Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.5

Baseline exchanges with the Whiteout 305 v2 Camo proved to be mostly defined by power, with each tester praising the racquet's extra pop. The comfort was a nice bonus as well, and the team enjoyed what this racquet could do from the backcourt. This Whiteout 305 v2 gave Chris access to plenty of pace and spin. He said, "I liked the comfortable feel of this Whiteout 305 v2. It offered ample power, yet it also felt well dampened. I was able to generate easy depth and pace on my shots, and the launch angle from the stringbed of this racquet gave my shots ample height over the net. I found myself hitting my angles and drop shots a little long at first, but I was able to dial those in once I spent more time with the racquet. I liked the amount of spin I was able to generate. My topspin shots had some good jump to them off the bounce, and I was able to drive my slice shots with ample spin to help me control the ball."

Jason initially struggled with the swing speed of this racquet and had some difficulty reining in some shots. He noted, "A couple of things stood out to me immediately. First, the Whiteout 305 v2 wasn't as maneuverable as I typically prefer a racquet to be, and I felt like I was late on bigger shots. On the flip side, I did notice great plow through and stability, even on off-center hits. The higher swingweight combined with the stiffness to provide plenty of pop. I also noticed that when I missed, it was often long. However, this racquet performed exceptionally well on my backhand slice."

Zsofi was captivated by the Whiteout 305 v2 from the very start, and she found herself appreciating the racquet even more as the playtest continued. She explained, "I instantly fell in love with the look of this new Solinco Whiteout 305 v2, and thankfully, the racquet's performance lives up to its super cool design! I thought the racquet was very easy to play with, and I didn't need any adjustment time to feel right at home with it. Interestingly enough, the 98-square-inch head size felt more like 100 square inches to me. It just seemed more forgiving than I expected, and I was getting a ton of spin very easily. I found the Whiteout 305 v2 to be extremely versatile, and it basically did anything I asked it to do. My slices were also sitting nice and low, and I always had great control over my shots. The racquet head was very fast and easy to maneuver, but to make this racquet perfect for me, I would like to add a few grams of weight to the head because I felt like it got pushed around a tad bit here and there against heavier hitting partners. Overall, I would still consider this a pretty stable frame." 

For Munish, the Whiteout 305 v2 was a resoundingly reliable racquet when hitting groundstrokes. He said, "The Whiteout felt very solid and stable from the baseline. I was able to hit with precision and power, a combo I usually struggle with. This Whiteout 305 v2 felt like someone took a control-oriented racquet and gave it a little juice. However, I wish I could generate spin a bit more easily with this racquet. I found most of my shots had a lower trajectory, and I had to really whip the racquet to get more net clearance. It wasn't something I really struggled with since I hit mostly flat, but it's something I definitely noticed."

Volleys: 8.7

Across the board, this Whiteout 305 v2 Camo proved to be a very enjoyable frame for net play. Zsofi experienced good responsiveness, a crisp sensation upon contact and easy-to-use maneuverability. She said, "I definitely enjoyed the Whiteout 305 v2 on volleys. The racquet head felt very easy to maneuver, and I was able to get the racquet into position quickly. The response felt crisp, and I always felt connected to the frame. I could trust it even on the riskier volleys I would try." 

Similarly, Munish enjoyed this racquet's reliability at net, though he would have liked more feel. He said, "My volleys were very crisp and solid, and I could really punch through the court with power and still keep the accuracy. There was tons of stability as well, and if I contacted a ball a bit off of the sweetspot I could still make a play off of it. I thought the racquet could use a little bit more feel, though. I found some difficulty when I was trying to hit drop shots or angled volleys. Some of my drop shots would sit too high, and that would allow my opponent to hit winners.” 

Chris also had a pleasant experience volleying with this racquet, and he enjoyed the power and stability on his more aggressive shots. He described, "The power level of the racquet felt spot on, and I loved closing the net and putting power volleys away. Again, I found a high level of comfort from the response. The stability was there, and that allowed me to be relaxed through my shot. As with groundstrokes, my touch shots took a little dialing in, and if I missed my target it was typically by hitting too long."

Although he had some timing issues initially, Jason found a more minimalist approach to pay off with the Whiteout 305 v2. He explained, "Less is more with this racquet. The higher swingweight made it harder to time my volleys accurately, but simply getting the racquet in front and punching through the ball yielded better results. The mass and weight behind the ball provided good pace, even without a large backswing."

Serves: 8.6

When it came to starting points, the Whiteout 305 v2 Camo offered phenomenal levels of power for our entire team. For Jason, the Whiteout 305 v2's inherent pop allowed for more pace than he's accustomed to. He said, "I was generating more power on my serves than usual. The racquet really helped increase the MPHs on both my first and second serves. However, I didn't get much spin on my slice serves because I found it harder to accelerate the racquet through contact." 

Chris also found easy depth, and he particularly enjoyed being able to place and slice his serves. He said, "Solid pace, solid spin and solid accuracy pretty much summed up my experiences serving with the Whiteout 305 v2 Camo. I had zero complaints with the racquet, and I felt like I was serving as well as I could expect. My favorite slice serve out wide on the deuce side was working well, and I found solid consistency on pretty much any of the serves I have in my arsenal."

Zsofi had no complaints about the Whiteout 305 v2's serving capability. She said, "Serving with the Whiteout 305 v2 was great, and I could really tap into my spin serves. Control levels were also great, so I felt confident picking my targets." 

Munish also found lots to love about serving with this racquet. He described, "Serving was an absolute blast with the Whiteout 305 v2 Camo. I was able to direct my serves wherever I wanted and could add a lot of power to them as well. I had issues with my second serve because I was not able to generate a whole lot of spin, which is what I usually depend on when hitting my second serve. I was still able to start a point without giving my opponent any advantage, but I wasn't getting any free points on my second serve. Despite the slight lack of spin, I thoroughly enjoyed serving with this Whiteout." 

Returns: 8.7

All of the playtesters found that the Whiteout 305 v2 Camo helped them put extra pressure on their opponents with their returns. This racquet encouraged Munish to lean into his attacking style of play. He explained, "The racquet was very maneuverable, and I was able to return serves deep and centered. I found that facing bigger serves was a bit more difficult, and I had to use shorter take-backs and chips more often because some of my returns were flying out. Returning second serves was an absolute blast. I was able to step in and take bigger swings at the ball. I was even able to hit some really sneaky drop shots off the return, which is not something I usually do." 

Zsofi was able to use her preferred game plan right from the get-go. She noted, "I like to be aggressive on my returns right off the bat, and this racquet allowed me to do just that. On the other hand, if I felt like I just wanted to slice a return back and keep it more defensive, I could also trust the frame to help me out." 

The Whiteout 305 v2 Camo allowed Chris to drive through a flat return or impart heavy spin if need be. He said, "I had fun putting the power and spin potential of the Whiteout 305 v2 to the test on returns. With only a compact backswing, I was able to use the stability of the racquet to drive the ball back with effortless pace. With a full set of Solinco Hyper-G installed, I felt like I was maximizing the spin I could get on my shots with this racquet. I was able to get a nice arc on my topspin shots to give me a safe margin of error over the net, get the ball to dip well inside the baseline and still use lots of pace."

For Jason, the extra pace went a long way toward making his opponents uncomfortable, even on bigger serves. He described, "The Whiteout 305 v2 provided enough pop that I was able to stay on the offensive for most of my returns, and when I had time to set up, I could really crush some big returns. However, on my misses, I found myself making contact later than usual. Even when I had to block a shot back, I was still able to generate good depth."

Breakdown Summary