Seth
Legend
No worries. Coincidently someone on FleaBay is selling one with black grommets installed.
Prestige Mid to become the racquet of the 2020s.
- Thread starter J011yroger
- Start date
No worries. Coincidently someone on FleaBay is selling one with black grommets installed.
Mjolnir
New User
If it’s 4 1/2, maybe it’s my orphan.
No matter, in a fit of regret re-get, I got two more on closeout a few months ago!
Strung up with Forten Sweet 17 @ 54lbs, sacrificial grommet-set jobs, the first few hits deamnesiated me of the outstanding qualities of the Mid.
Will hold on to these two, maybe make it triplets.
Sidebar, the gold’s better than the white.
No matter, in a fit of regret re-get, I got two more on closeout a few months ago!
Strung up with Forten Sweet 17 @ 54lbs, sacrificial grommet-set jobs, the first few hits deamnesiated me of the outstanding qualities of the Mid.
Will hold on to these two, maybe make it triplets.
Sidebar, the gold’s better than the white.
Had my first hit with the mid the other day and loved it. Another convert. For me an upgrade in all areas over the pro. Had it strung with volkl psycho hybrid at 48/51 which feels great, but looks on its last legs after 2 hrs of doubles and drilling. Any recommendations for similar feel but better durability string setup?
RF_PRO_STAFF
Professional
Does the 360+ Mid have better feel than the 360+ Pro?
Hulger
Semi-Pro
Yes, bigger sweetspot maybe because of thinner beam which at least increases the feel and comfort.
travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
The prestige mid is currently my main stick.
RF_PRO_STAFF
Professional
I bought one on sale late last year. Strung it up but had a lot of sticks to try out in that period. So it didn't get any play time yet. Then sold it without having played it because I needed the cash for two UP16's I was gonna get lol.
Now it peaked my interest again. Got a 360+ Pro recently which was quite horrible in the feel department actually. That's why I'm hesitant to get a Mid again, hoping that the feel isn't similar to the Pro. But then again, I had an 360+ MP for a while which I found had great feel. I should probably just get a Mid again to give a serious and fair try.
Now it peaked my interest again. Got a 360+ Pro recently which was quite horrible in the feel department actually. That's why I'm hesitant to get a Mid again, hoping that the feel isn't similar to the Pro. But then again, I had an 360+ MP for a while which I found had great feel. I should probably just get a Mid again to give a serious and fair try.
djNEiGht
Legend
135?
big bang
Hall of Fame
I hate the lynx tour in the mid, just feels dead compared to the alu power I had it strung with before
Hulger
Semi-Pro
Rpm hurricane 130 > hawk touch 125 > lynx tour 130 >> hyper g soft 130
Tensions uppermost at 21 kg
Rpm hurricane: Excellent comfort, uniform power, accurate touch and spin etc. nothing else bad to say about it but the tension maintenance could be better. Pretty much unplayable tension drop from 21 kg (control lost) after about 4 h in my play
Hawk touch: offers less feel than hurricane, but the ball output is pretty similar. Snapped after 0,5 h of play.
Lynx tour: not too good or too bad. Very average performance. Didn’t like the feel and neither got too much spin from it.
Hyper G Soft: ultimate poorness. Too much pop, but too little from the outside of the sweetspot. No idea where balls were launching. I can only rate one string as bad as HGS and it is ProSupex Blue gear, which will also be never infesting my MIDs in the future.
Alu Power RG 1.28 and Kirschbaum Super Smash 1.3 next to be tried. Maybe 4G??
Tensions uppermost at 21 kg
Rpm hurricane: Excellent comfort, uniform power, accurate touch and spin etc. nothing else bad to say about it but the tension maintenance could be better. Pretty much unplayable tension drop from 21 kg (control lost) after about 4 h in my play
Hawk touch: offers less feel than hurricane, but the ball output is pretty similar. Snapped after 0,5 h of play.
Lynx tour: not too good or too bad. Very average performance. Didn’t like the feel and neither got too much spin from it.
Hyper G Soft: ultimate poorness. Too much pop, but too little from the outside of the sweetspot. No idea where balls were launching. I can only rate one string as bad as HGS and it is ProSupex Blue gear, which will also be never infesting my MIDs in the future.
Alu Power RG 1.28 and Kirschbaum Super Smash 1.3 next to be tried. Maybe 4G??
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
What tension?
I started at 50lb and a lot of strings I didn't like but at 40lb I do like them.
J
LeungD
Semi-Pro
1.25
LeungD
Semi-Pro
I like dead, but this stringed feels boardy and strings just don't grab the ball.
RF_PRO_STAFF
Professional
It's definitely possible due to quality control.
Hulger
Semi-Pro
Could be the reason why they hit so nasty ball most of the time.
big bang
Hall of Fame
Im at 46lb, its pretty bad tbh. Think I Will try gut/4G soft next
lelopez
Semi-Pro
Did you do the usual double checking, measuring again, flipping the racquet over, re-measuring etc.? I've used swingtool and compared with RDC
measurements with numbers matching pretty well.
I have 3 mids, each purchased at different points in time from different suppliers and they were fairly DNRO with advertised specs. I'd double check everything if I was you, especially the balance and hang point.
Hulger
Semi-Pro
Double checked in different recording settings.
It is so… my four MIDs are all 8-15 SW points overspec
Not sure if I wanted to know, cause I was about to add some serious lead at 10 and 2 o’clock.
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Hulger
Semi-Pro
Had a weak moment as a holic and tried some groundstrokes side-by-side with MID, blade v7 18, gravity pro and pure aero
Pure aero felt horribly stiff and hollow after a long break, spin was ok but nothing too breaking to set it apart from the MID, and control was bad because of higher launch angle and very wide crosses, I couldn’t drive the balls, instead I had to consciously focus on bringing then down with the spin.
Very one dimensional stick.
Gravity pro felt good until I started to hit hard, then balls lost into too big sweetspot and accuracy and shape of trajectory were lost. I felt like I don’t benefit from sweetspot that big, only disadvantages.
Blade has a very satisfiying feel and sound, better material for sure than the MID. Problem seemed to be that sweetspot had way too much power compared to powerless edges. Plenty of directional accuracy and suprisingly even spin, but had hard time controlling the power in the center. Best suited for flat hitting for sure.
MID is very uniform, excellent accuracy with spin or without it, powerlevel is optimal for me right now. Couple of framed balls now and then, but the overall excellency compensates them easily.
Still searching for the best string…
Pure aero felt horribly stiff and hollow after a long break, spin was ok but nothing too breaking to set it apart from the MID, and control was bad because of higher launch angle and very wide crosses, I couldn’t drive the balls, instead I had to consciously focus on bringing then down with the spin.
Very one dimensional stick.
Gravity pro felt good until I started to hit hard, then balls lost into too big sweetspot and accuracy and shape of trajectory were lost. I felt like I don’t benefit from sweetspot that big, only disadvantages.
Blade has a very satisfiying feel and sound, better material for sure than the MID. Problem seemed to be that sweetspot had way too much power compared to powerless edges. Plenty of directional accuracy and suprisingly even spin, but had hard time controlling the power in the center. Best suited for flat hitting for sure.
MID is very uniform, excellent accuracy with spin or without it, powerlevel is optimal for me right now. Couple of framed balls now and then, but the overall excellency compensates them easily.
Still searching for the best string…
lelopez
Semi-Pro
Did you try Black Knight or Tour Status with the Mid? If you haven't, it is a must...
Hulger
Semi-Pro
Ok ordered a reel, according to the descriptions I read it should be very fine string.
travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
Remove the weighted insert that is attached to the inside of the trap door.
LeungD
Semi-Pro
Already done that, thanks.
travlerajm
Talk Tennis Guru
Replace the pallets. I assume that there are steel bars embedded in the one it comes with, as with most players frames.
LeungD
Semi-Pro
Cool, thanks. I thought the steel bars were embedded in the hairpin.
jmacdaununder2
Legend
Pretty sure that the weights are embedded in the handle on non pro stock Heads?
Weighted replaceable pallets would be a really cool innovation though.
Weighted replaceable pallets would be a really cool innovation though.
McEncock
Professional
I've changed many Head handles and I've never seen weight in the handle pieces.
You'll have to cut into the hairpin OR try to reach your favorite specs from... A Rev Pro!
Hulger
Semi-Pro
There is a high risk for fracture and only marginal weight reduction to be acquired by only shaving graphene.
If there wasn’t lead in the removable plastic pallets, which propably is the case, I’d say it’d be impossible to get your specs if you can’t locate some kind of lead inside the handle, and if it’s embedded into the graphene it’s very risky to remove it. I managed to locate 16 g piece of lead with a magnet in my old Wilson Ultra. Removal was possible (with chisel) because the whole pallet was made of some sort of uniform soft material which covered the lead that was on the top of graphene sceleton.
Please report if you can find something.
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
Hulger
Semi-Pro
Good question actually, google says lead is not magnetic, so it could be some other metal, but I felt the boundaries clearly.
one source states ”Even though lead is not magnetic it can interact slightly with magnetic fields. By moving a very strong magnet past a piece lead can actually cause the lead to move.”
EDIT:
I just tested with the same magnet that I can feel the field on my thin almost run out 1/4” strip leadroll. Very possible that a bigger piece of solid lead can be felt clearly.
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Hulger
Semi-Pro
Ok so my MIDs seems to have metal in addition to buttcap around 5-10 cm from the butt. Based on the magnetic field it is located slightly differently between the sticks but always a bit unilaterally on the wider facet.
Fibre optics reveal a piece that is embedded there about in middle of the hair pin. Apparently impossible to remove it.
No signals from the whole pallet zone, so unlikely lead on the pallets - i’m not gonna remove the factory OGs to verify it.
You are welcome.
Fibre optics reveal a piece that is embedded there about in middle of the hair pin. Apparently impossible to remove it.
No signals from the whole pallet zone, so unlikely lead on the pallets - i’m not gonna remove the factory OGs to verify it.
You are welcome.
jmacdaununder2
Legend
Congrats, we’ve just reinvented Head prostocks!
jmacdaununder2
Legend
That handle sure as heck ain’t made of graphene...
brian anderson
Semi-Pro
jolly i have 2 of these 93s. how about a string recommendation? don’t have time to review pages and pages coming from the pro staff 90. wasn’t a fan of the rf97
djNEiGht
Legend
what string do you normally use/like?
Some that quickly come to mind
Black Knight
Lynx Tour
J011yroger
Talk Tennis Guru
brian anderson
Semi-Pro
normally tour bite 16 at 50lbs
djNEiGht
Legend
I'd say go for it. For me I would probably put a 16L/17g in this frame and go 43 or 45 lbs. I usually play 16/130g strings in a more open pattern
Even though this is a 16m racquet, it does seem pretty dense without being like an 18m racquet.
In what frame(s) btw?
Hulger
Semi-Pro
Got BK 1.28 yesterday:
It was easy to string @ 46/43 lbs. Sliding surface and very durable when bending, suprisingly sharp edges (for being hexagonal.)
On the court BK felt a bit muted / disconnected but on the other hand provided very predictable ball output (not too springy nor weak) and good comfort outside the sweetspot.
I preferred RPM Hurricane because of greater feel (somehow more cushioned while still transmitting more information about the shot) and louder sound, but in the end if BK holds its tension better, they hit so similar ball that I’ll be happy using BK.
Thanks for recommending this one, I’d have never come across it otherwise!
Hulger
Semi-Pro
Comparisons
- RF97: more spin and power, notably higher launch angle and less directional accuracy. Cold and harsh upper part of the bed which produces short easy balls for the opponent if accidentally used in the wrong situation - still it might actually increase the repertoire of the racquet if you get used to it. No doubt better than the MID for serving and defending BH because of the stiffness, but also pretty much only racquet that gives me arm pain. Unfortunately I have no time/money to string it like Federer all the time. Overall, compared to MID it has potential for heavier shots but also much harder to use.
- Pro Staff Classic 16x18: similar power, launch angle and spin, more stable than the MID, but mines are sluggish as hell and suffer from anesthetized feel. I’m not capable for faster exchange with them.
- Blade v5 18 (SW320): excellent feel and accuracy and fun racquet to hit some groundstrokes. But too much power in the center compared to free spin potential. Horrendous for my competitive play. Everything sails long if the shot isn’t 100 % prepared and aligned.
- APD 2013: felt hollow/toy-like even when beefed up with some lead. Not too much difference in the spin potential compared to the MID. More power for sure, but drastically less accuracy. Didn’t like it anymore too much.
- Pro Kennex Ki Q+ Tour Pro 325: actually very similar to the MID. Similar spin, launch angle, flex and feel, only a tad more power. Bigger plate makes it harder to maneuver, yet I can’t find bigger effective stringbed estate. No reason for me to consider this maraca over THE DIVINE MID, which is the most balanced racquet I have ever used.
- RF97: more spin and power, notably higher launch angle and less directional accuracy. Cold and harsh upper part of the bed which produces short easy balls for the opponent if accidentally used in the wrong situation - still it might actually increase the repertoire of the racquet if you get used to it. No doubt better than the MID for serving and defending BH because of the stiffness, but also pretty much only racquet that gives me arm pain. Unfortunately I have no time/money to string it like Federer all the time. Overall, compared to MID it has potential for heavier shots but also much harder to use.
- Pro Staff Classic 16x18: similar power, launch angle and spin, more stable than the MID, but mines are sluggish as hell and suffer from anesthetized feel. I’m not capable for faster exchange with them.
- Blade v5 18 (SW320): excellent feel and accuracy and fun racquet to hit some groundstrokes. But too much power in the center compared to free spin potential. Horrendous for my competitive play. Everything sails long if the shot isn’t 100 % prepared and aligned.
- APD 2013: felt hollow/toy-like even when beefed up with some lead. Not too much difference in the spin potential compared to the MID. More power for sure, but drastically less accuracy. Didn’t like it anymore too much.
- Pro Kennex Ki Q+ Tour Pro 325: actually very similar to the MID. Similar spin, launch angle, flex and feel, only a tad more power. Bigger plate makes it harder to maneuver, yet I can’t find bigger effective stringbed estate. No reason for me to consider this maraca over THE DIVINE MID, which is the most balanced racquet I have ever used.
Bobble
Semi-Pro
+1 on lynx tour. Also, tour sniper. Both perform well and last a good while.
I’ll be trying trying a few Lux hybrids with 4g soft/bbo crossed with Element in the weeks to come.
djNEiGht
Legend
I have heard that BK sometimes needs to settle so give it maybe another hit or two.
jmacdaununder2
Legend
Is this now the Strings forum?
bnjkn
Professional
I have the 2015 RF97A and I definitely hit heavier shots that I never hit with the MID. The MID does seem to work well with my swing, as I am much more consistent with the MID. Sometimes it seems like I will never miss with the MID, and I never felt that even with my 2015 prince TT95, which is very control oriented as well.
The issue for me is the power and spin that I get with the RF97 (which is underspecced at 335g unstrung weight) are kind of addictive. Right now my MID has only a leather grip.
