Head Extreme 2024 Thread

All Babolat frames give me golfers elbow. No other frames have ever done this. There's just something about Babolat frames. Most likely stiffness
I feel ya. Pure drive and pure strike doesn’t agree with me either. The pure drive of old felt like hitting with a metal pole. So for me to be ok with the aero is a surprise for me as well.
 
Got to hit with my buddy's EP. Never thought I would enjoy it so much. Coming from a Blade 18x20 it gives so many more options without losing too much control. Much like the Blade you can't really let off the gas I find, rewarded with fast strokes. Funnily out of the boom pro and speed pro the EP was the first head racquet that felt fantastic on the ohbh. Has anyone here hit with the new GT98 and/or Tfight 305s that can offer any feedback and comparison? Those three are on my demo list for this year.
 
Got to hit with my buddy's EP. Never thought I would enjoy it so much. Coming from a Blade 18x20 it gives so many more options without losing too much control. Much like the Blade you can't really let off the gas I find, rewarded with fast strokes. Funnily out of the boom pro and speed pro the EP was the first head racquet that felt fantastic on the ohbh. Has anyone here hit with the new GT98 and/or Tfight 305s that can offer any feedback and comparison? Those three are on my demo list for this year.
Surely the EP has to be significantly more powerful compared to the Blade though... right?
 
Correct - I would characterize the EP as slightly more powerful than the blade, definitely not "significantly" more powerful.
Yeah I'd agree, from the little time I was playing with it there was slightly easier access to power. But interestingly I felt there was more heft on the ball with my Blade if that makes sense
 
Got to hit with my buddy's EP. Never thought I would enjoy it so much. Coming from a Blade 18x20 it gives so many more options without losing too much control. Much like the Blade you can't really let off the gas I find, rewarded with fast strokes. Funnily out of the boom pro and speed pro the EP was the first head racquet that felt fantastic on the ohbh. Has anyone here hit with the new GT98 and/or Tfight 305s that can offer any feedback and comparison? Those three are on my demo list for this year.
GT has more power and more spin potential depending on where on the stringbed you hit

EP is much more consistent and predictable with good level of spin potential you can expect on every shot

To some the GT will be erratic so if you want more pop be prepared to have to control the ball too
 
GT has more power and more spin potential depending on where on the stringbed you hit

EP is much more consistent and predictable with good level of spin potential you can expect on every shot

To some the GT will be erratic so if you want more pop be prepared to have to control the ball too
GT has more power than what? The EP? I find that really hard to believe. The GT has an RA of 59. That thing has to be a wet noodle. Probably as anemic as the Blade. If not worse.
 
I think you're just trolling us now. The Speed MP and Extreme MP would totally blow the GT out of the water in terms of power. And we all know this.
maybe it's the way i swing and hit but the stringbed being so open at the top gives it a launchy stringbed and a ton of spin potential. and the sweetspot is pretty large with the head shape. neither the Speed MP or extreme MP offer the same level of court penetration the GT offers

 
I have two Extreme Pro's and my brother has a GT. I suppose I can give him one of my EP's to string the same as his GT to see what he thinks. He does say that the GT is a magic stick for serve but in his opinion power level is below his Percept 100.
 
Without reading through 14 pages, can someone who has played with both the extreme pro and the Vcore 98 2023 version chime in on a comparison?

Thank you.
 
Without reading through 14 pages, can someone who has played with both the extreme pro and the Vcore 98 2023 version chime in on a comparison?

Thank you.
Played extensively with both (well, the extreme tour, but I also played several times with the pro):

Vcore98 has more power, extreme is a bit less launchy and I would describe it as more of a spin oriented control frame. Both are fairly plush and comfortable, great at the net and serve well. Vcore is slightly more stable. Both are great frames and the vcore was just slightly better for me given power and stability.
 
Played extensively with both (well, the extreme tour, but I also played several times with the pro):

Vcore98 has more power, extreme is a bit less launchy and I would describe it as more of a spin oriented control frame. Both are fairly plush and comfortable, great at the net and serve well. Vcore is slightly more stable. Both are great frames and the vcore was just slightly better for me given power and stability.
Without reading through 14 pages, can someone who has played with both the extreme pro and the Vcore 98 2023 version chime in on a comparison?

Thank you.
I have a slightly different experience.

I liked the extreme pro but not the vcore 98.

I find the vcore 98 hard to generate spin and loop if that’s how you play - Extreme plays naturally for that style. With vcore it wanted me to swing more linear to make it work which isn’t my style. Ironic given its supposed to be a spin frame - I think it’s more geared toward players who hit through and want that spin for control (Fonseca, Tommy Paul etc) rather than players who want to shape their shots.

Vcore felt like it had a lot of mass/rigidity at the hoop and flexes at the throat which gives it a different feel to the EP. Even with 5g of lead at 12 the EP felt like it flexed more evenly than the EP (which I prefer).

Vcore is the more powerful frame. I can’t gel with it however so could not tap into its potential.
 
I have a slightly different experience.

I liked the extreme pro but not the vcore 98.

I find the vcore 98 hard to generate spin and loop if that’s how you play - Extreme plays naturally for that style. With vcore it wanted me to swing more linear to make it work which isn’t my style. Ironic given its supposed to be a spin frame - I think it’s more geared toward players who hit through and want that spin for control (Fonseca, Tommy Paul etc) rather than players who want to shape their shots.

Vcore felt like it had a lot of mass/rigidity at the hoop and flexes at the throat which gives it a different feel to the EP. Even with 5g of lead at 12 the EP felt like it flexed more evenly than the EP (which I prefer).

Vcore is the more powerful frame. I can’t gel with it however so could not tap into its potential.
Interesting perspective - agreed that the EP flexes more evenly whereas the vcore flexes more in the throat. I hit with an in between eastern/semi-western grip (learned how to play tennis in the 80s), and I think you're point is an interesting one; however, I do feel like I struggle hitting through the forehand at times on the vcore, but it is great the way the extra spin brings the ball down when I'm going for a deep / powerful forehand.
 
Interesting perspective - agreed that the EP flexes more evenly whereas the vcore flexes more in the throat. I hit with an in between eastern/semi-western grip (learned how to play tennis in the 80s), and I think you're point is an interesting one; however, I do feel like I struggle hitting through the forehand at times on the vcore, but it is great the way the extra spin brings the ball down when I'm going for a deep / powerful forehand.
That was my problem with the vcore. I couldn’t hit forehands with it. When I do connect though the ball is insane.

On the other hand (literally) I could not miss backhands with the vcore.
 
That was my problem with the vcore. I couldn’t hit forehands with it. When I do connect though the ball is insane.

On the other hand (literally) I could not miss backhands with the vcore.
I’m the type of the player you were referring to Vcore, flat-spin player, spin for control.

I agree with you Vcore is so underrated for this type of hitting. Ezone is my main racquet, recently I revisited Vcore, since I like the sand beige paint job, I was surprised how good control Vcore has for my flat hitting. With Ezone, I need to remember cover a little bit more when I’m going for bigger shots. But with Vcore, I’m can hit all out freely, the ball will drop. Yes, the flat ball trajectory is a bit higher with Vcore than Ezone. But I think it gives a good margin for error.
 
So I’ve been wanting to try the Extreme pro for a while now and found one brand new at a great price. So it will be in my bag shortly.
I normally play with Gravity tour (2021), anyone that has played with both that could give me an idea of what to expect from the EP?
 
So I’ve been wanting to try the Extreme pro for a while now and found one brand new at a great price. So it will be in my bag shortly.
I normally play with Gravity tour (2021), anyone that has played with both that could give me an idea of what to expect from the EP?
Very, very different racquets IMO.

Expect a completely different feel.

EP will be more whippy and spin friendly, but won’t have that (don’t know how to explain it) Gravity temperament.
 
Very, very different racquets IMO.

Expect a completely different feel.

EP will be more whippy and spin friendly, but won’t have that (don’t know how to explain it) Gravity temperament.
Different is what I’m looking for

Now I’m stuck thinking about what ”the Gravity temperament” is
 
My friend has a g360+ extreme tour and an auxetic 2.0 pro. after adding leather grip on both and adding lead to the tour to be similar in spec, we strung them with his preferred setup of poly tour pro. after the customization for both the playability was almost the same for us between the two. But the biggest difference was that there is FAR more feedback in the g360+ version. Something magical. There’s remnants of that in the aux2.0 but it somewhat feels like less…
 
Pro users, what mods if any have you made to the racquet? And any string combo preferences? I tried poly/poly in a demo as well as a multi/poly that both seemed to work very well, doesn't seem super string sensitive?
 
Pro users, what mods if any have you made to the racquet? And any string combo preferences? I tried poly/poly in a demo as well as a multi/poly that both seemed to work very well, doesn't seem super string sensitive?
I play stock with HGSoft 1.20 mains / HGRound 1.20 cross and happy about my game now.
Soft version gives me a bit more power over Regular HG and is more easy on my arms (have some injury history), while Round is nice complement for better side accuracy and it's slickness enhances snap back keeping the spin potential comparable to full bed of shaped HG(S).
The Pro in stock form is maneuverable enough, so I can go "full" speed on most of the shots and the ball lands in deep, unless I put extra spin into the shot - that is great for short angles or dipping to opponent's feet.
 
Pro users, what mods if any have you made to the racquet? And any string combo preferences? I tried poly/poly in a demo as well as a multi/poly that both seemed to work very well, doesn't seem super string sensitive?
i’m gonna put lynx tour mains and lynx cross for my friend here soon, he currently uses full bed of PTP but is wanting something a bit stiffer.
 
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I just had my first session with the Extreme pro, strung with Lynx tour 1.25 at 25 kg.

I usually play with Head gravity tour (2021) and full bed Velocity.

What a fantastic racquet! Really easy to play with, great spin (of course). My one handed backhand felt really good. It was great with the Gravity so I was surprised that it was even better with the Extreme.

Will have to get used to the strings or restring with Velocity, because the poly is heavier which takes some getting used to for me.
But on the bright side, absolutely no discomfort in my wrists or elbows.
 
I just had my first session with the Extreme pro, strung with Lynx tour 1.25 at 25 kg.

I usually play with Head gravity tour (2021) and full bed Velocity.

What a fantastic racquet! Really easy to play with, great spin (of course). My one handed backhand felt really good. It was great with the Gravity so I was surprised that it was even better with the Extreme.

Will have to get used to the strings or restring with Velocity, because the poly is heavier which takes some getting used to for me.
But on the bright side, absolutely no discomfort in my wrists or elbows.
i may be in the minority but i prefer the extreme tour/pro over the gravity pro. i think the feel is better ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
i may be in the minority but i prefer the extreme tour/pro over the gravity pro. i think the feel is better ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I may be joining the minority soon…will have to give it more time. But first impression is great, gravity is a more demanding racquet (at least for me) that I got to thinking ”what have I’ve been doing these last few years”
 
Wow! I just played my second session with the EP and it’s really a fantastic racquet. My opponents went on about how well I was playing and how they could feel the difference in the balls coming from me (compared to the Gravity tour 100).

Even though I know all about the honeymoon phase, and soon clay season will start here which changes everything, this will definitely be a switch for me. Have already ordered another one, got a great deal and payed only about 150$
 
Bought and tried two of the extreme pros recently. Tried one with 2g of lead at 12 and the other with 2g grams of lead at 10&2. The 12 felt better but the problem I have with this racket is regardless of weight placement with volleys this thing feels like it’s going to fold in on itself, very unstable against 5.0 players up around the net
 
Bought and tried two of the extreme pros recently. Tried one with 2g of lead at 12 and the other with 2g grams of lead at 10&2. The 12 felt better but the problem I have with this racket is regardless of weight placement with volleys this thing feels like it’s going to fold in on itself, very unstable against 5.0 players up around the net
2 grams is nothing. Put 3 grams each at 3 & 9 and report back. ;)
 
Tell your friend to start lifting some weights. ;)
haha, he didnt mind the swing weight, in fact we ended up keeping his around the same swing weight, just shifting the lead more to 12. I myself had it set up with about .25g per inch lead 6 inch strips around 3&9 front and back, wait... so i guess i did put three grams each at 3&9 lol, and i put like a gram at 12 and that was my preferred setup, note that its for the g360+ version which comes with a lower swing weight.
 
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