Babolat Pure Drive 107 Review

The first thing you notice about the new Babolat Pure Drive range is the colour scheme.

Those familiar with the pure drive will know that their signature blue tends to stand out from the crowd.

The past two generations of the pure drive have opted for very bright colors, whereas this updated version is a more muted affair.

It certainly stands out, but is more stealthy than its predecessor with a graphite and darker metallic blue colour scheme.

In terms of how the pure drive 107 felt off the ground, I was pleasantly surprised.

Usually, a racket with these specifications would be aimed at a more experienced player who is looking to maximise power from their game.

However, the lighter weight, larger head size, thicker beam and lower stiffness tends to make this type of racket less control oriented, therefore feeling less connected to the ball.

However, the Babolat Pure Drive 107 strikes a really nice balance between accessibility, comfort and control. #

Don’t get me wrong, this is not an old Wilson Pro Staff! It certainly does not possess the same level of control or feel of a smaller headed, heavier racket.

But, for a racket with such a large sweet spot, it does offer remarkable stability.

This solid feeling stems from the new technology that Babolat has implemented in this racket.

The HTR technology helps increase the torsional rigidity of the racket, particularly on high impact shots.

So, when you are serving down bombs or hitting a big forehand winner, the new pure drive 107 stays more stiff than the previous generation.

This allows you to feel confident on the ball, particularly as you step into the court and take the ball earlier.

In addition to this, the use of Babolat’s new SWX Pure Feel technology helps dampen excessive vibrations through the racket, giving it a pure, crisp feel.

Larger headed, lighter rackets with large sweet spots can have a tendency to be tinny or vibrate too much due to their lack of static weight and increased flexibility.

This is something that the pure strike 107 avoids due to its new technology.

Additionally, the new diamond shaped grommet holes allow for more movement in the string placement in the racket, allowing you to create even more spin from the open 16×19 string pattern.

This combination of high power and easy access to spin really improves your confidence in hitting through the ball with this racket.

You can trust that the spin will keep the ball in the court, even when you are taking big cuts at the ball.

I have found that when I hit with larger headed rackets, the ball can sometimes fly long on me as the oversized sweet spot and additional power from the racket can be difficult to calibrate to.

This was less of an issue with the pure drive 107 as, although it was certainly a powerful racket, it didn’t feel overbearing.

Volleying is where most of the oversized rackets that we have tested tend to fall down slightly. And to be honest, it is not necessarily the fault of the racket itself.

It is simply impossible to rival a smaller headed, control oriented racket that can knife the ball with ultimate precision when the racket also needs to cater for those looking for a lot of power and comfort.

With that being said, the new technology that Babolat has put into the pure drive 107 certainly helps dampen the feel of the oncoming ball.

The larger head size and sweet spot make this a very forgiving racket to volley with.

Whilst it was adept at keeping the ball deep, putting away aggressive swinging volleys and remaining rock solid on contact, it did lack slightly in the feel department.

At times it was difficult to feel truly connected to the ball, especially when trying to hit short angled volleys.

It took a bit of time to get used to this racket, but eventually I was able to dial in and find my groove.

On serve, the Babolat Pure Drive 107 really stood out. Its extended 27.2in length helped generate a bit of extra pop when I went after my flat first serves.

The open string pattern and easy access to spin also did a great job of generating angles and heavy kick on both my first and second serves, allowing me to step into the court and take on the next ball with confidence.

If you lack power on your serve and need a bit of extra help from your stick, this racket is definitely worth considering!

The rock solid feel, slightly lighter weight and larger head size made access to additional power a breeze.

I felt I could relax and focus on placement and spin, safe in the knowledge that the racket would take care of the power for me.

But, when I really wanted to ramp up the pace, I could do so without needing to put in a lot of extra effort.

Returning with the pure strike 107 was good, but not perfect.

The large sweet spot and solid, stable feel allowed me to feel confident that even if I just blocked the ball back, it would be returned with interest.

Guiding the ball with sufficient power and depth was not a difficult thing to do with this racket, but the high stiffness did make it feel slightly disconnected at times.

When I just wanted to block the ball back with a short slice, it was difficult to modulate at first.

The larger head and comfortable nature of the Pure strike did help me find my feet eventually, but it did sometimes feel challenging to place the ball exactly where I wanted it with more feelsome shots.

This is definitely a racket that rewards you trying to be aggressive.

Unsurprisingly, it is not quite as adept at touch and feel shots, despite the new technology.

Nonetheless, the pure strike 107 felt solid on returns and did offer easy power when it was needed.

Overall, the Babolat Pure Drive 107 felt crisp, powerful and comfortable to play with.

The high stiffness rating helped it feel stable when taking on aggressive shots, but also hampered its feel around the net from time to time.

However, for a racket that allows more players into the pure drive range thanks to its accessible and user friendly lay up, it really does offer good control and spin potential.

It is a good all rounder that will help an improver player get to the next level, whilst doing so in style!