Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.7

Offering great feel and stability at impact, the Whiteout 305 XTD 18x20 was well received by our playtesters when it came to striking their groundstrokes. When Chris reviewed the Whiteout 305 XTD with the 16x19 string pattern, he wondered if it would be even better as an 18x20. With this racquet, Chris' hypothetical became a reality. He described, "Solinco has answered with a distinctive 'yes' for me with this racquet. Like the 16x19 version, this racquet offered plenty of power from the baseline. I had fun driving groundstrokes with pace and spin, which resulted in very penetrating shots. I preferred the lower trajectory of my shots and felt more dialed into my targets. My backhand slice was working especially well. I was able to drive my slice with lots of pace and spin to give my opponent a tough shot to dig out. I also felt more in control of my approach shots because the ball wasn't flying on me as much."

Troy felt dialed in and found his targets with ease from his very first hit. He said, "I felt like the Whiteout XTD 16x19 was a little too firm or crisp, and the open string pattern was a little unpredictable at times. I found this 18x20 version of the Whiteout XTD to be just about ideal as far as feel and precision. For some reason, it didn't feel as firm as the 16x19 version and was a little more comfortable and plush. I also felt like I could swing freely with confidence; dictating points with my forehand was the go-to tactic, and it was working well. For being an extended-length racquet, it maneuvered pretty well. I could generate easy racquet head speed on my topspin one-handed backhand. My slice backhand was nice, with plenty of control and feel, but having recently hit with some hefty-feeling racquets, like the Babolat Pure Aero Rafa Origin, I was left wanting a little more plow through on that shot. Also, I was reminded right away of a couple of older Babolat racquets, the Pure Control Tour Plus and Pure Control 95 Plus, which were released around 2014. Both of those racquets felt a little too flexible and I struggled with the feel and feedback; this Solinco didn't have those issues."

"I went into this test with no expectations, but I had a feeling this would be a fun racquet," added Michelle. "I was right. Initially, I barely noticed the tighter string pattern, but I was hitting targets precisely. The racquet was solid and allowed me to feel confident stepping up to go for bigger shots, and I especially liked changing directions and taking a ball down the line off either wing. I found great depth, good feel and enough maneuverability to swing through explosively. I felt consistent with this racquet in hand and noted a bit of a flexier feel through the throat compared to the slightly stiffer Whiteout XTD 16x19. On days I was a bit more sore or tired, I did struggle just a bit with access to spin and net clearance, but that was more of a me thing. As the test went on, I decided to grab the extended Whiteout 16x19 just to compare side by side and see which might be my favorite of the two. While I appreciated everything this frame offered, I'm still more inclined to use the more open string pattern, which is probably a good thing because I think I would be fighting Mark and Troy for any of these racquets in our office! I found I was trying to construct 'smarter,' longer points with this 18x20, while with the XTD 16x19 I was more inclined to play first-strike tennis."

For Mark, hitting groundstrokes with Solinco's new 18x20 version of the Whiteout 305 XTD was very easy and fun because of how predictable and obedient it is. He said, "I had good shot and rally tolerance from the baseline with this racquet. I was able to comfortably stay in points longer, and to my surprise, I could end groundstroke rallies sooner than what is typical for me."

Volleys: 8.6

The precision of the Whiteout 305 XTD 18x20 reigned supreme when our team took it to the net. Troy described, "The touch and feel were improved in comparison to the 16x19 version, and it felt slightly plusher. With the denser stringbed, I felt more connected to the ball on contact. I wouldn't say this racquet offers a high level of power on volleys, but compared to other racquets with a similar head size and an 18x20 pattern, there was a decent amount of pop on the ball, plus good energy return for an 18x20. In that sense, it was comparable to the Tecnifibre TF40 305 18x20 or Babolat Pure Strike 18x20 3rd Gen for me. The maneuverability at the net was good. I found it to feel a bit quicker than most other extended-length racquets I have tested, such as the 2023 Pure Aero Plus. If anything, I would probably put the 10-gram Solinco weighted butt cap on this racquet and maybe a bit of weight around 3 and 9 o'clock in the hoop for some added stability against hard hitters."

"Like the other racquets in this family, the Whiteout 305 XTD 18x20 was very solid at net," added Michelle. "I noted more feel at net with this racquet over both the XTD 16x19 and the standard Whiteout, and I felt more connected to my shots. The Whiteout 305 XTD 18x20 was stable as well. It was a really good experience when coming up to the net. Plus, as always, while half an inch doesn't seem like much, the extra reach is appreciated!"

The Whiteout 305 XTD 18x20 felt seamless at the net for Mark. He said, "For me, the volley is all about absorbing pace or changing the direction of the ball. And without a doubt, shots taken in the air or right off the bounce were easily dealt with. This racquet not only shone from the baseline, but it also complemented both the quality and consistency of my volleys."

Chris had fun volleying with this racquet. He said, "The Whiteout 305 XTD 18x20 felt very solid. I felt confident punching volleys deep to the corners. When looking to hit a short angle, I was able to cup under the ball and find the spin I was looking for to get the ball to drop short."

Serves: 8.9

Thanks to the Whiteout 305 XTD 18x20's pace and precision, our team felt fully in control when serving. Michelle explained, "I enjoyed serving with this racquet and found I could amp up the power while feeling confident hitting my spots. The body serve was effective. Truth be told, I didn't want to hit many 'second' serves because I loved blasting the bigger serves, meaning instead of going for something with more spin on a second serve, I tried to just correct the mistake and go for another big first serve (Chris has found success with this strategy, and I figured I could try it out too!)."

The serve was another shot that worked well for Chris. He said, "I loved the pace I was able to get on the ball. My best serve is usually my slice serve, but with this racquet, I felt like I was getting a higher percentage of fast flat serves on target as well. I felt confident enough to be aggressive on both first and second serves."

The new Solinco Whiteout 305 XTD 18x20 was easy for Mark to use from anywhere on the court, but by a slight margin, he enjoyed it most when serving. He said, "I was able to consistently hit to either side of the service box (with decent pace), putting less pressure on my ground game and inducing enough confidence for me to hit my second shot with more authority."

Overall, Troy was very pleased with how this Whiteout 305 XTD 18x20 felt on serves and how well he could hit his targets. He added, "An obvious trade-off with this 18x20 version compared to the 16x19 XTD was the ease with which I could generate spin and get bite on the ball. That said, even though I had a little less bite and spin on my serves with this Whiteout 305 XTD 18x20, I felt like my overall placement and precision increased and allowed me to be just as effective. On my flat first serve, I was getting some solid pace from the extended length, and I felt like my consistency was improved compared to the 16x19 version of this racquet and the Babolat Pure Aero Plus 2023. It took me a little bit of an adjustment period to get used to the trajectory of this 18x20 on my slice and kick serves, but once I got dialed in, I felt pretty comfortable being aggressive with my racquet speed."

Returns: 8.5

Our playtesters found a nice blend of maneuverability and stability on returns with the Whiteout 305 XTD 18x20. Chris described, "The racquet felt fast enough to allow me to take a good rip at the ball. On chip returns, I was able to get enough behind the ball to find depth from a compact swing. Most impressively, I was able to find decent control on my aggressive swings, which enabled me to make the most of the racquet's power."

"I love hitting returns. I really love extended racquets on returns, and I seem to love 18x20 racquets on returns," said Michelle. "So, this was a great experience for me! Despite a tight string pattern, I felt the racquet was forgiving and had a large sweetspot. Also, when I went for a shot with small margins, the racquet really helped me hit my spot (and then reminded me it doesn't have to be on the back of the line to be in!)."

Mark's returns were a little off at first, but everything came together before too long. He explained, "Maybe it was due to the extra length, but I was able to adapt. Once I got dialed in, I was seeing some of my best returns in a while. I think it was due to the Whiteout 305 18x20's extra length!"

Troy loved attacking with his forehand return, and he found the extra half inch to provide a boost, while the 18x20 pattern allowed him to take big, flat cuts at the ball without it sailing. He said, "Backhand returns felt solid, and I found easy depth, but I couldn't generate the easy power on my backhand like I could on my forehand (more of a personal flaw, not the racquet). I loved chipping the backhand slice low and deep on my opponent's side of the court. However, I would prefer a bit more stability when hitting against big servers. As mentioned on my volleys, I would probably go with the 10-gram Solinco Weighted Butt Cap and a bit of weight up in the hoop."

Breakdown Summary