Head Auxetic Extreme line update?
- Thread starter A_Instead
- Start date
TennisHound
Legend
No! GawdLooks like chalk candy...
DJTaurus
Hall of Fame
With lead i bring the SW up to 325 strung and it was super fast still. It’s very aerodynamically designed and swings faster than other sticks with same SW. I could probably go up to 330 with no issues still.
Fluffy_Skye
Semi-Pro
Incredible. Much better than previous version paintjob. Love the aggressive paint on the radical and the new extreme.
Sintherius
Semi-Pro
You’ve seen the new Radical??
Fluffy_Skye
Semi-Pro
I meant the current radical.
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
Exactly... people are fickle.
The ET, for me at least, has been brilliant once modded. The Extreme Pro is an excellent racquet as well, but with the thicker beam and different specs, would suit slightly different playing styles and requirements. Still a great offering though.
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
You'd need to try the Extreme Pro then. More weight and SW in stock form... definitely more power... the question is just the thicker beam, and whether that would be an issue for you.
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
Maybe they are reversing it with the Extreme Pro. Has it's CPI score gone down as well?
In the G360+ iterations I found the Extreme Pro to have more power in stock form than the Tour (plenty of control too), but once weight is added, together with the greater manoeuvrability, the ET might have pulled ahead (or at least caught up).
Or... is Head doing the same thing with the Extreme that they did with the Prestige (changing the names around, as suggested, and the Auxetic Pro is the G360+ ET, and the Auxetic Tour id the G360+ Extreme Pro)?
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I only hit with the new Tour, so I’m not sure about the Pro. The Pro isn’t available in the US anymore.
BillKid
Hall of Fame
My type of racquet is more 305-310g, 98 headsize, « intermediate » thick beam
That’s why I was interested by the Tour version. I may give a shot to the update anyway, but my next racquet will be more likely a TFight.
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
I'm not fussed. I modded the G360+ ET to my liking, I'm stocked up... so I can wait for the reviews and impressions and then decide in a few years (once on sale) whether to update or not.
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
The Pro wasn't available in Australia either... then I noticed one retailer got some in (maybe testing the waters)... so I bought 2. Now I'm experimenting with set-ups and seeing how it compares to the Tour (G360+ versions for both).
How did the G360+ ET compare with the Auxetic ET?
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
Have you tried the Prince ATS 98 Tour?
Maybe also look at the Blade Pro. I have the v7 version... and it's great.
Any info?
DJTaurus
Hall of Fame
Auxetic transformed speed into a more solid racquet. Hollowness is a thing of the past. Plush with plenty of stability and zero vibrations. I am 100% sure that extreme will be better too. I am only debating which is my favourite head racquet…. ET or RMP
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
Auxetic transformed speed into a more solid racquet. Hollowness is a thing of the past. Plush with plenty of stability and zero vibrations. I am 100% sure that extreme will be better too. I am only debating which is my favourite head racquet…. ET or RMP
I didn't like the fluorescent orange on the RMP, but the racquet played quite well (although my experience was very short with it). We'll see what the Auxetic Radicals look like and play like.
Can't wait to hear the impressions on the Auxetic Extremes too.
Tried demoing the 360+ ET and the frame was buzzing more than anything else I’ve hit in years, so I chalked that up to a bad string job (Hyper-G was in there) and quality control issues. The demo came loaded with lead, and Atlanta TW removed it when I checked out at the front. Hated the demo, but knew that it could be more of a bad demo/string job than the frame being a turd.
The demo period was last winter, and I ended up settling on a matched pair of ‘22 EZ 98s. Fast forward to a few weeks ago and my local pro shop got the new Auxetic ET, and my experience with it was night and day. The frame was much softer, good pocketing, no vibrations even without a dampener, so maneuverable with serves, and just an overall pleasure to hit. The demo did come in light at 301 grams, so I don’t know where that 4 g of missing graphite would have helped most between 3/9, 10/2, and/or 12. I felt that the EZ 98’s head was more stable stock for sure. The EZ 98 also has some of the most penetrating slices I’ve hit in a long time, especially compared to the Auxetic ET that tended to float a bit more.
Overall, I could easily switch between the two. Head has another winner in the Auxetic line for sure.
Sintherius
Semi-Pro
Power level compared to the 360+?
DJTaurus
Hall of Fame
The problem with radical mp is that SW in many occasions varied between 325-330….. coupled with a dense 16x19 pattern and HH balance if you got one overspecked it was very difficult to play…. specially on clay. And with my experience most RMPs were overspecked. On the other hand most ETs were underspecked. Go figure with heads quality control….. at least with ET you could add lead to fix it. With RMP you have only one option….. found one around 320-325 otherwise it’s unfixable…. at least for me.
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
Great to hear. Looking forward to demoing it in due course.
BillKid
Hall of Fame
No. That’s funny you ask because I have been playing with many Prince racquets over time and I am still using the Beast 98. Clearly the Tour 98 is a very appealing frame. Unfortunately I cannot try it where I live (I took a lip of faith with the B98 because it was on sale). In addition I really enjoyed very much the TFight 305RS and I’m seriously considering the update. I like the Tecnifibre vibe and I’m tempted by the « Iga switch » from Prince to Tecnifibre. But who knows, I have never been disappointed by a Prince frame, thus I may end up with a Tour 98 without demo. My only complaint with Prince racquets is the quality of grommets (had to change them three times on my B98). Hope they have fixed it with the new models.
InsideOut12
New User
Head lists the Auxetic ET at 400cpi, whereas the current ET is 500cpi. The specs of the Tour models are otherwise identical.
dr. godmode
Hall of Fame
If the decrease is CPI is a reflection of the "Auxetic" softening the RA, its likely going to be a hard pass from me. 62RA 98's are a dime a dozen these days. The last thing I need is a low-powered racquet with below average spin production and a high twistweight to compensate for the flex.
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
You may have tried it already... but if you haven't... be patient my friend... maybe you'll love it. Either way... looking forward to your review. With your previous mods, and your technique... power and spin production shouldn't be a problem.
MRfStop
Hall of Fame
It got deleted lol
Fluffy_Skye
Semi-Pro
Huh, the specs of the tour is the same? Bummer. Any words about the pro?
tomkowy
Rookie
All major brands have gone this way, minimalistic and no flashy designs. Pure Aero Rafa is the only colorfull frame on the market. Even Gravity and VCore Pro lines are funky compared to everything else on the market.
I’m not fussed too, did same thing
My guess is they have just adjusted CPI to manage customer expectations. 500CPI is the same as Speed MP. If you compare stock Speed MP and stock Extreme Tour, the difference in power is significant. People who bought Extreme Tour and looked for power in stock frame could be dissapointed.
bobeeto
Hall of Fame
i’ve heard a description of the paint job and they’re doubling down on the bright colors all the way
Then why bother try it? Because of an added material "Auxetic".
JOSHL
Hall of Fame
“Hold my bier”
-Volkl
Lots of people like the auxetic even though the racket specs stay the same. Kind of like how they got rid of counter veil with wilson.
But for me looks like they are keeping it as a platform racket wich is not what I'm too crazy about.
tomkowy
Rookie
It seems to be a lot of hype around Auxetic on this forum. I'd love to try new ET along with mine G360+ and compare them side-by-side with same weight, SW, string setup.
Yeah, V-Feel V8 and C10 Pro look fantastic but I don't consider Volkl to be a major brand today.
JOSHL
Hall of Fame
Yea maybe not major brand but still viable certainly. Have you seen the new EVO line?
C10 EVO
The C10 EVO shares the C10 name, heritage and frame design with its older brother. Now the legendary thin beam player’s frame comes in a lighter version which can be used as-is or customized to fit virtually any player’s needs. C10Evo offers well-balanced feel with a soft flex for players who...
www.volkltennis.com
1HBHfanatic
Legend
-holy-f batman!!Yea maybe not major brand but still viable certainly. Have you seen the new EVO line?
C10 EVO
The C10 EVO shares the C10 name, heritage and frame design with its older brother. Now the legendary thin beam player’s frame comes in a lighter version which can be used as-is or customized to fit virtually any player’s needs. C10Evo offers well-balanced feel with a soft flex for players who...
-someone forgot to turn the hazard lights off!!
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
That might help, as I've got too many racquets anyway... and they won't be significantly better than the ones I already have. I also have a substantial amount of radicals from past iterations (Radical Tour 630s, LM Radical Tour MPs, IG Radicals, etc). The only thing the larger head-size does is help on the off-days... and I have my ET, SP, and GP for that. When I'm on my game, the old iterations provide more comfort, at least as much stability, and equal power to the G360+ RMP. I think I'll be fine.
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Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
I agree. What I also found is that with the Extreme Pro (EP), due to the higher power in stock form (and the greater stability), I was able to withstand the attack of my opponent with greater ease (defend), and then try to get on the attack. I am still working on the most effective transition to all out attack, probably due to the thicker beam (which makes it less manoeuvrable than the Tour version through the air). I have not spent as much time with it as the ET, and am finding it requires a bit more concentration and focus to extract the upper limits out of the racquet without going over the top and losing the control (overhitting). I'm working on the balance point at the moment, in order to make it feel more whippy. I also felt that the sweet-spot, although acceptable, could be improved a bit... and I therefore added some weight to the head and handle (but not nearly as much as to the Tour). The result is that they are at a similar static weight, probably a similar SW (as I don't have a SW machine or a Briffidi machine), and I'm trying to get them to a similar balance (or as close as possible).
The ET, on the other hand, was not substantial enough in stock form, and needed to be modified. Once that was done, the stability was there, the defensive capabilities were there, and the whippiness remained (as I added weight to both the head and handle). Where I find that the ET excels in comparison to the EP (at least at this point in time), is when I transition from defence to attack. The ET is brilliant at that. In fact, I think this is one of it's greatest strengths. The more aggressive you get, the more control you seem to have... while the power just keeps ratcheting up.
The modifications to both the ET and EP have increased the comfort and sweet-spot size, and improved the feel and stability of the racquets. If Head could achieve this with the Auxetic technology when the new range comes out (especially with the Tour iteration), while keeping or improving comfort, they will have improved upon the G360+ versions and moved the game on (IMO).
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Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
Yea maybe not major brand but still viable certainly. Have you seen the new EVO line?
C10 EVO
The C10 EVO shares the C10 name, heritage and frame design with its older brother. Now the legendary thin beam player’s frame comes in a lighter version which can be used as-is or customized to fit virtually any player’s needs. C10Evo offers well-balanced feel with a soft flex for players who...
I like both the C10 Pro EVO and the new look C10 Pros (although still prefer the yellow 25th Anniversary version), but prefer the balance of the "standard" C10 Pros to that of the EVO. By the time you make them equal... they will probably be the same static weight. But, you never know until you try. Maybe the EVO in stock form may be just fine... and no mods would be necessary. In that case, it would make a nice addition to the C10 Pro Collection (I already have 4 C10 Pros from previous iterations - lower RA days of olde).
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Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
I'm going to be trying a hybrid set-up (just haven't decided the combo). If I am ever going to be putting in Gut into a racquet, I would place it in the Mains. The reason for that is two-fold. Firstly, the Mains contribute mostly to the feel and performance of the string-bed and the point of Gut is that it would make things softer and give more feel and performance, therefore, that would be maximally achieved with the Gut in the Mains rather than the Crosses. Secondly, Gut is so expensive (at least in Australia) that I would want it to have the maximum impact for the money... and that would be achieved with Gut in the Mains and not the Crosses.
If all we're trying to do is make the string-bed a bit softer, but feel, and performance is not as important, then a multi or syn gut will do the trick at a much lower cost (in the Crosses). What I'm saying is, if you're going to run a Poly in the Mains, I wouldn't bother with Gut in the Crosses... I would choose Multi or Syn Gut.
I see no reason not to try Gut in the Mains though (if you're going to be using Gut). The string spacing is not particularly wide (so it won't eat up the strings or break more easily), there would be definite power, feel, and performance benefits, and it would soften the string-bed.
Hope that helps.
Thanks for the thoughts and I’m in agreement with all your comments.
Your last paragraph addresses my concern which is whether the frame was not really designed for gut or gut/poly hybrid and really only poly or syn gut is more appropriate.
I’ve hit with all poly PTP 1.2, which was pretty good. I will hit gut/poly tomorrow as a test. We’ll see but agree the tight-ish 16x19 should do okay with gut I think.
