New Graphene Radicals/Prestiges for 2014

vsbabolat said:

There was a reason why the Radical was so well known. The new Radical will not be embraced by current users. In fact it alienates them. It now feels stiffer than the Pure Control or Pure Storm.

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I agree that it makes little sense what they did. I was in a tennis shop yesterday and the salesman mentioned how there is very little distinction now between the Instinct, Extreme, Speed & Radical. Funny thing though is that he now loves the new Radical, but he never cared for it before.

I've had the chance to demo the Graphene Prestige Pro now for a few outings. Let me first preface this by saying that I've been a dedicated YTPP user since it first hit the market in 2010. I've been dialed in with the same setup for awhile which is a stock YTPP strung with Black Magic 17 at 48lbs and L2 TK82S pallets. I usually keep one of my backups in rotation with a different string setup for testing strings (right now I'm liking the Yonex Poly Pro Tour 125). I've added a few other frames to my bag for kicks and giggles as well (Yonex VCore 97 Tour 310g and modified PS95), but always stay true to the YTPP. At this point, it's pretty much an extension of my arm now.

I'm dialed in to about 340g strung weight, 325 SW, and about 7pts HL. I played the MGPP before the YTPP too and tried the IGPP earlier this year, but didn't think it was worth making the switch. The IGPP I felt was a little softer in comparison, and I actually don't mind the stiffer feel of the YTPP. I'm a soft poly, low tension user anyway so the yin/yang of the stiff frame/soft string setup works for me.

That said, I've been concerned about some of the changes I've read about the Graphene PP direction going stiffer, lighter, and with a different mold. Now that I've been able to hit with the racket for awhile now I can shed a little personal insight on the stick.

First off, paint. Pretty sick. I wasn't a fan of the clear caps on the IG but damn the red caps look good. It has a nice clean, streamlined look to it. I'll always prefer solid black caps, but the red definitely got my attention. It contrasts nicely to the black paint of the frame.



Beam width changed. The Graphene is 1mm thicker than the YTPP:



The biggest structural change to the Graphene PP is the throat area. This area is no longer squared off, but rather a little triangulated is the best way I can describe it. It's a complete redesign from the previous PP's. I've read that the Prestige Pro is now the Prestige S Mold. That I cannot comment on as I don't have an S on me to do the direct comparison.



On court, the Graphene Prestige Pro plays significantly stiffer then its predecessors. It's not a welcoming feeling, and while I do prefer the stiffer side of the PP, this may have gone a step too far. I can the feel most of that stiffness in the throat which is probably the point of Graphene, to increase the stability of the yoke area of the racket. But, some of my groundstrokes felt a little jarring and the stiffer throat area seemed to produce a less stable hoop. Not good.

The lighter weight can be felt in static, but no so much in SW. I still felt the YTPP cut through the air better and is more whippier than the Graphene PP. The Graphene Prestige Pro seems more evenly balanced than headlight, but that could be related to the actual setup of my demo. The Graphene Prestige Pro demo is setup far from my usual spec. It's equipped with a rubber replacement grip rather than leather, and is strung with a synthetic gut in the upper 50's. So, a few very important variables were missing for me that could really alter my true impressions of the stick.

Power is subjective so I won't comment much on this area. If you use a Prestige, it's because you like to generate your own power. While the Graphene PP maybe adds a little bit more free power, I wouldn't say it's that discernible at all.

The biggest difference for me comes down to feel. What I like about the YTPP is that it transitions well between various shots. You can a hit a big approach, come in behind it and finish with a nice finesse volley. You can turn on the dime too when going from defense to offense. You just have to set up right and not take your foot off the pedal when swinging a Prestige. You only get what you put into it. But producing all of those various shots for comes down to the overall feel of the YTPP. The Graphene PP has different feel. There's some familiarity there, especially on slices and serves. But, the feel (for me at least) is gone.

When these officially come out, I'll probably grab one and bring it up to spec. We'll see if these variables will maybe change my opinion of the Graphene Prestige Pro. But, only time will tell. For now, I'm going to stay the course.

A few more pics...

reds17 said:

As another fellow rookie...who hadn't any previous experience with earlier generation Radical Pros, I share your sentiment. I have Volkl Cyclone strung at 52, and do not have issues with the stiffness either, although I'll acknowledge it is definitely a firm racquet compared to my old primary (BLX 6.1 95 16x18 2012 version). I'm loving it so far though, finding it to be a very playable racquet.

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fellow rookies may pick the racket up and enjoy it after some other brands. however, anyone who has hit a radical/prestige in the past and liked them will be few and far between in switching to the new ones in my opinion.

Suppawat I tend to generally agree with you on rackets, but not here. I think the sound the frames make at impact is horrendous. some have commented on a large sweetspot. to those who say that I would love to know what the heck you were playing with before to come to this conclusion.

i have hit with nearly every frame in the new line, and can say I liked NONE of the G series better than the one before it. Speed, Radical, Instinct, Prestige.... none of them

Graphene seems to be polarizing opinion as well.

Good stuff Mel!! Like you I'm a prestige head. I'm very concerned with the changes Head has made. I'm currently playing with the IG version, but I do have a MGPP and YTPP. I had a short rendezvous with the S, but couldn't dial in on the stick. Of course I'm gonna demo the Graphene PP, but I'm skeptical. Thanks for the pics and review.

Kal-El 34 said:

i have hit with nearly every frame in the new line, and can say I liked NONE of the G series better than the one before it. Speed, Radical, Instinct, Prestige.... none of them

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I think the G Speeds were an improvement over the IG and I haven't hit with the Instinct. Didn't like the new Radicals or Prestiges either

sixone90 said:

I think the G Speeds were an improvement over the IG and I haven't hit with the Instinct. Didn't like the new Radicals or Prestiges either

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I agree the GSpeeds were an improvement over the IG 315. Also the GInstincts. It looks like the Rads and the Prestiges went south.

@Mel, thanks for that - great job.

Throat definitely does look like a Babolat product.

Bartelby said:

Graphene seems to be polarizing opinion as well.

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I don't know. I can understand to those who've always enjoyed the Radical line for example, might not be too happy about a drastic change to the specs and composition of a racquet they've always enjoyed, so they feel somewhat alienated by the manufacturer. So they're going to be vocal and repetitive. To voice displeasure over and over, and maybe a few more times over again. And maybe enough players will be persuaded by that negative buzz to not purchase that particular frame. Then end goal accomplished, I guess. That's fine, it's not going to change the fact that there will be players who demo, like the racquet, and decide to purchase it. It is what it is.

As one who bought the ig radical pro, I remember well that most people had more than one negative thing to say about it.

Too powerful, not headlight enough and the killer was that it was too hard to change the direction of the ball because of the softness of the hoop.

Apart from adding 3 grams inside the butt cap to make it more headlight, I found it a very enjoyable racquet except for its somewhat pingy acoustic.

I'm sure this new one is good although why the lighter radicals in the range are less stiff than the heavier ones is a mystery.

They were warmly received by TW whereas the new Princes were not and yet they have got a fan base already among Princelings.

The Prestige is generally a precision instrument and making moderate changes to a precision instrument means that it isn't precise to those accustomed to the previous model.

My personal opinion is that I can play with any of these with the right amount of silicone and lead tape, as long as they aren't too stiff.

At least the mp remains the same for the traditionalists, except for the graphene weight distribution.

Graphene improved the Speed line especially the Pro as it feels a lot more solid, offers better control, and improved the stability of the racquet.

But the IG Radical plays better than the Graphene mainly because the Radicals historically were softer and now the Graphene models have made them stiffer and more Babolat Pure Drive or Aero Pro like which is not bad if you like that sorta thing.

But those that love how the Radical line felt, should grab the IG version as the new ones are no longer the beloved Radicals many have come to known.

parasailing said:

Graphene improved the Speed line especially the Pro as it feels a lot more solid, offers better control, and improved the stability of the racquet.

But the IG Radical plays better than the Graphene mainly because the Radicals historically were softer and now the Graphene models have made them stiffer and more Babolat Pure Drive or Aero Pro like which is not bad if you like that sorta thing.

But those that love how the Radical line felt, should grab the IG version as the new ones are no longer the beloved Radicals many have come to known.

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Wish I could have a IG Radical MP in 16x19

Have you posted your review on Babolat Pure Strike somewhere by any chance?

Thanks.

suppawat said:

I just played both G-Radical Pro and G-Prestige Rev Pro. I agree with you that they are not Radical and Prestige that we know for long time. No more solid thick feel. It's becoming more modern, and actually I like both of them. Part of that is because of my older age so I need something easy to play on daily basis. I strung both frames with Weisscannon Dual Reality.

The G-Radical Pro plays like AeroPro Drive or Pure Drive with much better control and feel. Power distribution in sweet spot is not like other racquets. Normally most racquets produce most power in sweet spot and drop it outside sweet spot. For G-Radical Pro, I can feel extra control in sweet spot. Outside sweet spot towards the tip of racquet, I've got extra power. This is quite strange, but I like it.

For the G-Prestige Rev Pro, I took risk in buying the racquet with weird spec but I don't regret with my decision. Actually I fell in love with this frame after 2 hours of hitting. The G-Prestige Rev Pro is actually 95-96 sq.in so it's clearly bigger than Prestige Mid (longer main strings). Even though it weighs only 300g unstrung, the G-Prestige Rev Pro offers decent power and good enough plow-thru. Stability is just ok. I'd not add any more lead tape on it. On groundstroke, it plays like mid-plus racquets but head speed acceleration can be done way easier. My one-handed backhand seems to have control issue with this racquet, but I will take some time to adjust.

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JackB1 said:

Wish I could have a IG Radical MP in 16x19

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There is, it's called the Pro Stock 260.2 and I have hit with it and I think the string pattern suits it better.

parasailing said:

There is, it's called the Pro Stock 260.2 and I have hit with it and I think the string pattern suits it better.

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260.2 is the YT Radical MP 16x19. 260.4 is the IG Radical Pro, and then the is 260.5 which is also 16x19

vsbabolat said:

260.2 is the YT Radical MP 16x19. 260.4 is the IG Radical Pro, and then the is 260.5 which is also 16x19

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I've never seen a 260.5 pop up for sale. Do any "big name" pros use them?

-Fuji

parasailing said:

There is, it's called the Pro Stock 260.2 and I have hit with it and I think the string pattern suits it better.

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That's not available to the general public though, right?

A lot of people here actually haven't hit with the new radicals. When I hear these reviews people are posting of the new radicals being one slightly negative, you need to understand this is a small sample of all the TT members out there. I for one haven't hit with one for the same reason a lot of people haven't. I live on the east coast in NYC and it is damn cold and snowing. You can pay for court time indoors, but that will cost you 40-60 dollars an hour. If I had to demo a racquet I would buy court time (lol I would pay if I was selected to playtest the new pure controls), but people should hold off on thinking that the majority of TT members think one way about a racquet until the rest of the eastern side of the country can test it out when it gets warmer (say march).

I for one love stiff racquets that are mid level light. The specs actually seem great and in the hand, the racquet feels a lot better than the speed graphene pro where I felt that felt a bit too wide body for my tastes, along with other things I didn't really enjoy about it when hitting with it. But just because a racquet is stiff doesn't mean it's a bad stick. Most of the pro staffs are all stiff, the speed line is pretty stiff and the extreme 2.0 is pretty stiff, yet that has very well received feedback. Beyond stiffness people should really critique other things like how well the racquet hits with focus, or it's pull ability. You don't really hear people talk about that too much. I can't wait to try it, for me that and the pure control are my top two in the demo list if I ever get my hands on them anytime soon.

> That's not available to the general public though, right?

You are correct. They are rather rare animals compared to the more common pro stocks available. I think that there's one at SF for a lot of Euros.

> I live on the east coast in NYC and it is damn cold and
> snowing. You can pay for court time indoors, but that will cost
> you 40-60 dollars an hour.

That's a lot of money for tennis court time.

My club is $12/hour and there are lots of times when nobody's on the court and you can just go on and hit for free.

Radical/Pro Cap Grommets

Any pics or info on these?

BigT said:

Any pics or info on these?

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yeah, im waiting to see if caps make the G radical mp any different as well

the caps for pro not mp

Kal-El 34 said:

fellow rookies may pick the racket up and enjoy it after some other brands. however, anyone who has hit a radical/prestige in the past and liked them will be few and far between in switching to the new ones in my opinion.

Suppawat I tend to generally agree with you on rackets, but not here. I think the sound the frames make at impact is horrendous. some have commented on a large sweetspot. to those who say that I would love to know what the heck you were playing with before to come to this conclusion.

i have hit with nearly every frame in the new line, and can say I liked NONE of the G series better than the one before it. Speed, Radical, Instinct, Prestige.... none of them

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totally agree here. the new prestiges from what i tried are not bad...no final decision yet. but the radical line is complete doo doo now

cork_screw said:

A lot of people here actually haven't hit with the new radicals. When I hear these reviews people are posting of the new radicals being one slightly negative, you need to understand this is a small sample of all the TT members out there. I for one haven't hit with one for the same reason a lot of people haven't. I live on the east coast in NYC and it is damn cold and snowing. You can pay for court time indoors, but that will cost you 40-60 dollars an hour. If I had to demo a racquet I would buy court time (lol I would pay if I was selected to playtest the new pure controls), but people should hold off on thinking that the majority of TT members think one way about a racquet until the rest of the eastern side of the country can test it out when it gets warmer (say march).

I for one love stiff racquets that are mid level light. The specs actually seem great and in the hand, the racquet feels a lot better than the speed graphene pro where I felt that felt a bit too wide body for my tastes, along with other things I didn't really enjoy about it when hitting with it. But just because a racquet is stiff doesn't mean it's a bad stick. Most of the pro staffs are all stiff, the speed line is pretty stiff and the extreme 2.0 is pretty stiff, yet that has very well received feedback. Beyond stiffness people should really critique other things like how well the racquet hits with focus, or it's pull ability. You don't really hear people talk about that too much. I can't wait to try it, for me that and the pure control are my top two in the demo list if I ever get my hands on them anytime soon.

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I actually did and i will tell you the problem. It has a super stiff feel and a small sweetspot. So if you miss that sweetspot, its a sitter and a bad feeling in the arm. If you hit the sweetspot, it feels pretty good, but not like the classic head feel, more boardy.

I picked up the speed mp which has a bigger sweetspot and feels less stiff. It feels like a head racquet with a modern twist. Its not a prestige, but when you play it, you know you have a Head racquet in your hands.

The radical line does not feel like a head racquet. It feels like a cinder block unless you are diming every shot.

zapvor said:

the caps for pro not mp

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CAP will fit the MP. The MP is the same mold as the Pro

Power Player said:

I actually did and i will tell you the problem. It has a super stiff feel and a small sweetspot. So if you miss that sweetspot, its a sitter and a bad feeling in the arm. If you hit the sweetspot, it feels pretty good, but not like the classic head feel, more boardy.

I picked up the speed mp which has a bigger sweetspot and feels less stiff. It feels like a head racquet with a modern twist. Its not a prestige, but when you play it, you know you have a Head racquet in your hands.

The radical line does not feel like a head racquet. It feels like a cinder block unless you are diming every shot.

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Lol. Yeah man, I mean I like stiff but when you describe it as feeling like a cinder block, that turns me off a bit. For example, when you're describing this, I'm picturing in my mind the Pro Staff Tour 90 which was actually my first racquet I ever picked up. It also turned out to be one of the most challenging in my playing existence.

Yeah, I guess I'm just curious since it's "stiff" and all the playtesters on TW gave it such high marks. There's a point where stiffness really hurts my wrists, and that's something I could do without. Just curious dude, what are you hitting with?

I have a Graph Speed MP which I really like, and a Tecnifibre 315 which I am going to lighten up a bit to match the Speed.

When I demoed the Rad MP, I also demoed the Speed Mp as well.

cork_screw said:

A lot of people here actually haven't hit with the new radicals. When I hear these reviews people are posting of the new radicals being one slightly negative, you need to understand this is a small sample of all the TT members out there. I for one haven't hit with one for the same reason a lot of people haven't. I live on the east coast in NYC and it is damn cold and snowing. You can pay for court time indoors, but that will cost you 40-60 dollars an hour. If I had to demo a racquet I would buy court time (lol I would pay if I was selected to playtest the new pure controls), but people should hold off on thinking that the majority of TT members think one way about a racquet until the rest of the eastern side of the country can test it out when it gets warmer (say march).

I for one love stiff racquets that are mid level light. The specs actually seem great and in the hand, the racquet feels a lot better than the speed graphene pro where I felt that felt a bit too wide body for my tastes, along with other things I didn't really enjoy about it when hitting with it. But just because a racquet is stiff doesn't mean it's a bad stick. Most of the pro staffs are all stiff, the speed line is pretty stiff and the extreme 2.0 is pretty stiff, yet that has very well received feedback. Beyond stiffness people should really critique other things like how well the racquet hits with focus, or it's pull ability. You don't really hear people talk about that too much. I can't wait to try it, for me that and the pure control are my top two in the demo list if I ever get my hands on them anytime soon.

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The only way to know is to give a demo and find out for yourself. Like Bartleby said, opinion seems very polarized about the Graphene racquets. Just because someone else slams or loves the racquet, doesn't mean you'll have the same opinion.

I hear ya about the snow, blah! I'm 90 miles down the road from you in South Jersey, and it's snowing again this morning.

cork_screw said:

Lol. Yeah man, I mean I like stiff but when you describe it as feeling like a cinder block, that turns me off a bit. For example, when you're describing this, I'm picturing in my mind the Pro Staff Tour 90 which was actually my first racquet I ever picked up. It also turned out to be one of the most challenging in my playing existence.

Yeah, I guess I'm just curious since it's "stiff" and all the playtesters on TW gave it such high marks. There's a point where stiffness really hurts my wrists, and that's something I could do without. Just curious dude, what are you hitting with?

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I have to agree with PP here. The GRad MP feels pretty nice when you are nailing the sweetspot, but miss it and the ball goes nowhere and your arm yells at you. I think one of the female playtesters said the same thing about her volley's? Something about when you miss the ball just dies.

If the G Prestige Pro is coming in at 315g capped, then the G Radical Pro would be at least 320-325g capped? Plus much more head-heavy?

JackB1 said:

I have to agree with PP here. The GRad MP feels pretty nice when you are nailing the sweetspot, but miss it and the ball goes nowhere and your arm yells at you. I think one of the female playtesters said the same thing about her volley's? Something about when you miss the ball just dies.

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That's funny, I kind of felt that way about the IG Rad Pro sometimes. Besides from the overly flexy comp, sometimes if you hit at a balls length above the center of the racquet (I know it's not desirable, but most other sticks aren't really affected as greatly with this stick) you get this deadspot and the ball goes nowhere, it just falls flat into the net. It reminded me a bit like the RDX 500 MP deadspot, but with that stick, it happened more frequently. The IG Rad Pro it seemed to happen off and on just sometimes.

I will probably need to demo and Graphene MP, and throw on some lead, see how it hits.

Thanks.

Radicals are deceptively tough sticks to use. Not a lot of forgiveness at all, but the old ones didn't punish your arm at least.

im pretty sure by now someone has capped a G radical mp or pro by now!!

any updates?

Xonemains said:

im pretty sure by now someone has capped a G radical mp or pro by now!!

any updates?

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it'd made them feel even more stiff i think

aimr75 said:

it'd made them feel even more stiff i think

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CAP grommets would not increase the stiffness on the racquet. Swingweight, balance, and static weight, yes.

It won't increase stiffness as measured at the throat, but there is a technical reason why you do feel it to be stiffer when weight is added to the side of the frame.

It must have something to do with twistweight and the like and I remember the term 'dynamic stiffness' being bandied about when this was mentioned before.

Hey guys,

When you add the weight of the optional capped grommets, it makes it feel more solid, in turn, does that make it more comfy in anyway?

So it might fell more stiff and more comfort at the same time?????

Or am I on the totally wrong track?

It could have been the age of the racquet or just that particular racquet, but I had a non capped pt280 that felt softer/had more flex around the hoop area than all the capped pt57a's I have had. The 57a's were all weighted a bit higher with higher swingweight than the pt280

Bartelby said:

It won't increase stiffness as measured at the throat, but there is a technical reason why you do feel it to be stiffer when weight is added to the side of the frame.

It must have something to do with twistweight and the like and I remember the term 'dynamic stiffness' being bandied about when this was mentioned before.

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With lead customizations, many setups can make a frame perform flexier, not exactly softer overall, but a welcome attribute in many ways.

aimr75 said:

it'd made them feel even more stiff i think

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Was the capping accompanied by a fresh stringjob ?

I think the Prestige Pro is down in (unstrung) weight from 11.5 to 11.0 oz. I'm waiting to see the demo again, but i'm pretty sure it was the prestige pro and not the rev pro.

burn1986 said:

I think the Prestige Pro is down in (unstrung) weight from 11.5 to 11.0 oz. I'm waiting to see the demo again, but i'm pretty sure it was the prestige pro and not the rev pro.

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Prestige Rev Pro is 300grams and 93sq.in.

Have they discontinued the Prestige Pro?

Disregard previous. I will try and get the Prestige Pro Demo and get some pics within a day or two.

Has Head announced the release date for the Prestige S?

If this has already been discussed somewhere in the previous 33 pages, sorry...I'm way too lazy to read it all

Mid January is the release date from memory.