Help me understand Wilson and Head racquets

[Anni.Angel]

I am no expert in racquets as many of you here are. Therefore I have problems understanding 2 major brands, Head and Wilson.

Babolat is simple, they have Pure Drive for power, Pure Aero for spin, Pure Strike for control.
Yonex is the same except they have the 98 racquets which are refined versions of the Babolats. That's how I see them.

Of course the Babolat tried to emulate the 98 versions of Yonex, and Yonex tried to clone the Babolat weapons.

But Head and Wilson are a lot more complicated. Both Wilson and Head have racquets that in theory are providing kinda the same stuff, spin power and control.
Except, Wilson and Head have more than one line for one thing.

For example Wilson has the Burn line for spin, but they also say the new Shift line is also for spin.
Head has Speed line for spin but also the new Boom line is also for spin.

Wilson has the Pro Staff for control, but also has the Blade which is also a good control racquet.
Head has the Gravity and Prestige which both are for control.

We could go even further, let's say Wilson has the Ultra line which seems to be their power racquet but they also have the Pro Staff Precision 100 which looks to me like a Pure Drive clone.
So, yeah, Head and Wilson are confusing.

The question is, let's say you want spin, how do you decide between two racquets from the same company that both are designed for spin?
Also, how do you label or rank their racquets?

I am feeling like:
The Wilson and Head are the companies where you go and try to get the best racquet for control.
If you want spin or power you go to Babolat. If you want controlable spin or power you go to Yonex and buy their 98 sq inch eZones and vCores.

 

[Fintft]

For power and control nothing beats a prostock imho.

 

[Grafil Injection]

That's a fair broad overview. Babolat and Yonex also have control models in each of their ranges with the 95, 97/98 sqi options.

You can definitely argue that Head and Wilson should reduce the number of silos to aid selection, but I suspect they are incorporating not just performance in their offerings, but also gender and age of the buyers etc.

 

[PRS]

I am no expert in racquets as many of you here are. Therefore I have problems understanding 2 major brands, Head and Wilson.

Babolat is simple, they have Pure Drive for power, Pure Aero for spin, Pure Strike for control.
Yonex is the same except they have the 98 racquets which are refined versions of the Babolats. That's how I see them.

Of course the Babolat tried to emulate the 98 versions of Yonex, and Yonex tried to clone the Babolat weapons.

But Head and Wilson are a lot more complicated. Both Wilson and Head have racquets that in theory are providing kinda the same stuff, spin power and control.
Except, Wilson and Head have more than one line for one thing.

For example Wilson has the Burn line for spin, but they also say the new Shift line is also for spin.
Head has Speed line for spin but also the new Boom line is also for spin.

Wilson has the Pro Staff for control, but also has the Blade which is also a good control racquet.
Head has the Gravity and Prestige which both are for control.

We could go even further, let's say Wilson has the Ultra line which seems to be their power racquet but they also have the Pro Staff Precision 100 which looks to me like a Pure Drive clone.
So, yeah, Head and Wilson are confusing.

The question is, let's say you want spin, how do you decide between two racquets from the same company that both are designed for spin?
Also, how do you label or rank their racquets?

I am feeling like:
The Wilson and Head are the companies where you go and try to get the best racquet for control.
If you want spin or power you go to Babolat. If you want controlable spin or power you go to Yonex and buy their 98 sq inch eZones and vCores.

Only thing I think you got wrong is that you left out Yonex's great control racquets in the Percept (formerly Vcore pro) line.

But you're right, Wilson and Head are confusing. While having different options with different specs is nice, both companies have blended the boundaries between lines so it's harder to narrow it down between their offerings, both purely on a recommendation basis and even sometimes after actually hitting with them.

I think it would be helpful for both of them to narrow it down and help distinguish their lines a little bit. Not necessarily down to just three (power/spin/control) that companies like Babolat, Yonex, and Dunlop have, but narrowing it down some I would think would be helpful.

 

[heavyD]

Head's spin line is the Extreme. The Speed is all-around (does a bit of everything well) line and the Boom is kind of a power/comfort focused frame similar to the Clash. I would say Wilson has two frames in the Clash and Shift that have unique flex characteristics that no other manufacturer offers. You can make a case that arm comfort has become almost as important a characteristic as control, spin, power, etc in modern racquets.

 

[Anni.Angel]

Head's spin line is the Extreme. The Speed is all-around (does a bit of everything well) line and the Boom is kind of a power/comfort focused frame similar to the Clash. I would say Wilson has two frames in the Clash and Shift that have unique flex characteristics that no other manufacturer offers. You can make a case that arm comfort has become almost as important a characteristic as control, spin, power, etc in modern racquets.

So there should be a fourth line: comfort line.

 

[Conrado85]

For power and control nothing beats a prostock imho.

Power+control = Wilson H22

 

[Roquestil]

I am no expert in racquets as many of you here are. Therefore I have problems understanding 2 major brands, Head and Wilson.

Babolat is simple, they have Pure Drive for power, Pure Aero for spin, Pure Strike for control.
Yonex is the same except they have the 98 racquets which are refined versions of the Babolats. That's how I see them.

Of course the Babolat tried to emulate the 98 versions of Yonex, and Yonex tried to clone the Babolat weapons.

But Head and Wilson are a lot more complicated. Both Wilson and Head have racquets that in theory are providing kinda the same stuff, spin power and control.
Except, Wilson and Head have more than one line for one thing.

For example Wilson has the Burn line for spin, but they also say the new Shift line is also for spin.
Head has Speed line for spin but also the new Boom line is also for spin.

Wilson has the Pro Staff for control, but also has the Blade which is also a good control racquet.
Head has the Gravity and Prestige which both are for control.

We could go even further, let's say Wilson has the Ultra line which seems to be their power racquet but they also have the Pro Staff Precision 100 which looks to me like a Pure Drive clone.
So, yeah, Head and Wilson are confusing.
8
The question is, let's say you want spin, how do you decide between two racquets from the same company that both are designed for spin?
Also, how do you label or rank their racquets?

I am feeling like:
The Wilson and Head are the companies where you go and try to get the best racquet for control.
If you want spin or power you go to Babolat. If you want controlable spin or power you go to Yonex and buy their 98 sq inch eZones and vCores.

It´s just marketing. For example vc95 could be a whole new line but instead they keep it in that line. So yonex for example has like 8 or more ezones where head has around 3-4 racquets per line. Having said that, yonex and babolat keep their marketing simple and it´s much more straightforward for the customer.

 

[Fintft]

Power+control = Wilson H22

I had the BP v8 (based on the H22 mold, right?) and it's not quite as good as some prostocks.

 

[nintendoplayer]

I am no expert in racquets as many of you here are. Therefore I have problems understanding 2 major brands, Head and Wilson.

Babolat is simple, they have Pure Drive for power, Pure Aero for spin, Pure Strike for control.
Yonex is the same except they have the 98 racquets which are refined versions of the Babolats. That's how I see them.

Of course the Babolat tried to emulate the 98 versions of Yonex, and Yonex tried to clone the Babolat weapons.

But Head and Wilson are a lot more complicated. Both Wilson and Head have racquets that in theory are providing kinda the same stuff, spin power and control.
Except, Wilson and Head have more than one line for one thing.

For example Wilson has the Burn line for spin, but they also say the new Shift line is also for spin.
Head has Speed line for spin but also the new Boom line is also for spin.

Wilson has the Pro Staff for control, but also has the Blade which is also a good control racquet.
Head has the Gravity and Prestige which both are for control.

We could go even further, let's say Wilson has the Ultra line which seems to be their power racquet but they also have the Pro Staff Precision 100 which looks to me like a Pure Drive clone.
So, yeah, Head and Wilson are confusing.

The question is, let's say you want spin, how do you decide between two racquets from the same company that both are designed for spin?
Also, how do you label or rank their racquets?

I am feeling like:
The Wilson and Head are the companies where you go and try to get the best racquet for control.
If you want spin or power you go to Babolat. If you want controlable spin or power you go to Yonex and buy their 98 sq inch eZones and vCores.

After reading your post I came to the conclusion that especially when comparing the Boom and Speed….it‘s probably more about the colors and design of the frames than we (nerds) think. I know a lot of players that chose the Speed because of the black/white design. And most of them are also relatively conscious about their clothing style. Frame has to match them

So it‘s a style decision for many guys, I‘m afraid. The Speed and Gravity aren‘t worlds apart from a technical perspective, but the player types are often different. And the players associate certain frames with certain attributes regarding style and player type.
Frames also have a reputation in the amateur tennis community. The Prestige for example still has a bad reputation among many players in my region and you won‘t meet many players with a Prestige. The ProStaff is known for being hard to handle but some players still insist on using it.
The Speed is kind of the „hip guy“ frame in my area. The Gravity is for „serious baseline players“. The Boom isn‘t that popular in my area. The Clash is the tennis coach frame.
And so on….

So selecting a tennis racquet, at least in my regional tennis community, often isn‘t that much about detailed specs. For many players it‘s absolutely clear that a certain model from a certain brand (mostly Wilson, Head, Babolat) is what fits their style and personality. Because many other players use the same frame and play a similar style of tennis. So they‘ll stick with a Blade for example and simply upgrade it every few years.

 

[Purestriker]

I had the BP v8 (based on the H22 mold, right?) and it's not quite as good as some prostocks.

I have both, BP v7 and an H22. The BP is not the same and not as good as the H22. However, it is really good.

 

[Fxanimator1]

So there should be a fourth line: comfort line.

Gravity's.

 

[eric42]

I have both, BP v7 and an H22. The BP is not the same and not as good as the H22. However, it is really good.

I do as well. My particular pro stock H22 feels very similar to the BP, just not quite as stiff feeling as the BP, but still fairly stiff. That's pretty much it. I can't say one is "better" than the other. My H22 was measured with a 60 RA and still feels much stiffer than all my pro stock Blades, the highest measured at 68 RA...which still feels soft. Throat flex vs. hoop flex I guess. So just like SW, RA numbers don't necessarily correlate with the actual feel.

 

[gino]

I am no expert in racquets as many of you here are. Therefore I have problems understanding 2 major brands, Head and Wilson.

Babolat is simple, they have Pure Drive for power, Pure Aero for spin, Pure Strike for control.
Yonex is the same except they have the 98 racquets which are refined versions of the Babolats. That's how I see them.

Of course the Babolat tried to emulate the 98 versions of Yonex, and Yonex tried to clone the Babolat weapons.

But Head and Wilson are a lot more complicated. Both Wilson and Head have racquets that in theory are providing kinda the same stuff, spin power and control.
Except, Wilson and Head have more than one line for one thing.

For example Wilson has the Burn line for spin, but they also say the new Shift line is also for spin.
Head has Speed line for spin but also the new Boom line is also for spin.

Wilson has the Pro Staff for control, but also has the Blade which is also a good control racquet.
Head has the Gravity and Prestige which both are for control.

We could go even further, let's say Wilson has the Ultra line which seems to be their power racquet but they also have the Pro Staff Precision 100 which looks to me like a Pure Drive clone.
So, yeah, Head and Wilson are confusing.

The question is, let's say you want spin, how do you decide between two racquets from the same company that both are designed for spin?
Also, how do you label or rank their racquets?

I am feeling like:
The Wilson and Head are the companies where you go and try to get the best racquet for control.
If you want spin or power you go to Babolat. If you want controlable spin or power you go to Yonex and buy their 98 sq inch eZones and vCores.

youre trying to reduce decades of racket design down to a simple sentence, that's not going to happen. the pure strike VS is a better control racket then any control racket in HEAD's main catalog (PT/PC 2.0 dont count)

try everything and use what makes you happy

 

[x_h]

the more options you have, the more weekend warriors customer you can get?

 

[DropvolleysRhard]

I am no expert in racquets as many of you here are. Therefore I have problems understanding 2 major brands, Head and Wilson.

Babolat is simple, they have Pure Drive for power, Pure Aero for spin, Pure Strike for control.
Yonex is the same except they have the 98 racquets which are refined versions of the Babolats. That's how I see them.

Of course the Babolat tried to emulate the 98 versions of Yonex, and Yonex tried to clone the Babolat weapons.

But Head and Wilson are a lot more complicated. Both Wilson and Head have racquets that in theory are providing kinda the same stuff, spin power and control.
Except, Wilson and Head have more than one line for one thing.

For example Wilson has the Burn line for spin, but they also say the new Shift line is also for spin.
Head has Speed line for spin but also the new Boom line is also for spin.

Wilson has the Pro Staff for control, but also has the Blade which is also a good control racquet.
Head has the Gravity and Prestige which both are for control.

We could go even further, let's say Wilson has the Ultra line which seems to be their power racquet but they also have the Pro Staff Precision 100 which looks to me like a Pure Drive clone.
So, yeah, Head and Wilson are confusing.

The question is, let's say you want spin, how do you decide between two racquets from the same company that both are designed for spin?
Also, how do you label or rank their racquets?

I am feeling like:
The Wilson and Head are the companies where you go and try to get the best racquet for control.
If you want spin or power you go to Babolat. If you want controlable spin or power you go to Yonex and buy their 98 sq inch eZones and vCores.

The Speed is an all court racket not spin. The extreme is the head spin frame. Very Aero like. Prestige is a legacy line and has more feel and control than gravit but gravity is still plush and controlled. Gravity is like speed and prestige had a baby. Instinct is now more of a price point racket to compete with prestrung big box rackets.

Same for Wilson. Pro staff is legacy frame with options now. Blade is modern control frame. Shift was made for folks who loved the clash V1 but hated the super soft V2. Ultra is Wilson’s modern game spin and power frame. Burn is like the head instinct.

As for figuring out what is best for you, demo, demo, demo.

 

[TheBoom]

To answer your question, you demo them

But I think Wilson and Head have done a really good job developing lines that overlap playing styles. There are multiple options for control players, spin, etc. and it’s awesome to see.

The variety also means you can’t really just go on a forum like this or a website and understand what you’ll get. For example, both the radical and gravity will give you good control, so which should you pick? You can’t really tell unless you try them side by side or have a strong history with a certain style of racket.

Demoing has become even more important, and especially with the newest lines from Wilson (clash and shift) the specs don’t tell the whole story.

 

[Fintft]

I have both, BP v7 and an H22. The BP is not the same and not as good as the H22. However, it is really good.

V8

 

[Crocodile]

Yes Head, Wilson and Prince have a lot of derivatives in their line up and I think you need to go for the racquet that lines up closest to the specs you like and the feel you like.
For me with the Head range I like the prestige because it’s closest in mass and balance that I like and the type of beam and thickness.
With Wilson I usually take the Pro Staff for the same reason. The thing with the blades is that the last few iterations had D beams, and I think that box beams absorb more weight of shot when the hitting gets heavier. Feel wise I do like the Ultra Pro but it needs lead everywhere and when you finally get around customising the frame and get out and play, you may notice at the end of the night that you have some lead missing as it has slipped off.
Heads speed pro frame seems to suit a wide variety of players - it kind of sits in the middle,

 

[eric42]

I mostly agree with this, though I feel the stability is nearly the same. A little more ball pocketing and flex with the H22. Both are pretty brassy raw frames with no dampening tech.

 

[Anni.Angel]

I think I will try the H22 and H19 soon. Althought knowing the H19 and H22 are copies of Head racquets kept me away from those.

I am not sure about PT57A, people playing PT57A have a very ugly game: Simon, Murray... meh

 

[DropvolleysRhard]

I think I will try the H22 and H19 soon. Althought knowing the H19 and H22 are copies of Head racquets kept me away from those.

I am not sure about PT57A, people playing PT57A have a very ugly game: Simon, Murray... meh

Are you suggesting that the PT57 is only good for or makes you play a very ugly game?

 

[Conrado85]

I had the BP v8 (based on the H22 mold, right?) and it's not quite as good as some prostocks.

I was talking about the pro stock H22 version

 

[Fintft]

I was talking about the pro stock H22 version

Sorry, I am not familiar with it.

 

[Anni.Angel]

Are you suggesting that the PT57 is only good for or makes you play a very ugly game?

In some article on his vlog, the tennisnerd said, quote: "the PT57A made me want to play like Andy Murray".

 

[DropvolleysRhard]

In some article on his vlog, the tennisnerd said, quote: "the PT57A made me want to play like Andy Murray".

Pretty sure he meant play like Murray in a good way as in attacking tennis. The PT57 has such great feel and control it helps you play aggressive tennis as you know what the ball will do.

 

[Anni.Angel]

Pretty sure he meant play like Murray in a good way as in attacking tennis. The PT57 has such great feel and control it helps you play aggressive tennis as you know what the ball will do.

In this case I will try give it a shot. Seems to be worth trying them.
Will be my first time playing a Head racquet.

Thanks a lot!

 

[DropvolleysRhard]

In this case I will try give it a shot. Seems to be worth trying them.
Will be my first time playing a Head racquet.

Thanks a lot!

Well trying a PT57a is kind of costly, can’t walk in a shop and buy or demo them.

 

[Tranqville]

Both companies have complete, rich product lines, and they cover all possible market needs. When choosing a model, it's better to be very specific about what you need, brand is not that important unless you're a brand loyal person. Request help at this forum, and you shall get it.

In terms of product DNA, both companies have legendary "archetype" racquets:

For Head, It's Prestige: soft, amazing feel and control, flat strokes, aggressive baseliner style (Muster, Guga, Safin)
For Head, it's Pro Staff: stiff, powerful, great S&V or all-court game (Edberg, Sampras, Federer)

These brands also differ in their essence:

Head - democratic, "people's racquet", rebelous (a la young Agassi and Djokovic)
Wilson - Elite champions, regal

In brand speak, Head is Everyman-Rebel, Wilson Hero-Ruler.