Tecnifibre TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 85

The low-powered traits of the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 dominated our playtesters' groundstroke experiences. They all agreed the benefit of taking full swings without fear of overhitting was an advantage, but at times the plow through potential and overall stability was compromised. Although Troy found these downsides to ring true, his calculated baseline game was amplified by the predictability of the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20. "The control and maneuverability of the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 had me feeling dialed in from the baseline," he raved. "This 18x20 Tecnifibre playtest was an easy transition after the recent playtest for the Dunlop Srixon Revo CX 2.0 Tour 18x20, and I found the control and the way the racquets swung to be very similar. This racquet allowed me to take big cuts at the ball from the baseline, and I never felt as though the ball was flying long. The predictability allowed me to move the ball around the court and place the balls in the corners of the court. I was offered a high level of feel on my backhand slice. The touch and feel of this racquet helped me to use my craftiness, pick my spots and get my opponents moving all over the court. Although the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 is all about control, I would have liked some added weight in the hoop to boost the power level. As with the 16x19 version, I found that this TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 was lacking some stability against heavy hitters. While rallying with Michelle, who hits a heavy and flat ball, this racquet lacked the plow through that I get from my Wilson Six.One 95. I had a slight preference for the 16x19 version when hitting cross court angles. With that said, I was able to hit flatter put-away shots more effectively with this 18x20 version. Although not as spin friendly as the 16x19 version, the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 could still generate heavy topspin. The fact that I felt confident swinging freely without overhitting helped me to get a lot of RPMs on the ball."

Chris used the duration of the playtest to test and dial-in a string setup that complemented this low-powered frame. He said, "I loved the control and touch I had on my shots with this racquet. I found it played best for me with a co-poly string at a tension in the low to mid-40 lbs range. If I had the racquet strung above 46 lbs I needed a soft and lively playing co-poly. Firmer strings and higher tensions made this racquet too low powered for me and also resulted in less stability on off-center shots. The fix was to string low and/or add some weight. In stock form the racquet felt very fast and spin-friendly. I could take some big cuts at the ball and get lots of spin without losing any control. In fact, this racquet was so low powered a long fast swing was pretty much a requirement. I loved the feel I got from the racquet. The response was comfortable, yet I felt 100 percent dialed in on my touch shots."

Taking a few steps back from the baseline, Sean found the most success when he created his own power. He acknowledged, "From the ground, I found that the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 yielded a low-powered, predictable and muted response. When I wanted to take big cuts on my forehand I trusted the low power of the racquet — discovering that the control and location of my shot stayed true when I generated my own power. However, absorbing pace proved to be much more difficult because the racquet wasn't stable enough near the top of the frame to redirect the ball predictably. This meant I had to stand farther behind the baseline. It was much easier to play by sitting deeper in the court, where I could lengthen my swings and let the pace of the ball die a little bit. The lack of plow through was harder to adjust to on my left side, and was evident when I was struggling to find consistent depth on my shorter-stroked backhand. Consistent direction and pocketing remained true, although the dampening had me feeling disconnected from the response."

"These days, I look forward to any playtest racquet that has a tight string pattern," Mark said. After reflecting on his PlaySight data and first impressions, he concluded, "Within 20 swings from the baseline with this TFight, I felt very connected and confident. The combination of the firm stringbed and flexible frame, matched with the weight and balance, played nicely into my game plan. As expected, the 18x20 version of the TFight DC 315 Ltd. helped keep my backhand slice low and effective, and topspin was easily accessible as well. According to my PlaySight data, the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 ranks as one of the best racquets I have ever swung from the baseline. In fact, after one particular one-hour session I posted a 96 percent success rate on my forehand and 93 percent on my backhand."

Volleys - Score: 81

Across the board, our playtesters praised the easy manipulation and maneuverability that the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 afforded on volleys. However, there were some inconsistencies when it came to stability, as some playtesters felt the racquet's lack of mass created vulnerability at the net. Chris was a big fan of certain aspects of the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 at net. He reiterated, "Again, both the touch and control felt fantastic. I loved the feel I had on drop volleys and angles, and I could punch volleys deep and finish off points quickly. The racquet felt comfortable and super easy to maneuver. Just like at the baseline, I vastly preferred the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 when it was strung low or had been weighted up."

Sean wasn't as satisfied with the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20's performance at net, noting, "Although this racquet was maneuverable, it lacked the punch that I find essential for volleying. The relatively low stability in the head of the racquet was evident as I came forward to finish points. I had difficulty moving the ball through the court, and I was frequently left in difficult positions at net. As mentioned, the maneuverability of this racquet at net was definitely one of its strengths, but the lack of response was too strong of a caveat for me to have faith in its ability to stick a volley or angle a ball off the court."

Mark disagreed with Sean after he found adequate stability at the net for his game. "The volley portion of this playtest was one of my favorites," he explained. "I am a little wary of racquets at this weight paired with swingweight numbers around 310 or lower because they can be a little unstable at net. However, I had no such issue with the stock spec of the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20. At 11.7 oz, a 310 swingweight and 7 points headlight, it was like that perfect temperature of porridge in the Three Little Bears story — not too hot, not too cold, but just right. The tip light balance made it easy for me to set up for the volley, and the overall weight made it stable against heavy passing shots."

Troy's experience landed somewhere in the middle. He was more than pleased with the feel, but the frame lacked the mass he normally requires for deeper volleys. He said, "The control and feel were the best attributes of this racquet when coming to net. As with the 16x19 version, this TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 provided great control on my volleys. The slightly denser stringbed rewarded me with a bit more feel on touch volleys and acute angles. Anytime I found the sweetspot the feel was plush and my volleys were point and shoot. The quick feel of this racquet made it easy to get it on the ball during fast exchanges at net. As with the 16x19 version, I found that when I made contact just outside the sweetspot the response was unforgiving. Some added weight at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions of the hoop would help stabilize the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 on off-center hits. With the overall lack of mass in the head, the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 was getting pushed around when facing big hitters. I was craving some added mass to help me get easier depth on volleys."

Serves - Score: 82

Featuring comfort, precision and exceptional racquet head speed, the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 gave most of our playtesters the confidence to go up and after their serves. Unfortunately, attaining power on serves proved challenging at its stock specs. Sean appreciated the control he found on his serves, saying, "I didn't find myself getting a lot of natural pop on my serve from the racquet. But, like my groundstrokes, I was rewarded for really going after the ball, and the direction was especially good on my flat serve. I felt the racquet fluttering on some of my slice and kick serves, which reduced my confidence on my second serve."

"Although I was sacrificing a few MPHs on my serves, I was able to locate my targets with a high level of consistency," Troy observed. "The fast and whippy feel of this TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 allowed me to generate easy racquet head speed on serves, and it allowed me to generate substantial amounts of spin on my second serves, although the 16x19 version provided an even bigger boost in spin. The easy maneuverability allowed me to create some additional wrist snap, especially benefiting my slice and kick serves. My flat first serve down the middle was landing in on a consistent basis. I definitely wasn't getting the same boost in power that I get from a racquet like the Yonex EZONE DR 98+, but my first serves were precise and effective. As with the 16x19 version, this TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 could benefit from some added weight at the tip to help me provide some power when I'm really trying to bring the heat on a first serve."

Chris was also seeking more pace, but echoed Troy's praise of the precision they found. "I served decently with this racquet," he said. "I was missing some of the pace I got with the 16x19 version, but I felt a little bit more accurate. My favorite serve to hit was my slice first serve. I felt very confident on that shot, which allowed me to add pace and go for a sharp angle. I was also surprised at the spin I could get on my second serve. The TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 has to be one of the most spin-friendly 18x20 racquets I've hit. The only thing missing on serve was killer pace. A low string tension helped get some pace back, but ideally I need to add weight to this racquet."

"When it came to comfort, consistency and confidence, I gave the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 very high marks on serve," Mark added. "I didn't feel like I could eclipse the 100 MPH barrier with it (even if my life depended on it), but all the way up to the 94 MPH range my serve was effective, and it felt almost effortless."

Returns - Score: 76

Half of our playtesters were pleased with the returning capabilities of the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 and its capacity to respond quickly in their hands. The other half felt that the racquet got pushed around, diminishing their ability to attack serves. With a tendency to keep his return game simple, Mark didn't find any drawbacks. He acknowledged, "I can sort of compare my serve return to my volley, since neither one involves much of a swing. The specs of the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 had the same effect on my return as they did with my volley, which was a positive one."

Chris accessed the full potential of the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 after a little customization. He said, "I loved knifing slice returns with this racquet. I also liked the way it responded on fast topspin swings. It was easy to accelerate the racquet head through contact, which led to some nice angles and options. The returning potential of this racquet opened up when some weight was added to the frame."

The stability fell short for Sean when he was hitting returns. He reasoned, "Similar to its response at net, this racquet lacks the stability that is needed to handle the power of first serves. On the flip side, when I had time to step back and take cuts at second serves it was easy to pop the ball around the court. This is unfortunate, though, because it takes away the option to take serves early, a fault that was much more exposed in doubles."

"When I had the time to take a big cut at the ball I could be effective on my return of serve," Troy quoted. "Taking big rips on my returns was enjoyable, being that no matter how hard I swung at the ball it tended to land in the court. I was rewarded with great control and feel on my returns, which proved to work well when I played doubles. I was able to pick my spots and keep the ball away from the net player. Whether returning cross court, down the line or chipping a lob, I found that my accuracy was pinpoint. However, I couldn't rely on blocking a serve back when I didn't have time to take a big swing. The lack of plow through made it difficult to muster any sort of depth with a short swing. With my Wilson Six.One 95 18x20 I can utilize the mass of the racquet to block the ball back deep when I am off balance or in a defensive position. With this racquet that part of my return game was not evident, which made it difficult for me to work my way into the point. I would definitely add weight to the head of the TFight DC 315 Ltd. 18x20 to help me get easier depth on my returns."

Overall - Score: 82