Head Titanium Ti.S8 Racquet Review

Head Tennis can be referenced in terms of BT and AT - Before Titanium and After Titanium. Before Titanium, Head Tennis was best known for player's racquets. Their reputation for making top quality player's racquets was unequaled, beginning in the '70's with the aluminum Master (Bob Lutz & Charlie Pasarell) and Pro (Roscoe Tanner), and the aluminum/fiberglass Competition (Arthur Ashe).This was before game improvement racquets existed - every model was a player's racquet, so to speak... Today, more of the top 100 ATP Tour professionals use Head racquets than any other brand, according to Head. The Prestige Tour, now known as the Classic Tour, remains one of the most popular racquets among ATP professionals and Andre Agassi's use of the Ti. Radical has helped position it as a lightweight player's racquet.

Head's success with player's racquets maintained the brand through some trying times in the late 80s and early 90s, but it was the success of their titanium game improvement racquets that catapulted them to #1 in 1997. The Ti.S7, S6, and (a little later) the S5 brought Head back from the edge of an abyss. The popularity of the more recent Ti.S2 has shown any naysayers that Head is here to stay in the game improvement category.

The Ti.S8 is the newest member of Head's titanium family of racquets. It's clearly designed as an ultra maneuverable "game improvement" racquet. The S8 was designed to replace the controversial Ti.S7, which was declared illegal for tournament and league play by the International Tennis Federation (ITF). At 8.3 ounces (strung), the S8 is one of the lightest "power" racquets available. It features a 120 square inch head (whose shape is reminiscent of the old Graphite Director), a fairly open string pattern, and is 28 inches long. Despite these specifications, the S8 is no bazooka. There's more control than might be expected with this type of racquet by virtue of it's lighter weight. How much power? How much control? Our playtesters provide some interesting insights on the Ti.S8's performance attributes.

The most prominent features of the S8 (besides it's translucent copper and purple color) are its size and weight. It's hard to imagine a racquet this big (120 square-inch head and 28 inches long) can be so light (8.3 ounces)! As Drew aptly describes, "the S8 is almost entirely defined by its weight". While swinging the S8 through the air, one is tempted to swing faster and faster...because you can! It reminded us of Prince's ThunderUltralite but offers a little more substance and stability. Another comparison racquet would be the Wilson Hyper Sledge Hammer 2.0 115. However, while both racquets weigh in at 8.3 ounces, the Hyper Sledge Hammer 2.0 is head-heavier (11 points head-heavy vs. 7 points head-heavy for the S8) and has a higher swingweight (317 vs. 295), giving it more substance than the S8.

From the baseline, the S8 is ultra maneuverable but requires a faster swing than one would expect of a 120 square-inch frame. Dan comments, "when I pick up a super-oversize, lightweight, head-heavy, extended length racquet, I expect to use slow-moderate swings and still generate decent power. Due to the S8's weight and balance, I found myself having to swing relatively fast - generating pace took a more pronounced effort than I expected. The open string pattern allows decent topspin, and better players, with medium to fast swings will find control not found in other frames of similar size. However, there still isn't enough control here for players better than 4.5. Backhand slices sat up fat, and low, biting approaches were hard to come by - there just wasn't enough weight behind the attack. Finally, the S8 gave off more vibration off-center than I would have liked. An increase in weight would help dampen the effects and perhaps supply a softer feel."

Mark adds, "the S8 has power but not as much as I expected. There isn't enough mass in the head for it to be considered a super-powerful racquet. The lighter weight does make it very maneuverable, despite its large head size. I was able to hit groundstrokes with good power and spin and able to get the racquet around very quickly against hard-hit balls. When I didn't hit the sweetspot though, I was in trouble. The ball would overpower the racquet and my shot wouldn't go anywhere. Luckily, the sweetspot is pretty big so this didn't happen too often."

Granville was pleasantly surprised with the S8's attributes, commenting, "preconceived notions are out the window. This is not the racquet I anticipated it to be! At 8.3 ounces, I was expecting a powerless racquet with little or no feel or control. Much to my surprise, this racquet has good feel with moderate control, due in large part to its excellent balance."

For this playtest review, we enlisted the participation of a local club player, who currently uses the Ti.S7 and is seeking a suitable replacement. Bill offers, "I found the S8 too light, making it feel 'empty' compared to my S7. It just had too little substance and got pushed around against hard-hit balls."

Don concludes, "players with short-compact swings won't find enough power with the S8, unless they string it way down to say 50-55 pounds. Strung at mid-range, this racquet requires a fairly full swing or balls consistently drop short and lack much authority. The racquet's light weight also compromises stability during off-center shots. Adding 10 grams to the 3 & 9 o'clock positions or moving the balance point further forward would go a long way with this racquet."

Most playtesters agreed that the S8 was most impressive at net. Almost any volley was makeable due to its lightning quick maneuverability, large hitting surface and extended length. Drew says, "the S8 is most at-home at net. Its ping-pong paddle maneuverability and super-oversize head give even those players with slow hands a chance." Dan agrees, offering, "the S8's combined features make it a natural on the attack at net. Simple volley form made for best results - no manipulating or excess movement needed. Keeping the large head up and moving forward was incredibly easy. Half-volleys tended to fall a bit dead but overall touch was better than average for a frame of this size."

Don also liked the S8's touch on volleys, "the most effective volleys for me were short, angled and drop volleys. Deep, offensive volleys require more effort and this can cause control problems at net. However, I made some amazing lunge and stab volleys that landed in front of the service line for winners." Mark concurs, "the large head and sweetspot give you a large margin for error on volleys. If you stick the racquet out there and let the ball hit it you'll be in good shape. Volleyers with long swings could have trouble controlling the power. It's pretty easy to take pace off the ball with this racquet though, by creating spin."

Serving with the S8 is lots of fun because generating racquet head speed is so easy. Dan says, "what can be said on serves other than 'crunch time'? Simply crank swing speed up to 10 and let 'er rip. Slices out wide and kick second serves saw extra action and jump, helped by the open 16x20 string pattern and large sweetspot." In fact, it's easy to get carried away swinging the S8 on serves and end up with a sore arm the next day. Drew offers, "with the S8's light weight (easy to accelerate), length (extra leverage), big head (more power) and open string pattern (more spin), it's no surprise that serves could be hit with good spin or pace. However, big servers with tender arms should stay away from racquets in this weight class."

Hitting overheads aren't much different than serving with the S8. It's quickness, length and head size allow for effective overheads, even when unprepared or out of position. Says Mark, "if you miss an overhead with the S8, you have only yourself to blame." Don adds, "I snagged more lobs than I ever expected, and despite the racquet's light weight, was able to hit some pretty effective overheads." Dan sums it up best, offering, "overheads saw no tomorrow."

Opinions differed on the S8's performance on returns, approach shots and reaction shots. Drew comments, "getting to net is helped by the S8's strength with hitting slices. Approach shots can be hit with plenty of spin and the chip/charge return is a natural since the slice return is really the only shot I could control (especially against hard servers)." Don counters, "at 8.3 ounces, there isn't enough mass for effective block returns. Against hard serves, I still had too little time to swing and my returns were consistently landing short. It felt like the ball was heavier than the racquet. Out of position shots were easy to make though, thanks to the S8's maneuverability."

Overall, most playtesters were more impressed with the S8 in play than we anticipated just swinging it around in the shop. It is VERY light though and swings even lighter, making it better suited to serve & volley or all-court players than baseliners. Drew describes the S8's appeal, "whenever one particular aspect of a racquet is at the extreme end of the spectrum, some attributes shine and others suffer. The result is usually a racquet with fairly narrow appeal. The S8 will perform best in a slower paced game of serve & volley singles or doubles. Hard hitters will find the racquet's comfort and stability disappear with faster strokes." Granville sums up his impressions, adding, "While the S8 is very user-friendly, the player profile for this racquet may be more limited than originally intended. It does not supply the power of the old S7 (or S6), so 2.5-3.5 players with compact swings may not find enough power. And while the light weight and balance provide excellent maneuverability, the 4.5+ tournament players looking for a blend of power and control will likely find the S8 too light and will be unable to really drive the ball." The consensus of our playtesters is that the S8 favors 3.0-4.0 serve & volley singles and/or doubles players who have medium-fast swings. If you fit this player type and are seeking a super-lightweight, super-oversize racquet, the Ti.S8 is worth a look.

Review date: December 1999. Ti.S8 test racquets strung with Tecnifibre NRG2 17 at 62 pounds. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

All content copyright 1999 Tennis Warehouse.