Tecnifibre TFight ISO 305 Racquet 2022 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 84

With its easy shot depth and stability, the TFight ISO 305 earned high marks at the baseline from our playtesters. Chris explained, "I enjoyed the versatility I found hitting with the TFight ISO 305 from the baseline. The racquet offered lots of stability, so I was able to take the ball early and redirect incoming pace. When taking a bigger swing, the TFight ISO 305 rewarded my efforts with lots of plow-through power, and I was hitting a heavy ball. It was a fun racquet to sneak in a quick change of direction, and I was able to go down the line off a cross-court exchange with solid accuracy. While the swingweight might make one think it would be tough to whip through for spin, I actually found the TFight ISO 305 to be pretty spin-friendly. I loved driving my backhand slice with this racquet and also found enough grip on the ball to roll a topspin angle."

Troy was impressed by the updated feel, but he also noticed one area that didn't jive with his style of play. He said, "As I expected after the past two versions (RS and XTC), this TFight ISO 305 brings a lot of plow-through power to groundstrokes. In the past, this model has had a firmer feel on contact, giving it a nice amount of pop and energy return. This update still has that punch to it, but it feels a bit smoother and more comfortable. I loved the high swingweight when stepping into the court and ripping forehands, as well as the easy depth it helped me create on slice backhands. At times it felt a little sluggish, like when I was hitting on the run or when I didn't have time to set my feet. That said, after a few sessions I started to adapt to the swingweight and balance."

Michelle loved the amount of stability Tecnifibre packed into this 305-gram frame. She described, "This was a racquet I enjoyed more the more time I spent with it. I didn't test this exact version last time around, but I do remember it being a definite favorite among the playtest team. The new ISO technology, which makes it so the longer strings felt a little softer and the shorter strings felt a little firmer, along with a firm graphite layup allowed me to feel the ball sink into the stringbed without losing the connection to it. The 18x19 string pattern was fun to play around with. I could flirt with the net when flattening out my shots and was still rewarded with easy depth. Although the racquet had a healthy swingweight, it still felt explosive compared to other racquets I use, and I found the frame to feel stable even against big hitters. I thought the swingweight was disguised well, and that 330-plus swingweight is what I tend to gravitate toward on the court, especially when I'm feeling strong and swinging big. I'm being picky, but the grip shape doesn't always feel completely comfortable in my hands. While the racquet felt stable, I noticed that the grip did spin a few times if I mistimed a shot."

Following an adjustment period, Mark was pleased with how well he could place shots with this racquet. He said, "I could detect the high swingweight of the Tecnifibre TFight ISO 305 from the first swing, and getting used to that did take more than an hour. The second test from the baseline was with Michelle, who consistently and precisely hits a big ball. During that hit, I was finally able to benefit from all the stability this racquet affords. By the time I had logged around 10 hours of baseline play with this racquet, I discovered that I really liked how easy it was for me to predict where my shots were going to land. The semi-tight 18x19 pattern still allowed me to develop plenty of spin on the ball."

Volleys - Score: 83

The story of stability continued up at net with the TFight ISO 305. Michelle felt confident no matter what kind of volley she chose to hit. She said, "I felt in command of my volleys with this racquet. It was stable and easy to maneuver into position. I could cut the ball and add some touch or hit drop volleys, but I also had fun swinging big and attacking. I could also keep the ball deep when looking for something short to smash."

"The feel on my volleys was very, very solid," added Troy. "I found it easy to block the ball, even when it was coming in hot. The stability of this racquet is very good and makes for an easy volley when you have the racquet in the proper position. I will say that it is not the easiest of racquets to maneuver, but I didn't find it too much of an issue. I would like to try adding some weight to the handle to increase the head-light balance. The 98-square-inch head size gave me the precision I needed, and I felt like I could locate small targets. For me, this racquet is not as responsive on touch and feel volleys as the Tecnifibre TF40 305, but it still has a nice firm feel that gets the job done."

Mark is already comfortable at net, and his results with this racquet encouraged him to stay aggressive. He said, "The TFight ISO 305 is a great all-court frame that worked especially well with regards to my volley. It never wobbled or quivered with all that weight in the hoop. Even if I made contact off center, the quality of the shot often kept me in the point."

Chris had the ball on a string. He described, "The TFight ISO 305 felt rock solid at net. When punching volleys away it felt like I was getting lots of mass behind the ball. I liked the amount of bite I got from the stringbed and was getting plenty of spin on my drop and angled volleys. The feel was pretty crisp and clean, so I always had a good sense of where my shots were going."

Serves - Score: 86

With its top-notch power and placement, TFight ISO 305 made it tough on returners. This racquet helped Mark set up his lefty one-two punch. He said, "Volleying with the TFight ISO 305 was great, but my favorite shot to hit with this racquet was the serve. It was a little bit of a chore to generate racquet head speed during my service motion, but just aiming the tip through contact of the ball consistently created a heavy shot on my serve attempts."

Michelle was firing on all cylinders when she stepped up to serve with the TFight ISO 305. She described, "I've been working a bit on my service motion and timing, and this was a great racquet to practice that with. When I had my timing dialed in, I found I could get some big flat serves going that were easy to aim and had some mass behind them. My swing was fluid, and it was easy to get the racquet moving up and over my head. I liked hitting slice serves with this racquet, and I never felt limited when adding a bit of movement and trying to emphasize my kick serves."

"Getting pace and weight on my serves was the most fun part of playtesting the TFight ISO 305," added Chris. "I loved the way the racquet's mass came through contact. My serves were penetrating the court, and I liked the way the ball was zipping off the stringbed. The string pattern seemed to blend spin with enough control to help me find my targets. I served confidently with the TFight ISO 305 and really liked how it complemented my game."

Troy used a variety of different serves to keep his opponents guessing. He explained, "The hefty feel of this racquet and the plow through worked out well on big flat serves. I had that feeling of dropping the hammer, and the more I let the racquet do the work, the more I gained pace on flat serves. I also found pretty good bite on my slice serves, which I was able to utilize well on my lefty slice from the ad side — the old can-opener. Initially, I had a little difficulty generating the snap and racquet head speed on my kick serves. It felt a little sluggish, but after some adjustments I was able to get my kick serve dialed in. Toward the end of the playtest period my kick serves were coming in pretty heavy."

Returns - Score: 83

Whether defending against a big serve or stepping in and attacking, the TFight ISO 305 gave our testers everything they asked for on their returns. The stringbed felt consistent and reliable to Chris. He said, "The solid and stable feel of the TFight ISO 305 stood out to me the most on returns. I had success taking the ball early and redirecting pace to hit aggressive returns. I also liked the response of the racquet on block returns. I could trust I'd get good depth on my shots even when being defensive. I liked the access to spin that I found when I added more racquet head speed because it helped me to get my returns to drop well inside the lines."

Michelle looked to control points by stepping in when returning. She said, "Ripping returns with this racquet was in a word, awesome. The precision was there. I could take big swings and accelerate through the ball, using my targets to win the point off the return, or I could look for something short to attack. I loved ripping returns down the line on anything that sat up on either wing. Additionally, I found I was super comfortable attacking with my forehand, even if it was a serve into my body serve."

Troy noticed the updated technology most during his returns. He explained, "I could hit some pretty deep and effective returns when I had the time to take a good swipe at the ball. The stability of this TFight ISO 305 was great, and it felt rock solid when returning big serves. Even when I didn't have the time to take much of a swing and had to settle for a chip return, the hefty swingweight helped carry the ball and kept the returns deep. I have a slight preference for the feel of the TF40, which I think is a bit plusher, but that's not to knock this racquet. I think the ISOFLEX has helped to make this update more forgiving."

Mark found that he had to shift his style to unlock successful returns with this racquet. He said, "Racquet stability was never an issue when returning serve with the TFight ISO 305, but it did come at the expense of maneuverability. As a result, I relied more on my chip style of serve return, which wasn't an offensive strategy, but did prove to be effective."

Overall - Score: 85