Category Archives: Technology
Happy You Year!
Of course, we are all anxious for the new year to get here and erase 2020 from our memory!
We are designating 2021 as the You Year! So, Happy You Year!
For the last few years Racquet Quest, LLC has put more emphasis on “custom racquets” and 2021 will see this emphasis extended to “you racquets”!
What exactly does “you racquets” mean? It simply means that every racquet that leaves Racquet Quest, LLC is set up for your style of play and personal specifications. Yes, even if the racquet is Off-the-Shelf and not a full custom!
Many really good things are happening next year and we are glad you are going to be with us!
A Rarity …Continued
It is fun to have these fairly rare racquets to work on and get back into playing condition! We will report on each of them as we go through the setup procedure, and note any differences that we find.
We will try to compare some of the specifications to current or “recently current” racquets to see how far we have come…or not!
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- Remember me?
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- Austrian Twin Tube
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- Original TK57 Pallet
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- New Butt Caps
A few things stand out right away:
- The racquet is nearly 28 inches long (71.1cm)
- The racquet is very flexible in (RDC48) and out (285.7) of plane
- The racquet has a straight thin (21mm) beam
- The racquet is (was) made in Austria
| Head Radical Tour OS - Austria | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Head |
| Racquet Model | Head Radical Tour OS - Austria |
| Reference Tension | 58 lbs - 26.3 k |
| String: Main/Cross | Polyester |
| Machine Used | TT Professional |
| ASPS, RDC | 64 |
| ASPS, FlexFour | 63 |
| Racquet Flex, RDC | 48 - After stringing |
| Racquet Flex, FlexFour | 44 |
| Weight, Grams | 352 |
| Weight, Ounces | 12.42 |
| Balance, mm | 329 |
| Balance, Inch | 12.95 |
| Length, Cm | 71.1 |
| Length, Inch | 27.992 |
| Head Width | 10.23 |
| Head Length | 13.43 |
| Head Area, cm2 | 695.9 |
| Head Area, Sq. Inch | 107.9 |
| Beam Width, mm, Shaft, Center, Tip | 21, 21, 21 |
| In Plane Stiffness, Pounds/In | 285.7 Lbs/In. |
| In Plane Stiffness, Kg/cm | 51.1 Kg/cm |
| Number of Main Strings | 18 |
| Number of Cross Strings | 19 |
| Ratio Cross/Mains | .721 |
| Main String Grid | 7.81 |
| Cross String Grid | 10.12 |
| Density (% of head filled with string) | .733 |
| Average Cross String Space | .533 |
| Average Main String Space | .434 |
| Dynamic Tension, Kp, ERT | 37 |
| Dynamic Tension, Lbs/in | 206.94 |
| First Moment, Nm | .894 |
| Polar Moment | 389 |
| Torsional Stability | 20 |
| Swing Weight, Kg/cm2 | 369 |
| Swing Weight, Ounces | 13.03 |
| Swing Weight Calculated | 381 |
| Power, RDC | 36 |
| Control, RDC | 66 |
| Manueverability, RDC | 41 |
| Power, Calculated | 2063.3 |
| Head Points | 8.35 (negative = head heavy) |
| Head Weight, % | 46.3% |
| Center of Percussion | 22.0 |
| Dwell Time, ms, No Swing | 7.96 |
| Effective Stiffness - lbs | 27.4 |
| K, Lb/In (SBS) RDC | 205.13 |
| Recoil Weight | 186.9 |
| Twist Weight | 273.6 |
| End Weight | 139.3 |
| Tip Weight | 213.3 |
| Total Weight | 352.6 |
| 9 O'Clock | 106.3 |
| 3 O'Clock | 106.0 |
| Butt Cap | 140.7 |
| Total Weight | 353 |
A Rarity!
Just like an animal that is near extinction you hardly ever see one, but three at the same time is unheard of!
Of course, we are not talking about animals here but the rarity still applies to these racquets!
Head Twin Tube Radical
Most players have heard of this racquet but many probably have never seen one!
Three (3) of them came into the World Headquarters today for some TLC.
The bottom one is brand new with the protective sleeve still intact! So intact that it was nearly impossible to get it off, except in little tiny pieces.
However, the top one was well used, including the overgrip!
All of these racquets are getting new grip pallets so it is not an issue!
I will add more pictures as the work progresses on these rare racquets!
Consistency. What Does It Look Like?
Consistency!
Consistency is a component of almost every successful thing we do each day!
But, what does it look like? Well since this is a tennis centric post it will look like this:
What you are looking at is identical racquets, identical string, identical failure location!
If you find the very end of each string you will see how consistent this failure location is.
This string is a high elongation material so will notice that the ends of the broken strings are very far apart.
This is a good thing since it (elongation) contributes to comfort and power when hitting the ball.
This failure location indicates the player is striking the ball with consistency! That many explain the UTR of 13.3!
What else does this failure location show us?
- Most impacts are not in the center of the racquet.
- The string spacing in this area is a little more “open” which may “catch” the ball and contribute to rotation.
- There are more strings for the ball to “roll” over before leaving the racquet which may contribute to rotation.
Consistency is important in everything we do. Visualize it like the string bed of this racquet and try to hit the same spot each time you do something…anything!
What’s New?
We have had a “sneak peek” at some new tennis racquet models that will be arriving early in 2021! Typically, we can’t divulge a lot of the details yet but suffice it to say these are exciting models!
But let’s back up a minute and talk about new racquets that are here, or should be here, or will be here soon! The new Wilson Pro Staff series had a delivery date of September 28, 2020. They are way behind! If you are waiting for a new Pro Staff…we are sorry! Who knows what happened, but it is not good when the expected deliveries are not met!
The new Pro Staff RF 97 Autograph will change only to the Pro Staff colors of red and yellow stripes; the Pro Staff RF 97 will get a new grip pallet and butt cap setup that is intended to be easier on the hand.
The new Tecnifibre RS Series offers some interesting geometric concepts that continue their push for more player traction.
The new Head Graphene 360+ Radical Series retains the classic Radical Orange, but this one is “in your face orange”! Awesome! A cool gray shaft and grip temper this orange!
The Radical MP that we have seen has a few changes in shape and dimensions, and in fact, it is a different racquet than the past years. The head shape is more “round” by a slight amount, and the beam cross-section is different. The beam height is slightly less than the previous version, but the stiffness remains nearly the same. The shape of the “yoke” section is a little deeper and slightly wider at the junction of the head.
The new Radical has a “slicker” aerodynamic grommet system, for, no doubt, greater head speed to go with the “spin” friendly grommets!
And, the Radical Series has been scaled back to three (3) models! The Radical Pro, the Radical MP, and the Radical S. The Radical S is 102 square inches and the Pro and MP are 98 square inches.
The Head Graphene 360+Gravity has been a top seller and therefore is only getting a “cosmetic” make-over! The Hot Lava and Teal are being replaced by very interesting blue and yellow graphics! They look really good!
The Head Graphene 360+ Speed is staying the same but will add a black edition to the mix! It seems Novak likes black better than black and white so there will be a “black” in early 2021!
Don’t forget the Head Instinct “Effortless Power” series! It continues in a new color scheme, still blue and blue but in a more Head consistent pattern.
This week we will be getting the new demo racquets setup for your evaluation…if all goes well!
It is reassuring to know even in this time of uncertainty that racquet companies continue to produce great products that can, and will, help many players stay in the game!
Racquet Quest, LLC
