Everything you mentioned also shines at the FX 500 Tour. Try it with Dunlop Explosive Spin at a low tension e.g. 22-20 or 21-19 kg. Due to shoulder problems especially from serve I tried 2 dozen of rackets over the last 10 years to solve that problem. I know them all - the Babolats, Wilsons, Yonexes and some Völkl. Also had a Dunlop Aerogel 300 once and one of that Dunlop Evolution NT Models. My coach is a Dunlop seller. I was looking for the 300 Spin series. Didn't impress me much. When demoing the 2023 FX 500 Tour I knew exactly after 20 strokes - this is mine. Played it for over 50 hours now and I love it more by each day. Everything works perfect. Every single shot works perfect. And that feel of having the ball in the strings for eternity - it is priceless. Best racket I ever owned. Don't feel any need for more power or spin. It has it all.
I have the 500 Tour as well. For my it’s fine. Doesn’t stand out that much for my game. Was going to make a video about it initially, but I lost my excitement for it.
@@TennCom Maybe wrong string setup. My FX500 Tours are so much in harmony with that Dunlop Explosive Spin at a very low tension I never tried out something else although I am self stringing and have a lot of good sounding alternatives like a Yonex Poly tour (normally at 24-23 kg) or RPM blast (normally around 25-23 or 26-24). Also the Tour wants a contact near the tip of the racket then it really shines. I was always struggling on the forehand standing to tight to the ball and therefore being jammed. I saw you playing and there is also a bit of tha issuet to see. If you give the ball more space sideways and on the other hand let it come somewhat deeper to you it works much better and educates your spacing. I just played 3 hours ago with one of my three coaches around and he knows my game also as a teammate since nearly ten years. We practiced to swing very loose and softly until case of emergency at 40 % of max power. We isolated two possible forehand shots. My normal topspin rally stroke and then by occasion switching to a move similar to a right hook of a boxer to do a flat missile..Topspin stroke is from the shoulders. Flat is from the belly and the forward move like that hook. Both strokes at 40 % power are faster and more efficient than everything I was able to produce in 50 years of playing Tennis (I am now 61 years old) before. For me the F 500 Tour is a combination of a Babolat Pure Aero with more spin and a Babolat Pure Drive with more Power and a Wilson Blade 98 16/19 with more feel. And a very suitable grip shape which I don't like at Yonexes or Babolates because they are too round for me. I like the edges to feel. I can serve great. Forehand is brilliant. One handed backhand - the best I remember. Volleys as Overheads - ruthless. Trickshots like stops, halfvolleys, slices in defense and attack - I did't remember any racket being so all around well behaving. Never had anyone nearly close to this one being so powerful, spin friendly, controlled and well feeling at contact. No arm issues or shoulder or wrist. Shoulder problems werde solved some years ago by changing serve move I had to add.
@@franksauerwald I did notice that spacing was an issue and the FX500T really forced me to adjust to it but I just haven't enjoyed playing with it when compared to some of the other racquets that I've had up for review. I'll likely revisit it in a few weeks if my interest rekindles.
@@TennCom Best wishes and good luck. Maybe the racket is string sensitive. If you like try my recommendation Dunlop Explosive Spin at 22-20 kg. But the string needs about 90 minutes to dial in. For comparison in a RF97 I used Luxilon Adrenaline at 24-23 kg. On a Babolat Aero RPM Blast at 26-24,5 kg. The FX seems to work great with a stiff string at low tension. Then the ball pocketing feel is very smooth. Kindly regards - Frank
just gotta give this channel massive kudos. Best tennis racquet reviews I've ever seen from the context(Loved the background on Draper) to the intricate details
Glad you're giving Dunlop a serious look Beckett! I'd wager a good portion of the extra spin was more a result of the PowerGrid string pattern than anything (consistent-width, widely-spaced mains for good ball bite, with crosses that are dense in the center for better control -- provided you can keep your spacing in check). Considering you're coming from the Extreme Tour, I'd be highly interested to see a review of the FX 500 Tour. Thank you for all your great reviews!
@@TennComhey Becket, what about the test of the 500 tour? Never saw it but I hear it plays a lot like extreme tour, soft, manœuvrable, loads of spin. Thank you man!
@@jabirout I have one. Wasn't excited about it enough to do a full review but lately I've been interested in trying it again. Its not very extreme tour ish from a control perspective, of the 98's it reminds me most of the Pure Aero 98.
I have just received a demo of the new Fx 500 and 500 tour . The 500 is definetly smother , with its lighter feel .The tour feel denser in the string bed , since it is an 98 . I tried adding weight to both racquets using the same generic poly from tennis warehouse. The result was an instability on the tour at 10 and 2 and seperatly done at 12 . The result that I have seen with the tour , is that it performs better without the added weight . The 500 became more stable with the added weight 1.9 grams at 10 and 2 . Did you try to add weight at all to see the diffrrences ?
I've played with the current Ezone 98, Ezone 100, Dunlop FX500, Pure Drive and I've got to say the fx500 was the easiest and best tweener racket that I've played with in a while.
@@enan1468 what's the price for each where you're from? Because where I'm from between Dunlop and the pure drive isn't that far away in price but the Ezone is more expensive like almost 60 USD more
@Sakixlover get a second hand racket if you can. Get the latest generation fx500 because it's softer for your elbow (much more than the previous generation). Pure drive can be jarring on your elbow. I got my fx500 for £100 brand new
@@enan1468 cheapest I can find used Dunlop fx500 2023 version is 160 USD here is that alright? Ps: my market is kinda small so Dunlop rackets aren't that easy to find I think. I can still find pure drive new for 174 USD too bad it's hard on the elbow.
@@TennCom I'm shocked, is there much of a sweetspot or is that pocketing a tradeoff for "mushy"? That's the beauty of Ezone the power accuracy and a larger sweets pot. If VCores are any indication that is about to be bigger for 2023.What scares me in this Dunlop... Is it arm friendly or ruthless and unforgiving.??? 🤔
@@Richibald1 I didnt notice any discomfort with the Dunlop at all, but the EZONE definitely feels more direct and presice. The Dunlop feels more like a bludgeoning tool.
Really nice review. I hit with this remand really liked it a lot….you are on the money with this review. It was almost a little too powerful at times. Have you demoed the Wilson Ultra V4? A lot of similarities between this and the FX 500 in my opinion
One of my hitting partners (aged 45, Level 3.5 to 4.0) bought a pair of the older *Wilson Ultra 100L v3´s* which at 295g strung is 20g or so lighter than the standard version and initially he suffered elbow-pain. A quick string-change plus 10g of lead at both 3 and 9 o´clock and he can serve _absolute bombs_ with it now when he catches it right - not just speed, but _heaviness._ Got a speed-gun to test not long ago and he was maxing-out at 170-180kph.
Tbh I made this back in the day before I had my stringing machine so I only had the time to try Sniper. I imagine similar strings like Tour Bite Soft would work well but I can't speak from experience.
I love hitting Robin Soderling levels of power with the '23 Vcore 100, but it has way less than ideal control, connection and predictability. The launch angle is also wicked high. Would you say the FX500 is more playable than that frame? I'm looking for something to blast winners with that has at least some level of finesse (and also an ounce of comfort).
Ode to Sod! I think that the EZONE 100 would probably be better mostly because of the extra accuracy and solidity of the frame. The FX500 would sit in between them from a control perspective if you found the EZONE didn't work for you.
Do you think the high twist weight comes from the super wider throat that put more of the racquet material outside of the center axis of rotation? Looking at the rack of racquets behind you in the video, the FX 500 has the widest throat area
That helps with torsional stability, but high twistweight comes from weight at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions. Its critical to have the weight as far away from centre as possible to get this high of a number since distance is such a huge factor in twistweight.
If you are of normal strength, the regular FX 500 should be fine. If you are coming back from some sort of health issue where your strength has been significantly reduced, then I would consider the LS.
@@TennCom Great stick. I have 2 in mint condition. Grand Daddy of the Pure Control and Pure Strike VS. Sadly only can be stringed with one piece string job.
To continue our conversation from a previous video, what is the "spin" weight of the FX500? If the number is relatively low (i.e. not way above the measured swingweight), that would indicate that the hoop's main lateral weight is lower than 3 and 9 o'clock and explains the surprising maneuverability you have noted (given the 16+ twist weight).
Do you think is better than the version 1 ? I have just tried this racket with exsplosive speed at 21/20 probabily 19/20 because was stringed on march 23 ( test racket) i felt strings Too hard … do you suggest other strings … i brooke the version one stringed with head hawk at 22kg .. do you think Could work well on the v2 also ?
This is the only version of the FX500 that I've ever tried and I maintain that it is among the best power racquets on the market. (better than Pure Drive and Ezone 100 for me)
Initially, that's what I thought too, but Dunlop's website associates him with the 500. Further, I was not able to find any photos of Draper using a racquet with the Tour designation, all the way back to when he switched to Dunlop Srixion.
FX has more power, stability and better directional control from the stringbed. VC has way more spin, better dwell time and comfort. The higher spin and lower stiffness might lead some users to feel as if it has more control
I have both as well. 500 was soo stiff and flat playing, tour was doing everything well for me. but after strings loosen by good margin, I started to enjoy 500 more as it is more whippy and bigger head. it is jarring at 25 kg / 55 lbs, unplayable for me. I restrung it with comfort string at 24/23 kgs and feeling good from the first hit, same string and tension 500tour felt less controlled and more powerful to me. I think 500 will play better with 23kg with some shaped pollys and tour plays better with 25/24. I have previous model BLACK/blue, do you have the latest one?
I hit with it briefly in one of my racquet switching videos and can’t gel with it at all. It feels really slow for my game so I probably won’t spend the time for a full review
16 , 5 foot 7 lol you made that shit up easily 😂😂 or you read some bs article , it’s impossible to grow that much in 1 year he was already huge at 17 and pics don’t lie
@@TennCom What has this got to do with love one way or the other?! That's even a little offensive! This has got to do with straight up facts. You said the Head Radical is more powerful than the Ezone it clearly is NOT! 100% NOT! Perhaps you need something? Like to think about things properly before you say them and to be accurate at least!! If you think the Head Radical which is a relatively low power frame, is more powerful than the Ezone which is a fairly powerful frame then why should anyone trust you on other things?! And, when your error is pointed out you say sending you some love seems like you need it!!! You don't even address your mistake! Do not trust this guy.
@@DD17666 The frames themselves differ in power too! So for eg to make it simple, if you put the same strings at the same tension on two different frames, the two frames may still have different free power.
Everything you mentioned also shines at the FX 500 Tour. Try it with Dunlop Explosive Spin at a low tension e.g. 22-20 or 21-19 kg.
Due to shoulder problems especially from serve I tried 2 dozen of rackets over the last 10 years to solve that problem. I know them all - the Babolats, Wilsons, Yonexes and some Völkl. Also had a Dunlop Aerogel 300 once and one of that Dunlop Evolution NT Models.
My coach is a Dunlop seller. I was looking for the 300 Spin series. Didn't impress me much. When demoing the 2023 FX 500 Tour I knew exactly after 20 strokes - this is mine. Played it for over 50 hours now and I love it more by each day. Everything works perfect. Every single shot works perfect. And that feel of having the ball in the strings for eternity - it is priceless. Best racket I ever owned. Don't feel any need for more power or spin. It has it all.
I have the 500 Tour as well. For my it’s fine. Doesn’t stand out that much for my game. Was going to make a video about it initially, but I lost my excitement for it.
@@TennCom Maybe wrong string setup. My FX500 Tours are so much in harmony with that Dunlop Explosive Spin at a very low tension I never tried out something else although I am self stringing and have a lot of good sounding alternatives like a Yonex Poly tour (normally at 24-23 kg) or RPM blast (normally around 25-23 or 26-24).
Also the Tour wants a contact near the tip of the racket then it really shines. I was always struggling on the forehand standing to tight to the ball and therefore being jammed. I saw you playing and there is also a bit of tha issuet to see. If you give the ball more space sideways and on the other hand let it come somewhat deeper to you it works much better and educates your spacing.
I just played 3 hours ago with one of my three coaches around and he knows my game also as a teammate since nearly ten years. We practiced to swing very loose and softly until case of emergency at 40 % of max power. We isolated two possible forehand shots. My normal topspin rally stroke and then by occasion switching to a move similar to a right hook of a boxer to do a flat missile..Topspin stroke is from the shoulders. Flat is from the belly and the forward move like that hook.
Both strokes at 40 % power are faster and more efficient than everything I was able to produce in 50 years of playing Tennis (I am now 61 years old) before.
For me the F 500 Tour is a combination of a Babolat Pure Aero with more spin and a Babolat Pure Drive with more Power and a Wilson Blade 98 16/19 with more feel. And a very suitable grip shape which I don't like at Yonexes or Babolates because they are too round for me. I like the edges to feel.
I can serve great. Forehand is brilliant. One handed backhand - the best I remember. Volleys as Overheads - ruthless. Trickshots like stops, halfvolleys, slices in defense and attack - I did't remember any racket being so all around well behaving. Never had anyone nearly close to this one being so powerful, spin friendly, controlled and well feeling at contact. No arm issues or shoulder or wrist. Shoulder problems werde solved some years ago by changing serve move I had to add.
@@franksauerwald I did notice that spacing was an issue and the FX500T really forced me to adjust to it but I just haven't enjoyed playing with it when compared to some of the other racquets that I've had up for review.
I'll likely revisit it in a few weeks if my interest rekindles.
@@TennCom Best wishes and good luck. Maybe the racket is string sensitive. If you like try my recommendation Dunlop Explosive Spin at 22-20 kg. But the string needs about 90 minutes to dial in.
For comparison in a RF97 I used Luxilon Adrenaline at 24-23 kg. On a Babolat Aero RPM Blast at 26-24,5 kg. The FX seems to work great with a stiff string at low tension. Then the ball pocketing feel is very smooth. Kindly regards - Frank
Hi. What strings did you use? And what the tension was? Thanks 🙏
I miss my Fischer Rackets. In 92 they had already 100" rackets with spin grommets and Graphite mixed with Ceramics. Reminds me of the Draper shots.
just gotta give this channel massive kudos. Best tennis racquet reviews I've ever seen from the context(Loved the background on Draper) to the intricate details
Thanks DC!!!
Glad you're giving Dunlop a serious look Beckett! I'd wager a good portion of the extra spin was more a result of the PowerGrid string pattern than anything (consistent-width, widely-spaced mains for good ball bite, with crosses that are dense in the center for better control -- provided you can keep your spacing in check).
Considering you're coming from the Extreme Tour, I'd be highly interested to see a review of the FX 500 Tour.
Thank you for all your great reviews!
I’ve got the 500 Tour review in progress. Definitely feels like it needs some customization to work, whereas the standard 500 played awesome stock.
@@TennComhey Becket, what about the test of the 500 tour? Never saw it but I hear it plays a lot like extreme tour, soft, manœuvrable, loads of spin.
Thank you man!
@@jabirout I have one. Wasn't excited about it enough to do a full review but lately I've been interested in trying it again. Its not very extreme tour ish from a control perspective, of the 98's it reminds me most of the Pure Aero 98.
I have just received a demo of the new Fx 500 and 500 tour . The 500 is definetly smother , with its lighter feel .The tour feel denser in the string bed , since it is an 98 . I tried adding weight to both racquets using the same generic poly from tennis warehouse. The result was an instability on the tour at 10 and 2 and seperatly done at 12 . The result that I have seen with the tour , is that it performs better without the added weight . The 500 became more stable with the added weight 1.9 grams at 10 and 2 . Did you try to add weight at all to see the diffrrences ?
I've played with the current Ezone 98, Ezone 100, Dunlop FX500, Pure Drive and I've got to say the fx500 was the easiest and best tweener racket that I've played with in a while.
Which one should I get if I'm just starting to get into the sport
@Sakixlover get the fx500. It's cheaper and easier to use than the other rackets.
@@enan1468 what's the price for each where you're from? Because where I'm from between Dunlop and the pure drive isn't that far away in price but the Ezone is more expensive like almost 60 USD more
@Sakixlover get a second hand racket if you can. Get the latest generation fx500 because it's softer for your elbow (much more than the previous generation). Pure drive can be jarring on your elbow.
I got my fx500 for £100 brand new
@@enan1468 cheapest I can find used Dunlop fx500 2023 version is 160 USD here is that alright?
Ps: my market is kinda small so Dunlop rackets aren't that easy to find I think. I can still find pure drive new for 174 USD too bad it's hard on the elbow.
great technical review, thank you!
What a amazing review! Wow!
Thanks so much!
Awesome shiny watch!!🎉
Great review, a Pure Drive with feel!!
👀🔥
Awesome video as always✊
none can defeat babolat..they are the OG
Wow what a surprise review!
It shocked me as well
@@TennCom I'm shocked, is there much of a sweetspot or is that pocketing a tradeoff for "mushy"? That's the beauty of Ezone the power accuracy and a larger sweets pot. If VCores are any indication that is about to be bigger for 2023.What scares me in this Dunlop... Is it arm friendly or ruthless and unforgiving.??? 🤔
@@Richibald1 I didnt notice any discomfort with the Dunlop at all, but the EZONE definitely feels more direct and presice. The Dunlop feels more like a bludgeoning tool.
Really nice review. I hit with this remand really liked it a lot….you are on the money with this review. It was almost a little too powerful at times. Have you demoed the Wilson Ultra V4? A lot of similarities between this and the FX 500 in my opinion
I haven't tried it yet. I do think it has one of the best paint jobs on the market though!
One of my hitting partners (aged 45, Level 3.5 to 4.0) bought a pair of the older *Wilson Ultra 100L v3´s* which at 295g strung is 20g or so lighter than the standard version and initially he suffered elbow-pain.
A quick string-change plus 10g of lead at both 3 and 9 o´clock and he can serve _absolute bombs_ with it now when he catches it right - not just speed, but _heaviness._
Got a speed-gun to test not long ago and he was maxing-out at 170-180kph.
Do you have any strings recommendations that goes well with dunlop fx500 beside tour sniper? Thanks
Tbh I made this back in the day before I had my stringing machine so I only had the time to try Sniper. I imagine similar strings like Tour Bite Soft would work well but I can't speak from experience.
Nice review! How is it in comparison with new Ultra?
Great review, what was the racquets specs? was it on spec?
I love hitting Robin Soderling levels of power with the '23 Vcore 100, but it has way less than ideal control, connection and predictability. The launch angle is also wicked high. Would you say the FX500 is more playable than that frame? I'm looking for something to blast winners with that has at least some level of finesse (and also an ounce of comfort).
Ode to Sod! I think that the EZONE 100 would probably be better mostly because of the extra accuracy and solidity of the frame. The FX500 would sit in between them from a control perspective if you found the EZONE didn't work for you.
Time to test Grapplesnakes new Purple Exelence + !!!
Do you think the high twist weight comes from the super wider throat that put more of the racquet material outside of the center axis of rotation? Looking at the rack of racquets behind you in the video, the FX 500 has the widest throat area
That helps with torsional stability, but high twistweight comes from weight at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions. Its critical to have the weight as far away from centre as possible to get this high of a number since distance is such a huge factor in twistweight.
Got to do a new vid of this frame because now we have Popyrin who’s a masters champ and he actually uses this frame (not just endorsing)
He's using the Tour from last gen I thought?
How does it compare to the ezone 100 and 98 in spin potential, is it good for spin.
Nice review ! I'm a beginner, but want to rise. 40 years, 5,6 feets (172 cm), 72 kg, - confused - FX 500 or FX 500 LS ? What a better choice ?
If you are of normal strength, the regular FX 500 should be fine. If you are coming back from some sort of health issue where your strength has been significantly reduced, then I would consider the LS.
@@TennCom Thank You very much for Your advice. Good luck ! Keep going ! Greetings from Lithuania !!!
Great review! How’s this compare to ezone 100 2022
thanks! The EZONE feels more solid and has more control. The Dunlop has more power , spin and comfort. Stability is similar enough.
I can see you have a Babolat Pure Storm GT 2011 in the rack in the background? Tour or regular?
reg
@@TennCom Great stick. I have 2 in mint condition. Grand Daddy of the Pure Control and Pure Strike VS. Sadly only can be stringed with one piece string job.
To continue our conversation from a previous video, what is the "spin" weight of the FX500? If the number is relatively low (i.e. not way above the measured swingweight), that would indicate that the hoop's main lateral weight is lower than 3 and 9 o'clock and explains the surprising maneuverability you have noted (given the 16+ twist weight).
Average spin weight using TW numbers should be 337.
@@TennCom Where do you find spin weight on TW??
Swingweight plus twistweight. I’ll measure my Dunlops spinweight when I get home and let you know
@@TennCom I don't think you can add those and get a meaningful number...
Do you think is better than the version 1 ? I have just tried this racket with exsplosive speed at 21/20 probabily 19/20 because was stringed on march 23 ( test racket) i felt strings Too hard … do you suggest other strings … i brooke the version one stringed with head hawk at 22kg .. do you think Could work well on the v2 also ?
This is the only version of the FX500 that I've ever tried and I maintain that it is among the best power racquets on the market. (better than Pure Drive and Ezone 100 for me)
still need to play the ultra v4
Nice review, could you recommend strings for this racket?
What are you looking for in a string set up?
@@TennCom Control!
@@boseongkim6722 HyperG 18 is fantastic in this racket. I also like Yonex Poly Tour rev. At around 50lbs
I am between these 3, what would you choose, huge discount on dunlop at the moment, almost half the price of ezone. thanks
DUnlop all the way
@@TennCom thank you
I think Draper endorses the 500 Tour, the 98" model, which is much softer than the 500, the 100" model.
Initially, that's what I thought too, but Dunlop's website associates him with the 500. Further, I was not able to find any photos of Draper using a racquet with the Tour designation, all the way back to when he switched to Dunlop Srixion.
I need a video of the Dunlop FX500 Tour please
ok only because you asked
What would you say if you compare it with vcore 100 2023?
FX has more power, stability and better directional control from the stringbed. VC has way more spin, better dwell time and comfort. The higher spin and lower stiffness might lead some users to feel as if it has more control
@@TennCom thank you so much for your answer🙏
Looking forward to your thoughts on the Tour version. I have both, but prefer the tour.
did you make any customizations to the tour? im struggling with control and spin with the tour
@@TennCom No customizations yet but will likely add a little more weight
I have both as well. 500 was soo stiff and flat playing, tour was doing everything well for me. but after strings loosen by good margin, I started to enjoy 500 more as it is more whippy and bigger head. it is jarring at 25 kg / 55 lbs, unplayable for me. I restrung it with comfort string at 24/23 kgs and feeling good from the first hit, same string and tension 500tour felt less controlled and more powerful to me. I think 500 will play better with 23kg with some shaped pollys and tour plays better with 25/24. I have previous model BLACK/blue, do you have the latest one?
Please make a review of Dunlop SX 300 tour!
I hit with it briefly in one of my racquet switching videos and can’t gel with it at all. It feels really slow for my game so I probably won’t spend the time for a full review
I hope you were precise in this review because you just sold me this racquet 😂
Nice review. This racquet sounds a lot like my Artengo Power Pro. Although I bought the Artengo for $80. Was a great deal.
Respect. I need to try out some Artengos.
Sounds like we need a new way to characterize comfort (other than RA)
TW has a measurement that sort of works, called vibration frequency. I think if we could measure vibration magnitude, that would pretty much solve it
@@TennCom I appreciate your geekiness, sir!
What about fx 500 tour?
Coming right up
Can the Head Instinct 2022 beat the FX 500 and Pure Drive ( oh Yes)
And it costs less than the others too
16 , 5 foot 7 lol you made that shit up easily 😂😂 or you read some bs article , it’s impossible to grow that much in 1 year he was already huge at 17 and pics don’t lie
Do not trust anything this guy says... he thinks the Head Radical is more powerful than the Ezone!!! I have both rackets...
Sending you some love. Seems like you need it.
@@TennCom What has this got to do with love one way or the other?! That's even a little offensive! This has got to do with straight up facts. You said the Head Radical is more powerful than the Ezone it clearly is NOT! 100% NOT! Perhaps you need something? Like to think about things properly before you say them and to be accurate at least!! If you think the Head Radical which is a relatively low power frame, is more powerful than the Ezone which is a fairly powerful frame then why should anyone trust you on other things?! And, when your error is pointed out you say sending you some love seems like you need it!!! You don't even address your mistake! Do not trust this guy.
@@DD17666 The frames themselves differ in power too! So for eg to make it simple, if you put the same strings at the same tension on two different frames, the two frames may still have different free power.