Is The Pure Aero 98 Better Than The 100?

I've been wanting to demo these rackets for such a long time. However, it didn’t happen sooner because I didn’t want it to interfere with my high school season. Now, when the arrow 98 was released back in January, it came out with a bit of a bang, and its stock has only risen since then. For me, there are three reasons for that.

One, Carlos Alcaraz. I don't really need to say much more about that; he's electrifying. A few of you were lucky enough to see him in the flesh, and yeah, it's about as entertaining as you would expect. He's a great face for the line, and that's not even mentioning the other endorsements with Rune Felix and Fils. But more on that later.

Babolat has also simplified the 98 squared in Aero marketing. Now, the whole idea behind a 98 square inch version of the Aero isn't exactly new because it's kind of just the newest version of the VS. But the whole marketing behind the VS was very confusing, especially when you had to buy them in pairs.

It's an absolutely phenomenal racket. I know I say a lot of good things about a lot of rackets, and, to be honest, I think the industry is in a really good place right now. Nevertheless, the 98 has what it takes to be an era-defining racket, and I don't say that lightly.

The OG Aero

Alright let’s define an Aero: the Pro Aero, Pure Aero, Aero Pro Drive, whatever you want to call it. Whether you like it or not, this might be the most influential racket line ever, at least since the introduction of graphite. I don't think the 98 will ever reach that level of influence, but obviously, with these two rackets being in the same line, having similar designs, it begs the question: what's the difference? Hint: there are a lot.

Before we go on, I just wanted to say, I sometimes struggle to come up with clear thoughts, so I apologize if sometimes I'm a little incoherent throughout this review. But it's because I'm very passionate about the 98 and especially passionate about what it represents for the modern game.

Spin Machines

We need to start with the most obvious: spin. They're both Aeros, so they're both obviously very spin-friendly. And that's probably also where they are the most similar. Part of why they're so spin-friendly is because they both have that classic pure Aero throat that's always been the driving factor for this line. The aerodynamic shape helps accelerate the racket through contact. These are both noticeably whippier than a lot of other rackets, which makes it easier to brush up on the ball for more spin.

I do still find that the 100 can generate a bit more spin than the 98. Now, that has been up for debate in the tennis review community, especially considering the fact that the string bed is more open on the 98. But I still think the 100 has it beat. There is a bit more string snapback for me, and it still comes down to that 100 square inch head just naturally helping create a bit more string movement. It's also the swing pattern on the 100 that makes you want to hit that grindy, spinny shot. So, if you want the racket that has the most spin but also complements that spin style best, the 100 is still king for me.

Grinding Or Flying?

Here's the thing: the 100 feels great to just sit back and grind spinny shots with because that's where the racket really shines. But it's also because the racket doesn't feel as good for other things. Everything about the frame is made for spin. It has a very uniform, almost robotic swing pattern that almost forces you to hit the same shot every time. That's great if you want to play that style, but this is where the 98 is such a more well-rounded racket.

There's something about the way the shape, balance, and weight distribution feels on the 98 that makes you want to hit a bunch of different shots. Compared directly to the 100, it just feels like you have so much more minute control over the racket's face, which makes you able to vary your shot selection a lot more.

The 100 feels fast when you're hitting groundstrokes with the racket face parallel to the ground, but pretty sluggish everywhere else. It's almost as if combining the design of an Aero with the maneuverability and swing pattern benefits of a player's racket has led to this sort of magical frame that lets you access any style.

Nadal vs Alcaraz

I know what I'm saying is a little bit hard to grasp, so I'm going to use the play styles of Nadal and Alcaraz to kind of explain what I mean by the different feel in your hands. Nadal, especially in the beginning of his career, was pretty one-dimensional. That one dimension was great, but he was the guy that out-grinded you from the baseline by adding a bunch of margin to his shot with spin. That's where the 100 shines.

Alcaraz still plays with tons of spin, and you'll sometimes see him go for that high-percentage spin shot, but he has a lot more variety than that version of Nadal ever did. He goes for really penetrative shots, often looking to end the point quickly, and of course, loves, loves, loves his touch shots at the net and drop shots from the baseline. If you watch him really closely, you can see the way his wrist is kind of working with finesse, especially when he goes for those touch shots.

Modern Feel

Now, I actually think the 98 is very good for control, and I'll explain why in a second, but objectively speaking, neither of these two rackets has great classic control. They're both fairly stiff and have anything but a thin traditional beam. So, if you're looking for that soft, buttery control, you're not going to find that here.

However, that doesn't mean you're still not going to feel very good control with the 98. I do have to caveat this by saying you still have to use modern technique when going for big shots. You're not going to be able to flatten them out the way you would on a Prestige.

Regardless, you can still penetrate through the ball a lot more than on the 100 because the 98 has great precision. That's because, thanks to its 98 square inch head size, the sweet spot is a lot smaller, which also makes it a lot more sweet and a lot more accurate. You have a much better feel for the ball in the string bed compared to on the 100, which makes you much more willing to push on the gas knowing where your ball is going to go. Also, because it's a 98 and you have much better control over the racket's face, you still get a bit of that mid-swing control.

The Interesting Laws Of Power

It would be fair to assume that because the 100 has a bigger head size, a bigger sweet spot, and a thicker beam, that it's a more powerful racket. To be fair, it does generate more easy depth than the 98. That's only if you're hitting the same shot at the same swing speed. But like I mentioned earlier, the combination of that Aero design with the quicker head size means that you can swing the 98 faster. By generating more racket head speed, you can generate more power. It doesn't stop there, though.

Looking at these head shapes a little bit more closely, you can see that the yoke on the 98, is a lot higher than it is on the 100. You can really feel that when you're grabbing the frame by the throat. That means that the sweet spot is also relatively higher up the frame. And when the sweet spot is higher, that means you're going to have more power because you have more leverage over the ball. Basically, the top-end power-generating potential is just way higher on the 98.

Drawbacks

The one big, big problem with this frame is that it's not an easy racket to use. It's not just that the sweet spot itself is small; it's also that it's very punishing outside the sweet spot when you don't make perfect contact. The 100, on the other hand, you just don't have to be as perfect with this thing.  

It's a massive safety blanket compared to the 98, which might not sound as appealing, but realistically, for a lot of us, we're going to need that. When you tighten up and need to crawl back into your comfort hitting zone, you'll be able to do that with the 100 by grinding with spin. There's just no hiding with the 98.

Final Thoughts

This was a really interesting playtest for me because every time I grabbed the Aero 100, I instantly wanted to go back to the 98. And that's coming from a guy who somewhat likes the current 100. That's because, say this racket, the 98, is extremely addictive.

When you find a zone, when you're hitting well, you're hitting big, you genuinely feel like you can hit any type of shot, and you're never going to miss. I got into rallies where if I wanted to hit a big-margin spin shot, I could. And then on the next shot, if I wanted to hit a massive winner, I could also do that. You really have the world at your feet with this racket. It makes you want to do everything, and it can do everything.

I hate to say it's the racket, but in this case, it does kind of seem like the 98 plays its role in developing that variety. Sort of like it was with spin on the 100 back in the early 2000s, which is why I'm calling this thing era-defining. In fact, I personally fell in love with it. There is a chance you’ll see this frame in my hand everyday in the near future.