Babolat created the world’s first set of natural gut tennis strings back in 1875.  Tennis strings have come a long way since then. Babolat tennis strings continue to reflect their expertise and experience in the field of tennis racquet strings. Babolat tennis strings cover all types of players and preferences, including synthetic gut, multifilaments, natural gut, and polyester strings.
Do you have a junior player that has powerful topspin ground strokes? During the recent state tournament in Montana, a 14 year old junior player was out-hitting his opponents with controlled, powerful deep shots. The opponents seemed to frame shots, miss strokes, and otherwise just plain look bad. I could hear the difference in the racquets. The player using the Babolat Pro Hurricane had great sound coming from the tennis racquet when he made contact with the ball. The other player’s racquet just sounded like a guitar. Twangy. That sound means the force is not going back into the ball smoothly, but vibrating through the racquet frame. This is lost power and control. After watching the Babolat Pro Hurricane is action, it justified a thorough product review.

The Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour tennis string is used on the pro tour by players such as Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick, while Babolat VS Team natural gut is used by numerous players and is one of the top natural gut choices on the tour.

For more information about tennis strings, check out our tennis string buying guide.

The Babolat Pro Hurricane tennis strings are the best for power hitters. This is truly a great poly.
At the right tension, these strings can be really deadly.
It gives great spin to junior tennis players that hit with a semi western grip. It can dramaticly change your playing.
These strings will change your game, in a good way. They help you provide deadly power and spin, the perfect string for big hitters that want some spin on the ball to pass over the net with controlled height.

Generally, tennis retailers agree that the Pro Hurricane is one of the best strings around the market these days.

The string is made of a polyester material with an Innovative Structure: Octagonal shape providing more spin than other polyester strings. The following benefits are taken from the Manufacturer:

• 10% More Power
• 5% More Durable
• Same Spin
• Better Tension Maintenance

The manufacturer claims the Babolat Pro Hurricane Tour holds tension better than Big Banger Alu Power and Pro Hurricane.

For tennis stringers, the Pro Hurricane Tour is easier to string. Stringers commented about “a very enjoyable during the stringing operation thanks to its flexibility compared to standard polyester strings”. Since the Pro Hurricane Tour has some give, it does not burn the fingers like standard polyester strings. The silicone coating enhances sliding through the grommets.

The Pro Hurricane Tour is the easiest polyester to string in the market. Pro Hurricane is a polyester based durability string designed to meet the needs of top tournament players.  For Pro Hurricane, Babolat has introduced a new construction process called Technology XFP which utilizes Babolat’s latest string material Xtrem Futur Polymer.
Pro Hurricane is the string of choice for Fernando Gonzalez, Ivan Ljubicic, and Ashley Harkleroad.

Customer Reviews:
” This string is great! It provides good power, touch and spin compared to other polys I’ve used”
Luke, Wellington, New Zealand.  June 2010

“Great tennis string. Especially good used as a hybrid with this used as the durability string. String this racquet two pounds higher than you normally would because the Pro Hurricane strings lose about that much tension after the first couple hours.”
-Tennis Warehouse Customer,  May 2010

“Strung at 56 pounds on my Babolat pure storm GT tennis racquet after seven hours of play it has kept the tension, the feel is good and so is the power and control, however I prefer pro hurricane tour 17 which has some more power. This string creates some good spin and does not feel dead like Tecnifibre red code, polyspin or Luxilon big banger. Good string for the value.”
-Rafael, Beirut, Lebanon, national level tennis player

Comments: Nice string it also has good feel with the forehand, but just remember to string it looser like 50-55lbs.
From: John, New York, New York, United States. 4/10
Skill Level: 5.5

“An amazing string, good topspin, power and control. But the only thing is poor durability. The strings bites into each other too much.”
-Dex, New Jersey,: USA.  April 2010

“Given my game (a rafa-like lasso forehand and graf-like knifed slice backhand), I am amazed that the Pro Hurricane string lasted as long as it did and maintained a high level of performance. I play about two times a week for two hours at a time and the string lasted over four months without breaking. I just decided to try the 17 gauge version of this string. It’s not the most elbow friendly string, but its highly durable and does generate a good amount of spin.”
-Ryan, Alexandria, VA, USA  February 2010

Popularity: 12% [?]

With the new YouTek Radical Midplus, HEAD aims to bring us both power and feel in one racquet. Don’t believe this review? Just watch Robin Soderling smack the ball around during the French Open. This is the racquet Soderling uses.

The Head Youtek is 98 square inches, which puts it squarely in the mid plus size. The racquet head has a 16 x 20 string pattern, and the racquet weighs 10.4 ounces (unstrung).

In terms of maneuverability, the Head YOUTEK Radical MP is literally, Head of the class. This frame is one sweet swinger, and offers a great blend of features for literally every level of player, the best of those being just how easy it seems to swing. That seems what every racquet should attempt to be, but we all know that’s not the case. This racquet really possesses no extra weight, no top heavy or bottom heavy feel.

Followers of the popular Head LiquidMetal and FlexPoint lines of the Radical model will really appreciate the not-so radical updates to this classic frame, and the d30 technology that it employs.

At 10.4 ounces unstrung you’d think the plow through on groundstrokes or serves might come up begging. You’d be wrong. There’s still plenty of pop in this 16 x 20 string patters, even at that light of weight.

Slice and dicers will really love the way this racquet lets them manipulate and massage the ball around the court. Slices and drop shots were especially fun, and I found myself channeling my inner-Santoro due to the overall responsiveness of this frame.

I think baseliners will love the “cuppy” quality of this racquet and the added touch this stick can bring to their game. There really seems to be a lot of dwell time on just about every hit, which makes the Radical MP feel like a wand in your hand.

Serves took a bit more of a swipe to get that extra mustard on it, but control was never an issue. Spins, especially benders out wide, were easy to generate with the Radical MP. Half-volleys and on-the-rise hitting were joyful experiences too, as the playability really shone through in those areas. Another tennis player noticed when serving was the light weight. The YouTek Radical Midplus is 11-ounces, which isn’t that light, but it just felt easy to swing when serving. First serves were surprisingly consistent, and when they hit a second serve it was there for me, but with a little less spin than desired.

Placement players will love the deft touch the Radical provides, but hard-hitting baseliners will definitely need to come correct and bring their own power with it, maybe add a little lead to the sides.

The Radical MP’s not going to knock anyone off the court. But, it sure might help you move your opponent around enough to score a T.K.O.

Head Youtek Radical Midplus Specs
Head Size: 98 sq. in. / 632 sq. cm.
Length: 27 inches / 69 cm
Strung Weight: 11oz / 312g
Balance: 2pts Head Light
Swingweight: 324
Stiffness: 59
Beam Width: 21.5 mm Straight Beam
Composition: Graphite/D30
Power Level: Low
Swing Speed: Fast
Grip Type: HydroSorb
String Pattern:
18 Mains / 20 Crosses
Mains skip: 9T,8H,10H
Two Piece
No shared holes
String Tension: 52-62 pounds

Popularity: 24% [?]

If you have a fisherman in your life, or if your children are showing an interest in the sport, then you need to make sure they have the right gear. A classic must-have gear item for any angler is multi purpose fishing pliers. A good tool will include a knife blade, diamond hook hone, scissors, flat-head screwdriver, small screwdriver, and nail knot tube. Multi purpose fishing tool should attach to a zinger or lanyard so the tool is handy near the fishing vest.

There are three kinds of pliers, those that are standard long nose pliers that anglers use to pull double duty as fishing pliers, affordable fishing pliers with fish friendly features and designed with high end materials and bear an equally high price. Abel pliers fit into that third category and are designed for serious anglers that are looking for more out of their pliers than sheer bang for the buck functionality.

Finally, a multi-tool designed specifically for fishing. The new FliK Fishing Tool from Gerber includes long needle-nose pliers for quick and easy removal of hooks. Sharpen your hooks with the included file. Cut hooks with the pinch cutters. It also includes scissors, bottle opener, knife blade, saw, and flat and Phillips head drivers. One-handed opening allows quick access to the tools. Sheath included.

Popularity: 20% [?]

Playing your best golf game, it takes good posture, strong abdominals, upper and lower back strength and overall flexibility.  Inversion tables offer a platform to gain these quality through a daily, five-minute program of inverted decompression. Some may consider it home medical equipment. Experts recommend inversion therapy as part of back exercises for golfers.

Better Posture: Inversion help realign the spine, creating a symmetrical axis of rotation. With improves posture, also comes improve outcomes low-wage contributed to a more accurate and consistent swing.

Upper and Lower Back Health: One-sided and rotational activities like golf can cause the body to overcompensate for the strong-side muscle groups, pulling the spine out of the line. Inversion with movement helps correct misalignment caused by rotation of the shoulders, hips, and twisting of the lower back.

Flexibility: Muscle and joint stiffness can hinder the golfer’s stance, impact the golf swing, and raise the risk of injury. Inversion is a nearly effortless activity that uses gravity to the body’s advantage, relieving tense muscles in the neck, shoulders and lower back. Inversion also help relieve compression fatigue, allowing the spine to elongate and the discs to re-hydrate, resulting in a more flexible spine. Inversion therapy can help the golfer swing freely without any fear of pulling a back muscle.

Core strength: Strong abdominals may help prevent the back injuries that plague many golfers. Inverted sit-ups place no additional load on the lower back and work your abs against gravity for the ultimate exercise.

Inversion equipment is not just for golfers. Any physical sport can benefit from inversion therapy to decompress over used joints, stretch tired muscles, and build core strength to reduce the potential for injury.

Popularity: 27% [?]

What tennis racquet does Roger Federer use? Federer has been with Wilson beginning with the Pro Staff. After the Prostaff Original 85 was discontinued, Federer’s racquet of choice was the flagship Wilson Tour 90. Now Federer uses the Wilson Six.One Tour BLX. This version of the 90 gets Wilson’s new BLX technology, which involves weaving Basalt fibers into the composition for improved vibration resistance. Wilson claims its BLX treatment allows a smoother signal to reach the player after impact for cleaner feedback and the “perfect feel.” Feel is good for the tennis player who plays with control and has a variety of shots in their game. The ability to switch from top spin, to slice, to flat strokes takes feel in your stroke. You can sum this racket up in 3 words: Touch, Precision, and Spin. Like its predecessors, the Wilson BLX Six-One tour 90 tennis racquet offers excellent plow-through. Users in various tests mentioned they were able to generate a lot of pace and penetration with this racquet.

What is plow through? More “plow through” equals to less vibration on your arm. Plow through can actually be expressed numerically as the proportion of a racket’s mass actually involved in striking the tennis ball. Depends on balance, swing weight, mass, and where you tend to catch the ball on the racket face – really the distribution of racket mass as related to the tennis ball. Everything from slice to topspin was zinging. Some users struggled with this line of racquets from Wilson, but this type of racquet may fit players with a two-handed backhand. Having both hands on the racquet worked well with the plow through and one reviewer felt it seemed much more manageable and easier to maneuver. Another reviewer the racquet felt more muted or dampened when compared to the Wilson KFactor and nCode racquets.

Technical Specifications:

• 90 square inches,16 x 19 string pattern, 12.5 ounces (strung)
• Length 27 inches 69 centimeters Head Size 90 square inches 581 square centimeters
• Weight 12.5 ounces 354 grams Balance Point 12.375 inches
  31 centimeters 9pts Head Light Construction 17.5mm Straight Beam Composition Karophite Black / Basalt String Pattern 16 Mains / 19 Crosses

The Six- One tour is clearly a player frame. With its thin flat beam, relatively high swing weight and head light balance this frame screams aggressive all courter. While it is more forgiving than the original Six- One tour retail frame it still demands long fast fluid groundstrokes, efficient service motion, and clean volley execution to get the most from it.

So is there more to the changes in this racket than a paint job? The surprising answer is yes. This may be the most linear racket on the market. There is a perfect progressing of power that is directly linked to how hard you hit a shot. A lot of non player frames that provide extra pop are harder to control on touch shots.

This racket allows you to hit drop shots consistently just a few feet from the net if your technique allows. Roger Federer has added the drop shot to his match play since 2009 and the engineers have tuned the equipment for those players with stroke variety. The spin production makes these shots even more deadly. Federer just never had a chance to play Nadal much in 2009 due to Nadal dealing with knee problems. It appears that the sweet spot is slight larger that the K-factor but this may be the Basalt fibers at work removing harsh unwanted vibration. At the net the maneuverability is very good despite the frames weight. Bad volley technique such as long backswings will be an issue for all but very physically strong players. The nearly perfect feel of this racket allows you to absorb the power of hard hit passing shots and take the offensive. It is great at drop volleys as well.

Serving requires solid technique and requires you to make all of the power. If you are looking for extra heat on your serve don’t expect this frame to give it to you. Accuracy is incredible. It is possible to hit all of the angles and to do so consistently with this frame. But if your technique falters it is not going to be pretty.

From the baseline the spin capabilities and precision allows you to dictate play from the first shot. The ability to hit with lots of topspin, chip, slice and flatten out shots is very nice and quite predictable. This is where the Basalt fibers are most evident. The feel of the ball on the strings is a good as ever but the frame is better damped. One of the few rackets that does not need a string damper. Along with good topspin generation, this is a perfect frame for hitting low biting slice shots as well.

The experts at Tennis Express have suggested the Six-One tour is a bit like taking a Mercedes -MacLaren F1 Car for a spin. If you are highly skilled at tennis, this racket gives to superb feedback on every shot and the things you can accomplish with it are nearly limitless. If not, your best bet in both cases is to sit and pose, at least that way you can look the part.

While this is one of the best Wilson tennis racquet frames on the market, it is tailor made for an advanced player with nearly perfect technique. If you have a tendency to hit the ball a little late but still would like a BLX tour frame, look at the review for the BLX tour 95.

Due to the small head size it is wise to string (especially with poly strings) at the lower end of the tension range as a starting point.

Popularity: 57% [?]

As parents, one of the milestones in parenting is teaching your child to ride a bike. For everyone parent with young children, there is a new bike accessory invention on the market that may eliminate the training wheel. As every parent knows, the training wheels create instability in the bike as it tips from one side to another. Bikes with training wheels require frequent adjustments and never really allow the child to move smoothly from training wheels to two wheels.

A new company is introducing a product to challenge the conventional method. It is a new type of children’s bike accessory called the Gyrowheel. The gyrowheel is designed to replace traditional training wheels by swapping out the standard front wheel of a children’s bike. A kids bike that contains a spinning disk generates a force to self stabilize the bike. The spinning disk creates a force that is powerful enough to hold the wheel upright at very low speeds. This allows kids to learn the pedal and then gradually ratchet down the power.

The wheel retails for about hundred dollars. 12 inch Gyrowheels are designed to fit 12 inch kids’ bikes and 16 inch Gyrowheels are designed to fit 16 inch kids’ bikes. What size bike you should buy depends on the rider’s inseam. It’s best to take a look at the size chart on the individual bike as they vary in style and dimensions.

• 12 inch bikes typically accommodate riders who are 34-46 inches in height
• 16 inch bikes typically accommodate riders who are 38-52 inches in height

If a new rider is between sizes, the manufacturer recommends the smaller of the two appropriate sizes. A smaller bike allows for easier handling, including steering and pedaling. It also allows the rider’s feet to touch the ground more readily, which makes new riders feel more confident. Further, they recommend that new riders start out by pushing along the ground with their feet, so an appropriately small bike is particularly important for this.

Popularity: 33% [?]