Head Gravity 98 16x19 (Coming in 2025!)

ACT said:
It's all preferential and strength differences. Some people will prefer the head light balance and may be actually able to handle it. But at least from what i hear most people complain about, if they go that route, they find it tiresome long term and eventually look for an alternative frame because of it

I have specific reasons to why I need to do that my style of play, swing, and strength - and why it works. For me adding 10-15-20g to majority of racquets will never work with the way i play , unless it's shape warrants it, and better suits the natural swing path, e.g. Shift & RF
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My experiences agrees with yours. I've messed around with leather grips and found them to have varying degrees of benefit, but rarely did they make a racquet feel easier to swing. But the feeling of a head light balance is definitely a thing, and it's so much more based on preference and swing style. It might be that with how I tend to swing, the handle weight is felt too much by my shoulder, biceps, etc, to feel "lighter".
 
I hit briefly with Tour 98 last night. I’ve read/viewed a lot of the initial reviews. Right off the bat the weight/balance felt a bit strange. It swings/feels like an extended racquet or a Boom Pro with less plow. There is enough mass in head near tip due to head shape to make it feel light, yet feels like it swings slower than you would expect… but there’s not enough swing weight to get that plow feeling. Launch angle was decent and controllable. Has good spin and decent power. Ball exits stringed quickly so not a ton of dwell time. I played alongside the current Speed MP. For direct comparison here were my brief side by side thoughts

Power - Speed MP > GT98
Spin - Speed MP > GT98
Dwell time - Speed > GT98
Swing weight/plow - Speed MP > GT98
Stability - Speed >= GT98
Touch/control - GT98 > Speed MP
Stiffness - GT98 > Speed MP
Control - GT98 > Speed MP

Just hit groundies so no serves or volleys. Frame I think needs a touch more weight. Not crazy about the Boom Pro feel of weight distribution as I’d have to get used to it. Maybe add a few grams to handle and then a few at 3 & 9 might make it swing in a less awkward fashion? Could be promising and feels to me like a lighter PA98, but without the same level of plow and bot as stiff/firm feeling.
 
Oh interesting, thanks for your detailed review. The boom pro weight distribution really does take some getting used to. Led tape placement is a tricky puzzle here.
 
What do you both mean with Boom Pro weight distribution, never played with a Boom Pro, please? From the yt videos I got an impression G98T has a lot of weight at the tip, and in the throat, sort of polarized, does that make any sense?
 
I find all reported experiences of weight distribution intriguing. Because technically it should be impossible to feel where the weight is exactly concentrated across the beam. When you hold a racquet statically in a horizontal position, or any stick for that matter, you’ll feel a moment or rotating force pushing against your hand. That feeling is wholly described by MgR, where M is the static weight and R is the balance point. Two racquets with the same MgR should feel exactly the same when holding the sticks statically; you can do a blindfold test to verify. Then when you swing, the experience is dictated by SW and balance together, and to a lesser degree TW. If the Gravity Tour 98 has normal numbers for balance, SW, and TW, I wonder what is contributing to the anomalous swing characteristics reported by some.

Edit: I'm not talking about MgR/i, which I personally think is nonsense. MgR is the rotating force, or moment, that your hand feels when holding the racquet in a horizontal position; g is the gravitational constant. The moment is equivalent to all the mass being concentrated at the balance point, regardless of how it is actually distributed across the beam.
 
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PistolPete23 said:
I find all reported experiences of weight distribution intriguing. Because technically it should be impossible to feel where the weight is exactly concentrated across the beam. When you hold a racquet statically in a horizontal position, or any stick for that matter, you’ll feel a moment or rotating force pushing against your hand. That feeling is wholly described by MgR, where M is the static weight and R is the balance point. Two racquets with the same MgR should feel exactly the same when holding the sticks statically; you can do a blindfold test to verify. Then when you swing, the experience is dictated by SW and balance together, and to a lesser degree TW. If the Gravity Tour 98 has normal numbers for balance, SW, and TW, I wonder what is contributing to the anomalous swing characteristics reported by some.
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I won't claim to be as experienced in the MgR calculations here, but I think there's a big influence that depends on the variations in frame volume in the head, and where more mass is concentrated within the top half of the frame relative to other racquets. Two racquets can have the same SW and balance, but have different concentrations of mass distributed above the balance line. From my experience, the racquet acceleration process around the circular swing seems to interact with this mass topography, creating different somatosensory experiences throughout your swing. I can't break it down graphically, but I certainly do feel it. I would place the eZone 98 in that list of racquets that sometimes feel laggier than the SW and balance would suggest. SW is definitely part of the equation as well. There's also the matter of the volume of the beam, and where more volume is located, which and aerodynamics, which further complicates the picture.
 
Shankmeister-Chubs said:
I won't claim to be as experienced in the MgR calculations here, but I think there's a big influence that depends on the variations in frame volume in the head, and where more mass is concentrated within the top half of the frame relative to other racquets. Two racquets can have the same SW and balance, but have different concentrations of mass distributed above the balance line. From my experience, the racquet acceleration process around the circular swing seems to interact with this mass topography, creating different somatosensory experiences throughout your swing. I can't break it down graphically, but I certainly do feel it. I would place the eZone 98 in that list of racquets that sometimes feel laggier than the SW and balance would suggest. SW is definitely part of the equation as well. There's also the matter of the volume of the beam, and where more volume is located, which and aerodynamics, which further complicates the picture.
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You are definitely right about MgR/I being a good indicator. Meanwhile, if mass, balance and SW are same, MgR/I is also same. Mass distribution vertically the same. But there may be discrepancy in twistweight, which also affects how it feels through the swing.

In general, when difference in speed/sluggishness manifests itself in otherwise quite similar frame, you can know it. Like same SW, but different balance and mass, with reversed logic for example.
 
So basically what you guys are saying is that people aren’t used to the different head shape and the weight distribution? They just have to get used to it?
 
For a January launch, there seems to be very little teasing one the whole line... apart the Tour 98, there are no tests, (almost) no design leaks, nothing on other models of the Gravity family...

Don't really care for the Tour 98 myself as a 98 16x19 has never been what a Gravity is about...

Would like to hear about the new MP, the new Pro...
 
Casper777 said:
For a January launch, there seems to be very little teasing one the whole line... apart the Tour 98, there are no tests, (almost) no design leaks, nothing on other models of the Gravity family...

Don't really care for the Tour 98 myself as a 98 16x19 has never been what a Gravity is about...

Would like to hear about the new MP, the new Pro...
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Really odd - I would actually love the new Pro to be a bit more powerful as well, with whatever they did to the Tour 98
 
yourtennisfit said:
Really odd - I would actually love the new Pro to be a bit more powerful as well, with whatever they did to the Tour 98
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As for the Pro...I asked Jonas via his Patreon for some first impressions since he already has his hands on all of them...and he didn´t mention anything revolutionary like at the Tour (which is obviously a new racquet from a new mould). So apart from the glossy PJ it would have Aux 2.0 tech but from his words no huge changes to be expected.
 
Konik_1982 said:
As for the Pro...I asked Jonas via his Patreon for some first impressions since he already has his hands on all of them...and he didn´t mention anything revolutionary like at the Tour (which is obviously a new racquet from a new mould). So apart from the glossy PJ it would have Aux 2.0 tech but from his words no huge changes to be expected.
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Yeah, at least for SW etc it seems to be around the same - saw that question as well ;)
But maybe the new layup and tech will provide a bit more. I think the Auxetic was already a step up from the 360+ in that regard, so lets see
 
Konik_1982 said:
As for the Pro...I asked Jonas via his Patreon for some first impressions since he already has his hands on all of them...and he didn´t mention anything revolutionary like at the Tour (which is obviously a new racquet from a new mould). So apart from the glossy PJ it would have Aux 2.0 tech but from his words no huge changes to be expected.
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Pro is simply too good to change, that's it. It's a very balanced racquet for what it is. Most who claim they need something different just need different racquet.

On the other hand, Tour has been quite incomplete. Good platform for those ready to tinker to get "lighter Pro", but not killing it yet. Too close to Speed Pro in terms of idea, despite different feel.

MP is soft easier to use intermediate stick. Can tinker with that, but just not expected to be special.

New Tour is very promising. Again, anyone who wants different balance, different string spacing, different feel - you have a whole range of Radicals and Prestiges, as well as Extreme Pro and Boom Pro. Let Gravity Tour 98 be what they want it to be! We'll try and see if it makes to our tennis bags!
 
PistolPete23 said:
I find all reported experiences of weight distribution intriguing. Because technically it should be impossible to feel where the weight is exactly concentrated across the beam. When you hold a racquet statically in a horizontal position, or any stick for that matter, you’ll feel a moment or rotating force pushing against your hand. That feeling is wholly described by MgR, where M is the static weight and R is the balance point. Two racquets with the same MgR should feel exactly the same when holding the sticks statically; you can do a blindfold test to verify. Then when you swing, the experience is dictated by SW and balance together, and to a lesser degree TW. If the Gravity Tour 98 has normal numbers for balance, SW, and TW, I wonder what is contributing to the anomalous swing characteristics reported by some.
Click to expand...
My feel for the racquet in terms of weight distribution was only based on the feel when swinging and moving the racquet. I have no measurements of it so I don't know the static weight or balance, but I'd would easily guess 305g at 4pts HL just on holding it and finger balancing in the throat. The teardrop head shape creates an unusual feel when swinging to me because not only is the weight further out toward the tip, but weight is also distributed width wise across the face at a further point from the throat as well. I played with he original Gravity Pro for about 2 years and could feel the sweet spot was pushed up higher in the string bed, but the frame never felt unusual to me to swing. It just felt like a 330+ swing weight stick with a higher sweet spot. The Boom Pro and the GT98 for whatever reason feel different. It's like as you go down in static weight and/or swing weight, the impact of the frame shape on the swing feel becomes more noticeable. I tried the Gravity Tour in the past thinking it would be easier to play then the Pro and hated it. It felt weirdly as difficult to swing as the Pro, but felt anemic in comparison as it related to plow and power.

My best explanation is that as soon as I picked the GT98 up and started moving it around I would've swore it was an extended racquet had I not known anything about it. I would guess that the swing weight was low 320's. There was just something artificial feeling about hitting balls with it. The weight of the racquet while swinging feels further from my hand than it should... like it the stringed should be past the our outside of the tip of the frame. It's something you can get used to and I hit balls fine with it, but it's different.
 
Hit 'em clean said:
My feel for the racquet in terms of weight distribution was only based on the feel when swinging and moving the racquet. I have no measurements of it so I don't know the static weight or balance, but I'd would easily guess 305g at 4pts HL just on holding it and finger balancing in the throat. The teardrop head shape creates an unusual feel when swinging to me because not only is the weight further out toward the tip, but weight is also distributed width wise across the face at a further point from the throat as well. I played with he original Gravity Pro for about 2 years and could feel the sweet spot was pushed up higher in the string bed, but the frame never felt unusual to me to swing. It just felt like a 330+ swing weight stick with a higher sweet spot. The Boom Pro and the GT98 for whatever reason feel different. It's like as you go down in static weight and/or swing weight, the impact of the frame shape on the swing feel becomes more noticeable. I tried the Gravity Tour in the past thinking it would be easier to play then the Pro and hated it. It felt weirdly as difficult to swing as the Pro, but felt anemic in comparison as it related to plow and power.

My best explanation is that as soon as I picked the GT98 up and started moving it around I would've swore it was an extended racquet had I not known anything about it. I would guess that the swing weight was low 320's. There was just something artificial feeling about hitting balls with it. The weight of the racquet while swinging feels further from my hand than it should... like it the stringed should be past the our outside of the tip of the frame. It's something you can get used to and I hit balls fine with it, but it's different.
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Thanks for the detailed thoughts. Sounds like it could be the tear drop head shape just making the racquet feel different cutting through the air. Would be interested to know the specs of your stick …
 
Hit 'em clean said:
My feel for the racquet in terms of weight distribution was only based on the feel when swinging and moving the racquet. I have no measurements of it so I don't know the static weight or balance, but I'd would easily guess 305g at 4pts HL just on holding it and finger balancing in the throat. The teardrop head shape creates an unusual feel when swinging to me because not only is the weight further out toward the tip, but weight is also distributed width wise across the face at a further point from the throat as well. I played with he original Gravity Pro for about 2 years and could feel the sweet spot was pushed up higher in the string bed, but the frame never felt unusual to me to swing. It just felt like a 330+ swing weight stick with a higher sweet spot. The Boom Pro and the GT98 for whatever reason feel different. It's like as you go down in static weight and/or swing weight, the impact of the frame shape on the swing feel becomes more noticeable. I tried the Gravity Tour in the past thinking it would be easier to play then the Pro and hated it. It felt weirdly as difficult to swing as the Pro, but felt anemic in comparison as it related to plow and power.

My best explanation is that as soon as I picked the GT98 up and started moving it around I would've swore it was an extended racquet had I not known anything about it. I would guess that the swing weight was low 320's. There was just something artificial feeling about hitting balls with it. The weight of the racquet while swinging feels further from my hand than it should... like it the stringed should be past the our outside of the tip of the frame. It's something you can get used to and I hit balls fine with it, but it's different.
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I have the same experience with this stick. It’s sluggish than what it’s supposed to be based on spec.
 
maksp said:
Sluggish 58RA heavy wet noodle.... auxetic 2 should be around 65 RA
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It's like complaining about the too stiff dampening of a sports car - this just isn't designed as a 65 RA racket
And you've written this quite a few times. I am sure there are other 100 sq rackets with your desired spec
 
maksp said:
Sluggish 58RA heavy wet noodle.... auxetic 2 should be around 65 RA
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What does this even mean???
The GT98 is one of the most comfortable frames out there. Far from the wet noodle feel.
The SW is on a high side a little bit for the broad market, however, the "Tour" rackets in the Head portfolio are not designed for 75 yo warriors or beginners. Maybe that SW is making it feel "sluggish" for you, however, my experience was very different with the test frame I did 12 months ago
 
I just played with the demo version today.
Currently my main stick is a speed mp 2024, so was very excited to test this frame.
Both were strung with exact same string setup, and here's my initial impression
- Feel: the gt98 feels firmer than my speed mp. Gt98 has less ball pocketing, a crispier response than the speed.
- Power: a bit lower than speed, but better compared to ez98, vc98.
- sweetspot: quite large, but due to the head shape i feel like the sweetspot is much higher in the stringbed compared to the speed.
- spin: a bit less than speed, but still ok.
Overall to best describe this frame, I would say it feels like the ez98 and the blade 98 have a baby, it would be this one. And i do not like the head shapes of the ezone at all.
I feel like I have much more control with the speed, despite the head size. More ball pocketing and more spin mean I can better control the short balls and flat shots, at least for me.
Might have to add some lead and give this stick another chance, but so far not convincing enough for me to switch.
 
yourtennisfit said:
It's like complaining about the too stiff dampening of a sports car - this just isn't designed as a 65 RA racket
And you've written this quite a few times. I am sure there are other 100 sq rackets with your desired spec
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100 have 25+ mm frames n are sluggish more
 
PistolPete23 said:
Really hoping the updated line and the GT98 will be full gloss for retail. I've been reducing my collection, but if it's glossy like what was shown recently, I won't hesitate to buy one regardless of how it plays.
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The 98 is definitely full gloss like the recent photos. Got to see it in a local shop a couple weeks ago. It’s a similar scheme to current but full gloss, a bit more of the blue/grey/purple color overall. I think it looks great personally and will be trying one asap as well. Not sure if the store owner was 100% sure but said he should be able to sell them in mid December
 
gsinko1 said:
The 98 is definitely full gloss like the recent photos. Got to see it in a local shop a couple weeks ago. It’s a similar scheme to current but full gloss, a bit more of the blue/grey/purple color overall. I think it looks great personally and will be trying one asap as well. Not sure if the store owner was 100% sure but said he should be able to sell them in mid December
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Mid-December?! I hope this is true so we can buy them earlier than what people were saying about the release being January!
 
hdjs94 said:
Mid-December?! I hope this is true so we can buy them earlier than what people were saying about the release being January!
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I’m not optimistic he was correct on that date but I hope it’s true also. I will be ~$300 poorer the day they’re for sale haha
 
Price for the Tour 98 should be $269 USD before taxes. I entered the giveaway/sweepstakes on head.com, and read the terms and conditions. They clearly stated the prize (of one prototype racket, the ones all over social media) was a $269 value.
 
JMW said:
Price for the Tour 98 should be $269 USD before taxes. I entered the giveaway/sweepstakes on head.com, and read the terms and conditions. They clearly stated the prize (of one prototype racket, the ones all over social media) was a $269 value.
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Yeah someone is already selling it :D


Screenshot-20241206-070942-willhaben.jpg
 
heavyD said:
Reading your posts it sounds like you haven't hit with this for a while. I'm currently using the Extreme Pro which I really like and I'm curious to how this one compares.
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Last I hit with it was December 2023.
I liked the frame, unfortunately could not replace the pallets (I do not like the TK82S)
The launch angle was a little high for my liking (I play with 18 main)
Today, I talked to Head HQ main racket test person (former ATP pro) who used it again this morning because all of my questions. His standard frame is the Gravity Pro. And his feedback was that they have received VERY positive feedbacks from all global testers, that some pros re considering switching to the GT98, that in his opinion this may be "the easiest power racket" in Head's portfolio right now with very good control.
I suggest to test it yourself instead of relying on some reviews above that also made me wonder if my test memory was wrong and therefore asked them to reconfirm...
 
heavyD said:
Reading your posts it sounds like you haven't hit with this for a while. I'm currently using the Extreme Pro which I really like and I'm curious to how this one compares.
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I played with the previous extreme tour. You could possible like the new gravity, the spin is about the same, but what I liked about the gravity vs the extreme is the feel.

Some people on the forum have said the gt98 felt sluggish, which I agree on a little. I added some lead to the handle and it helped with the maneuverability.
 
Ufiors said:
I don't know if it has already been said in previous posts, but on Head's Instagram profile there is the answer that says that there will still be the 100 model



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As in 100 inch Gravity pro/mp or 100 Inch Gravity Tour? I think everyone is assuming the former will continue, but I have heard the latter is going away. I may have heard bad info, though.
 
tele said:
As in 100 inch Gravity pro/mp or 100 Inch Gravity Tour? I think everyone is assuming the former will continue, but I have heard the latter is going away. I may have heard bad info, though.
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These answers were under the posts of the new Gravity Tour 98... personally I assumed that they were referring to the Gravity Tour 100 :rolleyes::unsure: you make me have a doubt honestly.. I don't know :unsure:
 
Ufiors said:
These answers were under the posts of the new Gravity Tour 98... personally I assumed that they were referring to the Gravity Tour 100 :rolleyes::unsure: you make me have a doubt honestly.. I don't know :unsure:
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either way, i guess we will find out pretty soon
 
Seems like some of the first glances from YouTubers towards this 98 is that it doesn’t seem to be a control frame. More power than anticipated. Which was my first thoughts when seeing the specs. I know when I said this should’ve been a 16x20 - someone pointed out the MP. That is noted.

But the gravity line to me is control. This seems more like a thinner Ezone and/or light version of the Boom pro. Unsure what this really does to separate itself quality wise from other 98 power frames. But it will look quite nice and probably have one of if not the best cosmetic on the market.
 
ChrisJR3264 said:
Seems like some of the first glances from YouTubers towards this 98 is that it doesn’t seem to be a control frame. More power than anticipated. Which was my first thoughts when seeing the specs. I know when I said this should’ve been a 16x20 - someone pointed out the MP. That is noted.

But the gravity line to me is control. This seems more like a thinner Ezone and/or light version of the Boom pro. Unsure what this really does to separate itself quality wise from other 98 power frames. But it will look quite nice and probably have one of if not the best cosmetic on the market.
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Boom Pro seems like a more direct EZone competitor while feedback on Gravity Tour 98 leads me to believe it's more like a Blade Pro/H22 (I realize they're different) competitor. and kudos to them for making a powerful racquet with a classic feeling even bringing the half-CAP grommets out of the bin
 
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