Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 84

The Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F offered our playtesters easy maneuverability from the baseline. Mark compared this version favorably to the heavier Tour model. He said, "I played with both the Revo CV 3.0 F Tour and this 3.0 F side by side, and they were both a delight to swing from the baseline. That said, I typically prefer racquets that are closer in weight to the CV 3.0 F Tour, so I was surprised that I ended up preferring the CV 3.0 F from the backcourt. Over the course of a long practice session I was able to keep my shots landing deep more consistently with the 3.0 F. Its 16x19 string spacing made generating spin very easy, and although my game is centered on consistency rather than power, I was able to swing out more on my groundstrokes and still get the ball to land where I wanted it to."

"This racquet was a breeze for me to pick up and use," continued Tiffani. "Like a Babolat Pure Drive, this Revo CV 3.0 F made me feel like a better player. This racquet's swing felt a bit lighter than the Pure Drive, but I still found easy depth and excellent spin potential. Although fairly light and stiff, the Revo CV 3.0 F felt solid, with good ball pocketing when struck inside the sweetspot. When I missed the sweetspot the feel became hollow, most likely due to the racquet's low weight. The power level of this racquet was easier for me to control than the most recent Pure Drive, and it was super whippy through the air, so I liked that I could easily add topspin. I hit some decent slices as well, but those weren't as reliable, and I floated a few unexpectedly. Overall, though, this racquet fit well into my game style and boosted my ability to get balls back into play."

The specs of the Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F are right in line with some of Brittany's favorite racquets. She described, "It was no surprise that the Revo CV 3.0 F was easy to pick up and use right away. This racquet has a generous sweetspot and is fairly maneuverable. I could generate racquet head speed with ease. As far as being more power or control oriented, I found that this racquet landed smack dab in the middle, maybe leaning slightly toward the power side. One thing I noticed was that I had to work harder with this racquet versus the non-F version to get the power and depth I wanted. This was reflected in my PlaySight data, which indicated I wasn't hitting as many balls deep into the court."

Kristen was left looking for a little more power. She stated, "Although this racquet has very similar specs to the Wilson Ultra 100 that I've been using, it definitely has a different feel on the court. I get a lot of free power and depth out of the Ultra 100, and I had to work a bit harder to get the same results from this racquet. Because the ball had a somewhat lower trajectory off the stringbed than I'm used to, my balls were landing a little short in defensive situations. I was also playing with a fairly stiff poly, so stringing this racquet with something softer could help to counteract that response a bit and assist with some power and depth. The Revo CV 3.0 F definitely has good maneuverability, a very stable feel on contact and a good amount of control."

Volleys - Score: 80

On their volleys, our playtesters were able to wield the Revo CV 3.0 F with ease, but some did notice a stiff feel outside of the sweetspot. Tiffani was pleasantly surprised with her success at net. She said, "It's rare that I actually enjoy volleying, but the Revo CV 3.0 F felt lightning quick around the net, and I was able to execute volleys with more confidence than usual. I did notice that the racquet didn't quite pack the punch of the Pure Drive at net. I had to make sure that I really punched the volley rather than just blocking it back if I wanted the ball to move through the court. The ball tended to sit up when I just blocked the ball back."

Mark liked the combination of maneuverability and stability. He observed, "The Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F was easy for me to get into position for a volley, and although it did err on the side of maneuverability, it was heavy enough to give me rewarding results on off-center pick-up volleys, and punch volleys were accurately placed as well."

"The Revo CV 3.0 F felt very stable when I was at the net, but a bit stiff and unforgiving," added Kristen. "Again, I had to work a bit harder to place the ball deep in the court with decent pace, and it was tough to get a good feel for touch shots."

Brittany found both positives and negatives when it came to volleying. She said, "I enjoyed the maneuverability of the Revo CV 3.0 F when I headed to the net. I felt like I was able to hit a wide range of volleys with consistency. I would say the feel is on the stiffer side, so I noticed my off-center hits a lot more."

Serves - Score: 79

Our playtesters had mixed feelings when it came to serving with the Dunlop Srixon Revo CV 3.0 F. Although Kristen was able to get more depth on her serves than her groundstrokes, She had trouble keeping the ball in the service box. She noted, "I felt like I was getting some nice plow through on my serves, and it was easy to generate racquet head speed. I found myself overhitting a lot on serves at first, but I was able to rein that power in once I got used to the feel of the racquet."

Maneuverability was a positive for Tiffani. She commented, "I found serving with the Revo CV 3.0 F to be simple and intuitive. Swinging it up and over my head was easy, and I could generate some nice racquet head speed, so I was able to hit with my usual moderate spin. This racquet's power level was good, though not quite as good as the Pure Drive. It felt lighter to me than the specs would indicate."

"There were no standout features when it came to serving," explained Brittany. "The Revo CV 3.0 F did everything fairly well. If I had to pick one thing, it would be the precision. I was able to pick a target, aim and hit it successfully. This allowed me to play around with pace and spins to create an offensive first serve. I appreciated the consistent feel, which translated to getting a higher percentage of second serves in. I was confident with how the Revo CV 3.0 F would perform even under pressure."

Mark was looking for a little more mass for his serve. He critiqued, "I noticed that the Revo CV 3.0 F's light weight made it tough for me to develop a decent level of velocity. My serves were effective with this racquet, but I did feel that I had to exert a bit more to get the results that I wanted."

Returns - Score: 81

Across the board, our playtesters appreciated the ability to take full, aggressive swings on their returns with the Revo CV 3.0 F. Brittany was hitting her usual solid returns with the Revo CV 3.0 F. She said, "I was confidently able to swing aggressively on both first and second serve returns. I didn't have any fears of overhitting, which allowed me to take full cuts at the ball. I liked that I had the option to block first serves back deep, and I could be precise with where I was aiming. I found the racquet to be both maneuverable and stable enough for my needs. No complaints from me here!"

Kristen would have liked a little more depth on her returns with the Revo CV 3.0 F. She said, "Although I was missing the free power I'm used to getting on my returns with my Ultra 100, I did appreciate the stable, controlled feel on contact. While I had good consistency on my returns, they were landing a bit short against big servers, which left me in a less than ideal position to start the point."

"I really liked taking a full swing at my returns with this racquet," raved Tiffani. "It felt very fast through the air, so it felt like I could get my racquet on just about any serve. Like my groundstrokes, missing the sweetspot on a return led to a drop off in feel, but for me that was just a minor drawback. I could attack serves and start off points with the advantage."

After a small adjustment, Mark was able to find a groove with the Revo CV 3.0 F. He said, "It took a little longer to get my return dialed in during this playtest, but once I got used to this racquet's lighter weight my chip backhand return did become more effective. I was also able to get over the top of the ball on my forehand return more often with the Revo CV 3.0 F."

Overall - Score: 81