There are a lot of rackets out there, and choosing a racket that suits your game is important. If you are considering switching to a Babolat racket, you’ve come to the right place. You should be doing your research before testing the rackets on the court to narrow down your possibilities. This will make the process simpler because there are so many options out there.
Babolat is one of the most popular tennis racket brands in the world. We have tried all Babolat and wanted to review each of their most popular frames – the Pure Strike, Pure Aero, and Pure Drive. Each of these lines has multiple variations of these rackets, but these are the best 3 kinds of Babolat rackets on the market.
Pure Strike
Most popular in this line: Pure Strike 3rd Gen, Pure Strike VS
Recommended Game Style: Aggressive Baseliners, All Court Players
Pure Strike 3rd Gen
Basic Specs:
- Strung Weight: 11.4 oz (323g)
- Head Size: 98 sq. inches
- Balance: 4 pts HL
- Swing Weight: 327
- Stiffness: 66
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Review: Great racket for players who have no problem generating their own pace. Ball stays on the strings a bit longer and offers more control than other rackets, but lacks a bit of pop compared to the other Babolat rackets.
Advantages: Playability, control.
Disadvantages: Easy power, especially on serve.
Pure Strike VS Tour
Basic Specs:
- Strung Weight: 11.9 oz (337g)
- Head Size: 98 sq. inches
- Balance: 7 pts HL
- Swing Weight: 323
- Stiffness: 65
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Review: This is definitely a racket for high level players as it is heavy. It has a larger sweet spot than the Strike 3rd Gen, causing it to have a little more power off the strings and a bit less control. It has good feel around the net as well, but compared to the 3rd Gen it is a bit less consistent on the groundstrokes. This racket doesn’t do anything game-changing one way or the other, but it does everything pretty well.
Advantages: Feel on volleys, control and power on baseline.
Disadvantages: No glaring disadvantages.
Pure Aero
Most popular in this line: Pure Aero, Pure Aero VS
Recommended Game Style: Counter Punchers/Grinders, Aggressive Baseliners
Pure Aero
Basic Specs:
- Strung Weight: 11.2 oz (318g)
- Head Size: 100 sq. inches
- Balance: 4 pts HL
- Swing Weight: 324
- Stiffness: 67
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Review: This racket has a lot of power and a huge sweet spot. The Aero technology allows for extra racket head speed, so spin comes easily as well. Additionally, the serve comes off huge. I notice a lot of easy power automatically added overall, but the serve has the biggest addition.
Advantages: Serve, spin, and power.
Disadvantages: Control, variance between shots.
Pure Aero VS
Basic Specs:
- Strung Weight: 10.9 oz (309g)
- Head Size: 98 sq. inches
- Balance: 7 pts HL
- Swing Weight: 318
- Stiffness: 65
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Review: This is more of a “player’s racket” than the Pure Aero. The racket offers more control and a little less pop with a smaller sweet spot. However, hitting the ball in the sweet spot warrants a much better ball coming off the strings than the others. Additionally, the Aero technology allows easier racket head speed through the air.
Advantages: Control, easy racket head speed.
Disadvantages: Serve, small sweet spot.
Pure Drive
Most popular in this line: Pure Drive, Pure Drive VS
Recommended Game Style: Counter Punchers/Grinders, Aggressive Baseliners
Pure Drive
Basic Specs:
- Strung Weight: 11.2 oz (318g)
- Head Size: 100 sq. inches
- Balance: 4 pts HL
- Swing Weight: 321
- Stiffness: 71
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Review: This racket is a classic all around stick. I think alongside the Pure Aero, it is one of the more powerful rackets that you will be able to find on the market. That said, I think that it has a bit more control that the Aero. The ball really comes off the strings with serious pace, so be ready for that. The serve comes off huge as well. I think that this racket is fairly similar to the Aero in the way that it plays with subtle differences.
Advantages: Serve speed, spin and power on groundstrokes.
Disadvantages: Control
Pure Drive VS (New)
Basic Specs:
- Strung Weight: 11.2 oz (318g)
- Head Size: 98 sq. inches
- Balance: 4 pts HL
- Swing Weight: 317
- Stiffness: 68
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Review: This is Babolat’s latest release. I was able to try it recently and liked it more than the regular Pure Drive, but that was my personal preference. The VS head size is slightly smaller than the regular one and the beam is a bit thinner, giving it more control. I thought that the serve came off pretty similarly to the regular Pure Drive. The volleys had a tad more feel with the VS version, but it was a minuscule difference at most.
Advantages: Combination of control and power. Fairly all-around racket.
Disadvantages: No huge disadvantage, but could’ve used a tad more feel on the volleys.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the racket that best suits your game can be overwhelming, but hopefully this review made your decision a bit easier. Babolat has some great rackets and each model is different, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding one that you like.
Let us know In the comments below if you have any questions about which racket may be best for you. As always, feel free to reach out by our instagram @mytennishq. We are always willing to help!
Additional Resources
- The Top 5 Best Babolat Racquets for Spin
- The Top 5 Best Babolat Racquets for Power
- The Top 5 Best Babolat Racquets for Intermediate Players
- The Top 3 Best Babolat Racquets for Control
- The Top 6 Best Babolat Racquets for Tennis Elbow
- The Top 5 Best Babolat Racquets for Beginners
- The Top 3 Best Babolat Racquets Under $100