Solinco Whiteout 305 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 86

Our playtesters could thump big groundstrokes just as easily as they could disguise a drop shot with the Whiteout 305. Michelle couldn't wait to get on court with this new racquet. She explained, "Solinco makes some of my favorite strings, so I know they understand what players are looking for. My first time out on court, I appreciated the firm yet muted feel and the forgiving sweetspot. I felt like I had command of the ball and could hit out with controlled power. The racquet moved through the air quickly, but not too fast, and it offered good plow through. I was able to dictate while still finding consistent depth and spin when I needed to turn on some defense or just be steady. I liked the feel and found the racquet stable for its weight. I appreciated the add-on of the weighted butt cap; there was enough weight to change the way the racquet played, and it's something that sets Solinco apart in this category, but I was hoping there would be a heavier grommet or weight for the tip of the racquet because I prefer head-heavy racquets."

"To address the question asked by Solinco string lovers: Yes, the Whiteout is a real player's racquet that deserves to be in the conversation with other industry leaders," said Sage. "It's a comfortable and solid frame. I could feel its mass come through the ball during my swing, and it stayed remarkably stable. The open pattern was versatile. If I exaggerated my swing path, I could hit a loopy shot with heavy topspin. On the flip side, I was happy to flatten out my backhand and guide the ball. After some trouble finding consistent depth, I restrung it with Solinco Tour Bite at 53 pounds. That combination was exactly what I needed to trust the racquet in the latter stages of testing. Lastly, it does have a muted feel, but combined with a large sweetspot, that isn't necessarily a negative."

Troy appreciated the amount of oomph he got when the Whitout 305 made contact with the ball. He said, "My initial impression when hitting groundstrokes was that this racquet maneuvered very similarly to the Wilson Blade 98 18x20 v8. The 305-gram unstrung weight is lower than what I usually play with, but I liked that the swingweight was significant enough to generate decent plow through. As far as the feel on contact, I noticed a firmer layup and a crisper response. The feel and stiffness of this Solinco Whiteout 305 reminded me of the Babolat Pure Strike 16x19 3rd Gen and the Tecnifibre TFight 305 RS. There was a decent amount of stability on contact when facing heavy hitters. That said, it wasn't at the level of some of the heavier racquets that I prefer, such as the Yonex VCORE Pro 97H, but I would say it is better than most 305-gram racquets. The open 16x19 pattern made it easy to grip the ball on a topspin groundstroke, but there was still enough control if I needed to hit a flatter shot. I was pleasantly surprised to find nice pop on the ball with this Solinco Whiteout 305. Overall, I enjoyed the blend of control and spin on my groundstrokes, as well as the nice crisp pop."

For Mark, the ability to narrow his targets was the key to success. He described, "The Whiteout was comfortable enough to hit with all day from the baseline. It also had enough firmness to its layup of graphite to create some put-away power. The ball dwelled on the stringbed for what felt like a long time, allowing for a high percentage of my groundstrokes to land exactly where they were intended. This was the case for both topspin and slice rotation on the ball."

Volleys - Score: 85

The Whiteout 305's highlights at the baseline shone even brighter when our team moved to the net. Sage loved how the Whiteout 305 held its own against big hitters. He said, "When I attacked the net, I knew I'd get a consistent and forgiving response. The feel was even better at net than at the back court. When I wanted to drop a ball short, I could loosen my grip, and the racquet was hefty enough to absorb the impact without wavering. Maneuvering was smooth, and I could easily transition from a touch volley to driving the next ball deep in the court. Lastly, if I had to block a volley or react quickly, the Whiteout 305 did great deflecting big power coming my way."

Troy brings textbook form when he moves forward and has a knack for threading the needle with his volleys. He said, "When coming to the net to hit volleys, I found a solid, firm feel on contact. There was enough control and feel for me to be confident placing the ball where I wanted, but also a decent amount of power that helped keep my volleys deep. Once again, the feel was crisp, but not overly stiff or jarring. The open string pattern, medium-to-firm stiffness and swingweight all combined to provide a decent amount of put-away power on my volleys. For my preferences, I would likely add a bit of weight to the handle of this racquet, making it a few points more head light. I was glad to find out that Solinco has weighted butt caps for these racquets, which will make tail-weighting an easy task. I would definitely use the 10-gram butt cap, which will make the racquet a few more points head light, and I think that will improve the maneuverability, especially at the net."

As a player who can glide inside the service box without missing a step, Mark prefers a balanced racquet. He explained, "At net is where I get a chance to gauge a frame's responsiveness. My ideal racquet needs to be light enough to get into position on time, yet heavy enough to be stable if contact is at full stretch or at the tip of the hoop. The new Solinco Whiteout provided exactly that from anywhere inside the service lines."

"I thought this racquet performed really well at the net," added Michelle. "I had a few sessions where my hitting partner blasted groundstrokes at me as hard as he could. During those exchanges, I could maneuver the racquet into place and block back or even intentionally get deep volleys back in play."

Serves - Score: 85

The Solinco Whiteout 305 showcased massive spin and precise targeting on serve. Troy's big lefty slice was dialed in. He described, "On my serves, this racquet shone in terms of control and spin. I really felt like my slice and kick serves were gaining a lot of spin and jumping off of the court. I was hitting my targets with ease, so the precision was definitely better than average. As I noticed from other areas of the court, there was a nice pop off the stringbed. I wouldn't say there was a ton of easy power, but for some reason, it just felt like the ball was getting a decent amount of energy return and was zipping off the stringbed with good exit velocity. I hit a few flat serves down the T, and I was surprised by the power I could generate. If Solinco ends up releasing an extended-length version of this racquet, I think it will be a big-time weapon on serves!"

Michelle gelled with the Whiteout 305 right away on serves. She said, "I had no complaints when it came to serving with this racquet. I felt connected to my targets and could amp up the power if needed. Carving out slice serves felt the most effective."

It was the ease with which Mark could hit pace that stood out to him most. He said, "I hit far fewer serves than groundies, but as much as I loved hitting forehands and backhands, I enjoyed serving with the Whiteout even more. Throughout the playtest, I was able to generate pace with little effort and also found great directional control."

Sage rounded out the category by echoing his fellow playtesters. He said, "Serving with the Whiteout 305 was a pleasure. I loved how big I could hit without having to open my targets; I stuck to pretty small zones within the service box. There was also zero discomfort as far as vibrations up my forearm are concerned. The frame felt firm, but also forgiving. Similar to my groundstrokes, I could hit with spin or flatten it out to chase pace. Serving down the T and to the body were both effective. My slice out wide was also a reliable changeup option."

Returns - Score: 83

Whether attacking or defending on return, our team thought the Whiteout 305 offered outstanding variety. Michelle craves stability on returns. She explained, "I really enjoyed returning with the Whiteout because it had that perfect blend of control and power. I could block balls back into the court when I was returning big first serves or getting jammed to the body, and I also found it easy to slice returns back. On the other hand, I could step up and take big swipes at weaker second serves. I was never limited when it came to angles or even ripping balls down the line. In doubles, I thought my return was reliable and precise no matter who was serving to me."

Similar to serving, returns for Mark were most effective when he could change the direction of the ball. He said, "Like every other shot I hit with the Solinco Whiteout, I could feel the ball sink into the stringbed and dwell there for a good length of time, affording me command and control over my return of serve. My percentages of chip returns still beat out my topspin attempts, but I felt more effective and was often able to use the return as a down-the-line approach shot to sneak into the net."

Sage found a reliable middle gear that produced high-percentage shots. He described, "My return game was super consistent. I liked playing a medium-pace ball to neutralize the serve and restart the point. Even when I aimed up the middle, my shots had just enough pace and depth to keep the server from attacking. I'm a broken record, but the term 'solid' came to mind again for how the Whiteout 305 felt returning serves. Even when I made contact outside the sweetspot, the resulting shot was forgiving enough that I often found myself with a chance to extend the point."

Although he gravitates toward heavier frames, Troy thought the Whiteout held its own. He said, "When it came to hitting returns, I found a predictable response and a good amount of stability for its weight. I noticed the predictability whenever I was able to step in and attack serves; I felt like I could be aggressive without overhitting. I wouldn't say it was quite as controlled as the Wilson Blade 98 18x20 v8, but that could be due to the more open pattern and stiffer beam on this Solinco Whiteout. Once again, I noticed the firm, crisp feel on contact, which translated to some decent pop on my returns. That said, this is the one area of the court where I usually favor a slightly plusher or more flexible-feeling racquet. This Solinco Whiteout felt slightly firmer than I would like, especially if I mis-hit the sweetspot. For a bit more stability and easier plow through, I would likely go with a little added weight in the hoop near 3 and 9 o'clock or 2 and 10 o'clock, in addition to the 10-gram weighted butt cap."

Overall - Score: 85