Head Graphene XT Instinct MP Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - 81

Our TW playtesters found more power and maneuverability in this update to the Instinct MP. Karly explained, "I'm not sure what was easier to do, swing the racquet or hit a powerful shot! The Graphene XT Instinct Midplus swung extremely fast and generated so much power on its own. Because most of the weight is located at the tip of the frame there was a ton of momentum behind the racquet when I swung it. It also felt much faster than the swingweight implied. I thought the feel of the Graphene XT Instinct Midplus was much livelier than the previous version, or most racquets. There was hardly any lag time on contact, and the ball flew right off the stringbed. The power came so naturally that I had a tough time controlling my shots. I started to slow my follow through to get more control since the ball popped off the strings so quickly. I also struggled with the racquet's instability. The racquet was fairly unforgiving and fluttered in my hand when I hit outside the sweetspot."

Brittany had a small adjustment period with this update. She offered, "At first, I thought the sweetspot was smaller than previous versions. However, as I continued to hit with the racquet I felt like the sweetspot was lower than I expected on the stringbed (this may be due to the fact that I have been hitting with several racquets with raised sweetspots). Once I adjusted I was finding access to power in the sweetspot and a large drop-off outside of the sweetspot. I wanted a little more consistency with the response, and I was having trouble controlling my depth. The biggest surprise came with the maneuverability. This racquet was very easy to swing and didn't feel like it had a 319 swingweight. If I had to guess I would have estimated around the low 300s. Lastly, I would have liked more plow through when hitting slice since I found them floating in the air a tad longer than I like."

Tiffani added, "When I first held this racquet in my hand I could really sense the weight at the tip of the racquet. I wasn't sure I was going to like it because, to be honest, it just felt weird. However, as I began to swing it I no longer noticed the weighting. Once the racquet was in motion I felt comfortable and played well without any adjustment period. I actually found the Graphene XT Instinct Midplus to swing very quickly. It's a stiffer feel at impact, but not uncomfortable, with a very responsive stringbed. The ball just flew off the strings. I was hitting the previous version alongside it, and I thought this new Graphene XT version felt more powerful and more spin friendly. My only issue was some instability against heavily hit shots, but that's a similar story with most racquets in this weight range."

"For a racquet that's weighs around 11 ounces, the Graphene XT Instinct Midplus certainly felt more powerful than expected," said Jason. "I thought it was more stable than the previous version, which was a needed improvement in my opinion, but I still would've preferred more weight to help stabilize it against bigger hitters. I was able to hit with a lot of spin on my shots. According to my PlaySight data, I was hitting with a few hundred more RPMs with this newer model. I was able to hit more of a knifing slice with plenty of depth with this racquet, making it one of my favorite shots to hit."

Volleys - 80

The highlight of the Head Graphene XT Instinct MP up at net was its maneuverability. However, Jason was also impressed with the stability of the racquet. He said, "The crisp, responsive feedback was helpful in controlling my volleys. I felt like I could just point and shoot my volleys to where I wanted them to go, even with touch volleys.

"My favorite thing about volleying with the Graphene XT Instinct MP was how little effort it took to hit a powerful volley," offered Karly. "The racquet basically did all of the work for me. All I had to do was move it into position, which was really simple with its exceptional maneuverability. It generated a ton of pace on its own, so as long as I made good contact, and volleying hard and deep in the court was a cinch. The only issues I had were similar to the ones I had at the baseline; the lack of control and unstable feel, but they weren't as drastic at net. I thought the comfort was better on volleys, but I still had to focus on not overhitting and making good contact to avoid the instability."

Brittany would have liked a tad more stability, saying, "The maneuverability carried over into volleys, so the racquet was very easy to get in place to punch volleys back deep in the court. It was fun to get into reflex volley exchanges when I was drilling or playing doubles because I never felt like I was late. It did feel like the racquet was getting pushed around at times when I was playing against bigger hitters."

Tiffani found a quick and responsive feel at the net, but like Brittany, she experienced some instability. She said, "Although I liked the easy mobility and powerful response, I thought it handled pace just OK. When heavy hit balls were coming in the racquet fluttered a bit. Because of this, I felt like I had to go after my volleys rather than trying to drop the ball short with touch."

Serves - 83

The serve was our playtesters favorite stroke to hit using the Head Graphene XT Instinct MP due to the controllable power. Brittany said, "It was very easy to pick a spot in the service box and generate enough racquet head speed when going up after the ball to take a big cut with confidence. Whether it was a first or second serve, I had a full arsenal of serves to win some easy points. There was a lot of power for flat serves and enough spin to hit kick second serves, but my favorite serve was the slice serve out wide on the forehand side."

Tiffani offered, "I've been working on my serves, and I'm happy to report I was hitting some of my best serves with the Graphene XT Instinct MP. I was getting good pace consistently without much effort, and my spin was about the same as what I normally produce. What I liked best about this racquet was how easy it was to swing and the resulting easy power. I'm still not acing anyone, but it's nice to see a small increase in MPHs."

Jason was in agreement, adding, "This isn't as powerful as a Babolat Pure Drive, but I was still serving with a decent amount of pace. I liked how much spin I could put on my serves; it was very instrumental in keeping my opponents from just teeing off."

Karly added, "Surprisingly, the power wasn't as overwhelming as I thought it'd be on serves. With how lively it played at the net and baseline, I was expecting to have a hard time controlling my serves, but that wasn't the case. I still found a lot of pop, but I didn't feel like I was giving up control. Even with its easy power I was able to get good placement on my serves. I especially like the combination of spin and maneuverability for my second serves. The spin potential was exceptional, and it was easier to swing than most racquets, so brushing over the ball for a kick serve came naturally. Serving with this Instinct MP, with all that it has to offer, was a highlight for me."

Returns - 79

Although the playtesters experienced some instability returning against harder, heavier servers, they enjoyed the easy power and quick feel of the Head Graphene XT Instinct MP. Tiffani had to experiment a little with her returns to reel in all the power. She said, "As with all shots, the Graphene XT Instinct had a very lively feel, but on returns it took me a while to rein in that pace. I liked how the ball just rebounded off the stringbed, but it also made my returns a little bit more inconsistent since I use very little spin on this shot. I needed to be more conservative with my shot selection to increase my consistency, but it was fun to gamble with an offensive return and get a winner or a short reply I could jump on."

Brittany thought this Instinct MP was an easy racquet to return with. She offered, "Getting this racquet into position was a breeze, and I found myself really attacking second serves to take the offensive. Just like with some of my other strokes, I desired more stability, especially when I was up against big serves. When I had to return a big, heavy first serve I definitely felt the racquet twisting in my hand and fluttering upon impact. While I would have enjoyed extra stability, I only experienced this a couple of times throughout the playtest."

Karly agreed, saying, "I really enjoyed returning with this racquet as long as I wasn't hitting against a hard server. I could get a handle on most serves because of its outstanding mobility, but I struggled with the racquet's instability and unforgiving feel. The harder the serve, the more I felt pushed around and the more difficult time I had returning shots deep into the court. When the serve was slower I had no issues using the maneuverability and lively feel to return aggressively, but if the serve had a lot of pace I had to make contact directly in the sweetspot to hit a good return."

"This was the area I struggled the most with this racquet," explained Jason. "When I was going up against bigger serves the racquet definitely felt like it got pushed around. It was also twisting in my hand if I didn't hit it cleanly. When I had an opportunity to get on the offensive I could hit a heavy ball with depth. A little bit of weight in the hoop would certainly go a long way."

Overall - 80

Technical Specifications Length 27 inches 69 centimeters Head Size 100 square inches 645 square centimeters Weight 11.1 ounces 315 grams Balance Point 12.9 inches 33 centimeters 5 pts Head Light Construction 23mm / 25mm / 21mm Composition Graphene XT String Pattern 16 mains / 19 crosses

Babolat RDC Ratings Score Grade Flex Rating 66 Range: 0-100 Swing Weight 319 Range: 200-400

Scores

(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)

Playtester Profiles

Brittany: Open level player with a semi-western forehand and a two-handed backhand. She currently plays with the Yonex EZONE Ai 100.

Jason: 4.0 baseliner with a semi-western forehand and two handed backhand. Currently using a Yonex EZONE Ai 100

Tiffani: 4.0 level baseliner with a semi-western grip on the forehand and hits a two-handed backhand. Currently playing with the Donnay Formula 100.

Karly: 4.0 baseline player currently playing with the Volkl Organix 10 Mid. She hits with a semi-western forehand grip and uses a two handed backhand.

Review date: January 2015. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

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