NEW Prestige MP 360
- Thread starter BAF333
- Start date
rafa_prestige89
Professional
Here in Brazil 80% of the top juniors are using the Wilson Blade. The rest is Babolat. Very few Head racquets indeed.
Indeed. Although i was watching the brazilian junior tournament here in my city (brasileirão) and saw a few radical and speed users, but zero prestige users. But wilson blade is by far the most popular frame.
guilhermefdc
Rookie
I play at a Head sponsored academy here in São Paulo. Most of the competitive juniors are playing with Radicals (mainly Graphene Touch), but there are a few playing with the CV Blade. No Prestiges at all, the ocasional Speed (IG, Plain Graphene and 360), one Gravity Pro (a few more have requested one after demoing earlier this winter) and that’s it. No Babolats, but that is a sponsorship bias, I guess...
How easy is it to convert from graphene speed pro to radical touch ? I’ve been playing 18x20 all my life.
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guilhermefdc
Rookie
I haven’t really made that transition myself. I have played with both racquets, but only for a very limited amount of time (30 min).
I have hit for longer periods with the 360 Speed Pro and the 360 Radical MP, though. Radical plays with less control and more power, but less stability against heavy hitters. Spin was kinda similar, despite the string patterns - the Radical is a closed 16/19 and the Speed Pro is an open 18/20. That does not hold true for the older Speed Pros, as they had a more dense 18/20.
sshin12
Rookie
Played for an hour with the 360 Speed Pro customized to 352g/ 318mm/ 342sw yesterday. Head tennis sensor readings look similar (trending lower due to different courts) to my last 3 hitting sessions with the G Touch Prestige. Will need to hit at least two more times before comparing averages. Unfortunately I would be comparing outdoor tennis on full-size courts against indoor n shorter courts requiring me to hug the baseline and take everything on the rise. I expectlower readings.
The 360 Speed feels better in general than the G Touch Prestige, giving me some more hope for the new Prestige. Fingers crossed.
It’s only when I pulled out the Pro Tour for a couple minutes that reminded me how much better the older frame feels in comparison. I just wish I could add the sensor to the PT and older Prestiges to compare metrics like spin, speed and heaviness. Feel is one factor but subjective. Winning matches is another but has placebo effects.
I wonder if I’m actually hitting a heavier, more topspin heavy shot with the PT than the newer frames.
The 360 Speed feels better in general than the G Touch Prestige, giving me some more hope for the new Prestige. Fingers crossed.
It’s only when I pulled out the Pro Tour for a couple minutes that reminded me how much better the older frame feels in comparison. I just wish I could add the sensor to the PT and older Prestiges to compare metrics like spin, speed and heaviness. Feel is one factor but subjective. Winning matches is another but has placebo effects.
I wonder if I’m actually hitting a heavier, more topspin heavy shot with the PT than the newer frames.
sshin12
Rookie
Racket transitions are easier when they’re customized to be of similar specs. I used to try to compare stock frames side by side but realized radically different specs throws off my technique enough that makes comparisons difficult.
Start with your baseline. Mine is PT630 at 365g/ 318mm/ 345sw give or take 1-2% difference. Then prioritize matching SW > Balance > Static weight. See how I specd the Speed Pro.
I have no problem switching btwn Speed Pro and Prestiges bc the SW and Balance are close enough that requires a similar effort to swing. I hardly notice the 10g static weight difference but notice a slight change in heaviness (increase) and spin (decrease).
Throat or bridge?
dr325i
G.O.A.T.
So, why did they change the mold instead of giving us the PT57A??
ToastyTilapia
Rookie
LOL
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
Because they’re crazy!
dr. godmode
Professional
Throat
dr. godmode
Professional
I feel like i measured 64 unstrung a few weeks ago but I can find my post about it. Can measure strung later this week. Even if it is 59RA, it's not a comfortable as VC95 or VCP97.
dr325i
G.O.A.T.
I smell a failure on this one!
Sad! Especially since they have the winning formula collecting dust...
TennisHound
Legend
Head manipulates those RA figures, by creating an overly weak throat. You ever tried to weight up an XT Prestige Rev Pro or XT Speed Rev Pro (or any Graphene racquet)? Ever tried to swing numb chucks?
2nd Serve Ace
Hall of Fame
The 360s have covered this up better, but anything with Graphene is just a snake in the grass waiting to pounce, imho.
FearlessAnimal
Rookie
I have corrected it for you
TennisHound
Legend
Yep, we have this conversation every year when a new Head iteration comes out. Head has spent the last 5years trying to cover up their Graphene process. They’ve masked it pretty well, but it’s still there.
DavaiMarat
Professional
Yeah I was ball parking
sshin12
Rookie
Let me play devil's advocate here... and let me know if this question has been asked before b/c I wasn't here 5 years ago.
My question, asked in a different thread, was whether "this" is intentional. "This" meaning Type 2 in the following list of racket types.
- Type 1: Stiff all around
- Type 2: Flexible throat with stiff hoop
- Type 3: Flexible all around (what we are asking/hoping for from the Prestige line)
If we assume that poly + Type 1 (and Type 2) frames are the "optimized" version of modern tennis, are we (players interested in Type 3) missing the point of these updates? Is it possible that there is a market for Type 2?
Sure, there are arguments to be made that Head should have done this on a different product line and kept the Prestige line as the 3rd type of racket. And will acknowledge that the pro stocks are flexible AND pros use poly to play the modern game, but I assume the majority of tennis players cannot maintain the racket head speed swinging flexible clubs to use poly effectively. Therefore, the next best thing would be to sell stiffer frames to apply more power to the average player's groundstrokes to bend poly more effectively.
FWIW, I used to break 16g synth gut every other day on a mid size frame as a junior, but since coming back, I've switched to 17g poly precisely b/c I couldn't swing hard or fast enough to get 16g poly to work (also lowered the tension to 40 lbs from 65 with synth gut). I definitely lift heavier than before, so strength has increased.
This line of thinking hinges on whether or not stiffer rackets are better for poly strings, so someone with a physics background please comment on my assumption. Just correlating Babolat popularity since the introduction of poly.
DavaiMarat
Professional
Dude I just added 4 Grams to the the tip. Blessed Nelly this is perfect now. Same feel swinging but bigger sweet spot. Amazing.
DavaiMarat
Professional
Going to have to go up 2-3 pounds in tension though.
FearlessAnimal
Rookie
To be precise: "best prestige in a long time" could means "best prestige in a G. epoch" and "it's worse than any prestige from IG or previous gen." simultaneously.
vsbabolat
G.O.A.T.
That’s not saying much considering how bad Graphene has been
TennisHound
Legend
I thought the Wilson Ultra Tour, or the Tec 315 Ltd, or H22 was a good racquet until I hit with a Microgel Prestige Pro. It was almost as good as the IG Prestige MP.
sshin12
Rookie
Now the question is do I want to try the Blade v7 too? Jan is so far away!
1HBHfanatic
Legend
here is the US, we are going through spikes of Yonex frames, for the past few years now
still seing the blades and the babolats!!
recent changes with graphene360+ have brough the head frames into the courts
if the new prestige plays anything like the new w.prostaffs, then its going to be a good release
too stiff and/or too heavy and its gonna hurt the prestige
SpinToWin
Talk Tennis Guru
The IG Prestige is a sweet frame. Not as soft as older prestiges I find, but really hits a heavy ball when you weight it up. Also good feel and control.
TennisHound
Legend
Yep, and if you compared the IG to every other iteration after it, there would not be one that could come close to it. As cool as it would be to have a Prestige MP (or Pro) that would be close to the IGPMP or Microgel PMP, there is no way Head will get there with the Graphene process. I'm not even sure Head knows what it wants from this racquet line, or how to get there.
Yeah, it will be a kitchy racquet with a semi-cool updated pj, but the vagueness and "flexy-broken-glass" feel that comes with it, will erode any confidence after a few short hitting sessions.
Again, this is the same conversation year after year - We have a hopeful expectation, until we hit with the racquet, then look down at it bewildered, and say "What the hel- was that?! Is this thing broken?"
n8dawg6
Legend
TWSS
TennisHound
Legend
^^^Haha LOL Classic!
mhkeuns
Hall of Fame
Could it possibly be a bit different this time around? All three Graphene Prestige models have been disappointments, especially the feel. I can vouch that all Prestige MP frames (*Graphene) hit accurate & predictable balls. I especially thought the XT Prestige MP was an all-out, all control tennis racket that really encouraged me to take big cuts. That said, the feel just wasn't there for being a racket with such a great history.
I seriously hope Head made it closer to the IG Prestige. Maybe the Gravity Pro was the sign that the new Prestige will be softer and will have some better feel.
I seriously hope Head made it closer to the IG Prestige. Maybe the Gravity Pro was the sign that the new Prestige will be softer and will have some better feel.
TennisHound
Legend
I’m with you on the XTPMP, which I thought was the fastest swinging. I ended up using it for awhile. It was tolerable.
brownbearfalling
Hall of Fame
Anyone who wants to see a real life picture of the prestige mid someone is selling one on fleabay. Just search head prestige 360.
Seems like I’m alone in thinking head made a strategic move making the MP a 98 sq in. Now it is a true competitor to the blade, pure strike vs, Dunlop cx200, tecnifibre TF40, VCore 97, pro staff 97. All are constant beam, players 98 or 98 ish sq in frames. This differs from the radical of recent years because the new radical mold is variable beam thickness. I also had to say it but 95’s seem to be phasing out. Just like 85’s then 90’s. Personally I am still holding on to some 6.1 95 frames but if I start playing more I have made up my mind to go 97-98 sq in. Now the Prestige 360 can be on the list.
Seems like I’m alone in thinking head made a strategic move making the MP a 98 sq in. Now it is a true competitor to the blade, pure strike vs, Dunlop cx200, tecnifibre TF40, VCore 97, pro staff 97. All are constant beam, players 98 or 98 ish sq in frames. This differs from the radical of recent years because the new radical mold is variable beam thickness. I also had to say it but 95’s seem to be phasing out. Just like 85’s then 90’s. Personally I am still holding on to some 6.1 95 frames but if I start playing more I have made up my mind to go 97-98 sq in. Now the Prestige 360 can be on the list.
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rafa_prestige89
Professional
The problem with the last Prestige MP was not with the 3 sq in.
jmacdaununder2
Hall of Fame
TennisHound
Legend
I’m sure he can’t put a link to -bay on here. The seller was wanting $350 for it. CrazyThanks for link!
jmacdaununder2
Hall of Fame
Still there; do you think he's been arrested yet?
sshin12
Rookie
This has to be a fake listing right?
I swear I saw that photo on Talk Tennis. The arm looks familiar.
DavaiMarat
Professional
Interesting. He might be dumping the mids because no one want to demo them (trust me I've done the club demos). There's a good reason he's not dumping the MP, PROS or S. Not good PR with the company though. Hope he doesn't get caught.
The generic public aren't racquet-0-philes like the people on this forum.
TennisHound
Legend
Ouch
Well, even though I've been scolded by the tt racquets experts (who probably live in some old little tennis equipment shed at an abandoned tennis center on the North Dakota, Canada border lol) on here many times, I've gained pretty solid racquet advice. Just sayin
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TennisHound
Legend
So you’re switching to the 360 MP?
DavaiMarat
Professional
I am. I use my IG to compare once on a while but the pros outlay the cons.