Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite
In my search for the perfect tennis racquet, I came across this diamond in the rough, Dunlop’s Biomimetic 200 Lite tennis racquet. This frame was presented to me by a Dunlop representative during my time at the 2012 BNP Paribas Open. So I decided to give it a go.
Out of the box, the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite looked sharp with the yellow, blues, and black coloring (reminded me of Wilson’s 2012 Juice color scheme). Because of the name ‘Lite’, I figured it was going to be another tennis racket that would be just that, lite. Honestly, there is nothing lite about the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite. The Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite weighs in at 11.5 ounces strung which is, by no stretch of the imagination, on the lighter side of tennis racquets.
Now, my review of the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite is a little skewed, the racquet I playtested came with Dunlop Silk 16 tennis string. It’s not a bad string, but one that I don’t use ever. The Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite was strung upwards of 65 pounds, about 15 pounds too much for me. So my struggles with this racquet I blame on the string and string tension 😉 .
As soon as I finished my warm-up routine, I noticed the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite had a powerful nature when making ball contact. When hitting near or dead on the sweetspot, the ball would explode off the stringbed and burn a blazing trail to the other side of the court! I was in love! It kept on getting better from there. My one-handed backhand favored this particular racquet. I was able to take full swings and keep the ball very low over the net, with deadly precision. When receiving a hard hit ball, the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite would easily absorb the pace and send the ball back firmly, most impressive when playing defensive tennis.
The Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite comes with an open string pattern with 16 mains and 19 crosses, a nice pattern for those seeking additional spin. I hit with a semi-western forehand grip and like to rip on the ball with the intention to hit with a lot of topspin. The Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite did a decent job doing what I asked it to do, I didn’t feel like I was getting a lot of spin, though on the receiving end, I was told it was a lot more. Of course, I would probably get a lot more spin with a different string setup, I’m just sayin’.
With a 16×19 string pattern, coupled with a headsize of 95 square inches, the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite impressed me more than I had anticipated. The Biomimetic 200 Lite is a little bit on the stiffer side of what I prefer, though it was not problematic. The stiff frame gave me a little additional power off the ground and serves. This frame had decent plow-through on my groundstrokes. I was able to hit as hard as I could and it would feel plush. Even with a stiff frame, it did not translate to a sore arm. The designers at Dunlop probably had this in mind when making this frame; a stiff frame with stiff strings had little effect to my arm; I could hardly feel any vibration at ball impact!
Serving was special with the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite, this frame blasted my hard, flat serves deep in the service box, skidding off the line. It was incredibly easy to maneuver the racket for every type of serve I wanted to hit, kick, slice, flat, you name it the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite could handle it easily. I was still impressed after a few days of playtesting this frame.
As I mentioned above, I did have my struggles while reviewing the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite; this racquet makes you work for your shots making it not ideal for the faint of heart. Off center strokes would send the ball flying or dump into the net, so a sound stroke at all times is essential with this racquet. I also had a heck of a time with this frame when I didn’t setup in time, thus I had to underswing at the ball, because the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite racket is filed under “low powered” any stroke that is not solid will cause poor performance. This racquet will keep you honest.
If I were to carry this Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite in my bag, I would make a few changes to the stock model. The first thing I would change would be the tennis strings, I would install a polyester string and a much lower tension. I would also increase the swingweight from 308 to about 320, just to have a little more feel during my swing. I would also balance it just a little, I would change the current 6 points to about 9 points headlight. In making all these changes, I would be increasing the overall racquet weight to about 12 ounces. Remember, this is my personal preference. Though, this what I love about this tennis racket, out of the box it’s very easy to customize to your preferences! It’s great from the factory, though you could make it perfect making your adjustments as needed! Seriously, try it, you will be really impressed with the Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite racquet.
Dunlop Biomimetic 200 Lite tennis racquet specs:
95 sq. in. / 612.9 sq. cm.
Length: 27in / 68.58cm
Strung Weight: 11.5oz / 326.02g
Balance: 6 pts HL
Swingweight: 308
Stiffness: 57
String Pattern:16 Mains / 19 Crosses
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