Snauwaert Grinta 100 Review: An All-rounder with Robust Power and Spinning Potential

The Snauwaert Grinta 100 marks a powerful comeback for Snauwaert on the tennis market. This racquet offers an impressive balance of power, spin and control, and is an excellent choice for players looking for an all-round frame with a robust feel. Let's take a closer look at the playing characteristics of this racquet and the technology that makes it so special.

Specifications Snauwaert Grinta 100

• Brand: Snauwaert
• Model: Grinta 100 (Heavy)
• Blade size: 100 sq/inch
• Weight: 305 grams
• Balance: 31.5 cm
• Stringing pattern: 16/18
• Length: 27 inches
• RA: 69
• Stringing: Snauwaert Black Beam 17 (1.25 mm) on 24/23 kg

Tester

• Name: Mike
• Playing strength: 4/4
• Player type: Classic player, flat groundstrokes, generates little spin himself, recently had shoulder problems
• Racket history: Head Ti Fire, Babolat Pure Drive, Prince EXO3 Rebel Team, Wilson Steam 100 BLX2, Head Graphene Radical MP, Prince Textreme Warrior 107, Babolat Pure Strike 16/19 2017.

Technology and Frame Construction

The Snauwaert Grinta 100 uses advanced technologies that contribute to its impressive playing characteristics:

• Control Raising Drop-shaped frame: Unlike traditional oval frames, this racket's head is enlarged at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions, creating a larger sweet spot and more forgiveness at ball impact. The frame is also thickened at these points for added head stability.
• Bionic Frame Technology: Lower down in the blade, at 5 and 7 o’clock, the frame is symmetrical for greater torsional stiffness. This contributes to the overall stability of the racket.
• Square tubing/grommets: Special square grommets are placed at 3 and 9 o'clock, which provide more freedom of movement of the strings. This offers extra control at ball impact.

Strings: Snauwaert Black Beam 17

The Snauwaert Black Beam 17 is a co-polyester string known for its control, durability and spin potential. It is the most control-oriented string within the Snauwaert string series and fits well with the characteristics of the Grinta 100. This makes it a logical choice for players looking for extra control in their strokes.

Baseline: Power and Spin Potential

From the baseline, the Snauwaert Grinta 100 performs excellently. The racket offers a lot of power, partly thanks to the large sweet spot. This ensures that balls come off the racket consistently and with a lot of speed. The spin potential is also noticeable, especially due to the 16/18 stringing pattern in combination with the 100 sq/inch head. This gives you the opportunity to give more rotation to the ball, which is useful for topspin and slice shots.

The racket feels quite stiff, which on the one hand contributes to the power, but on the other hand can be a bit more spicy for the arm, especially with off-center hits. Fortunately, the generous sweet spot ensures that this occurs less often. The combination of the stiff frame with the Black Beam 17 stringing gave the whole thing a somewhat hard feel, which was not ideal for some players, like myself. I think a softer string like the Snauwaert White Beam or the Diadem Solstice Power 17 would offer a more comfortable playing feel.

In terms of playing feel, the Grinta 100 is similar to the Babolat Pure Drive , but with a more direct response and more feedback, while the Pure Drive feels more comfortable.

Service: Excellent Power and Spin

When serving, the Grinta 100 offers great power. The stiff frame helps to put extra speed into the ball, while the grip on the ball is excellent for kick and slice serves. I did notice that the stiff frame had a bit more impact on my sensitive shoulder, which players with similar complaints should take into consideration.

Net: Agile and Stable

At the net, the Snauwaert Grinta 100 performs well. The low balance point of 31.5 cm makes the racket easy to maneuver, while the generous sweet spot ensures that hard balls are easy to parry. The stability of the racket is one of its strongest points, which pays off in quick reactions at the net.

Power and Control: Balanced

The Snauwaert Grinta 100 offers a balanced combination of power and control. The frame hardly twisted during my test sessions, which made for a stable playing experience, even when I was under pressure. The thickened frame construction at 3 and 9 o'clock seems to work as a variation on Wilson's PWS system , which offers extra head stability. The racket's excellent spin potential also contributes to the control, by giving you extra margin in your strokes.

Comfort and Arm-friendliness

While the stiff frame is one of the Grinta 100 's strong points, it can also put a bit more strain on the arm. This is especially something to consider when choosing your string setup. I would recommend a more elastic string, strung at slightly lighter weights than average, to increase comfort without sacrificing control. A polyester string remains the best option for this racquet, especially due to the open 16/18 string pattern , but a softer polyester or hybrid setup could improve arm friendliness.

Overall Impression

The Snauwaert Grinta 100 is an impressive all-rounder that targets players looking for power, control and spin in a direct frame. While the racquet feels a bit stiffer and can be more impactful on the arm, it offers an excellent balance between power and control, with a generous sweet spot and good stability. For players used to stiffer frames, the Grinta 100 offers a direct response and plenty of feedback, making it suitable for a slightly narrower audience compared to more comfortable models such as the Babolat Pure Drive .

I will continue to test this racket with a softer string setup to see how it performs with a different combination of strings.