Tennis Warehouse: Head Boom MP (Prototype 2021) Racquet
- Thread starter TW Staff
- Start date
ryushen21
Legend
It makes sense. One of my new players has her first racquet with an unstrung weight of 255g and the MP doesn't feel massively heavier than it does. Maybe 285g at the max.
nvr2old
Hall of Fame
First off a HUGE thank you to TW and Head for the opportunity to test the frame although not sure I'm worthy.
String and tension used for test: Lynx Tour @ 53
Tennis experience/background: first sport I learned as a child MANY years ago, played through college recreationally and rebound the game after IW tourney 4-5 years ago at TW store and practice court revived my game
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): currently first strike style (prior all court and serve and volley but age and joints have made me shorten points as much as possible)
Current racquet/string setups: Prince Textreme Warrior 100 (tour bite at 48) and Clash 100L (RPM blast at 45) (both weighted up to 11.8 oz and 10 pts HL)
How many hours did you play with the racquet? approx 30 hours (used almost exclusively with brief comparisons to my main racquets), about 27 hours in stock form and 3 modded to same specs as my above current racquets
Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):
-Groundstrokes: First impression of this racquet was its power and muted but yet firm feeling as well as light initial weight (11.1 oz and 4 pt HL strung with dampener). I had no problem getting racquet around for shots quickly on forehand or OHBH. Had to adjust my strokes as I got quite a few fliers (similar to the Clash) initially. Launch angles were lower than my usual racquets and with extra power this resulted in more fliers. Had to really concentrate on good racquet drop and committing to my shot and form (again like the Clash but to lesser extent). Once I adjusted I really liked hitting groundstrokes as I could get the ball penetrating the court with good pace with er with spin or more flat trajectory. Sweet spot for me seemed generous and very pleasant with good ball pocketing that got better with string time and break-in.
-Serves: Well this is where my first glitch came into play for me. In stock form despite light weight I struggled to get ball to dip in with kick or slice serves. When I was on, hitting flat serves could be great but this was not common. Lots of power but struggled with accuracy stock unless I took a lot off of the serves and altered my tempo (not a good policy). Modded this stick came alive with serves with ability to hit spots with flat, kick and slice serves while retaining power.
-Volleys: I found the Boom to be quick at the net for volleys in stock form. I had no problem with put-away or touch volleys and felt very connected to the ball and direction. Touch I felt was really good.
-Serve returns: Only had a little time to evaluate this aspect. However in stock form was good in terms of feel on blocked returns but lacked a little stability unless in sweet spot. On full swings felt much better more like ground strokes.
Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)
Power/Control - Power is the name of the Boom's game I think. As I said I had fliers initially but after adjusting had no issues with getting enough pace. In terms of control it doesn't have the pinpoint accuracy of top line 18x20 sticks but comparing it to other 16x19 tweener types its very good. Aim for slightly larger targets and it does well IMO.
Top Spin/Slice - No problem generating spin here. While not a wide open 16x19, topspin is fairly easy to generate although not comparable to Warrior or Clash. Initially slice was more difficult in stock form for me as again if my technique wasn't on I'd get floaters. Modding helped the slice immensely (as well as topspin).
Comfort - I felt this was a comfortable stick. Ball pocketed well and I felt I could direct the shot to my targets and know where it was going.
Feel - It's not pro staff or Angell foam filled solid type of feel and it's also not a hollow feeling frame IMO. Warrior seemed crisper, Clash seemed well Clash-like (if you have one you know what I mean) somewhat soft and vague at times on slower swings that firms up when you swing faster. Boom seemed to lie in between somewhere in terms of feel which I enjoyed.
Maneuverability - In stock form very maneuverable due to light weight. Really shined on volleys and reaction shots in doubles.
Stability - A bit unstable at times blocking shots back on hard serves or at net in stock form. Probably due to light stock weight.
General reaction/comments on overall performance:
Overall really enjoyed the play test. IMO I think it's pretty obvious that the BOOM as directly aimed at the Clash/Pure Drive market share and attempts to do so with different approach and feel. In that realm I think they succeeded. As others have said in stock form it's suitable for rising intermediates or juniors or the weekend warrior who wants a more traditional feeling racquet than the Clash that has a more refined power ability (although maybe not as forgiving on poor or rescue strokes as the Clash). As a platform racquet in modded form I think it can be transformed into a much more stable and solid felling overall package as well that suits the better player. Can't wait to hear about the pro model and see how it differs.
Thanks again TW and Head!
See you at IW in 2 days.
String and tension used for test: Lynx Tour @ 53
Tennis experience/background: first sport I learned as a child MANY years ago, played through college recreationally and rebound the game after IW tourney 4-5 years ago at TW store and practice court revived my game
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): currently first strike style (prior all court and serve and volley but age and joints have made me shorten points as much as possible)
Current racquet/string setups: Prince Textreme Warrior 100 (tour bite at 48) and Clash 100L (RPM blast at 45) (both weighted up to 11.8 oz and 10 pts HL)
How many hours did you play with the racquet? approx 30 hours (used almost exclusively with brief comparisons to my main racquets), about 27 hours in stock form and 3 modded to same specs as my above current racquets
Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):
-Groundstrokes: First impression of this racquet was its power and muted but yet firm feeling as well as light initial weight (11.1 oz and 4 pt HL strung with dampener). I had no problem getting racquet around for shots quickly on forehand or OHBH. Had to adjust my strokes as I got quite a few fliers (similar to the Clash) initially. Launch angles were lower than my usual racquets and with extra power this resulted in more fliers. Had to really concentrate on good racquet drop and committing to my shot and form (again like the Clash but to lesser extent). Once I adjusted I really liked hitting groundstrokes as I could get the ball penetrating the court with good pace with er with spin or more flat trajectory. Sweet spot for me seemed generous and very pleasant with good ball pocketing that got better with string time and break-in.
-Serves: Well this is where my first glitch came into play for me. In stock form despite light weight I struggled to get ball to dip in with kick or slice serves. When I was on, hitting flat serves could be great but this was not common. Lots of power but struggled with accuracy stock unless I took a lot off of the serves and altered my tempo (not a good policy). Modded this stick came alive with serves with ability to hit spots with flat, kick and slice serves while retaining power.
-Volleys: I found the Boom to be quick at the net for volleys in stock form. I had no problem with put-away or touch volleys and felt very connected to the ball and direction. Touch I felt was really good.
-Serve returns: Only had a little time to evaluate this aspect. However in stock form was good in terms of feel on blocked returns but lacked a little stability unless in sweet spot. On full swings felt much better more like ground strokes.
Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)
Power/Control - Power is the name of the Boom's game I think. As I said I had fliers initially but after adjusting had no issues with getting enough pace. In terms of control it doesn't have the pinpoint accuracy of top line 18x20 sticks but comparing it to other 16x19 tweener types its very good. Aim for slightly larger targets and it does well IMO.
Top Spin/Slice - No problem generating spin here. While not a wide open 16x19, topspin is fairly easy to generate although not comparable to Warrior or Clash. Initially slice was more difficult in stock form for me as again if my technique wasn't on I'd get floaters. Modding helped the slice immensely (as well as topspin).
Comfort - I felt this was a comfortable stick. Ball pocketed well and I felt I could direct the shot to my targets and know where it was going.
Feel - It's not pro staff or Angell foam filled solid type of feel and it's also not a hollow feeling frame IMO. Warrior seemed crisper, Clash seemed well Clash-like (if you have one you know what I mean) somewhat soft and vague at times on slower swings that firms up when you swing faster. Boom seemed to lie in between somewhere in terms of feel which I enjoyed.
Maneuverability - In stock form very maneuverable due to light weight. Really shined on volleys and reaction shots in doubles.
Stability - A bit unstable at times blocking shots back on hard serves or at net in stock form. Probably due to light stock weight.
General reaction/comments on overall performance:
Overall really enjoyed the play test. IMO I think it's pretty obvious that the BOOM as directly aimed at the Clash/Pure Drive market share and attempts to do so with different approach and feel. In that realm I think they succeeded. As others have said in stock form it's suitable for rising intermediates or juniors or the weekend warrior who wants a more traditional feeling racquet than the Clash that has a more refined power ability (although maybe not as forgiving on poor or rescue strokes as the Clash). As a platform racquet in modded form I think it can be transformed into a much more stable and solid felling overall package as well that suits the better player. Can't wait to hear about the pro model and see how it differs.
Thanks again TW and Head!
See you at IW in 2 days.
Last edited:
bertrevert
Legend
Touch - that that is coming up: they've perhaps got the dampening vs feel balance working.
Yes Clash is vague to me, and that fast/slow thing kinda unnerving. Great hear boom is on the spectrum, but on the right side of it!
MP is a mod platform sounds like for sure. Bring on the Pro...
(...older player here too, looking, always, for bit more than modded Speed MP...)
nvr2old
Hall of Fame
Yup. Of the 3, Boom, Warrior, and Clash that I have I thought the Boom sat right in the middle of the Warrior (crisper feel, less power, but more direct), and Clash (more power but more committing frame, less feel and touch). Plan on comparing it to the PD and maybe other Head sticks (radical and speed) just for kicks. Plan on hitting these tomorrow at BNP IW at TW tennis store if possible and demoing them as well.
Older is just a number (as other of my older friends tell me but my feet and joints say otherwise)!
ClaudTT
Semi-Pro
With lead like that you are changing the racket all along, you are not testing 'this' design.
Swingweight is only 320. Still need more lead
Specs I took for the Head Prototype:
310 grams, 307 SW, 32.5cm balance (around 5 pts HL)
String and tension used for test: Head Lynx Tour @53 lbs.
Tennis experience/background: 15 years of playing experience, used to coach middle schoolers
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Baseline counterpuncher with flat shots. SW forehand, 2 handed backhand
Current racquet/string setups: Yonex VCore Pro 97D/HD strung w/ Big Hitter Silver 7 Tour/Gosen OG Sheep Micro @ 53/48 lbs.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 15-20 hours
Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):
-Groundstrokes: This Head prototype is a baseliner's dream. Easy power, easy access to spin. I didn't have to swing too hard to get the depth I wanted, and it was fun to bash the ball from 3 feet beyond the baseline. I had to adjust my swing a bit to get used to the launch angle compared to my current frame. Knowing how light this racket is, I knew I would run into stability issues if I was trying to returning a heavy shot. It was difficult returning the pace back on a heavy ball even though I would block/guide the shot rather than taking a full swing. The one area where I couldn't gel with this racket was flattening out the high balls. When I tried to take the ball early and flatten out my shot, the ball would land at the net.
-Serves: I enjoyed the racket head speed I got when I was serving, but I would have liked some extra mass when I made contact with the ball. I could get some nice action on spin serves, but I wasn't getting the speed I wanted for flat serves. Because the racket was so light, I had to adjust my rhythm loading up for the serve compared to my current racquet.
-Volleys: This was probably my second favorite aspect of this racquet after groundstrokes. Volleys were very point and shoot, where I could stick the racket out and I wouldn't have to do much to get the ball going. I got some nice feel out of the racquet where I felt like I could hit any volley, and it was very maneuverable to help me with stab volleys.
-Serve returns: As long as I had ample time to react to the serves, the return quality ranged between average and good. When I got a chance at a decent swing, I could get some nice depth out of the return, although not enough to push the server back. However, similar to the groundstrokes, I would get a weak reply on the return if I was receiving a heavier serve.
Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)
Power/Control- This racquet was definitely designed with power in mind. There was enough power where I didn't have to take a big cut at the ball to get the depth I wanted, and at times it did feel like a trampoline. There was a bit of an adjustment period to get used to the launch angle and use more spin to keep the ball in. I would have preferred more control when I wanted to take a rip at the ball, but at the same time, it was nice to hit quality shots without feeling like I was exerting too much energy.
Top Spin/Slice- Similar with power, I feel like the racquet was also designed to have easy access to spin. I had no issues whatsoever generating topspin. It took a bit of time to adjust to the slice to get the preferred launch angle that I wanted.
Comfort- This racquet definitely doesn't have a Pure Drive feel, so that was nice. I'm not too familiar with Head Lynx Tour, but I had no arm issues during my playtest. I would be comfortable having a full poly setup for this frame.
Feel- I have tried some of the other Graphene 360+ lines such as the Radical and Extreme, and this racquet felt similar to those frames, which can be a good or a bad thing. It was not overly stiff, but it didn't feel like a noodle either. There was a good balance of the two. It doesn't have as direct a feel as my current frame, but it's pretty close. I felt more connected to the ball with the frame than some of the recent offerings that I've tried.
Maneuverability- Might be the best aspect of this frame. I was rarely late on my shots, and I could adjust to weird bounces and changes of direction very well. I also felt very confident swinging out on the ball and generating lots of racquet head speed.
Stability- With the light weight and low swing weight, stability was a mixed bag. The sweet spot feels bigger than some of the racquets that I've tried, but if I didn't make clean contact with the ball, I would get an erratic response on my shots. If I was late, the ball would mostly pop up for an easy sitter.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: As the playtest went on, there was one consistent theme. This racquet is easy to use, light, and relatively comfortable. I can pick this up on the fly and get warmed up fairly quickly with this frame. I think a lot of players will enjoy that aspect of this racquet. This is one of the rare tweener racquets that I enjoy playing with, and I think it will cater well with beginner-intermediate players.
If you want usability right out of the gate, I think this will be a good fit. Similar racquets that come to mind are the Pure Drive and the Clash, and I think it's less stiff than the Pure Drive without having the vague feel of the Clash. However, most of the other Graphene 360+ lines offer similar traits that I mentioned about this frame, so I'm struggling to find how this racquet can stand out. If there is time to customize the frame and add some weight, I see it as a decent option for higher intermediate level players. But it's missing that extra weight for me to consider playing competitively with it. Nevertheless, this frame is a nice option whenever I want to have more of an easy, relaxing hit.
HUGE thanks to Head and Tennis Warehouse for allowing me to participate in this playtest.
310 grams, 307 SW, 32.5cm balance (around 5 pts HL)
String and tension used for test: Head Lynx Tour @53 lbs.
Tennis experience/background: 15 years of playing experience, used to coach middle schoolers
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): Baseline counterpuncher with flat shots. SW forehand, 2 handed backhand
Current racquet/string setups: Yonex VCore Pro 97D/HD strung w/ Big Hitter Silver 7 Tour/Gosen OG Sheep Micro @ 53/48 lbs.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 15-20 hours
Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):
-Groundstrokes: This Head prototype is a baseliner's dream. Easy power, easy access to spin. I didn't have to swing too hard to get the depth I wanted, and it was fun to bash the ball from 3 feet beyond the baseline. I had to adjust my swing a bit to get used to the launch angle compared to my current frame. Knowing how light this racket is, I knew I would run into stability issues if I was trying to returning a heavy shot. It was difficult returning the pace back on a heavy ball even though I would block/guide the shot rather than taking a full swing. The one area where I couldn't gel with this racket was flattening out the high balls. When I tried to take the ball early and flatten out my shot, the ball would land at the net.
-Serves: I enjoyed the racket head speed I got when I was serving, but I would have liked some extra mass when I made contact with the ball. I could get some nice action on spin serves, but I wasn't getting the speed I wanted for flat serves. Because the racket was so light, I had to adjust my rhythm loading up for the serve compared to my current racquet.
-Volleys: This was probably my second favorite aspect of this racquet after groundstrokes. Volleys were very point and shoot, where I could stick the racket out and I wouldn't have to do much to get the ball going. I got some nice feel out of the racquet where I felt like I could hit any volley, and it was very maneuverable to help me with stab volleys.
-Serve returns: As long as I had ample time to react to the serves, the return quality ranged between average and good. When I got a chance at a decent swing, I could get some nice depth out of the return, although not enough to push the server back. However, similar to the groundstrokes, I would get a weak reply on the return if I was receiving a heavier serve.
Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)
Power/Control- This racquet was definitely designed with power in mind. There was enough power where I didn't have to take a big cut at the ball to get the depth I wanted, and at times it did feel like a trampoline. There was a bit of an adjustment period to get used to the launch angle and use more spin to keep the ball in. I would have preferred more control when I wanted to take a rip at the ball, but at the same time, it was nice to hit quality shots without feeling like I was exerting too much energy.
Top Spin/Slice- Similar with power, I feel like the racquet was also designed to have easy access to spin. I had no issues whatsoever generating topspin. It took a bit of time to adjust to the slice to get the preferred launch angle that I wanted.
Comfort- This racquet definitely doesn't have a Pure Drive feel, so that was nice. I'm not too familiar with Head Lynx Tour, but I had no arm issues during my playtest. I would be comfortable having a full poly setup for this frame.
Feel- I have tried some of the other Graphene 360+ lines such as the Radical and Extreme, and this racquet felt similar to those frames, which can be a good or a bad thing. It was not overly stiff, but it didn't feel like a noodle either. There was a good balance of the two. It doesn't have as direct a feel as my current frame, but it's pretty close. I felt more connected to the ball with the frame than some of the recent offerings that I've tried.
Maneuverability- Might be the best aspect of this frame. I was rarely late on my shots, and I could adjust to weird bounces and changes of direction very well. I also felt very confident swinging out on the ball and generating lots of racquet head speed.
Stability- With the light weight and low swing weight, stability was a mixed bag. The sweet spot feels bigger than some of the racquets that I've tried, but if I didn't make clean contact with the ball, I would get an erratic response on my shots. If I was late, the ball would mostly pop up for an easy sitter.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: As the playtest went on, there was one consistent theme. This racquet is easy to use, light, and relatively comfortable. I can pick this up on the fly and get warmed up fairly quickly with this frame. I think a lot of players will enjoy that aspect of this racquet. This is one of the rare tweener racquets that I enjoy playing with, and I think it will cater well with beginner-intermediate players.
If you want usability right out of the gate, I think this will be a good fit. Similar racquets that come to mind are the Pure Drive and the Clash, and I think it's less stiff than the Pure Drive without having the vague feel of the Clash. However, most of the other Graphene 360+ lines offer similar traits that I mentioned about this frame, so I'm struggling to find how this racquet can stand out. If there is time to customize the frame and add some weight, I see it as a decent option for higher intermediate level players. But it's missing that extra weight for me to consider playing competitively with it. Nevertheless, this frame is a nice option whenever I want to have more of an easy, relaxing hit.
HUGE thanks to Head and Tennis Warehouse for allowing me to participate in this playtest.
lidoazndiabloboi
Hall of Fame
Stock specs: 304.5g / 32.35cm / SW298
After lead: 313.4g / 33.4cm / SW326
After leather grip: tbd
String and tension used for test: Head Lynx Touch at 56 lbs
Tennis experience/background: 4.0-4.5 player
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All court player
Current racquet/string setups: RF97 with Head Lynx Tour
How many hours did you play with the racquet? About 25 hours (First 10 hours in stock form, next 15 hours with lead tape modification)
Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):
Groundstrokes: The racket was very smooth and easy to swing. I noticed right away how forgiving the racket is with its squarish shape. On both FH and BH sides, I could feel I didn’t need to focus as much on my swings, and I was able to return the balls with good pace. This racket definitely has a lot of power considering how light it weighs. And I also felt it was a Spin Monster on my forehand size. The more I played with the racket, the more I realized the lack of weight made it very unstable on off center shots. After adding lead tape around the hoop and bumping up the swingweight, my shots drove through the ball more, and off center shots definitely felt better. On surprising thing was, I felt the spin on my shots decrease possibly due to slowing down my racket head speed, or the strings losing playability.
Serves: Practicing shadow serves, you instantly feel this racket will swing really fast, even too fast to be honest. Because off the lighter weight, I had to adjust my timing on my swing in order to hit the ball correctly. When I served the small square in the center of the strings, the ball launched with a lot of power, but I noticed the ball was not heavy at all, and was easy to return if the returner got their racket on it. If I hit the ball off center, I could definitely feel the racket push back and the ball would not go anywhere. After lead: Much better stability on serves without sacrificing too much racket head speed. Serves had more weight on the ball, and kick serves jumped higher. Racket drove through the ball easier and did not kick back.
Volleys: The racket was very easy to maneuver at the net, and fast when it came to volley exchanges. Unfortunately, I have to be very precise with my volleys, and make contact right in the middle to get a good shot. It was not forgiving on off center shots. The racket has a decent amount of feel, but not as much feel as the Radical or Prestige line. After lead: The racket was much more forgiving when off center and was easier to drive the volleys forward. Due to the overall light weight, it was still easy to maneuver.
Serve returns: The racket is very easy to maneuver when trying to return serves. The only plus was when I got a slow serve, I could really try to crank a return back. But against flat hard serves or very heavy kicking serves, it did not fare well. I tend to bunt a lot of serves back to get into the points, but bunting with this racket was nearly impossible, the ball would not make it over the net. After lead: overall the racket performed better. Still some stability issues against big serves, but was easier to return. My return of serve shots definitely had more weight behind it.
Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)
Power/Control: This racket has two attributes it excels at, and one is power. Even at the stock light weight form, the racket produced a large amount of power, but the ball was not heavy. There was definitely an adjustment period due to the amount of power you get, the mid level of control, and the light weight of the racket. I felt control wise, I was able to direct the ball to the areas of the court I wanted to hit into, but it lacked pin point accuracy. After adding lead tape, power increased slightly, but it helped the control factor more. It was easier to redirect balls.
Top Spin/Slice: The other attribute this racket has is the ability to top spin the ball. In stock form, the racket was a top spin monster with its open string pattern. After adding lead, I felt the amount of kicking spin lessened, but my ball was overall heavier. On slices, it was tough to hit in stock form, as it felt like the racket couldn’t penetrate through the ball. After lead tape, it was much easier to drive through on the slices, creating a deeper more skidding ball.
Comfort: It was a comfortable racket at its stock weight to a point. I didn’t not feel any stiffness from the racket. But the more I played with it, the more I could feel a little elbow tingle creep up. At that time, I knew I needed to add more overall weight to the racket.
Feel: Racket had a decent amount of feel. But if compared to other Head lines like the Radical Pro or Prestige, I would say it had less feel than those.
Maneuverability: The racket was very very maneuverable due to the low weight. Very easy to move the racket around during volleys. You might even say it moved too easily and moved quicker than expected. After I added the lead tape, it caused the racket head to lag too much harder to maneuver around. Make sure to counter balance the racket with weight in the handle.
Stability: This is the area that definitely lacked for me due to the light weight. When I took a full swing at the ball and hit the ball in the center of the strings, no stability issues. But if I hit off center, the ball would be able to fly back, but the racket would not driver through the ball. Also the light weight made trying to bunt the ball back almost impossible for me.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: Overall, I believe this would be a good platform racket for both Men and Women. I think in stock form, it is just too light for anyone to use. The head shape is much different than any of the other Head lines, and I think that results in a very forgiving racket face. It is a good and fun racket to hit with. I let my tennis mates give it a try, and all of them have positive things to say about the performance of the racket, and only negative is the weight. Others are saying this is Head’s answer to the Clash and the PD. Comparing this racket, I would say it has slightly less power, more control, less flex compared to the Clash, and comparing to the PD, less power, more spin, much more comfortable, and more feel.
Lastly, I really enjoyed being able to chat with the Head Rep at Indian Wells, and talking to him about this new racket. He too had the same thoughts about it being too light, and also customize his racket to make it heavier. I would be very excited to check out the other version of this racket it officially releases.
This Playtest was a lot of fun, and I have not finished customizing it yet. So I will continue tinkering with the specs until I find the perfect specs for my game.
The biggest of THANKS to @TW Staff and Head Tennis for giving me the opportunity to playtest this Prototype racket and share my thoughts. I look forward to seeing other peoples thoughts on the racket.
After lead: 313.4g / 33.4cm / SW326
After leather grip: tbd
String and tension used for test: Head Lynx Touch at 56 lbs
Tennis experience/background: 4.0-4.5 player
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All court player
Current racquet/string setups: RF97 with Head Lynx Tour
How many hours did you play with the racquet? About 25 hours (First 10 hours in stock form, next 15 hours with lead tape modification)
Comments on racquet performance for each stroke (each section should be 3-5 sentences minimum):
Groundstrokes: The racket was very smooth and easy to swing. I noticed right away how forgiving the racket is with its squarish shape. On both FH and BH sides, I could feel I didn’t need to focus as much on my swings, and I was able to return the balls with good pace. This racket definitely has a lot of power considering how light it weighs. And I also felt it was a Spin Monster on my forehand size. The more I played with the racket, the more I realized the lack of weight made it very unstable on off center shots. After adding lead tape around the hoop and bumping up the swingweight, my shots drove through the ball more, and off center shots definitely felt better. On surprising thing was, I felt the spin on my shots decrease possibly due to slowing down my racket head speed, or the strings losing playability.
Serves: Practicing shadow serves, you instantly feel this racket will swing really fast, even too fast to be honest. Because off the lighter weight, I had to adjust my timing on my swing in order to hit the ball correctly. When I served the small square in the center of the strings, the ball launched with a lot of power, but I noticed the ball was not heavy at all, and was easy to return if the returner got their racket on it. If I hit the ball off center, I could definitely feel the racket push back and the ball would not go anywhere. After lead: Much better stability on serves without sacrificing too much racket head speed. Serves had more weight on the ball, and kick serves jumped higher. Racket drove through the ball easier and did not kick back.
Volleys: The racket was very easy to maneuver at the net, and fast when it came to volley exchanges. Unfortunately, I have to be very precise with my volleys, and make contact right in the middle to get a good shot. It was not forgiving on off center shots. The racket has a decent amount of feel, but not as much feel as the Radical or Prestige line. After lead: The racket was much more forgiving when off center and was easier to drive the volleys forward. Due to the overall light weight, it was still easy to maneuver.
Serve returns: The racket is very easy to maneuver when trying to return serves. The only plus was when I got a slow serve, I could really try to crank a return back. But against flat hard serves or very heavy kicking serves, it did not fare well. I tend to bunt a lot of serves back to get into the points, but bunting with this racket was nearly impossible, the ball would not make it over the net. After lead: overall the racket performed better. Still some stability issues against big serves, but was easier to return. My return of serve shots definitely had more weight behind it.
Comments on racquet performance in each area (should be 2-3 sentences minimum)
Power/Control: This racket has two attributes it excels at, and one is power. Even at the stock light weight form, the racket produced a large amount of power, but the ball was not heavy. There was definitely an adjustment period due to the amount of power you get, the mid level of control, and the light weight of the racket. I felt control wise, I was able to direct the ball to the areas of the court I wanted to hit into, but it lacked pin point accuracy. After adding lead tape, power increased slightly, but it helped the control factor more. It was easier to redirect balls.
Top Spin/Slice: The other attribute this racket has is the ability to top spin the ball. In stock form, the racket was a top spin monster with its open string pattern. After adding lead, I felt the amount of kicking spin lessened, but my ball was overall heavier. On slices, it was tough to hit in stock form, as it felt like the racket couldn’t penetrate through the ball. After lead tape, it was much easier to drive through on the slices, creating a deeper more skidding ball.
Comfort: It was a comfortable racket at its stock weight to a point. I didn’t not feel any stiffness from the racket. But the more I played with it, the more I could feel a little elbow tingle creep up. At that time, I knew I needed to add more overall weight to the racket.
Feel: Racket had a decent amount of feel. But if compared to other Head lines like the Radical Pro or Prestige, I would say it had less feel than those.
Maneuverability: The racket was very very maneuverable due to the low weight. Very easy to move the racket around during volleys. You might even say it moved too easily and moved quicker than expected. After I added the lead tape, it caused the racket head to lag too much harder to maneuver around. Make sure to counter balance the racket with weight in the handle.
Stability: This is the area that definitely lacked for me due to the light weight. When I took a full swing at the ball and hit the ball in the center of the strings, no stability issues. But if I hit off center, the ball would be able to fly back, but the racket would not driver through the ball. Also the light weight made trying to bunt the ball back almost impossible for me.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: Overall, I believe this would be a good platform racket for both Men and Women. I think in stock form, it is just too light for anyone to use. The head shape is much different than any of the other Head lines, and I think that results in a very forgiving racket face. It is a good and fun racket to hit with. I let my tennis mates give it a try, and all of them have positive things to say about the performance of the racket, and only negative is the weight. Others are saying this is Head’s answer to the Clash and the PD. Comparing this racket, I would say it has slightly less power, more control, less flex compared to the Clash, and comparing to the PD, less power, more spin, much more comfortable, and more feel.
Lastly, I really enjoyed being able to chat with the Head Rep at Indian Wells, and talking to him about this new racket. He too had the same thoughts about it being too light, and also customize his racket to make it heavier. I would be very excited to check out the other version of this racket it officially releases.
This Playtest was a lot of fun, and I have not finished customizing it yet. So I will continue tinkering with the specs until I find the perfect specs for my game.
The biggest of THANKS to @TW Staff and Head Tennis for giving me the opportunity to playtest this Prototype racket and share my thoughts. I look forward to seeing other peoples thoughts on the racket.
kreative
Hall of Fame
String and tension used for test: Head Lynx Tour@ 53 lbs
Tennis experience/background: 4.0 player
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All court counterpuncher mostly playing doubles
Current racquet/string setups: Wilson Clash 100 Tour/Pro w/ Solinco Hyper G 48 - 50 lbs.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 25 - 30 hours
Comments on racquet performance for each stroke:
Groundstrokes: At first hit, two things really stood out, low swingweight and dampened response. The racket felt light and easy to swing, maybe too easy. My timing was off because the head was coming through so quick and so it took a little while to adjust. The feel off the stringbed felt really dampened and comfortable but not overly muted. It felt good hitting rally balls (slow to medium pace) and I got good directional control, but the lack of mass in the head sometimes made it difficult for me to keep the ball deep. This was amplified once I played against faster and heavier balls as my responses were weak and I felt like I was getting pushed around. When hit as an offensive or neutral shot, my backhand slice I felt had good bite and stayed low, but tended to be weak and float when hit defensively. Compared to the Clash Tour/Pro, it had less power and a firmer response.
Serves: On flat serves, I had a bit of difficulty getting pace likely due to lack of weight in the head. I had better success hitting slice as I could get really good racket head speed. I typically don't have much of a kick serve, but I felt I was able to hit it better with this racket, likely attributing again to being able to get good racket head speed due to the low swingweight. However, the spin serves were still lacking weight behind them. Compared to the Clash Tour/Pro, it had more spin, but less power.
Volleys: Volleys were a bit of a hit and miss for me. The racket felt very maneuverable and fast like I was waving a conductor's baton which was really nice during those fast net exchanges. On slow to medium pace balls, volleys were solid with directional control and decent touch. I had issues handling heavier pace due to the instability and lack of mass in the hoop. Shots hit outside the sweetspot were especially unforgiving. Compared to the Clash Tour/Pro, it was more maneuverable and had better touch.
Serve Returns: I had difficulty returning against big first serves - they tended to land short and sit up. I also didn't have much success trying to block returns back due to the hoop instability. I could feel the the head twist when hit outside the sweetspot. On second serves, I had moderate success where I was able to get the returns deeper, and actually liked chipping and charging on the backhand.
Comments on racquet performance in each area:
Power/Control: I think the racket has good power for its weight, but balls just weren't heavy. I felt it had good directional control except on depth where I felt I had to over swing to try and get the ball deep. The Head had less power but more control compared to the Clash Tour/Pro
Top Spin/Slice: The low swingweight really allowed me to whip through on my forehand to generate easy topspin. On my backhand I got adequate spin on my 2-hander, and I liked the bite I was getting on my angled slice shots. I also liked the spin I was getting on my serves. The Head had slightly more spin potential versus the Clash Tour/Pro.
Comfort: This is one area where I felt like the racket really shined, in most cases. The response off the stringbed felt plush, but not overly muted. I had been having a bit of elbow and wrist tenderness, and could still hit with the racket just fine. It was only when hitting against a constant barrage of hard hit shots that the instability of the racket led to additional vibration and some discomfort. The Head had a firmer response compared to the Clash Tour/Pro, but still very comfortable.
Feel: I thought the racket had a decent amount of feel with a more consistent response off the stringbed than my Clash Tour/Pro with shots hit in the sweetspot.
Maneuverability: This is the other area where the racket really shined for me. The low weight, especially in the hoop allowed the racket to be extremely maneuverable. I loved it on fast volley exchanges at the net. When I was caught late, I could still get the racket around and hit a decent shot.
Stability: The lack of stability was the biggest downfall of this racket. It felt unstable, especially shots hit outside the sweetspot likely due to low weight and lack of mass in the head. This was most evident when hitting against heavy balls with pace.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: I really liked the comfort and maneuverability of the racket. I think it had a nice blend of dampening yet good pop and a relatively consistent response off the stringbed. I think this is a good platform racket that can be customized to your playing style. For me personally, I would add additional weight to the head to increase stability and counterweight it in the handle to keep the maneuverability. I liked the Head Lynx Tour in the frame, but would probably string it a little lower (~48lbs) with the Lynx Tour or Solinco Hyper G. You know those Clash videos where everyone hits it and says "Whoa"? I had that same response and so did my friends who tried out the racket. However, we all had the same feedback that it was too light. People are speculating that this is Head's response to the Clash and since it's my main stick, here's my summary comparison: the Head is less dampened, more consistent, and more control oriented, the Clash has more flex and more power.
Final Thoughts: I think this is a racket I could switch to if I can get it to that optimal weight and balance for me. I really like the feel off the stringbed and think there's a lot of room for customization so will definitely be trying out some different setups.
Thanks so much Head and Tennis Warehouse for the opportunity to playtest this racket. I had a lot of fun with it!
Tennis experience/background: 4.0 player
Describe your playing style (i.e. serve & volley): All court counterpuncher mostly playing doubles
Current racquet/string setups: Wilson Clash 100 Tour/Pro w/ Solinco Hyper G 48 - 50 lbs.
How many hours did you play with the racquet? 25 - 30 hours
Comments on racquet performance for each stroke:
Groundstrokes: At first hit, two things really stood out, low swingweight and dampened response. The racket felt light and easy to swing, maybe too easy. My timing was off because the head was coming through so quick and so it took a little while to adjust. The feel off the stringbed felt really dampened and comfortable but not overly muted. It felt good hitting rally balls (slow to medium pace) and I got good directional control, but the lack of mass in the head sometimes made it difficult for me to keep the ball deep. This was amplified once I played against faster and heavier balls as my responses were weak and I felt like I was getting pushed around. When hit as an offensive or neutral shot, my backhand slice I felt had good bite and stayed low, but tended to be weak and float when hit defensively. Compared to the Clash Tour/Pro, it had less power and a firmer response.
Serves: On flat serves, I had a bit of difficulty getting pace likely due to lack of weight in the head. I had better success hitting slice as I could get really good racket head speed. I typically don't have much of a kick serve, but I felt I was able to hit it better with this racket, likely attributing again to being able to get good racket head speed due to the low swingweight. However, the spin serves were still lacking weight behind them. Compared to the Clash Tour/Pro, it had more spin, but less power.
Volleys: Volleys were a bit of a hit and miss for me. The racket felt very maneuverable and fast like I was waving a conductor's baton which was really nice during those fast net exchanges. On slow to medium pace balls, volleys were solid with directional control and decent touch. I had issues handling heavier pace due to the instability and lack of mass in the hoop. Shots hit outside the sweetspot were especially unforgiving. Compared to the Clash Tour/Pro, it was more maneuverable and had better touch.
Serve Returns: I had difficulty returning against big first serves - they tended to land short and sit up. I also didn't have much success trying to block returns back due to the hoop instability. I could feel the the head twist when hit outside the sweetspot. On second serves, I had moderate success where I was able to get the returns deeper, and actually liked chipping and charging on the backhand.
Comments on racquet performance in each area:
Power/Control: I think the racket has good power for its weight, but balls just weren't heavy. I felt it had good directional control except on depth where I felt I had to over swing to try and get the ball deep. The Head had less power but more control compared to the Clash Tour/Pro
Top Spin/Slice: The low swingweight really allowed me to whip through on my forehand to generate easy topspin. On my backhand I got adequate spin on my 2-hander, and I liked the bite I was getting on my angled slice shots. I also liked the spin I was getting on my serves. The Head had slightly more spin potential versus the Clash Tour/Pro.
Comfort: This is one area where I felt like the racket really shined, in most cases. The response off the stringbed felt plush, but not overly muted. I had been having a bit of elbow and wrist tenderness, and could still hit with the racket just fine. It was only when hitting against a constant barrage of hard hit shots that the instability of the racket led to additional vibration and some discomfort. The Head had a firmer response compared to the Clash Tour/Pro, but still very comfortable.
Feel: I thought the racket had a decent amount of feel with a more consistent response off the stringbed than my Clash Tour/Pro with shots hit in the sweetspot.
Maneuverability: This is the other area where the racket really shined for me. The low weight, especially in the hoop allowed the racket to be extremely maneuverable. I loved it on fast volley exchanges at the net. When I was caught late, I could still get the racket around and hit a decent shot.
Stability: The lack of stability was the biggest downfall of this racket. It felt unstable, especially shots hit outside the sweetspot likely due to low weight and lack of mass in the head. This was most evident when hitting against heavy balls with pace.
General reaction/comments on overall performance: I really liked the comfort and maneuverability of the racket. I think it had a nice blend of dampening yet good pop and a relatively consistent response off the stringbed. I think this is a good platform racket that can be customized to your playing style. For me personally, I would add additional weight to the head to increase stability and counterweight it in the handle to keep the maneuverability. I liked the Head Lynx Tour in the frame, but would probably string it a little lower (~48lbs) with the Lynx Tour or Solinco Hyper G. You know those Clash videos where everyone hits it and says "Whoa"? I had that same response and so did my friends who tried out the racket. However, we all had the same feedback that it was too light. People are speculating that this is Head's response to the Clash and since it's my main stick, here's my summary comparison: the Head is less dampened, more consistent, and more control oriented, the Clash has more flex and more power.
Final Thoughts: I think this is a racket I could switch to if I can get it to that optimal weight and balance for me. I really like the feel off the stringbed and think there's a lot of room for customization so will definitely be trying out some different setups.
Thanks so much Head and Tennis Warehouse for the opportunity to playtest this racket. I had a lot of fun with it!
bertrevert
Legend
So this platform benefits from lead, in a way it curbs its pwr, and brings all yr strokes under greater control?
You feel too that this is one you can bring to your right spec and that it will have the right feel/communication (that comes from things like materials-used and flex).
Ok those are good signs. Wouldn't you want to try out the coming Pro version too? Imagine so. But customising with lead can be sometimes more accurate.
Would you say the isometric shape is same as Yonex or just isometric-ish?
kreative
Hall of Fame
I definitely think adding some lead would increase stability and put more weight into my shots which was the biggest downside of the racket.
I liked the way it felt. I liked the dampened feel off the stringbed and how it felt comfortable, but not overly muted. I'm hoping that adding lead won't take away from that...
Are there specs published on the Pro? I would be interested in trying it out, but until then I'll be playing around with different setups in this frame to see if I can find a setup that works.
I would say the head shape is "flared" and isometric-ish, but not quiet Yonex.
Pro - 310 g unstrung, 22 mm beam, 10 pts hl unstrung, and 16x19 string pattern.
The new Head Lynx Touch is the recommended string, so I’m assuming that will be released around the same time too.
ryushen21
Legend
I wouldn't call it isometric. They've broadened the shape slightly. Most noticeable in the throat. But it's nowhere near a Yonex type head shape.
ryushen21
Legend
Isometric is where it's at.
ozbikebuddy
Rookie
Arrive on Saturday! Thank you @TW Staff and Head for allowing me to playtest the new Head Prototype! Can't wait to get this out to the courts tonight and crank some BOOMing forehands.
Strung Specs, no overgrip:
Weight: 304.5g / 10.74oz
Balance: 32.35cm / 6 pt HL
SW: 298
This looks a lot like the old HEAD head shape like on the Double Power Wedge frames from the 80's, less rounded, more ovoid
HitMoreBHs
Professional
ryushen21
Legend
They're less squared and have different beam geometry but they are still isometric.Even Yonex doesn’t believe that - they’ve become less isometric over time.
smalahove
Hall of Fame
Even Yonex doesn’t believe that - they’ve become less isometric over time.
Under the Yonex R-7 specs
"Superleicht" (super/extra light)
"320-340g"
Epic ad
HitMoreBHs
Professional
Indeed!Under the Yonex R-7 specs
"Superleicht" (super/extra light)
"320-340g"
Epic ad
40% carbon, 60% graphite.
Err… what does that difference mean??
bertrevert
Legend
jmacdaununder2
Legend
Genesis reborn...
bertrevert
Legend
bertrevert
Legend
bertrevert
Legend
And why don't you have a go at answering those questions yourself right here? Cos afaik there's no official Head person here to answer you. So what do you think?
My 2c is that they have perhaps Musetti to head up this other line (see vid above) and they just don't quite have a racket that offer the ka-"boom" to compete with the PDs of this world and that obviosuly key juniors/players are crying out for. Head would do its research. While they have very fine player racquet lines perhaps they not have one that really offers power up front. I think that's what this will be. I mean look at what they called it.
Classic-TXP-IG MID
Hall of Fame
Options... and wait until you try them. Maybe they will be good. Who knows.
I can see the reason for this existing more than the radical. Might be a controversial statement, but Radical has been pretty irrelevant for the last decade.
bertrevert
Legend
@Yamin
Ok yes that seems pretty radical to say that about the, er, Radical.
But I commend that they (Head) continue a specs lineage - ppl who like it can continue with it.
But racquets, like the game, move on and Head expanded their lineup. This Boom is another such move. Does it go far enough?
Chezbeeno
Professional
Define "irrelevant." Every brand has at least one relatively user-friendly 98 sq in option in their lineup. I don't know why you would do away with the Radical when Blades and Pure Strikes are selling at a crazy rate.
As for this line, I'm sure they're just trying to do what they hoped the Instinct line would do, and appeal to Pure Drive customers.
Small sweet spot, stiff, eclipsed in performance by two to three other rackets in the lineup. For this gen (not V8) I wouldn't say the radical is in the same league as the blade or strike.
I don't see what it provides other than a 98 head and the extreme does that with better spin.
Had some flexpoint radical tours I loved... What's been a great radical in the last 10 years?
bertrevert
Legend
I have kept trying Rads but really had enough at
Head even refers to racquet "silos" themselves.
If you think of it their way, then they sort of cordon of racquet lines, remain within dominant characteristics, exploit what they can without losing the essentials.
So have Radicals stayed a bit stuck?
Yes, by their own admission, on purpose.
Is the Boom a new silo? They say so.
Is interesting that the Rad is coming up in this discussion of the Boom, cos here's hoping this light blue beast is a Radical on roids...???
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kreative
Hall of Fame
I just took a look at the Pro specs and it's thinner beam and stiffer so not sure if it would feel and play similar to a weighted MP. I've currently put ~4g at 12 o'clock and counterweighted in the handle, but will probably add some more to 3/9.
MP: https://www.tennis-warehouse.com/He...ntent=sale&utm_campaign=211116HeadHolidayWeek
Pro: https://www.tennis-warehouse.com/He...ntent=sale&utm_campaign=211116HeadHolidayWeek
