Speed Pro Graphene pics (and others)

Federerkblade

Hall of Fame
thank you. it also seem that generally speaking you if a racquet is x point headlight unstrung you need to minus 4 points roughly to get the strung spec
 

Automatix

Legend
thank you. it also seem that generally speaking you if a racquet is x point headlight unstrung you need to minus 4 points roughly to get the strung spec

Note that you are assuming that the balance (both unstrung and strung) are correct.

Now TW strung balance in points is true - measurements.
The balance unstrung in mm is what it should be but we know manufacturer tolerances are what they are.

Example given!

My G Speed MP is 297g unstrung and has a balance of 325mm.
If I were to go by Heads website/catalogue data I'd think it is 300g and 320mm. And because of these differences my calculations would be flawed.

There are also more variables. IIRC it's usually 3 point.
However the balance of my G Speed MP (16x19 string pattern - just a reminder) shifted by 7mm when strung with 1,10mm kevlar-nylon string.

So depending on strings the shift in balance will be different.
 

sargeinaz

Hall of Fame
I am really looking forward to demoing this racket. The specs look awesome and if it has a bit more pop than a prestige or radical then Im all for it. Is this racket a true 100 or more like a 98? I havent got to see it in person so I was curious especially since the shape is now more oval which is great.
 

rafafan20

Professional
I am really looking forward to demoing this racket. The specs look awesome and if it has a bit more pop than a prestige or radical then Im all for it. Is this racket a true 100 or more like a 98? I havent got to see it in person so I was curious especially since the shape is now more oval which is great.

More of a 98
 

Torres

Banned
do you think the g pro will be even better with champions choice

Every 18x20 I've tried with C Choice (gut mains) has been amazing. No reason to think it would be different with this stick, though usual caveats apply regarding Lux Alu lasting all of 2-3 hours before perfomance drops off massively.
 

Federerkblade

Hall of Fame
thanks torres . do you feel the crosses fall off as its only half poly. The reason i ask is the mains control the feel of the raquet. what tension would you string CC in the graphene pro

or will luxilon 4 g 1.30 be a better option as a cross .
 
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lidoazndiabloboi

Hall of Fame
530685_4759792066165_837375351_n.jpg


I must say, this is an awesome racket. I've used many rackets before, and not many of them, I can pick up, play and have nothing bad to say of it. A must try for all!
 

Federerkblade

Hall of Fame
does it come with leather grip underneath????

also what weight should this racquet weigh unstrung with the packaging on ?
 
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Dgdavid

Professional
My first impression after three sets with the Graphene Pro is very good. Mine is strung with RPM Blast 17 at 50lbs and is a lovely hit. Will know more when I play a doubles match tomorrow and a singles match Friday but am confident to take it straight in. Prefer it to my new Vcore Xi 98 (which is also very good).
 

lidoazndiabloboi

Hall of Fame
does it come with leather grip underneath????

also what weight should this racquet weigh unstrung with the packaging on ?

it comes stock with the Head Hydrosorb pro white grip. I swapped the leather grip on myself. Others have pictures of the weight with packaging.

My racket is 345g (12.17oz) strung with leather grip, overgrip, dampener and 3g of lead tape at the top.
 

Federerkblade

Hall of Fame
cool im thinking of ordering mine today and stringing it with either full black code 47lbs or wilson gut main and technifibre razor code cross at 55/51.

Just wish these racquets came on spec
 

Oz_Rocket

Professional
Well I could find plenty of stock in Melbourne while here for the AO but all the demos were out and had a 4 day wait. So I pulled the trigger and bought a Speed Pro anyway. I've only had a hit with my kids so only initial impressions (although my 9yo son can hit fairly decent groundies).

My current racquet is a Speed IG MP 315 16x19. Love the balance and feel (not too stiff for my ageing arm) but I am not a fan of the off centre instability. I'm still getting back into the game after a 13 year break so thought I'd try an 18x20.

I'll weigh the Pro when I get home but I have put an overgrip and dampener on and it has the factory string (Sonic Pro). Feel and balance in the hand is great and right for me.

After my first few strokes I was surprised at how much power it has compared to what my IG MP was like new. Also the off centre stability is much improved. If the kids hit one long and I volleyed it back softly to keep the rally going it was just so much easier to make the shot compared to the IG MP which would tend to die if not hit perfectly.

Control was great and as expected much better than the IG MP. While I didn't get the chance to hit many hard balls, it doesn't feel any stiffer than the IG MP and for someone who is naturally a more flat hitter I could generate enough spin for my liking when needed.

Serving was fantastic. I'm fairly old school with a hard flat first serve (used to be up around 200kmh but these days is more like 180-190) and I didn't feel I'd lost much if anything in raw speed compared to the IG MP but gained a lot in control. Only hit a few slice second serves but again they felt good. I didn't hit too many volleys or overheads but the racquet feels very manoeuvrable with plenty of control.

So overall first impression is this is a great racquet and as others have said Head appears to have addressed the few things that I didn't like about the old model. Looking forward to playing against some grow ups to give it a full work out. Next will be playing around with strings and I am really looking forward to getting a hold of some of the new Sonic Pro Edge.
 
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Oz_Rocket

Professional
Does it feel heavier than a prestige?

How would you compare the power level to a youtek radical?

I'm only just getting back into tennis after a long time away so have very limited experience with different frames beyond a few demos so take these comments with a grain of salt.

I hit with a Prestige Pro very briefly but have hit a bit with a friend's IG Speed Pro and the new Graphene Speed Pro feels lighter than both (which you'd expect). Probably the best comparison is that it feels slightly lighter and easier to swing than my IG MP (which has the same unstrung weight of 315g) but not as light as the old IG MP 300.

Again I've only demoed a Radical MP once but the power level is lower to what I remember about the Radical but I have no idea what strings/tension were in it and it was ages ago.
 

Torres

Banned
So are these Speed rackets ultra polarized? Head promo vid says all the weight is shifted to the head and handle or is that just marketing gumpf? If its utlra polarized, I'm not sure that that's necessarily a great thing because I'd rather have a more even distribution of weight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_n-hDutA5ws
 
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srvnvly

Hall of Fame
Played doubles last night with the Speed MP and Pro, and the new Instinct. The Speed Pro was by far the rock star: power and stability aplenty. The MP was underweighted, with not enough plow-through for me; if this was weighted similar to the Pro (weight, swingweight, stability), it would be my new stick. The instinct was better, but still lacked plow-through. The Instinct is a great candidate for lead tape.

I'm still leaning toward the Steam 99S, but the new Speed Pro gave me a LOT to think about, while I wait to demo the Steam 99.
 

Torres

Banned
^ Are you able to describe the characteristics of the Pro compared to other well known racquets and in what areas its better or worse?
 

Anton

Legend
The main thing that turned me off from speed line was lack of stability..but from the sounds of it that issue has been fixed.
 

Federerkblade

Hall of Fame
if you look at the two tool it suggests it has a massive sweet spot now too...

i just want to find one on spec > I personally think the speed range is a beautiful looking racquet but coud not play with one as i didnt get on with of the other previous speeds apart from 300 but that needed way too much customization
 

mrc

Rookie
I hit the Graphene Speed Pro today. Strung with 4G Mains Poly at 50lbs and Nat Gut at 55 Crosses. Just not my thing, too stiff, thick, light, and hollow feeling.If you want to break 200MPH on your forehand..great stick. Reminds me a bit of Head Radical IG Pro which I hit for a few minutes.
 

neil1b

Rookie
No, I get that and I am sure its not for everyone, but how can one say a 12 ounce stick is light? More so since their current stick is lighter?
 

mrc

Rookie
I'm a solid 4.5. It felt light in my hand and it swings hollow, light, and crisp. Honestly, I think it's more of a Babolatish frame. Those coming from thin headlight (prestige mp and Donnay gold) will most likely want to transition to that hollow crisp feeling racquet instead of finding this in line with their current preference.
 

Torres

Banned
I'm a solid 4.5. It felt light in my hand and it swings hollow, light, and crisp. Honestly, I think it's more of a Babolatish frame. Those coming from thin headlight (prestige mp and Donnay gold) will most likely want to transition to that hollow crisp feeling racquet instead of finding this in line with their current preference.

Oh dear.....I'm starting to lose interest. It's unusual though as the Prestige / Radical lines whether YT or IG, could never be described as hollow feeling. Does it not play solid and stable?

Anyone else concur with these comments about the Speed Pro?
 

mrc

Rookie
Just weighed mine..on racquet 11.1 ounce. Strung its 11.88 with Tourna Grip over over grip.
My Donnay Gold was 11.83 same grips and rubberband.
So, I admit that it's purely a feel thing.
 

mrc

Rookie
Btw, never said Prestige felt hollow. Radical Pro felt more like Head Graphene Speed in my limited use. I used Prestige MP for 4 years before switching to Donnay Gold 99.
 

Torres

Banned
hmm i think with a swingweight of 330 not sure how it could be hollow

You can still have rackets that are hollow feeling despite a high swingweight. Bring the swingweight of an APDC GT up to 330g for example, and you'll still notice that hollow construction and tinny micro vibrations.
 

Torres

Banned
Btw, never said Prestige felt hollow. Radical Pro felt more like Head Graphene Speed in my limited use. I used Prestige MP for 4 years before switching to Donnay Gold 99.

Although the guys below are having a brief hit with the MP rather than Pro they seem to suggest the construction is more dampened and less tinny than the previous Speed version. Unless of course this new version is still hollow feeling just less hollow than the previous version?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC0AefiViRw
 

NicoHK

New User
Hey lads, just would like to know if the Speed Graphene is the same mold as the Speed IG version? On pictures, it looks like more oval than round... Y/N?
 

NicoHK

New User
Thanks, it is starting to appear interesting if spite of what mrc said.
Will maybe go for a demo in the coming weeks...
 

Dgdavid

Professional
i have the new Pro and put it on top of a 315 MP 18x20. Definitely more oval. Slightly narrower at the top of the hoop, less circular. Didn't notice it in play, the new version is very nice indeed.
 

Dgdavid

Professional
any string recommendations? The RPM Blast is a little too powerful for my ground game.

that is becoming my conclusion too. I have RPM Blast 17 in mine at 50lbs which was great in doubles but too much in singles. What tension do you have yours at?
 

Torres

Banned
i have the new Pro and put it on top of a 315 MP 18x20. Definitely more oval. Slightly narrower at the top of the hoop, less circular. Didn't notice it in play, the new version is very nice indeed.

Did you notice any hollow feeling or tinniness?
 

rafafan20

Professional
that is becoming my conclusion too. I have RPM Blast 17 in mine at 50lbs which was great in doubles but too much in singles. What tension do you have yours at?

Thats funny I have mine at 53 and I was playing amazing doubles but I just didn't have the control to dictate points in singles like I did with the demo string (stiff multi) with my groundstrokes.
 

rafafan20

Professional
rafafan you not fancying sticking with blast then. I would try the technifibre range. black code or the new razor code.

I've used black code in the past in a different stick and its a nice string but I'm thinking of black widow or maybe the new MSV Hex soft

Edit: next up is black widow 17 or topspin cyber flash 17
 
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neil1b

Rookie
I just was able to put my stick on the prince racquet machine at the club. Here are the results.

Weight 350 grams
Balance 32 cm
Swing weight 352 kg/cm

Can that be possible 352 ?????????

I know my stick is a little heavier than the two average, and the measurement is strung with over grip and dampener.
 
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