With
ProjectOne7, Babolat wants to 'build the best possible racket for the champions of tomorrow'. To achieve this, a select group of (contract) players, coaches and racket specialists were asked to test the ProjectOne7 rackets and then submit their feedback to Babolat. Team mijnracket.nl is one of the lucky ones. Here are our findings!
The new Babolat Pure Strike 17 (One7) series will be released in September 2017, for which the ProjectOne7 rackets were the pilot!
In
our previous post we mentioned the specs (measured by us) of the Babolat ProjectOne7 racket. For the sake of completeness, here again:
Specifications Babolat #ProjectOne7 : 98 sq/inch (according to us), 330 grams strung, 32.4 balance strung (including overgrip that was already on it) and 16/19 stringing pattern.
Stringing : Babolat RPM Blast 16 in length and Origin 16 (both 1.30 mm thickness polyester strings) in width. The angled RPM Blast provides extra grip on the ball, while the softer Origin string provides a bit of extra comfort. This combination also promotes the snapback (sliding out of position and then quickly snapping back into position) of the length string, good for extra spin potential. The racket is strung at 24/24 kg.
Team mijnracket.nl players Mike and Stephan were both able to pass the Babolat #projectone7 racket through the test. Below are Mike's findings. Stephan will share his findings with us in a comment on this blog.
Name: Mike
Playing strength: 4/4
Type of player: more classic player, flat groundstrokes, generates little spin. Had shoulder problems until recently
Player's racket history: Head Ti Fire, Babolat Pure Drive, Prince EXO3 Rebel Team, Wilson Steam 100 BLX2, Head Graphene Radical MP and the Prince Textreme Warrior 107
Review Babolat ProjectOne7
For this playtest we brought along a whole arsenal of rackets for comparison, including the
Babolat Pure Strike 18/20 . The 16/19 version of that racket is the predecessor of this ProjectOne7 prototype racket from Babolat. The Head Graphene Radical MP (weighted with lead in the blade at 3 and 9 o'clock), the Yonex EZONE DR 98 310, the Prince Textreme Warrior 107, the Wilson Pro Staff 6.0, the Yonex VCORE Duel G 97 310 and the Wilson Pro Staff 95S are some of the frames we tested for comparison.
What I (Mike) first noticed about the Babolat ProjectOne7 in terms of playing was the fairly solid feel of this racket. In the same playtest I also used the Babolat Pure Strike 18/20, but the ProjectOne7 clearly offered more stability at ball impact. The racket is slightly heavier than the Babolat Pure Strike 18/20 and in terms of specs it is actually more similar to the Pure Strike Tour (
see our previous post ), but with a 16/19 stringing pattern. The Babolat ProjectOne7 is more of a low-powered racket; you will have to generate the speed yourself through a large, full swing. This doesn't directly match my playing style, but I understand where Babolat wants to go with this series. The French brand offers a wide range of typical power frames such as the Pure Aero and the Pure Drive. Reactions to the current Pure Strike racket family were mixed and the Pure Control series is in need of a refresh. A nice control-oriented racket with good spin potential for players who generate sufficient power themselves would fit in nicely with the current Babolat range.
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes " background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile= "no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]
[caption id="attachment_2250" align="alignnone" width="600"]
Babolat player Dominic Thiem in action with a Babolat ProjectOne7 racket[/caption]
From the baseline, the Babolat ProjectOne7 offers a good bit of mass through the ball. If you make a nice full swing, there is enough drive to get the ball away. As mentioned earlier, you have to put the energy into the ball yourself. The width strings are slightly more separated compared to the Pure Strike series, making it easier to generate spin. This was also clearly noticeable. I also noticed that with a kick serve the ball is easy to grab in the strings, something that the string setup also helped with. Furthermore, I found the ProjectOne7's performance at the grid to be remarkably strong. Volleying went wonderfully, the racket felt fast and easy to maneuver, but also solid enough to parry hard balls.
All in all, a nice playtest! I think Babolat is well on its way to building a nice control oriented frame, offering a great mix of a classically built frame suitable for the modern game. In that respect, the racket reminds me a bit of the
Wilson Pro Staff 97 . There is a lot of feeling, control and stability, but also sufficient drive and spin in the Babolat ProjectOne7. With this racket (and the resulting racket line) Babolat should be able to compete with rackets such as the
Wilson Blade 98 , the
Head Radical (particularly the Pro), the
Head Prestige MP and the
Wilson Pro Staff 97 . As the name of this prototype racket suggests, this new line should be released in early 2017, with demos likely becoming available in the fall. Keep an eye on mijnracket.nl (and our
Facebook page ) for the latest updates about Babolat![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
The new Babolat Pure Strike 17 (One7) series will be released in September 2017, for which the ProjectOne7 rackets were the pilot!
In our previous post we mentioned the specs (measured by us) of the Babolat ProjectOne7 racket. For the sake of completeness, here again:
Specifications Babolat #ProjectOne7 : 98 sq/inch (according to us), 330 grams strung, 32.4 balance strung (including overgrip that was already on it) and 16/19 stringing pattern.
Stringing : Babolat RPM Blast 16 in length and Origin 16 (both 1.30 mm thickness polyester strings) in width. The angled RPM Blast provides extra grip on the ball, while the softer Origin string provides a bit of extra comfort. This combination also promotes the snapback (sliding out of position and then quickly snapping back into position) of the length string, good for extra spin potential. The racket is strung at 24/24 kg.
Team mijnracket.nl players Mike and Stephan were both able to pass the Babolat #projectone7 racket through the test. Below are Mike's findings. Stephan will share his findings with us in a comment on this blog.
Name: Mike
Playing strength: 4/4
Type of player: more classic player, flat groundstrokes, generates little spin. Had shoulder problems until recently
Player's racket history: Head Ti Fire, Babolat Pure Drive, Prince EXO3 Rebel Team, Wilson Steam 100 BLX2, Head Graphene Radical MP and the Prince Textreme Warrior 107
Review Babolat ProjectOne7
For this playtest we brought along a whole arsenal of rackets for comparison, including the Babolat Pure Strike 18/20 . The 16/19 version of that racket is the predecessor of this ProjectOne7 prototype racket from Babolat. The Head Graphene Radical MP (weighted with lead in the blade at 3 and 9 o'clock), the Yonex EZONE DR 98 310, the Prince Textreme Warrior 107, the Wilson Pro Staff 6.0, the Yonex VCORE Duel G 97 310 and the Wilson Pro Staff 95S are some of the frames we tested for comparison.
What I (Mike) first noticed about the Babolat ProjectOne7 in terms of playing was the fairly solid feel of this racket. In the same playtest I also used the Babolat Pure Strike 18/20, but the ProjectOne7 clearly offered more stability at ball impact. The racket is slightly heavier than the Babolat Pure Strike 18/20 and in terms of specs it is actually more similar to the Pure Strike Tour ( see our previous post ), but with a 16/19 stringing pattern. The Babolat ProjectOne7 is more of a low-powered racket; you will have to generate the speed yourself through a large, full swing. This doesn't directly match my playing style, but I understand where Babolat wants to go with this series. The French brand offers a wide range of typical power frames such as the Pure Aero and the Pure Drive. Reactions to the current Pure Strike racket family were mixed and the Pure Control series is in need of a refresh. A nice control-oriented racket with good spin potential for players who generate sufficient power themselves would fit in nicely with the current Babolat range.
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes " background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile= "no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]
[caption id="attachment_2250" align="alignnone" width="600"]
Babolat player Dominic Thiem in action with a Babolat ProjectOne7 racket[/caption]
From the baseline, the Babolat ProjectOne7 offers a good bit of mass through the ball. If you make a nice full swing, there is enough drive to get the ball away. As mentioned earlier, you have to put the energy into the ball yourself. The width strings are slightly more separated compared to the Pure Strike series, making it easier to generate spin. This was also clearly noticeable. I also noticed that with a kick serve the ball is easy to grab in the strings, something that the string setup also helped with. Furthermore, I found the ProjectOne7's performance at the grid to be remarkably strong. Volleying went wonderfully, the racket felt fast and easy to maneuver, but also solid enough to parry hard balls.
All in all, a nice playtest! I think Babolat is well on its way to building a nice control oriented frame, offering a great mix of a classically built frame suitable for the modern game. In that respect, the racket reminds me a bit of the Wilson Pro Staff 97 . There is a lot of feeling, control and stability, but also sufficient drive and spin in the Babolat ProjectOne7. With this racket (and the resulting racket line) Babolat should be able to compete with rackets such as the Wilson Blade 98 , the Head Radical (particularly the Pro), the Head Prestige MP and the Wilson Pro Staff 97 . As the name of this prototype racket suggests, this new line should be released in early 2017, with demos likely becoming available in the fall. Keep an eye on mijnracket.nl (and our Facebook page ) for the latest updates about Babolat![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]