Head Youtek IG Radical MP vs Head Youtek Prestige MP

[VeeSe]

Hi all,

I have used the IG Rad MP as my racquet for the past few months, and recently bought a couple used Youtek Prestige MPs to try out (not IG version). I haven't gotten a chance to play with them yet (will do a little this afternoon), but from swinging them a little bit, they seem significantly easier to swing than the IG Rad MP (I can really feel the lower swingweight).

However, I have heard that the Prestige is more demanding in general than the radical. Where does this manifest itself if it's an easier racquet to swing? I imagine the higher static weight (11.3 oz rad vs 11.9 oz prestige) could make it harder to hit reaction volleys and such, but in what ways is this racquet much more demanding? I'm a really small player (5'7 or 5'8, 130 lbs) and could actually feel the heaviness of the Prestige Pro, which I demoed for a day about a year ago.

Looking forward to the feedback. Thanks!
-VeeSe

 

[movdqa]

The demanding aspect is that it packs so little power. Add a hunk of lead and the power level goes way up.

 

[Circa 1762]

The demanding aspect is that it packs so little power. Add a hunk of lead and the power level goes way up.

Agreed. It seems paradoxical, but increasing swingweight by adding weight in the head (especially at the tip) makes the Youtek Prestige MPs much, much easier to use. I'm a small guy like you (5'8", 155-160 lbs) and found them very difficult to hit stock due to lack of power. I've leaded them up to about 12.9 oz/350 SW, and while I'll probably remove a little bit of weight (the high swingweight is giving me problems on serve), I still think they're easier to hit with than stock. The lead also expands the sweet spot a bit, which helps. That said, you could always just string low to get some extra power.

 

[VeeSe]

OK, I went out and played a doubles match with the sticks and didn't find any noticeable loss of power. I feel like the increased speed with which the racquet can come around makes up for any lost weight in the hoop compared to the radical. It almost feels like the radical might be more demanding to use, which I've never really heard before.