Head: Speed vs Radical vs Extreme vs Instinct

dante.hua

New User
I saw a guy opened a topic about Wilson racquets. Im also a Wilson fan. But i currently using Head Touch Speed MP and i've tried couple of Radical also.
So everyone, please give a thought about Head racquets.
 

dante.hua

New User
Really curious about stability and feel/comfort of all above-300gr Head sticks :)

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A

Attila_the_gorilla

Guest
In my opinion, the most important difference between different brands is the handle shapes. My preference is the Head TK82s square-ish handle, and for that reason alone, I will only ever use Head rackets in the future.
 

JohnBPittsburgh

Hall of Fame
The Head Microgel Radical MP is one of my favorite sticks from Head. With a little customizing (silicone/lead/leather), you can have yourself a smooth feeling frame, that is very control oriented. String it with gut/poly, and you have a weapon in your hand. It is one of those frames that you can throw almost any string into, and it will play very well. From Syn gut to poly, it is a jack of all trades. It doesn't have much "star power" but if you just want to hit some tennis balls, this will get the job done. Best part of it is....the paintjob grows on you (and no one else will want to steal it at the club!!!) I use to hate my Microgel Radical, now I refuse to sell it!!!

It is not a power frame though. So if you are looking for a frame to give you a boost in power, look elsewhere. If you want to groove your strokes and make sure you are hitting clean, this is one to look into. Tight pattern, 18x20, and if I were to get another one from Tennis Warehouse, I would pay the $20 and ask for them to hand pick me one with the lowest RA possible (aiming for as close to 58 as possible!!!!) That would insure the buttery smooth feel :)

IMO, if you are looking at getting a Head frame... Radicals are extremely playable, control oriented, soft feeling, monsters. At least all versions before Graphene are...
 

dante.hua

New User
The Head Microgel Radical MP is one of my favorite sticks from Head. With a little customizing (silicone/lead/leather), you can have yourself a smooth feeling frame, that is very control oriented. String it with gut/poly, and you have a weapon in your hand. It is one of those frames that you can throw almost any string into, and it will play very well. From Syn gut to poly, it is a jack of all trades. It doesn't have much "star power" but if you just want to hit some tennis balls, this will get the job done. Best part of it is....the paintjob grows on you (and no one else will want to steal it at the club!!!) I use to hate my Microgel Radical, now I refuse to sell it!!!

It is not a power frame though. So if you are looking for a frame to give you a boost in power, look elsewhere. If you want to groove your strokes and make sure you are hitting clean, this is one to look into. Tight pattern, 18x20, and if I were to get another one from Tennis Warehouse, I would pay the $20 and ask for them to hand pick me one with the lowest RA possible (aiming for as close to 58 as possible!!!!) That would insure the buttery smooth feel :)

IMO, if you are looking at getting a Head frame... Radicals are extremely playable, control oriented, soft feeling, monsters. At least all versions before Graphene are...
Badly i can't find any Radical before Graphene in my area. Microgel is the one i would like to try soon.
The radical xt MP (or MPA with 16x19) is nice but little lack of feel and unstable with heavily strokes. Do you think so?
 

Matthew Lee

Professional
Radical XT Pro was actually not bad for me. I had a friend string one of his with Wilson Revolve White @ 53 pounds and Babolat RPM Blast @ 52 pounds. They played exceptionally well, but it is kind of uncomfortable out of the sweetspot. If you want to play with the XT Radicals, especially the Pro, I think you need to focus your game on the baseline.

Speed...I only used the Graphene and the XT, not the Touch. The Graphene Speed Pro had YTEX Quadro Twist @ 55 pounds, and it was a sweet playing frame...except for the volleys. Kinda mediocre there. The XT Speed Pro is stiff and jarring, similar to the Radical in that aspect, but it was strung at 58 pounds. Should go for a low-50s area. Control is great, spin is above average, groundies are good, net play is decent, but like I said...it's a baseliner's racket.

Extreme...I think it's my second favorite, with the Radical ahead and the Speed behind. Definitely the most spin and power with it, but it's hard to control it at times, especially the 16 x 16 on the MPA. The rounder headshape reminded me of the 2010 Pure Drive, and I think it plays really similarly to that racket. Modern player's racket imho.

Instinct...haven't tried...
 

dante.hua

New User
I haven't tried any Head pro racquet, still work out to handle them. My most ideal weight is below 305gr with 320s gr swingweight.
About the instinct line, to me, feel like hitting with a metal baseball, kind of weird :))

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JohnBPittsburgh

Hall of Fame
Can you order from Tennis Warehouse or Tennis Warehouse Europe? I would look for some sort of online retailer that can ship a demo to you (or the frame). I assumed you were in the USA (where Microgel Radicals are easy to find!!) :)
 

Roland G

Hall of Fame
I saw a guy opened a topic about Wilson racquets. Im also a Wilson fan. But i currently using Head Touch Speed MP and i've tried couple of Radical also.
So everyone, please give a thought about Head racquets.
This is a personal opinion, others may vary etc. I've tried the Speed Pro which I found cumbersome and not very maneuverable. The Extreme Pro was also not very maneuverable and has a huge frying pan shape and super thick beam and the yellow pj is one of the worst out there. Radical Pro was brassy and stiff feeling for me. Instinct MP is perceived as a light tweener style and it probably is, but I thought it was a decent frame if that was what you're looking for.
 

dante.hua

New User
This is a personal opinion, others may vary etc. I've tried the Speed Pro which I found cumbersome and not very maneuverable. The Extreme Pro was also not very maneuverable and has a huge frying pan shape and super thick beam and the yellow pj is one of the worst out there. Radical Pro was brassy and stiff feeling for me. Instinct MP is perceived as a light tweener style and it probably is, but I thought it was a decent frame if that was what you're looking for.
The most uncomfortable Head racquet for me is Instinct :) so... thanks but no thanks with that

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dante.hua

New User
My tip of the day to you sir is dont try the Graphene Radical pro. save yourself the demo fee on that one.
Tks a lot. I don't intend to try radical pro. MP is the most comfortable weight for me although i can handle pretty well wilson blade 98 18x20
 

Boubi

Professional
Radical XT Pro was actually not bad for me. I had a friend string one of his with Wilson Revolve White @ 53 pounds and Babolat RPM Blast @ 52 pounds. They played exceptionally well, but it is kind of uncomfortable out of the sweetspot. If you want to play with the XT Radicals, especially the Pro, I think you need to focus your game on the baseline.

Speed...I only used the Graphene and the XT, not the Touch. The Graphene Speed Pro had YTEX Quadro Twist @ 55 pounds, and it was a sweet playing frame...except for the volleys. Kinda mediocre there. The XT Speed Pro is stiff and jarring, similar to the Radical in that aspect, but it was strung at 58 pounds. Should go for a low-50s area. Control is great, spin is above average, groundies are good, net play is decent, but like I said...it's a baseliner's racket.

Extreme...I think it's my second favorite, with the Radical ahead and the Speed behind. Definitely the most spin and power with it, but it's hard to control it at times, especially the 16 x 16 on the MPA. The rounder headshape reminded me of the 2010 Pure Drive, and I think it plays really similarly to that racket. Modern player's racket imho.

Instinct...haven't tried...

I thought Speed and Radical were both exceptional at net, stable and manoeuvrable
Tension of my Speed XT is 51 mains and 47 crosses with Babolat origin gauge 15
 
I played with the Extreme Pro 2.0 for 3-4 yrs after trying the Speed and Radical Pro. The Extreme's power and spin are very addictive. To offset the power, I used a low powered poly like Tour Bite and MSV Focus Hex @56-57 lbs. The Extreme is Head's version of the Babalot Pure Drive Tour or Plus. I switched to the Plus version with almost no transition period; the switch was to make serving less an effort on my shoulder. The Extreme, IMHO, had a bigger sweet spot than the Radical and Speed from the rounder shape. Mishits could still get good depth and power. Also, I had no problems with maneuverability, as I serve and volley quite a bit in singles and play a lot of doubles.

I really don't remember hitting the Speed much other than it felt a bit dead/flat. The Radical Pro had less power and spin than the Extreme but better control and feel.





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FCarmo

New User
I saw a guy opened a topic about Wilson racquets. Im also a Wilson fan. But i currently using Head Touch Speed MP and i've tried couple of Radical also.
So everyone, please give a thought about Head racquets.

Did you use the IG Rad MP? Or anyone of the rads mp, how it compares with the speed touch mp? Mainly on terms of comfort, control and spin
 

rjp1977

Rookie
Did you use the IG Rad MP? Or anyone of the rads mp, how it compares with the speed touch mp? Mainly on terms of comfort, control and spin

IG Radical MP is a great racket. I left it briefly to try the new Touch Speeds (MP & Pro) and Mantis 295 (lovely with a touch of lead in handle and 3 & 9) but came back as it just felt more solid and comfortable than the Speeds.
 

FCarmo

New User
IG Radical MP is a great racket. I left it briefly to try the new Touch Speeds (MP & Pro) and Mantis 295 (lovely with a touch of lead in handle and 3 & 9) but came back as it just felt more solid and comfortable than the Speeds.

Thanks for your response...Im going to comeback in one month from two injuries and I have two alternatives IG Rad MP and GSMP...Im looking for a lighweight frame for progressively add more weight (polarized)...probably the Speed become a bit overpowered I think, but I dont know haha
 

nvr2old

Hall of Fame
I love my MG Radicals (3 MP, 2 OS and 3 Pro's). As JohnBPittsburgh said great underrated sticks. Also got some Migrogel extreme MP's recently that again are not new tech or paint but play really well. For the price they are very hard to beat.
 

Dominic

Semi-Pro
I must admit, im quite a fan of the Pro series.
Radical Pro (Pure Aero users will like)
Speed Pro
Prestige Pro ( graphene my favorite)
Extreme Pro (no longer available)..super underated racket
Really looking forward to the Prestige Touch Pro..
I think because the weight and swingweight of these rackets are right in my wheelhouse..after adding a leather grip that is. I seem play easily will all the
 

beltsman

G.O.A.T.
I must admit, im quite a fan of the Pro series.
Radical Pro (Pure Aero users will like)
Speed Pro
Prestige Pro ( graphene my favorite)
Extreme Pro (no longer available)..super underated racket
Really looking forward to the Prestige Touch Pro..
I think because the weight and swingweight of these rackets are right in my wheelhouse..after adding a leather grip that is. I seem play easily will all the

The Extreme Pro is/was great.
 

GustoKyrgios

New User
I currently use the Extreme Pro 2.0. But I have been developing a golfer's elbow. If I need to shift on to a racquet which is slightly more head-light, what should my choice be?
 

Dominic

Semi-Pro
I currently use the Extreme Pro 2.0. But I have been developing a golfer's elbow. If I need to shift on to a racquet which is slightly more head-light, what should my choice be?
Radical Pro or MP.. certainly the MP has lower SW. Extreme MP a good option as well.
 

TennisHound

Legend
I saw a guy opened a topic about Wilson racquets. Im also a Wilson fan. But i currently using Head Touch Speed MP and i've tried couple of Radical also.
So everyone, please give a thought about Head racquets.
Topic’s a little broad, don’t you think?
 

Balaji_R

Rookie
The Head Microgel Radical MP is one of my favorite sticks from Head. With a little customizing (silicone/lead/leather), you can have yourself a smooth feeling frame, that is very control oriented. String it with gut/poly, and you have a weapon in your hand. It is one of those frames that you can throw almost any string into, and it will play very well. From Syn gut to poly, it is a jack of all trades. It doesn't have much "star power" but if you just want to hit some tennis balls, this will get the job done. Best part of it is....the paintjob grows on you (and no one else will want to steal it at the club!!!) I use to hate my Microgel Radical, now I refuse to sell it!!!

It is not a power frame though. So if you are looking for a frame to give you a boost in power, look elsewhere. If you want to groove your strokes and make sure you are hitting clean, this is one to look into. Tight pattern, 18x20, and if I were to get another one from Tennis Warehouse, I would pay the $20 and ask for them to hand pick me one with the lowest RA possible (aiming for as close to 58 as possible!!!!) That would insure the buttery smooth feel :)

IMO, if you are looking at getting a Head frame... Radicals are extremely playable, control oriented, soft feeling, monsters. At least all versions before Graphene are...
Why don't you like the Prestige mp then ?
 

joah310

Professional
played with my friends 360 instinct, surprisingly nice feeling despite not eig the usual type of racket i would use. have a radical pro xt, not for me, too much power, might just be the way I strung it, but launches everything. graphene speed imo is very nice racket, along with the g prestige mp. I actually think i might prefer the 360 instinct out of all of them.
 
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