ProKennex Q+5 Pro (310) Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 86

The blend of power, spin and maneuverability was the highlight of the ProKennex Ki Q+ 5 Pro (310) from the baseline. The first thing Brittany noticed was how easy it was to adjust to this racquet. She said, "The specs are right where I like them and are pretty similar to my current racquet of choice, the Yonex EZONE DR 100. My favorite aspect of this racquet was grooving groundstrokes from the baseline. They were landing deep in the court, and I was able to generate a lot of racquet head speed for easy power. This resulted in clean, aggressive shots. The feel of this racquet also stood out to me. It was very comfortable, and I kept referring to it as a comfortable Pure Drive. The large sweetspot and direct feedback allowed me to take the ball early and redirect the pace back into the corners. I also was able to bail myself out of situations with low and penetrating slices."

It was a really easy for Tiffani to transition into the ProKennex Ki Q+ 5 Pro (310) from her current racquet of choice, the Prince Textreme Tour 100P. She said, "The specs of these two racquets are remarkably similar, and even though the Prince has 18 mains versus the 16 mains of the Ki Q+ 5 Pro (310), the spacing of the string patterns is still pretty close. I've been struggling with some wrist issues, and I liked how solid this ProKennex felt at contact. I could sense the Kinetic technology plowing throwing the ball, helping add some stability and power to my groundstrokes. There was easy power, similar to how easy it is to generate pace with a Babolat Pure Drive, but I felt the ProKennex offered me better control and more comfort despite the inherent stiffness of the frame. I like to play close to the baseline if I can, and this racquet allowed me to because it came through the hitting zone very quickly. I just felt confident with this racquet at the baseline, and confidence is so important on the court."

"This was such a fun playtest!" raved Hannah. "I'd never tried a ProKennex racquet before, and this racquet really surprised me. From the moment I picked it up I found it extremely easy to swing from the baseline, and that carried throughout all the aspects of my groundstrokes. Racquet head speed, spin potential and power were all at my disposal. I never felt any discomfort with this racquet. The feel was slightly dampened, but I still felt connected to the ball, which gave me good precision. I lost some stability against powerful hitters, but whenever I was on the offensive I felt like I had complete control over my shots with this racquet. I really appreciate a racquet that complements my groundstrokes by giving me room to attack and the ability to hit angles, and this racquet did just that."

Jason agreed. He said, "Off the ground, this racquet was really easy to switch to from my own racquet, the Babolat Pure Strike (16x19). I thought the ProKennex Ki Q+ 5 Pro (310) was easy to swing, and that made it easy to generate racquet head speed. I found I was able to generate tons of spin and a good amount of power with this racquet. I also liked the angles I could hit because of the whippy frame. It did get pushed around just a bit and had some instability issues on off-center shots, which is probably due to the thinner beam and head light balance."

Volleys - Score: 81

The TW playtesters had mixed results with the Ki Q+ 5 Pro (310) when it came to volleying. Tiffani was able to find some success up at net. She explained, "Although I'm not the strongest volleyer on the court I am working on it, and this racquet offered me a good blend of stability and maneuverability. The sweetspot felt generous enough that when I missed it the racquet still provided a decent enough response."

"The feel was my favorite part of volleying with this racquet," added Brittany. "I felt very connected to the ball and felt very confident aiming my volleys to smaller, more risky targets. I also thought the racquet was very comfortable. When I was hitting outside of the sweetspot I didn't experience any discomfort or vibrations. I felt very confident up at net during singles and doubles play."

Jason had some ups and downs at the net. He said, "The ProKennex Ki Q+ 5 Pro (310) provided plenty of pop and spin for put-away volleys. I liked how easy it was to execute an overhead because it's so fast and maneuverable. The torsional stability was a slightly bigger issue up at net for me because I'm not as comfortable up there and don't hit as clean a ball. I would definitely add a bit of tungsten tape around the hoop to help stabilize it more."

Hannah also would have liked a little more stability. She critiqued, "I could have used more stability at net, but nonetheless, I still think this is a solid choice for an all court player. If your goal is to attack with your groundstrokes and proceed to the net to finish of the point, this racquet gives you the tools to step in and end points with ease. The specs of this racquet made for above average handling and exceptional maneuverability in my hands."

Serves - Score: 81

All of the TW playtesters felt that the ProKennex Ki Q+ 5 Pro (310) lacked power on serves. The ultra-fast swinging characteristics translated well for Hannah's serve. She noted, "I did want more pop on my flat serve, but other than that, I liked hitting serves with this racquet. My motion felt effortless and comfortable and I could swing up and around without putting a lot of pressure on my shoulder. The ability to maneuver this racquet up and over my head gave me a slew of placement and spin options."

"For some reason I was struggling to find consistency with my serve," stated Jason. "I sometimes felt like I was swinging too fast and getting ahead of the ball because of the 7 point head light balance. However, when I did hit my serve cleanly I enjoyed good pace and lots of spin."

While Brittany wasn't getting the pace on her serve that she got on my groundstrokes, she was still able to be pretty effective with it. She said, "I was hitting a lot of slice serves out wide and felt pretty comfortable aiming at riskier targets. On my second serves I had enough spin to consistently roll the ball into the service box and stay neutral to start points."

Coming off a successful experience with her groundstrokes, Tiffani was expecting a little more from her serve. She said, "Not to say that this racquet was lacking, but this wasn't a standout stroke for me. I found decent power, but it didn't come as easily as I expected. I did have pretty high expectations after the success I had hitting groundstrokes, so there is that to consider."

Returns - Score: 86

The Ki Q+ 5 Pro (310) was an effective weapon in the hands of the TW playtesters when it came to returns. There wasn't much for Jason to complain about. He commented, "There was enough power, and with the open string pattern I could get my returns to drop in with pace. This racquet was whippy enough that if I only had time to stick the racquet out and block a shot, there wasn't much lag or sluggishness."

Brittany enjoyed the combination of power and stability the ProKennex Ki Q+ 5 Pro (310) offered on returns, saying, "There was enough stability that I never experienced any twisting or fluttering when returning, even when returning the most powerful or heavy spin serves. I liked how I could be aggressive when returning both first and second serves, and I could start the point off on the offensive."

"Perhaps it's due to my game style, but I preferred returning with this racquet over serving," added Tiffani. "It could absorb incoming power well and felt stable on returns. I felt confident directing my returns and hitting my target area on returns. This Ki Q+ 5 Pro (310) was a friendly blend of power, stability and maneuverability."

Hannah continued to notice the lack of stability, but she was still able to be aggressive on her returns. She said, "First, I noticed the power off of the return was slightly depleted. I contribute this to the lack of stability I previously mentioned in the groundstrokes section when I was up against a heavier hitter. Even so, I was able to stay out of trouble off the serve, and I used this racquet to get good depth up the middle to put myself in position to step in and control the next ball, usually with an angle to pull my opponent off the court."

Overall - Score: 85