Category Archives: Power
Monofilament Material Comparison
Most monofilament tennis strings are polyester, a blend of polyester, or PEEK.
As you know, we believe there is no wrong string, just wrong applications. The graph will show the comparative stiffness of three (3) materials. The string is pulled at a rate of 1mm per second. The resultant spreadsheet for this particular test is about 5300 rows long.
With our spreadsheet, we have access to every mm of data. Maybe sometime we can post some of the individual data points.
Blast is polyester, V-Star is a unique blend of material (I do not know what it is), and MonogutZX is PEEK (polyetheretherketone).
The graph shows the cycle from 0 to 50 pounds three (3) times, then to failure (UTS). The quicker (shorter distance) the string reaches the 50-pound mark, the stiffer it is. MonoGut ZX did not fail in the 180mm excursion. You can see, in this case, the stiffer string fails at a higher force but shorter excursion.
Stiffer strings deliver less power and have a higher shock value. The midrange stiffness shows exactly what would be expected, and the softest string also indicates expected results.
Let’s get up to Speed!
The new Head Speed 2024 series is here! This series comprises the Pro, the MP, the MPL, and the Team.
The 2024 Speed series retains the white and black graphics pack, however, the finish “feels” different. Don’t worry! It is not the finish that falls off or turns to sticky stuff!
We will start with the MP, for no reason, except it is the one I picked up!
Head Speed 2024 Series
From our perspective, the Speed series is the most popular of all the Head series but not by a huge margin!
We believe this is a factor of proper stiffness and powerful head geometry.
As you read the numerical reviews this will become clear.
The first clue that this is going to be a powerhouse is the swing weight of 343! This property reminds me of many years ago when car dealers would use their most powerful cars for demonstration purposes! Very impressive!
Sort of the same principle applies here being that heavier racquets will perform much better than light racquets, however, 343 is a little more than we would recommend for most players. We will update this property as we setup more Speed MP 2024’s!
| Manufacturer | Head |
|---|---|
| Racquet Model | Head Speed MP 2024 |
| Reference Tension | 53 |
| String | 7710 1.32 Natural |
| Machine Used | True Tension Professional |
| String Bed Stiffness - RDC | 49 |
| String Bed Stiffness -FlexFour | 56.0 |
| String Bed Stiffness - SBS | 40 |
| String Bed Stiffness - ERT | 33 Kg/Cm |
| Racquet Flex, RDC | 63 |
| Racquet Flex, FlexFour | 40 |
| Racquet - In Plane Stiffness | 416.7 |
| Weight, Grams | 333 |
| Weight, Ounces | 11.75 |
| Balance, mm | 336 |
| Balance, Inch | 13.19 |
| Length, Cm | 68.6 |
| Length, Inch | 27.03 |
| Head Width | 9.65 |
| Head Length | 13.04 |
| Head Area, cm2 | 637.8 |
| Head Area, Sq. Inch | 98.9 |
| Beam Height @ Grip, mm | 21.3 |
| Beam Height @ Mid, mm | 23.3 |
| Beam Height @ Tip | 23.5 |
| Beam Width @ Grip, mm | 13.4 |
| Beam Width @ Throat, mm | 10.4 |
| Beam Width @ Mid, mm | 11.4 |
| Beam Width @ Tip, mm | 12.2 |
| Number of Main Strings | 16 |
| Number of Cross Strings | 19 |
| Ratio | .623 |
| Main String Grid Inch/mm | 7.51 / 191 |
| Cross String Grid Inch/mm | 10.62 / 269 |
| Density (% of head filled with string) | 81.1% |
| Average Cross String Space | .562 |
| Average Main String Space | .469 |
| Dynamic Tension, Kp, ERT | 33 |
| Dynamic Tension, Lbs/in | 184.57 |
| First Moment, Nm | .865 |
| Polar Moment | 359 |
| Torsional Stability | 16 |
| Swing Weight, Kg/cm2 | 343 |
| Swing Weight, Ounces | 12.10 |
| Swing Weight Calculated | 373.7 |
| Power, RDC | 60 |
| Control, RDC | 37 |
| Manueverability, RDC | 58 |
| Power, Calculated | 2136.1 |
| Head Points | 2.36 |
| Head Weight, % | 48.9% |
| Center of Percussion | 21.2 |
| Dwell Time, ms | 6.69 |
| Efective Stiffness - lbs | 27.6 |
| K, Lb/In | 157.05 |
| Recoil Weight | 161.6 |
| Twist Weight | 232.4 |
| End Weight | 129.4 |
| Tip Weight | 204.9 |
| 9 O'Clock | 105.0 |
| 3 O'Clock | 103.3 |
| Butt Cap | 123.7 |
| COF, Main | .370 |
| COF, Cross | .306 |
Head Prestige Pro 18×20 2023 Retail
This Head Prestige Pro 18×23 Retail version offers a high performance racquet ready for serious play! However, we offer the custom version for players who prefer a slightly more open string pattern and some customization.
As you will see on the specifications, this racquet is serious, but most players can use this racquet if they get over the idea that these are stiff racquets!
| Manufacturer | Head |
|---|---|
| Racquet Model | Head Prestige Pro 2023 18x20 Retail |
| Reference Tension | 52 |
| String | MonoGut ZX Pro (PEEK) |
| Machine Used | True Tension Professional |
| String Bed Stiffness - RDC | 54 |
| String Bed Stiffness -FlexFour | 56.4 |
| String Bed Stiffness - SBS | 44 |
| String Bed Stiffness - ERT | 35 Kg/Cm |
| Racquet Flex, RDC | 58 |
| Racquet Flex, FlexFour | 44 |
| Racquet - In Plane Stiffness | 342.9 |
| Weight, Grams | 340 |
| Weight, Ounces | 11.99 |
| Balance, mm | 3234 |
| Balance, Inch | 12.72 |
| Length, Cm | 68.6 |
| Length, Inch | 27.03 |
| Head Width | 9.476 |
| Head Length | 13.052 |
| Head Area, cm2 | 626.7 |
| Head Area, Sq. Inch | 97.1 |
| Beam Height @ Grip, mm | 20.8 |
| Beam Height @ Mid, mm | 20.0 |
| Beam Height @ Tip | 20.0 |
| Beam Width @ Grip, mm | 10.7 |
| Beam Width @ Throat, mm | 10.8 |
| Beam Width @ Mid, mm | 11.5 |
| Beam Width @ Tip, mm | 12.2 |
| Number of Main Strings | 18 |
| Number of Cross Strings | 20 |
| Ratio | .655 |
| Main String Grid | 7.56 |
| Cross String Grid | 10.25 |
| Density (% of head filled with string) | 71.4% |
| Average Cross String Space | .513 |
| Average Main String Space | ,453 |
| Dynamic Tension, Kp, ERT | 35 |
| Dynamic Tension, Lbs/in | 195.76 |
| First Moment, Nm | .844 |
| Polar Moment | 335 |
| Torsional Stability | 16 |
| Swing Weight, Kg/cm2 | 319 |
| Swing Weight, Ounces | 11.25 |
| Swing Weight Calculated | 354.7 |
| Power, RDC | 44 |
| Control, RDC | 57 |
| Manueverability, RDC | 74 |
| Power, Calculated | 1811.3 |
| Head Points | 6.3 |
| Head Weight, % | 47.1% |
| Center of Percussion | 20.5 |
| Dwell Time, ms | 6.125 |
| Efective Stiffness - lbs | 28.0 |
| K, Lb/In | 173.08 |
| Recoil Weight | 152.3 |
| Twist Weight | 229.34 |
| End Weight | 139.8 |
| Tip Weight | 198.9 |
| 9 O'Clock | 100 |
| 3 O'Clock | 101.7 |
| Butt Cap | 137.4 |
| COF, Main | .383 |
| COF, Cross | .204 |
An Inside Look at String Evaluation
In this series, we will look at the various characteristics of tennis string without the tennis racquet!
Racquet Quest evaluates every string we use plus strings submitted from other sources. These evaluations are “No Prep” and “Prep”, which simply means the Prep string has been pre-stretched in the entire length. It has not been through a tennis racquet…yet!
The following images represent a string that has not been “prepped.” After these plots are fully understood we will do the same string in the”prepped” format to see if there is a difference.
Ultimate Tensile Strength
What we notice immediately is the string is very “soft” as seen in the deflection of 47.8 mm to reach 50 pounds. Also, the elasticity, the ability to recover to the original length, is fairly low.
The area under the 50-pound and 47.8 mark is the stress/strain curve that shows how the string behaves in three (3) cycles. The load and number of cycles can be changed.
The long run (linearity) from the 50-pound mark to failure is quite good and suggests consistency.
The UTS, the ultimate tensile strength, of 127.1 pounds is good for this thin string.
The following plot shows the knot strength of this string.
Knot Strength
This plot is overlayed on the previous image so a quick comparison can be made. It is common for knot strength to be lower than un-knotted string. Knot strength is primarily important to the person tying the knot. Knots rarely fail after they are successfully tied. Pulling a knot too tight or jerking can break a knot.
This plot says to us that this string needs to be handled carefully when it comes to knots! We would expect a knot strength of at least 80 pounds for typical monofilament strings, however, if this string exhibits extraordinary play characteristics anyone can learn to tie the knots!
Based on this information we would suggest this string for a player looking for extraordinary comfort, power, and relatively short life!
Solinco Confidential (string)
As you know, Racquet Quest, LLC does not promote polyester string to most tennis players. We do, however, test any racquet string we can. This really helps us understand what happens during play and helps make a better performance selection for the player!
All of the information shown in the table is interesting but the most important data is Power Potential.
We have added three (3) Solinco strings to the Power Potential table, so take a look here
Racquet Quest, LLC
