Racquet Playtest Comparison:

About the play testerAbout the racquets

Name: Lafayettehitter on the Talk Tennis message boards

Playing Level: 3.5

Regular racquet, string & tension: Volkl Tour 10 MP Generation 1, BDE Perf 17 g mains with Gosen OG Sheep Micro 17g crosses

Tell us about your game: Baseliner who enjoys coming to the net and eating up short balls. Full loopy forehand, fast swing, primarily Eastern, sometimes moving over to western on second serve. 2 handed backhand with a short take back (Agassi style I guess). Mostly playing singles but occasionally playing doubles at my club men's night. Heavy topspin and flat strokes on forehand. Abbreviated service motion using the pin-point stance.

Power

Volkl Tour 10 MP Generation 2 - I have read some comments with users finding this racquet low powered. I did not have this problem but I could see where without using a full swing you could find yourself hitting some short balls. I suppose it may be the head light characteristic of this racquet that motion some to deem in low powered. I was keeping the ball deep and placing it right where I wanted to with this stick. I found it easy when using the racquet to come up to a short ball and blast it back with quite some pace even if the opponent hit a weak shot on my approach.

Head Radical Flexpoint Midplus - I found this racquet to be lacking the power that I expected based off of last years Liquidmetal Radical probably from the added flexibility in this new racquet. I believe the Flexpoint technology has really added to the racquets comfort level but not to it's power level. I found myself hitting some short balls that with the same stroke and same type of ball hit to me with the Volkl I would've managed to keep it deep and with the Head I ended up being the one who delivered the short ball. I was able to fix this by really adding some juice to my groundstrokes but it took quite a bit more effort when compared to the Volkl which I rated higher in the power category. It was a surprise because I initially expected the Head to have the most power out of all three racquets TW sent me.

Prince 03 Tour - I did not find this racquet had quite the power I expected, although I did not find it to be low in power. I did find that I hit some beautiful shots with it and some had tremendous amounts of pace to them, but the stringbed was not nearly as consistent in delivering when compared to the Volkl. The power was good during serves where it delivered what I put into it but not much more - occasionally even making me think it had let me down a bit. Both the Head and the Volkl delivered a little more power consistently on serves.

Control

Volkl Tour 10 MP Generation 2 - CONTROL! I found that this racquet should have had Control included in the name. The ball was landing right where I wanted it on nearly every shot. This stick really jumped my percentage game up a notch. I played three matches against the same guy using the racquet third, Prince first, and Head FP second. After the third match he mentioned that I should order a Gen 2 in the morning because it was the hardest he had worked playing me and my shots just didn't seem to go out.

Head Radical Flexpoint Midplus - I ranked the Head third in the control department because I found I was hitting more balls than normal long on groundstrokes (possibly because of adjusting to the 18X20 string pattern) but I played two 3 set matches with it and should've had to adjust. It was strange because it wasn't power that was keeping me from having the controlled I longed for. The balls simply weren't being placed where I expected. I found the control on volleys to be very good, though, and it chopped the ball nicely and placed it where I wanted.

Prince 03 Tour - I found the Prince did very well in the control department. Initially looking at it, it looks more like a Ôtweener and not a "Tour" style racquet. With that said it does not play like a Ôtweener. Granted, it is a bit on the light side for a tour racquet, but it delivers power I was able to control and keep the ball in, partly due to the amount of spin this racquet delivers - more on that later. The control at the net was great, keeping in mind that you can really move this racquet around at the net in combination with it delivering some really nicely controlled volleys - makes it a pleasure to come up to the net with. I seldom hits volleys as precise as I did with this racquet.

Maneuverability

Volkl Tour 10 MP Generation 2 - The Tour 10 Gen 2 was the heaviest static weight racquet in the bunch weighing in at 12.1 ounces with an overgrip. However, this racquet has a low swingweight for it's static weight giving it a sense of being lighter than it is. I rated it lower than the others because of the weight difference but it is by no means difficult to get around. It swings smooth and isn't sluggish if you prefer the benefits of that heavier static weight.

Head Radical Flexpoint Midplus - I enjoyed the maneuverability of this racquet quite a bit. I found it a breeze to get around at the net with it and reaction times were very quick. The racquet never hindered my getting to a volley. At the baseline it was also a pleasure to swing, again like with the Prince if some lead tape was used and did not alter the swingweight much it would be more enjoyable - would feel a little more solid. Take backs at the baseline were quick and I seldom found myself late to a ball.

Prince 03 Tour - WOW is what this racquet had me saying when it came to getting it around. I was seldom late to a ball with it and if I was it had to do with the player and not the racquet. Given it's static weight coming in at 11.3 it moves around lighter than the Volkl V1 Classic that I own which only weights 10.8 ounces - no kidding. At net, simply stated it's a dream. I don't know if it's the holes or the swingweight but this racquet feels like a sword in the air. However, it does so without feeling too whippy and without feeling too light.

Stability

Volkl Tour 10 MP Generation 2 - Even though this racquet is quite headlight I had no complaints in the stability department. I was putting the heat on heavy paced 1st serve returns off both wings without feeling like I was really going for it. On occasion this racquet would feel like it enjoyed smashing into heavy balls. Where the stability really showed over the other two racquets was on return of serve. I might add, FAR superior in this department, it never let up. Approach shots had me saying, yea c'mon! Like I was Hewitt and that is not my normal court personality by any means.

Head Radical Flexpoint Midplus - I could see where a serve and volley player would enjoy this racquet. It was stable on serves and quite stable at the net even against balls with some pace on them. Stability was less than average on returns of serve. I could feel the racquet just not having enough behind it to withstand the serve. Forehands were pleasurable and felt quite stable as long as I used a big take back and a loopy forehand - which I usually do. If I found myself late to a ball and did not get a good solid full swing, it would feel a bit unstable. This could again be fixed quickly with the addition of some lead tape. The "TOUR" version may not have this issue - keep in mind this racquet weighed in at 11.4 with an overgrip.

Prince 03 Tour - I ranked it second in stability because it was what I would call decent in the stability department. Most players that are opting for this racquet will have to play around with adding some lead to it for it to keep up with heavy hitters. I never felt I couldn't block a serve with it but on a heavy serve it was my timing and stroke that returned the ball not exactly the racquet. I found it extremely stable while serving and at the net even with fast shots at the net. It was on the backhand side where I noticed some stability issues more so than on my forehands.

Comfort

Volkl Tour 10 MP Generation 2 - The Tour 10 Gen 2 was quite comfortable within it's large sweetspot. Now with that said, I found a little harshness on off center shots, especially when hitting high in the stringbed on serves. If you strike the ball well it really rewards. On off-center shots it would occasionally let my arm know but not to the point that my arm started to hurt. It has the standard muted Volkl "Feel" which I enjoy quite a bit. On serve the comfort was AWESOME when I struck the ball well, It really put some juice on the ball and I could generate some killer spin with it as well. This racquet was most comfortable and provided the best sensations while serving out of all three racquets tested.

Head Radical Flexpoint Midplus - This is where I really think the Flexpoints at 9 o'clock and at 3 o'clock came into play. It was almost as comfortable as the Prince at times, notice I say almost it was close but the Prince edged the Head out in this department. The Head and the Prince were both very smooth when hitting groundstrokes that did not have lots of pace behind them. Neither racquet delivered any discomfort during my matches. I found this to be the most comfortable playerÕs I have used from Head. It would be a contender as a new racquet for me because with some customization it would be a weapon. The serves were another department where the comfort really showed on this racquet. The serves felt really smooth even off-center and were delivered with speed. According to my opponents, they did not have quite the heaviness to them that I had with the Volkl. One thing I noted is that my arm never felt any fatigue whatsoever even after 4 hours of play one afternoon. I felt as though I could just keep going and going which is a nice feature to find in a racquet.

Prince 03 Tour - Well this was not a difficult choice, when you hit with this racquet the first thing you think is comfort. The first words out my mouth while warming up with it was, if Cadillac made a racquet this would be what it felt like. Prince really did something right in the comfort department with this racquet. If the specs match your criteria and comfort is an issue, this racquet is a 'must demo'. The comfort really shined on the serves as well. It felt as though the ball dwelled on the strings for a moment and I could place my serves right where I wanted. I have seldom moved my serves around with precision as I did with this stick. The sweetspot is huge. I must add, I cannot recall feeling a shocking sensation the entire time I used it - not even when the stability came into question returning a heavy serve.

Spin

Volkl Tour 10 MP Generation 2 - I found it easy to generate topspin with this racquet although it didn't create any extra topspin that I did not earn. If you follow through the ball it will reward you with some nice topspin shots that really jump up at your opponent. I found it easy to generate spin using slice as well, it hit some nice underspin that had the skid that I like.

Head Radical Flexpoint Midplus - Keep in mind that this racquet is an 18X20 as I write my comments. With that being stated I found spin easy to impart with this stick especially during my service game. When hitting serves with this one my opponents began to get frustrated from the spin and kick the ball had. The dense string pattern did not seem to hinder the spin ability of this racquet. If this stick had a 16X19 string pattern it would've been really interesting, again another characteristic of the 'Tour' version. I guess at this point I will add that if you are seeking an 18X20 dense string patterned 'comfort' racquet this is the one. I was able to get my serves to just skid the surface also with this racquet which is not something I can do with most racquets.

Prince 03 Tour - The Yonex RD-7 is going to have to take a backseat to the Prince 03 Tour in the spin department for a moment and let this racquet get it's due glory. If you need some added spin, listen carefully, give this racquet a try. I was getting tons of topspin off both wings with little to no effort to do so. Underspin was incredible as well as slices simply skid the court barely giving the opponent a change unless he slid to them. I had shots kicking up spin at head level frequently with this stick which is not usually the case with my Volkl Tour 10 Gen 1.

Comfort
Prince 03 Tour 90
Head FP Radical MP 87
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 85
Control
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 90
Prince 03 Tour 85
Head FP Radical MP 80
Groundstrokes
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 87
Prince 03 Tour 85
Head FP Radical MP 80
Maneuverability
Prince 03 Tour 90
Head FP Radical MP 85
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 80
Power
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 85
Prince 03 Tour 82
Head FP Radical MP 78
Serve Returns
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 90
Prince 03 Tour 85
Head FP Radical MP 75
Serves and Overheads
Prince 03 Tour 90
Head FP Radical MP 87
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 85
Slice
Prince 03 Tour 87
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 85
Head FP Radical MP 82
Stability
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 90
Prince 03 Tour 85
Head FP Radical MP 78
Topspin
Prince 03 Tour 90
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 85
Head FP Radical MP 85
Touch/Feel
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 85
Prince 03 Tour 80
Head FP Radical MP 75
Volleys
Prince 03 Tour 87
Head FP Radical MP 85
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 80
Overall
Prince 03 Tour 85
Volkl Tour 10 Gen II 82
Head FP Radical MP 75


Playtest date: February, 2006.
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