ProKennex Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 81

Our testers appreciated the control and comfort the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) provided on their groundstrokes, but they would have liked a bit more power and a better connection to the ball. "Much like previous iterations of this racquet, this update felt solid and comfortable when I was swinging away from the baseline," Troy remarked. "It felt plusher and more comfortable than some other racquets I've been hitting with recently, which was a nice relief on my arm. When I was taking big swings from the baseline I found plenty of control to keep my shots inside the lines. The spin potential was good compared to other 18x20 string pattern racquets even though the spacing between the strings wasn't extremely dense. My only knock on this racquet from the baseline was the minimal feedback I was getting from it. "The vibrations are so well dampened that I wasn't getting the kind of feedback that I like."

As a fan of more traditional player's frames, Chris wasn't completely comfortable with the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325). He said, "I found a very controlled response from the baseline with this racquet. The dense string pattern and classic straight beam kept the power level somewhat low. I was taking big swings at the ball off both wings and felt like I could swing freely without fear of overhitting. When I set up and stepped into the ball I really enjoyed this racquet. However, as soon as I was pushed deep, stretched wide or forced off balance, I immediately missed the free power of my Babolat Pure Drive Plus. Compared to other player's racquets at a similar weight, such as the Volkl V-Sense 10 Midplus (325) and Wilson Pro Staff 97, the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) offered a more muted response. The Kinetic technology did an excellent job of improving comfort, but I found it came at a cost to feel. I would have liked a little more feedback from the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) on touch shots and when I was trying to determine the amount of spin I had on an angle or lob. My backhand was my favored side with this racquet. I was very happy with how I was hitting both my slice and drive backhands. I felt more dialed in off that wing and did a better job locating my targets."

Michelle appreciated the comfort of this racquet, but she never got dialed in with her aggressive baseline style. She said, "This wasn't my favorite playtest. I was expecting a traditional soft racquet from ProKennex and that's what I found, but I didn't realize that I wouldn't enjoy the feel. I just struggled to connect with this racquet. On paper it looked like there was no reason for me to not like the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325). The swingweight was where I like it, the headsize was in my wheelhouse and the weight was right. However, the 18x20 string pattern wasn't my favorite, and the lower stiffness rating wasn't for me. Even though I'm a big hitter I felt like I couldn't get the ball to go anywhere, and because of that I had a tendency to try to hit the ball as hard as I could instead of just using my normal groundstrokes. The sweetspot felt a bit mushy to me, and I just never really felt completely connected to the stringbed. This racquet made firm poly strings feel pretty soft, so it definitely had an arm-friendly response. I just prefer a bit firmer feel."

Mark, on the other hand, really enjoyed the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) from the baseline. He praised, "Since I've gotten used to playing with my 28-inch length frame I've had a harder time playing with shorter racquets. Then the new ProKennex Ki+ Q Tour Pro (325) came along. After 10 swings with this racquet I concluded that I could easily switch to it, at least from a backcourt standpoint. My topspin and slice were effective from anywhere in the court, and I almost couldn't believe that this racquet has an 18x20 pattern. Besides its tighter string pattern benefiting me, the overall weight and balance helped make it easier for me to nail my targets off either wing."

Volleys - Score: 83

Our testers used the exceptional control of the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) to volley effectively, and they also found a good blend of stability and maneuverability. However, the lack of feel was an issue again. "I appreciated the directional control at net," Michelle said. "I thought it was pretty easy to block balls back up there. I don't have a bunch of touch to begin with, but the softness of this racquet almost left me feeling completely disconnected from the stringbed. I kept it pretty simple with this racquet at net and didn't try anything too cute or fancy."

"I liked the solid response and comfortable feel I got from the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) at the net," Chris commented. "Again, I would have liked a little more feel from this racquet, but that was my only knock. Otherwise, my volleys felt pretty dialed in. The racquet remained solid even when the pace picked up. I also enjoyed the way the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) offered some nice punch on low volleys. I was able to find depth easily, and I could really punch away my volleys when given time."

Mark's net game was on point with this racquet. He said, "This was another part of the playtest I loved. Dipping passing shots were consistently met and tamed with an effective half volley. The Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) never felt unstable. Hitting volleys from a higher point in the air was still effective for me, and even when I hit the ball out near the rim my volleys were comfortable, solid and penetrating."

Troy had a similar experience as the others, saying, "When I was hitting volleys this racquet allowed me to put the ball where I wanted it within the court. With the headsize and string pattern being very familiar to me, I felt like I could hit my targets and place my volleys near the lines. The weight provided good stability, even against heavy shots. The blend of control, stability and maneuverability made this racquet a great doubles stick for me. There was enough mass to get ample depth, but at the same time I could easily get this racquet into place to hit quick reaction volleys. The high level of dampening felt great on my arm, but at the same time it removed some of the feel I wanted for my drop volleys and acute angles. I enjoyed how this racquet performed on my volleys as long as I kept my focus on hitting deep in the court at big targets."

Serves - Score: 80

Control and spin were the shining attributes of the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) on serve, but many of our testers found themselves longing for more easy power for their first serves. "I served decently with this racquet," Chris said. "I felt accurate with it and also liked the amount of slice I was getting. However, I was definitely down on pace. During set play I was struggling to hold serve with the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325), but then held easily for the rest of the set when I switched back to my Pure Drive Plus. There was a big difference in the amount of pace I was getting on my serves, and I just couldn't get the ball away with the Ki Q+ Tour Pro 325."

Troy used precision and variety to serve effectively during this playtest. He explained, "Focusing on good technique and placement was the key for me being successful when serving with the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325). It didn't offer me much in the way of easy power, but I loved how I could unload on flat and spin serves and still maintain control of the ball. I was effective serving with this racquet by hitting the corners of the service box. With the dense string pattern I felt comfortable placing my flat first serve consistently. I loved how I could generate a lot of racquet head speed to generate high levels of rotation on my spin serves, while at the same time maintaining the control to find my targets. With the swingweight being slightly lower than my current racquet, it was easy to pronate my wrist and add some pace to make up for the lack of the power coming from the frame."

Mark was surprised at how well he served with this racquet. He praised, "The same fun and effectiveness I had from other areas of the court carried over to my serve. The Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) allowed me to comfortably crank up my serve speeds into the low 100 MPH range. This was another part of the playtest where I was a bit surprised to realize this frame sports an 18x20 pattern, since I don't usually do as well with racquets that have tighter string patterns."

Michelle liked the spin she was getting on her serves, but she would have liked a bit more power. She critiqued, "I was missing some raw power from this softer, control-oriented racquet. Because of that, I was really trying to hit harder and muscle my first serves at times, which wasn't ideal. I did find the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) to be effective on my second serves. I had an easy time hitting my targets, and I could slide slice serves or hit a kick serve decently well. I could flatten serves out well, too, but I just wasn't getting the speed I wanted. It definitely provided good directional control and precision, but it lacked some power."

Returns - Score: 78

Our playtesters were able to swing big on their returns with the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) and use the racquet's excellent control to locate their shots effectively. "My return game felt pretty much on point with the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325)," Chris raved. "I liked how easy it was to swing this racquet through contact. It felt fast on the swing, yet it also felt solid at contact. Again, comfort was very impressive. I liked the way the racquet felt comfortable even when strung up with a firm playing co-poly like Luxilon 4G. I was able to drive through the ball well, and I liked the way I could redirect pace with the racquet."

"I loved taking huge rips on my forehand returns because of the maneuverability and the low-powered response," Troy remarked. "Anytime the server left the ball sitting in my wheelhouse I was able to go bigger than usual and the ball was still landing in the court. No matter how hard the serve was hit at me, when I made contact with the ball the feel was nice and plush. On my backhand slice returns I could knife through the ball and get the ball to land deep in my opponent's court. The racquet's control allowed me to return serves with good precision. My forehand return was really clicking with this racquet. Whether I went cross court or down the line, I was hitting my returns deep and near the lines with good consistency."

"This racquet quickly became one of my favorite racquets to return serves with," Mark added. "I was able to hit through the ball more aggressively instead of merely chipping the serve back into play like I normally do."

Michelle found herself going for a bit too much on her returns. She said, "I can usually appreciate 18x20 racquets since I can overhit returns at times. I did like that I had built in control with the dense pattern, but I didn't feel like I was as effective when attacking weak second serves (especially on our slow TW court). Because the racquet is a bit softer and lower powered I found myself overhitting my returns, which resulted in some erratic shots that I shouldn't have been making. However, precision was good when I wasn't overhitting -- there were a few returns that I lined up down the line and found success. I wouldn't say this racquet had a bunch of spin potential, which I like at times when returning or rolling balls cross court, but it wasn't too big of an issue. For the most part, the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (325) was stable enough to block big serves back, I just couldn't always block the ball deep enough to be effective."

Overall - Score: 81