TWE Babolat Pure Aero Review
Upsides
- Loaded with power and spin
- More stable than previous versions
- Improved feel
Downsides
- Nothing we could agree on
Summary
Updating one of the most popular rackets on the market, Babolat introduces the powerful, spin loaded Pure Aero. With an upgraded aerodynamic beam and with a higher swingweight, this racket has the potential to pulverize balls. This Pure Aero offers a more comfortable playing experience than models from the past, thanks in part to the new grommet holes that allow the strings to absorb more vibrations and the FSI Spin Technology's wider spacing between crosses for increased ball bite. Our playtesters instantly found chemistry off the ground and could detonate winners on offense or get themselves back into the point with this racket. At net, our team could strike volleys with a solid response from the Pure Aero. Serves were a highlight of this playtest, and our team was taking control of the point right whether bombing in flat serves or throwing their opponents off with massive spin. Our playtesters tapped into that controllable power to rip returns and keep their opponents feeling threatened. With all these positives, this Pure Aero may just be our favourite from this popular line of rackets.
Overall - Score: 88/100
Groundstrokes – Score 87/100
Power and spin were a given when picking up the Pure Aero, but our team got excited about the new levels of stability, plow through and comfort. Feeling confident with the Pure Aero in hand, everyone found the Pure Aero to be a great racket for hitting groundstrokes. Although the test rackets that swung a little heavier than the previous AeroPro Drive, the adjustment between the two was easy, and this update felt slightly more dampened. Our team commented on how they felt comfort was improved and the stringbed seemed to pocket the ball better. This Pure Aero also offered a tad more plow through. Our team agreed this racket was even better when transitioning from defence to offence, and they all found easy access to depth and pace.
Volleys – Score 82/100
Compared the updated Pure Aero to previous AeroPro Drives, the testers all appreciated the manoeuvrability and ease of use from this update at the net. The racket practically did the work for them. The more open sweetspot and heftier hoop provided better forgiveness on off-centre hits and made the racket more stable at contact. Also, with a little bit of a softer feel than previous versions, control was better and volleys that required more finesse and touch were easier to hit. Depth was also easy to come by as well and there were few complaints when volleying with the Pure Aero.
Serve – Score 91/100
Loaded with massive amounts of power and spin, the Pure Aero helped all of our playtesters take their service games to the next level. They all found it easy to hit big first serves and get their second serves jumping off the court, making it simple to start the point on offence. The explosive yet controllable power enabled our team to go for big flat first serves with heightened confidence while the massive spin potential got their kick serves jumping off the court like never before. As a result, they were happy to report winning more free points than usual, making service games noticeably easier to win. With even more power and spin than the previous versions, serving was easily one a highlight of the playtest.
Returns – Score 82/100
For the most part, our team continued to rave about the Pure Aero when it came to attacking serves on returns. This racket worked so well here because it had power and, with the right string choice, added control and spin to help keep everything within the lines. It felt fast yet solid and allowed our team to confidently take good cuts at the ball. On more defensive returns, the racket had a solid enough response to punch or chip the ball back with depth proving the Pure Aero opened up lots of options on returns.
Likes:
Chris – “I loved the power, spin and blend of manoeuvrability with a solid response. ”
Michelle – “This is one powerful racket! Great access to spin. Plus it's stable, has a large sweetspot and more plow than previous Aeros. I loved serving with this racket. ”
Andy – “Explosive power, massive spin potential, improved feel and a more solid feel compared to the previous version. This racket continues to be so easy to pick up and ease! ”
Marco -- “I really enjoyed the increased heft in this frame -- it provided power and control in buckets. Serving never felt better either. ”
Dislikes:
Chris – “None except that I prefer the response of the Tour version due out later this year. That's not a knock on this racket, just a spec preference on my behalf. ”
Michelle – “There wasn't much I could find that I didn't like. I even like the new cosmetic! ”
Andy – “A little less control than the previous version. Other than that, not much to complain about. ”
Marco -- “Lacks a little bit of feel, particularly on volleys and returns. ”
Comparing it to other racquets they've used, our testers said:
Chris – “Babolat seems to have moved back to a beefier swingweight with the Pure Aero which places it closer to the AeroPro Drive GT than the AeroPro Drive it directly replaces. Other options to compare this to would include the Pure Drive, Volkl Super G 8 300, Tecnifibre TFlash 300 and the Asics BZ 100. ”
Michelle – “I really liked this update, compared AeroPro Drives from the past, I found I could hit a heavier ball which was more detrimental to my opponents. I liked how it still offered plenty of power, spin and I could still swing fast through the ball but felt like I had more control compared to the version before. I would also compare it to something like the Asics BZ 100, I found this racket to offer more comfort and stability. ”
Andy – “I guess I put my comparison to the previous version in the above Likes and Dislikes sections, but it definitely continues to feel fairly similar overall to past iterations. Another racket it reminded me of was the Head Graphene XT Extreme Pro -- I thought the Pure Aero offered a bit more power, spin and feel but with a little less control. ”
Marco - “This racket had similar power to the Head XT Extreme Pro, however I felt I was generating more control and spin with the Pure Aero. With both rackets I enjoyed the ability to get good racket head speed and felt like at any point I could ramp up the pace of my shot and turn defence into offence. I liked the way this updated version played compared to the previous Aero Pure Drive, the increased heft and swing weight brought this version right into my spec range. ”
Playtester Profiles:
Andy: Open level all court player with a semi-western forehand grip and a two handed backhand. Andy currently using a Yonex EZONE Ai 98.
Chris: 4.5 all-court player currently using the Wilson Six.One 95S. Chris uses a full-western forehand grip, has a fast swing style and hits a one-handed backhand.
Marco: Open level lefty aggressive baseliner with a semi-western forehand and a one-handed backhand. He currently plays with a Wilson Blade 98 16x19.
Michelle: Open level baseline player with a semi-western forehand and a two handed backhand. She currently plays with the Wilson Pro Staff RF97 Autograph.
Review date: August 2015. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us: information.en@tenniswarehouse-europe.com.
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