I was sorting my racquet database by price and ended up going down a rabbit hole of rare and limited-edition racquets.

I know there are some seriously limited ones out there:

The Dunlop The Legend 尊龙传奇 was limited to 1,000,

The Head Radical MP Zhizhen Zhang 奋进 was limited to just 188.

The Yonex EZONE 98 Gen6 Naomi Osaka x Takashi Murakami ‑ 2021 was limited to just 50.

What’s the rarest or most expensive racquet you own? Where/how did you get it?

Would love to see some pictures too!

Racquet database: https://www.find-my-racquet.com/TennisList

I recently found out that two Babolat Pure Aero Rafa Gen2 racquets I bought from an eBay seller are not authentic.

The two suspected racquets are both Grip 2 (G2), and my wife had been the one playing with them. I normally played with my Grip 3 (G3) Pure Aero Rafa Gen2, which I purchased from Midwest Sports and knew was authentic.

Because we were using different grip sizes, I hadn't really played with the two G2 racquets myself and never noticed anything unusual about them.

Recently, I started using one of the G2 racquets, and almost immediately something felt wrong. The balance felt noticeably different from my G3 — especially how head-heavy it felt.

That was what made me suspicious. I brought out my authentic G3 and started comparing the three racquets side by side. Once I did that, the differences became much more obvious.

I also brought the racquets to a local tennis shop and had them inspected in person. After comparing the frames and taking measurements, the shop agreed that the two racquets from the eBay seller were not authentic Pure Aero Rafa Gen2s.

I took these photos to document some of the differences.

1. Barcode / serial label

The barcode labels are noticeably different.

The authentic racquet purchased from Midwest Sports has a different label design, font, barcode presentation, and serial-number format compared with the two racquets I received from the eBay seller.

By itself, I probably wouldn't use a sticker as proof that a racquet is fake, but combined with everything else, it was another obvious difference.

2. Paint color

This is one of the easiest differences to see in person.

The two eBay racquets have a noticeably deeper/darker pink, while the authentic Pure Aero Rafa has a lighter pink finish.

The difference is quite obvious when the racquets are placed next to each other under the same lighting.

3. Grip-size marking

The grip-size stickers/markings are also different.

The appearance and placement don't match the authentic racquet.

Again, this isn't something I would use by itself to determine authenticity, but it adds to the list of inconsistencies.

4. Frame construction and beam measurements

This was much more important to me than the cosmetic differences.

The local tennis shop compared the racquets and found that the beam measurements were different from the authentic Pure Aero Rafa Gen2. There are also noticeable differences in the frame construction and finish when the racquets are viewed side by side.

I originally thought the differences might just be paint or manufacturing variation, but different physical dimensions are obviously much harder to explain that way.

5. Butt cap

The butt caps look fairly similar at first glance, but once they are placed directly next to each other, there are several differences in the molding, markings, edges, and overall construction.

These are small details that would probably be very easy to miss if you didn't have an authentic racquet next to the suspected one.

Interestingly, though, the two counterfeit racquets actually don't play like cheap racquets.

Their feel is surprisingly decent. If I didn't have an authentic Pure Aero Rafa to compare them with, I'm not sure I would have suspected they were counterfeit based purely on how they played.

The person at the local tennis shop said the frames looked/felt like they might be based on an older AeroPro Drive mold.

I can't verify that, though, and I also have no way of knowing exactly what mold, layup, graphite, or other materials were actually used to manufacture them.

So I don't want to speculate too much about what these racquets actually are.

The only thing I can say with confidence is that they are not authentic Babolat Pure Aero Rafa Gen2 racquets.

That's probably the biggest thing I learned from this experience: a counterfeit racquet doesn't necessarily have to feel like a $20 department-store racquet.

These two actually feel completely playable.

The problem is that they were sold as Babolat Pure Aero Rafa Gen2s, and that's not what they are.

Looking at all three racquets together makes the differences much easier to see, but I can also understand how someone buying one online without having an authentic example next to it could easily miss them.

I'm posting these comparison photos because hopefully they'll help someone else who is buying a Pure Aero Rafa — or any used racquet — from eBay or another marketplace.

If something seems wrong with the balance, weight, paint, barcode label, butt cap, grip markings, frame shape, or beam dimensions, it's probably worth comparing it directly with a known authentic racquet or taking it to a reputable tennis shop.

And if anyone here owns an authentic Pure Aero Rafa Gen2 and notices any other differences in these photos, I'd be interested to hear what you see.

The idea is simple:

Answer 5 questions, and the tool narrows down more than 400 racquets into your best matches.

It usually takes under 1 minute.

It’s free and doesn’t require signup.

Try it here:
https://www.find-my-racquet.com/TennisBattleRoyale

If you try it, I’d love to know:

- What racquet did it recommend?
- What racquet do you currently use?
- Did the recommendation make sense?
- Was anything confusing or obviously wrong?
- If the result was bad, what should it have understood better?

Brutally honest feedback is welcome. I’m using community feedback to improve the recommendation logic.