Head Hawk Power String Review

Power - Score: 69 / Control - Score: 90

Head designed Hawk Power to be softer and more flexible than other members of the Hawk family. This helps explain why, in addition to giving our playtesters great control, it received an above-average score for power. It also sidestepped the dead and unresponsive feel that afflicts stiffer control strings, especially on slower strokes and off-center impact. For Michelle, the forgiving feel allowed her to string it tighter (for extra control) without losing the sweetspot. She said, "This was a playtest where I was able to experience the string in several racquets. In each instance, I liked the blend of power, control and pocketing Hawk Power offered. The higher comfort meant I could string it tightly, yet still experience good pocketing and access to power while feeling in total control of my shots."

"I liked the blend of power and control I found with Hawk Power," said Chris, who appreciated this string's response across different stroke speeds. "I was able to take a full cut at the ball and find my targets with my expected consistency. The string complemented the dense 18x20 string pattern of my Head Speed Pro nicely. I also had ample control on touch shots to hit them effectively."

Spin - Score: 85

With its round profile, Hawk Power doesn't have the sharp bite of a shaped poly, like Head's Lynx Tour. However, as with the majority of co-polys they've reviewed, our playtest team had no problem generating effective spin. In fact, Chris was impressed by the consistency of the spin potential throughout the playtest. He explained, "I got a decent level of spin on my shots with Hawk Power. I could feel the ball sinking nicely into the stringbed, and I was able to get it rotating well on exit. I liked that I could trust the level of spin I was getting for the duration of the test because it remained consistent even when the strings got worn."

Although Hawk Power was not as spin-friendly as her favorite shaped poly, Michelle was ultimately satisfied with the amount of spin she got from this string. She said, "As a flatter hitter, the access to spin was there, but I wouldn't say this had as much bite as my favorite shaped poly. However, I never felt like I was limited when accessing spin. I'd say it had good spin, but if you are looking for a ton of bite from your stringbed, you might look to one of the more spin-friendly Head strings."

Feel - Score: 88 / Comfort - Score: 80

As a poly-based monofilament, Hawk Power does not have the pillowy, plush response of a multifilament or natural gut. That said, Head designed it with additives to soften the response. According to Michelle, the design worked in spades. She said, "This string offered nice feel and great pocketing. That blend of pocketing with a firm racquet really is something I tend to enjoy and appreciate. It was softer than some of the firmer, stiffer strings I tend to string with. I think comfort might just be the stand-out feature!"

Although not as firm and crisp as his preferred polys, Chris ultimately felt dialed in with Hawk Power. He described, "Hawk Power offered a fairly forgiving feel. While the response wasn't as crisp and clean as Lynx Tour, I liked the way it pocketed the ball and gave me the connection I needed to judge pace, depth and spin. I found the response comfortable even in a dense 18x20 string pattern. Somewhat related to the feel at impact is the sound at impact, and Hawk Power sounded noticeably solid. Hard-hit shots were very pleasing to the ear."

Playability Duration - Score: 68

A big downside of co-polys like Hawk Power is that they can lose tension quickly, which often compromises the feel and playability. Although both our playtesters noticed some tension loss, neither player reported any deal-breaking changes in feel or playability. In fact, Chris was impressed with how well the spin potential held up over time. He said, "Power Hawk had no issues with premature breakage, and I also found its spin quality to remain consistent. I did notice some tension drop followed by a change in playability. However, I continued to enjoy the response of the string and found it to last better in my Speed Pro compared to a racquet with a more open pattern, like a Radical Pro."

"Within a week of stringing, I felt like the tension did drop," said Michelle. "Luckily, I did not find any of the string's features to suffer because of that, but I did feel like it pocketed even more the longer the strings were installed."

Overall - Score: 84