Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.3

All of our playtesters found the Blackout 300 XTD v2 quite powerful during baseline exchanges. They loved the easy pace and depth offered to them, but the length of the racquet was certainly something to get used to. The spin and power of the Blackout 300 XTD v2 made Chris' all-court game even more imposing and allowed him to dictate points with confidence. He explained, "As with the previous version, I enjoyed ample pace and spin on my shots with the Blackout 300 XTD v2. What set this update apart was the added precision I found on my shots. I felt way more in control of the power of the Blackout 300 XTD v2, and I had much better success controlling the depth of my shots. I was more confident staying on the gas when hitting short balls, and I was able to get my angles to dip inside the lines better. While hitting big topspin-loaded groundstrokes seems to be this racquet's forte, I also found it a great racquet for hitting slice. I enjoyed the way the Blackout 300 XTD v2 came through the ball on both types of spin. I felt like the racquet had enough mass to drive through the ball, yet it was still maneuverable enough for me to position it easily. I found that my attacking shots had more force and were pushing my opponents back better. When it came to defending, I did miss the super easy maneuverability of my Tecnifibre TFight 300."

Brittany is familiar with how extended-length frames affect her game, and she was able to capitalize on what this Blackout 300 XTD v2 offers with just a few adjustments to her swing. She said, "I am no stranger to playtesting extended-length racquets, and I was lucky enough to review the first generation of the Blackout 300 XTD. As expected, I had a short adjustment period to dial in my timing, specifically on my backhand and overhead. I started to feel very comfortable with the Blackout 300 XTD v2 after a couple of hours, but I did have to abbreviate my strokes a little bit so I wouldn't be late on my shots. There was more power, more plow through and more stability from the baseline compared to the standard-length version. I found the Blackout 300 XTD v2 to be more point and shoot: I would aim at a target and go after it. I liked this racquet on my slices when I was on the defensive because I was able to generate low, penetrating shots. However, I did struggle to generate topspin on my more angled groundstrokes."

Although Tiffani felt somewhat limited in terms of her shot selection and playstyle with this Blackout 300 XTD v2, she found plenty to like about the pace of the frame off the ground. She described, "There are a lot of reasons I like extended-length racquets, but I often struggle to maintain the swing speed necessary to get the most out of them for long periods of time. This Blackout 300 XTD v2 is more maneuverable than a lot of the other 27.5-inch racquets out there, and it’s just on the upper reaches of what I feel comfortable swinging. Still, I sometimes struggled to accelerate quickly enough, mostly when trying to hit short topspin cross-court shots. I felt best driving the ball on my forehand side, and on my backhand side I could either go with the flat drive or a good, low slice. This XTD version is more powerful and stable than the standard Blackout 300 v2, but because the swingweight is higher, I also felt locked into a more straightforward game plan. The whippiness of the standard length Blackout 300 v2 let me play with more variety."

For Oak and his more naturally defensive game, the Blackout 300 XTD v2 offered more than enough pace to drive the ball through the court. He said, "Extended-length power racquets are always fun to hit with, and I especially love them for my more defensive style of play. Although not always the most wieldable or precise in terms of shot making, the extra reach for defense is beyond practical, and the uptick in power makes getting back into a point much more doable. This Blackout 300 XTD v2 feels exceptional on both my forehand and backhand wings, and I have to say that I prefer this XTD version over the standard edition. While the standard edition is a little more user-friendly, I thought the XTD's distribution of mass was much more practical for the majority of my shots. Any extended-length frame with a sub-330 swingweight is going to catch my eye on paper, and this Blackout 300 XTD v2 was deceptively quick in terms of its handling. I thought the balance of 8 points head light when strung helped make the frame more wieldable. I found this racquet to be entirely sufficient for my counterpunching game."

Volleys: 8.3

Our team was able to volley effectively with the Blackout 300 XTD v2. Oak thought the Blackout 300 XTD v2 hid its length very well up at net. He noted, "Volleys had a surprisingly great feel, and I loved placing my volleys deep in the court with this racquet. While the extra length was indeed discernible, I didn't find it too unwieldy, and I liked how this frame helped me reach more shots up high or out wide on stretch volleys. Deeper volleys seemed to be more natural with this racquet, although short angles worked well too."

Tiffani had more issues with the Blackout 300 XTD v2 at net, though she was able to absorb pace easily. She explained, "Partly because I don't have the best technique and partly because this Blackout 300 XTD v2 moves slower due to its extra length, I found myself trying to end points quickly when I got to net. When the ball came at my body I struggled to hit it out in front, so I wanted to make sure I was following well-placed approaches to net and punching the ball away on the first volley. Overall, this racquet felt stable and absorbed pace well."

Despite the lack of maneuverability at net, Brittany found success with this Blackout 300 XTD v2 when volleying. She said, "I much preferred this racquet for doubles rather than singles. I liked coming up to the net and punching my volley deep in the court to end the point. I appreciated the extra reach and stability when I was lunging for passing shots, and I was able to dig out a couple more extra volleys than normal. I just needed to make sure I kept my hands out in front because the racquet was not the most maneuverable."

Chris' natural finesse and craftiness wasn't limited by this Blackout 300 XTD v2 at all. He said, "I had fun at net with the Blackout 300 XTD v2, and I liked the power level. Digging out shoelace volleys was easier thanks to the added length and ample power. The depth I could find when hitting those low volleys was impressive, and anything above the net could be snapped away with a flick of my wrist. I also found ample spin when cutting under the ball on my angle volleys and drop volleys.”

Serves: 8.6

As expected, the Blackout 300 XTD v2 could be an absolute beast on serves. Although perhaps not quite as automatic as our team might have hoped, this racquet was certainly more than capable of hitting a heavy serve and upping the ante from the get-go. Chris had a mostly favorable experience serving with the Blackout 300 XTD v2, but he found it easier to rely on spin-based serves than heavy, flat first serves. He said, "I was getting a few more MPHs on both first and second serves compared to serving with similar spec standard-length racquets. I hit primarily slice on my serves, and I was able to get plenty of spin to generate some right-to-left movement. On second serves, I felt confident enough to stay on the gas and hit an aggressive shot. I consistently found enough spin to get fast serves to dip inside the box. I don't hit many flat serves when I play, but when I did try some, I found it harder to hit my targets, so I stuck with hitting spin."

For Brittany the upsides of the Blackout 300 XTD v2 on serve were great, but the downsides made it harder to trust over the course of a match. She explained, "I could hit really heavy, deep first serves, but I struggled to hit them consistently over the course of a singles match. I preferred playing doubles with this racquet because there was less serving, and when I got my first serve in my partner was really able to take advantage of the weak return. I was also struggling to snap my wrist on second serves, so I wasn't getting as much spin on my kick serves, which caused a couple more double faults than normal."

Even though Oak thought the Blackout 300 XTD v2 was demanding to serve with, he still found lots to like about the racquet's performance when it was his turn to start a point. He said, "This was a delightful racquet on serves. It's just a hammer when struck properly. This was one area where the Blackout 300 XTD v2 did feel a little demanding, and if I was tentative at all on a serve, I wasn't getting great results. This Blackout 300 XTD v2 definitely lets you know when your serve isn't coming through as cleanly as it could or should, which hopefully encourages a more intentional form of serving. Serves with lots of spin tended to be the most effective for me, and I liked going for a topspin-heavy serve up the T on the deuce side or a slice serve up the T on the ad side."

Tiffani had a positive experience serving with the Blackout 300 XTD v2, but she also noticed a lack of forgiveness during long service games. She described, "I love an extended-length racquet on serve, and it was no different with this Blackout 300 XTD v2. I saw a few extra MPHs without much extra effort. If service games dragged on I would have to remind myself to keep my swing speed up because the Blackout 300 XTD v2 is harder to maneuver due to the length, and slower swing speeds resulted in weak serves."

Returns: 8.2

When it came to returning with this Blackout 300 XTD v2, our team seemed a little split on the racquet's performance. For Tiffani, the Blackout 300 XTD v2 lacked a little clarity on returns, and she often sailed the ball long or wide. If she timed her shot appropriately, though, her rate of success went up. She explained, "Although I usually like to return more than serve, I preferred my service games over returning this time. I missed returns long or wide with this Blackout 300 XTD v2 because I found too much power or hit the ball late. As I mentioned in the groundstrokes section, I felt I had more options with the standard Blackout 300 v2, and that goes for returns too. Still, this racquet does deliver big power and stability, so when my timing was right, my return could put my opponents on their back foot."

Oak usually likes to emphasize aggressive spot-targeting when returning, and he found this Blackout 300 XTD v2 a tad lacking in that realm. He described, “My returns were decent, but perhaps not amazing for spot-targeting, which is something I typically try to emphasize on return. I found myself wishing I could power through the alleys a little more effectively, but if I got a good look at a serve, the Blackout 300 XTD v2 had enough firepower for me to assert myself early on in the point. And if the server was pressing forward in the court, I felt comfortable sending the ball back deep to keep them on their toes."

One of the strongest parts of Brittany's game is her ability to neutralize big serves with her return, and after a small adjustment, the story was the same as it ever was for anyone serving against her. She said, "I just had to make a small tweak to my returns and make a conscious effort to reduce my backswing a little. This allowed me to compensate for the lack of maneuverability. The Blackout 300 XTD v2 was stable enough that I was able to return even the toughest of first serves without any twisting in my hands. On second serve returns, I was able to utilize the power and step in aggressively. This allowed me to start points on offense. I preferred returning serves with the Blackout 300 XTD v2 over serving with it.”

Chris also had a mostly favorable experience returning with the Blackout 300 XTD v2, oftentimes hitting deep to his opponent's feet. He said, “The maneuverability of the Blackout XTD allowed me to be aggressive on returns. I found it relatively easy to get the racquet in position, which opened up plenty of options. This racquet offered plenty of plow through power to help me hit driving returns deep into my opponent's side of the court. The spin I was able to generate with this racquet also opened up angles, which helped me open up the court in singles and give the incoming net player a tough volley in doubles."

Breakdown Summary