Babolat · Current model

Babolat Pure Strike 100 Gen4

Pure Strike 100 Gen4 is the 300 g, 16×19 member of the family. Distinguishing it from the 305 g 16×20 version, separating damping from frame flex and checking the completed racquet makes the specifications useful for a real buying decision.

100 in²16 × 19300 g · Unstrung

Key specs

Head size: 100 in²
String pattern: 16 × 19
Weight: 300 g · Unstrung
Length: 27 in
Swingweight: 295
RA stiffness: RA 68
Balance: 320 mm · Unstrung
Recommended tension: 48–57 lb
Status: Current model

When comparing products

Length: 27 in · Weight: Unstrung
Racquets	Head size in²	String pattern	Weight g	Swingweight	RA
Babolat Pure Strike 100 Gen4	100	16×19	300	—	68
Babolat Pure Drive Gen11	100	16×19	300	—	72
Dunlop CX 400 Tour	100	16×19	300	—	68
Dunlop CX 400 Tour Limited	100	16×19	300	—	68

Product code 101579 identifies the 300 g, 16×19 version

Babolat’s metallic-grey/neon-red 101579 page specifies 100 in², 300 g unstrung, 320 mm unstrung balance, 27 inches and 16×19. It says the new colour retains fourth-generation technologies. TW likewise describes Carbon Grey as a cosmetic version with the standard model’s specifications and playability.

Do not substitute the Pure Strike 100 16×20 just because both names contain 100. Babolat lists that alternative at 305 g and 310 mm, with a different pattern. Check product code, weight and pattern together, especially when buying used or ordering a replacement bumper.

Use 324 as a strung retail reference, not as a guaranteed unit value

TW lists 318 g strung, 32.99 cm balance, 324 swingweight and 63 RA. Babolat gives swingweight 295 without a separately stated measurement condition, alongside explicitly unstrung weight and balance. The two swingweight figures therefore need their source context preserved.

For two racquets intended for match rotation, measure the finished setups after matching strings and grip additions. Identical nominal 300 g weights do not establish identical inertia. Nor can the gap between manufacturer RA 68 ±3 and the retail 63 be treated as a measured change caused solely by stringing.

Control Frame describes a construction choice, not a shot result

Babolat describes Control Frame as combining square and elliptical frame sections. Its FSI Control description also refers to closer string spacing and the Woofer system. TW gives a 21/23/21 mm beam; the manufacturer’s Section field lists the same sequence without an explicit unit there.

The 100 in² head and 16×19 count do not independently tell you how the centre of this stringbed compares with another 16×19. Check whether a compact blocked return lands deep enough, then whether a fuller swing keeps the intended trajectory. Those two tasks reveal different limits.

Separate vibration filtering from bending stiffness

Both sources discuss flax-based NF²-Tech and a viscoelastic damping element, but their wording about placement is not consistent. The useful, supported point is that vibration filtering is part of the design. The copy is insufficient to draw a verified internal construction map.

A quieter or more muted impact is not proof of a softer complete setup. Compare touch volleys, off-centre contacts and repeated groundstrokes with the same string and gauge. Record face stability, depth and impact sensation separately rather than giving the frame a single comfort score from its RA.

22–26 kg is a range, not a universal polyester prescription

Babolat publishes 22–26 kg / 48–57 lb. Choose a familiar string for the first comparison and record its gauge, installation date and hours played. If one demo carries an old polyester and the other a fresh multifilament, an equal tension number does not make the test controlled.

TW lists one-piece stringing, mains skipping 7T, 9T, 7H and 9H, with no shared holes. That is not the same instruction set as the two-piece listing for the Pure Drive 98. Confirm the exact frame’s manufacturer stringing map before deciding cross starting points and tie-offs.

Let the 16×20 alternative answer a specific need

The manufacturer’s 16×20 version adds 5 g nominal weight, moves balance 10 mm towards the handle and lists 65 RA instead of 68. Both list swingweight 295 with no separate measurement condition. Matching published inertia numbers do not make those two configurations interchangeable.

Try the 16×19 first on a short preparation return and a volley taken while moving forward, then compare the depth of full groundstrokes against the 16×20. Choose according to which recurring shot improves while the others remain reliable, not according to an assumed ranking of string-pattern density.