My first "real" racquet: Head Ti Radical OS
Then Head LM Radical MP
Head Ti Carbon One 1000
(Three) Head Twin Tube Radial Tour OS (2nd paintjob version)
Head Ti Carbon 6000
Head Ti Carbon 6000
Head Ti Carbon 5001
Head Ti Carbon 5000
Head PT 280
Head LM Prestige mid
I still have the Ti Radical OS, but it has a crack in the hoop @ 3 o'clock and a stringer said if I cut the strings the frame would crumple in on itself
. I will always keep it as a trophy of sorts, I won a lot of HS summer tournies at Siena with it and bought it from my modified tennis coach, a marine drill sargent who was all about conditioning first. A lot of great lessons learned and memories from him.
I stopped using the LM Radical MP after a year. During my junior year on the high school team, I found it average bc I couldnt generate the same amount of topspin. Looking back, the grip was too big, and I just didnt know enough about racquet characteristics to understand that back then. It was a good looking racquet though, and the one I used as a camper at NETC, one of the best 2 week spans of summer in my life.
I bought the Ti Carbon One 1000 from a counselor at NETC that summer for $25. I loved it instantly, and the guy I bought it from was from England and just an awesome dude, so even though its stripped down now, it got a lot of good use and is also is like a trophy to me. I could never find much info on it from online searches, and nothing in the US since im 99% its from Europe (the English counselor). After somehow finding the image on a chinese website, I got some of the specs and posted about it on this forum. This lead me to getting info on the other Ti Carbons, but I didnt get more of those until college.
The summer before my senior year of HS, I won an online auction for the 3 gently used Twin Tube Radical Tour OS racquets for $150. I was so fortunate, because someone had bid 150.00 as well, but since I had bid it first, I won the racquets. I bet to this day he is kicking himself, and I love looking back on it. Anyway, they came with brand new base grips and grommets/bumper guards, and with shipping plus the seller's offer to string them prior to shipping, it all came out to $190 (a steal). When they came in they were absolutely beautiful, all were at least 9/10 condition or better. They are curious, though, because the paint job says Radical Tour XL, but they all are def 27" long, and the paint on the inside throat doesn't have the L6 swing rating symbol. I was assured by others on this forum that it was just a painting error, and when I personally checked the specs they pretty much all met what was given by TW. These are my favorite racquets bc of the way the auction played out and bc they are simply amazing sticks. When I play to win, I grab these racquets every time.
Throughout college, I became more interested in the Ti Carbons, since I did love the one I had (but needed to retire, it was bruised but not broken). I learned about how the Ti Carbons had the same composition of the Ti Radical but with a 102 sq in head size, and how there were many versions of this racquet with different paintjobs. This info plus my previous experience lead my to buying now 4 additional Ti Carbons; all off that same auction website and all between $20 and $40 shipped. They needed a fair bit of customization to match the specs I wanted for all of my racquets, but afterward they felt more solid and better than ever. Since they also have the Twin Tube tech they feel similar to the Radical Tours, but I give the RT's a slight edge since they needed less customization and thus feel more complete to me. Still, the Ti Carbons are great racquets, and their various paintjobs are all very cool. I only wish it was easier for me to find replacement grommets and bumper guards, but I did find out this summer that Head's old junior racquets are a match. I am always looking for some (to anyone who knows where I can get them...)
The PT 280 and the LM Prestige mid are both recent and random pick ups. I know about the glory that is the PT 280, and it is quickly rising in my racquet ranks. The hybrid I have in it right now is good, but I want to get some kevlar in there and make it really pop. The Prestige is my first mid size racquet, and though it is fun to fit with, I dont know if I would ever play a full match with it (or use it in an actual match at all). Ive seen here that its regarded as one of the "worst" prestiges out of the lot, but i dont think thats why im not confident in it - it would just take a lot of time to fully transition to it and Id rather keep playing with my TT Radicals than take the time to do so.
So there is my timeline and notes on my racquets. I was feeling a little nostalgic since I just graduated college and am about to make a big life change. It's been good to look back, and again, if anyone knows about those Ti Carbon grommets/bumper guards, just let me know
