Okay, so. Got my 360 Speed MP in today and played two practice sets against a friend. Drew even at 3-6 6-3. First set I was feeling out the racquet, second set I really opened up. Lots of great shotmaking from both players.
Him: a classic, flat stroker with short swings and playing in the court.
Me: a modern baseliner who attacks with placement, angles, and sometimes direct pace.
Thoughts below:
Serve: Took me a set to adjust. Once I adjusted, I was nailing first serves at an 85%+ rate. Probably a fluke. Not many aces, but a few. It's got good pace but not super fast. Spinny but not super spinny. It seems good to very good on serve. I'll give it a 7.5/10. Note: my serve technique is wildly inconsistent and isn't that great. Take this with a grain of salt.
FH: This is where it shined. It was super fast and allowed me to hit flat or with massive spin. I hit some obscene angles and generated some very nice pace. FH was my favorite shot with the 360 SpMP. I could take massive cuts at the ball and keep it in. Control was very good. Inside-in FH was a dream. DTL FH was a dream. The FH is what really caught the glimmer of my eye. Only drawback was a lack of weight of shot if you didn't hit through the ball. I was surprised by the ability to hit either flat or with Aero-like topspin. 9.5/10. Only -.5 because it didn't plow through the ball on its own. But if it did, I'm sure it wouldn't swing fast.
Topspin BH: I have a 1HBH. It was good. Not great, but good. I definitely suffered from the lack of mass. When I was able to get the RHS up, I hit some very nice shots and some obscene angles. I have no complaints here, because when dealing with a heavy shot to my BH, I opt for slice. 7.5/10
Slice BH: Just okay, average. The lack of weight and swingweight shows here. So does the open pattern. The ball comes off at a higher launch angle and floats. It doesn't knife. It is also unstable on chip returns. When I really concentrated, I could hit good slices. But I found myself trying hard to run around my BH to hit FHs. 6/10
Net: I don't get up there much, but when I did, it was okay. It did the job. 7.5/10
ROS: I struggled here. I normally chip returns. My chip returns were having major issues due to the lack of weight and SW. Once I started taking cuts at the ball, things went much better. My takeaway is that you have to swing on your ROS to make this racquet work. Chip return: 4/10. Swinging return: 7/10.
Feel/touch: Feel was pretty muted. Not a ton of feedback. Botched a few drop shots but hit a couple nice ones later on. This isn't a feel racquet but it's okay. Not terrible, not bad. 5/10.
Aesthetics: 10/10. Beautiful racquet. Looks even better in person. It has some very subtle elements that don't come across in pictures. I love the look.
Overall it's a unique racquet. I haven't hit with anything like it before (I've never hit with a Speed). I really enjoyed it though. My ratings might seem harsh, but take it with a grain of salt because of my play style and how much I suck. If you enjoy playing as a
creative baseliner striker then this racquet is for you. It gives you a world of options from the baseline and performs adequately at everything else. I am a creative baseliner, so this is right up my alley.
I think this is what the Volkl 8 line should (is supposed?) to be. A fast-swinging racquet that lets baseliners do more than aim for big targets and grind. It is a baseline-striker racquet.
@Backhanded Compliment is right on with his detailed reviews in the other thread.
Edit: I'll be switching to this racquet for now (from my Pro Staff 97. I'm looking for a racquet that is easier to swing and hit targets with).