ProKennex Ki Black Ace Pro Racquet Review Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 81

The ProKennex Ki Black Ace Pro has similar specifications to the racquets many of our playtesters use, and the whole team enjoyed the precision and comfort this racquet provided. Mark described, "My first experience with a test racquet usually involves warming up from the baseline followed by some groundstroke games, then tiebreakers. That said, playing with the new Ki Black Ace Pro from the baseline felt right at home for me. Its high swingweight and 11.4-ounce strung weight provided plenty of mass-based power, stability and comfort from the backcourt. The Black Ace Pro also features a rather uniformly and widely spaced 16x19 string pattern, further adding to its comfort and making spin and net clearance easy to develop."

Andrew clicked with the Black Ace Pro immediately, and he especially enjoyed the racquet's comfortable response. He said, "Swings from the baseline felt very familiar to other racquets I typically play with, and groundstrokes played well with the Ki Black Ace Pro overall. The low flex, thin beam and 330 swingweight offered easy control while still providing plenty of spin and plow through. My touch shots were right on point for such an open string pattern, which in other racquets has created higher-than-ideal trajectory on my slices and drop shots. As a baseline hitter relying on finesse and control, this racquet is definitely one I could use in match play. Something I almost forgot to mention — it's crazy comfortable."

With this racquet's low power, Sage had to generate extra force to add the pace he was looking for. He said, "The high swingweight kept the frame stable on contact, with great plow through. That said, there were times when I wanted more power., which led to overhitting in an effort to find extra pop on my forehand. I did eventually settle in and find the balance between power and placement. Maneuverability was not an issue for me, but I can see how a player who prefers a lower swingweight might find the swing on the heavier side."

Michelle found that she had to change up her play style a bit with the Ki Black Ace Pro. She described, "I didn't necessarily feel like I could hit players off the court as easily as usual. While the kinetic beads absorbed shock, at times it felt like they also absorbed some power. I did find good maneuverability, and it was easy to work with angles. I loved backhand slices with this racquet. It just cut through the air perfectly, and it felt like it always assisted me with low slice shots. In a way, playtesting this racquet made me play a bit craftier and smarter, which I enjoyed as it carried over to my game whether I was hitting with this racquet or something different. I definitely noted the comfortable feel, and while I missed that boardier response, I can see why players who like to feel the ball more would really gravitate toward this racquet."

Volleys - Score: 82

The ProKennex Ki Black Ace Pro impressed our playtesters at net with a successful balance of stability and maneuverability. Michelle explained, "I liked the feel and touch from this Black Ace Pro at net. I started to believe I could actually hit drop volleys, and they snuck into my game a bit more throughout this playtest. I never felt like it lacked stability at the net, yet it was still easy to maneuver into place."

This racquet's well-rounded build was a recipe for success for Mark at net. He said, "The Ki Black Ace Pro's combination of flexibility, weight, balance and open string pattern was great anywhere inside the service line, providing me with all the tools necessary to confidently keep the volley in play or put it away."

Andrew thought this racquet felt both speedy and stable at net. He said, "The Ki Black Ace Pro's low power provides easy access to soft, short-angled volleys, along with plenty of plow through for deeper, driving volleys. Although the racquet is only 4 points head light with a 330 swingweight, it didn't feel sluggish and was quick when necessary. I found myself wanting to control and feel the ball, so I shortened my reach back and allowed the racquet to stay out in front for early contact. Other racquets in this specification range are often 2 to 3 points more head light and can lack stability. The extra head mass resulted in a soft yet responsive feel."

Sage got the results he sought from the Black Ace Pro, but he struggled with the feel. He said, "Just like at the baseline, this racquet provided great stability at net. I appreciated the easy depth I could generate. I don't normally prioritize touch in a racquet, but I did find myself wishing for increased feel. Directionally, the ball went where I wanted, but the connected feel wasn't quite there."

Serves - Score: 83

The ProKennex Ki Black Ace Pro scored stellar marks for serves across the board. This category was the highlight of the playtest for Mark. He said, "In general, I just enjoyed playing with ProKennex's Ki Black Ace Pro, but the serve ended up being my favorite shot to hit with this racquet. I felt like the string spacing helped make it easier for me to get a good grip on the ball, and I was able to consistently land my serves to either side of the service box."

"I was surprised how much I liked this racquet when serving," Michelle added. "It was really easy to get swinging, and I felt well connected to the ball, which translated into hitting my targets consistently. I had ample access to spin and slice. Maybe I didn't have as much mass behind the ball on first serves, but I did appreciate the fact that my serves were going in more consistently, and I was avoiding double faults."

The Ki Black Ace Pro far surpassed Sage's expectations on serves. He said, "After having some issues with power from the baseline, I was concerned my serve would suffer the same fate. I'm happy to report no such issues. I love a solid feel from a frame when serving, and the Ki Black Ace Pro delivered. I could confidently control my first serve, and I felt like I was serving at a high percentage throughout the testing. Smooth precision was a plus when I wanted to pick a spot during doubles play. Generally speaking, the ball had big-time movement."

Discomfort is common with some playtesters after long sessions of serving, but this racquet's comfort technologies alleviated that issue for Andrew. He described, "Thanks to the Kinetic technology, I had no arm issues after hours of strong serves, which is fairly uncommon as I tend to experience serving discomfort with most racquets due to a previous shoulder injury. The racquet is low powered, so the player is responsible for generating their own power, however, I had no issues with control and placement. I found myself wanting to speed up my second serve to ensure net clearance, so my mental comfort zone was tested."

Returns - Score: 78

Our playtesters had mixed opinions on the Ki Black Ace Pro's return-of-serve performance, depending on their play style. This racquet slotted nicely into Andrew's return game, though off-center contact led to less-than-stellar results. He said, "As a counter puncher, this racquet fit well with my play style. The 4-points head-light balance offered better plow through than other control racquets without customization. Additionally, second serve returns were easy to place. With about 70 to 75 percent power, I was able to pull opponents off the court and then follow-up with an attack and approach. On first serve returns, the combination of the 97-square-inch head size and my less-than-perfect skills meant off-center contact returns were unforgiving and often dropped weakly into the net."

With his chip-style return game, Mark had no issues sending serves back with this racquet. He said, "This was another portion of the playtest where the Ki Black Ace Pro's soft layup of graphite, high swingweight and open pattern complemented an area of my game: the chip-style service return. The Ki Black Ace Pro was just maneuverable enough for me to find the time to hit topspin returns more often than usual."

Our more aggressive serve returners were more mixed on their feedback. Sage explained, "For me, returning is often hot or cold, and this racquet followed that trend. When my timing was right and I attacked the serve, the result was mostly positive. The Ki Black Ace Pro offered a blend of control and comfort, with the ball landing deep in the court. If I took a step back and pushed the ball into play from a more defensive position, my return lost consistency and depth. Getting the racquet into position was never a problem. I felt like it maintained a maneuverable feel from both wings."

While she was able to hit some very effective returns with this racquet, Michelle didn't quite find the level of consistency she wanted. She said, "I felt like I could get some great angles going with this racquet when returning, especially in doubles, and if I timed it just right I could attack precisely with big returns. However, there were times the flexible feel just seemed a bit too responsive for my taste."

Overall - Score: 80