69 |
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| Volleys |
| Yonex Nano Speed RQ 7 | 85 |
| Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX | 75 |
| Babolat AeroPro Drive+ | 74 |
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| Overall |
| Yonex Nano Speed RQ 7 | 87 |
| Pro Kennex Heritage Type SX | 77 |
| Babolat AeroPro Drive+ | 74 |
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| Playtest date: January, 2006. |
| All content copyright 2007 Tennis Warehouse. |