Racquet Playtest Comparison:

About the play tester	About the racquets
Name: tkoets on the Talk Tennis message boards Playing Level: 3.5 Regular racquet, string & tension: Volkl Catapult 10 with Babolat VS 17 natural gut at 56M/54C. Tell us about your game: All-court player with a medium swing style and speed. I use a semi-western grip off the ground, continental on the serve. I like to hit with plenty of topspin and with sidespin on the serve.

Power

All three racquets were very powerful, but of the three, the Volkl seemed to offer the most. The Volkl could certainly launch the ball with little provocation. And so I had to make sure I hit low-to-high with good follow-through on my shots, which created the topspin needed to keep the ball in the court. When I had the time to do so, my shots were very effective, with plenty of power and spin. However, on hard-hit shots or shots where I was pulled wide, my returns had the tendency to go long because I couldn't get enough spin on the ball. This was true of all three racquets, but I noticed it most with the Volkl. I think this can be attributed to the Catapult system. The Catapult springs kick into action most when you hit a flat shot. When you use a lot of spin, they are less noticeable and less of a contributor to the power. If you realize this, you can use it to your advantage. However, I found that this really created two different responses, and often when I hit the ball flat, there simply was too much power for my medium strokes to keep the ball in the court. But for someone with compact strokes, it might be just right.

While the Prince Thunder RIP had plenty of power, it was slightly less powerful than the Volkl. I also noticed that it was a little more predictable regardless of what kind of stroke I was hitting. Flat shots weren't significantly more powerful than shots with spin, as was the case with the Volkl. That made the racquet more predictable and a little more enjoyable to use in competitive play.

The Head racquet provided the least power of the three. The power level of the Head was comparable to many tweener racquets, and I was the most comfortable with the power level of this racquet given the type of stroke I have and the kind of racquet I regularly use.

The bottom line is that all three racquets are quite powerful with massive sweetspots, but players with more compact strokes will probably lean more towards the Prince and the Volkl. If a player has a compact stroke and expects to improve his/her game, the Head would probably be the one that a player could better grow into over time.

Control

When considering directional control, I found the Head offered me the most. This is undoubtedly due, in part, to the smaller head size and shorter handle length. I was much more confident I could place the ball where I wanted with the Head. Having said that, the Prince did offer pretty decent control for the type of racquet it is. It surprised me how well I could control the ball with it given its size and power level, but the balance and length of the racquet added some unpredictability into the mix for me and I found myself struggling a bit with timing when I was rushed or had to hit a defensive shot. It felt a little unwieldy, which is understandable given that I'm used to a standard-length racquet. Unfortunately, I had the most control problems with the Volkl. I just seemed to spray the ball quite a bit with it for some reason. I was okay when hitting groundies when I had plenty of time to prep, but shots on the run or shots where I really wanted to spank the ball down the line ended up with too much power or not going where they should.

Maneuverability

All three racquets are acceptably maneuverable to me, due in large part to their light weight. The Head racquet felt the most maneuverable. This makes sense since it is one of the lightest, has the shortest overall length, and had the lowest swing weight. The Head racquet didn't have that "head-heavy" feel that the other two seemed to have, even though they all spec out with just about the same balance (3-4 pts HH). The Head simply felt the most traditional and maneuverable. The Volkl came in second, feeling slightly bulky in the head but still easy to swing. The Prince felt the heaviest and bulkiest, which again makes sense since it had the highest swing weight. Maneuverability pretty much tracked with the swing weight level with no major surprises.

Stability

Here is where racquets a lighter racquet can provide some problems for an intermediate or advanced player. All three racquets had stability problems when I was hitting with players who loved to hit with pace. The ball had a tendency to push the racquet around a bit, especially when dealing with hard-hit shots up at net. At the baseline, all the stability issues weren't as bad. The Prince had the greatest overall stability, probably because it has more mass in the upper hoop. The Head and Volkl racquets, to be honest, were about the same in stability. All three racquets are dampened enough that you don't feel a lot of buzzy shock through the handle. They are pretty quiet in that regard. The instability is more of the kind where the ball pushes the racquet around a bit, and you notice some shock in your wrist after a while because of that. If I had been playing with folks who hit with very little pace, I'm sure stability would be not nearly an issue. However, the guys I hit with typically like to pound the ball pretty hard, and if I were to use any of these racquets, I would be inclined to put some lead tape in the hoop to help make them more stable. That would, however, make the frames more HH and more powerful, so the increase in stability would increase other factors that I wouldn't really want. The Head LM 8 would be the one racquet I could add weight to and probably make it stable enough and not overly powerful enough to still be a workable combination for dealing with incoming shots with plenty of pace. But you still cannot cheat the laws of physics, and a sub 10-ounce racquet will get pushed around no matter how much lead tape you add.

Comfort

While all three racquets felt pretty comfortable, the Volkl was, by far, the most comfortable of the three. It felt rather spongy and gives you that cushy, pocketing sensation, making it feel like the racquet is grabbing the ball. I was hoping to like the Volkl the most, because it felt the best, but I simply couldn't control the power. The Cat 2 or Cat 3 Fire might be better suited for my level of play. Having said that, the Cat 1 feels great in the hand. The cushy feel takes away almost all feedback in the handle, however, and I could notice this most in the Volkl. The Prince did have a little feedback coming through the handle, and so did the Head, but to a lesser extent. The Head racquet was also highly dampened, but you could still feel the head flex a bit on ball impact. With all three racquets, like you were hitting with a pillow. A very comfortable and plush ride. As a side note, I did notice that when I hit the ball with the Prince, the sound it was making reminded me of my vacation in Hawaii when I was banging bamboo trees together (don't ask) - sort of a hollow sound. The Volkl made more of a cracking sound, but the Prince was definitely the noisiest. The Head was the quietest of the three by far.

Touch/Feel

Touch and feel give you feedback as to how you are hitting the ball. They also add a dimension of reward to the game when you hit the ball properly, because you can tell by the sensation the racquet gives you that you are doing so. Well, I have to say that none of the racquets in this review are touch/feel kind of racquets. They are all pretty muted and stiff enough that you don't get a lot of touch or feel from them. They remind me of driving a Cadillac - you get a nice, plush ride, but you don't get the raw feel for the road and handling that a Ferrari would give you. So it's a trade-off.

The Volkl had a nice cushy feel and felt like you were grabbing the ball when you hit (see Comfort). I really found that appealing, but I'm partial given the racquet I normally use (Catapult 10). The comfy feeling doesn't really contribute to the touch/feel of the frame, however. The Prince did offer feedback through the handle that you sensed more when you hit the sweet spot, but let's face it, almost the entire racquet is the sweet spot, so what was it really telling me? With the Head, I could feel the racquet flex ever so slightly when contacting the ball on-center, but there was little to no handle feedback. I had the sense that the Head offered the most touch, followed by the Prince, and lastly the Volkl.

Groundstrokes

It was really fun hitting groundies with these sticks. I enjoyed groundies most with the Prince because I could really spank the ball with it and still had reasonable control. But I knew that in competitive match play, I needed more control and would probably reach for the Head. The Volkl was simply a little too difficult to tame for me off the ground, though I loved that cushy sensation. All three offer plenty of power and are very forgiving. If you've been frustrated that your backhand is much too compact and you can't get enough power, don't fear - get the racquet in the right position (you still have to have correct footwork and timing, no racquet will get you around that) and the racquet will work wonders for you. But be careful - if you decide to really crunch a shot, you'd better prepare early and hit with a lot of spin with impeccable timing.

Volleys

Volleys were a bit of a challenge with the Volkl. I simply couldn't harness the power and tended to hit too long most of the time. The Prince did pretty well up at net considering the power level and lower maneuverability. I think the added stability was they key that made volleys more effective. I kept shots low and deep with it with just a simple blocking motion. The Head was a little more demanding in that sense because the lack of weight pushed the racquet around a bit. I didn't sense that near as much with the Prince. So overall I would give the nod to the Prince up at net. However, with all three racquets, you had to keep your volleys very compact, or even simply blocking them back, because if you take an even remotely full swing, the ball is most certainly headed south.

Serves/Overheads

Serving was a pretty easy with all three frames. I had smooth, consistent serves with good control. The added length gave more leverage and made it easier. I did hit a little long with the Volkl and Prince for a while and had to learn to hit down more on the ball. You can hammer serves with all three, but I have to admit that because they are so light, you don't have the mass behind the ball to hit heavy serves. My opponent was able to deal with the pace most of the time. The serves were consistent, but not heavy. I was hoping to blow him off the court with the pace, but I just couldn't get the heavy pace I wanted despite the power level of each stick, probably due to the lower weight of the racquets. Second serves had plenty of kick and were consistent, but they did have a tendency to sit up a bit more than usual due to the increase of pace. However at the 3.0-3.5 level I play, most guys I hit with would have plenty to keep them busy in returning my serves with these sticks.

Serve Returns

Return of serve took some getting used to with these frames. Here is where the added length and power levels of each of the frames caused some difficulties for me. The Volkl and Prince require a simple blocking motion. Try to swing at the ball and it might have to be extradited back to the state you live in. If you have time to swing low to high, you can take a swing, but be careful. The Head was a little easier to take a good cut at the ball with, but even then I had to be careful. When I kept things short and compact, I could return just about any slow to moderately paced serve. When pulled out wide or when returning a serve with a lot of pace, I struggled because even a block would send the ball too high or too long. Also, the ball pushes the racquet around a bit. I would say if you're dealing with folks who hit slower to moderately paced serves, these sticks are workable, the Head mostly so. They give you plenty of forgiveness, and you simply have to get the racquet on the ball. But against folks with hard serves, these racquets do tend to crumble a bit under the pressure.

Spin

All three racquets had ample spin. The Volkl had the most, which isn't surprising given its 14-main pattern. However, as I said earlier, even with the spin I had difficulty controlling the power due to the Catapult system. Incidentally, in the Cat 10 I hit with, the effect still exists, but the lower powered nature of the frame enables me to control it and keep the ball in the court much better. But the Cat 1 put buckets of spin on the ball, and with a compact stroke, would do nicely. The Prince came in second, with plenty of spin to offer. With both the Volkl and Prince, I had to consciously put a low-to-high motion on the ball. Spin was necessary to keep the ball in the court. With the Head, I was able to keep the ball in and didn't have to work as hard to do so. Spin still came, but not as much as the other two, and the ball just seemed to be easier to work with the Head. I didn't feel I had to exaggerate my motion and have to use spin with the Head.

Overall

The Volkl and Prince are game improvement racquets designed for folks with compact strokes and slower swing speeds. They are best suited for 2.0-3.0 players and folks who are new to the game of tennis and don't see themselves developing longer, faster strokes any time soon. Players who rely on spin and like to slice-and-dice, and hit with others who do the same, would be very satisfied. The Volkl is more comfortable and easier on the arm, plus it is easier to swing. If you can harness the Catapult effect to your advantage, which I think you can with more of a compact stroke, it certainly feels great to hit with. For arm and elbow safety, it probably works best of the three, which is certainly important to consider! For a player with arm and joint problems, I would definitely suggest the Volkl over the others without hesitation. The benefits of comfort and safety outweigh all the others in that case.

As partial as I am to Volkl, I would have to give the edge to the Prince looking at the overall package. It was just more predictable and more solid than the Volkl, and was easier to control the ball with it. It still offers plenty of power, still has good comfort, and has better control, so I think it's an overall better option if comfort is not top priority.

The Head LiquidMetal 8 definitely requires more of a moderate stroke and its power level was noticeably less than the others. If you like the forgiveness of an oversize head, but still want a reasonable head size and handle length, the Head is definitely the more traditional of the three. It offers a very pleasing blend of power and control and is comfortable. However, I did notice some shock to my wrist due to the light weight of the frame when dealing with heavier pace. If you hit with people who have lighter-paced shots most of the time, you will probably not notice it but it is definitely more demanding than the other two. Some lead tape might be helpful in reducing some of the shock and bringing up the power level a bit. Overall I liked this racquet the best because it had the least power and the most control of the three.

Comfort Volkl Cat 1 Fire 85 Prince Thunder RIP 70 Head LM 8 68	Control Head LM 8 75 Prince Thunder RIP 70 Volkl Cat 1 Fire 65	Groundstrokes Head LM 8 75 Prince Thunder RIP 70 Volkl Cat 1 Fire 65	Maneuverability Head LM 8 80 Volkl Cat 1 Fire 75 Prince Thunder RIP 70
Power Volkl Cat 1 Fire 85 Prince Thunder RIP 80 Head LM 8 78	Serve Returns Head LM 8 70 Prince Thunder RIP 68 Volkl Cat 1 Fire 65	Serves and Overheads Head LM 8 78 Prince Thunder RIP 75 Volkl Cat 1 Fire 70	Slice Volkl Cat 1 Fire 78 Prince Thunder RIP 75 Head LM 8 73
Stability Prince Thunder RIP 70 Volkl Cat 1 Fire 68 Head LM 8 65	Topspin Volkl Cat 1 Fire 80 Prince Thunder RIP 78 Head LM 8 75	Touch/Feel Head LM 8 75 Prince Thunder RIP 73 Volkl Cat 1 Fire 70	Volleys Prince Thunder RIP 75 Head LM 8 70 Volkl Cat 1 Fire 62
Overall Head LM 8 74 Prince Thunder RIP 73 Volkl Cat 1 Fire 72

Playtest date: January, 2005.

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