Head Gravity MP vs Gravity Tour

[phanamous]

Speed is more polarized than the Gravity line. The "speed" comes from the high momentum gained during a swing with the hoop weight concentrated mostly at the top.
This sacrifices twist stability however with less weight at 3/9 o'clock. Better suited for a free swinging SW grip FH. 2HBH works well too as twist stability is less important with 2 hands on the grip.

Gravity is not as polarized and has better twist stability. Its hoop shape is slightly more of inverted tear shape resulting in a higher sweetspot so it's better for people who tend to make ball contact higher up on the string bed. It's better suited with my 1HBH with the better twist stability compared to the Speed. The Tour and Pro can be easy swinging too if you can find one with a lower SW thanks to Head bad QC.

 

[Deleted member 768841]

I’m going to be demoing a prestige mp, gravity pro, and I’m trying do decide between the gravity tour or the prestige mid. I’m using a blade 18/20, and I wanted some insight which would be a better one to demo. Any ideas? I’m leaning slightly to the mid, but I want to hear some insight on both the tour and the mid.

 

[Deleted member 766578]

I’m going to be demoing a prestige mp, gravity pro, and I’m trying do decide between the gravity tour or the prestige mid. I’m using a blade 18/20, and I wanted some insight which would be a better one to demo. Any ideas? I’m leaning slightly to the mid, but I want to hear some insight on both the tour and the mid.

I'm deciding on Speed MP 360+ or Gravity Tour for an alternate to all my other racquets that are pretty similar. Thought the Gen 3 Strike 98 16x19 was a pretty nice racquet, but I wanted low static weight and it would twist on heavier pace shots without lead, and once you add lead you lost it's swing speed too much

Prestige Mid, seems to be quite different to every other racquet you're deciding on and currently using, what's your interest in that?

Prestige MP is for someone that basically a ton of self generated power, and wants pure control, and it serves like a beast if you swing properly, one of the best serving racquets I've used of all new gen racquets in the last 4 years

Gravity Pro is for an aggressive attacking play style, taking big big cuts, and it's probably the most forgiving racquet (largest sweetspot) out of all current racquets bar Gravity Tour - the heft of the swingweight but make you a tad slow on defense unless you are strong enough to swing it around

Gravity Tour from what I gather is the best of both worlds, between MP and Pro, easier to move, nice balance of static weight, has the sweetspot of the Pro but the slightly thicker frame will lend itself to more free power (at a low static weight, Pro will give you more plow)

 

[Deleted member 768841]

I'm deciding on Speed MP 360+ or Gravity Tour for an alternate to all my other racquets that are pretty similar. Thought the Gen 3 Strike 98 16x19 was a pretty nice racquet, but I wanted low static weight and it would twist on heavier pace shots without lead, and once you add lead you lost it's swing speed too much

Prestige Mid, seems to be quite different to every other racquet you're deciding on and currently using, what's your interest in that?

Prestige MP is for someone that basically a ton of self generated power, and wants pure control, and it serves like a beast if you swing properly, one of the best serving racquets I've used of all new gen racquets in the last 4 years

Gravity Pro is for an aggressive attacking play style, taking big big cuts, and it's probably the most forgiving racquet (largest sweetspot) out of all current racquets bar Gravity Tour - the heft of the swingweight but make you a tad slow on defense unless you are strong enough to swing it around

Gravity Tour from what I gather is the best of both worlds, between MP and Pro, easier to move, nice balance of static weight, has the sweetspot of the Pro but the slightly thicker frame will lend itself to more free power (at a low static weight, Pro will give you more plow)

I chose the mid because it was closer to my spec in terms of swing weight. I was a little worried that the 323 swingweight TW says the prestige has would be a little low, I hope that it has a higher one than on paper. I prefer higher swing weight and static weight, which is why I really like the sound of the gravity pro. Like you said about pure control, I love control frames with 21 and under beams.

edit: stiffness plays a part too, until Babolat Lowers the strike’s stiffness I may not try it. I like the flex

 

[Deleted member 766578]

I chose the mid because it was closer to my spec in terms of swing weight. I was a little worried that the 323 swingweight TW says the prestige has would be a little low, I hope that it has a higher one than on paper. I prefer higher swing weight and static weight, which is why I really like the sound of the gravity pro. Like you said about pure control, I love control frames with 21 and under beams.

edit: stiffness plays a part too, until Babolat Lowers the strike’s stiffness I may not try it. I like the flex

Fair point, interestingly enough I thought the new Strike didn't play anywhere near its stiffness, but felt like a 63-64 depending on what string you used - I had V-square and RPM Blast in it and it was smooth and no jarring, even a mate of mine who has severe tennis elbow enjoyed it

Only downside is if you don't like dampening tech that mutes the racquet a bit

 

[Deleted member 768841]

Fair point, interestingly enough I thought the new Strike didn't play anywhere near its stiffness, but felt like a 63-64 depending on what string you used - I had V-square and RPM Blast in it and it was smooth and no jarring, even a mate of mine who has severe tennis elbow enjoyed it

Only downside is if you don't like dampening tech that mutes the racquet a bit

I have heard amazing reviews of the pure strike, personally I think it’s nice Babolat has a good control frame now, the one seven didn’t work out well for many and the first gen I believe was stiff(?) but I think it’s awesome we have news a pro actually uses a current issue racquet.

 

[Crocodile]

Both Tour and MP are very nice frames, the pro is nice too but the SW for younger and older players might be on the high side.
My problem here in Australia is the price of these frames. At around $359 - $379, this is just way too much for any racquet made in China compared to say Austria.

 

[Damotuky]

For some reason I just could not dial in my serve on the MP. As I start my motion on the MP, the racquet rotates weirdly in my hand for some reason. I missed one first serve with the Tour yesterday over course of one set

 

[EpitomeOfAwesome]

Could someone who understands the effects of swing weight please help me (a novice) understand?

The Gravity MP swing weight is 323 whereas Gravity Tour comes in at 325. Does that mean these 2 racquets present an equal challenge to swing for ground-strokes and serves? Will a player get equally tired of swinging both the racquets over the course of a match or will the Tour be definitely more tiresome?

The tour also weighs 11 g heavier by static weight. What role does that play in causing fatigue? Reading this forum, I believe the added weight will add stability to Tour, but will it also play an effect on tiring out the player?

I do understand that MP is 16x19 (edit : 16x20) and Tour is 18x20. For the sake of this question please assume that the Tour is strung with lower tension to compensate for the tighter string pattern.

My question is mostly about the fatiguing effects of wielding the racquet for 1 or 2 matches in a day?

 

[n8dawg6]

Could someone who understands the effects of swing weight please help me (a novice) understand?

The Gravity MP swing weight is 323 whereas Gravity Tour comes in at 325. Does that mean these 2 racquets present an equal challenge to swing for ground-strokes and serves? Will a player get equally tired of swinging both the racquets over the course of a match or will the Tour be definitely more tiresome?

The tour also weighs 11 g heavier by static weight. What role does that play in causing fatigue? Reading this forum, I believe the added weight will add stability to Tour, but will it also play an effect on tiring out the player?

I do understand that MP is 16x19 and Tour is 18x20. For the sake of this question please assume that the Tour is strung with lower tension to compensate for the tighter string pattern.

My question is mostly about the fatiguing effects of wielding the racquet for 1 or 2 matches in a day?

the tour will be more demanding. SW is important, but a heavier racquet always weighs more

 

[fed1]

Could someone who understands the effects of swing weight please help me (a novice) understand?

The Gravity MP swing weight is 323 whereas Gravity Tour comes in at 325. Does that mean these 2 racquets present an equal challenge to swing for ground-strokes and serves? Will a player get equally tired of swinging both the racquets over the course of a match or will the Tour be definitely more tiresome?

The tour also weighs 11 g heavier by static weight. What role does that play in causing fatigue? Reading this forum, I believe the added weight will add stability to Tour, but will it also play an effect on tiring out the player?

I do understand that MP is 16x19 and Tour is 18x20. For the sake of this question please assume that the Tour is strung with lower tension to compensate for the tighter string pattern.

My question is mostly about the fatiguing effects of wielding the racquet for 1 or 2 matches in a day?

The MP has a 16/20 string pattern.

 

[blablavla]

Could someone who understands the effects of swing weight please help me (a novice) understand?

The Gravity MP swing weight is 323 whereas Gravity Tour comes in at 325. Does that mean these 2 racquets present an equal challenge to swing for ground-strokes and serves? Will a player get equally tired of swinging both the racquets over the course of a match or will the Tour be definitely more tiresome?

The tour also weighs 11 g heavier by static weight. What role does that play in causing fatigue? Reading this forum, I believe the added weight will add stability to Tour, but will it also play an effect on tiring out the player?

I do understand that MP is 16x19 (edit : 16x20) and Tour is 18x20. For the sake of this question please assume that the Tour is strung with lower tension to compensate for the tighter string pattern.

My question is mostly about the fatiguing effects of wielding the racquet for 1 or 2 matches in a day?

From my personal experience. Actually confirmed by a coach, who uses MP for training kids, but not happy with it during more challenging situations.
Note. I didn't measure the specs of the Gravity MP I tried.

Gravity MP is very versatile in swinging.
A bit difficult to imagine that it will tire you as much as Tour, simply because the static weight is lower.
When I talked with a coach recently, she told me that she uses MP for most of her coaching, as it is lower static weight, subsequently is less demanding.

Gravity Tour.
If you are a fit man, you will probably have no issues playing one or two matches per day with Gravity Tour.
I actually played two matches per day with Gravity, on 3 occasions, and don't have any complaint.
My Gravity Tour has the standard grip replaced with leather grip, which adds probably 10g of weight. There is also a dampener on the stringbed.

As for strings and tension.
I don't think that you can compensate tighter string pattern with tension.
Tour has a noticeable lower launch angle.
Simply be ready that it might take a while to dial in your strokes if you are coming from MP, or some other open pattern rackets.

 

[Luis Re]

Prince 100x is actually on my demo list too. How do you feel it compares to Gravity especially in stability, sweet zone, and maneuverability?

Hi, did you do demo prince phantom 100x 305? the launch angle is hi? I use tecnifibre tf40 305 but it pains my elbow, i love it but, its like hammer. it fells great but the patron 18*20 is very thight. for the other hand, I love the low launch angle TF40. So I want to know if prince 305 has a low angle compared to 18*20, or its like pure strike 16*19 3rd? I dont like launch angle pure strike 16*19, it don´t let me get all power. thanks very much.

 

[Ryebread]

playing with a gravity tour this week

Strung it with 18g head lynx to help get the balance sorted for my taste

after overgrip and a gram inside the handle - 32 3/4 balance and 325 grams / 11.46

I just smashed some cotton balls inside under the door.

Anyone care to guess what my SW is now?

 

[JackB1]

The Gravity Tour must have just went on sale everywhere. I can't find a 3/8" anywhere (for the on sale price that is). Looks like a very appealing frame for us flat hitters. Looks similar to the Prince Tour 100P and the Pure Strike.

 

[jdx2112]

I have 2 Mps and 2 Tours - they are both excellent but I primarily play the Tour and this is because it is noticeably more stable and because it does have a lower launch angle, so switching between the MP & Tour is not straightforward and takes about 10-15 mins. I don't find getting spin an issue with the Tour. I think Bruno is right about the QC issues and the implications for swingweight - one of mine is bang on 305g and the other is about 300g and you can feel the difference. Overall, they are both so comfortable on your wrist, elbow and shoulder and that is a huge advantage of the Gravity range.

Totally agree here. There has been some discussion on this board about the Gravity line’s ability to be customized. Some have commented that it’s not a great platform racquet and that adding weight here and there changes the nature of the racquet.

 

[jdx2112]

I still believe head made a big mistake by not releasing a 16x19 tour instead of 18x20. Such an amazing solid frame with excellent feel that it could be even sweater/spin friendly if it was 16x19

I think the Tour (and Gravity line as a whole) is meant to be a more accessible version of the Prestige. A control racquet with a bigger sweet spot. .

 

[jdx2112]

Use a nice sharp or shaped poly or thin gauge on the 18x20 Gravity's, fixed any launch angle issue I had with it - Diadem Solstice Power 16L (star shape, plenty of bite) , or I currently use MSV Co-focus hex 1.15mm for practice sessions (cheaper longer term use) and for tournaments I use Tour Bite 1.15mm, which honestly plays so nice in the GPro

Yes. I’ve had success using Diadem Solstice Power and Volkl VSquare.

 

[Lorenn]

The Gravity Tour must have just went on sale everywhere. I can't find a 3/8" anywhere (for the on sale price that is). Looks like a very appealing frame for us flat hitters. Looks similar to the Prince Tour 100P and the Pure Strike.

Has the 3/8 in stock. Maybe not the firesale price, but less then the new colorway.

Head Graphene 360+ Gravity Tour Racquet

www.tennis-warehouse.com

Unfortunately I was looking for a frame for a friend and wanted 1/4.

 

[Ryebread]

Yes. I’ve had success using Diadem Solstice Power and Volkl VSquare.

thx. Can’t wait to try some diadem elite 17 which is 1.20. Which I have on hand. So I will try solstice power next.

 

[kailash]

I demo'd the Gravity MP before the quarantine and generally liked it, but found it a little bit light and unstable. Looking at the specs, the Gravity Tour is right about the weight and swing weight I like, but I haven't hit with an 18x20 pattern before.
Have anyone hit with both before? How much does the tighter string pattern affect the launch angle and spin compared to the MP?

I have all the 3 in my bag now; MP, Tour and Pro. You cannot go wrong with any!

Adding to others answers...either you could add some weight to MP, or go for the Tour (lower launch angle, and less spin compared to MP). Best way is to demo; if not possible, maybe get a used Tour and test it out.

 

[HitMoreBHs]

playing with a gravity tour this week

Strung it with 18g head lynx to help get the balance sorted for my taste

after overgrip and a gram inside the handle - 32.5 balance and 325 grams / 11.46

I just smashed some cotton balls inside under the door.

Anyone care to guess what my SW is now?

Probably around 323. If it plays well for you, I really wouldn’t worry what the swingweight is! If the idea of wielding a sub-320 SW is too un-manly for you, I’ll reassure you that it’s very unlikely to come in under that.

This is based on various customisation experiments I’ve done for my Gravity Pro, Tour and MP sticks in the last year. Your GTour is pretty much on-spec and using 18G strings will still give you around 320 SW at least.

 

[Pneumated1]

The Gravity Tour must have just went on sale everywhere. I can't find a 3/8" anywhere (for the on sale price that is). Looks like a very appealing frame for us flat hitters. Looks similar to the Prince Tour 100P and the Pure Strike.

JackB1 ... wow, let me gather myself. The GT is a great racquet. I own one. It's not my main yet but could be eventually.

 

[HitMoreBHs]

Totally agree here. There has been some discussion on this board about the Gravity line’s ability to be customized. Some have commented that it’s not a great platform racquet and that adding weight here and there changes the nature of the racquet.

I've generally found that racquet mods involving weight addition to the handle work well. Mods adding weight to the hoop are much more variable. Some racquets mod better than others. Short answer for me is the Gravity Tour mods well. The Gravity MP, couldn't make it work. More details of my experimentation below.

My present preferred specs brought on by turning 50 (and likely not to change for another decade when I will hit 60) are 340g, 32.7cm(5HL), 340SW - this includes strings, OG and dampener.

I have a couple of GPro's that are right on these specs. My GTour's modded up to these specs have 3g of lead tape at 1200 and 6g of Blu-Tack under the buttcap. It's around 10% short of the GPro in plushness and stability (even with the added weight and identical specs) and the GTour has a slightly higher launch angle. I notice this most when going for an angled flat backhand drive off a low ball. I need a slightly higher angle of stroke to get the GPro shot to clear the tape. They feel really close when swinging and in terms of manueverability. However, the 22mm beam on the GTour gives the added free power I need when stretched or hitting on the run. As such, the GTour is my long term stick of choice for the next decade. (When I get to 60, hello Ti-S6!)
Conclusion - small mods to the GTour work very well to bring it closer to the GPro, with no negative effects on it's inherent characteristics. YMMV.

I tried the same 3g at 1200 an 6g of Blu-Tack under the buttcap as a mod to my Gravity MP's. This took them to 330g, 33cm(4HL), 338SW. Like some others who have tried, I found the racquet changed dramatically. Despite being 10g lighter post-mod than my GPro's and GTour's, the MP's ended up feeling incredibly sluggish and overly polarised. It lost its greatest asset which is high manueverability and whippiness. Remarkably, it felt less manueverable than the Pro and Tour despite being 10g lighter and slightly lower on SW. Go figure.

I generally like polarised setups, so I was surprised to find how unpleasant the GMP became with even such a small mod. I tried adding more handle weight till it was BP 32cm(7HL). Didn't make any difference. Still the same sluggish feel with excessive tip weight. I removed the added weight and it's now used in stock form - 321g, 33.3cm(3HL), 328SW. It plays great with easy whippiness, spin generation and the big advantage of being easy on the elbow due to it's 62 RA. If you have quick strokes, there's plenty of power to be had.
Conclusion - the GMP is not great with mods. Play it in stock form for what it is. If you want something with more stability and weight, get the Tour/Pro - but make sure you check specs due to variable QC! YMMV.

I should mention that if the Tour did not exist, I'd happily use the MP or Pro; both in stock form. Great sticks and if you're an old-school HEAD user like me, will appreciate the plush feel that was evidently one of the design goals for this silo. In the 360+ range, only the Prestige and Gravity have this plushness of feel.

 

[Ryebread]

primary stick is speed mp 360+
on the court: 319/11.25, balance 33
17g/1.25 at 52lbs

today...........
first full day with the gravity tour 360+, in a long time
on the court: 325/11.46, balance 32.75
18g/1.20 at 51lbs - did this to make it more HL

1. serve, more power, more consistent
2. forehand, better depth, less erratic hits (more consistent)
3. thbh, seemed weaker than normal
4. volleys, better

 

[Pneumated1]

I've generally found that racquet mods involving weight addition to the handle work well. Mods adding weight to the hoop are much more variable. Some racquets mod better than others. Short answer for me is the Gravity Tour mods well. The Gravity MP, couldn't make it work. More details of my experimentation below.

My present preferred specs brought on by turning 50 (and likely not to change for another decade when I will hit 60) are 340g, 32.7cm(5HL), 340SW - this includes strings, OG and dampener.

I have a couple of GPro's that are right on these specs. My GTour's modded up to these specs have 3g of lead tape at 1200 and 6g of Blu-Tack under the buttcap. It's around 10% short of the GPro in plushness and stability (even with the added weight and identical specs) and the GTour has a slightly higher launch angle. I notice this most when going for an angled flat backhand drive off a low ball. I need a slightly higher angle of stroke to get the GPro shot to clear the tape. They feel really close when swinging and in terms of manueverability. However, the 22mm beam on the GTour gives the added free power I need when stretched or hitting on the run. As such, the GTour is my long term stick of choice for the next decade. (When I get to 60, hello Ti-S6!)
Conclusion - small mods to the GTour work very well to bring it closer to the GPro, with no negative effects on it's inherent characteristics. YMMV.

I tried the same 3g at 1200 an 6g of Blu-Tack under the buttcap as a mod to my Gravity MP's. This took them to 330g, 33cm(4HL), 338SW. Like some others who have tried, I found the racquet changed dramatically. Despite being 10g lighter post-mod than my GPro's and GTour's, the MP's ended up feeling incredibly sluggish and overly polarised. It lost its greatest asset which is high manueverability and whippiness. Remarkably, it felt less manueverable than the Pro and Tour despite being 10g lighter and slightly lower on SW. Go figure.

I generally like polarised setups, so I was surprised to find how unpleasant the GMP became with even such a small mod. I tried adding more handle weight till it was BP 32cm(7HL). Didn't make any difference. Still the same sluggish feel with excessive tip weight. I removed the added weight and it's now used in stock form - 321g, 33.3cm(3HL), 328SW. It plays great with easy whippiness, spin generation and the big advantage of being easy on the elbow due to it's 62 RA. If you have quick strokes, there's plenty of power to be had.
Conclusion - the GMP is not great with mods. Play it in stock form for what it is. If you want something with more stability and weight, get the Tour/Pro - but make sure you check specs due to variable QC! YMMV.

I should mention that if the Tour did not exist, I'd happily use the MP or Pro; both in stock form. Great sticks and if you're an old-school HEAD user like me, will appreciate the plush feel that was evidently one of the design goals for this silo. In the 360+ range, only the Prestige and Gravity have this plushness of feel.

Just curious, but are you hitting a 1hbh or 2hbh? I really didn't expect to like the GT as much as I do. I still have more modding to do to get it dialed in for me but shooting for 335-340g/32.1cm/325SW. I hit a 1hbh and am rather surprised how well I'm hitting it with this frame. Also just a few years younger than you, so it's time to start considering this type of frame. The feel/flex is as good as any I've hit. I think I quoted you in another thread and stated the same, but if this is the classic Head feel, I know why people rave about it.

 

[HitMoreBHs]

Just curious, but are you hitting a 1hbh or 2hbh? I really didn't expect to like the GT as much as I do. I still have more modding to do to get it dialed in for me but shooting for 335-340g/32.1cm/325SW. I hit a 1hbh and am rather surprised how well I'm hitting it with this frame. Also just a few years younger than you, so it's time to start considering this type of frame. The feel/flex is as good as any I've hit. I think I quoted you in another thread and stated the same, but if this is the classic Head feel, I know why people rave about it.

1hbh, it’s my best shot, in some part due to an annoyingly erratic forehand. I’ve never found 100sq” racquets to be unwieldy for my single hander in comparison to 90/95/98 headsizes. If anything, the larger face makes it easier to hit a looping, deep heavy topspin shot. Having come from a PT600, playing with the Gravity Tour is almost like cheating.

HEAD has had a great reception in the last two years to their 360+ spiral fibre evolution. After years of brittle graphene feel (probably chasing Babolat market share with lighter, stiffer racquets), this is a welcome change and hopefully the start of many great feel racquets to come.

 

[Ryebread]

Guys

what would 18g soft poly at 50lbs feel like, a tour? Never played that low. But I bet with the 18x20” I will still have adequate control. And maybe squeeze out a little power. I’m not into lead. Or chains.

4.0 - 4.5

 

[jdx2112]

Guys

what would 18g soft poly at 50lbs feel like, a tour? Never played that low. But I bet with the 18x20” I will still have adequate control. And maybe squeeze out a little power. I’m not into lead. Or chains.

4.0 - 4.5

I use a lot of 1.20 gauge strings and have had no obvious issues with it at all. Strung at 48.

 

[Pneumated1]

1hbh, it’s my best shot, in some part due to an annoyingly erratic forehand. I’ve never found 100sq” racquets to be unwieldy for my single hander in comparison to 90/95/98 headsizes. If anything, the larger face makes it easier to hit a looping, deep heavy topspin shot. Having come from a PT600, playing with the Gravity Tour is almost like cheating.

HEAD has had a great reception in the last two years to their 360+ spiral fibre evolution. After years of brittle graphene feel (probably chasing Babolat market share with lighter, stiffer racquets), this is a welcome change and hopefully the start of many great feel racquets to come.

Same here. 1hbh as my best shot, and I don't know if it's the extra real estate, flex, or what, but I'm also noticing more shape with less effort--when I expected it to be more of chore because of the 100". And slice backhands are point and shoot, laser-like. I love my UP 16x19s and Touch Prestige Pro, but this one is hard to put down. It has grown on me ... to the point where I'm looking for a second. Personally, I like the fade to yellow and purple/lavender of the update ... but the price tag is unjustified, and paint doesn't mean much to me.

 

[jdx2112]

Same here. 1hbh as my best shot, and I don't know if it's the extra real estate, flex, or what, but I'm also noticing more shape with less effort--when I expected it to be more of chore because of the 100". And slice backhands are point and shoot, laser-like. I love my UP 16x19s and Touch Prestige Pro, but this one is hard to put down. It has grown on me ... to the point where I'm looking for a second. Personally, I like the fade to yellow and purple/lavender of the update ... but the price tag is unjustified, and paint doesn't mean much to me.

I think the move on the paint job should have been to do both sides with the yellow-green fade on both sides. The blue-violet side is the color I’m not crazy about. I picked up a second Tour back in the Fall.

 

[Pneumated1]

I think the move on the paint job should have been to do both sides with the yellow-green fade on both sides. The blue-violet side is the color I’m not crazy about. I picked up a second Tour back in the Fall.

I'll probably pick up a second of the outgoing version while they're still around as long as I can find one at or under specs. The one I have now was 318g, 315SW, 4pts hl. That's easy to work with.

 

[kailash]

I still believe head made a big mistake by not releasing a 16x19 tour instead of 18x20. Such an amazing solid frame with excellent feel that it could be even sweater/spin friendly if it was 16x19

Actually they could have released both 16x19 and 18x20; something like the Prince racquets. Maybe they did not want to interfere with Speed, Radical and Extreme MP!!

 

[jdx2112]

Actually they could have released both 16x19 and 18x20; something like the Prince racquets. Maybe they did not want to interfere with Speed, Radical and Extreme MP!!

They have a lot of lines, probably one too many. Maintaining brand positioning makes sense. There's no 16/19 in the Gravity line, just the 16/20...

If you look at the Prestige line, the 16/19 patterns are only in the 93 and 95 inch heads. The spectrum of racquet lines moves from control to spin, from Prestige to Extreme. Gravity is the next one after Presitge and with the 100" heads enabling more spin and power, there's no point in giving it an open pattern. It would defeat the purpose of the racquet and compete with the positioning of the Radical line, the next racquet in the spectrum.

If Head only offered 3 or 4 lines, then yes adding a 16/19 pattern in the Tour would make sense. It would be the Blade strategy. But the 5/6 lines is meant to capture these subtle needs through specific holistic designs, not string pattern options.

 

[alpenglo]

I have to disagree. Speed line is all about speed.....and they made both mp and pro with increasing SW, slow as a truck. They are both strung close to 330SW.... imagine those receiving their MPs without matching frames and got racquets with similar SW to 18x20 Blades for example. They fixed the feel but destroyed maneuverability.

Not disagreeing with you at all but it's a bit ironic how brand spokesman Novak plays with his racquet (admittedly not a real "Speed") almost entirely lined with lead tape. Not the most speedy setup.

 

[alpenglo]

Both racquets produce more than enough power when you swing out (again, think control). The Pro is definitely on the heavy side (Head can't seem to keep to their stated swing weight--mine's over 340) and not really open to much customization, so IMO, the Tour is the sweet-spot of the Gravity line.

BTW, in the time since my last post in 2020 I have extended my GTour to push up the power a bit. I guess it did end up feeling a little underpowered (with full poly). Extending it 1/4" pushed up the swingweight 9 points (gcm^2, I think) with about a 5g increase in static weight. It plays easier now without having lost any of that control that makes the Gravity line so nice.