Furi Sport Tennis Racquets

Thanks to a patron of Tennisnerd, I got a box of tennis racquets to test from the new brand Furi Sport based in New York.

Furi Sport is the brainchild of entrepreneurs Erick Mathelier and Michelle Spiro. You can read more about their story here, but the gist of it is that they want to bring a broader audience to tennis and make tennis a more accessible sport even in underprivileged areas. This is an excerpt from Erick’s story.

By most accounts, FURI Sport co-founder Erick Mathelier should never have become a tennis player. The son of a Haitian immigrant brought up during a time of racial tension in the late 1980s New York City, he wasn’t exactly the country club demographic.

Tennis introduced him to a world of opportunities that would never have been available to him. The sport eventually earned him a Division 1 scholarship to college, a Masters in Urban Policy and Management, and an entrepreneurial drive fueled by the discipline of the game.

Furi Sport Racquets

Furi Sport is a tennis brand that takes inspiration from more urban brands and streetwear. It’s a refreshingly different take on the sport. Will it work financially? That’s always difficult to say, but if Furi can find a new audience to the sport through their different brand positioning, that would be great.

I have only played briefly with the Furi Sport Arma Pro as of now, strung with the Furi string called “C4”. It’s a 101 sq inch racquet weighing in at 305 grams unstrung with a swing weight of around 320 strung.

It has a nice sensation when you hit the ball. It feels relatively plush for a tweener racquet but still offers good power. I like that the weight is a little bit higher than the standard 300 grams and that allows for a slightly beefier swing weight compared to most other racquets in the category. This is a good thing.

I need more time with the Furi Arma Pro, but the first hours are promising. I handed it to my hitting partner Sziij who is using the Prince Textreme Tour 310 and he really enjoyed the stick. He is testing many of the new frames I bring to our sessions, so that is a good thing.

A more in-depth review to come. Furi has set up a 15% discount code for Tennisnerd readers, just use TENNISNERD at checkout.

Furi Arma racquets

Pro specs

• Head size: 101 sq in  / 256.5 sq cm
• Unstrung weight: 10.8 oz / 305 g
• Length: 27 in / 68.5 cm
• Beam Width: 0.98 in / 25 mm
• Balance: 12.2 in / 31 cm
• Stiffness: 65 +/- 2
• String pattern: 16 x 19
• Recommended string tension: 50-60 lb / 22-27 kg

Lite specs

• Head size: 101 sq in / 256.5 sq cm
• Unstrung weight: 10 oz / 285 g
• Length: 27 in / 68.5 cm
• Beam Width: 0.98 in / 25 mm
• Balance: 12.2 in / 31 cm
• Stiffness: 65 +/- 2
• String pattern: 16 x 19
• Recommended string tension: 50-60 lb / 22-27 kg

Tech

• Proprietary material—a stronger material than graphite to provide a smoother playing experience
• Energy Return Technology (ERT)—using cutting-edge technology, energy is transferred from the racquet head to the ball for effortless power, added control, and a unique playing experience
• Vibration Reduction Technology (VRT)—innovative tech designed to eliminate racquet vibration during ball impact

Two interesting frames for players looking for user-friendly specs whether you’re an advanced player (Arma Pro) or a beginner to intermediate (Arma Lite).

If you have tried any of the Furi Arma racquets, let me know in the comments below. Like I wrote above, a more in-depth review to come.