Head Crossbow 6 Review

Entering into battle with superior firepower provides one with an obvious advantage. To provide tennis players with superior power HEAD has introduced a line of Crossbow racquets for 2008.

Before encountering the Crossbow racquets we always thought of a crossbow as a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles. Now, the advantage of the crossbow as a weapon is that it offers plenty of power with minimal effort, and crossbows have a much smaller draw length than bows. Moreover, crossbows could be kept cocked and ready to shoot for some time with little effort, allowing crossbowmen to aim better.

When we head onto the tennis court we like to fire balls in each other's direction rather than arrows, so rather than selecting a traditional crossbow, we chose HEAD's Crossbow 6 tennis racquet for this test.

Traditional crossbows are a two-piece affair with a bow and stock and the Crossbow 6 follows suit with an innovative dynamic bridge system in a two-piece racquet. HEAD claims racquets such as the Crossbow 6 deliver more power to help dispatch opponents. HEAD refers to Crossbow as "Power Loaded." With the Crossbow 6 we quickly found the crossbow name to ring true, as we didn't need quite the draw length, or backswing, to get lots of power.

During a five-week test we hit the courts and unleashed the superior firepower of the Crossbow 6 on some unsuspecting opponents. Read on for the full battle log.

Groundstrokes

Our team found the Crossbow 6 to pack a lot of power from the baseline. The open string pattern allowed for plenty of spin, which helped some testers harness the racquet's power. Chris was impressed with the power and comfort of the racquet. "This racquet packed a lot of power. I really had to watch my swings and make sure I was hitting with a lot of spin if I wanted to take big cuts at the ball. When hitting flat, if I wasn't pinpoint accurate the ball would fly on me. The racquet felt so light and whippy that I could really get it around the ball quickly. Being late was never an issue with the Crossbow 6. I was impressed by the comfort of the racquet, and when hitting at a moderate pace the stability was OK."

Finding a lot of zip was Tiffani. "I've tested two racquets with the new Crossbow technology in it this year: this Crossbow 6 and the Airflow Crossbow 3. I found that both offered zip, but not heavy power. I struggled to control the depth of my shots with the Crossbow 6. At times I could really feel the racquet load up, and that's when I would usually send the ball flying long."

Spencer enjoyed the maneuverability. "I was pleasantly surprised with the playability of this racquet from the baseline. The power was certainly there, as expected, and the control was better than I had anticipated when swinging smoothly. The open string pattern helped put a bite on the ball, with good access to spin. The Crossbow 6 was a little light in weight for my taste, making it a little unstable on off-center hits, but the maneuverability was very good."

Using topspin to offset the power was Troy. "From the baseline, I noticed that the power level was higher than most racquets I typically find comfortable. I was able to offset some of the power by generating a lot of topspin, which was easy to do with this racquet's open stringbed. I felt comfortable timing the ball, but the racquet's overall lack of weight didn't hold up during heavy exchanges. I could definitely see how this racquet would be suited for someone with more compact strokes."

Volleys

The large sweet spot in the 112 square inch Crossbow 6, along with the excellent maneuverability, made this stick very easy to volley with. Liking the power and maneuverability at net was Spencer. "A great stick for doubles, as the combination of put-away power and mobility made for easy volleys. The large sweetspot helped in that department as well. If there's a knock, it would be a lack of touch on the more delicate placement volleys."

Chris was pleasantly surprised with the accuracy of delicate volleys. "I was able to get a lot of grip on the ball on volleys thanks to the open string pattern. Maneuverability was excellent and the racquet felt very quick during reaction volleying. Stability was OK for most volleys, but the racquet did get pushed around when the pace and weight of hitting picked up. I was surprised by my accuracy on touch shots. I think I was finding a high level of control thanks to all the grip I was getting on the ball. During doubles play I was even flicking angled volleys off my shoe laces thanks to the ease of getting this racquet around the ball."

Enjoying the ease of use at net was Troy. "This racquet seemed to be very user-friendly at net. There was a large sweetspot on the racquet, providing some margin for error to any player who may not be most comfortable volleying. For a more advanced player, I would say that there may be a lack of feel and stability. The stiffness of the racquet was uncomfortable for me; not providing the feel and feedback that I typically favor." Tiffani had difficulties harnessing the power when volleying. "I have far from the world's best volley technique, but I again had difficulties controlling the power level. I got plenty of feedback from the stringbed, so I felt I could punch my volleys well, but I felt too much of a trampoline effect if I tried to soften it up for a drop volley. Again, this could be because of my less than stellar technique."

Serves

The Crossbow 6 lived up to its name on serve, with our testers finding impressive speed and accuracy. Chris was able to hit a variety of serves. "I could really get the first serve to pop with this racquet. Flat serves were leaving the strings with a lot of pace. I was able to swing the racquet very fast so spin was also easy to generate. When going wide on the deuce court I was able to hit some dirty, dirty slice to take the ball way off the court. While I was lacking weight and penetration on some serves, I had a lot of fun serving with this stick."

Spencer had an easy time maintaining consistency. "There was good power, as well as good spin, when serving. I could generate good pace on first serves and hit effective kick serves out wide on the ad court. Control was easy to maintain." Having to hold back a bit to harness the power was Troy. "It was easy to generate a lot of racquet head speed while serving. I was having trouble dialing-in my serves, feeling as though my timing was off, due to the weight and power. I felt as though I had to hold back a bit to tame the amount of power and spin I could generate with this racquet. Therefore, I could never find a good rhythm. Someone looking for a lot more power and racquet head speed when serving should spend some time with this stick."

Tiffani wasn't getting the pace she anticipated. "Whereas I loved serving with the Airflow Crossbow 3, it was not as much fun with the Crossbow 6. I think the headsize may have something to do with it. I wasn't fully comfortable swinging the 112 square inch head. I felt like I could hit with a lot of zip, meaning the ball was coming off the racquet quickly and with some pace. However, opponents were easily getting these back, as the balls seemed to lose steam once they hit the court."

Serve Returns

Our team as a whole felt the Crossbow 6 was effective on returns when swinging smoothly, with most finding more penetration with less effort. Troy felt the added power helped get his returns deeper. "I felt comfortable and consistent returning serves with this racquet. I'm typically not aggressive with my returns, so the added power helped me get the ball deeper. I typically will use a shorter and more compact stroke on my returns. I think this stick specifically suits that type of game."

Returning effectively when not over-swinging was Tiffani. "I felt the frame's light weight coming into play when facing bigger serves. This is the only time I felt some vibrations, which surprised me considering it weighs less than 10 ounces strung. Otherwise, I felt it performed well here. It was maneuverable enough to get around quickly. I just had to remember that this racquet almost generates power on its own, and not to over-swing."

Spencer liked this racquet for defensive returns. "I was more successful when having to return defensively. The maneuverability made it easy to get the racquet on some harder paced serves, and I was able to block or slice them back effectively. The ball had a tendency to fly a bit when I was more aggressive with some slower serves."

Having success with a variety of returns was Chris. "I played several doubles matches with this stick, as well as singles. I liked how I could vary my returns with little adjustment. When playing doubles I was consistently able to drive the ball low to force the approaching net player to volley up. When playing singles I was able to float the ball deep to put myself in good position for the start of the point."

Overall

Though you probably won't be seeing the Crossbow 6 in the hands of an ATP or WTA player, this racquet will pay dividends to the novice to intermediate player seeking more power and maneuverability. Our team found plenty of power from all areas of the court, and they were able to get a good amount of spin with the open 16/19 string pattern. The light weight of the CrossBow 6 made net play easier thanks to its tremendous maneuverability, and there was enough power for good depth on volleys. While stability may have lacked a little against bigger hitters, the forgiving sweetspot, comfortable response and abundant power shine through. Singles players seeking more power and maneuverability, as well as those seeking a doubles friendly stick, should take the Crossbow 6 for a demo.

Head Crossbow 6 Scores

(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)

Review date: October 2008. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

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