I demoed this racquet recently. Just like the Pure Strike 98's of 2024 this Pure Drive 98 will be a contender for racquet of the year. The enhanced comfort matching the improved control is a match made in heaven. Making the 98 a 16/20 pattern makes a world of difference. Babolat is stepping up tremendously
Ezone 98 is more versatile and user friendly, so better for most 3.5s. Definitely more maneuverable for a one hander. PD98 is much less forgiving on defense but a killer on offense, so it’s good for players who thrive on all out aggression and short points.
I agree. I play a Pure Drive 98 (2021) with Velocity MLT at 24 kgs (~ 53 lbs) and i.m.o. it's the perfect setup. The tension harnesses some of the power and gives a bit more control. I'm having my Pure Drive Plus strung with Velocity MLT next. Probably at about 55 lbs (25 kgs). As a bonus the elasticity of the multifilament adds some arm friendliness.
@@WaltKurtz68 Interesting. I play with the Velocity MLT natural at 52 and it is very nice. I played the new racket with BLACk Veleocity MLT 17 at 52 adn it was a very comfortable racket. I had a couple of my friends play with the demo as well as they found tyhe power can be controlled witlh Spin. One of my friends will get the 100 for his daughter who plays junior tennis. My friend is a former college player - about 45- and he will probably go with the 98 although he does like the longer length of the PD Plus.
@@dmf30 Did you notice any differences between the natural and the black Velocity MLT (in the same racquet and the same tension)? I don't but some reviewers say the added color / dye makes strings a hair stiffer.
@@WaltKurtz68 they are correct. The black strings are slightly stiffer. Also it will make a dilfference whether you use a 16 or 17 gauge. I favor a 17 guage as it is a little more powerful, offers a little more spin and is easier on my arm and shoulder. But i loved the racket.
@@PH-Tennis Hang on, you mean if I buy one of these Pure Drives I might receive mine with a 6 to 7 points higher "RAH!" then spec? Omg I knew weight and balance varied a lot but RA too? And by such margins?! That is ridiculous!
Hmm, solid review but seems like a jack of all trades to me, dialled down power, limited spin and not a control racket. Not sure it will sell, and by what other reviewers say, the 100 sounds like your balls will end up on the M25. Love the content though and the enthusiasm you bring.
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I’ve never seen a bad review from you guys 😂 guess All rackets are great as long as you sell them. This racket is not meant for everybody and people can hurt themselves using it.
@@PH-Tennis True to a degree. A review is a combination of the objective with the subjective. Specs are objective, and the way the specs affect the playability is too. How one LIKES or experiences those specs and playability is subjective. A matter of personal preference. So it's a bit of both, really.
@@johnsmith-zf1fdyeah tan tennis too. Said sweet spot is tiny and it's heavy in the throat. Diffcult to swing. The whole point of the a pure drive is ease of use. Will be getting an ezone 98 instead. It's a shame. I was looking forward to this. Thought it would be a more powerful ezone 98 with a low launch angle so you can crush balls.
@@tomk5238 At least tennis warehouse reviewers arn't afraid to lightly criticise the sticks they are reviewing/selling, and you can read between the lines with their reviews. These guys are just out for money. Tennisnerd/ACtennis/Tenncomm are where we can go for unbiased reviews.
@@tomk5238Well, obviously not. This PS 98 seems to be lost in its purpose. If you try to tick all boxes from comfort to feel and from power to control then you risk ruining it completely. Which seems to have happened. This channel fades away to pure ads. Good thing to know that you can still demo racquets. And if you are really serious about demoing you can most certainly ask to restring it yourself.
I demod this frame already through TW early demo program. The feel was blah for me. Granted it’s their demo RPM blast strings at 53# vs strings I prefer. I did find power on the 98 controllable but i did have ball sail on me a few times whereas compared to my Blade, it would have gone where I wanted. I would say compared to the old 98 comfort is definitely better but feel was compromised slightly. I think it’s worth the upgrade or at least a demo if the old PD was too powerful or too stiff- I’m not selling racquets either.
I demoed this racquet recently. Just like the Pure Strike 98's of 2024 this Pure Drive 98 will be a contender for racquet of the year. The enhanced comfort matching the improved control is a match made in heaven. Making the 98 a 16/20 pattern makes a world of difference. Babolat is stepping up tremendously
2025 PD 98 vs Ezone 98.. Your choice? And which one would a 3.5 flat hitter with OHB thrive mostly with? Best, John
I want to see this comparison too!
Hows it compared to head speed pro
Yes please - would love to see you match these two against each other!
Ezone 98 is more versatile and user friendly, so better for most 3.5s. Definitely more maneuverable for a one hander. PD98 is much less forgiving on defense but a killer on offense, so it’s good for players who thrive on all out aggression and short points.
Comparison coming very soon!
The former pd tour is a nice stick, cotrolled if you put weight to the handle ( leather) and you select the correct string setup.
You graduated to a 98, there, it was left unsaid lol. Now a shootout between 98s please! Great video.
hows it compared to Gravity 98 and blade 98
We'll be comparing these soon!
Well done Josh, you're getting better at tennis! It is official 😂
🤣
Hows it compared to head speed pro and gravity tour 98
you can change the string to make it more comfortable vs a luxilon or RPM blast. Think velocity MLT or a hybrid. I play witlh the PD plus 100
I agree. I play a Pure Drive 98 (2021) with Velocity MLT at 24 kgs (~ 53 lbs) and i.m.o. it's the perfect setup. The tension harnesses some of the power and gives a bit more control. I'm having my Pure Drive Plus strung with Velocity MLT next. Probably at about 55 lbs (25 kgs). As a bonus the elasticity of the multifilament adds some arm friendliness.
@@WaltKurtz68 Interesting. I play with the Velocity MLT natural at 52 and it is very nice. I played the new racket with BLACk Veleocity MLT 17 at 52 adn it was a very comfortable racket. I had a couple of my friends play with the demo as well as they found tyhe power can be controlled witlh Spin. One of my friends will get the 100 for his daughter who plays junior tennis. My friend is a former college player - about 45- and he will probably go with the 98 although he does like the longer length of the PD Plus.
@@dmf30 Did you notice any differences between the natural and the black Velocity MLT (in the same racquet and the same tension)? I don't but some reviewers say the added color / dye makes strings a hair stiffer.
@@WaltKurtz68 they are correct. The black strings are slightly stiffer. Also it will make a dilfference whether you use a 16 or 17 gauge. I favor a 17 guage as it is a little more powerful, offers a little more spin and is easier on my arm and shoulder. But i loved the racket.
dont forget perricard the biggest serve on tour these days with two first serves and no second serve uses pure drive
Compare 98 with this new edition of 98 would make more sence imo
We're on it
Don’t forget Vcore 98. It should be much better than that one in terms of power & control balanced.
RA 73 is quite different to the listed RA 67 by Tennis Warehouse.
Indeed it is. Racket specs are a wild ride!
@@PH-Tennis Hang on, you mean if I buy one of these Pure Drives I might receive mine with a 6 to 7 points higher "RAH!" then spec? Omg I knew weight and balance varied a lot but RA too? And by such margins?! That is ridiculous!
@@WaltKurtz68I think Tennis Warehouse tested the100 sq inch RA 67 version
It’s Jerry Shang who uses a PD98, not ZZZ
🤦♂️
Im a fan of the channel but I must admit I had the same kind of feeling as the previous comments.
Hmm, solid review but seems like a jack of all trades to me, dialled down power, limited spin and not a control racket. Not sure it will sell, and by what other reviewers say, the 100 sounds like your balls will end up on the M25.
Love the content though and the enthusiasm you bring.
Thanks so much, we try our best!
Hello there, I’ve had a chance to look at your TH-cam channel, and I’m really impressed by your video quality. However, there are a few areas that may be affecting your video views and channel growth. From my experience, fixing these issues can lead to significant improvement in your channel’s performance.
I’m here to help you grow your channel and take it to the next level. Let me know if you’d like to discuss this further.
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Don't worry mate sometimes the words just don't come out. One hundred, three hundred, no wonder everyone is confused and tired of racquet branding.
🤣
I’ve never seen a bad review from you guys 😂 guess All rackets are great as long as you sell them. This racket is not meant for everybody and people can hurt themselves using it.
💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯
Check out how they talk about the Gravity 98 in their vs videos. They definitely didn’t like that!
Maybe we're just too positive and love tennis a bit much, but all the reviews are 100% honest. We just really liked this upgrade 🤷🏽♂️
@@PH-Tennis naaaaaaaah thats the easy way out of a tennis store
more like you dont wanna make papa brands mad
Guys it's all subjective in the end
100% - We can only review honestly
@@PH-Tennis True to a degree. A review is a combination of the objective with the subjective. Specs are objective, and the way the specs affect the playability is too. How one LIKES or experiences those specs and playability is subjective. A matter of personal preference. So it's a bit of both, really.
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beckett from tenncom slated it....he doesnt sell racquets. i wont trust these guys in future
@@johnsmith-zf1fdyeah tan tennis too. Said sweet spot is tiny and it's heavy in the throat. Diffcult to swing.
The whole point of the a pure drive is ease of use. Will be getting an ezone 98 instead.
It's a shame. I was looking forward to this. Thought it would be a more powerful ezone 98 with a low launch angle so you can crush balls.
@@tomk5238 At least tennis warehouse reviewers arn't afraid to lightly criticise the sticks they are reviewing/selling, and you can read between the lines with their reviews. These guys are just out for money. Tennisnerd/ACtennis/Tenncomm are where we can go for unbiased reviews.
@@tomk5238Well, obviously not. This PS 98 seems to be lost in its purpose.
If you try to tick all boxes from comfort to feel and from power to control then you risk ruining it completely. Which seems to have happened.
This channel fades away to pure ads. Good thing to know that you can still demo racquets. And if you are really serious about demoing you can most certainly ask to restring it yourself.
I demod this frame already through TW early demo program. The feel was blah for me. Granted it’s their demo RPM blast strings at 53# vs strings I prefer. I did find power on the 98 controllable but i did have ball sail on me a few times whereas compared to my Blade, it would have gone where I wanted.
I would say compared to the old 98 comfort is definitely better but feel was compromised slightly. I think it’s worth the upgrade or at least a demo if the old PD was too powerful or too stiff- I’m not selling racquets either.
Compare 98 with this new edition of 98 would make more sence imo
It's coming - stay tuned!