Racquet Playtest Comparison:

About the play testerAbout the racquets

Name: radicaltourist on the Talk Tennis message boards

Playing Level: 3.5

Regular racquet, string & tension: 1998 Radical Tour OS, 348 grams strung/325 swingweight, Technifiber NRG 17, 65 pounds.

Tell us about your game: Power baseline, trying to look for opportunities to come to the net, moderate to fast stroke, eastern topspin forehand, eastern slice backhand, mostly doubles.

Power

It takes good stroke mechanics to generate power with the Graphite Classic. Even then, it has nowhere near the power of the two challengers unless you have a young, turbocharged arm. This is most obvious on the serve, where I got better results by going for placement or spin than the flat heater.

The Liquidmetal Radicalical is generously endowed with power. Combined with its balance, it's a nearly effortless serving machine.

The NXG, by virtue of weight (please note, upon checking specs at the conclusion of the review, we discovered the playtest racquet was slightly above the average weight we've found with most NXG Oversize racquets), swingweight and length, has bone-crushing power for this category of racquet, and it's relatively controllable power. If your opponent is cheating to one side or slow to recover, the NXG will let you drill a forehand by him. Pulled wide or rushing in on a short ball, the NXG still has the leverage to launch offensive strikes. While the NXG is a power server, it can get away from you a bit when you weaken in the third set.

Control

Imagine if you could buy a stick that eliminated half the reason for your errors. The Graphite Classic's evil genius is that it's so low-powered and so head light that it's almost impossible to overhit. Off-balance lobs fall on the baseline. Blind stab volleys flutter over. Cannonball serves go back more often. On serves, you feel as if the POG might just reach over the net and gently place the ball anywhere you wish.

With the NXG, you have to be careful with the extra length and swingweight. With a little practice, the 16x19 string pattern will give you control. But it's easy on off-balance shots to overhit. In fact, discovering your power with the NXG is so addictive, it can get away from you even with the excellent control. With this much weight and this much power at your command, if you let your wrist get behind your shoulder for a fraction of a second on a forcing shot into the corner, you've just hit the ball a foot wide. For whatever reason, I didn't quite get my slice forehand to work well. I also had trouble coming up with touch slice backhands in response to short balls.

The Liquidmetal Radical has the specs to be a control stick, but it communicates so little that it's hard to zero in on the right touch. It's a step up from a light widebody but at this level, I think people expect more feedback. The 18x19 string pattern does a pretty good job of controlling the Rad's power.

Maneuverability

Plenty of 9 oz. granny sticks should be as maneuverable as the Graphite Classic. It seems to never swing late on the serve or a reaction net volley. Look at the swingweight and you'll know why.

This is where the NXG pays for its weight, swingweight and length and the power and stability that come with it. You'd better be prepared by the time your opponent's shot crosses the net, or it's hard to get the NXG started in time. But this axe is made for baseline warriors with two-handed backhands. In that role, it's got plenty of maneuverability, particularly for its relatively high swingweight.

The Liquidmetal Radical is in the middle on maneuverability, and you'll need it to get control of the power if you can. Much easier to whip around than the NXG, whether it's a short approach or a stab at your feet.

Stability

The NXG's length, weight, swingweight and Triple Threat weighting at the 10 and 2 pay dividends here. It's solid as a rock. The Liquidmetal Radical would be second, perhaps attributable to its Liquid Metal technology and perhaps Head's rectangular grip, which puts more surface area perpendicular to the ball. It just seems to never twist. The Graphite Classic, despite its total weight, is subject to some unforgiving off-center clunkers at net. Or my timing was off after hitting with the NXG.

Comfort

Hands down to the Liquidmetal Radical. It has no harsh spots. The Twin Tube, Liquid Metal and Intelligence technologies, as well as its weight and generous flex, make it probably the most comfortable stick in this category, not just against the two challengers.

Second is the NXG. With the weight and length and probably the More and Air Handle technologies, it relays the feel you need at the net while retaining a buttery comfort.

For all the Graphite Classic's other wonderful qualities, comfort is what you give up. By the second set, my elbow was seriously twinging, likely the effect of returning too many serves, perhaps volleys, in the upper half of the stringbed. The Sensation 17 string did a good job of covering the Graphite Classic's overall harsh feel. Another string option in the search for comfort might be Fat Core 16.

Spin

The Graphite Classic seems to generate more spin than even a 16x19 racquet should be capable, giving it supreme control on groundies and supernatural deception on dipping passing shots. With its headlight balance, you can whip up serious kick serves. I actually developed a somewhat reliable topspin backhand.

The NXG with the same pattern is next. Perhaps it's just the NXG's power that makes its spin seem less effective.

The Liquidmetal Radical seems to generate more spin than its predecessors, but it's clearly not up to the other competitors here. It has plenty, however, for keeping its power in check on groundstrokes.

Final thoughts

Any racquet might feel great for an hour of drills at the club or some friendly groundies at the park. I also played matches with these three to learn how they would do in the real world.

The NXG Graphite should be called WMD Graphite - Weapon of Mass Destruction. It is an effective blend of sheer mass and several Prince technologies. It's hard to resist the urge to bomb your opponent's baseline on every shot. That often led me to overhit. I've seen it compared to the Michael Chang racquet, but I think it's a major improvement. But it's not a replacement for the Graphite Classic, and any comparison is really unfair to both sticks. If there's one of these racquets that truly demands strength, it's the NXG, particularly on a one-hand backhand. If I were a baseliner with a two-handed backhand, I'd buy it in a minute. I loved the feel, feedback, sound, power, and spin. I hated to part with it. The only thing greener or stronger is The Incredible Hulk.

By comparison, the Liquidmetal Radical seemed a random accumulation of various marketable Head technologies, resulting in a stick that seems to belong more in the tweener category. Those technologies and a generous flex make it perhaps the most comfortable player's racquet you can buy. But they also create a distracting vibration and a vague stringbed feel - unlike any previous Radical - that made me want to return to the other two review racquets. Short of a fuse box and an on/off switch, there's not much left to cram into this stick. A return to at least the Ti/Twin Tube-era Radical would be appreciated, as well as an optional 16x19 version for those of us willing to sacrifice a bit of control for more spin potential. As is, it takes too much effort to figure out what the Liquidmetal Radicalical is thinking.

The Graphite Classic was the surprise of this comparison. In my brief hits in past years, I absolutely despised everything about it, and I was disappointed that TW sent it for review. After extended experience and an honest effort, I'd concede that it's the gold standard of player OS racquets, so much so that I'd call it a player's game improvement frame. My final rating reflects the love part of my love/hate relationship with the Classic. It almost makes me wish I hadn't sold my Gamma 9.0 OS racquets, which I felt were a kinder, gentler variation of the Classic with a bit more power. The Graphite Classic is the ultimate OS for a fit, but not necessarily strong, all-court player with the stamina, good stroke mechanics and disciplined preparation execute all the way through a third set tiebreaker. Even a moderately athletic, middle-aged weekend warrior like me can use it to good advantage. It's a seductive stick. But the elbow pain is a certain deal breaker if you can't learn to hit the sweetspot or solve the harshness with a few grams of lead at the 2 and 10. By the time you figure out it's more stick than you can handle, you've already invested.

Finally, if you demo these, I'd start with the most powerful and play the Graphite Classic last. It's easier to dial up more power on demand than it is to dial back your power and impose more control on one of the more powerful racquets. In my ratings, I retained the TW review ratings on the Liquidmetal Radical and rated the other two accordingly, rather than trying to establish some new rating scale known only to myself.

Comfort
Head LM Radical OS 83
Prince NXG OS 81
Prince Graphite Classic OS 74
Control
Prince Graphite Classic OS 85
Prince NXG OS 79
Head LM Radical OS 75
Groundstrokes
Prince Graphite Classic OS 84
Prince NXG OS 80
Head LM Radical OS 72
Maneuverability
Prince Graphite Classic OS 78
Head LM Radical OS 75
Prince NXG OS 73
Power
Prince NXG OS 79
Head LM Radical OS 77
Prince Graphite Classic OS 72
Serves and Overheads
Prince Graphite Classic OS 81
Prince NXG OS 79
Head LM Radical OS 77
Serve Returns
Prince Graphite Classic OS 81
Prince NXG OS 78
Head LM Radical OS 75
Slice
Prince Graphite Classic OS 85
Prince NXG OS 82
Head LM Radical OS 79
Stability
Prince NXG OS 82
Head LM Radical OS 78
Prince Graphite Classic OS 76
Topspin
Prince Graphite Classic OS 85
Prince NXG OS 80
Head LM Radical OS 77
Touch/Feel
Prince Graphite Classic OS 84
Prince NXG OS 80
Head LM Radical OS 75
Volleys
Prince NXG OS 86
Head LM Radical OS 85
Prince Graphite Classic OS 84
Overall
Prince Graphite Classic OS 85
Prince NXG OS 82
Head LM Radical OS 78


Playtest date: December, 2004.
All content copyright 2007 Tennis Warehouse.