Head Extreme Tour - what swing weight have I ended up with...?

[OldSkoolSlice]

I'm testing out the 2022 Head Extreme Tours (review to come down the line).

I got 2 of them from Tennis Only for a good price.

They matched the static weights for me.

The 2 racquets, pre-strung, came in at 323 and 324 grams respectively.

Presumably a cheap syn gut, and assume a 17 gram weight for the strings means they came in at 306 and 307 grams unstrung.

I'm surprised though at how hefty they feel...

I was expecting a pretty head light balance given the TW listed swing weight is 318 grams.

I can't measure swing weight, but the balance on one of them was 33 cm strung. The other one was off at the stringers already.

That would make it 4 points HL, not 6.

How heavy could the swing weight be, given they're only a gram or 2 over spec static weight?

My plan is to add putty in the butt cap go get them both to 6 points head light balance and hopefully the swing weights won't be noticeably different.

The racquet played pretty nice this evening and I have a tournament starting tomorrow.

Keen to make rapid adjustments and hope the honeymoon phase of a new stick gets me through.

 

[stephenclown]

Could realistically vary greatly on swingweight depending on where the weight is distributed in the head. 2 frames with the same swingweight can still feel different when swinging for this reason.

Only way to know for sure is swingweight machine or manually test it but it has a higher error.

 

[Grafil Injection]

Even though the weights are near to spec, as mentioned above, it doesn't mean the weight distribution is as it was designed. The balance will give you a good idea. If its 2pt (0.65cm) more HH, then about 10g more weight is above the balance point. Strictly speaking, about 5g from below the balance point is shifted to above the balance point. If that were averagely distributed, yours would be about 7.5sw pts (10-2.5) higher than target.

 

[lazywombat]

There is no way knowing exact SW without measurements, but judging from general Head QC +/-10 pts is not that uncommon so your frames could be closer to 330SW than 320.
Bad QC is not good but in my opinion Extreme Tour plays better with SW in the 325-327 range than below 320 where it can feel underpowered.

 

[OldSkoolSlice]

Thanks for the replies.

One reason I chose the ETs is the stock swing weight is relatively low. In case they were over spec, they'd probably still be okay.

I reckon I can handle 325-326. If I went for the Boom Pro or other similar racquets, I may have ended up higher than that.

I want to keep the static weight of these ones at 330 or not much higher.

When I get the second one back from the stringer, I'll balance them and use some putty in the butt cap to get the balance points to 6 points HL, which should make them feel a bit easier to swing.

 

[mauricem]

The 2 racquets, pre-strung, came in at 323 and 324 grams respectively.

Presumably a cheap syn gut, and assume a 17 gram weight for the strings

New Head ETs from Tennis Only were all prestrung with Head Lynx 17g unless they're recycled ex demos. Its not a bad string, quite soft for a poly but it does lose tension quickly.

 

[Trip]

@OldSkoolSlice - Depending on how serious you might be about knowing your numbers, maybe consider selling off some extra stuff you don't need, and buying a Briffidi SW1?

 

[OldSkoolSlice]

Thanks @Trip - that's a good idea. But having just got an okay from the missus fo buy the new racquets, may take me a while to get approval. I have a young one playing, but he's not serious enough yet for it to be an excuse.

I had my first competitive match tonight with the Extreme Tours.

Lots of like about them and I will post a detailed review soon, including a comparison to the Clash 98s which I've been using for a couple of seasons.

But boy, oh boy, these ETs I have do not feel or swing like 317 gram swing weight racquets. They don't feel light or maneuverable.

The balance point on them is 32.3 cm (12.7 inches) with strings and an overgrip.

Assuming the strings and the overgrip cancel each other out, then it's about 0.8cm head heavier than TW advertised numbers.

 

[_FrankTheTank_]

The balance point on them is 32.3 cm (12.7 inches) with strings and an overgrip.

Assuming the strings and the overgrip cancel each other out, then it's about 0.8cm head heavier than TW advertised numbers.

This is perfectly on spec. 32.5cm Strung balance, OG drops balance down by 0.2- 0.3cm.
Strings move the balance 1cm up.

 

[OldSkoolSlice]

Hey @_FrankTheTank_ thanks for input

So the ETs should be 31.5cm balance unstrung, right? 32.5 strung. Then minus 0.2-0.3cm for overgrip. Maybe my o dampener cancels that out?

In which case, you reckon these are on spec?

One thing that's beginning to dawn on me is that maybe my Clash 98s have been low swing weight the whole time.

They came in at 304 and 305 grams unstrung (5 grams light). I always assumed the weight was lacking in the handle, but now when I compare them to the ETs, they feel crazy light, even though they're 2 grams heavier static weight.

Maybe that's why the ETs feel substantial in the hand now.

Whatever the case, I see many things to like about the ETs. More consistent string bed, albeit with slightly less forgiving sweet spot

Hope to have a few more matches with them over the weekend.

Will submit a full review in a month after a few more rounds of competition and some serious training sessions to get used to them.

Thanks for all the input, Team.

 

[_FrankTheTank_]

Hey @_FrankTheTank_ thanks for input

So the ETs should be 31.5cm balance unstrung, right? 32.5 strung. Then minus 0.2-0.3cm for overgrip. Maybe my o dampener cancels that out?

In which case, you reckon these are on spec?

Nevermind! I was reading on the phone and missed that you where talking about the clash 98... My bad

 

[Fintft]

Thanks for the replies.

One reason I chose the ETs is the stock swing weight is relatively low. In case they were over spec, they'd probably still be okay.

I reckon I can handle 325-326. If I went for the Boom Pro or other similar racquets, I may have ended up higher than that.

I want to keep the static weight of these ones at 330 or not much higher.

When I get the second one back from the stringer, I'll balance them and use some putty in the butt cap to get the balance points to 6 points HL, which should make them feel a bit easier to swing.

My man