Kal-El's Racquet Review Section

Tennis16

Rookie
Any possibility you will be posting the Flexpoint Radical MP review ? I currently Play the Pure Storm, but find the Flexpoint MP to be very similiar. The Flexpoint
Rad MP being almost half the price I wanted to get some feedback before investing. Thanks.
 

klementine

Hall of Fame
I have always strayed from prince and their 'holey' racquets. No racquet plays to my liking stock, so I have to add or take away weight from here and there.

Hey Kal-El, was wondering if you customize. And if you think the new prince lineup is easier for one to customize to their liking?
 

Kal-El 34

Hall of Fame
Hey guys, sorry I have taken a short break from the boards. Haven't had a whole lot of time to the computer lately...

i would do yonex reviews, but never really tried too many yonex frames..

yes i have hit with, and owned the FXP radical tour. I will post thoughts on both it and the regular FXP radical, even though I feel they are the worst of the Radical line in my opinion.

The new Prince line is fairly easy to customize. Grommets, no grommets, you can tweak them here and there. They still have that new school, Prince, dampened feeling though and I have not figured out how to get rid of that haha. If you love it you love it, if not... it aint happening.

I will be posting reviews tomorrow... keep a look out :)
 

zidane339

Hall of Fame
Hey Kal El, have you ever hit with any of the Technifibre TFight series? Got any reviews? I'm getting a couple of 320s and wonder what you thought.
 

sunnyIce

Semi-Pro
Dunlop Aerogel 100 Review

Overall I think this is a pretty good effort from Dunlop. I didn't get around to adding my lead tape to the frame, and I feel with some in the head, it would be a great groundstroke racquet as well. Very solid all around though, and worth a demo. Not with the ranks of the K90, or MG Prestige, but close!

hi kal..are you going to be able to get around to re-reviewing after adding lead. this racq is pretty awesome i think after lead. i'd just be curious to see your review after. please see the ag100 thread for some of the mods us guys have been making.
 

emerckx53

Semi-Pro
Volkl's and Becker's and Fischer's oh my......

Kal,

Very nice work your doing. As per many top juniors/satellite players/D1 college players you are partial to Head products and Wilson products. Always wondered how much of it was quality and how much was the fact that many of you started your careers with these brands simply out of sponsorship reasons. Both brands obviously have lines that are giants in the players racquet world but both also suffer from over marketed models that are simply re-hashes of re-hashes. That said, there is a whole mess of euro-dogs on this forum that grew up playing Volkl's and Fisher's etc...there are legions of us around that want your feedback! Like it or not we are going to ride you to review these frames! Here is your task Mr. Kal if you should choose to accept:

Volkl: C-10 series/PB 10 series/VE variants 93's etc
Becker: BB 11's mids/mid plus's/pros
Fischer's: M Pro's reg and lights

We can narrow this list down for you if you like...I actually think you may even enjoy hitting with some euro product. When you get a chance of course....;)

Mj
 

Kal-El 34

Hall of Fame
ight fellas... my return to the board is TODAY. I am working on a few promised reviews as we speak...

also per board request - i currently have a BB11, and a Fischer MPro regular. Look for those to come in 2 weeks after enough hitting with them on the side.

Thanks
 

Kal-El 34

Hall of Fame
Head LiquidMetal Radical TOUR Review

Note this is the Tour version of the LM Radical, and not to be confused with my earlier LM Radical MP reveiw.

I LOVED this stick. I had it for longer than I can remember, with a 4 and 1/2 grip, and had it strung every which way possible. I liked it best with Full Luxilon ALU Power Ice at 62 Pounds though FWIW.

Groundstrokes I give a 9/10. This is one of my favorite groundstroke racquets of all time. Take the feel of the original LM Radical mid-plus, which I already liked, and add some heft to it in stock weight and this frame became an absolute beast. I always tried to lead my LM MP to feel like these, but it never quite felt right. It had the feel of the liquidmetal, with the plow through of a much heavier, old scool feel. It was awesome. I can't explain it, but I always felt like it was hard for me to miss with this racquet haha. I could free swing, and get perfect depth and power, while not giving up any spin. The extra weight game me more power and control, which I especially liked on my forehand. I could snap topspin shots deep in the court with massive bit, or roll a short angle winner no problem. Flat shots were fine, better with this version due to the better drive through the ball. However, I did tend to favor my topspin. Of all of my ratings, this was my favorite frame to hit my 2 hand backhand flat with. I could just take the racquet back and try and rip the cover off the ball. Big improvement from the stock MP in this category. The heft of this frame just felt good in my hands, and I felt confident I could do whatever I could with this frame. Another shot I noticed I loved to hit with this was a defensive shot, and one I usually don't give props to. This was the forehand slice, on the run. I usually hit this shot defensive, to try and get myself back into a point. However, with the same swing with this racquet, I got offensive shot type power with it, and actually did not feel defensive with this racquet at all. I even hit it as an offensive shot when needed, and set myself up nicely with it.
Serve returns were also awesome with thsi racquet. The extra weight I preferred here. I got better control, and really could just stick returns. Good power and depth, with no loss of control was very nice. I always felt confident returning serve against anyone with this frame. In fact, I haven't found a frame since then I like as much on serve returns as this one.

Volleys get an 8/10. Volleys were never the strongest point of the LM radical series. However this one was a little better at the net in my opinion than the standard MP. The extra weight made it a bit more sluggish at the net, but not enough so that it ws a burden. The extra weight of the frame did give some nice, needed extra drive through the ball on volleys. This allowed for better depth, which was nice. Touch was not the best with this racquet, but at the time I was not coming to the net much so it wasn't a major issue for me at the time. I would like to revisit this frame now that I serve and volley much more. I could still hit the drop volleys and angle touch volleys, but they were not as smooth as with other frames I have hit with.

Serves bump up to an 8.5/10. The extra weight of this racquet allowed for more plow through the ball, and more power. This was nice while not losing the control. I loved hitting flat bombs with this frame. I could just wind up and crack one wherever I felt like. Slice serves were also very nice. I noticed the extra plow through the ball made my slice bite extra nice with this one. My kick serve was not as good as it is with say a prestige, but it was still there with the LM Radical Tour. I could hit serves all day with this frame, and never get tired as well. I loved that about this frame as well. I loved the weight, and could play 3 or 4 matches in one day and not be dead armed when it was all said and done.

Overall this is one of my favorite, if not my favorite all around racquet I've hit with. Good frome everywhere, and an excellent choice for an all courter with big groundies and an aggressive serve.
 

emerckx53

Semi-Pro
Kal,

Just a thought..in the end when this is done if ever.....maybe a nice ranking by catagory? Best serving, groundies, volleys...etc..by brand and model..not to necessarily pick a winner but to just get them catagorized...thanks again-

Mj
 

Kal-El 34

Hall of Fame
Head Flexpoint Radical Tour Review

Alright, so with the LM review done, I figured it would be easy to go right to its successor (whoops). This frame should not even be in the same category as the LM Radical Tour.

I had this for about 8 months, and had it strung every possible way. I found it best at 65, with full polyester. If I kept anything else in there, it broke too fast.

Groundstrokes receive a 7.5/10. This racquet is no terrible. I just prefer the tour that came before it. They made the headsize a little bigger with this one, and opened the string patter up a little. What happened was more spin. The spin potential of this frame is incredible. Topspin is great. I could get absolutely nasty with the ball, and would get nice depth and pace; especially on my forehand. Slice had good bite as well, and the weight of the racquet isn't bad. However, I noticed that I found it difficult to flatten the ball out, even when I wanted to. I've hit open string patterns before, but this one wanted to eat into the ball, even when I didnt want it to. My backhand I like to flatten out, and it made me mad I was not as effective with it as I was with my old LM Rad Tours. It was also frustrating on approach shots when I wanted to flatten one out to put it away, and it came off with some loopy topspin. COME ON. The feel of this frame is better than the Midplus version I felt, and I did like the extra weight of this over the stock FXP Midplus.
Serve returns were good with this one. The 100 sq. in. head, large sweetspot, and biting string pattern allowed for free swinging from the baseline. The fact that the string pattern bites into the ball so much, allows for good control and spin on returns. The ball does not sail, but again it is hard to flatten one out when needed.

Volleys get an 8/10. I actually felt like this frame had a little more feel at the net than my old ones. It wasn't as maneuverable with the bigger headsize, but it allowed for better volleys on off center hits. The extra weight still allows for good depth and stick on volleys. The extra bite gives good control, and the feel is better on touch volleys and angle shots as well. I felt I lost a bit of control on my backhand volley though. I don't know if this was due to the bigger head, the string pattern or what. i felt solid on the forehand volley, but noticed my backhand would get a case of the fliers every now and again.

Serves get a 7/10. I lost quite a bit of what I loved about serving with the LM Radical Tour. I felt the pop was less, and I couldn't just wind up and bomb a flat one anymore with this frame. I love killing flat serves, and this was a problem. Spin serves were nasty though. My slice had good bite, and I really could get some sweet angles on the deuce side. My kick serve lost a bit of pace but made up for it with extra spin. I noticed some gigantic jump on the ball, which was nice. I wish I could have found a little more pace though.

Overall this frame I don't think was as good as the LM Radical Tour. If they would have kept the specs the same with the FXP, it might have been better. However, I think some may have really enjoyed the bigger headsize and open string pattern. I couldn't keep strings that weren't all Poly in there for more than a day though, and I don't enjoy stringing racquets that much haha. If you are a spinny player, and don't go flat too often, you may give this a look; although I think the Microgel Radical pro is an upgrade from this.
 
Hey Kal-El I've demoed the microgel prestige midplus and it's an awesome racquet. I demoed it along with the

Pure Drive standard
Radical Pro
Fischer Mpro

I didn't like the Radical Pro or Fischer. The Babolat was cool for a while but I have to hold up a litte on groundstrokes and couldn't serve comfortably with it.

For my maybe final group of demos I think I'm going to include
Either 18x20 or 16x18 k 61 95- think this might be too heavy but I would like to try it again.

Storm Tour

Technifibre 325 and 320

Are these good choices before I decide on the prestige?
 
D

Deleted member 25923

Guest
I've never played with an 18x20. Maybe i'm missing out by not playing with the LM Rad tour, but I like the FXP so i'll stick with it.
 

Kal-El 34

Hall of Fame
Hey Kal-El I've demoed the microgel prestige midplus and it's an awesome racquet. I demoed it along with the

Pure Drive standard
Radical Pro
Fischer Mpro

I didn't like the Radical Pro or Fischer. The Babolat was cool for a while but I have to hold up a litte on groundstrokes and couldn't serve comfortably with it.

For my maybe final group of demos I think I'm going to include
Either 18x20 or 16x18 k 61 95- think this might be too heavy but I would like to try it again.

Storm Tour

Technifibre 325 and 320

Are these good choices before I decide on the prestige?

yea man the prestige is sweet. i preferred the 18x20 k6.1 95 over the 16x18. It is stiff though but if you like it it is a rewarding frame. I dunno too much about technifibre, but im workin on that haha
 
Which would be the better overall purchase a microgel prestige or a liquidmetal radical? Because I really like the prestige right now.

I know you didn't like the pure drive but it was nice for me to an extent. My returns were deadly and my defensive shots and overheads were good too. But If I really tried to go for a shot it was a little bit harder to keep it in as usual, and it never felt right for serves because I'm used to something heavier. I'm thinking if I gave this a chance with soft poly strings it might work for me. I just see so many great college players using it especially at UVA and that really influences me.

On the other hand the prestige was great for serving. Flat, slice, kick. My shots were consistent and the racquet felt pretty comfy. I just don't think it gives me an edge like the pure drive does, but makes me more confident serving at the same time.

Serving: Prestige
Forehand: Prestige
Backhand: Pure Drive
Returns: Pure Drive
Defense: Pure Drive
Volleys: Prestige
Overheads: Pure Drive

Urgh I'm so confused about which racquet to get.
 
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klementine

Hall of Fame
Does anyone here think that a LM Radical can be upgraded to play with the same characterisitcs as the LM Radical tour?

I'am considering buying a LM Radical a grip size smaller, slapping a leather grip and two overgrips--adding somewhere between 15-18grams to the handle. Then, adding 5grams of lead tape to the hoop and a prestige CAP grommet adding a total of 15-17grams to the hoop.

All these mods would land a standard 11.2oz., 325sw and 4ptHL LM Radical >>>>(lowest estimation) around 12.2oz., mid340's swingweight and 2pts. headlight.

Again these are all estimations. I know it can be done. But has anyone tried to modify a stock LM Radical and try to capture the solidness of a Radical tour?
 

Kuub

New User
Head Microgel Prestige Pro

I feel this will be the racquet I am soon carrying in my bag. I am going to use the Midplus version a little bit more, but I really like this frame. I have been spending a couple hours a day with it on court for about 2 weeks now. I have had it strung with a lux / nxt hybrid, all x-1 biphase, and all signum pro poly. I have been using a 4 and 3/8 and a 4 and ½ grip with this frame

I was a little worried when I picked this one up that I would not be able to keep strings in this frame. I was popping them very fast in the MG Radical Pro, and felt that this would be no different. I do not know why this is, but I have not had the same problem with this racquet. I like the feeling of the Prestige frame with a more open string pattern. What I found was a very nice combination of power, control, comfort, and spin. The swingweight on the racquet was very maneuverable on all types of shots from the baseline. I can take very healthy cuts at the ball, and get big topspin. I feel it quite a bit easier to flatten the ball out with this Pro rather than the MG Radical Pro as well. I was also getting good stick and good depth of defensive balls. This racquet feels like it has a little bit of extra pop in it compared to the other Prestiges in this line; probably due to the more open string pattern. Of center shots were not as comfortable as with the midplus, but when this racquet is struck well it is money. I really enjoyed hitting passing shots, and approach shots with this frame as well. I had excellent control going up the line from both sides, and could also snap a short angle with no problems.

I felt equally confident returning serve with the Prestige Pro as well. I liked the extra pop on this frame on the return, and feel like I got a little more pace, a little more depth, and didn’t sacrifice control compared to the other Prestiges in this line. You have to take a full swing at this ball, or really black it back squarely to get anything on the ball. Half swings don’t go anywhere, so if you catch a lot of shots late, or don’t have a somewhat powerful swing, this may not be exactly right for you. I felt I was getting a little extra topspin on my forehand return, which kept the ball landing deep in the court and kicking up high off the bounce.

I really volleyed well with this racquet, as I have with other Prestige family lines. The little extra power level with this frame really made putting away volleys at the net easy. It was also very forgiving on reflex volleys and ones I was catching a little late, and the frame was very maneuverable up at the net as well. I was really driving volleys deep in the court, and found a really comfortable blend of touch on drop volleys and angle finishing volleys. The Prestige Pro felt incredibly stable at the net, and I got now frame rattle if I didn’t catch the ball perfectly. The frame really set itself apart on put away volleys though.

The extra power gave me great results with my serve. Who doesn’t like a little extra power when serving with a frame of this heft? Very nice! Control was spot on. I have been setting up cones and serving at them the past couple of days during training and have been knocking them down way faster than I normally do. I served the best with the Prestige Pro than I have noticed with the other Prestige family lines. On the serve I was faintly reminded of my old LiquidMetal Radical TOUR frames with this one. Anyone who has ever hit that frame please tell me if you experienced a similar feeling. There was nothing not to like on the serve with this frame. Excellent access to spin on both kick serve and slice, while no problems flattening it out and bombing one up the T.

Overall I give this frame an 8.5/10… After playing with a Wilson racquet for some time now, the transition back to a head racquet has been fun. This racquet felt very good in my hands right when I picked it up. I think the more time I spend with this one, the more I like it. Great all courters racquet. It is also good for big, aggressive players, serve and volleyers, and doubles players. If you are a counterpuncher, who does not generate a lot of your own power, maybe check out the instinct, or like a k-pro open, or a pure drive roddick or something along those lines…

Hey Kal,

I also tested the prestige pro. Man i really liked it. It was very manouvrable and it has tons of power BUT sometimes i found that my balls were floating. Did you also noticed that? I didn't have the chance to test the mp yet but do you think the prestige mp is better than the pro?And does the pro have much more power than the mp?

Thanks in advance
 

Ross K

Legend
Kal,

Great thread this that has really developed very nicely.

Now you've already done a lot of reviews of key rackets of today. I wonder though if there's any chance you might look at and speak about the 6.1 series - PSC, HPS, n95? Plus also, due to its standing, I'm sure a PT 630/280 review would go down very well around here. Finally, I'd be curious as to your impressions of the Bab PST.

Keep up the excellent work (if you have the time!)

Thanks

R.
 

Kace

New User
Prince EXO3 Graphite 93 Review

Alright.. here is another review finally. I apologize for the delay. I spent about 10-12 horus with the EX03 Graphite 93, and tried it strung with one of the new yellow and white Prince polyester strings, and some Technifibre X-One Biphase 17G. I had a 4 and 1/2 grip.

Let me first just say I have not been a fan of any of the "O" frames from Prince. That being said, I was still excited about a new graphite, as the specs (aside from the string pattern) match rather closely to the POG.

This frame felt pretty solid on groundstrokes. I will give it a 7.5/10. As a fan of the POG, I really just expected more from this frame. It wasn't bad, but certainly didn't make me like it anywhere close to other frames in its category. Still can't improve on the original. My two handed backhand felt pretty good with this frame. A flatter shot by nature, I had good control in moving it all around the court. I had no trouble generating topspin, and slice felt extra nice (who knew I was a poet?). I really found myself favoring my backhand side, to the point I would hit it on shots hit to me up the middle where I would normally hit forehand. My forehand however gave me some troubles. It's not that I couldn't hit it, but I really noticed the "O" feel here. The frame just felt ultra dampened on my forehand, which was something I had not noticed as much on my backhand. I felt like the frame wanted me to hit topspin on everything, which was fine until I wanted to flatten one out to end the point. Control was excellent with this frame, and I will say I didn't find myself hitting poorly with this frame, but something just always felt a bit off to me. I am trying to not write a biased review because of the "O" feel, but I really feel this is why I did not like the frame more than I did on my groundies. If you are accustomed to the Prince feel, and like the Graphite series, you may absolutely LOVE this frame. The weight is good, and there is a nice blend of power and control. The small headsize makes this ideal for more advanced level players however.
Serve returns were a lot of the same here. I wanted to pound my backhand, and found myself second guessing myself a bit on a usually reliable forehand. The weight of this frame felt pretty good on the return though. I felt like my timing was there, something lacking in the OS version of this frame which feels more "whippy" as I like to say.

Volleys are very nice on this frame. 8/10. They felt very crisp, and the racquet felt stable on every volley that I struck. The frame doesn't give anything "extra" to the hitter. However, it didn't feel like it was lacking on anything at the net. If I wanted to bring some pace, and stick one deep in the court, I got exactly what I put into the shot on the ball when hit. Touch shots felt very smooth with this frame. The dampened feel I am not crazy about on the groundstrokes, actually came in handy for me at the net. I felt very comfortable with the drop volley, which is a shot I find myself using more and more these days.

Serves were good with this racquet, but not great. Again, I got exactly what I put into the serve, and nothing extra. I do like a frame that will give you a little extra pop to really bring some heat on a serve, and it just wasn't there for me. I think the dampened nature of this frame can be attributed for this to an extent. My flat serve was still by best with the EXO3 Graphite. My slice felt pretty smooth, but I did notice some trouble with my kick serve. I found less spin and power on my kicker, which I did not like haha. I WANT MORE!! Control is very good with this frame. I could pinpoint where I wanted the ball to go, but I wish I could have done it with a bit more power in general.

Overall this is a pretty good frame. I feel like it is a small step down from the POG, but Prince's best effort at improving the frame yet. I liked this version better than the OS and any of the Rebels in the EX03 series. Of all the "O" frames, this was probably my favorite one that I have hit yet. The paintjob I thought I hated, but the more I see of it the more I like it. I really wanted to love this frame, but I just didn't. I liked it, but nearly enough for me to consider a switch. Not a bad frame all around though, and for sure worth a demo if you are a Prince fan!

Did you try with the string hole inserts? I've been told that it's feels and plays better, more like a traditional POG.
 

Kal-El 34

Hall of Fame
Kal,

Now you've already done a lot of reviews of key rackets of today. I wonder though if there's any chance you might look at and speak about the 6.1 series - PSC, HPS, n95? Plus also, due to its standing, I'm sure a PT 630/280 review would go down very well around here. Finally, I'd be curious as to your impressions of the Bab PST.

R.

thanks man. i will be doing a 6.1 lineup here in the near future. i like that idea. i briefly hit the pt630, but not enough to review it. I think one of our local pros has one he may let me swing it around a bit. I am working on reviewing the becker frame and technifibre per poster request, so those will be next, following my next comparison post between the MG Prestige and KPS88
 

Kal-El 34

Hall of Fame
Did you try with the string hole inserts? I've been told that it's feels and plays better, more like a traditional POG.

yes it does play a little better with the inserts, but not that much. i barely noticed it, but a little crispier feel to it.
 

Automatix

Legend
Regarding the Kneissl Red Star...

Very forgiving feeling frame...

This really does reduce vibration to the arm, and creates a very comfortable feel while in play.

I agree. Although some people comment on it's stiffness I found this frame very forgiving and with a really big sweetspot at that!

...with good power level as well. ... I had great access to power, but I did notice my topspin to increase, and felt like I was hitting spots very consistantly.

In my experience with this frame the racquet provides useful but not overwhelming power. It isn't a racquet launcher but gives you that bit of controllable extra zip which helps you in tough situations.


It was comfortable, low impact on the arm, gave you some nice pop, and great access to spin and depth in the court

Agreed 110% !!!

Also felt this frame was solid on defensive returns and off center hits. This is one of the most comfortable frames I have hit with on off-center shots. The frame does not rattle, and the ball still comes off pretty clean. This is a similar feeling to that which I had with the LM radical and LM radical tour. Great frame for returning against anybody.

I found this frame more comfortable and much more solid than the LM Radical Tour... but my frames are tweaked a bit (bumped up to 335g strung) so it could also be the case.

I really enjoyed serving with this racquet as well. I feel the extra length gave me a little extra juice on my serve with the red star. My flat serves felt huge, and I sacrificed NO control whatsoever. I could bring big heat with my flat serve, but my kick serve had huge jump on it, and my slice serve was eating into the court very nicely. My slice serve out wide on the duece side was as dangerous as it has ever been. Really enjoyed serving with the frame.

This is one of the best serving frames I've played... it's not the i.Prestige Mid XL but still it's very very good. Ohh and I actually served better on the advantage side...

Overall I give this frame an 8/10. If you like the extended length, you might even find a higher rating for yourself. I think this frame may go down as one of the most under-rated racquets in the history of the game. I am really, really surprised that I did not see more people hitting with this growing up. Quality is amazing, paint-job is great, and play was very nice.

I'd give this frame a 9/10... it really made my day. I was really enjoying the time spent on the court. The PJ is first rate.

Also worth noting is how awesome I felt the Kneissl Poly-Tech string was. It did not even feel like a polyester string to me. Holds up very well, with amazing feel and touch. Not stiff at all, but still gives you that nice crisp feel of an upper scale poly string. Loved it. I don’t know where one can get it, but if you can I also recommend trying this out.

Funny you mention that... at first I thought the string was crappy but after 10 minutes I was like WOW! As soft as polyester but grabbed the ball like a poly... if I could buy it I'd use it as my main string... at least in my Red Stars!

Cheers!
 
I have been a junior tournament players, division 1 college player, teaching instructor, high school coach, and now am playing futures again..

In my time, I have had the chance to hit with tons of racquets and decided I would start a forum reviewing the many racquets I have tried in my time...

The review page is shaping up nicely! Click the link below to be taken to a specific review, or just have fun scrolling through what is getting to be an awesome thread~!

LINK to my KPS88 Vs. Microgel Prestige MP comparison

K ProStaff 88 - reviewed pg 12 post #236
K6.1 95 18x20- reviewed pg 1 post #5
k-90 - reviewed pg 9 post #181
k Blade tour - reviewed pg 2 post #34
K Blade 98 - reviewed pg 2 post # 26
K Obra - so bad it does not even warrant a review.. GROSS
K Pro Open - reviewed pg 15 post #292
K Pro Tour - reviewed pg 16 post #311
6.6 Classic Stars and Stripes 95

Head Microgel Radical - reviewed pg 2 post #37
Head Microgel Radical Pro - reviewed pg 2 post #40
Head Microgel Prestige Pro - reviewed pg 3 post #50 Bad_Call's Review
Head Microgel Prestige Midplus - reviewed pg 5 post #91
Head Microgel Prestige Mid - reviewed pg 7 post #129 Drakulie's Review Click Here
Head Microgel Instinct - reviewed pg 1 post #16
Head Liquidmetal Radical - reviewed pg 14 post #270
Head Liquidmetal Radical TOUR - reviewed pg 19 post #362
Head Liquidmetal Prestige
Head Flexpoint Radical
Head Flexpoint Radical Tour - reviewed pg 19 post #366

Kneissl Red Star - reviewed pg 3 post #41

Babolat Pure Drive Roddick - reviewed pg 8 post #163
Babolat Aero Pro Drive Cortex - reviewed pg 1 post #6
Babolat Aero Storm Tour 1998- pg 6 post #115
Babolat Pure Storm - Reviewed pg 2 post #24 - reviewed by another poster in response pg. 4 post #76

Dunlop Aero Gel 300 - reviewed pg 1 post #20
Dunlop Aero Gel 200 - reviewd pg 8 post #162
Dunlop Aero Gel 100 - reviewed pg 13 post #252

Prince Precision Mono - reviewed pg 10 post #197
Prince RipStick Extender
Prince Original Graphite Mid
Prince Original Graphite OS
Prince ExO3 Graphite 93 - reviewed pg 11 post #215
Prince ExO3 Graphite 100 - pg 12 post #229
Prince Ex03 Rebel 95 - reviewed pg 11 post #217


hey can you please do some racket reviews on tecnifibre
they have great string and there rackets look ok
they dont look too bad
 

Jaewonnie

Professional
Alright... You guys asked for it, so here it is. The KPS88 review. I would have had this out earlier, but I wanted to give it enough time to make an accurate judgment on the frame. Again, if I were to sum up this frame with one word it would be solid. That is because that is how this frame feels all over the court.

I had this strung with luxilon alu flouro mains / wilson stamina crosses, and a 4 and 1/2 grip.

Before I get into how the frame plays, I have to take a moment and talk about the cosmetics of this frame. AMAZING. I think this is one of the nicest paintjobs I have ever seen on a raquet.. A little old school, and a little new school. Great mix. Alright, with that out of my system, let's get on to the good stuff.

GROUNDSTROKES get an 8.5/10. This frame, like I said, performs very solid from the baseline. It honestly feels like a heavier k-90. I didn't notice much difference in the headsize while swinging from the baseline (i doubt many can seriously notice much difference between 2 sq. in of hittin surface). However, the extra weight did provide so excellent pop on my groundstrokes. What I noticed on my forehand, was the my topspin was much heavier than normal. I sturggled at first with depth/control, but once I got it down I was really impressed by how deep and heavy those forehands were feeling. Where this frame really excelled to me was on my finishing forehands. When I wanted to go after one, and flatten it out... you better look out, because I was bringing some serious heat on that bad boy. Really liked that aspect of this frame. My backhand, I struggled a bit with. I had similar results with the k-90, but I think I performed a little better with this one. My 2 handed backhand was good when i wanted to flatten it out and rip it, very solid. However, I feel like I use a little more frame surface when spinning my 2 hander. Slice felt incredible with this frame. What I enjoyed most about my backhand was slice backhand approach shots. I found that I really could knife that ball wherever I wanted, or change up and drop shot at any moment. My slice had incredible bite on the ball, and was more effective than usual I noticed. I also found that my slice felt better with this than on K90.
Serve returns were also solid with this new pro-staff. At first, I found the frame a little sluggish (maybe it was just cuz I am weak) and hard for me to get around in time. However, once I got into a groove with this frame, the serve returns were very nice. Control was amazing, and the added weight allowed me to gain a little power on both sides.

*note* if you are not a 4.5 player or above, this frame may be very difficult to use. The small headsize leaves no room for error. If you hit the sweetspot, this is the nicest feeling frame I have hit. However, if you are not striping that ball absolutely perfect, this frame is not giving you much. On off-center shots, I really noticed the ball sitting in the middle of the court with no pace, just begging to be crushed by my opponent.

Volleys get a 8.5/10 as well. This racquet is very classic feeling at the net. Heavy, stiff, and solid as a rock. I loved how this frame felt at the net. Better than the K-90 and the original in my opinion. When I struck the ball, I knew it was going wherever I told it to go. Control was awesome. Pace was also good. I noticed my deep volleys sticking a little deeper in the court than normal. This was nice, and probably due to the little extra heft of this frame. What I liked about hitting dropshots on my groundstrokes, I liked equally as much on touch and drop volleys. I could almost pinpoint where I wanted that ball to drop, and finsih when necessary. I felt I could be a little more creative at the net as well than I normally do with other frames, and felt very at ease. Off-center volleys dont get a whole lot of power, but the control is still there.

*note* on off center volleys and groundstrokes this frame still feels very sturdy. There are no vibrations to the arm (unless you are using wilson hollow garbage). Very sturdy piece of equipment right here.

Overheads - do I need to comment on this any more other than when i say "killed it"??? Didn't think so

Serves get a 9/10 for me. VERY VERY VERY nice on the serve. I really enjoyed the weight of this frame. I could swing easy, and still get good pace, or really get amped up and bring some SERIOUS power. My flat serve was huge, bigger than I serve with the k90, k95, or Head MGPP. Loved it, and the surgical instrument control was still there. Slice serve got that real nice bite I was commenting on when discussing groudstrokes, and I noticed I could really hit some extreme slice angles on the duece side. These were probably my favorite serves to hit while slugging this racquet. I did notice my kick serve had lost some action, which saddened me..... until I hit another slice and forgot about it haha. I am going to keep messing around with this frame and see if I can get that big kicker back. It jdidn't feel bad by any means, just had lost some action.

Overall this is one very impressive frame. The headsize is a little small for my personal liking, but the frame performs extremely well. If you are a player with good technique, and can handle the weight of this frame, you will be rewarded nicely. I think this is a frame everyone should try out at least once though! So quit reading my stupid review, get the frame, and get out the courts! peace


Hey, can you compare the KPS 88 and the MG Prestige mid? They're both around 88 sq in head sizes and from reading other reviews, their in the same league. I just wanna know which is better at so-and-so. I'm having a hard time deciding which to get, they both sound really nice.

Oh, and a side note, TW's review on the Prestige doesn't make it sound to great. Do you think the scores the playtesters gave to the mid matches what you thought about the racquet?
 

acm

Rookie
Kal-El,
What of these string will be better for my kps88 (Alu power, Tecnifibre Polyspin, BB luxilon,prince premier lt 16 or luxilon m2)?
 

Kal-El 34

Hall of Fame
i like my kps88 at the higher end of the tension range. 58-60 feels best for me.

I have used hollow core - terrible

full big banger original rough - very night

luxilon alu flouro / nxt - very nice

pro red code - very nice

prince twisted poly - little cheaper feeling string but feels good

Luxilon M2 feels awesome, but loses tension and breaks fast
 

Kal-El 34

Hall of Fame
Hey, can you compare the KPS 88 and the MG Prestige mid? They're both around 88 sq in head sizes and from reading other reviews, their in the same league. I just wanna know which is better at so-and-so. I'm having a hard time deciding which to get, they both sound really nice.

Oh, and a side note, TW's review on the Prestige doesn't make it sound to great. Do you think the scores the playtesters gave to the mid matches what you thought about the racquet?

i will do this yes. I did a whole section comparing the prestige MP and KPS88. I'll get to the mid. These reviews take time to crank out. I've just been a little backed up with training and coaching that I have neglected my TT board. I apologize.
 

Kal-El 34

Hall of Fame
Kal-El, I have a question. Which one is more demanding - Prestige MP or Radical Pro?

each in its own way. I think the prestige is a little moer demanding overall, but the radical pro i felt i had to put a little more effort into getting power, which i was not crazy about
 

acm

Rookie
Kal-El,

Did you add weight to youe kps88? Yeah I saw your racquet in the gear section. Do you have a pic with the racquet modified?
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