Dunlop Aerogel 500 Tour
Dunlop, an Australian-based company, has been in the sports industry for years, manufacturing products from tennis shoes to tennis rackets. Continuing their tradition of producing top of the line products for top players, Dunlop introduced their newest technology for tennis rackets, the Aerogel technology. Aerogel is a light solid with the strength of up to 4,000 times its own weight, creating a solid feel on ball contact and a reduction in vibration within the racket frame. The Aerogel 500 Tour, a heavier and stiffer version of the Aerogel 500, has a 100 sq. in. frame weighing at 10.58 oz unstrung designed to give players a blend of power and control.
Groundstrokes
Like its counterpart, the Aerogel 500, the Tour version offers just as much power. The power capabilities of this racket really let me rip through forehands and backhand for winners. My shots were also ggetting good depth. The Aerogel 500 Tour had a solid and comfortable feel when I was hitting with it. The 16×18 string pattern provided the opportunity to put spin on the ball and add variety to my shots. With the 100 sq. in. headsize, the racket was forgiving on mishits. Sometimes the ball will go a bit too far due to the extra power, but for the most part shots were easy to adjust by adding spin. I loved the pop and spin that I could put into my shots!
Volleys
The lightweight of the Aerogel 500 Tour (10.58 oz. unstrung) made it easy to maneuver around at the net. Hitting volleys deep was not a problem with the added punch that the racket delivers. The added weight of the Tour version made it more stable for playing heavy hitters than the regular Areogel 500. The light weight of the racket was not a burden to move around and did not tire out my arm. Also, the Aerogel 500 Tour provided a comfortable feel on all shots. When spin was needed, the Aerogel 500 Tour responded. I found the Aerogel 500 Tour offered a lot of potential for appropriate spin on shots at the net as well. There was a nice feel when hitting angled shots. As for those hard-to- reach shots, the forgiveness of the racket played a big role. The Aerogel 500 Tour was a clear winner at the net.
Serves
The power generated by the Aerogel 500 Tour helped a lot while serving. I experienced a good amount of pop on my serves. Along with the power, my serves often landed where I intended them to land, which is a new feeling for me. The access to the spin came in handy on kick serves or second serves. The control and power on my serves were enjoyable and with the comfortable feel made serving with the Aerogel 500 Tour a wonderful experience.
Serve Returns
The Aerogel 500 Tour performed solidly when returning all types of serves. The 100 sq. in. headsize boasts a decent sized sweetspot which helped in handling hard, fast serves at my body. The added weight of the Tour version of the Aerogel 500 provided great stability and feel when returning hard serves in general. And yet the racket was light enough to whip the wide and hard-to-reach serves with a good amount of spin on them. I was able to rip short serves with the additional power of the Aerogel 500 Tour.
Overall
The stability, comfort, control, and power all contribute to the Aerogel 500 Tour’s solid performance in all aspects. The added weight of the Tour version made it much more stable than the regular version. With the power, spin and feel that the Aerogel 500 Tour offers, I was very comfortable at the net. The blend of power and control would appeal to aggressive players that want to rip their serves or groundstrokes, but still maintain consistency. Players seeking a bit more pop on their shots with the ability to also create spin will find a match with the Aerogel 500 Tour.
Reviewed by: Michael Tan
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