Babolat Pure Strike 16x19 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 94

On paper the Pure Strike 16x19 reads like your basic modern player's racquet -- fast, spin-friendly, lively and precise, with some control and feel thrown in for good measure. Other racquet brands have deployed a similar formula (think Wilson Blade 98, Head Speed MP or Yonex EZONE DR 98). However, our experience with the Pure Strike 16x19 amounted to something more than the sum of its specs and technologies. Chris, who has hit nearly every important Babolat stick this side of the wooferless Pure Drive, captured our sentiments in one word: "Wow."

Needless to say, the Pure Strike turned out to be perfect for Chris. He continued, "I was more than impressed by this racquet! The level of control and spin from the baseline was exceptional. It quickly became my favorite standard length racquet (followed closely by the Yonex EZONE DR 98). I felt like I could put the ball on a dime, and I was totally connected to my shots. Although it is somewhat cliche to say this, but this racquet really did feel like an extension of my arm. The response was Pure Drive-like in its forgiveness, but there was more comfort and feel and an overall plusher hitting experience. I'm not sure why I was getting so much spin on my shots with this racquet. It didn't appear to have any specific spin technology, but every string I used in this racquet seemed to be turned into a spin monster. I simply loved hitting with this racquet from the baseline."

By the end of this playtest Hannah was a believer. She said, "The more I hit with the Pure Strike 16x19 the more I came to love it. Although it has the same string pattern as the Pure Aero, this racquet seemed to have a higher potential for power, spin and depth. I felt like I had so many options from the baseline. The same maneuverability and crisp feel that keeps me coming back to Babolat racquets was right there in the Pure Strike 16x19. It provided my ground game with effortless aggression. The more I trusted the control of the racquet the better the shot, with zero to minimal amounts of shock. Whether I was hitting angles, drives or rolls, it felt like I was working less for a better product, with massive amounts of spin on my shots."

"It was love at first hit," said Jason, who is a pushover for any racquet that gives him big spin. "This was just one of those racquets that lets me do whatever I want with the ball. It was easy to swing, but without being too whippy. There was enough power to not only hit with consistent depth, but to also put away shots with ease. I'm not sure why, but I felt like I hit with as much or more spin with this racquet's standard 16x19 string pattern as I do with other 'spin' racquets with extremely open string patterns."

Although Michelle left Babolat for Federer (from the Pure Drive to the Wilson Pro Staff RF 97 Autograph) over a year ago, some unresolved feelings clearly remain. She said, "I loved the feel at impact. This Pure Strike 16x19 reminded me of why I fell in love with Babolat racquets 10-plus years ago. To me, it felt faster, plusher and a bit stiffer than the original Pure Strikes, but still softer than a Pure Drive. If I was just rallying and drilling and trying to be consistent, this racquet was perfect. However, the second my adrenaline kicked in I lost some control and was launching balls. Since I loved the feel of this racquet I really wanted to make it work for my big swinging game, so I played around with some customization. Even when I got the swingweight up the Pure Strike 16x19 still played light and felt a bit too powerful when I really hit the ball. When I attacked the ball the Pure Strike 16x19 was pretty dangerous and powerful for a mid-11 oz. racquet. I didn't hit as heavy a ball as I can hit with the RF97, but it wasn't too far behind!"

Volleys - Score: 86

For the most part, the Pure Strike 16x19 could do no wrong on volleys. Like our favorite modern player's racquets, this stick delivered quick handling and easy offense, but it also drew some applause for control, feel and stability (three features more commonly associated with heavy/traditional player's racquets). Even Michelle, who prefers rock solid racquets in the 13 oz. range, was impressed with this light racquet. She said, "While the Pure Strike 16x19 is much lighter than what I normally play with, it felt pretty stable at the net. The firm beam made it easy to block balls back with some heat, and I had no issues being aggressive or finding some touch."

For Hannah, the Pure Strike 16x19 was like an invitation to move forward. She said, "On recent playtests I've found great success and feel at the baseline, but it didn't translate to the net. This racquet was different. I was confident in my ability to hold my ground at the net, and I had no problem achieving depth or hitting my targets in pressure situations. Moving forward was easy, and I loved the pop I was getting from this racquet."

The quick and controlled delivery of the Pure Strike 16x19 worked very well for Chris at net. He even tipped his hat to the stability and feel, and that's coming from a man whose closet is stuffed with Prince Original Graphites, Prestiges and Pro Staffs. He said, "I continued to find excellent control and feel on my shots when I moved up to volley. I hit some great drop and angle volleys with this racquet, and I also found ample power to punch volleys away. The Pure Strike 16x19 offered just enough stability while still feeling very maneuverable. I really liked the fast feel of this racquet and felt especially cat-like in my reactions with it. My overheads had plenty of pace on them, and I was finding my targets better than normal."

Alas, the Pure Strike is not perfect. Jason, who admittedly gave this racquet a great score for volleys, could have used a little more torsional stability. He said, "With a nice blend of power and control, this racquet was quite the asset up at net. I felt well connected to the ball when going for touch volleys and drop shots. I could've used just a bit more weight at 3 and 9 o'clock for added stability on off-center shots, but not much."

Serves - Score: 87

If our playtesters had to come up with one word that captured the Pure Strike 16x19 serving experience, smart money would be on the word "easy." Easy spin. Easy control. Easy acceleration. According to Hannah, we might have to add power to the list as well. She said, "I got great power and felt very connected to the ball on my serve. The sweetspot enticed me to hit my flat serve more than usual, but the power and control were just as good on my kick serve. I felt like I was on the offensive most of the time right off my serve."

"Serves were easy to hit with this racquet," said Michelle, who was clearly dialed in with the Pure Strike 16x19. "I had no issues hitting flat, slice or kick serves. I could really tap into some powerful first serves as well as get the ball moving on my second serves. The racquet came through pretty fast, and I had no issues serving with this racquet."

Jason was more than a little impressed with the Pure Strike 16x19 on serves. He said, "Because I hit slice serves for both my first and second serves, I really appreciated the amount of spin I got on my serves. As an added bonus, there was some nice pop on them as well. I felt like I was serving at a higher percentage with this racquet than with my own."

Although Chris didn't have quite the pop he gets from his Pure Drive Plus, the Pure Strike 16x19's combination of spin and control was hard to argue with. He explained, "I served well with this racquet. I never tapped into the easy pace of my Pure Drive Plus, but I wasn't too far off. Again, spin and control came to the forefront. I found I could serve aggressively without sacrificing any consistency. My slice serve was working well, and I was able to set up some nice serve and volley points with it."

Returns - Score: 91

The calibrated feel our team had on groundies was no less apparent on service returns. In other words, Jason's love affair with the Pure Strike 16x19 continued. He explained, "I loved hitting my groundstrokes with the Pure Strike 16x19, and I loved returning with it. When I had time I could take a full swing on a return and aim for the baseline, knowing the spin would drop the ball into play. When I had to block a serve back there was enough mass to get the ball back into play with some depth."

There may not be a racquet that can completely tame Michelle's massive strokes. Such is the fate of the high risk power player. However, when everything was aligned perfectly, the Pure Strike 16x19 proved quite lethal. She said, "I could really attack when I was returning serve. I had fun going big, which was good and bad. If I aimed for a big target and accelerated just right, the result was a dangerous missile. However, there were many times when the Pure Strike 16x19 was too powerful for me, and the ball flew. I appreciated the stability of the Pure Strike 16x19 when I got pulled off the court by a big first serve. I could stab at the return and still get the ball pretty deep into the court."

Hannah enjoyed the unlikely combination of speed and stability on service returns. She said, "Stability on returns is something I don't usually get from a lighter racquet like the Pure Strike 16x19. It was the best of both worlds, giving me the option to shorten up my swings, take a step inside the baseline and get a good powerful response to any type of serve without the aftereffects of shock to my arm. Fast and accurate returns were a result of the same comfort I found from this racquet from all areas of the court, but especially the baseline."

"The Pure Strike 16x19 felt perfect on returns," said Chris, who continued to enjoy this racquet's remarkable blend of speed, spin and precision. "It was very fast and easy to maneuver. Couple that with the fantastic spin and control, and I found I had a real weapon in my hands on returns. I loved taking a cut at anything looking even remotely tempting. When I was forced to be more defensive I was able to chip or block the incoming serve back with good depth and accuracy. Somehow this racquet managed to perfectly walk the fine line of being both quick and easy to maneuver while also feeling very solid. Again, I felt completely dialed in."

Overall - Score: 90