Babolat Pure Drive 2023 tennis racket review Some tennis rackets don’t need an introduction as their reputation precedes them and it’s fair to say that the Babolat Pure Drive is one of those, hence why were honoured to be the first to get our hands on this 2023 version for an exhaustive Tennishead tennis racket…
Wilson Clash 100 tennis racket review The Wilson Clash range was launched to huge fanfare back in early 2019. A lot has happened since then so Tennishead thought that now was a good time to give the Wilson Clash 100 a thorough review including one of our exhaustive play tests. BackgroundWilson are the most widely played…
LevelAdvancedFlex Rating0TerrainFreerideBest forA powerful ski for powerful skiersPrice£580Season2020/21Bindings?NoFloat7Versatility9Playfulness7Energy7Value8Stability9Overall Score8+A strong, stiff ski that rewards effort‐Not so friendly if you’re not on your a-gameThe Enforcer line from Nordica has always been beloved of strong off piste skiers. The Enforcer 94 adds a millimetre width compared with last season’s equivalent, but also adds significant advances in design…
LevelAdvancedFlex Rating0TerrainFreerideBest forStrong skiers on big daysPrice£650Season2020/21lengths180, 187, 194Bindings?NoFloat9Versatility8Playfulness8Energy9Value8Stability10Overall Score9+A clever combination of power and personality‐The available lengths narrow down the potential audience – perhaps rightlyThe Black Ops Sender Ti is the unquestioned Hero product of Rossignol’s big story for 2020/21 – their ‘Creative’ range of freeride, touring and freestyle models, all under the Black…
LevelAdvancedFlex Rating0TerrainAll MountainBest forStrong skiers who like to ‘charge and carve’ in equal measurePrice£520Season2020/21lengths168, 176, 182, 188Bindings?NoFloat8Playfulness8Value9Edge hold9Stability10Turn initiation8Overall Score9+Versatility and mass appeal‐Graphics are underwhelmingThe Stance 90 from Salomon represents the narrower end of their brand new family of all mountain chargers. “Crafted to charge, shaped to carve” is the tagline, and as the narrowest…
HEAD Extreme Tour buyers guide Introducing the Head Graphene 360+ Extreme Tour. Targeted at both intermediate and advanced players, this racket has something for everyone. The smaller head size and light feel ensure that this racket is easy for many people to play with.Background:The latest Extreme model is endorsed by current top 10 player, Matteo…
Dunlop CX 400 Tour buyers guide The Dunlop CX 400 Tour combines both speed and spin to produce a racket with a classic feel but modern attributes.This racket benefits from a larger head size and a thicker beam compared to previous models, ensuring this racket can be forgiving if the ball doesn’t come out of…
Babolat Evo Drive Tour buyers guide Built around easy power and comfort, the Babolat Evo Drive Tour is a recent release from the well-established racket manufacturers. At a weight of just 285 grams, this racket could be suitable for intermediate players.The natural power which comes with this racket is assisted by the 16/19 string pattern…
LevelAdvancedFlex Rating0TerrainPisteBest forStrong intermediate piste skiers looking to improve whilst still enjoying their skiingPrice£615Season2020/21Bindings?YesPlayfulness7Energy9Value7Edge hold9Stability9Turn initiation10Overall Score8+A super-smooth ride and likes to be driven hard‐The confused marketingHead’s well-established Supershape range of performance piste skis now sits around a core of 5 skis, called variously e-Speed, e-Titan etc. There is a nod to classic models but…
LevelAdvancedFlex Rating0TerrainPisteBest forStrong piste lovers who don’t like being punished by their skisPrice£700Season2020/21Bindings?YesPlayfulness7Energy9Value8Edge hold10Stability9Turn initiation8Overall Score9+A wild K2 ride, entirely focussed on skiing fast‐Despite being ‘expert’ it may not suit racer-type skiersLong have K2 championed fun over some quasi-academic notion of ‘performance’. So while some high-end piste skis seem to take an almost sadistic pleasure…
LevelAdvancedFlex Rating0TerrainAll MountainBest forFreeriders looking for an all mountain vehiclePrice£600Season2020/21lengths169, 176, 181Bindings?NoFloat8Playfulness8Edge hold10Stability9Turn initiation8Overall Score8+Freeride feel on all terrain‐The slightly garbled messaging from Line…We were initially very confused as to what category to test the Blade under. Line put it up as a piste ski, presumably on the basis it’s as close to a piste…
