Head Titanium Ti.S7 Racquet Review

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Head should be very flattered. Ever since word got out that they were designing a light-weight titanium tennis racquet every other major racquet company has jumped on the bandwagon and introduced its own version. Unfortunately for the other companies, it takes a long time (years) to design and produce a quality (remember this word) tennis racquet and Head had a big head start in the titanium market.

The extra R & D time Head spent on the Ti.S7 is apparent at first sight. Rather than adding titanium to an existing frame, Head has designed an entirely new racquet that benefits from, but isn't reliant on, the use of titanium. The Ti.S7 would be a unique, quality racquet even if it didn't have titanium in it, and that's what separates it from the other new titanium racquets.

The first thing you'll notice about the Ti.S7 is the head shape. The main strings run all the way down to the top of the grip, creating a teardrop head shape. The longer main strings (17.5 inches long* in the middle) create a larger sweet spot and increase the power of the racquet. The fan string pattern creates larger spaces between the strings at the top of the racquet and makes it easier to generate spin and power. Flat hitters may have control problems, but spin artists should love the large, open string bed.

The next thing you'll notice about the Ti.S7 is how light it is. Weighing in at a mere 8.4 ounces, the Ti.S7 is one of the lightest racquets we've ever tested. How light is it? One of our play testers said he thought he could hold 4 balls in his hand and hit the racquet over the net (the racquet does weigh less than four tennis balls). Because it's so light Head had to make it head heavy to give it some substance and torsional stability. The balance point is 15 inches from the grip (9 points head heavy), making it similar to the Wilson Hammer racquets in balance. The extra weight in the head reduces the maneuverability a little, but it still scored an A for maneuverability on the RDC (Racquet Diagnostic Center) and an 81 from our play testers.

Because the Ti.S7 is so light it needs to be stiff in order to generate power and resist torque. To accomplish this Head braided titanium and graphite fibers together from the bottom of the grip to 4 and 8 o'clock positions on the head. There is a small window on one shoulder of the racquet showing how the titanium and graphite are braided. The braiding of graphite fibers is used by many racquet companies to increase the stiffness of their racquets. It's not a new technique, but it is an effective way to increase stiffness without adding weight (you can make a racquet stiffer by adding more graphite or titanium (or kevlar or fiberglass) but it makes the racquet heavier).

This brings us to the issue of titanium. There's been a lot of talk about what it does and doesn't do. Head is obviously very fond of it. They have a lot of eggs riding in their titanium basket. The other racquet companies have been poo-pooing the value of titanium racquets and making their own at the same time. They're doing whatever they can to get their piece of the titanium pie while keeping Head's slice as small as possible. The result of all this competition has been a lot of confusion.

So what does titanium do? Does it make a racquet lighter? Nope, titanium is about three times heavier than graphite. Is it stiffer than graphite? Negatory, graphite is stiffer than titanium. Did it make lots of money at the box office? Wrong again, that was Titanic. So what is it good for? As far as I can tell, it's good for two things: durability and marketability. According to Head and Prince it's good for three things: durability, marketability, and torsional rigidity:

All racquets become more flexible over time because the stress on the frames cause the fibers to break down. Titanium fibers don't break down as fast as graphite fibers do, so a racquet with titanium in it will retain its stiffness longer. Retaining their stiffness for as long as possible is important in all racquets, but I think it's especially important in a racquet that costs as much as the Ti.S7.

The marketability of titanium is evident in the glut of titanium racquets on the market. If you aren't making a titanium racquet you can't play with the cool kids. Titanium is hip, it's happening, it's all the rage. It's also much ado about very little. Titanium can make a racquet better, but titanium alone isn't going to make a racquet good. The Ti.S7 is a better racquet because of the titanium in it, but it's a good racquet because of the titanium AND all the other features Head gave it. Head has simply chosen to emphasize the titanium and the weight of the racquet in their advertising and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. They've done a good job creating interest in this racquet and that's as big a factor as the design in determining whether a racquet is sucessful. It doesn't matter how good a racquet is if no one knows about it.

Torsional rigidity is resistance to twisting. Despite being more flexible than graphite it seems titanium is less resistant to twisting. According to Head, when titanium is braided at a 90 degree angle to the graphite, it creates a racquet that has more torsional stability. This means it's going to be stiffer and more powerful than the same racquet without titanium. For such a light racquet, the Ti.S7 feels remarkably stable but there's no way verify Head's claim that it's because of the titanium.

In addition to its better known features the Ti.S7 also comes with a new vibration dampening system in the butt of the racquet called Shockstop and a vibration dampener for the strings. Shockstop is supposed to reduce racquet vibration 90% faster than a conventional racquet. Reduced racquet vibration makes a racquet more comfortable to play with and reduces the stress on your arm. The vibration dampener for the strings reduces the string vibration and eliminates the "pinging" sound that occurs in wide body racquets.We have no way of testing for racquet vibration so we'll have to take Head's word for it that Shockstop works. I do know the comments we got from our play testers regarding vibration were all positive.

Most of the other comments from our play testers regarding the Ti.S7 were also positive. We expected the Ti.S7 to be very powerful, and it is, but it isn't as powerful as we thought it would be. One of our play testers plays with the Wilson Sledgehammer 3.4 Limits (the racquet formerly known as the Outer Limits), and he thought the Ti.S7 had a lot more control and less power than the 3.4 (His play test went so well, he's now playing with the Ti.S7). The Ti.S7 did score high with our other play testers for power (82), but not as high as some of the other power racquets on the market. The lightness of the Ti.S7 is probably the main reason for this. There's just not enough mass to generate as much power as some of the heavier racquets.

The soft feel of the Ti.S7 is another reason it didn't score higher on power. You don't feel the power you're generating because the racquet absorbs so much of the shock when you hit the ball. "Deceptively powerful" is probably the best description for this racquet that we got from our play testers. You can hit the ball hard, but you don't feel it in your arm the way you do with most light racquets. If you're looking for a powerful racquet that's easy on the arm you should definitely give this racquet a try.

Our play testers all agreed that this racquet is best suited for players with slow swing speeds. The lightness and stiffness of the Ti.S7 will help them increase their power and their reaction time at the net. Players with fast swing speeds may generate too much racquet speed and lose control. Also, it's very easy to make last second adjustments (flick your wrist, slap at the ball, etc.) with the Ti.S7, which can be a blessing or a curse depending on how much self-control you have.

Alrighty then. After all the hype (by Head) and all the play testing (by us) the big question still remains. Is the Ti.S7 worth the money? The answer is yes...and no. The Ti.S7 is a quality racquet that should appeal to seniors and recreation level players (especially doubles players), but it's probably too powerful for most (but not all) advanced players. It's a lot of fun to play with and you'll look good with it in your hand, but you shouldn't sell any body parts to pay for it. One of our play testers said it best when he said "If this racquet was in my price range I would buy three of them!" If it fits your game and your budget you should definitely give it a try.

* Unfortunately, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) rules state that "the strung surface shall not exceed 15.5 inches". This means you won't be seeing this racquet at Wimbledon any time soon. Head is currently arguing its case with the ITF. Head claims that the string area below the bottom cross string (about 4 inches long) shouldn't be counted as hitting surface since there aren't any cross strings. We'll let you know what the ITF decides (Don't hold your breath, this could take a while). The USTA follows the ITF racquet guidelines but they actively enforce the rules only in tournaments with $10,000 or more in prize money. Smaller USTA tournaments and USTA Leagues usually act only if someone files a complaint. You should consider other racquets if you're heavily involved in USTA sanctioned events. There similar racquets listed below but their string beds are within the ITF guidelines.

Review date: March, 1998. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

All content copyright 1998 Tennis Warehouse.