PROKENNEX KI 5 (320) REVIEW
Upsides
- Comfortable
- Solid feeling
- Good control
- Maneuverable
Downsides
- Lacks some plow through of heavier racquets
Summary
The Pro Kennex Ki 5 (320) turned out to be a pretty interesting playtest for us. Our team found the racket to be very plush and comfortable while offering good amounts of control and feel. The 645 sq cm head size gave it some nice forgiveness, and it felt very maneuverable even with its 320 gram unstrung weight. A couple testers commented on how a little more weight distributed towards the hoop would have given the racket a bit more plough through and spin potential, so that proved to be the trade-off for how easy the racket was to swing. Players looking for a modern player's/'tweener-style racket that is more comfort and control-oriented should definitely give this Ki 5 a try.
| PROKENNEX KI 5 (320) SCORES | |
|---|---|
| Power | 76/100 |
| Comfort | 89/100 |
| Touch/Feel | 83/100 |
| Serves | 76/100 |
| Groundstrokes | 81/100 |
| Returns | 78/100 |
| Slice | 77/100 |
| Topspin | 78/100 |
| Volleys | 83/100 |
Overall 81/100
Groundstrokes - Score: 81/100
For the most part, our playtesters enjoyed the plush comfort and control that the Ki 5 (320) provided for our groundstrokes. The unique Kinetic technology gave the racket a very soft, yet solid feel that we all enjoyed. Even though it's fairly heavy, everyone thought the racket was very manoeuvrable and forgiving, making it easy to flick the wrist and turn defense into offense with one swing. However, a couple testers noted that there wasn't quite enough spin potential and/or plough through for their liking, feeling that a bit more weight in the hoop of the racket could solve this problem quickly, however.
Volleys - Score: 83/100
Our testers appreciated the plush feel and good manoeuvrability the Ki 5 (320) offered around the net, but at times we wished for a bit more mass in the hoop to help with stability and getting our volleys to move through the court more. A couple testers noticed that the racket got pushed around a bit and felt a little unstable against big hitting opponents. On the plus side, it was easy to get the racket into position during quick net exchanges in doubles, and the precision that it offered allowed us to aim for our targets with confidence.
Serves - Score: 76/100
There were some mixed feelings from our playtest team when it came to serving with the Ki 5 (320). One thing everyone agreed on though was how easy it was to generate racket head speed. This allowed one tester to get easy spin and one tester to find easy power, while two others felt the lack of mass in the hoop prevented them from generating enough power, especially on their flatter first serves. Also, everyone did feel that the racket offered good control and allowed us to find our targets consistently in the service box.
Serve Returns – Score: 78/100
For the most part our team really liked how the manoeuvrability and control that the Ki 5 (320) offered translated into their return games. The racket was easy to get around the body and in position against big servers, instilling confidence in our testers and encouraging them to be aggressive with their returns. The round head shape was very forgiving as well. Our one criticism once again had to do with the lack of mass in the hoop, which made it a little difficult when just trying to chip returns back deep in the court. A little more weight in that area of the racket would have made it easier to just punch the ball back with good depth when we wanted to be a little more offensive.
Likes:
Chris: "I liked the comfort, stability and plough through power of the Ki 5. "
Andy: "Plush and comfortable, yet solid feel. Great control, manoeuvrability and responsiveness. "
Troy: "I liked the control the racket offered for a 100 square inch offering. I also like the updated cosmetic more than the previous version. "
Michelle: "Arm-friendly. Easy to keep balls in play. Good feel. Nice control. Quick and easy to swing fast. "
Dislikes:
Chris: "The Ki 5 lacked some feel and I had to hold back on my approach shots a little to prevent from overhitting. "
Andy: "Would've liked a bit more spin potential for my forehand side, and I thought it was a little under-powered on my serve. "
Troy: "Lack of plough through. I think some added weight to the hoop would help with stability and put away power. "
Michelle: "For me, I was hoping for a bit more plough through (a great platform for customization though). I wouldn't say there was anything else I really disliked about this racket though. "
Comparing it to other rackets they've used, our testers said:
Chris: "The Ki 5 reminded me of a more dampened and muted feeling Wilson Six.One 95. If you are looking for a comfortable player's racket that remains comfortable even when strung with a stiff co-poly, then the Ki 5 is your ticket. "
Andy: "Overall, I really enjoyed this playtest and could easily take this racket into competition. It felt like a much softer, plusher and less powerful Head Graphene XT Extreme Pro. They both have a rounder head shape and good mass to them. The Ki 5 (320) offers a little more control than the Extreme Pro but not as much power and spin. "
Troy: "I found some similarities between this ProKennex Ki 5 (320), the Prince Tour Pro 100 and Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Plus. For those who have played with the Babolat Pure Drive and Head Extreme Pro, this is a more control-oriented 100 square inch racket. "
Michelle: "This reminded me a bit of the Head Graphene XT Extreme Pro - similar specs, but the ProKennex played much softer and more comfortable to me. Both rackets can be swung fast, but I found a bit more precision and control out of the ProKennex. "
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 DR 98.
Chris: 4.5 all-court player currently using the Baboalt Pure Drive Plus. Chris uses a full-western forehand grip, has a fast swing style and hits a one-handed backhand.
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.
Troy: 5.0 lefty all-court player with a full Western Forehand and a two-handed backhand. Troy currently plays with a Wilson BLX Six.One 95.
Review date: May 2016. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us. information.en@tenniswarehouse-europe.com.
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