View Full Version : Babolat Pure Drive
Hey guys, just found this site. I've been looking for a site where I can get some advice on tennis gear and hopefully leanr a little along the way.
I'm a freshman in HS, gettin ready to play tennis in the spring. At this point I expect to be the 4th or 5th on my Varsity team. I'm a 3.5-4.0 player I'd guess from what I've read. I'm a baseliner, hit mostly a falt serve, working on variations of my serve. I'm pretty consistent from the baseline and am pretty agressive at the net, and am not afraid to charge to come to the net. I generally hit all out on most of my shots, I'm a pretty agressive player. I've played with cheap racquets for a couple years, I've got a couple Wilsons that I've beat up that were maybe $30 a couple years ago at Target or something, and a Pro Staff 3.7. I'm looking to buy a nice racquet to get me through high school, hopefully farther. I demoed the Head Liquidmetal Radical MP, Prince Tour Diablo MP, and the Babolat Team Drive Tour +. Of those I liked the Babolat best. It gave me a lot of power on my serve and compared to my old racquets I gained some control. It was strung at 54 lbs with Babolat Conquest. I did notice that a lot of times I would hit the ball just a little long, 2-3 feet maybe. I've read that the Stanard gives more control, and many people give that one better reviews than the Plus. Compared to the LM it definitely had less control, and I don't mind sacrificing some of the power it gave me as it was a little much.
So what I'm trying to say is this: Would you recommend getting the Plus and strining it around 60 lbs or the Standard and stringing it like 57?
moosryan
2004-12-06, 23:29
went thru the same issue you had, in the long run decided to go with the liquidmetal radical mps. I might try the pure control mp if i were you. similar feel, a bit less power.
I have 3 PD+'s and have been very happy with them. I string them at 60lbs, or 58/62 when using JC's hybrid method, and must say I don't find them overly powerful when strung like this. When I demo'd the stick it was strung around 54lbs and was awful. I should caution you that I hit with lots of spin (topspin and slice from both sides) so having balls go too long is something I usually adjust for naturally by spinning more. I always feel comfortable hitting out with these racquets.
I would recommend that you pay for a re-string at a higher tension and test it for yourself. The strings and the string tension will make all the difference in the feel of the racquet. I would also recommend that you buy at least 2 at a time if you can afford it.
Good luck,
Eric
I have 3 PD+'s and have been very happy with them. I string them at 60lbs, or 58/62 when using JC's hybrid method, and must say I don't find them overly powerful when strung like this. When I demo'd the stick it was strung around 54lbs and was awful. I should caution you that I hit with lots of spin (topspin and slice from both sides) so having balls go too long is something I usually adjust for naturally by spinning more. I always feel comfortable hitting out with these racquets.
I would recommend that you pay for a re-string at a higher tension and test it for yourself. The strings and the string tension will make all the difference in the feel of the racquet. I would also recommend that you buy at least 2 at a time if you can afford it.
Good luck,
Eric
Thanks for the advice both of you, I've got a place in town where I can demo racquets pretty reasonably. As far as buying two at once, considering the fact that I can get either one of them for $150 here locally no on sale, wouldn't it be smarter to just buy one? If I'd buy two, the other one would just sit in my bag and I'd still have to restring if I wouldn't play with it since the strings would get old. I probably can't afford to buy two, but I'm wondering about this.
I am teaching pro and a highschool coach as well and would not reccommend a balolat to any of my players....why? because they kill elbows thats why. a little known secret that Babolats are becoming more and more notorious for giving players elbow problems. If your strokes are not technically perfect, I'de opt for the Head or Prince, cant go wrong with either. good luck
I am teaching pro and a highschool coach as well and would not reccommend a balolat to any of my players....why? because they kill elbows thats why. a little known secret that Babolats are becoming more and more notorious for giving players elbow problems. If your strokes are not technically perfect, I'de opt for the Head or Prince, cant go wrong with either. good luckThanks for the info, I'll have to keep it in mind. My only problem is that I didn't really like either one of those racquets. The Prince was nearly impossible to generate power for me. I'm agressive, but I'm only 5-9, 130 lbs; so I'm not that powerful. The Head wasn't as comfortable. I felt vibration a lot, and even though it had more control, when the ball would hit the strings I'd feel I could never tell where it was going because of the vobration off the strings. I'd also like a little more power from the LM, although maybe the OS version would fix that. I also heard that the LMs break easily, hairline fractures in the frames and such. I'm a freshman in HS, I don't have a consistent flow of income, so I'm hoping to find a racquet I can use for a couple years at least.
Would there be other racquets you'd suggest demoing or is there a way to put a dampener on the Babolat for lessened elbow problems?
Would there be other racquets you'd suggest demoing or is there a way to put a dampener on the Babolat for lessened elbow problems?
Any racquet can give you elbow problems, and what Jaypro is probably aware of is that what is really important is the combination of racquet, strings, and the player themselves. What my be harmful for one player could play like a dream for another and vice versa.
The best advice I've ever received about choosing a racquet is to play with it in a game-type situation for 90 minutes or more. If you feel any discomfort, that racquet/string combo is not for you. If you like the swing weight of the racquet, try different strings until you're happy. Don't play with something that doesn't feel good. This seems incredibly obvious, but many players continue to play with minor discomfort which builds into major discomfort.
Since you like the PD+, another racquet you may want to consider is the Wilson nCode 95. It's a little bit heavier and stiffer than the PD+, but has a very nice feel and swing characterisitics. Don't be tempted by the nCode 90 - it is also a great racquet, but is most likely too heavy for you, and not forgiving enough for you right now.
For what it's worth, I've been playing about 12hrs a week for 2 years on PDs, and have never had anything resembling elbow, shoulder, or little toe problems :)
Cheers,
Eric
Would there be other racquets you'd suggest demoing or is there a way to put a dampener on the Babolat for lessened elbow problems?
Any racquet can give you elbow problems, and what Jaypro is probably aware of is that what is really important is the combination of racquet, strings, and the player themselves. What my be harmful for one player could play like a dream for another and vice versa.
The best advice I've ever received about choosing a racquet is to play with it in a game-type situation for 90 minutes or more. If you feel any discomfort, that racquet/string combo is not for you. If you like the swing weight of the racquet, try different strings until you're happy. Don't play with something that doesn't feel good. This seems incredibly obvious, but many players continue to play with minor discomfort which builds into major discomfort.
Since you like the PD+, another racquet you may want to consider is the Wilson nCode 95. It's a little bit heavier and stiffer than the PD+, but has a very nice feel and swing characterisitics. Don't be tempted by the nCode 90 - it is also a great racquet, but is most likely too heavy for you, and not forgiving enough for you right now.
For what it's worth, I've been playing about 12hrs a week for 2 years on PDs, and have never had anything resembling elbow, shoulder, or little toe problems :)
Cheers,
EricThanks, I agree that minor discomforts are often overlooked.
I'll see what I can find on the Wilson nCode, and see if I can demo it. My problem is that I live in a small town, and there's only one place within 25 miles that demos, and they have a great prices, such as the PD for $150, albeit a small selection.
Which Pure Drive do you like best?
moosryan
2004-12-08, 02:57
here are some others i might try in your situation:
wilson surge: supposedly like puredrive but w/ more control
prince shark - another similar stick
head lm instinct - i won't lie, i like head racquets, and i think this might fit you better than the radical
volkl - v engine 9 (16x19), sounds like a nice racquet
yonex - rdx 300, i keep hearing good things about the rdx line
dunlop - 300g, good lightweight players racquet
Fischer - Pro #1 FT - sounds like the pd+
Of course there are a lot of racquets here, but just to give you a basic outline of what you may be looking at.
those were my thoughts off the top of my head, but i then realized you should check these out too: http://www.racquetfinder.com/FMPro?hsMin=95&hsMax=105&lMin=26.5&lMax=27.5&wMin=10.799999999999999&wMax=11.6&swMin=312&swMax=328&fMin=65&fMax=75
and
http://www.racquetfinder.com/FMPro?hsMin=95&hsMax=105&lMin=27&lMax=28&wMin=10.7&wMax=11.5&swMin=324&swMax=340&fMin=65&fMax=75
Hope that helped, enjoy!
All great advice and racquet selections by Eric and Moose. If you're bent on a Babolat the only 1 i would even think of recommending to a junior specifically would be a Pure Control. demo that along with the N code 95. The Surge and Shark would also be a good choices. demo as many as you can and like Eric said, it may be obvious but dont use a stick that isnt comfortable to you. whats great for 1 may be tennis elbow for another. I say this about babolat only because i know of 3 juniors and 1 5.5 adult player all using pure drives in my club that have complained of elbow problems, along with scuttlebutt from other Babolat players. good luck!
Jaypro,
In France, as you can well imagine, the are huge quanties of Pure Drives being used by thousands of happy players. However there is, and has been since several years, a constant feedback concerning elbow problèmes by players using Pure Drives, and Pure Drive +. It is obvious that a high percentage of these complaints are coming from players who should not be playing with this category of raquet, but that is what marketing success is all about, and there are some drawbacks. :(
The problem is that the PD is technically good enough for high level and Pro players, yet reasonably accessible to occasional competition players, where as the Head Tour Series and the Wilson PS are generally not really accessable to players without a technically solid game. This is helpfull when choosing a racquet, there are limits which should be respected. ;)
The Babolat PD/PD+ are good frames, but are often not a good choice for everyone. The choice of string and the tensions play an important part in the quality of the playability of the racquet, once again the occasional player will tend to neglect this aspect. :(
Never the less, I personally know very good players who have had serious elbow problems with the PD, yet they use very good strings that they change regularly, so there is a problem somewhere, is it the racquet, the strings, the tension or the player, maybe a combination of several things, but the problem is persistant and apparantly without neither an easy explanation nor a solution. :o
Cheers,
:cool:
Hey JayPro,
i know of 3 juniors and 1 5.5 adult player all using pure drives in my club that have complained of elbow problems
Tell them to seek advice from a USRSA Certified stringer and get some tennis lessons from a professional coach - Just kidding :D :D
cheers,
kwick
Hey Kwick,
Dirty jokes aren't always funny. :mad:
I'm not kidding :D :D
JC :cool:
OK - I'll take my slapped wrist and apologise to JayPro before he gets up.
Sorry JayPro :)
Ciao,
kwick
moosryan
2004-12-08, 11:57
if i can make a quick point here:
almost every brand carries similar racquets (in specs), and in this "control tweener" category, there are so many racquets, that will all feel similar, but its just gonna be a preference thing.
that hurt right here Kwick..(Jaypro points to heart) :(
For the record, i am not the only pro at the club, so i am not the only 1 giving these people lessons nor did i sell any of them their racquets.
I've read great stuff on the Wilson N code 95, but I'm not sure if 95 is big enough. I'll prolly demo it but considering I've been playin with OSs for a long time it'll prolly be pretty tough to adjust very quickly. That's one thing I like about the PD, it's got a goodsize head, while still being MP for a good amount of control. I'll have to stop by the store and see what they have for me to demo, I'm reasonably sure most of the one you listed they won't have, so my selection will be automatically somewhat limited, as that's the only place in town I can demo.
David Pavlich
2004-12-20, 16:37
Hmmmm...a tough question. Since I sell racquets, there's a lot of factors that come into play.
Demoing is paramount in choosing a frame. The problem is the long term consequences cannot be determined during a stint with a demo.
Another problem is weight. Some of the best frames for reducing the onset of tennis elbow are quite heavy. Less shock, more stable, drives through the ball, BUT for a person that doesn't have the upper body strength to handle that weight for a good 3 set match in the humidity in July in SE Louisiana, the weight is a negative factor.
What to do?! If my customer decides that X frame is the best for them and it's as stiff as the proverbial 2X4, then I do the best I can with string selection and tension. I also tell them as diplomatically as possible, that the major reason for tennis elbow is stroke mechanics, or lack thereof. Framed shots (that's me!) and so on send that shock wave right up through the hand, wrist and elbow. So far, I haven't had anyone leave the shop calling me names. :mad:
In the end, I sell way more of the stiff frames than I do the nice flexible frames. Weight is THE major item on the long list of considerations of why people buy a specific frame. Whether that's right or wrong is not important. It's what the player believes is what makes him or her a better player. I do my best to get them in the heaviest frame that they can handle for a long, tough match and hopefully their choice is a good one.
David
moosryan
2004-12-20, 22:59
hmmm, the 95 is a good stick, but its really sounding like it could be too heavy for you. i use an lm radical, and found the n95 to be too heavy. you could try the tour 95, but that's a big step down in power from the puredrive.
i should add that the difference between a 95 and 98" headsize is so small you won't be able to tell the difference
hmmm, the 95 is a good stick, but its really sounding like it could be too heavy for you. i use an lm radical, and found the n95 to be too heavy. you could try the tour 95, but that's a big step down in power from the puredrive.
i should add that the difference between a 95 and 98" headsize is so small you won't be able to tell the differenceThanks again to both of you. The PD+ has a 100" head, the 95 a 95", which is a bit more of a difference. After going back and trying them both again I decided on the PD+. The 95 was a pretty big difference as far as getting the sweet spot because of the smaller head. I also liked the power the Babolat got me more than the Wilson. At this point I'm still looking at buying the Pure Drive Plus
David Pavlich
2004-12-22, 22:31
I don't know if I missed something, but the only difference between the Pure Drive std and the + is a 1/2" in length. The head size is the same. That half inch will give you more pop on the serve and the baseline but you'll sacrifice a bit of maneuverablilty.
David
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