Dunlop SX 300 Tour Racket Review

The first thing to mention about the Dunlop SX 300 Tour is the way it looks. It is a very sleek looking racket that is easily distinguishable from other models in the Dunlop line from its bright yellow colour on one side of the frame.

The matte black paint gives the racket an upmarket look and feel and it is very satisfying in the hand. However, the sharp contrast of the fluorescent yellow paint offsets this really well and stops it from becoming boring.

Some manufacturers have really toned down their rackets of late, whereas others are going all out bright colours in a bid to shout about their new model. Dunlop seems to strike a really good balance with all of their models in current guise, which I have to say is very well received.

Compared with other pro or tour models from its competitors, the Dunlop SX 300 tour is not the most weighty racket going in terms of unstrung weight.

At 310g it is fairly forgivable in this sense and it is not going to cause an intermediate to advanced player any issues if they are looking for their new ‘players’ racket.

This makes it a fairly accessible racket to pick up and play with, allowing players that are new to the brand or to weightier rackets an easy way in.

One thing that you notice fairly quickly with this racket is the fairly small throat design, which increases the stiffness and classic feel of the stick. Its 65 stiffness rating is middle of the road, meaning you get a fairly stable response without the racket feeling too harsh on the arm.

Off the ground you can expect to produce a heavy ball with the SX 300 Tour, as its open 16×19 string pattern combined with the SpinBoost technology enhances the movement of the strings within the grommet.

The hefty swing weight gives you a great amount of plow through without adding too much to the overall mass of the racket, meaning you get a great deal of bang for your buck when it comes to power.

The sonic core that Dunlop has added to the SX line helps further dampen the frame and further dial out harsh vibrations. This actually works a treat as it is a fairly arm friendly, solid feeling racket for such a player focussed spec.

The 100 sq in head size is pretty forgiving and a little larger than you would expect in this category of rackets. This again adds to its all rounder credentials. There isn’t one particular area that the SX 300 Tour excels in, but it is extremely competent in a lot of areas and overall, is a lovely stick to hit with.

The swing weight allows you to club the ball and you can hear a satisfying thud when you strike.

You get some easy power on this racket and the only reason it didn’t score even higher was that at times the power tit  needed a bit of dialling back and at times when you needed to whip the ball quickly the racket can feel a little sluggish.

This is a very solid feeling racket up at the net. The slightly larger head size gives you a lot of margin for error on your volleys, so if you are not the most natural net player you can certainly feel confident that the SX 300 Tour will allow you to stick the ball nice and deep time after time.

The racket is well dampened, so redirecting the ball can be done with a good level of comfort, whilst the weight of the racket makes it feel very stable on contact, which is ideal for blocking fast shots.

The only thing that could be improved here would be that swing weight again. Whilst it has a lot of benefits off the ground and on serve, it does feel a little hefty at times when you need to get the racket in position quickly.

Not so much that it is cumbersome or puts strain on the arm, but it just isn’t quite as nimble feeling as some of its competitors like the Wilson Pro Staff for example. This is to be expected and of course being an all rounder it is good at a lot of things, but by definition an all rounder can’t be perfect in all areas.

If you are a serve and volleyer or a player that loves to play doubles, a slightly higher string tension could do this racket the world of good to fine tune the control and dial back a bit of the brute force.

The Dunlop SX 300 Tour is a really great racket to serve with. All of the factors that make a great serving racket are here, you’ve got a large sweet spot (particularly from the cross strings being closer together), a higher swing weight but not too high of a static weight so your arm won’t tire too quickly.

You also have a nice dampened frame that is still responsive so you get a good combination of comfort, feel and control.

The thicker beam adds more power to the racket and you can definitely feel the extra pop on your serve. It doesn’t feel too dissimilar to a Babolat Pure Aero, but is a little less of a spin machine than Rafa’s weapon of choice so you can feel this on your second serves.

Whereas, when you are looking for easy power on your first serve this racket is a bit of a monster!

It is incredibly easy to ramp up your serving and hit speeds you wouldn’t have expected from this type of racket.

Sure, it is a powerful racket that’s designed for an explosive game style, but it’s surprising to get this much power on serve from a racket that is effectively aimed at high level intermediate to advanced players.

The racket rewards you for going for your serves and does take a bit of getting used to at first, but once you are dialled in you can really hit your spots easily and with a lot of confidence that the ball won’t be coming back!

Again, the Dunlop SX 300 Tour performed well when returning as it is a bit of a teacher’s pet! It’s hard to find too much fault with the racket as it is a bit of a jack of all trades, that leans towards power and spin over control and precision.

That being said, you can definitely block the ball back with a good level of confidence with this racket, as the power is manageable once you get used to the responsiveness of the string bed.

It is a great racket for clubbing second serve returns, as you can feel the weight of the racket wrapping around the ball as you give it a good thumping! If you struggle for confidence and consistency on your aggressive returns (like I can sometimes) this is a fantastic racket for you.

It really encourages you to go after your returns and the larger head size gives you a nice big sweet spot, so even a late or off centre strike can end up with a good result!

The only downside to the higher than average swing weight is if you are looking to take the ball a bit earlier or need to react to a bad bounce for example, the racket can feel a little heavy handed. Therefore, you need to make sure you get it well in front of your body if you want to anticipate the ball early.

Overall, the Dunlop SX 300 Tour is a racket that is greater than the sum of its parts. It is aimed directly at the advanced club or aspiring professional player that wants to add some solid power to their game without going for an out and out traditional ‘players’ racket.

The SX 300 Tour is a forgiving racket that still offers the control, stability and power of an advanced stick (typically stiff, heavy and underpowered). It’s a great all rounder that caters for a lot of needs, particularly focussing on adding a great deal of power and spin to your game without compromising on comfort or playability.