Grey Wolf 87
Rookie
I'd love to hear any and all feedback from those that have tried any of the new Head Prestige rackets.
Has anyone tried the new line of Prestige rackets?
- Thread starter Grey Wolf 87
- Start date
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
I tried 3 of them. The MP, Pro, and Rev Pro.
MP- was stiff with zero power. It's was a struggle to get the ball past the service line. I have never played with with such a light, whippy, and stiff feeling racquet that was so low powered.
Pro- played softer and had much more pop to than the MP. Much nice playing experience. Better feel than the original graphene.
Rev Pro the softest and nicest feeling of the XT frames I tried. Again much more power than the MP. Did not like the fact it does not have the full Prestige CAP grommets and that its so light.
MP- was stiff with zero power. It's was a struggle to get the ball past the service line. I have never played with with such a light, whippy, and stiff feeling racquet that was so low powered.
Pro- played softer and had much more pop to than the MP. Much nice playing experience. Better feel than the original graphene.
Rev Pro the softest and nicest feeling of the XT frames I tried. Again much more power than the MP. Did not like the fact it does not have the full Prestige CAP grommets and that its so light.
@vsbabolat - can you compare the softness of the Pro with other frames? Do you think it plays to it's published RA, or is it just better than the graphene (which i found quite jarring at times)? Thanks!
Grey Wolf 87
Rookie
Thanks for the reply. While I've yet to try any, the Pro seems the most "middle of the line". I'm surprised by your comments on the Rev Pro. Given that it's got a smaller head, I figured this would be the most "stiff" of all three. Looking forward to trying them out!
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
It feels not as jarring as the Graphene and I did think it felt stiffer than the published spec. But again nicer than Graphene but that really is not hard to do.
Thanks. I'm wondering if the S might be the pick - same mold as the Pro - and similar RA - but scope the add strategic weight with dampening properties.
Chris92009
Rookie
I bought the Prestige Graphene XT - S Model since I add lots of weight to balance my sticks (thus needed the lower initial weight)...I had them measured for RA on a Babolat RDC and they all read in the low sixties...love the racquets!
TennisHound
Legend
I have tried the Pro and the MP. Haven't tried the S or the Rev Pro. If the Rev Pro is as solid as the others, it may respond well to weight added. Same for the S.
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
The Rev Pro felt solid. What was your thoughts on the MP?
TennisHound
Legend
Mmm. Less power than the Pro. Just empty feeling and clunky. I like the Graphene better, and that's not saying much. I can't believe I'm saying this, but It needs more weight toward the top. All the XTs feel like they need to be injected with silicon or something throughout the whole frame.
TennisHound
Legend
Even though the Pro feels stiff and vibrates a lot, I still kind of like it. I'm playing it stock right now without mods. I'm sure it could use some lead just to dampen the vibration, but if I wanted to go heavier, I would just get an RF97. I'm going to try some softer cross strings. I don't have any arm discomfort, even after hours of hitting, so I will probably leave the poly (Babolat RPM Team 16 @ 48lbs) in for awhile.
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
Are you using the Graphene or the XT Pro?
TennisHound
Legend
I'm using the XTPP, but I have the GPP as my backup right now. All of my references are to the XT.
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
The 6.1 95 is still going strong on the WTA and ATP Tours as is the real Prestige.
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
You won't get an argument from me. I did like the MG and IG mids. But do prefer the originals and the intelligence.
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
Ok, agreedok I was talking about MP
TennisHound
Legend
The XTPP is similar to the IGPP and IGPS in its harshness. I'm sure these racquets had a very low RDC rating, but were weirdly harsh (at least to me). The same way the XTPP is weirdly harsh. The Graphene doesn't help either. It only adds to it. But, its a 98" 11oz 16x19, so its specs are attractive. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but its a challenge. Its almost as if they made it and then sucked the substance out of it and left a hard shell. Anyone who says its soft and flexy has not played with it.
Slick Tennis
Rookie
I've been playing the GPMP for exactly 2 years now....and really liked them at first. I was probably biased by too much indoor play (which makes a lot of racquets feel better than they really are). I've come to the conclusion that they do offer good feel and some modern crispness..but don't offer any easy power and I'm closing in to my 40's....over time, the modern stiff feel gets to be jarring...and I've went back to older Head frames which give me more comfort and easier power (surprinsingly). reading reviews, I'm not interested by the XT version at all. I'm actually feeling like resurrecting my old pt280...or even more surprinsingly, movin away from head and getting a yonex dr98
TennisHound
Legend
Good plan, the new XT Prestiges are even more "modern" feeling, and not in a good way.
racket king
Banned
There is no official published RA. The TW spec is just an average which doesn't give you an indication of what is out there. People don't realize how much the same model of racket can vary due to manufacturing variances. The XT Prestige Pros that I've seen have strung RAs ranging from 62 to 65. The 62 RA racket I tried felt pretty soft - a bit too soft for my liking in view of its other specs (it was a pretty lightweight sample). The 65 RA one definitely had a firmer feel to it. If you're particularly about how a racket feels, buy to an RDC spec.
I can only talk about the Prestige Pros as those are the ones I've tried. It's a good update and an improvement on the 1st generation Graphenes. More solid and substantial feeling with better torsional stability.
The IG Prestiges could never been described as 'harsh'. That iteration is known for it's softness and somewhat muted feel. If you think the IG was 'harsh', you must also think that 95% of all the rackets out there are harsh. It was the Youteks that were brassier feeling.
Why would there be "excitement'? It's simply not a "Racket-O-holics" type of racket. No fads, no woofer grommets, no super open spin patterns, no jazzy paint job, no big sweet spot, no big easy spin, no easy booming power, no Federer / Djokovic / Nadal celebrity endorsements. It's a lightweight player's frame with no frills. Serious players don't tend to get hyped up about every single racket release.
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Sure - i was referring to the TW published specs that i think most here are using. I agree with what you say of course - if i knew the 62 would play the way i associate a 62 RA then i'd be happy to get one. My concern has been that notwithstanding the RA many find the graphene line to feel much stiffer.
racket king
Banned
The problem with TW specs is that most people buy a racket and assume the flex is whatever the TW RA spec states, when in reality it could be noticeably stiffer, or noticeably flexier, or have a higher / lower swingweight etc, all of which affects how a racket feels.
TennisHound
Legend
I know, I know. Only the Prestige S and Pro felt harsh to me. The IGPrestige MP was the softest PMP I've ever hit with. People have their own preferences. I actually like the Youtek over the IG, and the GPP and MP over the XTPP and MP.
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
Because in years past there was huge excitement about the release of a new Prestige with lots of reviews and now nothing. Yes, before there were beautiful jazzy red paint jobs. Now a matte black paint job while the pros get a glossy paint job.
Anton
Legend
Graphine's bad vibes have settled in people's hearts and minds when it comes to HEAD.
I have XT Prestige Pro on order, lets see if HEAD is making any progress.
tdhawks
Professional
I demoed the Prestige Pro and the Radical Pro last night. I preferred the Radical. The Prestige swung through the air a little easier, but the Radical had plenty more pop for me. The plow and stability felt a lot better to me with the Radical as well. It's the 1st time I have tried either two. Is this generally the norm with the Radical being more stable and powerful?
Anton
Legend
Their weighting is similar...on spec. In reality your Prestige Pro could have been considerably lighter and lower swing-weight which would make it less stable and give you less "pop"
TennisHound
Legend
Yep, you have to generate your own power with the Prestige Pro. The Radical pretty much has free power with the weight being more in the head.
TennisHound
Legend
Kind of obvious, right?
I tried the XT Prestige MP. The racket had a huge sweet spot and it was quite powerful. Mine was kind of a log though at 12.85oz / 364g.
I was expecting a light, whippy, and low powered racket, but what I got was the IG MP feeling with quite a lot of power on mine.
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
Mine that I tried was 11.8 strung. lt felt stiff with no sweet spot and really just felt unresponsive. It took a lot of effort to get the ball past the service line. To give some perspective I'm playing with the Prestige Classic 600
Was your XT Prestige MP glossy?
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stronzzi70
Professional
I tríed XT Prestige Pro ,,,, really nice frame ,, maybe a little powefull for my forehand side but I going to try with 10 grams at the handle ...
racket king
Banned
Christ Almighty....what difference does it make whether its gloss or matte?
Spray some of this on it if you think it makes you play better.
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
You know that its Pro Stock and that it is TGT293.2 or TGT293.1 which play very different than what they sell. I have played with them. Have you?Christ Almighty....what difference does it make whether its gloss or matte?
Spray some of this on it if you think it makes you play better.
racket king
Banned
What on earth has that got to do with matt or gloss paint??
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
All pro stock Prestige are glossy.
racket king
Banned
So what?
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
It's going right over your head. You just don't understand and you never will
racket king
Banned
If you think a 'pro stock' TGT293, PT363, PTZ90210 is going to make you play like a pro, then should go out and buy a couple and enjoy them, instead of constantly whining about Head's retail rackets. Pro stocks really aren't difficult to obtain.
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
No I don't. However they play very different than what is. No, pro stock Are not hard to obtain. I'm pointing out what is happening in our industry and what a cancer paint jobs are. Once it was something that is very rare. Now it is normal and rare when a player uses the actual model they advertise to be using. If you don't like it put me on your ignore list. Don't censor me.
racket king
Banned
I honestly don't understand why you constantly persist with retail rackets when it clearly makes you that unhappy. It's like a constant form of obsessive self flagellation. If you think the PC600, PT630, PTwhatever is the best racket ever, then great. Go out and stock up on a few and enjoy your tennis. That to me would seem infinitely more preferable that putting yourself into a state of constant negativity and continual unhappiness with rackets that you don't like.
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
That is what I use. I don't have an endless supply of these racquets. I also like to demo the racquets that interest me. I'm not negative just giving my opinion and the facts of the industry. You don't like thoses things. So ignore me. You don't seem to like what I have to say about racquets and it upsets you greatly constantly attacking me.
racket king
Banned
It doesn't upset me. I just think that you're making yourself unhappy with with seems like an unhealthy obsession with these old rackets and wanting something that isn't going to happen when you could be out there enjoying life instead. It's just a tennis racket, it's not the world and everything that's in it.
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
I'm not upset. However you're the one that's upset constantly attacking me and telling me what to do. This is a forum on tennis racquets. What should I be talking about? You know nothing about me! I get out and enjoy life,working, my family, and playing tennis almost everyday. You should follow you're own advice. You seem to be obsessed with me amd what I have to say about racquets.
