With the Pure Aero VS Stars and Stripes Babolat digs into the archives, resurrecting what appears to be the popular Aero Storm mold (first launched in 2007). Featuring an extremely cool American Flag cosmetic, this stick delivers an impressive level of control for an explosive player's racquet. The feel is suitably firm, but the moderate flex (66RA) and Woofer grommet system keep the impact shock manageable. Weighing just over 11 ounces and boasting a very fast Aero Modular Beam, the Pure Aero VS should enable a wide range of intermediate and advanced players to take powerful, spin-friendly cuts at the ball. From the baseline the Pure Aero VS feels surprisingly solid and stable for a light player’s racquet. Although this stick has put-away power when needed, our team was impressed by the level of control on full swings. There’s also plenty of spin potential for bringing the ball down on schedule. At net this racquet moves into position quickly on fast exchanges, and it has enough stability to effectively redirect pace into the open court. Given this racquet’s fast and lively feel, big servers should have the tools to work the whole box with spin and pace. With its controllable power and easy acceleration, Babolat has delivered a user-friendly player’s racquet that should enable a wide range of players to step on the gas and play aggressive tennis.