Overview
Updated with a new dampening technology, the Pure Strike 18x20 3rd Gen is ideal for experienced players, especially if they crave a rock solid feel at impact combined with the surgical and laser-like precision of a traditional 18x20 string pattern.Like the previous generation, the Pure Strike 18x20 has a hybrid frame construction (called Control Frame Technology), which blends the control and feel of square beam with the speed and dynamism of a modern elliptical beam. This stick also has FSI Power technology which features wider spacing between the upper cross strings for slightly easier access to spin and pace. New to this frame is C2Pure Feel, a material technology that combines cortex with a uniquely flexible viscoelastic rubber at 3/9 o'clock. The upshot is an even more dampened feel than the previous generation with slightly better pocketing.On groundstrokes, this racquet's low-powered precision provides big hitters with the freedom to attack the ball without fear of over-hitting. It also packs a higher swingweight than the previous generation, which means itplows through the ball more effectively, and it doesn't get pushed around when your opponent's pace goes up.Although the 330+RDC swingweight is demanding, the extra mass comes in handy when redirecting the pace of a big first serve, volleying against heavy power or driving the ball through the court. You'll also have plenty of touch for dropping the ball short. Finally, with this racquet's low-powered precision, aggressive servers will have the license to swing big and select ambitious targets.All in all, thePure Strike 18x20 3rd Gen is perfect for the player who wants the undeniable precision and feel of a classic player's racquet. The higher swingweight provides a nice bonus to those in search of stability.
Specifications
| Head Size: 98 in2 / 632.26 cm2 | ||||
| Length: 27in / 68.58cm | ||||
| Strung Weight:11.4oz / 323g | ||||
| Balance: 13in / 33.02cm / 4 pts HL | ||||
| Swingweight: 334 | ||||
| Stiffness: 66 | ||||
| Beam Width: 21mm / 23mm / 21mm | ||||
| Composition: Graphite | ||||
| Power Level: Low | ||||
| Stroke Style: Full | ||||
| Swing Speed: Fast | ||||
| Racquet Colors:White/Coral | ||||
| Grip Type: Babolat Syntec Team | ||||
String Pattern:
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| String Tension: 50-59 pounds |
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Customer Reviews
Decent racquetIt’s a solid second racquet.
Great Control!!I'm a 4.0 player in my mid 30's and typically play four days a week for about 10-12 on average. I have two of these with a leather grip added to increase the weight and to make the balance a bit more head-light. I string them at 58 pounds with a full bed of Luxilon 4G. The control is amazing, as I have an excess of power and an aggressive eastern forehand. These frames are better than any racquet I have played for reigning in power. The serve is downright heavy and volleys have great control. It is undoubtedly demanding and can sometimes be difficult on the arm. Would recommend it to players without arm trouble who like to take a big flat stroke.
Great racquetExtra control
Ultimate ControlHad the previous version of this racquet and loved it. Tinkered with other brands (Tecnifibre, Yonex) and liked them but neither of them gave me the control, power, and spin combination the Pure Strike offers. Strung with 17g Solinco Tour Bite at 52 pounds, I can put enough spin on the ball to take big forehand cuts and keep the ball in play. Volleys instantly improved. Backhand slices are amazing! Able to place serves where I want whether hitting flat or using spin. Definitely a low power stick but if you can generate adequate power you'll love it!
Easy Power and Great ControlPerfect blend of power and control.
Great control but rough on the armI demoed this racquet and report it is everything it is reported to be. Great control and wonderful controllable power. But not for me. I found the stiffness index too high for me even with the multi string.
Excellent all around racquetI've had the 16/19 for a year and then added the 18/20, which I've played with for 3 months now. Would recommend either version, these are excellent frames. While they do feel distinct from each other, I've been very pleased with the balance of power and control for both.
Two words - Love ItI've been playing tennis for 55+ years, playing with woods, Wilson T2000, Prince "buckets," and on and on. This is by far my favorite overall, arm-friendly, spin-friendly, control-friendly racquet that I've ever used. It's even a step better than the Babolat 16x19 98 that it's replacing.
Thiem's racquetI felt this was very similar to the same racquet in 16x19, but that one seemed to give you more easy topspin on high-arcing shots, slow but high over the net. This racquet is easy to move around for volleys, and both the 16x19 and this one, due to the lightness seemed to help me get around quicker on the bh, so I had more consistency on that wing, but both seemed a little underpowered on serves.
Previous Feedback
Comments: Hit a lot of demos, this was the one that gave me the most consistency.
From: Troy, MI, 12/27/21
Comments: Definitely suggest this racquet! Tennis Warehouse did a great job stringing. I might need to string it with a lower tension at 53 instead of 55!
From: Andrew, MI, 10/14/21
Comments: Demo'ed several racquets over the last year and this stick really stood out. I am able to hit every shot possible with precision, touch and power. Great feel - took a little adjusting from my very old Wilson 16 x 20 frame. I am really loving this and believe it has improved my game. Highly recommeded for strong intermediate to advanced players.
From: Mike, 8/31/21
Comments: Great racquet! Gives me solid power and control.
From: Neel, 6/17/21
Comments: I love this racquet! And TW strung it to the tension I requested. I still need some more 'spring off my string", so next time I'll drop to 52 lbs rather than 54 lbs. I appreciated TW sending the racquet in a timely manner and I'm enjoying playing tennis again. I'm a virgin with Babolat equipment, but wanted to give it a try based on the players that use the racquet. It was between the Pure Strike and Wilson's Pro Staff RF97.
From:Anon, 6/5/21
Comments: I am a NTRP level 4.5. I am an all-around, spin-oriented. I strung this racquet with RPM Blast at 58 pounds. Compared to the Blade 98, comfortable and muted, this racquet is responsive and harsh. I enjoy the responsiveness and extra power the racquet provides, but it's a personal preference.The racquet is highly customizable, leather replacement grip, head light, or tungsten tape, head heavy, to suite different play styles and levels. Would recommend a demo for anyone NTRP 3.5+ without elbow problems.
From: Kaushik, 2/4/21
Comments: I purchased two of these racquets, one for my wife. We love them. It is not a beginner's high power racquet, but it does provide controllable power if you swing out with good form, or your balls will go long. I noticed right away that I'm able to catch up to a really hard ball hit; meaning you won't be late on your shots with this racquet. Volleys are solid. I added a leather grip to mine for a little more weight and plow through when I play heavy hitters. I also noticed that my shoulder has not bothered me in weeks where as normally it's sore after hitting with my VCORE 310. I'm an aspiring 5.0 level player with a one handed backhand, I really enjoy playing with this stick. I strung it up with Hyper-G 16 at 54 pounds.
From: Brian, 2/3/21
Comments: If you want to take your tennis to another level, try this one. This is the best racquet I have played with. I have customized it with four lead stripes at 3 o'clock and at 9 o'clock of 10 centimeters long, and silicone in the butt, until reaching 320 grams with a balance of 315 mm. Strung with Babolat RPM Power, this is by far the best racquet I've ever used in my life. Better not put an dampener, so you know if you are hitting correctly. I am a senior tennis player, top 100 ITF Seniors, champion in multiple times state tournaments, both singles and doubles. I coach college and ITF Junior level players every day, with whom I have to face on the court, and with this great racquet I keep them at bay!
From: Sebastian, 1/17/21
Comments: Since I am not personally using the racquet, I can only say my son is quite pleased with it. What I can speak to is the excellent customer service I received when I needed to make a change on the order.
From: Sarah, 1/17/21
Comments: I recently ordered two racquets for Christmas and was so happy how quickly I received them. The kids love them.
From: Karen, 1/12/21
Comments: Great racquet, great service, great price.
From: John, 12/24/20
Comments: Very satisfied.
From: Kamran, 11/6/20
Comments: This racquet is the best I've ever purchased, and it's extremely professional as it's used by Dominic Thiem. It might be a little heavier than other racquets, but once you get used to it, you will absolutely dominate on the court.
From: Sheldon, 11/5/20
Comments: In my opinion, I see why Dominic chose this racquet over the 16x19. I have way more confidence in my shots with the 18x20 that the 16x19 didn't provide for me when I wanted to execute a shot as simple as a returning forehand. I plan on getting another two racquets because I love hitting with this racquet and am about to break my strings.
From: Thomas, 10/28/20
Comments: Great racquet. Unlike the 16x19 version, launch angle is lower and shots are easier to control. Listed specs were way off though. The weight was about right, but mine came in at about 7 points HL versus the listed 4 points HL with a swingweight of about 325, versus the listed 334. After a little under eight grams of lead total at 3 and 9, four grams blutack in the handle, and an overgrip, balance is about 6.5 points HL and swingweight around 335, final weight 340 grams. Plays way more solid with these specs.
From: Gregory, 10/7/20
Comments: This racquet was the perfect fit for every area of my game. Sufficient power for my fast, flat first serve, control and crisp feedback on my groundstrokes with enough power to put it away. Love the 18x20 pattern as a flatter hitter. Loved the stability on volleys. However, two major downsides kept me from keeping this racquet. I never experienced hand or elbow pain playing tennis until I used this racquet. Personally I would prefer to hit with polyester strings on a more comfortable racquet than use natural gut or multifilaments on a painful racquet. Also while I love the feeling of the ball on contact, overtime the crispness of the racquet started to feel rather plasticky. Maybe it is simply the exterior paint job of other racquets, but even when you just tap on the frame, it feels and sounds like plastic, compared to more solid metal feeling of other racquets. The plasticky feeling isn't just about preference, it trickled down to the way vibrations felt on my arm pain. If they come out with a version of this racquet that is more comfortable and more higher-end feeling, I would scoop it up in a heartbeat.
From: J, 10/5/20
Comments: Thank you, very nice racquets. What I expected at a very good price. Excellent.
From: Guillermo, 10/2/20
Comments: Warning. This racquet has a known defect where it starts cracking at the edge of bridge at the bottom hoop of the racquet. Babolat needs to fix this.
From: Sam, 9/20/20
Comments: This is a serious player's racquet. If you know about your forehand and backhand swings by heart this becomes a weapon. If you are not sure about your swings, this may be difficult to control the weight is somewhat towards the head in my opinion. It is a nice frame for serves and strokes, but not a frame for quick maneuver on volleys.
From: Seyun, 6/3/20
Comments: This racquet does a lot of things well. I am a low-level 4.5 that was looking for a more stable racquet at net that I could maneuver better for forehands (think inside-in). I had been playing with the Yonex DR 98 which serves awesome and keeps stuff in play with full strokes, but has really no put-away power and poor stability at net. The 18x20 Purestrike is a wand at times. However, I had it strung at 55 RPM Blast and it killed my elbow. I tried some hybrid setups but couldn't control it; am currently using 51 ALU Power with good results, may try upto 53 or the similar Volkl Cyclone (which I use in my Yonex). Super stable at net, stable on returns, just need to dial in tension w/out re-triggering my sensitive elbow.
From:Matt, 2/3/20
Comments: Awesome racquet for the 4.0 player and higher.
From: Joe, 1/29/20
Comments: After playing with RF97 all year long, I decided to move on, tried Gravity Pro, Vcore Pro 310, and Blade in both 18x20 and 16x19 pattern. This Pure Strike 18x20 really out shines everything, the launch angle is way more controllable than 16x19 Strike, because my technique dictates what I wanna achieve when it comes to variety of shots. Heavy topspin comes very easily too. The sweetspot feels way better than Gravity and Vcore Pro, Gravity has a flex in the throat like the Ezone XI98 but Pure Strike feels like a Pro Staff, firm feedback and great control. A lot of people worry about the power when it comes to selecting a racquet, but honestly if you're a true 4.5+ player, power is your least concern.
From: Henry, 11/13/19
Comments: This racquet provides best of both worlds from spin and power, to great control. One of the best racquets Babolat has made in the recent years focusing on the sharp control. This racquet is suited for strong intermediate to experienced players, making it a very good choice for those who have mastered many different shots.
From: Pete, 10/28/19
Comments: I loved this racquet. I started playing tennis again in 2013 and used the Aero Pro Drive. I moved from 4.0 to 4.5 with that racquet. I loved it all the way up until I couldn't get another one. I bought two Pure Drives in 2016, played with them for a year and never liked them thoroughly. I also bought the previous Pure Strike, the first one that was white, 18x20 and 16x19 and couldn't get used to either one. Though my son loved the 18x20 and played singles in high school with it. This new Pure Strike felt great so I bought two. My son liked it too so he started using my other one. We both really liked it so I bought a third. We loved it. Sadly both his new Pure Strike and my new Pure Strike started developing stress fractures at the corners of the throat.
From: Michael, 10/26/19
Comments: Lots of control but lacks power and spin. Not easy on your shoulder. I was not happy with it on serve, but volleys were good.
From: Dan, 10/8/19
Comments: Same as the first generation, great control, especially if you have a flat swing. It might be a little head light so you can swing faster. It is low powered so you need a good long swing. This racquet is great overall.
From: Paul, 9/27/19
Comments: I love the Pure Strike. I was using the old version for several months and am very happy with the new. It definitely has better control and my forehands are deeper, harder, and hitting the spots better than before. Love this racquet.
From: Bilal, 9/22/19
Comments: After extensively demoing many different players' racquets such as Prince's, Yonex's, Blade 98 and 100L, Clash 98, and Gravity, I chose this racquet. It's got power, but with control and feel. With a proper swing and good contact, it rewards you with solid pop. On volleys, it almost does the work for you. There is great bite on backhand slices and high balls are easier with the extra power. It's not heavy, but the balance compensates with plow. It doesn't hit a heavy ball like the heavier racquets I used to play with. It feels dampened, but I also use a large dampener to make it even more muted. I lent it to a friend and he felt some tingling in his elbow probably because of the stiffness, he plays with a Clash 100. Aesthetically, it's the right balance of subtle but graphic, but that's subjective. I'm a middle-aged 5.0. My earlier racquets were the Pro Staff 85, Dunlop MuscleWeave 200, and Volkl PB10 mid, heavily weighted.
From: Peter, 9/20/19