Tecnifibre TFight ISO 295 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 84

On the baseline, the Tecnifibre TFight ISO 295 offered a little bit of everything when it came to power, control and spin. The first thing Brittany noticed was that the racquet was easy to just pick up and use. She said, "The specs are pretty close to my racquet of choice, the Yonex EZONE 100, with the main difference being the weight. However, the 320-plus swingweight made up for any lack of weight. I was able to tap into some decent power on my groundstrokes (but I wouldn't describe the racquet as overly powerful) while still maintaining control. This allowed me to play offensively and really dictate play from the baseline even on just a standard rally ball. My one small knock was that the launch angle was a little lower than what I'm used to. I struggled with depth control, with a lot of my shots landing shorter than expected. Slices were surprisingly solid, and I was able to use them successfully when I was on the defensive."

"I typically find racquets that weigh 295 grams unstrung to be loaded with free power," continued Tiffani. "I didn't find that to be the case with this TFight ISO 295. Instead, this racquet leans toward control, although it still does offer a moderate amount of power. For me, the response off the stringbed was fairly direct, so I felt confident placing my shots and moving the ball around the court. This is important for me since I'm not a big hitter, and I use placement to open up the court. This racquet also displayed good stability for its weight, and I didn't have issues with it getting pushed around. I wouldn't call the TFight ISO 295 a spin monster, but I could get plenty for my hitting style. My only complaint was that there were some string vibrations when I missed the sweetspot up high in the stringbed."

Jason agreed with Tiffani's thoughts, adding, "The TFight ISO 295 offered me a pretty balanced blend of power and control. It is a fairly easy racquet to swing, but it also offers some nice stability and pop because of the mid-320s swingweight. I liked the amount of spin I could get on my groundstrokes, whether I was hitting a slice backhand or a topspin forehand. I also appreciated the 100-square-inch head size because it provided just a bit more forgiveness on off-center hits."

Mark had high hopes for the TFight ISO 295 after a quick peek at the stat sheet. He said, "Checking the specs of the new Tecnifibre TFight ISO 295, I expected that I would like it from the baseline since I enjoyed hitting groundstrokes with the prior RS version. Straight away, I could detect the benefit of the slightly higher swingweight of the ISO update. When I was under the pressure of Michelle's heavy-paced groundstrokes or Brittany's consistently hit crazy angles that make me reach for the ball, I was able to deal with it all in stride. The 70 RA was adding extra power to my groundstrokes, and like the RS model, the TFight ISO 295 never felt stiff at contact."

Volleys - Score: 82

Our playtesters found that the TFight ISO 295 offered easy maneuverability and a forgiving feel on volleys. This update had a good combination of features for Tiffani at net. She said, "First and foremost, I want a racquet that I can maneuver into position quickly. If the racquet can also resist twisting in my hand, I'm doubly pleased. This TFight ISO 295 managed to get that blend right. I wasn't troubled by the racquet being too unstable, and I was able to get it out in front to hit effective volleys. I kept it simple, and the TFight ISO 295 rewarded me with good placement at net."

"I actually really enjoyed the TFight ISO 295 up at net," added Brittany. "The standout feature was feel, and that gave me the confidence to hit a variety of volleys, including some angled shots. I felt connected to the stringbed and had a good idea where the ball was landing on the stringbed. This allowed me to have fun playing around with different ways to end the point. Of course, this also translated nicely into doubles play, where I spend more time at the net. The stability surprised me here; I had no issues with the TFight ISO 295, and it felt solid in my hand no matter what passing shot was hit at me."

Mark was impressed by the playability of the TFight ISO 295 at the net. He described, "I had zero issues in regards to how quick the TFight ISO 295 felt at net (and everywhere else on the court), but I have to admit that I was a little surprised at its level of stability and comfort, even on off-center contact of the ball. I did feel the hoop flutter a bit in my hand once the pace and spin got excessive. However, it was nothing that a leather grip wouldn't cure."

Jason had similar feedback, saying, "The TFight ISO 295 felt pretty quick up at net. I was expecting it to be a little more sluggish because of the swingweight, but it swings faster than I thought. I liked its feel and responsiveness when I was going for touch and drop volleys. I could've used just a tad more mass, but that's easily remedied with tungsten tape."

Serves - Score: 81

Our team leaned on the TFight ISO 295's ability to handle a variety of different serves when starting off points. This shot ended up being the highlight of the entire playtest for Mark. He said, "As much as I loved the new TFight ISO 295 from the baseline, I enjoyed hitting serves with it even more. Being that there is no pace on a service toss, I can never use lack of frame stability as an excuse for a low-quality serve. The TFight ISO 295's 11-ounce weight and firm layup of graphite kept coaxing me to swing faster, and a high percentage of quality serves was the result!"

The rest of the playtesters were looking for a little more power on their serves. That said, Jason appreciated the high levels of consistency that the TFight ISO 295 offered. He said, "I served with nice control and spin, but I don't think it was the most powerful racquet for serving. I liked the fact that my serving percentage was pretty high, so I was able to at least give myself a chance in the point."

"I wasn't getting tons of free power from this racquet on my serves, but I liked how it was moving over my head and I appreciated the control levels I was getting," added Tiffani. "That allowed me to move my serves around the box and use placement more than heavy power or spin to get me into points."

Brittany also ended up relying on this racquet's targeting to start points successfully. She explained, "The TFight ISO 295 didn't offer much free power on serves, so I focused mostly on placement and spin. I was able to mix up my speeds, spins and targets to keep my opponent guessing where I would serve next. I loved carving my serve out wide on the deuce side and opening up the court. I never felt like my serve was a weapon or that I was getting free points, but I was able to hit it consistently and start the point off in at least a neutral position. I was just OK in my second serves, but I was able to whip my wrist to kick the ball out of my opponent's strike zone."

Returns - Score: 80

Our playtesters noticed the TFight ISO 295's lighter weight the most when they were hitting returns. Regardless, Tiffani found her groove during the playtest on returns. She said, "Like with many other racquets, I felt most comfortable starting points with the TFight ISO 295 by returning. I liked the trajectory and control, so I was getting a little easier net clearance than I get with my own racquet, which has an 18x20 string pattern, but it wasn't so extreme that I felt lost when gauging depth. The TFight ISO 295 felt direct enough to keep my returns on the flatter side. I again thought the TFight ISO 295 felt more stable than I would expect for its weight."

Jason had some mixed reviews here, but for the most part, he was successful when it came to returning with the TFight ISO 295. He described, "For a sub 300-gram racquet, the TFight ISO 295 offers some decent pop and stands up well against bigger serves. I could take full cuts at the ball on second serves and be confident they would land in thanks to the great access to spin. When it came to defensive returns I was wishing for a little more depth, but it wasn't terrible."

While nothing about this racquet's returns particularly impressed Brittany, she didn't notice any major drawbacks either. She said, "As I wrapped up the playtest on the TFight ISO 295, I realized there wasn't a specific stroke that stood out good or bad. The return was about average with this racquet. Nothing hindered my swing, and I was able to step in and start points off aggressively. Was there anything special that it offered? No, and that is OK. It got the job done for me."

Mark was left struggling at times due to the TFight ISO 295's weight. He said, "I had a difficult time defensively chipping the return of serve into play, and I have yet to noticeably improve my topspin approach to my return."

Overall - Score: 81