Tennis Warehouse Playtest: Head Graphene Touch Prestige Tour/Mid Racquet
- Thread starter TW Staff
- Start date
haqq777
Legend
Did you see the pictures I posted? And the specs information as well? A couple of posters also gave initial impressions. Not sure what else you are expecting besides that. If you have any questions in specific for the Mid, let me know and I will try to answer. Please keep in mind, the final review deadline isn't till Jan 19th and it is holiday season too.Looks like this thread has drifted to a “pat on the back for all the great stringers.” 5 pages and not much about the racquets. Granted, it is the holidays. By the time anyone gets around to reviewing these we’ll probably be able to demo them for ourselves.
Last edited:
D
Deleted member 746200
Guest
As a size 4 1/8 user I guess I have no chance testing racquets from TW what so ever...Super interested in the tour and S version. Used to use IG Prestige S (weight up a little though) during high school varsity life and still one of the best racquet at least for me. Super open string pattern with shared holes brings great spin, however unlike today's racquet with open string pattern usually come with quite stiff frame, IG prestige S is great on touch and feel with enough plush feel once I weight it up. Graphene/ graphene xt prestige S they tightend up string pattern and raised RA made which is not as good as IG prestige S for me...Hope tour version's string pattern is on point for me...
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
D
Deleted member 746200
Guest
Btw the new pj is okay but slightly worse than XTs....Youtek’s ruby red is still the best
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Imago
Hall of Fame
It requires a very sophisticated eye to determine the exact color, probably a lipstick expert...
Last edited:
topspn
Legend
Btw the new pj is okay but slightly worse than XTs....Youtek’s ruby red is still the best
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Was that the youtek prestige pro? Nice looking frame
Faris
Professional
Yeah..i may be in minority but this ruby red with silver accents just does not do it for me...i find it too 'meh' for my taste... i think graphene xt looks best followed by current prestige touch...offcourse everyone has different likes and dislikes on such thing and I like black a lot..and how these rackets play is a totally different matter altogether...glad you like yours though!Btw the new pj is okay but slightly worse than XTs....Youtek’s ruby red is still the best
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
SpinToWin
Talk Tennis Guru
The IG Prestige looked gorgeous in person. Pictures do not do it justice.
Faris
Professional
will take your word for it...pics definitely don't do it justice if you say its actually gorgeous...i do know some guys who love it alot so....
D
Deleted member 746200
Guest
This is IG Prestige S. Open string pattern with shared holes. Plays like a spin effect prestige/radical
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
haqq777
Legend
Nope, not tinny/brassy at all for me. I'm playtesting the mid.
PhxRacket
Hall of Fame
I am play teeing the MID and it is not brassy at all. Granted, when I make contact on the periphery of the string bed, there is commensurate vibration. I was a little tentative doing a play test with poly as I have a tender/weak elbow. But the Lynx has been fun. I played 2.5 hours of dubs last night and am left with 0 discomfort. The MID has been a pleasure to hit with, drill with and now play with. I have never hit so many unreturnable serves owing to its precision. Flat serves were bombs! Deuce court slider...impressive and had one player nearly colliding with the fence. Ad court kicker, devastating. More to come with my official review, just a little teaser.
topspn
Legend
I’m play testing the Tour and not tinny at all
D
Deleted member 746200
Guest
Based on specs I guess the tour version should be a spin monster like a PD or PA. Hope it has both spin and feel like YT prestige S then I’ll switch to them immediately lol
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Imago
Hall of Fame
Exquisite, indeed.
McLovin
Legend
Racquet: Head Graphine Touch Prestige Tour
Introduction:
String and tension used for test:
Describe your playing style:
Current racquet/string setups:
Groundstrokes:
Introduction:
Unpacked the frame a looked it over. First impressions were that it was a nice looking frame. I liked the paint job a lot. Not boring, but not too loud. Before stringing, I checked the unstrung weight and balance. Specs say 305g, 1in (8pts) HL. Mine came in at 303g, 7pts HL:
I'm guessing 2g of lead at the butt cap will get me to spec. Not bad considering some frames can be as much as 10g off.
I'm guessing 2g of lead at the butt cap will get me to spec. Not bad considering some frames can be as much as 10g off.
String and tension used for test:
To give this a fair test, I decided it was best to use the same setup I normally use: 17g Natural Gut mains, 1.25mm Yonex Poly Tour Pro crosses. My normal tension is 54/52, but given it was an 18 main pattern, I dropped it 2lbs to 52/50. Luckily, I also had some red gut, which when paired w/ the black YPTP matches well w/ the frame:
It has been a few years since I last strung a capped frame, but what I remember most about Head is that they do an excellent job of making the process easy. All skip holes are adequately labeled, there are never any blocked holes, and tie-offs are well labeled and wide enough to accommodate 2 strings. Well, I'm glad to report that nothing has changed: Stringing this was a breeze.
After I popped a string during my 3rd outing, I restrung it with Tecnifibre Black Code 4S mains and YPTP crosses, both at 48lbs.
Tennis experience/background:
It has been a few years since I last strung a capped frame, but what I remember most about Head is that they do an excellent job of making the process easy. All skip holes are adequately labeled, there are never any blocked holes, and tie-offs are well labeled and wide enough to accommodate 2 strings. Well, I'm glad to report that nothing has changed: Stringing this was a breeze.
After I popped a string during my 3rd outing, I restrung it with Tecnifibre Black Code 4S mains and YPTP crosses, both at 48lbs.
I've been playing tennis for around 40 years. Played D3 college tennis, and am a 4.5/5.0 level player. While the majority of my play is recreational, I do play some USTA leagues and the occasional tournament. I have also coached high school tennis, as well as assistant coaching the junior clinics at my local club.
Describe your playing style:
Eastern forehand, 2 handed backhand. In singles, I am predominately a baseliner/counter-puncher, although I will finish points at the net when appropriate. My strokes are relatively flat, as compared to today's modern player. However, when playing doubles, I serve & volley on both serves, and look to attack the net when returning serve.
Current racquet/string setups:
Currently flipping between a Fischer Pro No 1 FT (singles) and a Pro Stock Fischer Rev Pro Classic +1.5mm (doubles). Both are strung with 17g Natural Gut mains, 1.25mm YPTP crosses.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?
8
Groundstrokes:
First hit (singles): From the first hit I could tell this was a control oriented frame. Not a lot of power was going to come from the frame, so I going to have to swing a little harder than normal. Warming up my backhand felt solid, but my forehand was a tad off. The frame has good balance and is very stable on contact for a 305g frame (320g is my preferred weight), however, it felt a little stiff for my liking. Looking up the specs afterward, I now understand why: 65 RDC.
Once I got my timing down, most of my shots went where I directed them. However, many were landing short. I was pleasantly surprised on a few occasions when, pulled wide on the backhand, I knifed a few slices cross court. I was able to really drive through the ball, keeping it low, but still deep enough that my opponent couldn't attack. Spin is mediocre, but my strokes are fairly flat to begin with.
First hit (doubles): Not many groundstrokes were hit in my doubles match. However, the ones that were followed the same pattern as in singles: Off-center hits lacked pace, but when hit in the sweet spot, it performed as well as most other control-oriented frames.
Second hit (doubles): Not many groundstrokes were hit in my second doubles outing, although that was more due to my unfortunate circumstances: I popped a string in the 3rd game. But since I was prepared for the lack of power, I really focused on hitting in the center of the frame, and when I did, the pace & spin were there. Still a stiffer feel, though.
Serves:Once I got my timing down, most of my shots went where I directed them. However, many were landing short. I was pleasantly surprised on a few occasions when, pulled wide on the backhand, I knifed a few slices cross court. I was able to really drive through the ball, keeping it low, but still deep enough that my opponent couldn't attack. Spin is mediocre, but my strokes are fairly flat to begin with.
First hit (doubles): Not many groundstrokes were hit in my doubles match. However, the ones that were followed the same pattern as in singles: Off-center hits lacked pace, but when hit in the sweet spot, it performed as well as most other control-oriented frames.
Second hit (doubles): Not many groundstrokes were hit in my second doubles outing, although that was more due to my unfortunate circumstances: I popped a string in the 3rd game. But since I was prepared for the lack of power, I really focused on hitting in the center of the frame, and when I did, the pace & spin were there. Still a stiffer feel, though.
First hit (singles): Coming from an extended frame, I was curious how I'd serve. Being only 5' 9", the extended frames really do help me on my serve. It took a few games to get the timing down, but when I did, I was hitting really solid, well placed serves. It swings quickly, so you can really accelerate up and into the serve. As with the ground strokes, some of my 2nd serves landed short in the beginning, but as I became more comfortable with the frame, I was able to place them deeper and with more kick.
First hit (doubles): Serves were, at best, inconsistent. At times I'd hit an excellent hard, flat serve, deep in the corner. Then I'd try a kick and it would land right in the middle of the box, which my opponents would step up & smack back at me. Placement was decent, but the lack of consistent depth really hurt me. Slice serves were good, but kickers, especially to the ad-court, lacked bite.
Second hit (doubles): Unfortunately, I popped my string before I was able to serve, so all I have is my warmup, which isn't much to report on as I only use the warmup to loosen up my shoulder.
Volleys:First hit (doubles): Serves were, at best, inconsistent. At times I'd hit an excellent hard, flat serve, deep in the corner. Then I'd try a kick and it would land right in the middle of the box, which my opponents would step up & smack back at me. Placement was decent, but the lack of consistent depth really hurt me. Slice serves were good, but kickers, especially to the ad-court, lacked bite.
Second hit (doubles): Unfortunately, I popped my string before I was able to serve, so all I have is my warmup, which isn't much to report on as I only use the warmup to loosen up my shoulder.
First hit (singles): I did not get to the net much in my singles match, but the times I did the frame felt easy to maneuver. It will be interesting to see how it plays in doubles.
First hit (doubles): This is where I was hoping the frame would excel. It felt like a volleying stick: thinner beam, headlight balance, very maneuverable. And it was those things, except that small sweet spot kept coming back to bite me in the butt. It lacked the pop, and feel was almost non-existent. Any drop volleys I hit were a mistake, and honestly more attributable to the lack of power than anything I was attempting to do. The worst shot for me was the lob-volley, which I employ a lot against aggressive doubles players. Lack of feel & pop caused most of my lob-volleys to be easy overheads for my opponents.
Second hit (doubles): In the 3 games I played with it, as with ground strokes, I was really focusing on hitting in the center of the frame. It was a bit better, getting a little more pop, but the feel is still 'meh'. I can't really put my finger on it, but I don't seem to have much dwell time. The ball seems to just bounce off immediately.
Serve returns:First hit (doubles): This is where I was hoping the frame would excel. It felt like a volleying stick: thinner beam, headlight balance, very maneuverable. And it was those things, except that small sweet spot kept coming back to bite me in the butt. It lacked the pop, and feel was almost non-existent. Any drop volleys I hit were a mistake, and honestly more attributable to the lack of power than anything I was attempting to do. The worst shot for me was the lob-volley, which I employ a lot against aggressive doubles players. Lack of feel & pop caused most of my lob-volleys to be easy overheads for my opponents.
Second hit (doubles): In the 3 games I played with it, as with ground strokes, I was really focusing on hitting in the center of the frame. It was a bit better, getting a little more pop, but the feel is still 'meh'. I can't really put my finger on it, but I don't seem to have much dwell time. The ball seems to just bounce off immediately.
First hit (singles): This is where I felt the Tour really stood out. As I've said before, the frame swings quickly, but is still well balanced and stable from the ground. These qualities lead up to one thing for me: The ability to step up and attack my opponent's serves. Immediately from the backhand side I was able to drive my opponent's hard/flat serves back deep. There was minimal twisting/deflection on contact, and that allowed me to handle even the high kicking serves. I was a little too quick on the forehand at first, but again, once I adjusted the results were similar to my backhand side. Very impressed with how stable it was, and am looking forward to using it in doubles.
First hit (doubles): As with singles, this is where the frame stood out for me. Return of serve, especially from the ad-side, is my forte in doubles, and even the small sweet spot couldn't dissuade me from hitting decent, dipping returns. In fact, it helped me control some big serves from my opponents, absorbing much of the pace from their 110MPH serves. It was stable enough to drive through any high kick serves above my shoulders off both sides.
Second hit (doubles): In my 2nd outing I was returning from the deuce side, so I was able to hit a few more forehands. Knowing the frame was underpowered, I came out swinging for the fences, and it really started to perform well. I was able to drive the ball cross-court effortlessly, and actually generate enough spin to get the ball at my opponent's feet. Again, this thing is really stable for 305g. Unfortunately, at 49, I cannot keep that kind of a swing up for 2 out of 3 sets, even in doubles. I popped the string at deuce of my 2nd return game, which was unfortunate as I was starting to figure this thing out. I had even hit a topspin lob, which is something I haven't done in a while.
General reaction/comments:First hit (doubles): As with singles, this is where the frame stood out for me. Return of serve, especially from the ad-side, is my forte in doubles, and even the small sweet spot couldn't dissuade me from hitting decent, dipping returns. In fact, it helped me control some big serves from my opponents, absorbing much of the pace from their 110MPH serves. It was stable enough to drive through any high kick serves above my shoulders off both sides.
Second hit (doubles): In my 2nd outing I was returning from the deuce side, so I was able to hit a few more forehands. Knowing the frame was underpowered, I came out swinging for the fences, and it really started to perform well. I was able to drive the ball cross-court effortlessly, and actually generate enough spin to get the ball at my opponent's feet. Again, this thing is really stable for 305g. Unfortunately, at 49, I cannot keep that kind of a swing up for 2 out of 3 sets, even in doubles. I popped the string at deuce of my 2nd return game, which was unfortunate as I was starting to figure this thing out. I had even hit a topspin lob, which is something I haven't done in a while.
The frame is aesthetically pleasing, and it swings extremely nicely for only a 305g frame. Many that I've hit with are either too head heavy, unstable, or lacking plow on contact. It is also very maneuverable at the net. This is possibly the first 305g frame I wouldn't have to modify. However...
It lacks a sweet spot. For 5.5+ level players, I'm sure this isn't a problem, but for those of us who don't hit the middle of the sweet spot 90% of the time, this will be a huge issue. The power drops off very quickly once you stray from that small area. Its listed as a 99 sq in frame, but plays more like a 93.
The feel is a bit stiff for my liking as I prefer frames in the 60RA range, but for people familiar with the 2x4 feel of modern tweeners, it would likely be a pleasant change. I handed this frame off to a few of my friends, ranging from a 5.0 55 yr old pro to a 20 yr old college player and got mixed reactions. It seems to be a 'love it' or 'hate it' frame.
Restringing with full poly was a mistake. I didn't think it possible, but it felt as if the sweet spot shrunk. I never felt connected to the frame, it was hard to generate much spin, and the power really dropped. Suffice to say, I didn't play very long with the full poly setup.
Bottom line: If the sweet spot could be enlarged, this would be an excellent frame for me, but I am not a good enough player to hit that small of an area of the stringbed on a consistent basis.
It lacks a sweet spot. For 5.5+ level players, I'm sure this isn't a problem, but for those of us who don't hit the middle of the sweet spot 90% of the time, this will be a huge issue. The power drops off very quickly once you stray from that small area. Its listed as a 99 sq in frame, but plays more like a 93.
The feel is a bit stiff for my liking as I prefer frames in the 60RA range, but for people familiar with the 2x4 feel of modern tweeners, it would likely be a pleasant change. I handed this frame off to a few of my friends, ranging from a 5.0 55 yr old pro to a 20 yr old college player and got mixed reactions. It seems to be a 'love it' or 'hate it' frame.
Restringing with full poly was a mistake. I didn't think it possible, but it felt as if the sweet spot shrunk. I never felt connected to the frame, it was hard to generate much spin, and the power really dropped. Suffice to say, I didn't play very long with the full poly setup.
Bottom line: If the sweet spot could be enlarged, this would be an excellent frame for me, but I am not a good enough player to hit that small of an area of the stringbed on a consistent basis.
Last edited:
haqq777
Legend
Review: HEAD Graphene Touch Prestige MID
Alright, folks. My final review of the HEAD Graphene Touch Prestige MID is here. But before I proceed, let me first give a big shout out to @TW Staff for giving me this opportunity to play test. It was a pleasure and I hope I was able to do justice here.
Let me start by giving everyone the unstrung specs for my racquet so everyone has a better idea of my play test. All specs are from a Babolat RDC.
Unstrung:
Static weight: 315g
Flex: 62RA
Swing weight: 296
Balance: 311mm
Strung (With OG):
Full bed of RS Lyon 16L at 48 lbs. The reason I chose RS Lyon is because I am more used to this string and I feel I will be able to give better feedback/review using it. The overgrip used was Wilson Pro. Did not use dampener.
Static weight: 339g
Flex: 60 RA
Swing weight: 325
Balance: 317mm
Racquet Model Received:
MID
String and tension used for test:
Full bed of RS Lyon 16L at 48lbs (first 8 hours). Luxilon Natural Gut/Red Code Wax 17 Hybrid (8+hours)
Tennis experience/background:
I’m a 5’9”, 175lbs, former NCAA Div II college player currently in my mid thirties. I regularly play with local college team players. Have a diversified background when it comes to my history of racquets ranging from Babolats to Princes and beyond.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
Aggressive baseliner. Even though my serves are not extremely huge, I have decent groundies with ample (if not excessive) spin. Mostly rely on well-placed flatter 1st big serve and can generally get away with a well-placed but slower slice 2nd serve setting up a put-away forehand. I am consistent, and rate my forehand as my weapon. I use a semi-western for my forehand grip. Have a one handed backhand which I tend to shy away from at times. It will always be a work in progress. My favorite shot is inside-out forehand which rarely lets me down. Not a big volleyer at all and rarely come to the net which sometimes costs me.
Current racquet/string setups:
I carry multiple racquet setups in my bag. All vary from 330 to 355g (strung) static weight with SW varying from 330-340. Prefer 16x19 patterns but that is mostly because I grew up on that. I can play with denser patterns too. These days my weapon of choice is Custom Angell TC100. As for strings, I am using RS Lyon 16L strung at around 50lbs mark.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?:
So far, I have put in close to 16 hours including drills, serves, ground strokes and general play. Cut out RS Lyon at 8 hour mark and replaced with gut/poly hybrid setup which has 8+ hours on it by now but is fraying.
Comments on racquet performance:
-Groundstrokes:
Racquet felt fast and very comfortable on all groundstrokes. I was coming off a 100 sq inch head size racquet so I anticipated a little adjustment period. Sweet small was smaller as expected. The shots were solid and stable as long as I hit in the center but I felt the racquet lost power and felt a little unstable on off center hits. I played with racquet stock with an overgrip so I am sure just a little bit of weight can rectify those issues. I also felt the racquet was low powered but that is probably because racquets I was coming off from were inherently higher powered.
The strokes were extremely precise for me and I felt I could easily control balls landing in my hit zone. Even though I have modern, whippier strokes and this racquet is considered somewhat of a traditional feeling racquet, I had no issues in brushing the ball at times to create angles. Depth control was exceptional and racquet was indeed very precise, which purists will tell you is the raison d'etre of this line. Backhand took me a little time to getting used to, but once I got the hang of it, it felt really great. Slices were a challenge for me. I could not get enough depth on them for some reason and was consistently hitting the net tape. The racquet had great maneuverability but because I was hitting off center more than usual (likely due to smaller head size) it kept me honest and I had to make sure my feet were on the move and I wasn't getting lazy, in order to center the ball. Once I hit the sweet spot, the precision and depth was great. Ample spin as well given the open string pattern.
Racquet overall was great for me in groundstrokes once I started getting used to it.
-Serves:
This is where the racquet really shone. I did need a few service games to adjust but after that, I felt I could hit on a dime. I use a platform stance to serve and had no issues getting the vertical and horizontal drive both. It was just a matter of getting the timing right.
1st flatter serves were getting good pop and depth. My 2nd serve which I tend to carve out had good spin and pace as well. Kick serves were a slight issue because I kept mistiming and hitting close to the frame but that went away after a while. Kick serves require better overall ball and racquet timing and coming from a bigger head size, I kept messing up for some reason. Had a few homeruns in the beginning, lol. But that is all on me and not the racquet.
Overall, an A+ in the serving department.
-Volleys:
I am not a big serve and volley player and I do not come to the net that often. That said, during the initial warm-up with customary volleys and overheads, I felt the racquet was great. I found the racquet to be able to redirect well and I was able to punch a few volleys nicely.
During all match play (sets, points and tie breaks) in this play test, I did really badly with volleys but that was all on me as I am not very good at the net and initially when I attacked the net I was trying to find the feel. The racquet is plenty stable if ball is centered, and in the right hands can be a decent volleying racquet. Small head size helps with maneuvering it as well.
That and I need to play doubles more often, as I have been told a quite bit.
-Serve returns:
Serve returns were excellent. I have a tendency to slice my one-handed backhand in for ad-court serve returns and I loved it. The chip return was also great. I had no issues in redirecting to bigger faster serves and I was able to whip the racquet across on the slower second serves.
As I mentioned above, if I was playing against hard hitters and big servers, I might consider adding a little bit of weight to the hoop for more stability. Other than that, no complaints on returns.
General reaction/comments on overall performance:
A few observations:
1. The racquet looks beautiful. I know that there were comments on the paintjob on this thread earlier with a few people not warming up to it. I have to mention here that I have gotten compliments from three people on three different occasions saying they would love to try the racquet out. Has grown on me as well.
2. The racquet plays much different than older classic Prestige. It feels more polarized with weight on the stick concentrated on tips, away from the balance point. That is absolutely not a knock. In fact, it suited my strokes much better than a classic Prestige.
3. Maybe because I did not grow up playing with Prestiges, or maybe because my strokes are more modern and whippier, I can not understand why people have this hesitance and borderline negativity about the newer releases of the line. I liked this Mid and as I mentioned above, it is not anything like a Prestige Classic. It keeps true to the feel and precision part of the Prestige line heritage, but comes in a different package than the Prestige Classic. Plays great for my game.
Conclusion:
I will end my final review by thanking the staff here at TW once again for this opportunity. Hopefully I was able to do justice with my review. If any of the posters and readers have absolutely any questions whatsoever, please feel free to tag me and ask me. I will be more than happy to answer to the best of my abilities. I would also recommend that you guys demo this stick once it is released to see for yourself. I am extremely happy with how it played for me and I hope this racquet does well in the market.
Alright, folks. My final review of the HEAD Graphene Touch Prestige MID is here. But before I proceed, let me first give a big shout out to @TW Staff for giving me this opportunity to play test. It was a pleasure and I hope I was able to do justice here.
Let me start by giving everyone the unstrung specs for my racquet so everyone has a better idea of my play test. All specs are from a Babolat RDC.
Unstrung:
Static weight: 315g
Flex: 62RA
Swing weight: 296
Balance: 311mm
Strung (With OG):
Full bed of RS Lyon 16L at 48 lbs. The reason I chose RS Lyon is because I am more used to this string and I feel I will be able to give better feedback/review using it. The overgrip used was Wilson Pro. Did not use dampener.
Static weight: 339g
Flex: 60 RA
Swing weight: 325
Balance: 317mm
Racquet Model Received:
MID
String and tension used for test:
Full bed of RS Lyon 16L at 48lbs (first 8 hours). Luxilon Natural Gut/Red Code Wax 17 Hybrid (8+hours)
Tennis experience/background:
I’m a 5’9”, 175lbs, former NCAA Div II college player currently in my mid thirties. I regularly play with local college team players. Have a diversified background when it comes to my history of racquets ranging from Babolats to Princes and beyond.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
Aggressive baseliner. Even though my serves are not extremely huge, I have decent groundies with ample (if not excessive) spin. Mostly rely on well-placed flatter 1st big serve and can generally get away with a well-placed but slower slice 2nd serve setting up a put-away forehand. I am consistent, and rate my forehand as my weapon. I use a semi-western for my forehand grip. Have a one handed backhand which I tend to shy away from at times. It will always be a work in progress. My favorite shot is inside-out forehand which rarely lets me down. Not a big volleyer at all and rarely come to the net which sometimes costs me.
Current racquet/string setups:
I carry multiple racquet setups in my bag. All vary from 330 to 355g (strung) static weight with SW varying from 330-340. Prefer 16x19 patterns but that is mostly because I grew up on that. I can play with denser patterns too. These days my weapon of choice is Custom Angell TC100. As for strings, I am using RS Lyon 16L strung at around 50lbs mark.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?:
So far, I have put in close to 16 hours including drills, serves, ground strokes and general play. Cut out RS Lyon at 8 hour mark and replaced with gut/poly hybrid setup which has 8+ hours on it by now but is fraying.
Comments on racquet performance:
-Groundstrokes:
Racquet felt fast and very comfortable on all groundstrokes. I was coming off a 100 sq inch head size racquet so I anticipated a little adjustment period. Sweet small was smaller as expected. The shots were solid and stable as long as I hit in the center but I felt the racquet lost power and felt a little unstable on off center hits. I played with racquet stock with an overgrip so I am sure just a little bit of weight can rectify those issues. I also felt the racquet was low powered but that is probably because racquets I was coming off from were inherently higher powered.
The strokes were extremely precise for me and I felt I could easily control balls landing in my hit zone. Even though I have modern, whippier strokes and this racquet is considered somewhat of a traditional feeling racquet, I had no issues in brushing the ball at times to create angles. Depth control was exceptional and racquet was indeed very precise, which purists will tell you is the raison d'etre of this line. Backhand took me a little time to getting used to, but once I got the hang of it, it felt really great. Slices were a challenge for me. I could not get enough depth on them for some reason and was consistently hitting the net tape. The racquet had great maneuverability but because I was hitting off center more than usual (likely due to smaller head size) it kept me honest and I had to make sure my feet were on the move and I wasn't getting lazy, in order to center the ball. Once I hit the sweet spot, the precision and depth was great. Ample spin as well given the open string pattern.
Racquet overall was great for me in groundstrokes once I started getting used to it.
-Serves:
This is where the racquet really shone. I did need a few service games to adjust but after that, I felt I could hit on a dime. I use a platform stance to serve and had no issues getting the vertical and horizontal drive both. It was just a matter of getting the timing right.
1st flatter serves were getting good pop and depth. My 2nd serve which I tend to carve out had good spin and pace as well. Kick serves were a slight issue because I kept mistiming and hitting close to the frame but that went away after a while. Kick serves require better overall ball and racquet timing and coming from a bigger head size, I kept messing up for some reason. Had a few homeruns in the beginning, lol. But that is all on me and not the racquet.
Overall, an A+ in the serving department.
-Volleys:
I am not a big serve and volley player and I do not come to the net that often. That said, during the initial warm-up with customary volleys and overheads, I felt the racquet was great. I found the racquet to be able to redirect well and I was able to punch a few volleys nicely.
During all match play (sets, points and tie breaks) in this play test, I did really badly with volleys but that was all on me as I am not very good at the net and initially when I attacked the net I was trying to find the feel. The racquet is plenty stable if ball is centered, and in the right hands can be a decent volleying racquet. Small head size helps with maneuvering it as well.
That and I need to play doubles more often, as I have been told a quite bit.
-Serve returns:
Serve returns were excellent. I have a tendency to slice my one-handed backhand in for ad-court serve returns and I loved it. The chip return was also great. I had no issues in redirecting to bigger faster serves and I was able to whip the racquet across on the slower second serves.
As I mentioned above, if I was playing against hard hitters and big servers, I might consider adding a little bit of weight to the hoop for more stability. Other than that, no complaints on returns.
General reaction/comments on overall performance:
A few observations:
1. The racquet looks beautiful. I know that there were comments on the paintjob on this thread earlier with a few people not warming up to it. I have to mention here that I have gotten compliments from three people on three different occasions saying they would love to try the racquet out. Has grown on me as well.
2. The racquet plays much different than older classic Prestige. It feels more polarized with weight on the stick concentrated on tips, away from the balance point. That is absolutely not a knock. In fact, it suited my strokes much better than a classic Prestige.
3. Maybe because I did not grow up playing with Prestiges, or maybe because my strokes are more modern and whippier, I can not understand why people have this hesitance and borderline negativity about the newer releases of the line. I liked this Mid and as I mentioned above, it is not anything like a Prestige Classic. It keeps true to the feel and precision part of the Prestige line heritage, but comes in a different package than the Prestige Classic. Plays great for my game.
Conclusion:
I will end my final review by thanking the staff here at TW once again for this opportunity. Hopefully I was able to do justice with my review. If any of the posters and readers have absolutely any questions whatsoever, please feel free to tag me and ask me. I will be more than happy to answer to the best of my abilities. I would also recommend that you guys demo this stick once it is released to see for yourself. I am extremely happy with how it played for me and I hope this racquet does well in the market.
Faris
Professional
wow awesome review man....will def demo this one...Review: HEAD Graphene Touch Prestige MID
Alright, folks. My final review of the HEAD Graphene Touch Prestige MID is here. But before I proceed, let me first give a big shout out to @TW Staff for giving me this opportunity to play test. It was a pleasure and I hope I was able to do justice here.
Let me start by giving everyone the unstrung specs for my racquet so everyone has a better idea of my play test. All specs are from a Babolat RDC.
Unstrung:
Static weight: 315g
Flex: 62RA
Swing weight: 296
Balance: 311mm
Strung (With OG):
Full bed of RS Lyon 16L at 48 lbs. The reason I chose RS Lyon is because I am more used to this string and I feel I will be able to give better feedback/review using it. The overgrip used was Wilson Pro. Did not use dampener.
Static weight: 339g
Flex: 60 RA
Swing weight: 325
Balance: 317mm
Racquet Model Received:
MID
String and tension used for test:
Full bed of RS Lyon 16L at 48lbs (first 8 hours). Luxilon Natural Gut/Red Code Wax 17 Hybrid (8+hours)
Tennis experience/background:
I’m a 5’9”, 175lbs, former NCAA Div II college player currently in my mid thirties. I regularly play with local college team players. Have a diversified background when it comes to my history of racquets ranging from Babolats to Princes and beyond.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
Aggressive baseliner. Even though my serves are not extremely huge, I have decent groundies with ample (if not excessive) spin. Mostly rely on well-placed flatter 1st big serve and can generally get away with a well-placed but slower slice 2nd serve setting up a put-away forehand. I am consistent, and rate my forehand as my weapon. I use a semi-western for my forehand grip. Have a one handed backhand which I tend to shy away from at times. It will always be a work in progress. My favorite shot is inside-out forehand which rarely lets me down. Not a big volleyer at all and rarely come to the net which sometimes costs me.
Current racquet/string setups:
I carry multiple racquet setups in my bag. All vary from 330 to 355g (strung) static weight with SW varying from 330-340. Prefer 16x19 patterns but that is mostly because I grew up on that. I can play with denser patterns too. These days my weapon of choice is Custom Angell TC100. As for strings, I am using RS Lyon 16L strung at around 50lbs mark.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?:
So far, I have put in close to 16 hours including drills, serves, ground strokes and general play. Cut out RS Lyon at 8 hour mark and replaced with gut/poly hybrid setup which has 8+ hours on it by now but is fraying.
Comments on racquet performance:
-Groundstrokes:
Racquet felt fast and very comfortable on all groundstrokes. I was coming off a 100 sq inch head size racquet so I anticipated a little adjustment period. Sweet small was smaller as expected. The shots were solid and stable as long as I hit in the center but I felt the racquet lost power and felt a little unstable on off center hits. I played with racquet stock with an overgrip so I am sure just a little bit of weight can rectify those issues. I also felt the racquet was low powered but that is probably because racquets I was coming off from were inherently higher powered.
The strokes were extremely precise for me and I felt I could easily control balls landing in my hit zone. Even though I have modern, whippier strokes and this racquet is considered somewhat of a traditional feeling racquet, I had no issues in brushing the ball at times to create angles. Depth control was exceptional and racquet was indeed very precise, which purists will tell you is the raison d'etre of this line. Backhand took me a little time to getting used to, but once I got the hang of it, it felt really great. Slices were a challenge for me. I could not get enough depth on them for some reason and was consistently hitting the net tape. The racquet had great maneuverability but because I was hitting off center more than usual (likely due to smaller head size) it kept me honest and I had to make sure my feet were on the move and I wasn't getting lazy, in order to center the ball. Once I hit the sweet spot, the precision and depth was great. Ample spin as well given the open string pattern.
Racquet overall was great for me in groundstrokes once I started getting used to it.
-Serves:
This is where the racquet really shone. I did need a few service games to adjust but after that, I felt I could hit on a dime. I use a platform stance to serve and had no issues getting the vertical and horizontal drive both. It was just a matter of getting the timing right.
1st flatter serves were getting good pop and depth. My 2nd serve which I tend to carve out had good spin and pace as well. Kick serves were a slight issue because I kept mistiming and hitting close to the frame but that went away after a while. Kick serves require better overall ball and racquet timing and coming from a bigger head size, I kept messing up for some reason. Had a few homeruns in the beginning, lol. But that is all on me and not the racquet.
Overall, an A+ in the serving department.
-Volleys:
I am not a big serve and volley player and I do not come to the net that often. That said, during the initial warm-up with customary volleys and overheads, I felt the racquet was great. I found the racquet to be able to redirect well and I was able to punch a few volleys nicely.
During all match play (sets, points and tie breaks) in this play test, I did really badly with volleys but that was all on me as I am not very good at the net and initially when I attacked the net I was trying to find the feel. The racquet is plenty stable if ball is centered, and in the right hands can be a decent volleying racquet. Small head size helps with maneuvering it as well.
That and I need to play doubles more often, as I have been told a quite bit.
-Serve returns:
Serve returns were excellent. I have a tendency to slice my one-handed backhand in for ad-court serve returns and I loved it. The chip return was also great. I had no issues in redirecting to bigger faster serves and I was able to whip the racquet across on the slower second serves.
As I mentioned above, if I was playing against hard hitters and big servers, I might consider adding a little bit of weight to the hoop for more stability. Other than that, no complaints on returns.
General reaction/comments on overall performance:
A few observations:
1. The racquet looks beautiful. I know that there were comments on the paintjob on this thread earlier with a few people not warming up to it. I have to mention here that I have gotten compliments from three people on three different occasions saying they would love to try the racquet out. Has grown on me as well.
2. The racquet plays much different than older classic Prestige. It feels more polarized with weight on the stick concentrated on tips, away from the balance point. That is absolutely not a knock. In fact, it suited my strokes much better than a classic Prestige.
3. Maybe because I did not grow up playing with Prestiges, or maybe because my strokes are more modern and whippier, I can not understand why people have this hesitance and borderline negativity about the newer releases of the line. I liked this Mid and as I mentioned above, it is not anything like a Prestige Classic. It keeps true to the feel and precision part of the Prestige line heritage, but comes in a different package than the Prestige Classic. Plays great for my game.
Conclusion:
I will end my final review by thanking the staff here at TW once again for this opportunity. Hopefully I was able to do justice with my review. If any of the posters and readers have absolutely any questions whatsoever, please feel free to tag me and ask me. I will be more than happy to answer to the best of my abilities. I would also recommend that you guys demo this stick once it is released to see for yourself. I am extremely happy with how it played for me and I hope this racquet does well in the market.
Frans Bleker
Professional
Review: HEAD Graphene Touch Prestige MID
Alright, folks. My final review of the HEAD Graphene Touch Prestige MID is here. But before I proceed, let me first give a big shout out to @TW Staff for giving me this opportunity to play test. It was a pleasure and I hope I was able to do justice here.
Let me start by giving everyone the unstrung specs for my racquet so everyone has a better idea of my play test. All specs are from a Babolat RDC.
Unstrung:
Static weight: 315g
Flex: 62RA
Swing weight: 296
Balance: 311mm
Strung (With OG):
Full bed of RS Lyon 16L at 48 lbs. The reason I chose RS Lyon is because I am more used to this string and I feel I will be able to give better feedback/review using it. The overgrip used was Wilson Pro. Did not use dampener.
Static weight: 339g
Flex: 60 RA
Swing weight: 325
Balance: 317mm
Racquet Model Received:
MID
String and tension used for test:
Full bed of RS Lyon 16L at 48lbs (first 8 hours). Luxilon Natural Gut/Red Code Wax 17 Hybrid (8+hours)
Tennis experience/background:
I’m a 5’9”, 175lbs, former NCAA Div II college player currently in my mid thirties. I regularly play with local college team players. Have a diversified background when it comes to my history of racquets ranging from Babolats to Princes and beyond.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
Aggressive baseliner. Even though my serves are not extremely huge, I have decent groundies with ample (if not excessive) spin. Mostly rely on well-placed flatter 1st big serve and can generally get away with a well-placed but slower slice 2nd serve setting up a put-away forehand. I am consistent, and rate my forehand as my weapon. I use a semi-western for my forehand grip. Have a one handed backhand which I tend to shy away from at times. It will always be a work in progress. My favorite shot is inside-out forehand which rarely lets me down. Not a big volleyer at all and rarely come to the net which sometimes costs me.
Current racquet/string setups:
I carry multiple racquet setups in my bag. All vary from 330 to 355g (strung) static weight with SW varying from 330-340. Prefer 16x19 patterns but that is mostly because I grew up on that. I can play with denser patterns too. These days my weapon of choice is Custom Angell TC100. As for strings, I am using RS Lyon 16L strung at around 50lbs mark.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?:
So far, I have put in close to 16 hours including drills, serves, ground strokes and general play. Cut out RS Lyon at 8 hour mark and replaced with gut/poly hybrid setup which has 8+ hours on it by now but is fraying.
Comments on racquet performance:
-Groundstrokes:
Racquet felt fast and very comfortable on all groundstrokes. I was coming off a 100 sq inch head size racquet so I anticipated a little adjustment period. Sweet small was smaller as expected. The shots were solid and stable as long as I hit in the center but I felt the racquet lost power and felt a little unstable on off center hits. I played with racquet stock with an overgrip so I am sure just a little bit of weight can rectify those issues. I also felt the racquet was low powered but that is probably because racquets I was coming off from were inherently higher powered.
The strokes were extremely precise for me and I felt I could easily control balls landing in my hit zone. Even though I have modern, whippier strokes and this racquet is considered somewhat of a traditional feeling racquet, I had no issues in brushing the ball at times to create angles. Depth control was exceptional and racquet was indeed very precise, which purists will tell you is the raison d'etre of this line. Backhand took me a little time to getting used to, but once I got the hang of it, it felt really great. Slices were a challenge for me. I could not get enough depth on them for some reason and was consistently hitting the net tape. The racquet had great maneuverability but because I was hitting off center more than usual (likely due to smaller head size) it kept me honest and I had to make sure my feet were on the move and I wasn't getting lazy, in order to center the ball. Once I hit the sweet spot, the precision and depth was great. Ample spin as well given the open string pattern.
Racquet overall was great for me in groundstrokes once I started getting used to it.
-Serves:
This is where the racquet really shone. I did need a few service games to adjust but after that, I felt I could hit on a dime. I use a platform stance to serve and had no issues getting the vertical and horizontal drive both. It was just a matter of getting the timing right.
1st flatter serves were getting good pop and depth. My 2nd serve which I tend to carve out had good spin and pace as well. Kick serves were a slight issue because I kept mistiming and hitting close to the frame but that went away after a while. Kick serves require better overall ball and racquet timing and coming from a bigger head size, I kept messing up for some reason. Had a few homeruns in the beginning, lol. But that is all on me and not the racquet.
Overall, an A+ in the serving department.
-Volleys:
I am not a big serve and volley player and I do not come to the net that often. That said, during the initial warm-up with customary volleys and overheads, I felt the racquet was great. I found the racquet to be able to redirect well and I was able to punch a few volleys nicely.
During all match play (sets, points and tie breaks) in this play test, I did really badly with volleys but that was all on me as I am not very good at the net and initially when I attacked the net I was trying to find the feel. The racquet is plenty stable if ball is centered, and in the right hands can be a decent volleying racquet. Small head size helps with maneuvering it as well.
That and I need to play doubles more often, as I have been told a quite bit.
-Serve returns:
Serve returns were excellent. I have a tendency to slice my one-handed backhand in for ad-court serve returns and I loved it. The chip return was also great. I had no issues in redirecting to bigger faster serves and I was able to whip the racquet across on the slower second serves.
As I mentioned above, if I was playing against hard hitters and big servers, I might consider adding a little bit of weight to the hoop for more stability. Other than that, no complaints on returns.
General reaction/comments on overall performance:
A few observations:
1. The racquet looks beautiful. I know that there were comments on the paintjob on this thread earlier with a few people not warming up to it. I have to mention here that I have gotten compliments from three people on three different occasions saying they would love to try the racquet out. Has grown on me as well.
2. The racquet plays much different than older classic Prestige. It feels more polarized with weight on the stick concentrated on tips, away from the balance point. That is absolutely not a knock. In fact, it suited my strokes much better than a classic Prestige.
3. Maybe because I did not grow up playing with Prestiges, or maybe because my strokes are more modern and whippier, I can not understand why people have this hesitance and borderline negativity about the newer releases of the line. I liked this Mid and as I mentioned above, it is not anything like a Prestige Classic. It keeps true to the feel and precision part of the Prestige line heritage, but comes in a different package than the Prestige Classic. Plays great for my game.
Conclusion:
I will end my final review by thanking the staff here at TW once again for this opportunity. Hopefully I was able to do justice with my review. If any of the posters and readers have absolutely any questions whatsoever, please feel free to tag me and ask me. I will be more than happy to answer to the best of my abilities. I would also recommend that you guys demo this stick once it is released to see for yourself. I am extremely happy with how it played for me and I hope this racquet does well in the market.[/QUO
How is the feel compared to the
Frans Bleker
Professional
Hello,
Thanks for your review!
Could you describe the feel of the racket compared to one the following frames?
Youtek prestige
Ig prestige
Graphene prestige
XT prestige
Touch speed
Very curious , thanks!
Thanks for your review!
Could you describe the feel of the racket compared to one the following frames?
Youtek prestige
Ig prestige
Graphene prestige
XT prestige
Touch speed
Very curious , thanks!
haqq777
Legend
Thanks. Will try to answer all.
It feels most similar to last generation XT line. It is a subtle improvement on that though. Feels softer and more connected.
I have played with Graphene Prestiges and can safely say this has much better feel and touch.
I have not hit with YT and IG yet although I have purchased them used and they are on the way. Once I do play with those two, I can definitely leave feedback here.
Have not played withTouch Speed, unfortunately.
I have two Microgel Prestige Pros and this racquet is an improvement on that iteration in terms of power, spin and comfort. Microgel still has better consistency, feel and control. Please keep in mind, all previous Prestiges I have played with (minus GXT Rev Pro) were bigger than 93 sq inch head size. On a side note, I hit a much bigger ball with this in stock form than with weighted MGPP.
Frans Bleker
Professional
Thanks!
Review: HEAD Graphene Touch Prestige MID
Alright, folks. My final review of the HEAD Graphene Touch Prestige MID is here. But before I proceed, let me first give a big shout out to @TW Staff for giving me this opportunity to play test. It was a pleasure and I hope I was able to do justice here.
Let me start by giving everyone the unstrung specs for my racquet so everyone has a better idea of my play test. All specs are from a Babolat RDC.
Unstrung:
Static weight: 315g
Flex: 62RA
Swing weight: 296
Balance: 311mm
Strung (With OG):
Full bed of RS Lyon 16L at 48 lbs. The reason I chose RS Lyon is because I am more used to this string and I feel I will be able to give better feedback/review using it. The overgrip used was Wilson Pro. Did not use dampener.
Static weight: 339g
Flex: 60 RA
Swing weight: 325
Balance: 317mm
Racquet Model Received:
MID
String and tension used for test:
Full bed of RS Lyon 16L at 48lbs (first 8 hours). Luxilon Natural Gut/Red Code Wax 17 Hybrid (8+hours)
Tennis experience/background:
I’m a 5’9”, 175lbs, former NCAA Div II college player currently in my mid thirties. I regularly play with local college team players. Have a diversified background when it comes to my history of racquets ranging from Babolats to Princes and beyond.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
Aggressive baseliner. Even though my serves are not extremely huge, I have decent groundies with ample (if not excessive) spin. Mostly rely on well-placed flatter 1st big serve and can generally get away with a well-placed but slower slice 2nd serve setting up a put-away forehand. I am consistent, and rate my forehand as my weapon. I use a semi-western for my forehand grip. Have a one handed backhand which I tend to shy away from at times. It will always be a work in progress. My favorite shot is inside-out forehand which rarely lets me down. Not a big volleyer at all and rarely come to the net which sometimes costs me.
Current racquet/string setups:
I carry multiple racquet setups in my bag. All vary from 330 to 355g (strung) static weight with SW varying from 330-340. Prefer 16x19 patterns but that is mostly because I grew up on that. I can play with denser patterns too. These days my weapon of choice is Custom Angell TC100. As for strings, I am using RS Lyon 16L strung at around 50lbs mark.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?:
So far, I have put in close to 16 hours including drills, serves, ground strokes and general play. Cut out RS Lyon at 8 hour mark and replaced with gut/poly hybrid setup which has 8+ hours on it by now but is fraying.
Comments on racquet performance:
-Groundstrokes:
Racquet felt fast and very comfortable on all groundstrokes. I was coming off a 100 sq inch head size racquet so I anticipated a little adjustment period. Sweet small was smaller as expected. The shots were solid and stable as long as I hit in the center but I felt the racquet lost power and felt a little unstable on off center hits. I played with racquet stock with an overgrip so I am sure just a little bit of weight can rectify those issues. I also felt the racquet was low powered but that is probably because racquets I was coming off from were inherently higher powered.
The strokes were extremely precise for me and I felt I could easily control balls landing in my hit zone. Even though I have modern, whippier strokes and this racquet is considered somewhat of a traditional feeling racquet, I had no issues in brushing the ball at times to create angles. Depth control was exceptional and racquet was indeed very precise, which purists will tell you is the raison d'etre of this line. Backhand took me a little time to getting used to, but once I got the hang of it, it felt really great. Slices were a challenge for me. I could not get enough depth on them for some reason and was consistently hitting the net tape. The racquet had great maneuverability but because I was hitting off center more than usual (likely due to smaller head size) it kept me honest and I had to make sure my feet were on the move and I wasn't getting lazy, in order to center the ball. Once I hit the sweet spot, the precision and depth was great. Ample spin as well given the open string pattern.
Racquet overall was great for me in groundstrokes once I started getting used to it.
-Serves:
This is where the racquet really shone. I did need a few service games to adjust but after that, I felt I could hit on a dime. I use a platform stance to serve and had no issues getting the vertical and horizontal drive both. It was just a matter of getting the timing right.
1st flatter serves were getting good pop and depth. My 2nd serve which I tend to carve out had good spin and pace as well. Kick serves were a slight issue because I kept mistiming and hitting close to the frame but that went away after a while. Kick serves require better overall ball and racquet timing and coming from a bigger head size, I kept messing up for some reason. Had a few homeruns in the beginning, lol. But that is all on me and not the racquet.
Overall, an A+ in the serving department.
-Volleys:
I am not a big serve and volley player and I do not come to the net that often. That said, during the initial warm-up with customary volleys and overheads, I felt the racquet was great. I found the racquet to be able to redirect well and I was able to punch a few volleys nicely.
During all match play (sets, points and tie breaks) in this play test, I did really badly with volleys but that was all on me as I am not very good at the net and initially when I attacked the net I was trying to find the feel. The racquet is plenty stable if ball is centered, and in the right hands can be a decent volleying racquet. Small head size helps with maneuvering it as well.
That and I need to play doubles more often, as I have been told a quite bit.
-Serve returns:
Serve returns were excellent. I have a tendency to slice my one-handed backhand in for ad-court serve returns and I loved it. The chip return was also great. I had no issues in redirecting to bigger faster serves and I was able to whip the racquet across on the slower second serves.
As I mentioned above, if I was playing against hard hitters and big servers, I might consider adding a little bit of weight to the hoop for more stability. Other than that, no complaints on returns.
General reaction/comments on overall performance:
A few observations:
1. The racquet looks beautiful. I know that there were comments on the paintjob on this thread earlier with a few people not warming up to it. I have to mention here that I have gotten compliments from three people on three different occasions saying they would love to try the racquet out. Has grown on me as well.
2. The racquet plays much different than older classic Prestige. It feels more polarized with weight on the stick concentrated on tips, away from the balance point. That is absolutely not a knock. In fact, it suited my strokes much better than a classic Prestige.
3. Maybe because I did not grow up playing with Prestiges, or maybe because my strokes are more modern and whippier, I can not understand why people have this hesitance and borderline negativity about the newer releases of the line. I liked this Mid and as I mentioned above, it is not anything like a Prestige Classic. It keeps true to the feel and precision part of the Prestige line heritage, but comes in a different package than the Prestige Classic. Plays great for my game.
Conclusion:
I will end my final review by thanking the staff here at TW once again for this opportunity. Hopefully I was able to do justice with my review. If any of the posters and readers have absolutely any questions whatsoever, please feel free to tag me and ask me. I will be more than happy to answer to the best of my abilities. I would also recommend that you guys demo this stick once it is released to see for yourself. I am extremely happy with how it played for me and I hope this racquet does well in the market.
Nice review. How is the mid spin-wise? String pattern is 16x19 but it looks relatively tight.
PhxRacket
Hall of Fame
I can answer that. The spin was easy to find. To be sure, my shots are not that modern-I don't want, nor do I get big net clearance. But I found spin easy to access on any shot where it was required. But, I have never been fond of open patterns so a tightly spaced 16x19 is dreamy.
haqq777
Legend
Thanks, I had no problems in generating spin. The pattern is indeed not as open as my regular 16x19 TC100 but the racquet was whippy enough for me to keep racquet head speed high on contact with ball.
tennisgurl
Semi-Pro
Excellent review, very thorough!!Review: HEAD Graphene Touch Prestige MID
Alright, folks. My final review of the HEAD Graphene Touch Prestige MID is here. But before I proceed, let me first give a big shout out to @TW Staff for giving me this opportunity to play test. It was a pleasure and I hope I was able to do justice here.
Let me start by giving everyone the unstrung specs for my racquet so everyone has a better idea of my play test. All specs are from a Babolat RDC.
Unstrung:
Static weight: 315g
Flex: 62RA
Swing weight: 296
Balance: 311mm
Strung (With OG):
Full bed of RS Lyon 16L at 48 lbs. The reason I chose RS Lyon is because I am more used to this string and I feel I will be able to give better feedback/review using it. The overgrip used was Wilson Pro. Did not use dampener.
Static weight: 339g
Flex: 60 RA
Swing weight: 325
Balance: 317mm
Racquet Model Received:
MID
String and tension used for test:
Full bed of RS Lyon 16L at 48lbs (first 8 hours). Luxilon Natural Gut/Red Code Wax 17 Hybrid (8+hours)
Tennis experience/background:
I’m a 5’9”, 175lbs, former NCAA Div II college player currently in my mid thirties. I regularly play with local college team players. Have a diversified background when it comes to my history of racquets ranging from Babolats to Princes and beyond.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley):
Aggressive baseliner. Even though my serves are not extremely huge, I have decent groundies with ample (if not excessive) spin. Mostly rely on well-placed flatter 1st big serve and can generally get away with a well-placed but slower slice 2nd serve setting up a put-away forehand. I am consistent, and rate my forehand as my weapon. I use a semi-western for my forehand grip. Have a one handed backhand which I tend to shy away from at times. It will always be a work in progress. My favorite shot is inside-out forehand which rarely lets me down. Not a big volleyer at all and rarely come to the net which sometimes costs me.
Current racquet/string setups:
I carry multiple racquet setups in my bag. All vary from 330 to 355g (strung) static weight with SW varying from 330-340. Prefer 16x19 patterns but that is mostly because I grew up on that. I can play with denser patterns too. These days my weapon of choice is Custom Angell TC100. As for strings, I am using RS Lyon 16L strung at around 50lbs mark.
How many hours did you play with the racquet?:
So far, I have put in close to 16 hours including drills, serves, ground strokes and general play. Cut out RS Lyon at 8 hour mark and replaced with gut/poly hybrid setup which has 8+ hours on it by now but is fraying.
Comments on racquet performance:
-Groundstrokes:
Racquet felt fast and very comfortable on all groundstrokes. I was coming off a 100 sq inch head size racquet so I anticipated a little adjustment period. Sweet small was smaller as expected. The shots were solid and stable as long as I hit in the center but I felt the racquet lost power and felt a little unstable on off center hits. I played with racquet stock with an overgrip so I am sure just a little bit of weight can rectify those issues. I also felt the racquet was low powered but that is probably because racquets I was coming off from were inherently higher powered.
The strokes were extremely precise for me and I felt I could easily control balls landing in my hit zone. Even though I have modern, whippier strokes and this racquet is considered somewhat of a traditional feeling racquet, I had no issues in brushing the ball at times to create angles. Depth control was exceptional and racquet was indeed very precise, which purists will tell you is the raison d'etre of this line. Backhand took me a little time to getting used to, but once I got the hang of it, it felt really great. Slices were a challenge for me. I could not get enough depth on them for some reason and was consistently hitting the net tape. The racquet had great maneuverability but because I was hitting off center more than usual (likely due to smaller head size) it kept me honest and I had to make sure my feet were on the move and I wasn't getting lazy, in order to center the ball. Once I hit the sweet spot, the precision and depth was great. Ample spin as well given the open string pattern.
Racquet overall was great for me in groundstrokes once I started getting used to it.
-Serves:
This is where the racquet really shone. I did need a few service games to adjust but after that, I felt I could hit on a dime. I use a platform stance to serve and had no issues getting the vertical and horizontal drive both. It was just a matter of getting the timing right.
1st flatter serves were getting good pop and depth. My 2nd serve which I tend to carve out had good spin and pace as well. Kick serves were a slight issue because I kept mistiming and hitting close to the frame but that went away after a while. Kick serves require better overall ball and racquet timing and coming from a bigger head size, I kept messing up for some reason. Had a few homeruns in the beginning, lol. But that is all on me and not the racquet.
Overall, an A+ in the serving department.
-Volleys:
I am not a big serve and volley player and I do not come to the net that often. That said, during the initial warm-up with customary volleys and overheads, I felt the racquet was great. I found the racquet to be able to redirect well and I was able to punch a few volleys nicely.
During all match play (sets, points and tie breaks) in this play test, I did really badly with volleys but that was all on me as I am not very good at the net and initially when I attacked the net I was trying to find the feel. The racquet is plenty stable if ball is centered, and in the right hands can be a decent volleying racquet. Small head size helps with maneuvering it as well.
That and I need to play doubles more often, as I have been told a quite bit.
-Serve returns:
Serve returns were excellent. I have a tendency to slice my one-handed backhand in for ad-court serve returns and I loved it. The chip return was also great. I had no issues in redirecting to bigger faster serves and I was able to whip the racquet across on the slower second serves.
As I mentioned above, if I was playing against hard hitters and big servers, I might consider adding a little bit of weight to the hoop for more stability. Other than that, no complaints on returns.
General reaction/comments on overall performance:
A few observations:
1. The racquet looks beautiful. I know that there were comments on the paintjob on this thread earlier with a few people not warming up to it. I have to mention here that I have gotten compliments from three people on three different occasions saying they would love to try the racquet out. Has grown on me as well.
2. The racquet plays much different than older classic Prestige. It feels more polarized with weight on the stick concentrated on tips, away from the balance point. That is absolutely not a knock. In fact, it suited my strokes much better than a classic Prestige.
3. Maybe because I did not grow up playing with Prestiges, or maybe because my strokes are more modern and whippier, I can not understand why people have this hesitance and borderline negativity about the newer releases of the line. I liked this Mid and as I mentioned above, it is not anything like a Prestige Classic. It keeps true to the feel and precision part of the Prestige line heritage, but comes in a different package than the Prestige Classic. Plays great for my game.
Conclusion:
I will end my final review by thanking the staff here at TW once again for this opportunity. Hopefully I was able to do justice with my review. If any of the posters and readers have absolutely any questions whatsoever, please feel free to tag me and ask me. I will be more than happy to answer to the best of my abilities. I would also recommend that you guys demo this stick once it is released to see for yourself. I am extremely happy with how it played for me and I hope this racquet does well in the market.
Faris
Professional
any initial remarks, observations and feedback for us VS?Sneak peek
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
Huge improvement over the Graphene Prestige Rev Pro and Graphene XT Prestige Rev Pro.
BDAZ
Hall of Fame
@vsbabolat What's your take on the mold? Same as the Premier Tour? And, do you like the Premier Tour at all? A lot of people hate it, and I can see why, but I kinda dig it.Sneak peek
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
Not the same mold. The Prestige Rev Pro is slightly larger. In 1997 I hated the Premier Tour 600. Today I don’t mind it. I wouldn’t switch to it.
Imago
Hall of Fame
Good to hear, coming from a "prestige purist" that's a good sign. Can't wait to demo this one.
topspn
Legend
Racquet Model Received: Head Graphene Touch Prestige Tour
String and tension used for test: Angell Halo 2 poly string which is a hex shape 17g. I picked this string since I am familiar with it and I thought it would be a good match for this frame. This is a softer, good feeling poly with excellent spin potential so I felt it would be a match to the tighter 18x19 pattern. It is strung at 49lbs which again I felt would be a good starting point with this string pattern. I restrung same string and tension which seemed pretty good after around 10 hours.
Tennis experience/background: I started playing Tennis around 7 years old. Spent tons of hours a day playing courts on the beach where I grew up. I chose to play soccer in college and played tennis recreationally then somehow stopped playing. Ten years later or so, I happened to go out and try to hit a bit and wondered why I quite playing. Anyway, started playing again over 14 years ago and took it seriously and here we are. Over the years, I’ve owned the following racquets: Redondo 98, VCORE 95D, Pure Storm Tour (1st generation and GT), PD 1st gen, Hyper Pro staff 6.1, AI98, TT95, RF97A, Duel G, SV95, TC95 and TC100. Currently have in my bag TC100s, K7, the Tour I’m play testing and for kicks a Maxply Fort Tournament.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): I would describe my style as all court. Comfortable hitting from the base line but will look for a ball to attack and move in behind it. I am good volleying anywhere on the court. I can comfortably serve and volley. I have a 1hbh that I can drive or hit top spin. I enjoy hitting hard and like to crush my forehands frequently enough. My serving is also pretty aggressive and I don’t use it to just get the ball in play. I certainly use it as an attacking start and go for big first serves. I am generally still aggressive on 2nd serves and go for kickers out wide in the ad court. I prefer sliders out wide and heavy spin serves swinging into the body on the deuce side. Serving is a weapon for me so I enjoy good serving sticks for sure.
Current racquet/string setups: Angell Custom TC100 63RA frame strung and OG with a little #33 rubber band dampner is 339g, 320mm bal and 330 SW. My current string setup is hyper-g 16L @53lbs.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? I tried to give this racquet its due and probably have around 16hrs of mixed play in singles, doubles and my USTA team practice drills.
Comments on racquet performance:
Before I get into some specific strokes, just wanted to go over my findings of the Tour specs. When I got the racquet, I measured static weight and balance. I cannot verify or deny anything on SW since I don’t have access to an RDC, however the TW average of 325 strung seems pretty plausible to me after hitting with the racquet.
Unstrung:
304g and 31.9cms bal
Strung: And with two OGs super grap since I felt the size was a bit smallish for me. I normally play 1 OG over a leather grip.
330.8g and 32.3cms bal
-Groundstrokes:
This is not a sluggish frame by any means, quite the opposite. You can easily whip the racquet around even with little time and it swings easily. Response I suspect might not be the cup of tea for Prestige purists that like to lament the buttery feel. This racquet is not buttery, it is a bit of a firm response that is pretty comfortable, muted but again not disconnected. I actually found the response pretty nice and well connected. Given the tighter pattern, I was wondering what kind of rotation I would be getting, however no worries, I got very nice ball rotation and pretty good spin.
My forehands adjusted quickly enough and trajectory is really up to you. I could hit with little clearance and create diving shots at people’s shoelaces as they approach the net or big heavy top spin that kicked very nicely through the court. Or just go more flat with just deep pace. Really enjoyed my 1HBH as well and was able to drive or hit top spin with no issues. I floated my slices a little bit in the beginning then I adjusted a bit with the 2 OGs and slices came slithering low. This is a versatile racquet on ground strokes and not a one trick pony.
-Serves:
In the beginning, I struggled a bit with my serve, I noticed my motion just got to speedy overall and I lost fluid rhythm. I was hitting long way to much. This frame is just a bit whippier and I had to slow down my serving motion and accelerate up into the ball. Once I got my timing down with this frame things went a lot smoother.
This frame does have some potency and pretty decent at smacking down the line flats. Overall, if you have the serve in the first place, you’ll get some reward with this frame. Especially, liked carving wide slide serves that were pretty effective with the frame’s ability to provide variety. Pretty respectable kick serves and some nice twist. The feel on serves was pretty good so gave me the confidence to go for my serves. It reminded me of the SV95 serves which had a bit extra on them.
-Volleys:
Volleys are pretty competent and maneuverability quite good. I had to volley a bit cleaner as outside the sweet spot was not ideal or perhaps I’m just used to how generous my playing stick is. Nevertheless, I was able to approach and pick up 1/2 volleys and place my volleys with good precision. I felt it could have been a bit more stable against heavy hitters who like to tattoo you. Overheads in practice felt good and mobility of the racquet coupled with decent SW for its weight enabled some good crushing of the ball. Touch was a bit lively so a bit harder to get back spins on volleys but I’m being picky as how often do you really try that anyway? For me, not frequent but I suppose I was in a testing mode so was just trying anything that occurred to me.
-Serve returns:
Love the quickness on returns and the precision I was getting. If I got a lazy serve, I just went for it and with consistent results. Bigger serves, mobility really helps and you could block and try to keep it low which I think the frame did well at. In doubles, successfully annoying the net guy with some variety of cross courts, dippers and keeping them honest with down the line drives all seemed pretty competent. Sometimes challenging to do on bigger serves due to weight but then again you get mobility so it was a bit of pros and cons.
General reaction/comments on overall performance:
String and tension used for test: Angell Halo 2 poly string which is a hex shape 17g. I picked this string since I am familiar with it and I thought it would be a good match for this frame. This is a softer, good feeling poly with excellent spin potential so I felt it would be a match to the tighter 18x19 pattern. It is strung at 49lbs which again I felt would be a good starting point with this string pattern. I restrung same string and tension which seemed pretty good after around 10 hours.
Tennis experience/background: I started playing Tennis around 7 years old. Spent tons of hours a day playing courts on the beach where I grew up. I chose to play soccer in college and played tennis recreationally then somehow stopped playing. Ten years later or so, I happened to go out and try to hit a bit and wondered why I quite playing. Anyway, started playing again over 14 years ago and took it seriously and here we are. Over the years, I’ve owned the following racquets: Redondo 98, VCORE 95D, Pure Storm Tour (1st generation and GT), PD 1st gen, Hyper Pro staff 6.1, AI98, TT95, RF97A, Duel G, SV95, TC95 and TC100. Currently have in my bag TC100s, K7, the Tour I’m play testing and for kicks a Maxply Fort Tournament.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): I would describe my style as all court. Comfortable hitting from the base line but will look for a ball to attack and move in behind it. I am good volleying anywhere on the court. I can comfortably serve and volley. I have a 1hbh that I can drive or hit top spin. I enjoy hitting hard and like to crush my forehands frequently enough. My serving is also pretty aggressive and I don’t use it to just get the ball in play. I certainly use it as an attacking start and go for big first serves. I am generally still aggressive on 2nd serves and go for kickers out wide in the ad court. I prefer sliders out wide and heavy spin serves swinging into the body on the deuce side. Serving is a weapon for me so I enjoy good serving sticks for sure.
Current racquet/string setups: Angell Custom TC100 63RA frame strung and OG with a little #33 rubber band dampner is 339g, 320mm bal and 330 SW. My current string setup is hyper-g 16L @53lbs.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? I tried to give this racquet its due and probably have around 16hrs of mixed play in singles, doubles and my USTA team practice drills.
Comments on racquet performance:
Before I get into some specific strokes, just wanted to go over my findings of the Tour specs. When I got the racquet, I measured static weight and balance. I cannot verify or deny anything on SW since I don’t have access to an RDC, however the TW average of 325 strung seems pretty plausible to me after hitting with the racquet.
Unstrung:
304g and 31.9cms bal
Strung: And with two OGs super grap since I felt the size was a bit smallish for me. I normally play 1 OG over a leather grip.
330.8g and 32.3cms bal
-Groundstrokes:
This is not a sluggish frame by any means, quite the opposite. You can easily whip the racquet around even with little time and it swings easily. Response I suspect might not be the cup of tea for Prestige purists that like to lament the buttery feel. This racquet is not buttery, it is a bit of a firm response that is pretty comfortable, muted but again not disconnected. I actually found the response pretty nice and well connected. Given the tighter pattern, I was wondering what kind of rotation I would be getting, however no worries, I got very nice ball rotation and pretty good spin.
My forehands adjusted quickly enough and trajectory is really up to you. I could hit with little clearance and create diving shots at people’s shoelaces as they approach the net or big heavy top spin that kicked very nicely through the court. Or just go more flat with just deep pace. Really enjoyed my 1HBH as well and was able to drive or hit top spin with no issues. I floated my slices a little bit in the beginning then I adjusted a bit with the 2 OGs and slices came slithering low. This is a versatile racquet on ground strokes and not a one trick pony.
-Serves:
In the beginning, I struggled a bit with my serve, I noticed my motion just got to speedy overall and I lost fluid rhythm. I was hitting long way to much. This frame is just a bit whippier and I had to slow down my serving motion and accelerate up into the ball. Once I got my timing down with this frame things went a lot smoother.
This frame does have some potency and pretty decent at smacking down the line flats. Overall, if you have the serve in the first place, you’ll get some reward with this frame. Especially, liked carving wide slide serves that were pretty effective with the frame’s ability to provide variety. Pretty respectable kick serves and some nice twist. The feel on serves was pretty good so gave me the confidence to go for my serves. It reminded me of the SV95 serves which had a bit extra on them.
-Volleys:
Volleys are pretty competent and maneuverability quite good. I had to volley a bit cleaner as outside the sweet spot was not ideal or perhaps I’m just used to how generous my playing stick is. Nevertheless, I was able to approach and pick up 1/2 volleys and place my volleys with good precision. I felt it could have been a bit more stable against heavy hitters who like to tattoo you. Overheads in practice felt good and mobility of the racquet coupled with decent SW for its weight enabled some good crushing of the ball. Touch was a bit lively so a bit harder to get back spins on volleys but I’m being picky as how often do you really try that anyway? For me, not frequent but I suppose I was in a testing mode so was just trying anything that occurred to me.
-Serve returns:
Love the quickness on returns and the precision I was getting. If I got a lazy serve, I just went for it and with consistent results. Bigger serves, mobility really helps and you could block and try to keep it low which I think the frame did well at. In doubles, successfully annoying the net guy with some variety of cross courts, dippers and keeping them honest with down the line drives all seemed pretty competent. Sometimes challenging to do on bigger serves due to weight but then again you get mobility so it was a bit of pros and cons.
General reaction/comments on overall performance:
- I don’t know why some had qualms about the PJ? This is a handsome frame and I enjoyed the color combination. I got a couple of compliments with people asking questions what I was hitting with and looking it over. I understand taste is very subjective but looks of this frame works for me.
- This frame is probably not going to get the Prestige purist all excited but we have all had frames that we just wanted to replicate and frame designers tried other ideas. This is not a tinny or hollow racquet in any way. It feels relatively solid for its weight and has a somewhat firm yet pretty comfortable feel.
- I was relatively surprised with the power this racquet can generate but then again it’s a generous 99 so perhaps that was just in my mind with the 18x19 pattern. I perhaps just assumed it was all control so was not expecting the level of power and it was a good thing in my opinion. The combination of precision and power was pretty good enabling competent shot making along with the frames mobility. Pretty point and shoot racquet.
- I played this frame totally stock with just two OGs to get the grip a bit larger. Plenty of room for folks to add weight for a bit more stability and punch.
- Lastly, thank you TW guys for this playtest, it was fun and creates a nice sharing atmosphere amongst the tennis geeks on your forum. Hope there are plenty more playtests to come
Faris
Professional
another grt review! did you feel that 18x19 pattern affected your playing style seeing that you were playin with 16x19 patterns before? any changes u had to make to adapt or was the tour just a pick up and play easy kinda racquet? thanks for ur feedbackRacquet Model Received: Head Graphene Touch Prestige Tour
String and tension used for test: Angell Halo 2 poly string which is a hex shape 17g. I picked this string since I am familiar with it and I thought it would be a good match for this frame. This is a softer, good feeling poly with excellent spin potential so I felt it would be a match to the tighter 18x19 pattern. It is strung at 49lbs which again I felt would be a good starting point with this string pattern. I restrung same string and tension which seemed pretty good after around 10 hours.
Tennis experience/background: I started playing Tennis around 7 years old. Spent tons of hours a day playing courts on the beach where I grew up. I chose to play soccer in college and played tennis recreationally then somehow stopped playing. Ten years later or so, I happened to go out and try to hit a bit and wondered why I quite playing. Anyway, started playing again over 14 years ago and took it seriously and here we are. Over the years, I’ve owned the following racquets: Redondo 98, VCORE 95D, Pure Storm Tour (1st generation and GT), PD 1st gen, Hyper Pro staff 6.1, AI98, TT95, RF97A, Duel G, SV95, TC95 and TC100. Currently have in my bag TC100s, K7, the Tour I’m play testing and for kicks a Maxply Fort Tournament.
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): I would describe my style as all court. Comfortable hitting from the base line but will look for a ball to attack and move in behind it. I am good volleying anywhere on the court. I can comfortably serve and volley. I have a 1hbh that I can drive or hit top spin. I enjoy hitting hard and like to crush my forehands frequently enough. My serving is also pretty aggressive and I don’t use it to just get the ball in play. I certainly use it as an attacking start and go for big first serves. I am generally still aggressive on 2nd serves and go for kickers out wide in the ad court. I prefer sliders out wide and heavy spin serves swinging into the body on the deuce side. Serving is a weapon for me so I enjoy good serving sticks for sure.
Current racquet/string setups: Angell Custom TC100 63RA frame strung and OG with a little #33 rubber band dampner is 339g, 320mm bal and 330 SW. My current string setup is hyper-g 16L @53lbs.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? I tried to give this racquet its due and probably have around 16hrs of mixed play in singles, doubles and my USTA team practice drills.
Comments on racquet performance:
Before I get into some specific strokes, just wanted to go over my findings of the Tour specs. When I got the racquet, I measured static weight and balance. I cannot verify or deny anything on SW since I don’t have access to an RDC, however the TW average of 325 strung seems pretty plausible to me after hitting with the racquet.
Unstrung:
304g and 31.9cms bal
Strung: And with two OGs super grap since I felt the size was a bit smallish for me. I normally play 1 OG over a leather grip.
330.8g and 32.3cms bal
-Groundstrokes:
This is not a sluggish frame by any means, quite the opposite. You can easily whip the racquet around even with little time and it swings easily. Response I suspect might not be the cup of tea for Prestige purists that like to lament the buttery feel. This racquet is not buttery, it is a bit of a firm response that is pretty comfortable, muted but again not disconnected. I actually found the response pretty nice and well connected. Given the tighter pattern, I was wondering what kind of rotation I would be getting, however no worries, I got very nice ball rotation and pretty good spin.
My forehands adjusted quickly enough and trajectory is really up to you. I could hit with little clearance and create diving shots at people’s shoelaces as they approach the net or big heavy top spin that kicked very nicely through the court. Or just go more flat with just deep pace. Really enjoyed my 1HBH as well and was able to drive or hit top spin with no issues. I floated my slices a little bit in the beginning then I adjusted a bit with the 2 OGs and slices came slithering low. This is a versatile racquet on ground strokes and not a one trick pony.
-Serves:
In the beginning, I struggled a bit with my serve, I noticed my motion just got to speedy overall and I lost fluid rhythm. I was hitting long way to much. This frame is just a bit whippier and I had to slow down my serving motion and accelerate up into the ball. Once I got my timing down with this frame things went a lot smoother.
This frame does have some potency and pretty decent at smacking down the line flats. Overall, if you have the serve in the first place, you’ll get some reward with this frame. Especially, liked carving wide slide serves that were pretty effective with the frame’s ability to provide variety. Pretty respectable kick serves and some nice twist. The feel on serves was pretty good so gave me the confidence to go for my serves. It reminded me of the SV95 serves which had a bit extra on them.
-Volleys:
Volleys are pretty competent and maneuverability quite good. I had to volley a bit cleaner as outside the sweet spot was not ideal or perhaps I’m just used to how generous my playing stick is. Nevertheless, I was able to approach and pick up 1/2 volleys and place my volleys with good precision. I felt it could have been a bit more stable against heavy hitters who like to tattoo you. Overheads in practice felt good and mobility of the racquet coupled with decent SW for its weight enabled some good crushing of the ball. Touch was a bit lively so a bit harder to get back spins on volleys but I’m being picky as how often do you really try that anyway? For me, not frequent but I suppose I was in a testing mode so was just trying anything that occurred to me.
-Serve returns:
Love the quickness on returns and the precision I was getting. If I got a lazy serve, I just went for it and with consistent results. Bigger serves, mobility really helps and you could block and try to keep it low which I think the frame did well at. In doubles, successfully annoying the net guy with some variety of cross courts, dippers and keeping them honest with down the line drives all seemed pretty competent. Sometimes challenging to do on bigger serves due to weight but then again you get mobility so it was a bit of pros and cons.
General reaction/comments on overall performance:
- I don’t know why some had qualms about the PJ? This is a handsome frame and I enjoyed the color combination. I got a couple of compliments with people asking questions what I was hitting with and looking it over. I understand taste is very subjective but looks of this frame works for me.
- This frame is probably not going to get the Prestige purist all excited but we have all had frames that we just wanted to replicate and frame designers tried other ideas. This is not a tinny or hollow racquet in any way. It feels relatively solid for its weight and has a somewhat firm yet pretty comfortable feel.
- I was relatively surprised with the power this racquet can generate but then again it’s a generous 99 so perhaps that was just in my mind with the 18x19 pattern. I perhaps just assumed it was all control so was not expecting the level of power and it was a good thing in my opinion. The combination of precision and power was pretty good enabling competent shot making along with the frames mobility. Pretty point and shoot racquet.
- I played this frame totally stock with just two OGs to get the grip a bit larger. Plenty of room for folks to add weight for a bit more stability and punch.
- Lastly, thank you TW guys for this playtest, it was fun and creates a nice sharing atmosphere amongst the tennis geeks on your forum. Hope there are plenty more playtests to come
topspn
Legend
No, I don’t think it effected my playing style. Just small adjustments in strokes so for instance on low balls really exaggerated my hitting angle to get clearance. So launch angle adjustments when hitting. Another is simply punching through volleys as cleanly as i can.
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
Sorry if this has been asked.
Why does the new MP have different skips for stringing?
J
Why does the new MP have different skips for stringing?
J
SpinToWin
Talk Tennis Guru
What in the fuuuu....
EDIT: Checked the video playtest, seems to be a error in the description, the string pattern has not changed
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
SpinToWin
Talk Tennis Guru
SpinToWin
Talk Tennis Guru
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
Frans Bleker
Professional
Playtesters, does it only look so or does the Prestige Tour has Speed Pallets?
