Beginners racket review & play test: Dunlop CX 400
As a new or recent player to the beautiful game of tennis, choosing your racket can be daunting, which is why tennishead is here to guide you through the process. We’ve taken the time to research, test, analyse and review all the best rackets on the market for players looking to buy their first or second racket including the Dunlop CX 400
In recent years the increase in innovation and the introduction of advanced new technologies has impacted massively on the tennis rackets we use. Gone are the days when you just choose the racket your favourite player was sporting as now you will find there is a whole range of rackets to suit every single type of player from all the manufacturers.
We’ve written this handy guide on how to choose your racket which might be worth a quick read before you get stuck into the detail of the individual racket reviews we provide.
Here, we bring you the Dunlop CX 400 and you can now buy this racket with a 5% tennishead discount and free premium string upgrade from our chosen tennis specialist retail partner AllThingsTennis.co.uk
Background to the Dunlop CX 400
Dial up the power. Play a better game with the CX 400’s fusion of power, control and spin. This is the lightest CX model and has the largest head size. So players can generate easy power. Ideal for players looking to improve their game.
Powered by Srixon. The new CX Series features an exciting new technology – Sonic Core made with Infinergy®, by BASF – a super elastic material, with the benefit of being very light, the perfect match to meet the demands of the modern day player.
Play Harder. Infinergy® foam developed by BASF, the world’s first E-TPU, has significantly higher rebound properties to other materials such as EPP, EVA and EPE. Material rebound tests show a 46% increase in rebound height vs original Sonic Core material. When Infinergy® foam is combined with the CX frame the result is a faster ball speed off the racket for more aggressive shot-making.
Play with maximum comfort. Sonic Core made with Infinergy® is located in the 2 and 10 o’clock areas of the racket, dampening impact shock and reducing frame vibrations by up to 37%, resulting a more comfortable hitting sensation and a reduced chance of injury.
Power Grid String Tech creates a 30% larger sweet spot, evenly distributing power across the string bed, allowing modern day players to hit the ball towards the top of the racket.
The play test
“I didn’t feel too much natural power from this frame,” said Gill. “On the baseline I really had to put effort into my strokes, it felt a bit rigid, but that was perfect at the net as I could really connect with my volleys.
“It’s quite a standard looking racket, there are a lot more brighter and more colourful models here that look a bit more jazzy.”
Building on what Gill said, this whole Dunlop range is very suited to players keen to learn the ropes in doubles.
The volleying is crisp because it’s easy to cut through the air. That is courtesy of the frame’s edge being thinned.
Technology wise Dunlop have developed a grid for the strings that is dense in the middle and wider at the top. This new arrangement provides beginners with regular control in the centre, but also offers up more power in the tip of the frame – that’s catching on across the modern game with the advanced rackets too.
Dunlop are clearly a considerate brand, placing Infinergy foam in the 2 and 10 o’clock positions of the racket to reduce frame vibrations drastically with the purpose of preventing injury. A subtle but clever move.
Technical specifications
If you are someone that has never bought a racket before or are quite new to tennis then all the specifications below might seem meaningless, but they aren’t! So we’ve written a guide to tennis racket specifications that will help explain exactly what each different term means and how it will impact your racket. Click here to read it.
Dunlop CX 400
SRP ⇒ £170
Head size ⇒ 100sq inches (Large head)
Weight ⇒ 285g (Heavy weight)
String pattern ⇒ 16×19 (Average string pattern)
Balance ⇒ 330mm (Central balance)
Beam ⇒ 24mm/ 24mm/ 24mm
Length ⇒ 27in (Average length)
Recommended string tension ⇒ 45-65lbs
For more beginners racket reviews and play tests of the all the best rackets on the market try our Gear section
Now watch what happened when the tennishead beginner tested 8 of the best new beginner rackets on the market, including the Head Instinct Lite, in our 2019 testing day (Big thanks to Jack from JackMansfieldVideography.com)
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