Mike has been testing the Babolat Pure Strike 100 for the past few weeks and was impressed by the versatility of this racket. It offers the stability of a typical control racket, but also good spin, cushioning and a reasonably controlled dose of power.

Tested racket:

Brand : Babolat

Model : Pure Strike 100 2020

Blade size : 100 sq/inch

Weight : 300 gr

Balance : 32.0 cm

Stringing pattern : 16x19

Length : 27 inches

RA : 69

Stringing : Diadem Solstice Power 17/1.20 on 23/22 kg
The Babolat Pure Strike 100 is now available in our webshop including a free string of your choice!

Tester:

Name : Mike

Playing strength : 4/4

Player type : Classic player with flat groundstrokes, generates little spin himself. Had shoulder problems in the past.

Racket history : Head Ti Fire, Babolat Pure Drive, Prince EXO3 Rebel Team, Wilson Steam 100 BLX2, Head Graphene Radical MP, Prince Textreme Warrior 107, Diadem Elevate 98, among others.

Test scores Babolat Pure Strike 100:

Power : 8

Control : 9

Spin : 8

Comfort : 7.5

Agility : 7.5

Touch : 8

Baseline:

The Babolat Pure Strike 100 (2020) performs solidly from the baseline. The racket has a predictable feel and plays nice and consistent. You will not be surprised by swing-outs or the like. The racket feels nice and stable and twists less compared to its predecessor. This makes the racket so to speak nice and predictable, but also nicer for the arm. Because the racket twists less, it gives less vibrations to the arm / shoulder. However, it is not only control that counts. This 100 sq / inch version at 300 grams also offers a nice 'spin window', easy access to spin. The balls are easy to grab in the string bed, especially in combination with the star-shaped Diadem Solstice Power string. It is just a little more control over power, especially compared to the 2 other racket families from Babolat, the Pure Aero and the Pure Drive series. Still, there is a nice punch in this frame. All this together makes this racket very versatile and in my opinion also playable by a wide audience.

Service:

The Pure Strike 100 is easy to get around, which is also noticeable when serving. The racket does not offer the free service power like the Yonex EZONE 100 I tested earlier, but there is still enough power for me. And this power can be guided well into lanes by the control that the frame offers. So the serving was also well controlled. Slices outwards from the right or kick serves from the left (I am right-handed) were also easy to produce.

Just:

At the net the racket is very stable and also very manoeuvrable. Especially hard balls are easy to parry. With the more sensitive work like stop volleys etc. I still have to find the right tuning. Maybe this also has to do with the RA value (stiffness) of 69.

Power/control:

The Babolat Pure Strike 100 is nicely balanced in terms of power/control, although it is fractionally control over power. However, this 'gap' was smaller than expected. It is a racket that feels very solid, but still offers decent power and excellent spin potential. As said before, very versatile! In that sense, the racket reminds me somewhat of the Wilson Steam 100 BLX2 which I played a few years ago. Also a nice straight beam and a somewhat slimmer frame, which was widely applicable. In that respect, the Pure Strike 100 is one of the few 100 sq/inch rackets with such a slim housing.

Comfort/arm friendliness:

In this category, Babolat has made significant gains with this racket. The racket does have a fairly high RA value of 69, but it certainly does not feel that stiff. The new damping and stabilizing technologies have certainly paid off. If I may complain a little: I would have liked to see this racket with an RA of mid 60, which should also mean sufficient power, but could provide a bit more touch and comfort. But that is purely personal of course. In terms of comfort and arm-friendliness, the racket has certainly improved considerably and that deserves a compliment! The Babolat Pure Strike 100 is now available in our webshop including a free string of your choice!

Bottom line:

The new Babolat Pure Strike 100 is a very versatile racket with a rather unique blend of control, power, spin potential and good comfort. The new technological applications have resulted in a more stable Pure Strike 100 with improved comfort. There are few 100 sq/inch frames with a comparable construction that perform so all-round. Excellent update from Babolat, for which our compliments! I could just pick up the racket and play a game with it.