Lozannois
Rookie
Alright thank you ! Do you think it plays similar to the head graphene touch prestige tour ? Because I have it and it plays good in terms of control and power
NEW 2019 Radical (May 16th) Release Date and (Some) Changes
- Thread starter Vincent Wang-Bouchard
- Start date
Alright thank you ! Do you think it plays similar to the head graphene touch prestige tour ? Because I have it and it plays good in terms of control and power
The thing that keeps me away from graphene RADs is stiffness. IG radical has 62 in RA, way lower than G360 rad. IMO, can't beat the feel of old radicals.
FedGR
Professional
I was never a fan of the prestiges so I am not the right person to answer this question!
I don't want to be an "old fart" claiming that older is better and all that but with early signs of TE, I am scared to try the new Rad as well. The IG ones (both MP and Pro) play like butter.
TennisHound
Legend
Not to resurrect an old thread, but has anyone tried the 360 Radical Pro?
No, will have different colors. Every racquet family has it's own color. Extreme yellow, instinct blue, Radical orange, Speed white, Prestige red.
Gravity?
Yes, I have it and have been playing with it now for about 2 weeks. Have been also comparing it to the 360 Speed Pro and Extreme Pro. I have used every Radical going back to the YouTek IG Radical Pro. In short, it's the best Radical Pro I've tried in years. The Spider-Man Pro was a little clunky and lacked ball feel. Not the most maneuverable either. The XT Radical Pro just sucked. Had NO feel at all. First gen Rad Pro I liked. Firm, nice head/tail weight. This one seems to take the best of the previous versions and dial it in a lot better. Strings are spaced closer together in the sweet spot for control, it's A LOT more maneuverable, has excellent power and spin and better (not outstanding) touch. Also like the sleeker and more modern paint job. When hitting from the baseline it feels firm and solid, but not jarring on the arm, and I am able to control and redirect shots, or add extra spin pretty easily with decent feel. At net it's good, not great. Feels like the weight is spread out to the racket's poles, so the hoop is a little less forgiving on offcenter volleys. But good technique and proper contact produce solid results. LOVE the change as well to the grip as Head moved away from the more oval/rectangular shape in favor of a traditional rounder shape. I put it between the Extreme and Speed Pros. Extreme is a rocket launcher with excellent spin provided your swing is sound enough to control it, and the Speed (the lightest of the Pros) is just solid all around, and with an 18X20 string bed provides the most control and lowest power.
TennisHound
Legend
Awesome, I have a Radical MP (Touch) but haven't tried the Radical Pro. The 360 Radical MP felt really light and airy compared to the Touch MP, which felt oddly sluggish and head heavy. I plan to demo the Radical Pro, sounds a little more solid than the MP. Thanks for the input!
Return_Ace
Hall of Fame
I bought two a few weeks ago after I'd been mulling a few options.
For context, I previously played with a Graphene XT Extreme Pro, with a Youtek IG Extreme Pro 2.0 as backup. Previously have played with iPrestige MPs and Mids and a capped LM Radical.
Wanted something that was a bit less of a cannon, as I tend to like taking big cuts at returns and easy balls, I found myself swinging fairly short on the Extremes because I was trying to flatten out the shots and didn't feel like I had the control to hit out..
I think the TW review and glenWs are pretty on point with their thoughts (although I can't compare with previous Radical Pro's), it feels very solid if you connect properly, and actually reminds me of my PT280 (i know i'll be called a heretic for saying that), although it's not as comfortable, and definitely not as stable. I can really feel the racket squirming if i'm playing against someone hitting a heavier ball and i've not set up in time. I'm hoping to add the CAP grommets later which according to TW will help to mitigate the issue, I wanted to do it on purchase, but the place where I got them offered to string it up for free and didn't have the CAP grommets on them.
One thing I was surprised about was how closed the 16x19 pattern was compared to my Extremes, I expected a little less spin than the Extremes, but the launch angle is actually significantly lower to the point i almost dumped the balls into the net when I first started hitting with it. I've adjusted to it now and of course it still won't generate as much spin, but it's definitely more than an 18x20 pattern.
tpro2000
Rookie
I kind of agree, if you like the muted feel (which I do). It has quite a bit of surprising power. The G360 Radical MP is great to mod. I have mine currently (and still tweaking) at 346g, with approximately a balance of 32cm (roughly 7pts head light). Trying to figure the stringing but it's a fun racquet to mess with.
guilhermefdc
Semi-Pro
So, I was able to purchase a barely-used Radical 360 MP and now I'm wondering how to string it. It came with Hyper G, which I find rather stiff/jarring (can't pinpoint why - Alu feels a lot softer).
What have you guys been stringing it with?
FYI: I have been using mostly round polys recently - Alu (mainly), Element (testing) and Silverstring (softer, for stiffer frames). I'm also fond of YPTP, Pro Line Evolution.
What I have around here (would prefer to use):
- Polys: Alu, Ice Code 1.30, Hawk Touch, Silverstring 1.20, Hyper G in various gauges, Pro Line Evolution, Lynx 1.20, Alu Rough, 4G, Cyclone Tour
- Klip Legend Tour 17
- Multis: Velocity natural 1.25, X-One Biphase 1.25, Xcel blue 1.30
What have you guys been stringing it with?
FYI: I have been using mostly round polys recently - Alu (mainly), Element (testing) and Silverstring (softer, for stiffer frames). I'm also fond of YPTP, Pro Line Evolution.
What I have around here (would prefer to use):
- Polys: Alu, Ice Code 1.30, Hawk Touch, Silverstring 1.20, Hyper G in various gauges, Pro Line Evolution, Lynx 1.20, Alu Rough, 4G, Cyclone Tour
- Klip Legend Tour 17
- Multis: Velocity natural 1.25, X-One Biphase 1.25, Xcel blue 1.30
lucieisland
Semi-Pro
maybe alu is'nt the softest poly... maybe try cream isospeed, or yonex poly tour air?..
for next month, i'm going to try hybrid yonex air on main and xcel blue on cross ..
for next month, i'm going to try hybrid yonex air on main and xcel blue on cross ..
guilhermefdc
Semi-Pro
Sorry, re-read my post and realized I wasn’t clear: those are the strings I’ve been using on my usual racquet (LM Rad Tour)
Return_Ace
Hall of Fame
I have a CAP'd Pro as opposed to the MP and am currently trying out Poly/Multi hybrids to find a setup I want to carry forward.
It came with free stringing when I purchased it, although they couldn't CAP it at the time, where I tried:
- Volkl Cyclone (Black) 1.25mm @ 50lbs / Wilson Sensation @ 55lbs
After CAP'ing I've tried:
- Diadem Solstice Power 1.15mm @ 50lbs / Volkl Power Fiber II 1.30mm @ 55lbs
- Solinco Hyper G 1.05mm @ 50lbs / Volkl Power Fiber II 1.30mm @ 55lbs
Currently waiting for my coach to get back from Christmas/New Year break to restring with:
- Volkl V-Square 1.20mm @ 50lbs / Volkl Power Fiber II 1.30mm @ 55lbs
Out of the 3 setups I've tried, I think:
- Solinco Hyper-G felt the best when fresh (really nice ball pocketing), although it seemed to go dead fairly quickly.
- Diadem Solstice Power felt stiffer, but wasn't necessarily uncomfortable.
- Volkl Cyclone felt the harshest of the bunch, but I put that down to the Wilson Sensation (I know it's supposed to be a soft string, but i've tried Cyclone before with X-1 Biphase and Volkl Power Fiber II crosses and neither felt as harsh).
CAP'ing the Radical definitely helped with stability, as I was finding that pre-CAP'ing it definitely seemed to wobble if I was slightly off centre on contact. After CAP'ing it felt super solid on contact, but was an absolute pig to swing, I persevered however and now everything else feels flimsy in comparison
.
It came with free stringing when I purchased it, although they couldn't CAP it at the time, where I tried:
- Volkl Cyclone (Black) 1.25mm @ 50lbs / Wilson Sensation @ 55lbs
After CAP'ing I've tried:
- Diadem Solstice Power 1.15mm @ 50lbs / Volkl Power Fiber II 1.30mm @ 55lbs
- Solinco Hyper G 1.05mm @ 50lbs / Volkl Power Fiber II 1.30mm @ 55lbs
Currently waiting for my coach to get back from Christmas/New Year break to restring with:
- Volkl V-Square 1.20mm @ 50lbs / Volkl Power Fiber II 1.30mm @ 55lbs
Out of the 3 setups I've tried, I think:
- Solinco Hyper-G felt the best when fresh (really nice ball pocketing), although it seemed to go dead fairly quickly.
- Diadem Solstice Power felt stiffer, but wasn't necessarily uncomfortable.
- Volkl Cyclone felt the harshest of the bunch, but I put that down to the Wilson Sensation (I know it's supposed to be a soft string, but i've tried Cyclone before with X-1 Biphase and Volkl Power Fiber II crosses and neither felt as harsh).
CAP'ing the Radical definitely helped with stability, as I was finding that pre-CAP'ing it definitely seemed to wobble if I was slightly off centre on contact. After CAP'ing it felt super solid on contact, but was an absolute pig to swing, I persevered however and now everything else feels flimsy in comparison
.Hi, I've been intrigued by the new Radical racquets and noticed a rather unique beam width setup at 20mm-23mm-21mm? I've used the Yonex Ezone frames which kind of have a similar setup (23-24-19) but this is the first time I've seen a frame have a smaller beam width at the top compared to the throat, although I think 1mm is hardly a difference. But to go from 23mm and shrink to 20 seems interesting.
Seems like the previous gen Radical had this type of beam style as well, and I was wondering if there's any reason for this, and if it actually has implications on how the racquet plays?
Seems like the previous gen Radical had this type of beam style as well, and I was wondering if there's any reason for this, and if it actually has implications on how the racquet plays?
Automatix
Legend
If you look at a lot of Babolat racquets they have a tapper of x-y-x e.g. Pure Strike is 21-23-21mm. If you compare it to the aforementioned Radical the difference is only 1mm. One could speculate that they wanted to make the hoop slightly more flexy in comparison to the lower parts of the beam but I wouldn't put that much thought into this. It's only 1mm.
spoonfed
Rookie
I also find it interesting. The frame is thickest in the lower part of the hoop. If I make contact with the ball there, the response is absolutely dead. Since the racquet is so polarized, my uneducated guess is that this thicker part is an attempt to stabilize the frame without adding weight to the sides. The top part of the loop is thinner, but heavier. Some austrian computer has done its best to make it all work out. I kinda like it, though I would like a bit more power from such a stiff frame, since the risk of injury goes up.
Haven't as of yet managed to abandone my Vcore Pro 97HDs.lucieisland
Semi-Pro
I have a donnay pro one 102 pentacore , which I love, if only I had two others ...
beam: 19-23-18
RA: 55
Thiem's 1HB
Rookie
The current Radical line is complete garbage.
A world away from the great feeling (and playing) Radicals from yesteryear.
Head bet the bank on Graphene and failed miserably, ruining generation after generation of their racquets.
A world away from the great feeling (and playing) Radicals from yesteryear.
Head bet the bank on Graphene and failed miserably, ruining generation after generation of their racquets.
macguyvur
Rookie
The only way I found the graphene 360 radical playable was with a full bed of multi, a set up that could never work for me for my primary stick.
I’m returning to old radicals for the softer response and “free power”. In this time before they update the radical again, I think the prestige pro 360+ has, in part, taken the place of the players-frame radical.
I’m returning to old radicals for the softer response and “free power”. In this time before they update the radical again, I think the prestige pro 360+ has, in part, taken the place of the players-frame radical.
dr325i
G.O.A.T.
Graphene 360+ layups are excellent. Obviously, Head was listening to consumers.
On the other hand, Hasse and a few others that do this as profession completely disagree with your uneducated assessment...
Thiem's 1HB
Rookie
Just because Hasse likes it doesn't mean its a great racquet.
Only lemmings, try hards and low level hacker old guys repeatedly copy what former pros do in a misguided belief that the racquet will somehow transfer pro abilities by osmosis.
spoonfed
Rookie
My Radical had a multi in it when I bought it, but I've switched to poly. Howerver, I still kinda like it. It's my first unmodded "modern" frame (stiff and light). I've always liked weight and flexibility, or at least feel. But this is so manouverable, I can't deny I play better with it at times. And the heavy head helps me know how the hoop is going through the air. But the stiffness is really something else. The frame has a bright yet solid sound, like it is part porcelain. Is this the graphene?
In the past I have played with Volkl c10, Yonex Dr98 (weighted, leather grip), and others. Currently Yonex Vcore Pro 97HD.
Which itineration of the Radicals should I look to for the softer response and "free" power? Liquid metal, or what are they called?
topspn
G.O.A.T.
Yes, piece of junk imho
dr325i
G.O.A.T.
I hate to break it to you but it is not “just because Hasse likes it” but also because the radical is Head’s best selling line...
So, a few more around like it.
ever come to you that the issue may be you actually?
topspn
G.O.A.T.
360+ layups are certainly a big improvement over 360. Current Rad Pro is still 360.
tennisBIEST
Professional
Dude?!l You really have a hard on for knocking Head racquets?
Thiem's 1HB
Rookie
Head could make an aluminium Radical and people will still buy it because of the Radical name.
Doesn't mean its a good racquet or the best example of the various generations.
Only a fool buys a racquet because of perception, marketing or because a former pro used it in 1986 etc.
dr325i
G.O.A.T.
Again, you are wrong.
If what you said was true, tennis pros would not be switching from the PT0/PT57A to the TGT307.
I understand it may not be for you, just like you are whining about the PT2.0 without even trying it. I am pretty certain you have not even tried the Graphene radical.
Thiem's 1HB
Rookie
You're not a tennis pro though so what they do is completely irrelevant to you.
As for the Graphene Radical Pro, I've owned 3 different generations of those racquets. Show how clueless and off the mark you are.
dr325i
G.O.A.T.
Tennis pros sell sticks dum dum. Especially if they adopt a specific one.
again, as I said, it may not be for you, obviously others love it.
what are you using now?
Thiem's 1HB
Rookie
Of course pros sell racquets dum dum. Weak minded fools are always suckered in by the marketing.
Look at you for example, slavering over that Made in China Thomas Muster racquet that has QC all over the place and thinking its going to transfer its abilities to you by osmosis. Sucker born every minute.
Actually liked every 360+ racquet i've hit so far, specially the gravity tour and Prestige MP. I am curious about how the 360+ radicals will play, if head follows the trend, they might score a home run with them.
dr325i
G.O.A.T.
“Slavering”?
Are you sure that is the right word you wanted to use?
Do you even know who Muster was?
What racket are you using today?
PS: go to the PT57 thread for a small sample Of rackets I am using. Heard of any of them?
Thiem's 1HB
Rookie
*Yawn*
I'm guessing English isn't your first language. Either that or you repeatedly failed at school or that you're simply not very intelligent.
slavering
1. present participle of slaver 2. (especially of an animal) to allow liquid to…
dictionary.cambridge.org
FourOutOfFive
Rookie
Boy have some of these Head threads gotten real stupid lately.
dr325i
G.O.A.T.
Even though English is not my native language, that is not a proper word in this case.*Yawn*
I'm guessing English isn't your first language. Either that or you repeatedly failed at school or that you're simply not very intelligent.
slavering
1. present participle of slaver 2. (especially of an animal) to allow liquid to…
I actually did ok in college 25 years ago.
how about you? Still in school?
No answer to Muster question?
No answer to your great racket question?
Wheelz
Hall of Fame
...but you bought 3 Graphene Radicals?
Frans Bleker
Professional
I think it is superior in weight and weight distribution. It is more powerful and more stable than the Ezone 98. The Pure Strike is more stable than the Radical, but the Radical is much faster in the air. Problem with the Radical is the stiffness in my opinion, it is still a pretty stiff racket, not a very good feel imo. To me the latest Radical compares really well to the first Graphene Radical, the Touch was a bit softer, but also more muted.
Frans Bleker
Professional
I have high hopes for the Ezone Tour though
TennisHound
Legend
Thiem's 1HB
Rookie
I got them from e.Bay for pennies - there's just no love for them. Got rid of them a few months later after seeing how bad they were. Didn't even lose any money either as they were so cheap to begin with due to people not liking them.
That old guy always gets bitter when people don't slaver over his Made in China Thomas Muster copycat racquet.
He just gets slapped down every time though!
Last edited:
tennisBIEST
Professional
Alright @Thiem's 1HB what's your current racquet of choice? You really really don’t seem to like Head frames .....AT ALL! That’s your prerogative man! Your call name is “ Thiems 1HB” so do you play with a Pure Strike? I’ve hit with a good number of the radicals from bumblebee, mg, graphene, and Graphene 360. The new 360 was in need of some lead tape in the hoop for me and a tad too stiff but otherwise it’s a solid frame and easy for people to play with. I’ve hit with The Gravity Pro MP , 360+ Prestige MP, Speed MP and the Pro Tour 2.0(my fav) and I have to say Head is definitely on the right track. I along with some of the other posters would bash Head for their seemingly confusing and misguided judgements on past lines. But now they have really listened and it’s evident in the quality of the racquets. The feel is back! I hope your open minded enough to try some of these if your interested which I assume you are since your commenting in the Racquet Sectionof Talk Tennis!
macguyvur
Rookie
I'm not the expert, there are many here with tons more experience with the radical line than I have, but I've gone back to the YouTek Innegra (YTIG) Radicals. More plush with good power. The Graphene versions were when things got stiffer. Liquid metal was before YouTek, and were also of the soft era.
haqq777
Legend
Radical is a pretty legendary line for Head and has an interesting history. Came into the scene in 1993 with Agassi, as you probably already know. Following is the generational line up of Radical from the very beginning to clarify things a bit:
- Trisys 260 Radical (Bumblebee)
- Twin Tube Radical Tour (Zebra)
- Twin Tube Radical Tour (Candycane)
- Ti.Radical
- i.Radical
- Liquid Metal Radical
- Flex Point Radical
- Microgel Radical
- Youtek Radical
- Youtek IG Radical
- Graphene Radical
- Graphene XT Radical
- Touch Radical
- Graphene 360 Radical
And while the Graphene 360+ generation has not been introduced yet for Radicals (will be #15 above), judging by other Head lines that currently have the Graphene 360+ (Gravity line, Prestige line & Speed line), things for the Radical will likely move back towards softer feel and feedback.
Hope that helps.
tennisgurl
Semi-Pro
Damn I had no idea about all these generations. I did know that after IG the Radicals went towards stiffer side, as most generally know. Very good post. Thanks.
TennisHound
Legend
Edit
