babolat
Air Viper
Shape
round
Weight
365g
Balance
medium
Price
$320
Babolat Technical Viper Lebron
7.9 / 10
Based on 7 expert reviews Best for: Recommended for advanced level players with great technique who appreciate a hard touch. I know a lot of players who have been disappointed with this racket because of it hurts their arm. But I must say that it is a cannon.
Shape: Diamond
Weight: 365g
Balance: Head Heavy
Where to Buy
Pros
- Recommended for advanced level players with great technique who appreciate a hard touch. I know a lot of players who have been disappointed with this racket because of it hurts their arm. But I must say that it is a cannon.
- Smashes are very powerful, but it has a drawback - it is a very technical racket. It may give the player access to more power, but the player needs to be able to take advantage of it.
- In volleys, the racket responds really well. Here it’s quite easy to find the sweet spot. At slow speeds, we need to you use a lot of force to accelerate the ball. The touch, alongside the noticeable roughness, allows you reduce speed along and add slice to drop shots.
Cons
- May not suit all play styles
Performance Scorecard
Overall Score Average of core attributes below
7.9
Contributing Scores
Power
8.7
Control
8.0
Sweet Spot
6.0
Maneuverability
8.0
Additional Metrics
Comfort
7.0
Spin
5.0
Specifications
- MSRP $380
- Weight 365g
- Shape Diamond
- Balance Head Heavy
- Surface 12K Carbon fiber
- Core Hard EVA
- Hardness Hard
About the Babolat Technical Viper Lebron
Technical Viper Lebron
The Babolat Technical Viper Lebron is a variation of the Technical Viper with two changes: a harder core and a slightly rougher surface.
This racket has surprised reviewers with how hard it is. “It’s basically a block of wood,” one reviewer opined. It is probably the hardest racket on the market. As a result, its sweet spot is smaller and its ball output is lower than the Technical Viper - a racket with a small sweet spot and a very hard touch.
The 2023 Technical Viper changed from Babolat’s “X-EVA”, two layers of hard EVA sandwiching one layer of soft EVA, to a single density of hard foam, purportedly at Juan Lebron’s request. This year’s Technical Viper remains with X-EVA.
The face of the racket has an additional layer of roughness on a shiny varnish, whereas the Technical Viper has a matte surface.
This racket also offers Babolat’s new strap-changing system and two Lebron wolf logo straps, one in sky blue and the other in red. Some of our reviewers prefer it to Nox’s as it doesn’t have a knot that scratches the bottom of their palm during gameplay.
This racket offers power, control, and maneuverability to those who can manage its hardness, small sweet spot, and 27cm balance.
This racket is recommended for very advanced players only.
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