mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
True, it’s always good to have a real organic butter stick in the collection as a reference. Otherwise I might end up calling the PA buttery.
Diary of a Racketaholic
- Thread starter Ross K
- Start date
Power Player
Bionic Poster
yep the pj is not great but i dont totally despise it.. I bet they at least come out with a flipped one at some point. That silver prototype was the one, imo.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
The grey prototype pj was super dope. Head should have just used that for the production runs instead.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
yeah i truly dont get that. I guess they were like “garish loud color is the Radical way” in marketing meetings.
close to lorenzo chuckling and saying “letsa usea steekers!!” while the doppio racecar numbers were being designed, but not quite as bad.
JGads
G.O.A.T.
Seems like Head listens to the people - once there was a clamor for the PT reissue and they answered the bell, and the head folks said as much in one of those TW podcasts. Surely they have heard the overwhelming positivity of the proto paintjob compared to what they released. So yeah, would expect something. A Nite version, the proto, something to spike sales a little, maybe early next year. Of course, no idea how much the pandemic production issues affects such ideas/plans/distribution.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
the blacked out speed is really tight looking.
JGads
G.O.A.T.
Speeds, Extreme Nite. Black out anything and it looks good. Blacked out with accents of orange? That would be dynamite.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
Black and orange? Just in time for Halloween! I’ll have the prototype pj, please.
Vicious49
Legend
This is true. I dont mind the Radical PJ much at all. But black frames like the RF97 and Regna just look better.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
I don’t mind the orange crush pj but the grey/orange was just too cool.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
Who hates the pj? I haven’t read about much hate. I think they just don’t like how some of the 360+ prestige sticks play and feel.
SinneGOAT
Hall of Fame
New prestige’s are more subtle, with more gloss.
Vicious49
Legend
In threads discussing the upcoming Prestiges Ive seen folks commenting about how theyre happy that Head is going back to Black, away from the red, etc. I saw a pic of the upcoming one and actually prefer the current PJ.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
Head should do primarily black pj with color grommet options to customize to the players’ preferences like Angell did with the TCs. I installed red CAPs in my Touch Prestige Pro and prefer the way it looks over the stock black CAPs.
JGads
G.O.A.T.
Yeah, saw that, really nice actually.
JOSHL
Hall of Fame
The SW1 changed the game man!
Speaking of the VCP97, I believe you were going to take this out for some more trial runs as it seemed you were starting to gel with it a bit more. Has it now taken a back seat to the MP? Was interested to see if more dates were in the future for a long-term relationship.
mad dog1
G.O.A.T.
The vcp97 is nice, but the orange crush is outstanding.
To use the video game, Galaga, as an analogy, playing with the VCP97 is like shooting the attacking critters with one spaceship. Playing with the orange crush is like shooting the attacking critters with 2 spaceships. Playing with the PA is like shooting with 3.
Last edited:
Ive been purchasing every racket in batches of 8-12 because of this damn machine. It's a blessing and a curse
JOSHL
Hall of Fame
Speaking of which have you tried the pro staff 100 (Eurostaff) yet? Think it may be up your alley.
currently trying the ps97 black without CV. not too many rackets left on the list, but the eurostaff is one of them
Ryebread
Hall of Fame
The gravity tour guys
The gravity tour!
So stable it is scary. But with a 61 RA!!!!
very string sensitive. Had to go with a hexagon shapped string to get the control as it has a lot of power. 18x20 and this hexagon-x string from Ytex and I have incredible control and a nice launch angle for me. I’m an Ezone 98 kind of hitter. In between flat and spin.
The gravity tour!
So stable it is scary. But with a 61 RA!!!!
very string sensitive. Had to go with a hexagon shapped string to get the control as it has a lot of power. 18x20 and this hexagon-x string from Ytex and I have incredible control and a nice launch angle for me. I’m an Ezone 98 kind of hitter. In between flat and spin.
Last edited:
Officially making the UP switch. Won another USTA singles 2-6, 6-0, 6-1 yesterday. Played terrible in the first set and then just started swinging freely. Couldn’t miss the corners and my dtl backhand was in fire.
How do you guys work on service return? It was at one point an okay part of my game but moving up it is now almost a weakness against someone like my opponent yesterday. First set I wasn’t hitting them back in. Second/third set I adjusted and was just blocking first serves bc of the power/spin combo. I really need to practice getting these back deeper but not sure how
How do you guys work on service return? It was at one point an okay part of my game but moving up it is now almost a weakness against someone like my opponent yesterday. First set I wasn’t hitting them back in. Second/third set I adjusted and was just blocking first serves bc of the power/spin combo. I really need to practice getting these back deeper but not sure how
ryushen21
Legend
It is a widely known and accepted fact that blue frames look the best. Right @n8dawg6 ?
You are not wrong. Two of my players have the Rad MP with the grey/orange and it's just a cool looking frame.
The PJ on the Graphene Touch Prestige was low key one of the best. A perfect blend of black, grey, and Prestige red.
If you like Hexagon X, try Tier One Black Knight.
n8dawg6
Legend
absolutely correct. if you cant have blue, a murdered out black frame is probably the next runner up
JGads
G.O.A.T.
You cannot miss them. I guess that's what Head was going for. Pure Aero type recognition.
I see so few people here rocking them, though. And I would guess because of the paintjob, ironically, because I see plenty of older Rads.
Nice! That's great, man. Extremely jealous of anyone who gets to rock that paintjob full-time.
ryushen21
Legend
I've become partial to red these days. And particularly the red/blue scheme of the VCs. Black is great too but sometimes it gets boring. But the Eurostaff and Darth DelPo were perfect because they had the Carbon accents and PS accent lines.
n8dawg6
Legend
i do like the VCP paint. the blue kicked it up a notch over the previous gen.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Yeah Im keeping the VCP97 and will carry it with the Radical MP. I think they are pretty different frames and tough to directly compare. The VCP97 is not as easy to use, but its softer and has a nice trajectory to it. Easier net clearance than the MP, but the MP has a more direct ball. With the weather getting cooler soon I want to have a soft frame in the bag. Once I log more time with the MP I'll probably rotate the 2 frames a good amount.
The Rad Mp compared more towards the Vc95 for me, and so far I like the MP more.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Im a good returner against most players unless they have an elite serve or are painting corners. Basically what I do besides get in a rhythm of movement to split step is make 100% sure I am turning my shoulders. Thats the key. Its easy to let go of the frame too fast with your offhand on the FH side and then you lose all the free power and depth. its more important to turn the shoulders and basically volley the ball back then actually take a swing at a big serve. Most guys also have certain spots they like to hit so I always stand to that side and dare them to hit to the other corner and put pressure on them before they even toss the ball.
JGads
G.O.A.T.
Almost forgot one thing, and I'm gonna say something blasphemous around here, but my holic buddy also brought a v7 16x19 to the court last night and I tried it for 10-15 minutes or so and found it to be totally fine. Appreciated the easier net clearance over the 18m I had but could still drive through the ball. Didn't seem unstable, or at least certainly not compared to what I was expecting. I hit great with it and even against pace. I don't know what it is about the v7s but the 18m, the 104, the 16m, I guess they're all pick up and play sticks for me anytime. Feel is too soft or vague for some people, I get it, but I always feel like they hit well with controlled punch, with a little more control over the punch and that's perfectly fine by me and even preferred. So not bad at all for me, albeit in a super brief it. I'll see myself out.
n8dawg6
Legend
i liked the 16x19 v7 too. had switched to it until i lost a couple singles matches and went back to tweenerville.
JGads
G.O.A.T.
Two bad Tuesdays. That'll do it.
n8dawg6
Legend
narrator: “but it wasnt the racquet’s fault that he lost …”
Power Player
Bionic Poster
I had the same thoughts. MScream had a demo when I was just getting the 18x20 and I thought it was fine. Just preferred the 18x20 a little more since 18x20 in a Blade just always made a lot of sense for my game with the extra SW and control to compliment the plow power.
I love the v7s a lot. For this reason I think you may appreciate the VCP97 when you get a chance to hit with it. Not sure you would switch to it, but it really is a frame that grows on you over time. Something about the feel of it and how it responds to big hitting is really awesome to me. The feel is a bit better than the V7 to me, probably due to the extra softness. It's similar enough to where you will most likely really enjoy it. Gotta have a soft frame around that's not a massive downgrade in power from the punchy frames we mainline and the VP97 really stands out there as a winner, at least in my book.
JGads
G.O.A.T.
Yeah I do think I would likely end up in the VCP category of person more so than the VC 95. The soft control vs firm pop thing winning out for me - usually. It's a wonder then that love the Doppio so much because it's firm and poppy, but comfily firm at least (not unlike the new Rads); and I'm now thankful PK added the butter to the bananas to get me closer to what I like, plus retain the punch and ease of use. All that to say I'm sure I'd appreciate the VCP, because if they resemble soft control frames, or v7s, then these are things I personally get along with very well. Only experience with a VCP was a brief hit with the HD version, which I thought was great, just not enough ease of use there compared to the PKs to warrant a longer term demo.
Hold on while I try to convince my buddy to get a VCP demo. In the meantime I'd definitely snatch up a Rad MP for fun if I saw a deal on it, but I went so crazy on recent "for fun" purchases that I need to flip some of those before adding anything else. If I hit with the demo again I'll request permission to add a little tungsten into the cap and maybe some lead to see what that does, now that I have a feel for it stock.
But Top Banana still rules my roost.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Yeah there are a lot of great options out there right now. Its a crazy merry go round. The Top B is my favorite XL, the Rad MP rapidly ascending to my go to matchplay frame and the Synthwave 97 is my soft stick (I need a soft stick I realized, because I just miss that feel sometimes).
If you get a Rad MP that is on spec, I'd suggest just putting some lead in the throat to get it to the static weight you prefer. Really makes it feel even more solid and keeps the SW and balance pretty close to stock. This was a really easy frame to modify and I think I nailed it on the first try. Basically 328/328 and 5 pts HL seems to play incredibly well for me with this one. A nice light frame that plays as solid as a 12 ounce one.
The VCP is a crapshoot because the swingweight can be really low or decent out of the box. I have leaded mine at 12 just a touch and that made it play perfectly. So the target SW for that one seems to be 326ish. This is just my experience, I did not play really great with the VCP in stock form, but amazingly 1 gram at 12 and all was well. And with the Rad MP - same thing where stock form it was just too light for me and a bit hollow feeling in the throat. After that little bit of lead - bam, I love it.
The SW1 definitely makes this stuff WAY easier. Hopefully you can get one shipped to your country, I think you will really love the thing.
In case you have not done so (if you have, just ignore me ) I think you need to return some heavy serves with it where instability starts showing itself a bit more.. or very heavy pace coming at you maybe.. I did notice the lack of stability on v7 16m.... other than that from "feel" perspective I had no issues whatsoever. The same racket with a slightly easier launch angle (depends on how you hit but you don't have to fight against the launch angle.. in 18m if you don't have the right string setup it could be a little annoying where the ball flies off really low to the net.., Anyways, the instability is my only problem with 16m but having said that your hitting partner may have a "big boy" on QC lottery. I think QC is also part of the reason there are very mixed reviews on it.
Stating the obvious but for clarity.... stability only is an issue when you do not make contact in the sweet spot so @JGads maybe you were "on" last night and were getting clean contact for the most part.
ryushen21
Legend
I'm going to keep hoping that he decides to make an Android compatible app for the SW1. I would have already bought one by now. Or maybe next year's iPhone will be enough to convince me to switch.
the biggest difference between these two to me is the launch angle. VCP97 is definitely high to what I am used to.
Suppose the iPhone 7 can be had for much less than the (latest) 13 or the 12… I think it is almost worth it to get a 7 just to use the SW1.
(with any luck, my SW1 should be arriving later this week to “Europe”. Can’t wait. Lol)
I hope so too. It means with the SW1, it should/will be much easier for me to measure the specs and match racquets.
Until now I can only use one method to get to my (known) specs and match accordingly, whether my current method is correct or not. (It’s like stringing, consistency is the key… lol)
with the SW1, I can at least get meaningful specs, at a more affordable cost.
JGads
G.O.A.T.
Fair enough. No serves came my way, just ball bashing for those 15 minutes. Just wanted a quick taste test but won’t be moving forward with that at all, just something I thought I’d put down in the diary. With the exception of maybe one more hit with the Rad MP demo, I’ll soon be back to bananaland. But my partner has so many freaking sticks it’s like he always has some new surprise, since he knows I appreciate trying different things. He also just recently informed me for the first time he has a PT 2.0 that’s been sitting at home unstrung so he said he’d lace it up and bring it soon since the holic in me has always wanted to sample that for just a quick hit, as I’m sure it’s at that UT-level of joy sticking.
I do like it a lot, especially the blue. The silver could be more of a gray but that’s okay.
I could jive with this paint job
Wilson H19 (18x20)
Perfectly matched rackets available!! We've received a very special batch from the Wilson Pro Room. Brand new Wilson H19 pro stock rackets in the custom Glossy Blue paint available. Your chance to play with a racket that is only issued to high ranked ATP pro's - seize this opportunity!! Grip...
www.prostocktennis.com
Power Player
Bionic Poster
The Boomer stick. If i didnt have a pt630 id have probably grabbed one to try at some point.
