Racquet Playtest Comparison:

About the play tester

About the racquets

Name: BreakPoint Playing Level: 4.5 Regular racquet, string & tension: Wilson ProStaff 6.0 Original 95, Gosen OG Sheep Micro 16g @ 59lbs., cable grommet "O" dampener, and Gosen Ripple overgrip over Wilson leather grip Tell us about your game: All court player playing both singles and doubles, serve and volley 50% of the time. Long, loopy, fast swings on both sides. Can hit flat, topspin, and slice off of both sides, and will mix things up during rallies. One-handed backhand, semi-western forehand Strengths are serve and backhand.

Initial Impressions:

Head LM Radical Tour MP: A fairly heavy player's racquet with a fairly wide beam (the beam width seems wider than its 21mm spec.). Has nice heft and the weight is noticeable when you pick it up and when you first swing it. Has a dense 18x20 string pattern and the overall balance was more even than what I'm used to. With dampener and two overgrips (the demo was 4 3/8 and my usual size is 4 1/2), it came out at 12.7 oz. on the scale.

ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 PSE: A very heavy player's racquet meant for very advanced players. The heft is noticeable immediately and feels even heavier when you swing it. With dampener and an overgrip, the static weight was an even 13.0 oz. Easily the heaviest stock racquet I've used since my old Dunlop Max 200G. Also, a very high-quality looking finish.

Volkl Tour 10 V-Engine MP: A fairly light feeling racquet given its weight. The most headlight and flexible feeling of the three. Very easy to swing fast. Also has the thinnest beam of the three. The V-shaped throat made the head look very big and the main strings very long. With dampener and two overgrips (as above), the weight came in at 12.4 oz. Also, very nice glossy yellow paintjob and cosmetics.

Power

Head LM Radical Tour MP: The lowest powered of the three. This is a control oriented racquet for those that can generate their own power with a full, fast swing. The dense string pattern also robbed the racquet of some of its power. Serves were good but not with a lot of pace nor spin, although placement was pretty accurate. The heavy weight and near even balance made it harder for me accelerate my swing to generate pace and spin on my serves. Remember, that my usual racquet is 10 pts. headlight. It was somewhat hard for me to generate the same racquet head speed as I usually do on other shots as well, although the more I played with it, the more I got used to it as was able to adjust.

ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 PSE: Also a pretty low powered racquet requiring full, long strokes. The power on shots comes from the sheer weight of the racquet rather than from the frame itself. The Kinetic systems provides some additional weight into the head on groundstrokes, and thereby, giving an extra boost in the power and depth. However, you really need to be pretty physically strong to generate the racquet head speed required to produce the power. Once you get the racquet moving, momentum takes over, and if you can hit it in the sweetspot with a fairly fast swing, you will hit a very hard and deep shot. Serves were solid with good placement but once again, the weight made it harder for me to generate the racquet head speed required for extra pace and spin on serves, although spin serves were deep and penetrating.

Volkl Tour 10 V-Engine MP: Easily the most powerful of the three. The extra power comes from the flex, geometry, and the extra long main strings in the head. The very headlight feel of this racquet also allows you to swing it very fast and generate the racquet head speed needed to produce lots of pace and spin. The power, however, can be somewhat inconsistent depending on exactly where you hit the ball on the stringbed. Sometimes the ball will just fly off for no apparent reason. Very easy to generate both power and spin on serves due to the headlight balance and overall weight which allows you to swing fast and still have enough mass behind the shot. This was generally true on groundstrokes and overheads, too.

Control

Head LM Radical Tour MP: Control was pretty much as expected for a true player's racquet. The dense string pattern enhanced the feeling of control. Since I was unable to hit any shot particularly hard with this racquet, I felt I need to rely on the control it offered to hit winners. Placement on serves and volleys were very accurate. On groundstrokes, hitting flat provided pinpoint control, but it was a little harder with topspin and slice shots.

ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 PSE: Excellent directional control on shots due to its sheer weight. Once you get the racquet moving and pointed in the right direction, the ball will go exactly where you aimed it. Lots of fun to play with because you can precisely place the ball wherever you want on the court. Control was excellent on all shots including serves, volleys, groundstrokes, and overheads. However, for me, the fun lasts only about a set and a half since the weight tires out my arm and shoulder rather quickly.

Volkl Tour 10 V-Engine MP: Control with this racquet is hit or miss (no pun intended). On some shots the control is very good but on others the control is severely lacking. I feel the stringbed can be sometimes inconsistent. If I take a big swing, I can sometimes hit the back fence for no reason, if I'm not careful. This never happens with my usual PS 6.0 95. It probably depends on your swing style how well you can control this racquet. Control on serves and volleys, however, were pretty good.

Maneuverability

Head LM Radical Tour MP: Due to its more even balance, overall weight, and thick beam width, this racquet is not the most maneuverable. It has a real "beefy" feel in your hands. However, once you get it swinging, it's not so bad and you don't notice it all that much. I had no trouble volleying with the racquet up at net or getting the racquet back in time to hit groundstrokes once I got used to it. The even balance did cause me not to hit my one-handed backhand as well as I normally do with my usual racquet, though.

ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 PSE: As mentioned several times above, this is a very heavy racquet. And heavy weight and maneuverability are typically mutually exclusive, and this is racquet no exception. Unless you're physically very strong and in very good shape, it's tough to get this racquet moving over and over again for a long period of time on court. This racquet made me feel a little slow on all shots just trying to get the racquet head into the right position. Not the right racquet for me for quick net play in doubles.

Volkl Tour 10 V-Engine MP: Surprisingly maneuverable racquet given its static weight due to its very headlight balance and relatively thin beam width. Very easy to get the racquet head into position on both groundstrokes and volleys. However, the extra large head could be a hindrance at times, especially on one-handed backhands. Would make a pretty good racquet for both doubles and singles baseliners.

Stability

Head LM Radical Tour MP: Extremely stable racquet. The upper hoop is fairly stiff which makes for a very consistent stringbed. The sweetspot is quite large although if you hit the ball right in the center of the sweetspot, the feel isn't as sweet as with some other racquets (e.g., PS 6.0 95). But the good news is that you can hit the ball pretty much anywhere on the stringbed and you'll get a pretty decent feel and a pretty decent shot out of it. Not much twisting at all no matter where you hit it. Must be the Liquid Metal at work. The excellent stability applied to all shots.

ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 PSE: One of the most stable racquets I've ever hit with. The stability came mostly from, once again, the sheer weight of the racquet, and from the Kinetic system, which really seems to work. It's just hard for the ball to push such a heavy racquet around. Very little twisting, if any at all, and the ball pretty much goes exactly where you aim it. The hoop is slightly more flexible than on the LM Radical Tour which, while enhancing its feel, did not noticeably deter from its stability. This is one stable racquet. Solid as a rock without being harsh.

Volkl Tour 10 V-Engine MP: This was the least stable of the three racquets. I think this was mostly due to the very flexible hoop and the relatively thin beam which can result in some twisting on off-center shots. I did not feel that the V-Engine throat increased the stability over the regular Tour 10 MP. In fact, I find the regular Tour 10 MP to be a little more stable. This racquet has a very small sweetspot despite its large head size, although if you hit the ball outside the sweetspot it can still result in a decent shot due to the racquet's forgiving nature. However, you do have to watch out for hot spots due to its inconsistent stringbed as mentioned above.

Comfort

Head LM Radical Tour MP: Not an overly stiff racquet despite its thick beam width, and thus, pretty comfortable overall. The fairly soft feel surprised me as I was expecting a much harsher feel. The weight helps to absorb a lot of the shock and vibration. The stability also adds to its comfort as there's not a lot of twisting in your hand. However, it does have the standard Head flat, rectangular grip which may take some people a little while to get used to, especially if you're coming from a Wilson or Prince grip shape.

ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 PSE: A very comfortable racquet with almost no shock nor vibration. Once again, the sheer weight absorbs much of the shock and vibration, and the Kinetic system takes care of the rest. It really does seem to work. If you suffer from tennis elbow and you can handle a 13 oz. racquet, this would be an excellent choice. However, watch out for your shoulder. My shoulder got sore after just one set with this racquet because I'm just not used to this much weight anymore (I'm also not in top physical condition anymore).

Volkl Tour 10 V-Engine MP: A pretty comfortable racquet due to its headlight balance and flexibility. Volkl's Sensor Handle System seems to work well in absorbing some of the shock and vibration at impact giving this racquet that popular "Volkl-feel". I actually found this racquet to have a "wood-like" feel on certain groundstrokes. However, you can feel more of the ball's impact with this racquet than with the other two, likely due to its thinner beam and its lighter weight which doesn't absorb as much of the shock and vibration.

Spin

Head LM Radical Tour MP: Not easy to generate spin with this racquet due to its dense (18x20) string pattern and relatively even balance which made it difficult to whip the racquet up quickly to produce topspin. Slice shots also did not have the same feel as I do with my usual racquet and tended to be clumsy. The relatively thick beam width also made the frame less aerodynamic which, I feel, decreased its spin potential. However, if you like to hit the ball hard and flat and can generate your own power with a heavy racquet, this racquet offers plenty of control.

ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 PSE: If you're strong enough, this racquet is fairly easy to generate spin with. Of course, you need to have the upper body strength to whip the racquet head quickly to produce the spin. Spin serves were deep and penetrating. Both slice and topspin groundstrokes were deep and controlled. The weight and 16x20 string pattern of this racquet produces very heavy groundstrokes. A great racquet for hitting very heavy and penetrating balls.

Volkl Tour 10 V-Engine MP: Probably the most spin friendly of the three. The open 16x19 string pattern, the large string surface area, the aerodynamic thin beam, and the headlight balance all contribute to its excellent spin potential. You can really whip this racquet up quickly to produce a lot of topspin. Slice shots were also pretty easy to hit. But the best was on serves where you can produce monster spin serves. If you use a lot of spin in your game and you want a heavier player's racquet, this would be one to consider.

Final Thoughts:

Head LM Radical Tour MP: This is probably the closest thing to what Andre Agassi actually uses on tour. If your style of play is like Agassi's, and you like to hit the ball hard and flat from the baseline, and you're pretty strong and in good physical shape, then you should consider this racquet. Bottom Line: A true player's racquet best suited for strong 4.5 to 6.0 players that can generate their own power from the baseline with a heavy racquet.

ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 PSE: Non-advanced players need not apply. This is a racquet designed for touring pros to handle the heavy pace from their opponents and to produce hard shots of their own. You really do need to be in tip-top physical condition, and have a strong arm and shoulder to last more than a couple of sets with this heavy racquet. However, if you can handle it, you'll be rewarded with an excellent players racquet that is extremely stable, shock and vibration-free, and allows you to hit very heavy balls with plenty of pace and spin. Bottom Line: Best suited for 5.0 to 7.0 players with a strong arm and shoulder looking for a very solid feeling racquet.

Volkl Tour 10 V-Engine MP: Good choice for players looking for a flexible, headlight player's racquet with a traditional feel. If you liked the Volkl C-10 Pro, you'll probably like the feel of this racquet. If you hated the feel of the C-10 Pro, you probably won't like this racquet. Bottom Line: Best suited for 4.0 to 5.5 players that want a spin friendly player's racquet with some added power.

Comfort Ionic Ki 5 PSE 80 Tour 10 V-Engine MP 76 Head LM Radical Tour MP 72	Control Head LM Radical Tour MP 78 Ionic Ki 5 PSE 78 Tour 10 V-Engine MP 73	Groundstrokes Tour 10 V-Engine MP 77 Head LM Radical Tour MP 76 Ionic Ki 5 PSE 76	Maneuverability Tour 10 V-Engine MP 75 Head LM Radical Tour MP 62 Ionic Ki 5 PSE 52
Power Tour 10 V-Engine MP 73 Ionic Ki 5 PSE 66 Head LM Radical Tour MP 65	Serve Returns Tour 10 V-Engine MP 73 Ionic Ki 5 PSE 70 Head LM Radical Tour MP 68	Serves and Overheads Tour 10 V-Engine MP 78 Ionic Ki 5 PSE 72 Head LM Radical Tour MP 70	Slice Tour 10 V-Engine MP 74 Ionic Ki 5 PSE 72 Head LM Radical Tour MP 64
Stability Ionic Ki 5 PSE 82 Head LM Radical Tour MP 77 Tour 10 V-Engine MP 68	Topspin Tour 10 V-Engine MP 77 Ionic Ki 5 PSE 74 Head LM Radical Tour MP 68	Touch/Feel Tour 10 V-Engine MP 74 Ionic Ki 5 PSE 72 Head LM Radical Tour MP 64	Volleys Tour 10 V-Engine MP 76 Head LM Radical Tour MP 74 Ionic Ki 5 PSE 72
Overall Tour 10 V-Engine MP 76 Ionic Ki 5 PSE 75 Head LM Radical Tour MP 74

A Last Word:

If you're interested in either the Head LM Radical Tour MP or the ProKennex Ionic Ki 5 PSE, you may want to also try the lighter versions of these racquets (Head LM Radical MP and ProKennex Ionic Ki 5), just for comparison before making a decision. I know I would. And if you're interested in the Volkl Tour 10 V-Engine MP, you may want to also demo the non-V-Engine version of the Volkl Tour 10 MP just for comparison. It offers some different playing characteristics but is still in the same general category.

Playtest date: November, 2004.

All content copyright 2007 Tennis Warehouse.