Pro stock Head racket: what is this?

D

Droofin

New User
Please help me identify this racket.

A Head rep gave this to a friend just before the Microgel Prestige came out. The Rep said "This is exactly what we give the Pros" and it will be out soon for consumers.

It's a black, 98 inch, unfinished 18x20 racket with Cap Grommets and there is lead underneath the grommets. There's a paper label inside the throat with "06036-1" and on the butt is the number "8607058" and "Made in Czech Republic". There are no other markings.

It looks like my PT 280 to my untrained eye.

See pictures here along with my PT280:

http://picasaweb.google.com/medrufin/PT280#

Is this a TGK238.1, PT57x or something else?

Thanks!
 
Dimensions notwithstanding, the lay up can be completely different than production models. Flat black and a numeric label is very typical for prototypes. The PK's I have had that fall into this category actually have "PROTOTYPE" painted on them.
 
ALL PT57x are made in Austria.
Although the sticker on the buttcap is not assurance where the racket came from, if it really came from Czech Republic, it is NOT the PT57x. Also, it is not a TGK either.

Could be the PT630/280 or something completely different...
 
I understand that entirely different rackets may have different material layups but come from the same molds.

Are PT57x and TGK238 and Pro Tour 280/630 from entirely different molds? I thought the PT57x and the Pro Tour 280/630 came from the same mold, right?

Can any of you experts look at the features of my racket and guess what Head mold it came from?

Thanks again for your help.
 
bad_call said:
is it just me or does the racquet look like it's been painted black over an existing pj?
Click to expand...

That is what it looked like to me, too. It looks like someone took a can of black spray paint to a Pro Tour. I guess that makes it a paint job. ;o)

The pallets look older. The gray pallets are the older ones. The later pallets are usually black. The butt cap may not be the original so that may be a red herring in terms of determining the racket's origin.

I wouldn't worry about its origins. I doubt you can ever truly determine them. How does it play? Do you like it? That is all that really matters.
 
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Yea, I know...all the matters is how it plays. But, you know...this *is* the TW racket forum and ORP (obsessive racket pontification) abounds!

With all the lead, it's a beast that hits a heavy ball. I added a leather grip today and that helps tame it a bit (a little more HL). There's a mild muted feel to it; could it be twaron? Or is that gone for good from pro rackets?

After some searching, I learned that the PT57e comes from the iPrestige mold, while the PT57a comes from the Pro Tour 280/630 mold.

It pretty much looks to be from the Pro Tour mold to me; I can't find differences.

I don't think it was painted over a PJ. It almost looks like it has seams along the outside and inside of the throat. I guess this is how they look before they are finished.
 
I suppose if you want to see what the original paint is, you could remove the pallets. The top of the handle under the pallets should have traces of the original paint if it was ever painted over. The substrate is usually dark charcoal gray/black so the racket may simply be the color of the substrate if it was never painted. Or, it could be a primer. I can't really tell from the photos. The seams you are describing are most probably the parting lines of the mold (where the two halves of the mold meet.) You may have a raw racket that was never painted and the dull black color is the color of the substrate.

And yes, there is a whole lot of ORP here on TW. Unfortunately, there are very few people here who have any idea what they are talking about. There is an awful lot of myth presented as fact on this board especially regarding the Pro Tour. Don't believe everything your read here. It is sort of like wikipedia in that respect. That whole Pro Tour Club thread is a wealth of misinformation to the point of being ridiculous.

Glad you like it. All Pro Tours are great rackets regardless of origin or vintage. I have a bunch. I love them all. The Tour Series, (the Pro Tour, the Prestige, and the Radical were all best in class, or very close to it.)
 
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Droofin said:
I understand that entirely different rackets may have different material layups but come from the same molds.

Are PT57x and TGK238 and Pro Tour 280/630 from entirely different molds? I thought the PT57x and the Pro Tour 280/630 came from the same mold, right?

Can any of you experts look at the features of my racket and guess what Head mold it came from?

Thanks again for your help.
Click to expand...

THe PT630 mold is the same mold as in the PT57A, correct. Some dispute this about thew PT57E, although I could not see the (mold) differences between the A and E (they do feel different).

The TGK238 is a retail MG Prestige (MP or Pro) mold with a different material composition, therefore different feel, sound, weight, ballance and stiffness feel (flex point).

Hope this helped.
 
Fearsome Forehand said:
I suppose if you want to see what the original paint is, you could remove the pallets. The top of the handle under the pallets should have traces of the original paint if it was ever painted over. The substrate is usually dark charcoal gray/black so the racket may simply be the color of the substrate if it was never painted. Or, it could be a primer. I can't really tell from the photos. The seams you are describing are most probably the parting lines of the mold (where the two halves of the mold meet.) You may have a raw racket that was never painted and the dull black color is the color of the substrate.

And yes, there is a whole lot of ORP here on TW. Unfortunately, there are very few people here who have any idea what they are talking about. There is an awful lot of myth presented as fact on this board especially regarding the Pro Tour. Don't believe everything your read here. It is sort of like wikipedia in that respect. That whole Pro Tour Club thread is a wealth of misinformation to the point of being ridiculous.

Glad you like it. All Pro Tours are great rackets regardless of origin or vintage. I have a bunch. I love them all. The Tour Series, (the Pro Tour, the Prestige, and the Radical were all best in class, or very close to it.)
Click to expand...

Really? :confused:

Like how do you mean exactly re the PT thread?
 
Are there characteristics of the PT280/630 mold that distinguishes it from the new MG Prestige MP (TGK238) mold?
 
Droofin said:
Are there characteristics of the PT280/630 mold that distinguishes it from the new MG Prestige MP (TGK238) mold?
Click to expand...

It is a completely different mold.
The head is smaller, the head shape is wider on the PT57, the balance is different, the feel is MUCH softer on the PT57 (not necessarily flexier) than the TGK.
These are completely different rackets
 
So, if my racket were from a TGK mold, it would look obviously different from the shape of my Pro Tour 280. Correct?

If so, what are the distinguishing shape features (i'm not talking about play/feel/flex...I'm asking about shape of the mold). For example, are the "dimples" different?

Thanks to all who helped my obsession :oops:
 
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