Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 81

The specs of the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (315) seemed to fit right into all four of our playtesters' games. Chris quickly found his groove with this racquet from the baseline. He said, "The weight and balance felt right for my style of play. I found it easy to maneuver this racquet, and I could accelerate it to inject some added spin or pace when I wanted. I also liked my ability to flick the racquet through contact when stretched wide. There was enough pop for me to find depth easily. In the past, I've found Kinetic racquets to feel lively with the sense that the moveable mass adds some depth to shots. I definitely got that sense with this racquet; the ball seemed to jump off the stringbed compared to other racquets with a similar beam design and specs, such as the Dunlop Srixon CX 200 Tour 16x19 and the Tecnifibre TFight 315 XTC Ltd. The Kinetic system also provided a very comfortable dampened feel. The response is a little different, but it didn't take me long to get used to the feel of this racquet."

"The control and easy access to spin put the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (315) right in my wheelhouse, especially from the baseline," said Troy. "The head size, string pattern and flex are almost identical to my racquet of choice, the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 (330). The only noticeable spec difference is this racquet is 30 grams lighter; it also yields a lower swingweight by roughly 10 points. It had a fast and maneuverable feel to it, which allowed me to whip it around really easily on my forehand. When hitting forehands on the run, I could easily snap my wrist to create sharp angles and even hit a few banana shots down the line. When I hit the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (315) side by side with the Dunlop Srixon CX 200+ I noticed a huge increase in maneuverability with this racquet. The comfort was great, as expected from a ProKennex racquet. Slice shots felt nice and smooth, and I got a lot of backspin on the ball and kept it low. The stability was surprisingly good even with it being lighter than my preferred spec. That said, I would bump up the swingweight with some customization to gain a little more plow through. I felt very confident picking my spots when hitting groundstrokes, and I felt like I could dictate points by keeping my opponents on the run."

A standard length box-beam frame with a 98-square-inch head size, open string pattern, and 11.7-ounce strung weight is a formula that usually produces good results for Mark. He described, "This racquet proved to be very effective on groundstrokes for my game. I was comfortable from the backcourt within five minutes of play. After an hour of play I was right at home with it, and I could hit close to the lines with decent pace and spin. My only knock from the baseline was that my backhand slice did not feel as natural as I would have hoped, and I think it had something to do with the grip shape."

Michelle was captivated by the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (315)'s balance of features. She said, "This racquet had a great blend of power and control. I know we end up saying that about a lot of racquets, but I found the power levels here to be relatively low, so I never was worried about overhitting. I was also successful stepping up and swinging fast. I don't always love the more 'classic' feeling racquets and tend to prefer a more modern, stiff frame, but this Tour Pro (315) felt solid off the ground. After playtesting a bunch of firm racquets, the Kinetic technology was a nice break for my tendons! I was happy to find I could step up and put balls away with this racquet as well. It felt relatively consistent in my hands off the ground. No complaints from me — it's a solid racquet!"

Volleys - Score: 81

Quick to get into position, the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (315) lent our team great feel at net. Troy enjoyed the easy maneuverability and precision this racquet provided on his volleys. He explained, "My targeting was precise, and I felt like I could utilize all the angles of the court. When playing doubles, I could easily manipulate this racquet during quick volley exchanges. The stability was pretty good too. It wasn't quite as solid as the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph, but it didn't flutter in my hand. The feel on contact was a bit muted with the Kinetic technology, but it felt very comfortable on my wrist. My only knock was that I would have liked a little more punch or power to help gain easier depth. There were times when I had to block the ball back, and my volleys seemed to land a bit short."

The combination of specs definitely complemented Mark's volleys. He said, "The aspect that stood out to me the most was the feel at contact with the ball. Perhaps I might have been sensing the Kinetic technology, but I am inclined to say that it had more to do with the fact that this is a 'ye olde' traditional box-beam racquet with great feel."

Michelle felt like she had a solid command of the ball up at net. She said, "This racquet had a lot of feel and allowed me to place volleys exactly where I wanted. It was maneuverable and fairly stable at net. Again, the softer feel was nice for a change, and I never felt any harsh shock swinging away at bigger balls."

For Chris, the racquet felt light and easy to maneuver at net. He noted, "I was able to punch volleys deep with solid pace. I was impressed by how stable the racquet remained during hard hitting, considering how light and fast it felt to maneuver. It didn't take me long to get used to the feel of the racquet, and I was finding my targets on drop volleys and placement volleys."

Serves - Score: 81

All of our playtesters found ample access to spin and hit their targets successfully when serving with the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (315). Mark had no problems with his serve. He said, "Velocity-wise, I did not climb past 103 MPH, but most of my serves felt effortless, effective and most importantly, consistent."

Michelle also had an easy time serving with this racquet. She added, "In all honesty, I did not think I would be able to hit big first serves, but I was pleasantly surprised that I could execute decent pace. Slice and kick serves were seamless to hit. I wouldn't say I was hitting the best serves of my life, but I did feel confident starting the point offensively with this racquet."

There was impressive power and spin on tap for Chris. He said, "I found the response to be lively enough that I never felt like I had to work hard to serve with pace. The Ki Q+ Tour Pro (315) is a racquet I feel like I could take deep into a third set and still be able to bring plenty of heat on my service games. Both my topspin and slice serves had enough bite to them that I could hit with pace and still get the ball to drop inside the lines with good consistency."

Troy compared this Ki Q+ Tour Pro (315) to the Dunlop Srixon CX 200 Tour 16x19 and Head Graphene Touch Prestige Pro, saying, "I really enjoyed serving with both of those racquets due to their high level of control and easy access to spin. Likewise, I loved hitting my kick serve with the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (315) because I could generate loads of spin and place the ball in the corners of the service box. The manageable swingweight helped me to crank up the racquet head speed, which translated into some added power on flat first serves. It didn't supply easy power on my serves like a Babolat Pure Drive Tour Plus, but I was still putting up decent numbers when it came to speed."

Returns - Score: 79

With an open string pattern, great dampening and lots of maneuverability, the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (315) let our testers get aggressive with their returns. Connecting big with her returns was Michelle, who said, "The 16x19 stringbed offered a good amount of spin along with great precision. I could swing out without overhitting or missing too often. The racquet felt stable as well, and I had no vibrations shooting up my arm if I didn't hit the ball just right."

Chris also liked the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (315)'s response on his returns. He said, "It felt livelier than the CX 200 Tour 16x19 I have also been testing. I was holding back a little at first, but as the test wore on I found I could trust the power level of the racquet more and more. Again, comfort was excellent. We used only stiff, poly-based strings in this racquet, and I had zero comfort issues."

Troy had a great time taking big swings on his return. He explained, "I felt like I could rip the ball without fear of it flying long. The precision of this racquet allowed me to pick my spots accurately on returns. My slice and chip returns worked well. They stayed low at my opponent's feet, especially when I sliced my backhand return. The stability was good when facing big servers, but a little more weight in the hoop wouldn't hurt in my opinion."

"My return is typically the Achilles heel of my game," admitted Mark, "and sadly I cannot report that the Ki Q+ Tour Pro (315) did much to help improve that. I think this also had a bit to do with the grip shape. I usually chip my return back into play, and I had the same issue with my backhand slice."

Overall - Score: 82