HEAD Microgel Radical grommet problem

J

jivesamba

New User
I am having big problems with the grommets on my Microgel OS Radicals. I can't play one single match without the headguard grommets cracking and/or breaking off the racquet when I barely touch the ground going for a low ball. It seems to me that this MG version of the Radical has the poorest quality of grommets of any version to date. I never had this problem with the LiquidMetal grommets. I am basically having to install new grommets with every string job! Is anyone else suffering from this problem. I've started to wonder if older Radical grommets will fit the Microgel? Anybody know?

Thanks in advance.
 
My radicals are Oversize. There is no CAP to fit OS Rad is there??? I'm curious as to whether or not the LiquidMetal OS grommets will fit the Microgel OS?

Thanks for reminding me about the CAPs though... I'd forgotten about those.
 
jivesamba said:
I am having big problems with the grommets on my Microgel OS Radicals. I can't play one single match without the headguard grommets cracking and/or breaking off the racquet when I barely touch the ground going for a low ball. It seems to me that this MG version of the Radical has the poorest quality of grommets of any version to date. I never had this problem with the LiquidMetal grommets. I am basically having to install new grommets with every string job! Is anyone else suffering from this problem. I've started to wonder if older Radical grommets will fit the Microgel? Anybody know?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Totally disposable grommets...
It was just a matter of time before the dishonest and manipulative racquet companies reached this low and despicable level.

Thanks for letting us know.
 
Just to follow up... I called HEAD yesterday and got straight thru to a nice person named Megan. When I described to her the issues that I had been having with these grommets, she immediately said that lots of people were having the same problems.

She said that HEAD had just recently re-engineered their grommets and she offered to ship me 3 sets immediately free of charge! I'm not sure if they have re-engineered the grommets for all of the Microgel line, but she definitely said that the Radical MP and OS had new, better grommets. She also said that when Tennis Warehouse got them back in stock that they should be the new and improved version.

So... there you go... I hope that was helpful. I may post here again when I get the new grommets installed and tested so anyone who is interested will know if in fact they are improved.

Thanks!
 
.... oops... I made a mistake in my last post. The new grommets for the Microgel OS Radical are now available. The new grommets for the Microgel MP Radical won't be available until May 2008 according to HEAD. Sorry for the confusion!
 
Wow.

Same problem with Microgel radical pro - top bumper guard cracked first five minutes. I put black electrical tape around the frame until the strings died. Seems like it actually TORE on a shanked ball. Sad.

Hey, contacted TW and forwarded to the head rep who sent me a new grommet set. Great customer service but didn't like playing with tape around the guard on a new frame.
 
Head has been making decent bumpers and grommets for over 20 years.
Obviously, they know how to make them properly. And it's probably not rocket science.

How could this possibly have been an honest mistake on their part?
Did they suddenly 'forget' how to make proper grommets and bumpers?
I doubt it.

There's something fishy going on here...
 
I still have the defective bumper guard on the racket. It is paper thin and kind of brittle. It also didn't form well at the broken spot to the frame.
Not fishey, maybe a new production plant? Poor product control? Hey, I have never bought a racket that broke a bumper guard not to have it happen in the first hitting session.
 
That prior text looked harsh; I have never seen a wimpy head grommet strip either. I think head has made some of the best frames ever.
This grommet thing is wierd. Respectfully deuce.
 
CliffH said:
That prior text looked harsh; I have never seen a wimpy head grommet strip either. I think head has made some of the best frames ever.
This grommet thing is wierd. Respectfully deuce.
Click to expand...
And like every other racquet company, Head has made some terrible racquets, as well.

Head also were responsible for the worst paint quality in the history of racquets with the atrocious paint on the iPrestiges.
Again - they had been painting racquets for over 20 years - did they suddenly 'forget' how to paint a racquet so that you can't scratch all the paint off with your fingernail?

At best, Head has shown - with the iPrestige paint and these grommets/bumpers - that they don't care enough about their customers to make sure they do things properly.
It looks very much - again, at best - like they tried to cut a lot of corners.

I'm far less than impressed.
A company who has been making raquets for at least 35 years should definitely NOT be making 'errors' like this.
 
Last edited:
Your feet are probably better than my 40yr old pair and get you to the ball in time to avoid having to scrape it off the court! :)
 
Seriously though... I'm sure HEAD is guilty of the same thing that every other company is- cutting costs on manufacturing to the point where the end product does not meet quality standards. Shame on them. At least they are correcting the problem. I'll have to report back a few weeks after I've installed the "new" grommets.

And in answer to ftaba1's question earlier- The Prestiges all have the famous HEAD C.A.P. grommet system and thus should be exempt from such hassles. I'm sure you won't have any problems with your new Prestige excalibur!
 
Thanks jivesamba for answering my question.
I'm new to Head racquets (have been palying mostly with Wilson until now) and would like to ask what are C.A.P. grommets famous for?


Thanks.
 
I've been playing with my Microgel Radical MP for about a year, and have had zero problems until recently. Then, about 3 weeks ago, a piece of the bumper/grommet snapped off on a mis-hit off of the edge. I didn't think twice about this, until my loaner racquet (same make and model), developed a crack yesterday during a match! :-?

Sounds like a quality problem to me. But I must say that the racquet has been great for me other than that.
 
CliffH said:
Wow.

Same problem with Microgel radical pro - top bumper guard cracked first five minutes. I put black electrical tape around the frame until the strings died. Seems like it actually TORE on a shanked ball. Sad.

Hey, contacted TW and forwarded to the head rep who sent me a new grommet set. Great customer service but didn't like playing with tape around the guard on a new frame.
Click to expand...

Hey, thanks for the tip on contacting Head! Just talked to a rep, and they're sending me 2 of the new grommet sets in the mail today - FREE. :)
 
Cool.

Please post if the say anything about NEW style grommets, maybe coming in MY 2008. I just put my Radical pros in the FS section, and linked to this thread, so the new owner will know :)
 
jivesamba said:
I am having big problems with the grommets on my Microgel OS Radicals. I can't play one single match without the headguard grommets cracking and/or breaking off the racquet when I barely touch the ground going for a low ball. It seems to me that this MG version of the Radical has the poorest quality of grommets of any version to date. I never had this problem with the LiquidMetal grommets. I am basically having to install new grommets with every string job! Is anyone else suffering from this problem. I've started to wonder if older Radical grommets will fit the Microgel? Anybody know?

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I wonder if there are some additional factors here...such as particular batches, weather conditions, or something. I've had my Radical Pros since August. I've thrown them. I've dropped them. I serve (and mis-hit) quite hard.

Just looked at mine. Plenty of scrapes, but no cracks. Perhaps my stringer is replacing the side grommets for me, but I know the head grommets are original.
 
1) you have to be old
2) you have to be mostly blind
3) you have to hit the ball squarely on th edge of the bumper guard edge only where the white lettering says HEAD
4) optional method is to catch on pocket of tennis shorts :)
 
CAP11-1.jpg


<a href="http://s168.photobucket.com/albums/u194/mickey817/?action=view&current=CAP11-1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u194/mickey817/CAP11-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
 
Just to follow up... I installed the "new" grommets that HEAD sent me about 3 months ago and no issues! They have taken a beating and still not cracked or broken.
 
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