Following my review of the T-Fight RS 305, I can now try the other side of the racket spectrum with the snow-white and brand-new Tecnifibre TF-X1. A beautiful frame to look at and, thanks to the matte finish, also very pleasant to handle. The TF-X1 is a new racket in the comfort category and an interesting competitor to the Wilson Clash 100. The Tecnifibre TF-X1 300 tested by Stephan!
Tester
Specifications
Racket review
Lately, because of my tennis elbow, I have often spoken about the importance of adding more comfort-oriented rackets to the market. Some brands, such as Pro Kennex, build their entire brand around arm comfort. HEAD offers enough racket lines to cover the comfort category with the Gravity and the soft Prestige rackets, Wilson has the famous Clash line, Prince has the Phantom rackets and Diadem de Nova and Elevate series. Now Tecnifibre has launched the TF-X1.
Just a short technical story. The Tecnifibre TF-X1 comes with the technology of the Lacoste L 20. It is called X-Damp and is supposed to dampen 36% of the harmful vibrations that come through the handle. It is a kind of damper built into a silicone block in the handle. My experience is that this technology works quite well despite the RA value of 71 and a full bed of Diadem Flash strings I could play without pain in my elbow. That was immediately a huge boost. It is still nice when after an intensive session, you can still lift your glass of sports drink at the bar. The Tecnifibre TF-X1 300 is not as soft and flexy as the Clash, but it does give you as a player a little more power and comparable spine properties to the Wilson Clash 100. Honestly, the RA value did surprise me. During play, the TF-X1 felt much more comfortable than, for example, a Pure Aero with a comparable RA value.
Baseline
The Tecnifibre TF-X1 is a powerful weapon. You have to hit with a lot of spin to tame the power, otherwise the balls can quickly fly long. But if spin is your thing, then you will enjoy this frame a lot. After the first rally, it is clear that the Tecnifibre TF-X1 has a lot of power in it and is remarkably easy to get around given its pretty substantial swingweight. It immediately feels like a slightly more controllable Wilson Clash 100. I felt that the TF X1 has a great balance between spin and power and both are manageable. With that, the built-in technology seems to work. It felt very easy to hit deep against the baseline from the baseline. However, I do notice that, just like with all other power frames, you also have to be careful with the Tecnifibre TF X1 300 not to fly out of bounds. A little more spin helps keep the balls inside the lines. Furthermore, the TF X1 feels remarkably solid from the baseline. Slice balls also come off the head perfectly. Especially because of the mature weight of this frame. I think that the Tecnifibre TF-X1 is certainly a formidable competitor from the baseline for the Babolat Pure Drive or the Wilson Clash, but also the Dunlop FX 500 comes close. What this racket does better than the Wilson Clash 100 is adding more controlled power to your shots.
It is clearly a frame for players who like to play aggressively from the baseline. Both with my forehand and my backhand I can hit full-blooded, and thanks to the great weight, they are the heavy balls that pop up on the baseline on the other side.
Volleys
At the net, it was easy to volley with the Tecnifibre TF-X1. Despite the weight, it was not difficult to maneuver the racket quickly. The racket feels solid, allowing me to volley through and away well. On the smashes, you feel the power of this racket. The balls explode off it. Honestly, volleying went better than expected. My expectation of a power frame is that it is less stable than my own Prince Synergy 98, but that was a huge relief. An absolute plus point of the Tecnifibre TF-X1! It is clear, however, that in terms of feel, the frame is not the most suitable for volleying. But solidly volleying away is no problem at all.
Serving
As expected, serving was very easy with the Tecnifibre TF-X1. Even when I did not try to hit the balls that hard, I felt that I got enough power from the racket to hit the corners. Comparable to the baseline shots, I had more than enough controlled power with serving. Returning was also perfectly fine with the TF-X1 300. Although I have been used to the swingweight (330) of the Prince Synergy 98 lately; you do lose some stability on the return. Sometimes I had to hold the frame well on hard-hit serves to prevent it from being pushed back. But don't get me wrong, for a power frame, the Tecnifibre TF-X1 is well balanced in weight and you can hit good and deep returns.
The TF-X1 300 from Tecnifibre is now available in our webshop, including free stringing of your choice!
Conclusion
The Tecnifibre TF-X1 300 is not as comfortable and flexy as the Wilson Clash 100, but offers more power and stability. I think this is a solid choice for slightly advanced baseliners who want some help from the racket without the stiffness that almost always comes with power frames like the Pure Drives and the Pure Aeros.
