About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the tennis racquet, which I tested for 5 days in October of 2022.

My take

The Dunlop FX 500 LS is a racquet that should appeal to a wide range of players, from beginners moving to their first performance racquet all the way to advanced junior players looking for an easy-to-swing racquet. With a light swingweight and easy access to power, it can help developing players improve their games.

About the racquet I tested

• Model: Dunlop FX 500 LS
• Grip Size: 4 ⅜ in / EU 3
• String and Tension: Dunlop Iconic Speed 16g 55lbs
• Head size: 100 sq. in
• Racquet Length: 27in
• Any Customizations: No

About me

• Height: 5’11”
• Weight: 185lbs
• Previous Racquet Played With: Head Graphene 360+ Gravity MP with Head
• Experience: 28 years of tennis
• NTRP/UTA Rating: 5.0

Test conditions

• When I tested these: October 2022
• Days tested: 5
• Court Surfaces: Hard
• Match Play/Practice Session/Both: Both
• Where I’ve used it: Eastside Tennis Courts, Iron Mountain MI

How it performs

What I was looking for

Self-described intermediate players make up the largest group of tennis shoppers at Curated. As Experts, we can often over-focus on the racquets that we play with and test those exclusively. So I wanted to give racquets that work better for the majority of our customers a test.

Why I chose to test this racquet

I knew going in that the Dunlop FX 500 LS is a racquet that doesn’t suit my game well as it is too light and stiff for my needs. I did find that it is a really versatile racquet for a range of players. It is a racquet that beginners can choose to give them room to grow with while still being easy to develop their game. It can also be ideal for true intermediate players looking for easy power and great maneuverability.

What I love about it

• Maneuverability: The low swingweight of the FX 500 LS makes for a very easy-to-swing racquet that will help improving players develop longer and faster strokes and makes it easy to react to balls at the net.
• Power: The FX series of racquets is meant to be the power-focused lineup from Dunlop, and they have delivered on that with the FX 500 LS thanks to its stiff frame and Power Boost Frame Geometry.
• Ground Strokes: The FX 500 LS is a very user friendly racquet thanks to its lightweight and powerful nature. It allows players to take full swings and generate the pace necessary for modern tennis.

Issues I’ve faced

• Control: I struggle with over hitting with the FX 500 LS and have to really slow my swing down to keep the ball in the court. This shouldn’t be much of an issue for improving players with shorter and slower swings than mine.
• Feel: The high stiffness rating is too much for the Flex Touch Resin to overcome in terms of improving the feel, in my opinion. The FX 500 LS feels boardlike and doesn’t offer as much feel of the racquet on the strings as I would like.
• Stability: The FX 500 LS really seems to get pushed around against harder shots and I have to focus on holding on more firmly than I usually do to keep it from twisting in my hand.
• Volleys: I think the below-average stability really shows itself when volleying with the FX 500 LS. My volleys float and sail long unless I really step into them. The maneuverability does make it easy to get the racquet in-position, though.
• Serves: The timing of my serve is off with the FX 500 LS, as it is such a light racquet. I was hitting a lot of balls into the net becauseI was catching the ball just slightly too early. I eventually adjusted, but slowing my motion down robbed me of effective kick and slice.

Favorite moment with this racquet

My backhand is, generally, my weaker side on groundstrokes, but with the FX 500 LS it was more effective than my forehand. I noticed this quickly the first day of testing when hitting with my wife and we had a rally of 10-12 backhands in a row crosscourt. I think having two hands on the racquet added to the stability and allowed me to fully access the power of the frame.

Value for the money vs. other options

The Dunlop FX 500 LS represents a great value compared to other racquets in its class such as the Head Boom Team, Babolat Pure Drive Team, and Yonex EZONE 100L. Plus, the FX 500 LS is generally slightly less expensive than those racquets.

Final verdict

The Dunlop FX 500 LS offers intermediate players a racquet that will let them step on the court and confidently add power and spin to their game.