Tennis Warehouse - Babolat Pure Drive racquet review (2023)

Ground Slams – Score: 85

Continuing with tradition, the 2015 edition of thepure impulseit was a joy to use from the baseline. It offered the same seemingly perfect blend of power, control, and spin. The biggest difference our testers noticed between this Pure Drive and the previous version was that the sweet spot was higher on the rim, which affected each player differently.crisfound more control and responsiveness of the stringing. He explained: "I found my rhythm quickly with this racquet. It was a very easy racquet to use. There was a good level of power that made groundstrokes very easy. I also liked the improved string response. The response offered more control." and that led me to hit more aggressively more often.I also found it easy to rally with this racquet.I would give this racquet more praise for its ease of use, but the Plus length version outshines it.This just doesn't offer enough of the power of the Plus, while I found control to be about the same between the two, I was getting more spin on my shots and finding my targets better compared to the previous version.

For fellow Pure Drive VeteransBrittany, it was the improved power that stood out. She said: "I grew up playing various versions of the Pure Drive in high school and college. I also bought the 2012 version when it was among several tournament racquets I played over the summer. So when I bought this Pure Drive upgrade I was relieved. finding that I liked it just as much as previous versions.There was a little adjustment period due to the high sweet spot, but I instantly found more power.Once adjusted, I felt comfortable with this racquet in my hands.It was very maneuverable, which was which I needed because I needed racket head speed to add spin to my groundstrokes, I was able to spin a lot, especially on my shorter groundstrokes and angled passes.

The tometiffanyI didn't have time to adjust to the 2015 Pure Drive and preferred the high sweet spot. He explained: "From the very first swing, I remembered how easy the Babolat Pure Drive is to use. No matter what I hit, I can come back to this racket and find the perfect rhythm. I liked the sweet spot placement on this new version. but I noticed it was a bit less consistent than my previous Pure Drives. Since I don't use much spin to make the ball drop, I missed a bit more. With more time, I'm sure I was able to adjust the power level and hit harder with Pure Drive Plus, but I was much more consistent with the pattern and felt more in tune with the ball at impact."

they are alreadyWe also find even more power than in previous versions. He praised: "Could the Babolat squeeze even more power out of the last Pure Drive? I think so! I felt like my shots had a little more punch because they moved the sweet spot on the rim, and that's where I tend to stop. "do my punches. Handling, spin potential, and feel are virtually identical to the previous model, which isn't a bad thing. I felt like I could hit a wide variety of offensive shots with this racket, but the easy access to power made it a good defensive weapon as well."

Volleys - Score: 81

Opure impulseIt proved to be just as effective at net as it was on the baseline, delivering a crisp, solid feel and making deep volleys as simple as point-and-shoot.they are alreadyI was a sucker for stability on impact. He said: "I really appreciated the stability of this racket on my volleys, especially since I'm not the cleanest striker with the ball at the net. Another plus point for me was that it was quite maneuverable. When I needed to volley it hit me on the body, I was able to quickly get the racket in place.

tiffanyhe enjoyed the modern feel of the 2015 Pure Drive on his volleys and found himself attacking the net with uncommon aplomb. She praised: "Crisp and clean is how I would describe this Pure Drive at net. I haven't tried anything fancy and I felt right at home (as much as I can be at net) with the Pure Drive, hitting deep volleys and, unlike the Plus, I rarely felt late on my volleys and was ahead of my shots, so I was more confident with the standard Pure Drive."

Sharing a similar sentiment wasBrittany, who easily defended volleys but struggled a bit with shots that required more finesse. She explained: "I felt unstoppable at net with the 2015 Pure Drive. The maneuverability and stability allowed me to access a variety of volleys. I found most of my success hitting backcourt volleys behind my opponent." "Really deflecting. I liked the feel of this racket when volleying which gave me more confidence to shoot. It had average touch but it worked for me as I don't use touch as often."

crisI liked the ease of use, but did notice a bit of a lack of sensitivity. I would have also made some changes for more stability. He said: "I thought this was a good doubles racquet because it felt fast and fresh. I found it easy to clear the ball with this Pure Drive. I also felt very connected to my goals. Again, I preferred the version answer Plus because it had a more solid feel. I would add weight to this standard version to increase the swingweight by about 10 points and then I was done. In its standard form, I found this racquet accurate on hitting volleys, but lacking feel on golf putts. touch".

Withdrawals - Score: 84

Usually a favorite shot to hit with previous Pure Drives, it works with this updated one.pure impulsethey were no exception. All testers noted an increase in the power and effectiveness of their serves over their rackets of choice.tiffanyhe felt that the new sweet spot technology provided an even greater power increase than previous versions. She explained: "This is where I felt the sweet spot relocated the most. I consistently got more speed with the upgraded Pure Drive compared to my Pure Drive PLAY. Stats from our PlaySight smart court show an increase of only a few miles per hour Above average but I will take what I can in the power department on my serves I like to serve with any of the Pure Drives because they help me with some extra power.

After a short period of adaptationBrittanyhe was serving as well as ever, hitting his spots with great power and spin. She raved: "This is such an easy racquet to get power. Although I didn't get as much power as with the extended length, there was just too much for my liking. My first serves went over the service line, so I had to remember to add a little more spin. Once I did that, I felt in the zone serving. Because the racquet is so maneuverable, my arm never got tired and I was able to do everything from start to finish."

they are alreadyhe was also having more success than usual in his services. He said: "I was serving more with this racquet than my lead Yonex EZONE Ai 100 (from PlaySight numbers), and my Yonex is heavier! Needless to say, I enjoyed serving with this putter. Power and lots of spin." .

crishe preferred the extended-length version in service. He said: "I've always served well with the Pure Drive, and this was no exception. I used to use the Roddick Cortex Pure Drive and switched to it mainly because of how well it worked with it. Ideally, I like a bit more weight, but even in standard form I was getting good pace and great spin.My serve speed was down 2-3mph on average compared to the Plus, but I still felt like I could put pressure on my opponent."

Loot Returns - Score: 85

Opure impulseIt continued to impress our experts when they returned the service, proving once again that it was easy to use and instilling confidence in them.brittanythe strength of her game is returning serve, and with this racket in hand she was more dangerous than ever. She praised: "This is one of the areas where I preferred the standard length frame over the extended length. I was able to swing the racquet faster and never fell behind on my serve and found excellent stability. I loved returning aggressively and aiming the return where I put it I found myself starting the point on offense most of the time, either returning a first or second serve.

crishe also had access to their full range of returns. He found more than enough stability to return the ball, as well as enough maneuverability to make small cuts. He said: "This was a great racket to give returns a chance. I also liked it for chipping and carrying. The racket was so fast that it felt natural to return early and follow them to the net. I was getting good spin and found the Very precise response, I found my targets consistently when passing the ball and could mix in extra spin or pace at will.

they are alreadyhe was using the extra strength to return serves more aggressively than usual. He said, "As with my groundstrokes, I was finding a bit more pop on my returns than I had on the old version. My returns are normally a neutral or defensive hit, but with the 2015 Pure Drive I felt like I could be more aggressive." and use my return as an offensive weapon."

tiffanyhe also appreciated the ease of use when returning the serve, although he sometimes had problems with its control. He reflected, "I really liked the power level. There's a lot of power, which allows me to hit my returns a bit deeper than with other rackets. I think I came back okay with it, but I felt more consistent with my Pure Drive PLAY, such This time was due in part to the added power of the 2015 Pure Drive. However, the 2015 Pure Drive is still more forgiving than many other similar racquets.

Overall - Score: 84

scores

(Scores are determined by averaging scores from individual game tests)

Game tester profiles

cris:4.5 player on all courts currently wearing the Wilson Six.One 95S. Chris uses a full Western forehand grip, has a fast swinging style, and hits a one-handed backhand.

Jason:Baseline 4.0 with semi-west forehand and two-handed backhand. Currently using a Yonex EZONE Ai 100.

Tiffany:4.0 level baseline with semi-west grip on the right and hits a two-handed backhand. Currently playing with Donnay Formula 100.

Brittany:Open level player with semi-west forehand and two-handed backhand. He currently plays with the Yonex EZONE Ai 100.

Review Date: December 2014 If you find this review interesting or have any further questions or comments, please let us know.

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