Interesting Fake?

[pheonix6579]

So I have a old Head Ti.S1 frame here for a guy that he wanted me to "detail" (basically grommets, string job, new grip and butt cap). Well after removing the grip I found that the handle is the same piece as the frame, no pallet and had the funky Chinese sticker on the frame. Just wondered if my thinking is correct that ALL Head frame have pallets? Just from my past experience, the handle alone looks that of a cheap chinese fake.

 

[tennisguy7482]

So I have a old Head Ti.S1 frame here for a guy that he wanted me to "detail" (basically grommets, string job, new grip and butt cap). Well after removing the grip I found that the handle is the same piece as the frame, no pallet and had the funky Chinese sticker on the frame. Just wondered if my thinking is correct that ALL Head frame have pallets? Just from my past experience, the handle alone looks that of a cheap chinese fake.

alot of the ultra light frames from various brands are composite handles to save weight. i do not think it is a fake, but thats my opinion.

 

[tennisnoob3]

alot of the ultra light frames from various brands are composite handles to save weight. i do not think it is a fake, but thats my opinion.

its got a chinese sticker on the handle. if the op has seen fakes with the chinese writing and he knows what hes talkin about, its a fake.

 

[flashfire276]

The Ti. S1 is a racquet made for mass production and sold at Big 5 and large retailers like that. They're all made like that. They're not real Head racquet, but they're not fake either.
It's real because it is sold as a Head racquet.
But it's fake because it's not made by Head. Chinese companies buy certain rights from Head, and then make their racquets and put the Head name on it. Why? For mass production.

 

[Don S]

I would think that that racquet probably wasn't popular enough to really bother with making a fake. I could be wrong but
don't these places make conterfeit versions of whatever happens to be hot at the moment? Which is usually what a popular pro player is using?

 

[pheonix6579]

I would think that that racquet probably wasn't popular enough to really bother with making a fake. I could be wrong but
don't these places make conterfeit versions of whatever happens to be hot at the moment? Which is usually what a popular pro player is using?

Yea that was my thinking EXACTLY. But like flashfire stated it could me a mass production thing. Don't have too much expereince with these super light dime a dozen frames. I just know I would be quite bitter if I saw this handle on a Prestige or Radical.

 

[Steve Huff]

Flashfire is correct. When Head (almost all of the racket companies do this) begins introducing newer models, they sell the license rights to produce the old models. I've seen Prince rackets like this too. What do you think all the LM Radicals at Dick's and Big 5 are? Head isn't still making them.

 

[Sreeram]

yes, I have a tis2 and it does not have a pallet as well. I purchased from SA.

 

[tennisnoob3]

Flashfire is correct. When Head (almost all of the racket companies do this) begins introducing newer models, they sell the license rights to produce the old models. I've seen Prince rackets like this too. What do you think all the LM Radicals at Dick's and Big 5 are? Head isn't still making them.

so are you saying TW's stock is not from head either? same with microgels?

so, technically, an older model head is not made directly by head?

 

[SteveI]

so are you saying TW's stock is not from head either? same with microgels?

so, technically, an older model head is not made directly by head?

Yuppers!!!

 

[flashfire276]

so are you saying TW's stock is not from head either? same with microgels?

so, technically, an older model head is not made directly by head?

Yes! Yes! And Yes!
Here's a little mission for you if you're up to it.
Go down to Big Five, the land of these "fake" racquets. Look at the racquets. There's a variety of K Factors, nCodes, and Liquidmetal racquets. Then look at the model name. It's probably something you NEVER heard of. Like the Head Liquidmetal Genesis, or the Wilson K Factor Rage.
So what's with these models? Like I stated before, the companies sell their rights to these Chinese factories to use. They use an older technology, put it into some beginner's mold, and put on the major brand name on the racquet. Chances are, these racquets aren't even nCoded and what not. It's probably just cheap titanium because it's the lowest priced material for racquets.
Bottom line, it's totally fake. But Head and Wilson allow these methods because they make money from mass production.

Also, look at the Head LM Radical and MG Radical. Those aren't made by Head, but the mold is directly sent to the factories to copy. It's still the same racquet they used to sell, but the quality control is a lot worse than before. Like, compare a modern-day LM Radical to the older ones made in Austria that have a silver buttcap.

 

[flashfire276]

But yea, all the big brands are doing it. Wilson, Head, Prince, and even Dunlop. Walmart and Target racquets especially. You can easily tell those were not made by the original brand at all! I think the only major brand that's not doing it is Babolat.

 

[TennisMaverick]

But yea, all the big brands are doing it. Wilson, Head, Prince, and even Dunlop. Walmart and Target racquets especially. You can easily tell those were not made by the original brand at all! I think the only major brand that's not doing it is Babolat.

They are called SMU, a "Special Make Up", usually in reference to a larger box store getting a special version of a product that no one else has.

 

[Jinx]

I just pulled out my Ti.Reflex aka Ti.S1, and there's no pallet on it. It was such an easy racquet to use when i first started playing tennis. Now I can't even use if it my life depended on it.

*curses at his volkl pb10 mid, and then quickly runs over and snuggles with it*

 

[flashfire276]

They are called SMU, a "Special Make Up", usually in reference to a larger box store getting a special version of a product that no one else has.

Special version as in "two piece construction"?
Probably a reason why only Walmart and Target got those.

 

[Steve Huff]

Some don't even use the same mold. I've seen Prince Rips that were 2 sq in smaller than the original, Prince "Triple Threat" ThunderBolts (the ThunderBolt was before "Triple Threat" was introduced), and a few other oddities where Prince sold the licence to make something they no longer used. It's the company's way of cashing in on something they aren't going to use any more anyway. This allows Prince (or Head or Wilson, etc) to make an little money off every racket the Big Box store sells without having to do anything, and with something they were going to discard. The only way it can hurt is by adding competition to their current line, but I guess they don't see the same customers shopping between current and past models. They've been doing this for years.

 

[pheonix6579]

Curse you Flashfire!!! Thanks for adding yet another layer to my gear OCD. But I do appreciate the new nugget of knowledge- The more you know...

 

[rufusbgood]

So I have a old Head Ti.S1 frame here for a guy that he wanted me to "detail" (basically grommets, string job, new grip and butt cap). Well after removing the grip I found that the handle is the same piece as the frame, no pallet and had the funky Chinese sticker on the frame. Just wondered if my thinking is correct that ALL Head frame have pallets? Just from my past experience, the handle alone looks that of a cheap chinese fake.

No, it isn't a fake. The entire Ti S_ series was made like that. None of them have pallets, regardless of when and where they were made. It's a hollow handle and the point of it is lightness.

Regarding all this talk about licensing, SMU racquets and big box stores I think there are several, separate issues that have somehow gotten thrown together in this thread and the result is sounding like disinformation to me.

Here's my experience:

I have had several customers buy Wilson racquets from a prominent "membership warehouse club" that look like graphite racquets but turned out to be fusion racquets. The graphics and names are the same as the graphite original, but the composition is different. To my mind, there's only one word for this. Fraud. I don't know who's to blame but I'd be really surprised to hear that the racquets were NOT ordered from Wilson.

I have a few customers who are still playing the Prince Thunderbolt. When it went out of production, demand was high enough for it that one of TW's competitors ordered 1000 units and sold them online for about $100 ea. Apparently, if you are willing to order 1000 units, they will bring anything back. As far as I'm concerned, this "second" run is indistinguishable from the first run. There are no appreciable differences in specs and none of my customers has complained of differences in playability. The Triple Threat Thunderbolt on the other hand was an SMU for some discount chain and was not even the same length as the original.