Category Archives: True Tension
Prince RipStick 300
I am not saying the is not a serious tennis racquet but the first descriptor that come to mind is “fun”! And who does not want to have a little fun while playing tennis, huh?
RipStick 300
This is one of the remaining racquets with the “O” Port technology which is very large string openings instead of small grommet holes. The design allows for much more string movement and the 16×18 string bed helps! The “O” Ports create an effective head size of 105 in a racquet that measures 100 square inches.
But, just look at those colors! I think they are awesome!
This is a constant taper beam starting at 22.5mm going up to 27mm so if you are “thin beam” person you may hesitate to hit with this racquet, but we think you may be missing out!
If you just look at the racquet you may think it to be quite stiff. That is not the case! With an RDC stiffness of 62 after stringing we arrive at an effective stiffness of 30.2 with this string setup. Not bad!
Take a look at the specs then come get the demo and see what all these numbers mean to you!
| Manufacturer | Prince |
|---|---|
| Racquet Model | Prince RipStick 300 |
| Reference Tension | 60 lbs - 27.2kg |
| String | Prince Premier 16 |
| Machine Used | True Tension Professional |
| ASPS, RDC | 59 |
| ASPS, FlexFour | 64.5 |
| Racquet Flex, RDC | 62 - After stringing |
| Racquet Flex, FlexFour | 46.6 |
| Racquet - In Plane Stiffness | 504.2 lbs/Inch |
| Weight, Grams | 328 |
| Weight, Ounces | 11.57 |
| Balance, mm | 323 |
| Balance, Inch | 12.72 |
| Length, Cm | 68.6 |
| Length, Inch | 27.008 |
| Head Width | 10.00 |
| Head Length | 12.87 |
| Head Area, cm2 | 645 |
| Head Area, Sq. Inch | 100.1 |
| Number of Main Strings | 16 |
| Number of Cross Strings | 18 |
| Ratio Cross/Mains | .694 |
| Main String Grid | 7.56 |
| Cross String Grid | 9.12 |
| Density (% of head filled with string) | .679 |
| Average Cross String Space | .531 |
| Average Main String Space | .469 |
| Dynamic Tension, Kp, ERT | 36 |
| Dynamic Tension, Lbs/in | 201.35 |
| First Moment, Nm | .814 |
| Polar Moment | 337 |
| Torsional Stability | 17 |
| Swing Weight, Kg/cm2 | 320 |
| Swing Weight, Ounces | 11.29 |
| Swing Weight Calculated | 342.2 |
| Power, RDC | 43 |
| Control, RDC | 58 |
| Manueverability, RDC | 73 |
| Power, Calculated | 2095.5 |
| Head Points | 6.14 |
| Head Weight, % | 47.2 |
| Center of Percussion | 21.2 |
| Dwell Time, ms | 8.28 |
| Efective Stiffness - lbs | 30.2 |
| K, Lb/In | 189.10 |
| Recoil Weight | 159.2 |
| Twist Weight | 256.05 |
| End Weight | 134.9 |
| Tip Weight | 194.5 |
| 9 O'Clock | 100.8 |
| 3 O'Clock | 97.3 |
| Butt Cap | 130.2 |
Which Comes First!
We all have heard the question “which comes first the chicken or the egg”? However, my question is “Which comes first the game or the string”?
I believe they happen simultaneously. But first a quick story.
In 2005 I was attending a Head product introduction on the island of Mallorca, Spain, Yes, that one!
The product introduction was exciting but what I am going to tell you about now was even more meaningful.
The Director of one of the top US Tennis Training organizations, at that time, was there and we were discussing teaching techniques and what he said after being in this part of Europe was “we need to start teaching our players how to hit this way!” Well, “this way” was the way of low-powered strings that were popular in Europe but not so much in the US, yet.
So, it began! The players could not hit harder, like the Europeans, unless they used the same string material as the Europeans and that was very stiff and mostly PET polyester.
So, the idea was the “egg” and the string was the “chicken”, sort of! I guess the feeling was that “if Americans are going to compete we must use the same equipment”.
Now, I believe the professional game can go on about its way but otherwise, we need to consider changing the game by returning to a combination of comfort and playability.
Our history shows us that the “high performance” life span of many polyester strings is about 2-3 hours, or less, maybe about 10-12 games. We don’t believe this is quite long enough for most players. But, how do you quantify “performance”? It may be different things for different players.
There are many components to performance but what if it was associated with UTR data? Racquet Quest can track UTR numbers and make some determinations based on that data. If a UTR is stable or increasing it is a good bet that the performance of the player and equipment is OK. However, if the UTR is slipping it is a good indication that something is not working as it should…but what?
We have found that, in some cases, it is injury or discomfort, that is causing the slippage! Stop it! The following data is for a 12 month period and acquired from the UTR website. Even small positive changes are tough! But negative changes seem to have an enormous impact more quickly than positive changes!
For example:
| Player | Racquet | String | UTR1 | UTR2 | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Head Speed | PEEK | 12.84 | 12.86 | + .02 |
| B | Babolat Pure Aero | Polyester | 10.91 | 9.56 | -1.35 |
| C | Head Radical MPA | PEEK | 4.50 | 5.61 | +1.11 |
| D | Wilson Pro Staff 97 | PEEK | 5.0 | 7.03 | +2.03 |
| E | Babolat Pure Aero | PEEK | 3.8 | 5.64 | +1.84 |
| F | Wilson Blade 98 | Polyester | 10.0 | 9.41 | -.59 |
| G | Head Radical Pro | Natural Gut | 3.7 | 5.15 | +1.45 |
Friction v Tension…what wins?
We all know what friction is. It keeps our cars from sliding around, it keeps us from slipping and in general makes movement possible!
Friction also plays an important part in the string bed of your tennis racquet. Friction between the strings and the ball create friction which in turn creates rotation.
What are, however, some of the downsides of friction in the string bed during, and after, the stringing process?
Friction v Tension
For more detailed information and a graph showing the forces involved go to our membership site, GASP.network, but in the meantime this image will show the frictional forces at work!
This machine tension head will pull the string (blue) in the direction of the center of the racquet support structure instead of directly out the middle of the grommet.
It is obvious that this will create considerable friction and result in lower tension inside the grommet than outside the grommet.
Head Graphene 360+ Radical Series Comparative Data
Click Here to See Radical Series Comparison Data
Radical MP v21
A Close Look at Orange
The new, for 2021, Head Graphene 360+ Radical series is a radical step into colors that have always been the “mark” of the Radical Series but now it has gone even further into radicalism!
We think that is a good thing! Why mess around with just a little orange when you can go all out!
It is impossible to see the vibrancy of this orange without holding it in your hand! We invite to to hold one in your hand and even hit with it!
The Radical MP has been the most popular model over the years. This model has all the attributes of the Pro without the added weight, (which can be added later if needed)!
The thin beam carries over to the MP and Pro while the S has a slightly wider beam.
The S model fits the very necessary range of 102 square inch racquets because Head has, correctly, reduced the number of head sizes per model. The Speed series has the 100 square inch head size very well covered.
You will see all the specifications on each individual review that will be posted shortly.
Head Graphene 360+ Radical Pro
Head Graphene 360+ Radical S
Racquet Quest, LLC
