Polaris
Hall of Fame
I purchased a Head Graphite Edge (henceforth HGE) for $6.45 on the big auction site, just for an experiment. I figured that even if the grommets were about to crack, it would be worth the price if I could get a few hours on the court with it. Here are the specs to the extent that I know them:
Weight: Approx 13 ounces
Head Size: 81 sq.in
Balance: 5 to 7 points HL
String: Prince Synthetic Gut at unknown tension, but my guess is that it is around 58 lbs
Pattern: 18 x 19
Stiffness: Unknown, but feels in between that of my Redondo (57 RA) and Prince Spectrum Comp (62 RA)
Grip: 1 Wilson Pro overgrip on the original leather grip.
My level: Approx NTRP 4.0
Playing style: Semi-western forehand, One handed eastern backhand, comfortable from the mid-court and back court but not so comfortable close to the net.
Build: 5 ft, 7 inches, 120 pounds (Not strong at all, so I must rely heavily on timing and technique.)
This is a lovely racquet to play with. Thanks to Deuce (again). I was happy with his recommendation of the PK Copper Ace, but the HGE is on an entirely different plane. Before using this racquet, I was chiefly concerned about two things:
1) Handling the weight of the racquet owing to my lamentably slight build.
2) Handling what, by my standards, constitutes a very small head.
Both concerns turned out to be unfounded. Here are a few thoughts about the racquet, based on 4 outings against two players who play close to my level. This is a pretty long post in the spirit of galain's recent thread about old racquets (though it is not half as well-informed as his).
Maneuverability:
The racquet is surprisingly easy to wield, and moves fast through the air because of the sleek form factor resulting from the small head. It is not as fast as the PK Copper Ace or my Redondo MP, which are both far more head light (10 pts). Still, it is not so slow that one is late for shots. I had that problem with the POG-OS. The HGE has a thick box beam, and has probably the best stock combination of HL balance, weight and swingweight that I have played with. I played better at the net with the HGE than with the Copper Ace or the Prince Spectrum Comp.
Groundstrokes:
This should be taken with a generous grain of salt. The HGE seems to be made for my backhand. It is an absolute pleasure to hit flat one-handed backhand topspins as well as slice backhands. I have earlier railed about the Volkl and Head grip-shapes, but for some strange reason the HGE's grip shape is very similar to that of my Redondo, with the exception that the butt end of the Redondo flares out wider than that of the HGE. I have no idea why this is the case. My friend uses a Head racquet and his grip shape is a lot flatter than that of the HGE.
Forehand took some work. After TE in 2005, I reworked my forehand from a Western to a Semi-western grip, but I am prone to brushing over the ball sometimes. With most racquets, this works. Not so with the HGE. I had to prepare properly for the forehand by taking a high backlift, bringing the racquet down and using the momentum from gravity to hit through the line of the ball, as flat as I could. Owing to this, forehands are enjoyable if the contact point is low, around knee height to waist height.
Here is where I truly appreciated the sheer heft of the racquet, all 13 ounces of it. Because the racquet did a lot of the work, I could afford to slow down my swing. I use a faster swing with my Redondo. Another difference is that, the high-to-low-to-high swing pattern means that I follow through over my shoulder more often. With my Redondo, I follow through across the body more often.
I kept expecting my shoulder to complain of fatigue but it hasn't happened yet. The racquet has been a supremely comfortable ride.
Netplay:
I haven't had too many opportunities, except for a few forehand block volleys and a couple of back-hand stab volleys. Again, I love the balance, and am motivated to again try some lead on my Redondo to bring its balance closer to that of the HGE.
Serve:
I am not able to serve bombs with any racquet, and the HGE is no different. Serving is harder partly because I usually tend to toss the ball to 11 o'clock. With larger headsizes, I can get the racquet to grip on the ball, but this is harder with the HGE. Flat serves are easier for me with the HGE. I'm trying to optimize the coiling and uncoiling action on the serve so that I can let the heavy racquet do a lot of the work. Still some distance to go before my service action is properly grooved, irrespective of the racquet.
Sound of impact:
This is something I value a lot in a racquet. I play with a dampener. The HGE is absolute sweetness for forehands and topspin backhands that are hit on the sweetspot: A distinct, clean "pock" and no noticeable vibration. My Redondo also gives a loud "pock" as if the racquet is hollow, and I wonder if this is a function of the string. The HGE came strung with Prince Synthetic Gut, while my Redondo has Tecnifibre NRG 16. Volkls typically give a muffled "thud" while the PK Kinetic technology gives a "swish-thud" effect. The HGE, at least with this particular string and this particular tension, beats them all in the sound department.
Sweetspot:
Believe it or not, the sweetspot is pretty big. Not as big as the one on the Redondo, but certainly bigger than the one on the PK Copper Ace, even though the total head size is smaller on the HGE. My hand-eye coordination is good because of other ball sports, but I wasn't expecting to have such an easy time with such a small head size. I wonder how much this has to do with the closed string pattern.
Flex:
I do not feel a noticeable flex in the racquet, and I thing this is a combination of the balance as well as the inherent stiffness. Redondo users are familiar with a sensation of the racquet flexing to absorb the impact on off-center hits. On the other extreme, the Prince Spectrum Comp feels stiffer on ground strokes. The HGE feels somewhere in between.
Type of play:
Gimmicky shots are out, no questions asked. I used to think that my Redondo forces me to play correctly, but this is accentuated even further with the HGE. I have to be prepared, especially on my forehand which has turned out to be my weaker wing in terms of power as well as variation. Long, smooth, moderately fast swings are rewarded with a deep shot while short, jerky swings result in the ball going into the net. This is not so much of a worry, because it is very difficult to have jerky swings with a 13 oz monster. The racquet almost invites you to take a longer swing.
So far it has been a wonderful time. I can't truthfully say that this is not a honeymoon until I play with someone whose speed pushes me into more desperate situations in which the weight of the racquet becomes a limitation. It is every bit as comfortable as the Redondo MP, and every bit as enjoyable - a racquet for the ages.
Weight: Approx 13 ounces
Head Size: 81 sq.in
Balance: 5 to 7 points HL
String: Prince Synthetic Gut at unknown tension, but my guess is that it is around 58 lbs
Pattern: 18 x 19
Stiffness: Unknown, but feels in between that of my Redondo (57 RA) and Prince Spectrum Comp (62 RA)
Grip: 1 Wilson Pro overgrip on the original leather grip.
My level: Approx NTRP 4.0
Playing style: Semi-western forehand, One handed eastern backhand, comfortable from the mid-court and back court but not so comfortable close to the net.
Build: 5 ft, 7 inches, 120 pounds (Not strong at all, so I must rely heavily on timing and technique.)
This is a lovely racquet to play with. Thanks to Deuce (again). I was happy with his recommendation of the PK Copper Ace, but the HGE is on an entirely different plane. Before using this racquet, I was chiefly concerned about two things:
1) Handling the weight of the racquet owing to my lamentably slight build.
2) Handling what, by my standards, constitutes a very small head.
Both concerns turned out to be unfounded. Here are a few thoughts about the racquet, based on 4 outings against two players who play close to my level. This is a pretty long post in the spirit of galain's recent thread about old racquets (though it is not half as well-informed as his).
Maneuverability:
The racquet is surprisingly easy to wield, and moves fast through the air because of the sleek form factor resulting from the small head. It is not as fast as the PK Copper Ace or my Redondo MP, which are both far more head light (10 pts). Still, it is not so slow that one is late for shots. I had that problem with the POG-OS. The HGE has a thick box beam, and has probably the best stock combination of HL balance, weight and swingweight that I have played with. I played better at the net with the HGE than with the Copper Ace or the Prince Spectrum Comp.
Groundstrokes:
This should be taken with a generous grain of salt. The HGE seems to be made for my backhand. It is an absolute pleasure to hit flat one-handed backhand topspins as well as slice backhands. I have earlier railed about the Volkl and Head grip-shapes, but for some strange reason the HGE's grip shape is very similar to that of my Redondo, with the exception that the butt end of the Redondo flares out wider than that of the HGE. I have no idea why this is the case. My friend uses a Head racquet and his grip shape is a lot flatter than that of the HGE.
Forehand took some work. After TE in 2005, I reworked my forehand from a Western to a Semi-western grip, but I am prone to brushing over the ball sometimes. With most racquets, this works. Not so with the HGE. I had to prepare properly for the forehand by taking a high backlift, bringing the racquet down and using the momentum from gravity to hit through the line of the ball, as flat as I could. Owing to this, forehands are enjoyable if the contact point is low, around knee height to waist height.
Here is where I truly appreciated the sheer heft of the racquet, all 13 ounces of it. Because the racquet did a lot of the work, I could afford to slow down my swing. I use a faster swing with my Redondo. Another difference is that, the high-to-low-to-high swing pattern means that I follow through over my shoulder more often. With my Redondo, I follow through across the body more often.
I kept expecting my shoulder to complain of fatigue but it hasn't happened yet. The racquet has been a supremely comfortable ride.
Netplay:
I haven't had too many opportunities, except for a few forehand block volleys and a couple of back-hand stab volleys. Again, I love the balance, and am motivated to again try some lead on my Redondo to bring its balance closer to that of the HGE.
Serve:
I am not able to serve bombs with any racquet, and the HGE is no different. Serving is harder partly because I usually tend to toss the ball to 11 o'clock. With larger headsizes, I can get the racquet to grip on the ball, but this is harder with the HGE. Flat serves are easier for me with the HGE. I'm trying to optimize the coiling and uncoiling action on the serve so that I can let the heavy racquet do a lot of the work. Still some distance to go before my service action is properly grooved, irrespective of the racquet.
Sound of impact:
This is something I value a lot in a racquet. I play with a dampener. The HGE is absolute sweetness for forehands and topspin backhands that are hit on the sweetspot: A distinct, clean "pock" and no noticeable vibration. My Redondo also gives a loud "pock" as if the racquet is hollow, and I wonder if this is a function of the string. The HGE came strung with Prince Synthetic Gut, while my Redondo has Tecnifibre NRG 16. Volkls typically give a muffled "thud" while the PK Kinetic technology gives a "swish-thud" effect. The HGE, at least with this particular string and this particular tension, beats them all in the sound department.
Sweetspot:
Believe it or not, the sweetspot is pretty big. Not as big as the one on the Redondo, but certainly bigger than the one on the PK Copper Ace, even though the total head size is smaller on the HGE. My hand-eye coordination is good because of other ball sports, but I wasn't expecting to have such an easy time with such a small head size. I wonder how much this has to do with the closed string pattern.
Flex:
I do not feel a noticeable flex in the racquet, and I thing this is a combination of the balance as well as the inherent stiffness. Redondo users are familiar with a sensation of the racquet flexing to absorb the impact on off-center hits. On the other extreme, the Prince Spectrum Comp feels stiffer on ground strokes. The HGE feels somewhere in between.
Type of play:
Gimmicky shots are out, no questions asked. I used to think that my Redondo forces me to play correctly, but this is accentuated even further with the HGE. I have to be prepared, especially on my forehand which has turned out to be my weaker wing in terms of power as well as variation. Long, smooth, moderately fast swings are rewarded with a deep shot while short, jerky swings result in the ball going into the net. This is not so much of a worry, because it is very difficult to have jerky swings with a 13 oz monster. The racquet almost invites you to take a longer swing.
So far it has been a wonderful time. I can't truthfully say that this is not a honeymoon until I play with someone whose speed pushes me into more desperate situations in which the weight of the racquet becomes a limitation. It is every bit as comfortable as the Redondo MP, and every bit as enjoyable - a racquet for the ages.
Last edited:
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