Breakdown

Groundstrokes: 8.1

By taking full advantage of the extended length of the Solinco Blackout 300 XTD+, our playtesters found loads of power and stability. Having used extended frames extensively, Mark was the first to mention how, despite its extra length, the Blackout 300 XTD+ was easy to maneuver. He said, "I have to give the Solinco Blackout 300 XTD+ a glowing review from the backcourt. Changing directions of a rally with the Blackout XTD+ was a breeze because the length and the 300-gram frame weight provided me with plenty of easy power and stability. In terms of spin, it did take me more than one session of hitting before I felt like I was using the 16x19 string pattern to bring the ball down inside the lines instead of hitting the ball long. I was confident with my topspin groundstrokes after a few hitting sessions, and I was especially happy with how easy it was to hit my backhand effectively with slice."

Having to make several adjustments to her game throughout this playtest, Tiffani quickly realized that if she wanted to go for full swings, early preparation was essential. She said, "Wow, that's a lot of racquet! I would liken my first outings on the court with this racquet to feeling like a junior player transitioning into their first adult-length racquet. It was a monster to swing, especially on my forehand side, and I had to make some adjustments to get this racquet to work for me off the ground. First, I typically hold the racquet handle pretty low, with no handle peeking out below my hand. I rested my hand on the butt cap with this racquet, holding the racquet higher than I normally would. Second, I made sure to prep early. If I wanted to take a full swing, early preparation was key. If I was late to the ball or found it bouncing near my feet, I needed to pretend I was returning a serve and basically block the ball back, knowing there was plenty of stability and power to get an effective shot in play. My favorite shot from the baseline was my slice backhand. I could knife through the ball and keep it low and skidding. It was tough to hit cross court dippers and some of my usual shots, but that didn't keep me from having fun with this racquet. It's so different to play with that it's simply a blast to use."

Brittany had a very different experience on her groundstrokes. Initially, she wasn't able to get much spin on her forehand and struggled with overhitting on her backhand. But with the right adjustments, she was able to get her game back on track and was hitting with great topspin and power with the Blackout 300 XTD+. She explained, "As I had never playtested a 28-inch racquet before, going into this playtest was new territory. As expected, I had a pretty lengthy transition both into and out of the Blackout 300 XTD+. I was missing a lot of forehands into the net because I struggled to get under the ball and generate topspin when I was hitting shots below my waist level. As I got used to the racquet (and put a little more effort in), I was able to hit deep, powerful forehands. I even got a compliment from another playtester who said that he was struggling to hit my heavy forehand (thanks, Munish!). On the backhand side, I had the opposite problem. I had a little more strength with two hands, and I found myself overhitting my backhand. I had to reel my swing in and make sure I was closing the racquet face. In addition to power, I thought the racquet offered good precision. When I was playing points, I would pick a target and swing aggressively to take the offensive. On defense, if I could just get contact with the ball, I was able to make a good play on it thanks to the length and stability of the Blackout 300 XTD+. Although I struggled to hit sharp angled groundstrokes (one of my favorite shots to hit), I was impressed with how well I was slicing the ball (one of my weakest shots), and my shots were low and penetrating."

Chris was able to easily hit his topspin backhand with plenty of depth, but his favorite shot to hit was his backhand slice. He said, "The Blackout 300 XTD+ helped me generate tons of power on my groundstrokes. I was getting the kind of power that is lots of fun and very addictive. Hitting a winner was easier, as was hitting an opponent off the baseline and into a defensive position. I had the most success with this racquet on my backhand wing. The swingweight felt right on my slice. I liked the leverage I could apply from the longer length, and with a flick of the wrist I could drive my slice and get lots of added spin. I don't hit a ton of spin on my topspin backhand, and I was surprised at how well this racquet worked on that shot. I was getting excellent drive and was able to control the depth of my shots surprisingly well. The one shot I had some issues with was my topspin forehand. I wasn’t getting the racquet under the ball as much as usual. Rather than getting my typical loop on that shot, I tended to hit lower and flatter, which resulted in more errors into the net. I think with some added time I could correct that issue and be fully dialed in with this racquet."

Volleys: 8.3

The extra length of the Blackout 300 XTD+ shone through on volleys, and all of our playtesters mentioned how they were getting to more balls than they usually would. One other common finding was that shots that were aimed straight at the body were a bit harder to get back. Mark felt that despite the racquet not being as maneuverable as some 27.25- or 27.5-inch frames, it still had a little agility. He said, "Whippy is not how I would describe the Blackout 300 XTD+, but there is a certain nimbleness to it around the net. I was not able to slap at my volleys, but unless heavy shots were aimed right at my body, I had no issue getting the Blackout 300 XTD+ into position for effective, and often offensive, volleys."

On the other hand, Tiffani thought this racquet wasn't maneuverable at all. She found it difficult to get the Blackout 300 XTD+ around during faster rallies, saying, "I think striking first with authority was key for me to find success at net. Too many volleys or quick reaction shots, and I was in trouble. This Blackout 300 XTD+ is a lot of racquet for me to maneuver quickly, but if I had the time, I could strike the ball with power and depth. I even found some success serving and volleying with this racquet. My typical grinder game plan wasn't the best fit with the Blackout 300 XTD+."

Brittany made the Blackout 300 XTD+ her main doubles racquet during this playtest. She was able to poach very easily, and considering her height and the length of the Blackout 300 XTD+, lobbing her was out of the question. She said, "I definitely tried to use the extra length to my advantage when I approached the net. I simply needed to get the racquet into position and let it do all the work. I am not sure if it was just mental, but I definitely felt that the extended length helped me cover more court and get a couple more volleys back. This was super fun when I was poaching in doubles. The one shot up at net that was a little tricky was volleying balls hit right at my body. It was hard to get out of the way and get my racquet into position."

The biggest highlight for Chris was the stability this racquet provided, even on off-center shots. He described, "I volleyed well with the Blackout 300 XTD+. I enjoyed the added reach and the stability that came with this racquet's swingweight. Low volleys were noticeably easier to hit. I hit some very pleasing volleys off my shoelaces, and I was surprised at the depth, pace and control I had on those shots. I found the Blackout 300 XTD+ maneuverable enough to cup under the ball for spin, so my drop volleys were working well too."

Serves: 8.2

Considering all the praise it received from the playtesters, the Solinco Blackout 300 XTD+ could be a top contender for best serving racquet this year. However, serving with this racquet doesn't come without cost; the testers found that the swingweight and mass of this frame caused more fatigue than most other racquets. Brittany was the first to mention how the swingweight of the Blackout 300 XTD+ was weighing on her more and more as her matches wore on. She said, "I wish I was just a little bit stronger to handle serving with the Blackout 300 XTD+. When I was fresh at the beginning of a match I could get the Blackout 300 XTD+ up and over my head with good racquet head speed. This translated to easy power and serves landing deep in the service box, and I was able to collect an extra free point or so each game. However, as a match wore on, my arm would start to fatigue and I was missing more first serves, which then put pressure on my second serve. I found double faults creeping in because I was having trouble snapping my wrist, which caused me to miss long a lot of the time. This is just another reason why the Blackout 300 XTD+ shines in doubles, where I had to serve less and could benefit from the extra power."

After a few practice serves, Mark discovered that he could consistently hit the "T" with every serve variation he knew. He described, "A first serve close to the 'T' on the deuce side was probably the easiest for me to hit consistently. Although my serve was not popping like Chris' with the Solinco Blackout 300 XTD+, serving with this beast of a racquet was pretty easy and effective overall."

Tiffani had mixed feelings about her serves with this racquet. She said, "It was a love and hate relationship with the Blackout 300 XTD+. When I was feeling fresh and going up and after the ball full force, I could connect for a powerful first serve. However, consistently doing this took its toll on me, and once fatigued, double faults became an issue. I could feel the racquet lag, and I didn't have the power to pull it through on time. I missed a lot of serves long once I got tired."

Chris had an absolute blast serving with this racquet. He said, "My serve was by far my favorite shot to hit with the Blackout 300 XTD+. I was serving with a way higher first serve percentage than usual. I had a lot of success hitting just shy of all-out, and even when I was holding back, my pace was better than an all-out serve with my usual racquets, yet my consistency was higher. On second serves, I was able to hit with lots of pace and spin with little risk. Needless to say, I had no complaints serving with the Blackout 300 XTD+."

Returns: 8.0

When it came to returns, the Blackout 300 XTD+ clicked instantly with most of our testers. The only adjustment Chris had to make to get his forehand returns over and deep was to add more racquet head speed. He said, "Going into this test, I wondered if the return would be the one shot where the length of this racquet might get in the way, but that wasn’t the case for the most part. My only need for adjustment was the same low forehand issue I had on groundstrokes. I made a few more errors into the net, but I felt confident I could correct this if I kept hitting with the racquet. All of my other returns were working well, with excellent access to pace and spin as needed."

"Solid and powerful might be a slight understatement in terms of how the Blackout 300 XTD+ responds to returning serve," Mark added. "I was the most confident when returning serves that were kicked up high to my backhand. I was able to slice down on the ball, which added an offensive quality to a defensive shot."

After playing with the Blackout 300 XTD+ for a while, Tiffani realized that all she had to do was direct the ball, and the racquet would take care of the power and spin. She explained, "I felt confident returning with this racquet. It felt powerful, but because it was also very stable, I was confident the ball was going wherever I directed it. A big back swing wasn’t required (and in my case, not possible!) to get an offensive return back over the net. Even just bunting the ball back was an effective way for me to get into points. Deep and down the middle was an easy target, and an effective one too."

Maneuverability was an issue for Brittany, but she found that a compact swing paired with a little bit of spin was more than enough for hitting effective returns with the Blackout 300 XTD+. She said, "As I mentioned in several other sections, I had to use extra effort to maneuver the racquet around my body. However, by shortening my backswing and focusing on a more compact swing, I could eliminate being late on my returns. The racquet was stable enough that I could block back even the toughest of first serves and keep myself in a neutral to defensive position. On second serve returns, I just had to be conscious of adding a little spin, because it was easy to overhit and miss deep."

Breakdown Summary