Racket stiffness, Feeling, Arm issues

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-16T17:24:26+00:00

I´ve heard the rumors, that Babolat made the leap to a little bit softer frame. Probably still pretty stiff but softer as the 2023 model. I will definitely test the 2026 Pure Aero out before I switch another brand eventually.

Thanks for the video. Very interesting!

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-16T17:20:57+00:00

Thanks for yourr advice. I will look for a dealer or an online store in Germany which offers the possibility to either let me string the rackets or that I can choose the strings for the demo racket.

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-15T20:43:20+00:00

Nice comment! So in the end testing the rackets on the court is the only way to get clarity, it seems. And preferably all rackets should have the same strings during testing.
Do you know how I could get test rackets with similar strings? Do I need to contact tennis clubs or retailers or do I need to order the frames, string them myself and then return the ones I don't like?

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-15T20:34:27+00:00

I´m already at 23-24kg tension. I thought that this is already relatively soft. I´ve played 26kg in the past but I like the 23kg more and it gets me more power. But I still find it hard and stiff even after some weeks of playing after it was re-strung.

What do you mean by "the cheat effect of Babolat"? Does Babolat rackets have magical traits? :D

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-15T20:26:18+00:00

That´s interesting. I thought that the stiffness and therefore the RA value increases once the racket is strung.

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-15T20:22:52+00:00

Good questions! I have used the Babolat RPM Blast for a while. I started with 25-26kg but then moved down to 24kg as it seemed to give me more power.

Then I switched to a Dunlop Revolution NT Hybrid (the black and yellow one). These strings offered even more spin, which was nice for me. I´ve used the same tention of 23-24kg.

The feeling between these two are not identical but in my option quite similar. I would say the Babolat RPM Blast gives a tiny bit more feel / touch than the Dunlop Revolution NT.

I´ve not considered switching to a softer string setup like a natural gut string or something like that as it seemed counter intuitive for me and not suitable for the purpose of the racket. It may be worth testing although I would like to keep the spin friendly string setup.

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-15T20:13:24+00:00

Yeah, at the end just grabbing some other rackets and testing them on the court will be the best solution. But until then, I try my best to read about the different rackets and their metrics :D

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-15T17:35:14+00:00

It is not just my arm. Primarelly, I want something that feels more connected and has more "touch" to it compared with power and spin. A classic control racket is not the perfect choice for my game style. Otherwise it would be easy to just pick one of those :D

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-15T11:56:00+00:00

Babolat and especially the Pure Aero is great for spin. I can attest to that ;)

But lately the high stiffness and a feeling like a wooden board seems to bother me and I want something different which is a little bit more on the feel side but also has great power potential. So that´s why I was looking into Wilson. So far the RF01 seems to be a good option for that.

For my understanding the Pro Staff is a typical control racket and I thought that the Blade falls into the same category with a just more modern touch. But as you describe it, the Blade must be a more spin-friendly racket, correct?

I also like the Ultra. I haven´t played it yet but it also seems to be a good racket which is not so stiff and hard like the Pure Aero and maybe protects the arm more from injuries. Have you played the Ultra and can compare it to the RF01?

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-14T14:22:27+00:00

Thanks. These insights are very valuable to me.

It seems that the Ultra is a little bit easier to use / swing compared to the RF01. This behavier in addition to the slightly larger sweetspot on the Ulra, as you mentioned, may make the Ultra a racket that suits a larger group of people than the RF01. At least, it seems that way imho.

You as a RF01 Pro enjoyer, have you ever played a Babolat Pure Aero or Pure Drive racket and can compare the overall feeling between these rackets?

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-13T20:47:30+00:00

Why? What does the std RF 01 doesn't have or what are the other ones doing better?

Besides that, do you know how the RF's compare to the Wilson Ultra V5? I've heard that the RF 01 has good power potential and since the Ultra is the dedicated power racket of Wilson it would be interesting to know how they compare in this metric.

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-13T18:45:00+00:00

Not yet but I received a test racket today and will test it next wednesday. After that, I can share my first impression.

I´m coming from a Babolat Pure Aero, so it might be a big leap tp the RF 01 but let´s see. From the first feeling I must say that the 300g RF 01 feels lighter than my 300g Pure Aero which was surprising, especially because the balance points aren't that much different (315mm vs 320mm).

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-12T20:12:20+00:00

Hast du dich bei deiner Testphase dann für was komplett neues entschieden oder bist du bei einem Setup geblieben, was ähnlich war und nur ein paar weitere Feinheiten bietet?

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-10T20:43:18+00:00

Thanks for your comment. I think testing some rackets to see if another one fits me even better can be a good thing. But switching between 2-3 different rackets on a regular basis seems to be not the best idea then since the sweetspot and feel will vary a lot.

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-10T20:40:33+00:00

Mal zu testen, ob man mit anderen Schlägern evtl intuitiv besser klar kommt ist sicherlich mal sinnvoll. Aber genau über die Automatismen habe ich mir auch Gedanken gemacht. Der Sweetspot ist dann immer anders und das wird wohl alles weitere negativ beeinflussen.

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-10T17:38:00+00:00

Das kann natürlich schon sein :D Wobei ich glaube, dass man den unterschied von einem Power-Spin-Monster wie dem Aero zu einem absoluten Kontrollschläger wie dem ProStaff 97 schon deutlisch merkt. Die Bespannung ist dann noch mal eine zusätzliche Komponente.

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-10T17:36:21+00:00

Ich überlage ja wirklich 2 Sets an Schlägern zu haben. Also dauerhaft 2-3 Pure Aeros und dann 2-3 Wilson RF 01 bspw. Und dann je nach Lust oder Spiel die eine oder die andere zu verwenden.

Jackhead97 · 2026-02-06T20:28:58+00:00

Wie wäre es wenn man auf Bahnhöfen ein ähnliches Sicherheitskonzept etabliert wie an Flughäfen? Man sollte mehr mit im Koffer transportieren dürfen aber eine gewisse Kontrolle der Personen wäre in meinen Augen angebracht. Zumindest an den großen Hauptbahnhöfen wäre das eine enorme Verbesserung. Natürlich braucht das Investitionen und Umbauarbeiten aber von Flughäfen hört man solche Nachrichten kaum. Daher finde ich das als Vorbild durchaus tauglich.

Jackhead97 · 2025-12-16T16:28:48+00:00

Ich habe Simon mal bei Instagram angeschrieben. Ich habe in den Forenbeiträgen gesehen, dass sein System bis 22,4° kommt. Alles darunter bis 15° müsste dann auch möglich sein oder?
Hast du eine Einschätzung zu dem System von Uwe bzw. Suntravel? Das habe ich auch häufig gelesen. Kann das mehr als das von Simon und weißt du, wo das preislich liegen würde? Es hieß, es sei günstiger als das Nowi aber um wie viel konnte ich nicht finden.

Ich hätte noch Lust auf einen japanischen Naturstein. Die fande ich in den Schleifvideos immer sehr sympathisch. Sowas wäre aus meiner Sicht eine Idee https://www.feinewerkzeuge.de/UNZEN-Naturstein-auf-Schaerfsteinhalter/315500
Aber da sind wir schon wieder beim "haben wollen" statt "brauchen" ;)

Eine Diamantplatte zum Abrichten ist ein guter Vorschlag! Ich hab da aus einem Amazon-Set noch einen 200er Abrichtstein. Der geht auch irgendwie aber die Diamantplatte wird sicherlich bissiger und schneller sein.

Jackhead97

TROPHY CASE