Dunlop FX 500 Tour Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 82

When hitting with the FX 500 Tour from the baseline, it was quickly apparent that the racquet moved fast and didn't get pushed around. Mark appreciated the 16x19 string pattern, and he liked how he could play solid defense and offense from the baseline. He said, "Compared to a frame like the Wilson Blade 98 16x19, this FX 500 Tour felt faster and more maneuverable from the back court, which was related to the sub-320 swingweight and the average balance of 6 points head light. Just looking at the lower swingweight and tip-light balance numbers, I would guess stability could be an issue. Perhaps Dunlop worked some magic with its Infinergy technology, because this racquet rode that fine line of being both stable and maneuverable. I could actually feel that extra stability toward the tip of the frame (with the Infinergy material at the 10 and 2 spots of the hoop), which prevented the typical drop off in shot power when ball contact was toward the top portion of the head."

"We have been hitting a lot of blue racquets this year, and they have all come fully equipped with power and spin," said Michelle. "I expected much of the same here, but in full transparency, I was not expecting to really have strong opinions one way or another. A few weeks ago, I had a day where nothing was going my way on the court, and I was struggling with every racquet I hit. Finally, after 40 minutes of trying to force things with other racquets, I picked up this FX 500 Tour; it was the racquet I didn't even know I needed! I automatically found controlled power. I could hit out, but found loads of spin and control to keep my balls from flying. The racquet was explosive and quick, which was a nice alternative to some of the more sluggish frames I had in my bag. I was picking targets and executing them, and I was able to find some plow through to push my opponent back in the court. I'm a big fan of the Sonic Core Infinergy technology and continue to gel with that feel at contact. After that great first session, I kept coming back and finding similar situations with the FX 500 Tour, and I grew to really like the racquet."

This racquet offered Erik a nice blend of power and control. He described, "I was able to generate a decent amount of topspin, but for my game, I would have liked a little more access to spin. This FX 500 Tour was pretty stable, but more weight at 10 and 2 o'clock or 3 and 9 o'clock would have been even better for me. This racquet was quite whippy and easy to get into position. I could still hit an effective ball because I felt like I could get a lot of racquet head acceleration when I was on the run, making this a good racquet to defend with as well."

Volleys - Score: 80

Maneuverability reigned supreme with the FX 500 Tour when it came to volleying. At the start of the playtest, Michelle was worried that the FX 500 Tour might be a bit unstable at net. The racquet convinced her otherwise, and she was happy to report that it held up well even when players drilled balls straight at her. She said, "The FX 500 Tour was maneuverable, and I could even access some touch — who knew? Aggressive volleying was fun as well. I have no complaints here."

Erik agreed, saying, "The FX 500 Tour was quite easy to use up at net; it was very point-and-shoot in my opinion. That was one of my favorite things about this racquet. It also allowed me to hit deeper volleys overall."

On the other hand, Mark noted a trace amount of instability against big hitters. He continued, "Aside from that, this racquet was near perfect for me to volley with. Again, I believe I could feel the extra bit of stability afforded with the Infinergy material added to the tip end of the head."

Serves - Score: 80

When it came to serving, the FX 500 Tour, did the job well, though some playtesters felt that a heavier spec could have been helpful. Mark realized the serve was one shot where he would prefer a little extra weight in the hoop. He explained, "I felt as though I had to work a little harder to get the same pace on my serve that I typically have with a slightly heavier racquet. Overall, I was very confident and comfortable serving with the FX 500 Tour, and my racquet head speed had increased a little by the end of this playtest, as did the effectiveness of my serve."

Michelle wasn't quite blown away by the FX 500 Tour's performance on serves, but she was pleased with its consistency. She said, "I could have used a bit more mass and weight here, but honestly, I found the racquet to do just what I asked of it on serves. I could hit my targets easily. I could rev up the power. I could get good movement on the ball. I can't say the racquet did anything insanely special here, but I can say I felt incredibly consistent with it in my hands, and I was confident executing my serves."

"The FX 500 Tour felt very predictable to me, and I could really swing out and start the point well," added Erik. "I was very confident hitting serves with this racquet. My favorite serves were flat up the T on the deuce side and slice out wide on the ad side."

Returns - Score: 83

Players looking to start return points off aggressively could do so effortlessly with the FX 500 Tour in hand. "This was a fun racquet to return with," said Michelle. “I often overhit returns more than I make them in with racquets lighter and quicker than my current racquet of choice. Maybe it was the Infinergy in the FX 500 Tour, but the ball felt like it sunk into the stringbed before it shot right back out exactly how I wanted it to. I even felt like the court grew longer, and I was really happy swinging explosively fast on weaker second serves. Against bigger servers, I was able to shorten my backswing and explode forward while keeping the ball low and deep in the court. The FX 500 Tour offered just the right amount of control and power."

Because he likes to return with a shorter backswing, Mark often prefers frame weights that are above 305 grams for greater stability. He said, "To an extent, that trait was missing from the FX 500 Tour. That said, the minor decline in stability was not a detriment, and it actually led me to take a full cut at my return more often than usual, which worked out great."

Erik really liked how stable this racquet felt on returns. He added, "It absorbed pace well and let me hit a controllable return that was measured accordingly with nice depth."

Overall - Score: 82