Tennis Now Gear Review: Dunlop Biomimetic 100 & 200 Tour

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Tennis Now Gear Review: Dunlop Biomimetic 100 & 200 Tour

By Robert Martin

Thanks to our friends at Dunlop, Tennis Now is able to offer an exclusive sneak peak review of two racquets that will be released in limited quantities, the Biomimetic 100 and the Biomimetic 200 Tour. These serious control sticks are set to be shipped to retailers beginning September 1, and if you happen to be in New York you will have the opportunity to grab them a few days early when the US Open main draw action begins.

For the past year, Dunlop has been making a tremendous amount of progress thanks to the Biomimetic racquet line, which offers up a more interesting graphic scheme as well as technological advances above the previous line, the Aerogel 4D frames. In an intelligent move, Dunlop chose to follow centuries of evolutionary progress in the creation of a new frame.

So what is unique to these Biomimetic racquets? For one, unlike many racquet manufacturers that offer a line with multiple technologies that are only applied to specific models, until the new Biomimetic 400 series is released, all of the current frames use the exact same two technologies, creating a systematic approach to racquet selection.

The first of these technologies is the most visibly evident, called Aeroskin, which you can see and feel along the frame as a texture similar to a series of dimples. This was modeled after the skin of a shark and is designed for the singular purpose of minimizing air resistance as the frame travels through the air.

The other technology, which you cannot see, is referred to as HM6 Carbon, which mimics the honeycomb structure that is prevalent in bee hives and carbon fiber panels of race cars. The advantages of this network of six-sided carbon structures is enhanced strength and stiffness in addition to being largely open area that is able to provide excellent shock and vibration dampening.

So before we get to my thoughts on these racquets, how much do they differ from the previous models, the Aerogel 4D 100 and the Aerogel 4D 200 Tour? The answer is a convoluted one, in that they use the same molds and share many of the same specs, but the technology and feel differences alone are more than enough to warrant testing whether or not you are a fan of the previous version.

Disclaimer: My current setup is the Yonex RDiS200 320g strung at 28/26kg with Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 1.24mm and Yonex Poly Tour Pro 1.25mm. The Dunlop racquets were strung at mid-tension (27kg with Dunlop Silk 16).

Biomimetic 100:
Head Size: 90 square inches
Length: 27 inches
Weight: 11.1 ounces unstrung
String Pattern: 16 x 19

First Impressions: I was initially surprised to see the color of the racquet, which is primarily black with aqua and grey accents. The reason this was surprising is that a few months ago I had seen the same racquet with a pattern that was grey and neon green accented, but it turns out that the color was changed for this US version compared to the European release.

Until this play test, I had not tried the Aerogel 4D 100 either, so I was a bit surprised by the relatively light weight for a racquet with a 90 square inch head size. Also, a quick glance at the head makes it appear to be larger than the published 90, as it does look a bit larger.

Ground Strokes: This racquet was incredibly quick at the baseline thanks to the light weight and low swing weight, but the stability was surprisingly good for a lighter frame. Shots hit in the sweet spot produced a very solid feel and a fair bit of pace, but overall less spin than my typical frame.

While the sweet spot produced excellent results, this is still a demanding frame and shots hit outside of the center tended to drop short or sail. My favorite shot with this frame was definitely the forehand side as I was able to take advantage of the maneuverability and move the ball around the court well.

Volleys: Light and quick, there is not much to ask for from the 100 at the net. Touch volleys gave me fine results, but the overall feel was surprisingly firm for a more flexible frame. Similar to ground strokes, shots hit in the center were well controlled, but precision lacked on less than perfect contact.

Serving: The weakest aspect of this frame for me, this racquet was still a solid performer with enough spin and plenty of control. The light weight of the head did limit pace a touch, and I had more success using the control of the frame to set up the next shot rather than going for the outright service winner.

Comparison to Aerogel 4D: Overall the Biomimetic was a more solid feeling frame, and despite being more flexible, had a slightly firmer and more comfortable feel. The power level was a little higher, but I did not notice any additional racquet speed as the Aeroskin is supposed to offer.

Closing Remarks: An excellent racquet in stock form, I actually appreciate the lighter weight of the frame because it provides a high-performance base for future modification. One of my favorite of the Biomimetic lines, this racquet could be made even better by some additional weight in the head to give it a more typical swing weight.

Biomimetic 200 Tour:
Head Size: 95 square inches
Length: 27 inches
Weight: 11.8 ounces unstrung
String Pattern: 16 x 18

First Impressions: The first thing to say about this racquet is that it is heavy! I don’t mean in the static weight department as I have played with modified racquets for years with much, much higher weights, but the swing weight of this racquet is extremely high in its stock form.

I will also say that I absolutely love the appearance of all of the Tour frames that Dunlop has in the Biomimetic line as that glossy, chrome paint strikes a nice balance with the color of the Aeroskin accents.

Ground Strokes: Despite being a serious control frame like the 100, these two racquets could not be more different. After even just a short time with this racquet, I felt that it was perhaps a bit limited in its appeal.

The high static weight made it slightly slow to get the swing moving, and the surprising power of the frame punished imperfect contact. For this reason, I definitely preferred the 200 Tour on my backhand side, which is more compact than the forehand where I had a tendency to hit long occasionally.

When contact was made in the ideal hitting zone and in the sweet spot, this frame was an absolute dream, providing exceptional control, excellent spin, and nice pace.

Volleys: To put it simply, this was a challenge to me. The 200 Tour provided a very solid and stable feel on contact, but the higher swing weight made it a bit slow at the net. After an adjustment period, I was able to find the range on volleys, but still had trouble getting used to the overall feel on touch volleys because the firm feel made it easy to push the ball deep.

Serving: Once again, this was very different from the 100, in that it provided an exceptional amount of pace on flat serves, but the spin was not as easily accessible. I had my best success hitting flat serves which had pace and good control to take advantage of a weak reply.

Comparison to Aerogel 4D: The specs are nearly identical again, but with a slightly softer flex rating, the Biomimetic still had a slightly firmer feel to it. The added comfort of the newest version was the most noticeable change to me, as I felt almost no vibration even on late hits.

Closing Remarks: This honestly felt like a niche kind of racquet, meaning that it is a perfect racquet in stock form for the right player, but with such a high swing weight to begin with, it leaves little room for modification. While an all-court player could use this frame, I seemed to have more success playing a high-risk style that involved attacking at every opportunity.

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