Babolat PURE AERO 98 vs DUNLOP?? | LET'S SEE!

Another round of elimination! Dunlop is definitely an underrated brand but did I find a worthy competitor to the Pure Aero 98 or did I not? We will find out in this video. Also, the CX 200 Tour makes a special appearance.
⏱️TIMESTAMP⏱️
00:00 Intro
00:34 What's Happening
04:02 Hitting Starts
11:27 1v1 Time With Toro
15:32 SX 300 Tour
18:46 PA 98 (with ReString Zero)
19:59 PA (with Toroline Wasabi Hybrid)
20:26 Summary
23:23 Support/Outro
🎥 Past Videos
Can This Racquet Compete with BABOLAT PURE AERO 98 • Can This Racquet Compe...
IS The Pure Aero 98 Winning Me Over? • Is the PURE AERO 98 Wi...
Why Babolat Over Yonex: • WHY I'D PICK BABOLAT O...
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[@batikant27]

Love your content! Been watching for quite a while and am glad I'm not the only person that nerds about their interest/hobby/passion as much as you do! One thing that might help, the subtitles during the hitting clash with the youtube interface where the bottom line is cut in half with youtube's red bar. Small detail, easy fix. Take care!

[@time410s]

Ah that should go away in Fullscreen right unless a mouse moves over, triggering that overlay? I know what you mean. I'll consider that. Tricky to place in a way that doesn't bother the video and isn't bothered by the overlay

[@JoJo-nm1dh]

Keep hitting with this dude you will be at another level very soon

[@time410s]

Thanks! The goal isn't to keep trying new racquets haha it must end soon.

[@franksauerwald]

Some weeks ago I had the chance to play an original Novak Djokovic Head racquet it was about 330 static weight and a bit above 350 swingweight if I remember correctly (it was from a batch that wasn‘t delivered to Novak since the brand changed the cosmetics to the new version and it was the old shiny cosmetic so it was given to my coaches son as a gift, as he sign a Head contract). Although that stick felt really heavy I easily got my timing correct since the difference of weight to swingweight is almost the same to what I like. Therefore I gave my Dunlop SX300 Tour pair of racquets to my coach to adjust their swingweight. Now it is about 332 Gramm with strings and overgrip. Makes that stick much better, more beefy and more stable. Sadly the higher the static weight of a racquet is the companies all make them more headlight. IMHO that is not helpful.

[@time410s]

I see! Cool you got that!! I like a high static weight that is also pretty headlight. Whippy and heavy is my style.

[@cipher7323]

What are your thoughts on different main and cross tensions for better snapback, especially on poly strings? What would be a good starting poly tension when coming from a multi or syn gut full bed?

[@time410s]

I've been hovering around 52-54! Higher than I expected. 17 gauge. Playing with zero mains wasabi x crosses at 52/55 right now and that's been lovely as well. You could go a little lower on crosses. Maybe 1-2lbs I do it sometimes on more dense racquets. Some racquets have denser crosses than mains and on those I often will. The reasons really depend! Starting tension... Maybe 50-52 and if you want to go up a bit you could! But for ultimate comfort, I might suggest Wasabi X in the crosses. That's looking to be a favorite string combo of mine for all the things I love but now a bit more comfort!

[@cipher7323]

Thank you! Will try those out! 😁

[@godtor9030]

Great job, but we still waiting your thought on Head extreme

[@time410s]

Might be up next! Working on a few videos at the moment. It's in the queue

[@srinivasan-cv6gl]

Currently I'm using gravity tour and I find it little difficult to serve for continuous 2 sets..but unbeatable with that racket...so do you think despite of the HL balance.speed pro would be too heavy to swing in a whole match ?or some people are saying that it is very easy to maneuver? Or shd i need to try mp version?lets say 335 grams strung weight is it comparable to gtour?

[@time410s]

I feel like the speed pro is a little more user friendly, if that helps.

[@mayurp5244]

Hi, have you tried a full bed of wasabi on the pure aero 98? If so what tension do you string it at please? Thanks

[@time410s]

Been a while but I absolutely have! Depends what you usually did but I felt it was best around 55-58. Can be a little launchy otherwise.

[@prophetmargin7497]

What sort of string life do you get out of a full bed of Zero usually, I noticed you broke a string but we don't know how many hours were already on the strings?

[@time410s]

This one wasn't tracked well but it's almost always about twice what I'd expect from a different string in the same racquet. Usually I'm not hitting with so many at once and know intuitively how long each one has gotten. That being said, I do break strings faster in the PA98 than I did the other racquets I was testing a while back since I was prioritizing string spacing a lot more. And on those examples I'd probably get another 2-4 more hitting sessions just from that density difference, which is a lot for me, nearly up to another 50%

[@prophetmargin7497]

@@time410s I find I tear through most 17 gauge strings too quickly, so now I go with a 15L or 16. You should try the Alcaraz string setup just for the fun of it in the PA 98. According to his stringer, he uses RPM Blast 1.30 at 25Mx23C kilos!

[@time410s]

Zero gives me plenty of durability for what's to expect in this racquet but I might mess around with 16g sometime. But I definitely won't bother with Blast anymore. However, it's open enough that 16g might not be so bad. At least in the mains. Would be cool to see how much more time it gives and whatever else. SW might go up a few points.

[@pavelclaudiopatino419]

I used to play with the Maxply Dunlop fort a wooden racquet. It was a very popular racquet made in England. Several layers of wood and a beautiful design. It was a very flexible racquet not like the wilson kramer that was kind of stiff. Many greats used Dunlop Maxply; Vilas, Nastase, Laver, et all. This days i am playing with a Babolat aero. I really like it. I love the racquet design. It is very aerodynamic, thus its name, resembling the jet Concorde. A lot of players use Babolat; Felix and Carlitos among them. i am very happy with my Babolat aero.

[@time410s]

Very cool! It's such a modern racquet but it's cool to hear your history with Dunlop and wooden options. How long have you been playing tennis?

[@LL-kz1qe]

Try the Gravity Mp again with leather grip and lead tape up to your specs. I ve noticed that the longer throat of the racket makes the diferrence

[@time410s]

That's how I did try it though! Maybe not leather but definitely like 15 plus grams in handle. Maybe more.

[@jean-pierreuys1554]

Have you ever hit with the Dunlop CX200 + - the extended version? Its in the 2019 line. I have that one. Really love it.

[@time410s]

Wow funny you ask, I think that was actually the first Extended racquet I ever tried! So, yes. Back when it was black and red, instead of the other way around. Right? I think I have that right...

[@jean-pierreuys1554]

@@time410s thats the one. Wonder how that would compare for you now after all your experience. Have you tried the newer pure aero extended?

[@time410s]

No idea but I've kind of stepped down from extended length racquets . I have not. Thought about it but decided not to. It would be just for fun if I did. I may mess with it sometime for a video but I don't think I'd switch. It also has one crooked cross so I can't really deal with it 😅 same for regular pure aero. Luckily I prefer the 98!

[@jonwj8622]

Sounds like you need to try the Dunlop cx 400 tour. Similar to the cx200 but bigger head size and 16x19

[@time410s]

I might make it happen

[@thehiddenfamily]

Tried restring several times and I just didn’t like the sensation as much as I did wasabi. I’m not the biggest spin hitter and I feel like restring just needs that heavy topspin person to feel confident in not over hitting. Trying a full bed of wasabi 125 in the pa98 today and I have high hopes that this will be the setup that I stick with for a while. Great Video as always!

[@time410s]

That's cool you tried both and found a favorite! I never considered Zero to be a string that launched a ball. Do you think it's high powered or is it something you can't quite describe that causes you to feel like you don't have confidence hitting with it somehow? Thank you!

[@thehiddenfamily]

@@time410s I guess my thought would be if the string gives you so much SnapBack does the amount of SnapBack change at higher swing speeds vs lower swing speeds?I feel like most strings have a ceiling, a floor, and a middle ground but with restring it’s very hard to tell for me what the middle ground is sometimes. Idk if that makes any sense at all lol

[@thehiddenfamily]

@@time410s I think you have to be really good to play with this string lol and I’m just not there yet

[@time410s]

I know what you mean. It has such good snapback that it introduces, to a degree, a new dimension of feel. I should talk about this. I actually love it and it's what I wanted but there's almost this dwell time sensation the more you dig into the snapback. Similar to pocketing but, again, another dimension. Quite literally...

[@time410s]

Haha idk if that's exactly true. Might be more of a style thing. Are you a heavy spin player?

[@TomSmith-il6pz]

What customisations does he have on his pa 98?

[@time410s]

None for now. Two unmatched racquets. I think soon he will match them, though. Customizations probably only to match them.

[@ryans4526]

What about the White Out 18x20 Reg length?

[@time410s]

I might get around to trying one just for the channel :)

[@chuckfriebe843]

Have you tried the Head Auxetic Prestige Tour 95". It's a thing of beauty. The plow through is amazing and the power on serve is killer. You should check it out if you haven't.

[@time410s]

Not surprised it's SW is said to be 338 haha. I have not.

[@chuckfriebe843]

@@time410s it does have a high SW, BUT it swings light. It is a fantastic stick. Works better with a 1.23 gauge string to get more spin and opens the sweet spot. You gotta check it out. I just recently go two of them.

[@time410s]

Nice! And I might. Just for review purposes.

[@telquel7843]

I have been looking at the SX 300 Tour a bit but honestly I think I have reached an inflection point in my new racquet journey. I have been hitting with an old Roddick Pure Drive (2006?) forever, but I am finding it too unpredictable off the string bed especially when I try to flatten out my strokes. I also don't find it very manoeuvrable. But I do absolutely blast heavy top spin shots with it and it does really push people back which is nice. I was almost ready to just buy an Ezone 98 because it seemed like it would be not that dissimilar but have more control. Anyway, when it came to demoing racquets I have found that what I expected to like I mostly didn't. I did not like the Ezone 98 Tour very much at all and I found the long Yonex handle hard to get used to (even though I am a two-hander). I am sure I would adapt, and the Ezone 98 Tour is awesome for kick serves, but almost everything else in my game suffered. I also really don't like that muted feel (don't play with a dampener). It shows the importance of demoing because what works on paper doesn't always feel right in he hands. So far my favourite racquets I have demoed are the Gravity Pro, the Prestige Pro, and Wilson Prostaff 97 v14 which genuinely shocked me. The racquet that I am leaning towards is the Prostaff 97 which wasn't even in my shortlist. What I am finding is that these racquets still generate lots of top spin when I choose that, but also allow me to hit more consistently when trying to flatten my shots. They really encourage me to come to the net and put points away with volleys/overheads instead of just being glued to the baseline. At the same time, hitting short balls with loads of top spin near the net to put them away feels easy with the manoeuvrability of the smaller racquet heads. But what I like most of all is that I can take full swings with these racquets. With the Pure Drive, I feel like I often have to 'check' my swing speed on flatter shots or the ball will sail. And that just messes with my rhythm. Ultimately, I find that a racquet like the Prostaff 97 reduces some of my weaknesses (precise net play) without really taking anything away from my strengths (baseline game). I feel like my journey has been a pretty perfect example of your comments in this video in that it's so personal. On paper these racquets wouldn't have likely been recommended to me. But when I hit with them I liked the way they changed my game. I am not some super advanced player (who is allegedly the target for these racquets) but I do take very full and fast swings from the baseline. Anyway, my take away is that tennis players sometimes put themselves in a box (baseliner, counterpuncher, etc) and that's fine but it shouldn't prevent you from flirting with different play styles and racquet options. You might be pleasantly surprised like I was! 😏

[@time410s]

Woah! Yeah I bet some players have something in them that the racquet they happen to use will keep more in the shadows than not. I actually realized my backhand doesn't suck as much as I thought it did haha. And now care even more about the ease of putting shape on the ball so a nice launch angle is kind of important for me. Higher rather than let lower but needs great spin.

[@bruno_mart]

CX 400 Tour perhaps?

[@time410s]

Prob not unfortunately. For what it is I'd rather just take it a step further and go to the PA98. Plus it has a couple crosses that end up crooked. The 200 and pa98 are perfect in that way if you know what I'm talking about

[@mteca5093]

Can you please measure pa98 main strings with digital calipers.. i wonder if my racket was off... i was first to test it so maybe QC is better

[@time410s]

You'll have to show me what you mean or something. I didn't understand what exactly I'm measuring and what it's compared to. If you're implying one side of the mains, let's say around 6 o'clock, is spaced further apart than the same mains on the other side at 12, that's not a problem. But if a bottom main two over from center is spaced differently than another one two over in the other direction from center, that's weird. But I see no such discrepancy anywhere.

[@time410s]

You can dm a picture which mains you think are off on IG.

[@mteca5093]

@@time410s I sent racket back

[@mteca5093]

@time410s measure the distance between each of the main strings between each other .. don't eye ball it

[@time410s]

They are different but they are equally different if I'm measuring the same string/grommet location on the opposite side. Therefore, it's a mirror or reflected pattern. I don't expect each main to be the exact same spacing from the last. Just that they are the same on each side of the racquet. Like mains 1, 2 and 3 on the left side are the same as mains 1, 2 and 3 on the right. As in 1 matches 1, 2 matches 2 and on so on. But I don't expect 1 to match 3. Is that what you expect? I'm really not following. I did check, it's as I said. It's also why the throat grommets will fit either way you insert them because the drill spacing is the same either way. I'm really not following. If you measured some difference that was very small and used the strings, it's possible a shaped string has an edge that created more space at that angle on that main vs the other side...but otherwise, I can't imagine why a difference would be measurable.

[@MrCarFanatic]

You tried pure strike 16x19???

[@time410s]

Yeah, actually gives me a similar issue to the SX 300 Tour but not nearly to the same degree.

[@experientialtennis]

Seems you suffered a lot with your backhands with the CX200. When you switched to the SX300, it was day n' night better. Much better shape on the top-spin forehand. With the PA it's very close - the comparison with the SX. Maybe some more easy depth with the PA.

[@time410s]

Yeah I had to change the swing path a lot just to get the shape OR make contact differently to hit it the way the racquet is better at. Which the PA98 can do as well so I felt like I'm just losing out on options for how to hit the ball.

[@LarzB]

The cx200 tour had longer cross on the middle and shorter mains than say a prestige 98 18x20. As a result the sweet spot is wider and more forgiving than you would expect of a 95 head.

[@time410s]

Nice! Agree it feels more generous than you'd expect probably also in part to the parallel drilling. But with the stability of a 95. Very cool racquet.

[@LarzB]

@@time410s But indeed it is a racket that doesn't give you much for free and will punish you for bad execution and bad footwork. That's what I love about it, it forces me to stay focussed and play with intent. And the low power is a good thing in my case.

[@time410s]

I prefer the power on this to the VCORE pros. Ultimately it's just too lacking in spin for me and nothing about my footwork or technique can do anything about that. I just have to hit differently, which I can, but it's not what I'm looking to do. Thankfully hitting with some people more and more these days that bring me to my limits more than a racquet might by default haha.

[@LarzB]

@@time410s It is more of an all court attacking racket with control touch in using different strokes, slice, flat and spin. So indeed it is far from a spin monster, but I can get enough spin with it to create sharp angles and the variation of shots that feel confident with this frame creates a totally different game. So it has to suit your game style. The confidence this racket gives me in all those shots, but also knifing drop shots is fantastic. A even more extreme racket in the same style is the prince phantom 93p 18x20. Maybe you should use the open string version of that one some time. The phantom 93p 14x18, much more spin and higher launch angle in a 93 head. Also round like the cx200 tour for wider crosses

[@LarzB]

Btw, Lately I am loving an old yamaha racket which plays fantastic. It's the xam4. 16x19 in an 80 iinch2 flexible (but no noodle) head.

[@zacattack5243]

Driving glove??

[@time410s]

Just 1 to keep the touchscreen clean on my car

[@mustafa_sakalli]

Where is the point of comparing 95 inch 18x20 racket with 98 inch 16x19 ones? (16x20 in PA 98) It's like eating steak and potato and blaming potato for not tasting like not meat. Fair comparison would be cx200 with a little bit extra weight. So weird to see niche control freak racket versus spin monsters, this combat does even need a video? Does it make sense if a make video "PT57A vs Pure Drive, which one is better at control"?

[@time410s]

No blame! I just wanted to see if I could make it work and couldn't and the video explains why. I just really wanted the density but it's too much a trade-off. The SX is more of a fair comparison but all of them were still competing for my next racquet anyway even if they are extremely different and maybe not traditionally good head to head examples.

[@time410s]

Yeah it's probably not. I got what I could from that racquet so it's on to the next. I think the PA98 is really up my alley!

[@onimaxiis1]

Prince beast 98 is very nice racket too

[@mustafa_sakalli]

Isn't this line extincted? I haven't seen them quite a long time

[@onimaxiis1]

@@mustafa_sakalli i dont think so

[@time410s]

Who else reps Prince?

[@time410s]

Oh yeah!! Nobody really big on the Singles tour though.

[@onimaxiis1]

@@time410s so what?

[@chuckfriebe843]

Hey, why don't you grunt too when you hit the ball. It makes you so much better, right? All the cool kids (and old people)are doing it.

[@time410s]

It happens but I don't make it a thing. I feel too silly grunting every ball but maybe I'm holding myself back! I don't think so, though. I just don't feel the need to.

[@chuckfriebe843]

@@time410s I was just kidding with you. Seems like everyone is doing it now. Kind of annoying, tbh.

[@treeflip7]

I only grunt on serve I think you gotta find your own path 😂

[@chuckfriebe843]

@@treeflip7 😂😂😂😂

[@time410s]

Lol I know you were 😂 but those are my reasons. But I will let it out sometimes but I don't get on a rhythm. I hear it's good for annoying the opponent.

[@conraywest]

Driving gloves? 😂

[@time410s]

Just 1