Racquet advice - Head Gravity Tour/Pro

[KluddKalle]

So, I’ve been playing for a few years with Babolat Pure control Tour. Am thinking about upgrading to a Gravity Pro for something a little more forgiving. My only concern is the SW of above 330gr, PCT has a rather low at 316gr which is nice. I’m also used to the 2:nd gen Pure Strike which have a SW at around 325gr.

Anyone that has played with both and can give me some feedback? Would appreciate it.

 

[Dragy]

What if you go with lighter Tour and tailweight it a bit, if you need to bring balance down? Should be easier transition. Going over 330 in SW is a change, and why you would want it?

 

[KluddKalle]

What if you go with lighter Tour and tailweight it a bit, if you need to bring balance down? Should be easier transition. Going over 330 in SW is a change, and why you would want it?

Yeah I was thinking about trying the Tour also. It seems similar to the PS16x19 weight wise.
It’s a good suggestion to tail weight that one a little. Thanks!

 

[jdx2112]

Yeah I was thinking about trying the Tour also. It seems similar to the PS16x19 weight wise.
It’s a good suggestion to tail weight that one a little. Thanks!

I play with the Tour and I really enjoy it. The SW is 225 and, like you, can't really do SW in the 330s. I've tried a few times and it wears on my shoulder, even with a shadow swing.

The issue with the tour for me is that despite the right SW, the 100 size head drags a bit, especially when I hit a one-handed backhand. My Clash 98 is actually heavier but more headlight and easier to use on the backhand side. But that's literally the only drawback on the Tour.

I did play around with adding putty to the handle to tail-weight it a bit and bring the HL up to about 6 points. Currently at 4+. But it did not feel right. The Gravity line seems very intentionally designed and I suspect that it doesn't lend itself to customizing. Others on this site have talked about how when they customize the MP it totally changes the racquet, instead of simply augmenting it.

One thought to consider if you're still demo-ing (I'm alway demo-ing) is to try the TF40, which is like a more flexy Pure Strike, or the Extreme Tour, which may lend itself better to customization.

 

[KluddKalle]

I play with the Tour and I really enjoy it. The SW is 225 and, like you, can't really do SW in the 330s. I've tried a few times and it wears on my shoulder, even with a shadow swing.

The issue with the tour for me is that despite the right SW, the 100 size head drags a bit, especially when I hit a one-handed backhand. My Clash 98 is actually heavier but more headlight and easier to use on the backhand side. But that's literally the only drawback on the Tour.

I did play around with adding putty to the handle to tail-weight it a bit and bring the HL up to about 6 points. Currently at 4+. But it did not feel right. The Gravity line seems very intentionally designed and I suspect that it doesn't lend itself to customizing. Others on this site have talked about how when they customize the MP it totally changes the racquet, instead of simply augmenting it.

One thought to consider if you're still demo-ing (I'm alway demo-ing) is to try the TF40, which is like a more flexy Pure Strike, or the Extreme Tour, which may lend itself better to customization.

Thanks for your input! I actually have never really liked customising my racquets. I have done it with putty in the handle, tungsten tape etc. But I always find myself questioning it and just keep changing and switching back and forth which makes me quite insecure about my equipment.

I’m thinking about the tour. But I also play with a one handed backhand and have tried 100sq racquets before but always revert back to 98.

 

[snoflewis]

used the PCTs 1-2 years ago and recently switched to the gravity pro. i had my PCTs leaded with 2g each at 3 & 9.

the 100" head of the gravity line is more forgiving, but im not sure it's that big of a difference tbh. if you go from the PCT to the gravity pro, the benefit of the racket being more forgiving will easily be offset by the higher SW. both rackets are a bit clumsy in their own way. the PCT has a lot of weight toward the throat and lower hoop that just never felt quite right, and the GPro drags a bit like @jdx2112 mentioned although it's better weighted and balanced. the GPro is a hell of a stick though if you don't have issues with the swingweight.

If you want something more forgiving than PCT while maintaining similar playability, i'd look into the Gravity MP instead of the Tour model. you get the same 16x20 pattern that your PCT has in a bigger and lighter package. the weight is low, but the racket played surprisingly well in stock form and had way more pop than i expected. also, if you were ok with the 2nd gen pure strike, i'd also try the new pure aero VS. if Babolats dont cause arm problems, it's the best stick from Babolat in the last 15 years imo. it just needs 1-2 grams anywhere between 10 to 2 to make up for the hollow upper hoop, and it's good to go.

 

[AgassiGrafFan]

I recently demoed the Gravity Pro and Tour and ended up going with two Tours and contemplating another one. For reference my game was developed on the original Head Radical Tour OS and my current primary racquets are Babolat Pure Aero 2019. I am a heavy spin hitter with SW FH grip and Cont/SW 2HBH grip. I tried the Gravities mostly because I am still a Head guy at heart and I was reading so many great things about them. I was looking for a "modern" iteration of my old Radical Tours as they are a bit low powered and lack spin compared to my Pure Aeros and APDs.

First of all it is extremely easy to switch between the Tour and the Pro. So much that I contemplated one of each considering they both have different strengths. I did not hit MP, but I could see someone that likes a little lighter weight using that one as well. I play against 4.5 and a few 5.0 players so I don't want something too light that can get pushed around. I feel like that happens every once in a while with the APD. I could probably fix that with weight, but I tinker with enough other things that I don't want to go down the customization rabbit hole. Both the Tour and Pro have a much softer/more flexible feel than my PA2019 and APDs, but they feel different compared to each other as well. I feel like the Tour has an evenly distributed flex from the top of the grip to the tip. You can feel it flex a bit and then it snaps back giving the sensation that all of the potential energy is transferred into the ball. The Pro in contrast feels like it flexes at a hinge point in the shoulder or head and if does transfer all of the potential energy into the ball it is a bit more like a catapult. Overall I would say the Pro is under-powered compared to the Tour, but the power output scales very linearly compared to the input. In general I feel like the Pro hits a flatter ball that goes more straight through the court while Tour takes spin better (even with the 18x20 pattern) and gives a ball that arcs and bites. For me as a spin ball hitter I prefer the distributed flex and ball bite from the Tour, but I can still flatten the ball out for put aways. Also the 22mm beam is thinner than my PA219 and the same as my Radical Tours so I feel like I have a nice big spin window even though the Pro is definitely thinner.

I strung my Tours with ALU Power 16L because I had never used it before. One is at my standard 54/52 tension and the other is at 50/48. I like the solid feel of the 54/52, but I don't feel like I get enough bite when I try to really hook the ball and I really have to swing out to get enough punch against bigger hitters. The 50/48 feels a bit spongy to me, but I get ball bite that is not way off of my PA2019. If I get another one (or when I restring one of the ones I have) I am going to try Head Lynx Edge/Yonex Poly Tour Strike at 50/48 or maybe 48/46. I will say I have had some wrist pain with these Gravities that I don't have with my PA2019 or APDs. I think the primary culprit is the ALU along with not playing enough lately. I have migrated towards softer strings (my go to is Volkl Cyclone/Yonex Poly Tour Strike hybrid) with tensions anywhere between 54/52 and 46/44 in the PA2019. I have had no arm issues with that combination. I also had no issues with full bed RPM Blast in the PA2019 in those ranges and I had no issues with the demo Gravities strung with some black poly in the Tour and syngut in the Pro. The other potential issue is the grip size. I was always a 4 5/8 player with my old Heads and moved to 4 1/2 when I went to Babolat. The Head 4 1/2 grip on my Gravities feels about half a size smaller than the Babolat grip. I have also played the Gravities in super high humidity so the grips have become unusually damp. I think the 4 1/2 grips will be fine, but I do think that combination of a little smaller damp grip and that ALU was causing a small issue. The Lynx Edge/YPTS hybrid should be much closer to my PA2019 setup which gives me no issue and the slightly lower tension will also help.

Good luck in your search. I personally think the Gravity racquets are great options if you want an old school Head feel with some extra pop and spin.

 

[Villain]

The Gravity Pro and Tour are both great sticks. I play with the Pro but could just as easily play with the Tour. If you’re concerned about the SW, get the Tour. It will give you a little more room to customize if you need to. The SW and the beam width are the only real differences. Good luck.

 

[jdx2112]

Recently demo'd a Gravity Pro and the feel is really great. Thick, plush feel when striking the ball. The SW wasn't uncomfortable, but I could feel my stroke slowing down a bit during a two-hour session. I also noticed just holding the Pro how flexed my forearm was to keep the head up. Much less so on the Tour. The differences in weight with overgrip and dampener was 11.9 for the Pro and 11.6 for the Tour.

Depending on the balance, I think my static weight ceiling is about 11.7. I wish I could play with the Pro but I think it's just a hair too much for me.

Also...the Pro was the first time I'd hit the Gravity line with a poly, Lynx. My Tour has been strung with Technifibre Multifeel. Wow, what a difference in spin. I think the Gravity 18x20 heads need a soft poly in them.

 

[BillKid]

What if you go with lighter Tour and tailweight it a bit, if you need to bring balance down? Should be easier transition. Going over 330 in SW is a change, and why you would want it?

I heard from some Gravity players that they were not happy after tailweighting this racquet. Was a bit surprised because it is a bit head heavy (on the paper for me at least) so I thought there was room for adding weight to the handle. Or may be it is designed to be played with a head heavy balance? Or maybe other folks had more positive experience with tailweighting a Gravity (let’s say Gravity mp).

 

[jdx2112]

I heard from some Gravity players that they were not happy after tailweighting this racquet. Was a bit surprised because it is a bit head heavy (on the paper for me at least) so I thought there was room for adding weight to the handle. Or may be it is designed to be played with a head heavy balance? Or maybe other folks had more positive experience with tailweighting a Gravity (let’s say Gravity mp).

I probably need to hit with the Tour with lead inside the handle, but when I've messed around with it doing shadow swings it felt heavier than normal.

I also finally demo'd the Pro and absolutely love it. The feel is amazing, better than the Tour and I love the Tour. However, I do question my racquet head speed. My arm didn't tire or get sore, but I'm not sure I was swinging as fast.

Still, the Pro is the idealized version of this line. The feel is fantastic.

 

[snoflewis]

I probably need to hit with the Tour with lead inside the handle, but when I've messed around with it doing shadow swings it felt heavier than normal.

I also finally demo'd the Pro and absolutely love it. The feel is amazing, better than the Tour and I love the Tour. However, I do question my racquet head speed. My arm didn't tire or get sore, but I'm not sure I was swinging as fast.

Still, the Pro is the idealized version of this line. The feel is fantastic.

i ended up trimming the entire bumper off my pros because the sw came at about 340 strung. Probably around 328 now. It's a much more user friendly racket. Not good for the cosmetics or wallet, but plays great

 

[jdx2112]

i ended up trimming the entire bumper off my pros because the sw came at about 340 strung. Probably around 328 now. It's a much more user friendly racket. Not good for the cosmetics or wallet, but plays great

Wow. That's a big drop in swing weight. I'm going to try and get my demo sw measured this week. Just to see what might be too much.