SF Tennis Freak

Posts Tagged ‘racquet review’

Since the purchase of my HEAD Speed MP 315 (18×20) racquet a few years back, I’m an avowed HEAD fan. However, after recent hits with some other sticks in the HEAD family, my fan-dom has become a bit more qualified.

Don’t get me wrong. I love what the extremely versatile Speed line has done for my game. But that doesn’t necessarily translate to equally positive experiences with the Extreme, Instinct, Prestige, or Radical lines.

Two cases in point are my experiences with the two racquets in this review: the Extreme Pro 2.0 and the Instinct Mid Plus. They’re both solid racquets, and are currently being used by some very good players on the WTA/ATP pro tours. Does this translate to a successful racquet of choice for the average club player? My answer is a qualified “Maybe”.

Check out my thoughts on each and see if either might be the right racquet for your game.

Racquet Review: The Extreme Pro 2.0

Racquet Review: The Instinct Mid Plus

(As with most of my equipment testing, demo racquet was graciously provided by City Racquet Shop. Please check them out if you’re in the San Francisco Bay area.)

(Per usual, here are the caveats on my racquet reviews. I’m a 4.0 player with a fast swing that generates more than enough power and topspin from my western grip. I hit a slice backhand for tactical purposes, but generally use a two-handed drive. Please view this racquet review accordingly.)

16 x 19 string pattern, 11.1 unstrung – 11.8 strung (55 lb. Stamina 16g), 100 in.²

The Basics: Power, power, and more power! That sums up my hitting session with the HEAD Extreme Pro 2.0. Used by Richard Gasquet and Mikhail Youzhny, this racquet is one of the most powerful racquets I’ve hit with in a long time. Since I don’t necessarily need more power in my game, this was a tricky racquet to demo.

Fortunately, the Extreme Pro comes with a dose of control to help mitigate its’ excessive power. Without that control, recommending this racquet to anyone who already has decent power in their strokes would have been a non-starter.

Forehand: The best way to hit an effective forehand with this racquet was to pretend as though I was hardly trying. And as most players know, that’s hardly a realistic strategy when you’re in a pressure-filled match. Whenever I found myself “trying” to put some extra pop on the ball, it would fly uncontrollably.

Backhand: Because my backhand is a little more temperamental than my forehand, controlling my two-handed backhand shots was even trickier. it was hard to find my comfort zone.

Serve: The racquet was surprisingly comfortable for my serve given its’ power. IT was still challenging to find the comfort zone where I could attempt to put some pop on my serve AND also keep it from hitting the back fence.

Volleys: Volleys were okay. Good volley technique is especially helpful with this stick.

Overall: The HEAD Extreme Pro 2.0 is too much stick for my tastes. I can see it being a beneficial for someone who needs more power in their game.  For those who already have a decent power game (but not the greatest technique), you’ll spend most of your time trying to keep from hitting the back fence. Use at your own risk.

(As with most of my equipment testing, demo racquet was graciously provided by City Racquet Shop. Please check them out if you’re in the San Francisco Bay area.)

(Per usual, here are the caveats on my racquet reviews. I’m a 4.0 player with a fast swing that generates more than enough power and topspin from my western grip. I hit a slice backhand for tactical purposes, but generally use a two-handed drive. Please view this racquet review accordingly.)

I have a long history with Volkl racquets!

Back in the day, I used the Volkl Tour 10 V-Engine. In fact, I think it was my racquet of choice for almost 8 years. It was what some call “a player’s racquet”, and was supposed to help improve my game as my technique got better. Two surgeries later, I gave up on that idea in favor of one that would better suit the changing needs of my body and game.

Though I’m pretty happy with my current racquets, I wish I would have had been able to demo either of these Volkl Organix line racquets. I’m an extremely brand loyal kind of guy, and have always enjoyed the balanced feel of Volkl racquets. After demo’ing these two Volkl sticks, I’m certain that I would have stayed in the Volkl racquet family if I’d gotten to these first!

On the suggestion of the good folks at City Racquet Shop, I took the Organix V1 Mid Plus and Organix 8 (300) out for a hit, and was pleasantly surprised. I spent a fair bit of time with them hitting baseline shots, and also played a competitive doubles set with each. The racquets were strung at mid-range, and both had a grip size was 4 3/8. Here are my impressions and purchase recommendations.

(Per usual, there are a few caveats to my racquet reviews, based on my own game. I’m a 4.0 player with a fast swing that generates more than enough power and topspin. I hit a slice backhand for tactical purposes, but generally use a two-handed backhand drive. Please gauge this racquet review accordingly to your own game and personal preferences.)

Click Here for the Volkl Organix V1 Mid Plus Racquet Review

Click Here for the Volkl Organix 8 Racquet Review

The Volkl Organix 8 (300)

16 x 18 string pattern, 10.6 unstrung – 11.2 strung (55 lb. Volkl Power Fibre 16g), 100 in.²

The Basics: The Volkl Organix 8 can give your game a nice combination of balance AND power. Whereas the V1 Mid Plus is a comfortable racquet with low weight and a subsequent loss of power, the Organix 8 gives you the same comfortable feel, but with the added ability to create some heat.

Forehand: My current racquet has an 18×20 string pattern that allows me to better control my natural ability to sometimes create more topspin than I can handle. 16×19 string patterns can be a challenging. The Organix 8’s 16×18 feels like a nice compromise to help control the spin.

Though this racquet provides for more pop on my forehand, it still performs best with an easy swing. Whenever I tried to “punish” the ball, my results were inconsistent shots that sometimes went long. If I gave it a strong hit with a relaxed arm, the results were solid shots with great depth and spin.

Backhand: My two-handed backhand shots were comfortable, and the racquet allowed for good spin. Again, relaxed shots were best so that the ball didn’t get away from me and go flying long. Slice shots were a little prone to pop up without a good forward motion. However, a good stroke produces a nice “knifed” effect.

Serve: The 16×18 string pattern allows for an easy ability to slice or kick the serve. The main challenge I had with this racquet was more in terms of keeping a relaxed swing so that the power wasn’t too much to handle. When I was successful at relaxing the arm, my serve was untouchable. When I wasn’t as successful, the double faults flowed freely.

Volleys: Volleys were fine, and the racquet’s dampening technology helped keep vibrations to a minimum for a nice solid feel.

Overall: The Volkl Organix 8 (300) is a nice racquet that, if I had the spare cash, I’d buy to put into my bag for rotation with my HEAD sticks. One point that I played in a doubles set stands out memorably to illustrate the benefits of this racquet. While receiving a wide serve on the deuce court, I was able to get a forehand on the ball with some spin even though I was stretched way out.

The net man volleyed my return back into the deuce box for what would surely have been a winner if not for the lighter weight and substantial power of the Organix 8. I got back into the court in time to hit a solid slice. Though the ball was slightly behind me,  I was able to get the racquet on the ball and give it a good wrist flick for added “oomph”. The knifed slice stayed low, and was too tough for the net man. He missed the volley and we won the point for a break.

That type of shot wouldn’t have been possible without the maneuverability and power of this racquet! So if you’re looking for a lighter racquet that’s comfortable with good control AND power, give this baby a shot. I think you’ll be pretty happy with the results.

(As with most of my equipment testing, demo racquet was graciously provided by City Racquet Shop. Please check them out if you’re in the San Francisco Bay area.)

Volkl Organix V1 Mid Plus

16 x 19 string pattern, 10.1 unstrung – 10.6 strung (55 lb. Volkl Synthetic), 102 in.²

The Basics: The Volkl Organix V1 is an extremely well-balanced racquet that can work for virtually any type of player since it’s equally comfortable in baseline rallies or at the net while putting away volleys. The odd brown color was a little off-putting in an age of brightly-colored racquets, but that shouldn’t put anyone off from giving this one a try.

It’s a lightweight racquet, which means that it’s also a low-power racquet. For someone like me who often swings much faster than necessary, that’s a good thing. Instead of hitting the back fence, the ball has a chance of landing deep at the baseline.

Conversely, if you chop at the ball or attempt subtleties by flicking your wrist to guide the ball, you’re going to be lucky if it makes it to the net. So it needs a good full swing to produce the best shot, and that’s a good thing for most club players to remember anyway.

Forehand: I’ve sometimes found open string pattern racquets harder to control in terms of topspin, but not this one. It’s as solid on a topspin forehand as it is on a flatter shot. Also, the amount of effort needed to generate topspin is minimized because of the low weight. The only downside was a temptation to over-hit because of the low power.

Backhand: It feels good on two-handed backhand shots, but is equally as comfortable on one-handed slice shots. The low power necessitates a full swing and follow-through for maximum depth, especially on the slice. “Chopped” slice shots will get punished by your opponent.

Serve: It’s a good racquet for various serve types. The low power ensures the ability to, more often than not, get the serve in the box without hitting long. In order to get the best pop on your serve, it needs good technique and a full delivery.

Volleys: The low weight allows for easy maneuverability at the net, and the racquet technology provides for a stable feel with good vibration dampening. Volleys will rarely “get away” from you, but solid technique will help for good volley depth.

Overall: The Volkl Organix V1 is a comfortable racquet that can work for virtually any type of player. It’s also one of the most versatile racquets I’ve ever tried. If you’re looking for a lighter stick that still gives you control and an ability to swing freely, I’d head out to your nearest tennis shop for a demo.

(As with most of my equipment testing, demo racquet was graciously provided by City Racquet Shop. Please check them out if you’re in the San Francisco Bay area.)

This video is an accompaniment to the racquet review video I shot that featured the new HEAD Graphene Speed Pro.

After a hit at the Buena Vista Park tennis courts in San Francisco, I asked my buddy/hitting partner if I could make a video with him answering some questions about his new racquet: the Head Youtek Graphene Speed MP. This was his first hit with his new sticks, so his impressions of the racquet (as compared to his old Volkl’s) was very fresh. I hope you find our racquet Q & A helpful.

(Video was shot on-the-fly using my Asus TF300. My apologies for the low volume level of his audio.)

SF Tennis Freak Note: I’ve tried hitting with the Speed MP and, Graphene or no Graphene, this new version didn’t work well with my game. It’s not very forgiving, but if you hit the ball well (and cleanly), it comes off great! And that’s why it didn’t work well with my game. 🙂

RACQUET DETAILS

Balance: 3 Points Head Light
Beam Width: 22.5 millimeters – 22.5 millimeters – 21.5 millimeters
Grip Type: Hydrosorb Pro
Head Size: 100 Square Inches (645.16 Square Centimeters)
Length: 27 inches (68.58 Centimeters)
Power Level: Low
Colors: White/ Black
Stiffness: 66
String Pattern: 16 Mains / 19 Crosses
String Tension: 50-60 pounds
Stroke Style: Full
Swing Weight: 320
Swing Speed: Fast
Weight (Strung): 11 Ounces (311.84 Grams)