Review of the new Head Youtek IG Speed Lite

Here's another playtest I did for tennisexpress.com - the Head Youtek IG Speed Lite.

Review of the Head Youtek IG Speed Lite

The first thing you notice when you pick up this racquet is that it’s light…very light. This racquet weighs in at nearly 2 ounces lighter than its big brother and current stick of Novak Djokovic, the Youtek IG Speed. As I prepared to test this racquet, I was wondering if it’s too light.

Groundstrokes

The overall lightness takes a bit of getting used to, especially if you’re used to a heavy racquet like I am. My current racquet weighs in at over 12 ounces and so there was an adjustment period. However, the adjustment was fairly quick and I found that I was able to generate deep shots with nice spin. This has a firm feel with the stiffness rating in the middle to stiff range (66). I did find that I needed to back off of my current fast swinging style as balls were hitting the back fence for a while. There isn’t much “plough through” like you get with a heavier racquet but if your strokes are short, there’s plenty of power to get the ball where you want it to go. I did find that I could direct the ball very well with a good amount of spin. The sweetspot is small compared to the headsize and shots outside that spot creates some stability issues, due mostly to the weight (or lack of) the frame.

Serves/Returns

Just like groundstrokes, there is an adjustment to this fast-moving racquet during serving. Even with the low weight, I found that I could get lots of power. Spin was good but not outstanding as my kick serves were average. The 102 sq in head gave me lots of confidence that I would find a large sweetspot but the sweetspot isn’t huge and I contribute it to the lack of weight in the frame. I did have a little problem getting the ball in the court on first serves. If I backed off the swing speed some, I could consistently get the ball in on first and second serves. Return power was there and a short backswing is your friend for control.

Volleys/Overheads

As you can imagine, this racquet was excellent around the net. It felt like a feather in my hand and quick reaction shots were a joy. For a minute, I thought I had the hands of McEnroe since my reaction time was so good! I came back to reality as soon as I realized that it’s the racquet, not my quickness. Darn! When struck in the middle of the racquet, volleys were solid and deep but since it’s pretty stiff and powerful, you need to keep it short and sweet. Overheads were solid and as long as I hit the middle of the racquet face, no problems. However, outside the sweetspot and the stability went down substantially.

This is a very light-weight racquet that provides an adequate overall blend of spin, power and control. Beginners through intermediates players will appreciate the strong points of the racquet – maneuverability, power, a firm feel and the 102 sq in size. My question at the beginning of this review about it being too light will depend on the type of player you are and what you’re looking for. If you’re a player that takes short, precise strokes, this could be a good version for you. Players looking for a light racquet with plenty of power and who can find the sweetspot pretty well will also enjoy this stick. If you’re a better player wanting a “player’s racquet”, you might want to step up to the heavier Youtek IG Speed.

Keep hittin'!!!

Dan

Review of the new Babalot Pure Storm Tour Plus

As a regular playtester for tennisexpress.com, I wanted to blog my playtest results here for everyone to see. Thanks for your support!!

Review of the Babolat Pure Storm Tour Plus GT

As the old saying goes, size does matter. With the additional ½” added to the length of the racquet, one might think that power would be the main feature. When you look at the racquet, it looks longer. When you play with it, you can’t tell the difference. As you will see, this racquet has more than size on its side.

Groundstrokes

I expected some loss of control with the plus version but I was very pleased that I didn’t even notice the added length. Groundstrokes were consistent and smooth and I got good results with my usual strokes (long and fast). Topspin was generated easily but it’s not a “topspin racquet”. I must say that this racquet was the best racquet I have ever hit on slice backhands. I was the surgeon and the court was my patient! My opponent frequently complained that the ball never came up and was very difficult to get a play on it. Ohhh, I like that!!

Serves/Returns

As much as I loved the slice backhand with this racquet, I also was in love with the serve. I got excellent kick and I frequently handcuffed my opponent with the jumping ball. I could generate excellent power and control, too. This was a true servers’ racquet. I’m sure the additional ½” helped with all this. On the return, I only needed short strokes to get the ball back with plenty of power and control. Since this is a fairly powerful stick, a shorter stroke on returns is necessary to get the job done. The extra reach came in handy on those wide serve returns. I surprised myself a couple of times on how far I could reach with this racquet.

Volleys/Overheads

With the midsize+ head, getting the racquet on the ball was no problem. Just don’t swing on the volley (you shouldn’t anyway!) because it’ll fly a bit. A short, sharp punch is sufficient for power and control. It was a tiny bit cumbersome on tight shots in close to the body but it’s not a deal-breaker, especially if you don’t visit the net too often. Overheads were a breeze and with the 98 sq in head, I felt confident that I would put the ball away every time.

This is a great racquet for the good to better player. The extra ½” was beneficial on those wide reach shots and serves, and the backhand backspin was like a little “slice” of heaven! As I was looking at the specs, I was surprised to see that it’s not a stiff racquet. However, it plays firm and no matter where the ball hits on the face, it feels very solid and with no elbow issues. A very unusual combination. This racquet has plenty of power, control and spin. If you’re a 4.0+ aggressive player who is looking for solid racquet with a bit of power, here’s your stick. Babalot really got it right with this racquet.

Keep hittin'!!

Dan

Prince Beast XP string review

In 2010, Prince began distributing this string to playtesters with no information accompanying the string samples. They even set up a website (beastxp.com) but no one knew for sure who the company was or anything about the string. Upon inspection, it was apparent that it was a poly and it was green, but nothing else. What they did was brilliant because it allowed Prince to find out what playtesters actually thought of the string with no pre-conceived notions.

I received my sample after all the hoopla was over (for the most part) and decided it was time to string it up and see if it lives up to the hype Prince generated. Prince claims that their string is the world’s first thermo-poly string, featuring a secret alloy additive, that delivers improved trajectory control and feel for extreme precision. Ok, every company claims their string is either the first or the best at this or that but the proof is on court, not in the ad campaigns.

Prince claims 5 basic points - trajectory control, spin, tension maintenance, power and feel. Aren't these the same claims as every string, or racquet or anything else related to tennis makes? As a stringer, I get tons of string samples wanting me to test drive their "new" technology but rarely do they deliver on their claims. Let's take it on the court to see how the Beast xp stacks up to their hype.

The test racquet setup is as follows: Volkl Powerbridge 10 Mid; Prince Beast xp 16ga (mains) at 57# and Gaucho natural gut 16ga (crosses) at 60#. Natural gut in the crosses is my favorite setup because it's simply the best at nearly everything. But, it's expensive so I keep it in the crosses only. I realize that this may be cheating a bit on the overall playability of the string by hybriding it, but that's the way I usually play, so it's a fair test as a comparison.

The playtest: I started the test by playing a total of 4 sets of singles. The first thing I noticed is that my groundstrokes felt very comfortable and reliable. By reliable, I mean that the length of stroke was very predictible. I felt I could take full strokes and the ball would stay in. Now, I have played with other strings that would do this too but they were generally very stiff and harsh and potentially hard on your arm. The Beast xp strings had the predictiblity and they felt firm but not harsh. I would say that they leaned toward the soft side without being "mushy".

I finished the test with 5 sets of doubles and I must say that the Beast xp performed as good or better as a doubles setup. Again, the serve, volley and returns were outstanding and I felt in complete control. In doubles, you need to be precise with returns and this was fitting the bill.

While at the net, the strings controlled the ball beautifully. I was shocked how consistently I was hitting the ball deep into the court and with good punch. It is probably some of the best volleying I have done in quite some time. Feel at the net was the most outstanding characteristic of the string. Not something that you usually find in a poly. I was placing the ball with amazing precision. I was checking to make sure I was the one hitting those volleys!!

I felt completely confident at the baseline as my full strokes felt wonderful. The spin potential is very good but it's not outstanding. I have found that usually the best spinning strings are the stiffest but they're also the hardest on your arm. The Beast xp is a good feeling string with good spin.

My serve and overhead had lots of pop, spin and control and I was putting the serve in the spot I was aiming with excellent consistency. The ball just felt good coming off the stringbed.

What I was most surprised about this string is that I didn't find any real weaknesses. I forgot to measure the stringbed stiffness with my meter before hitting but it felt like there was very little tension loss.

The 1 downside (or maybe 2). This string is a bit pricey. It's up there with some Luxilon strings on price. The other possible downside to some might be the green color. Actually, I quite liked it and it didn't clash with the color of my racquet. ;) No one pointed or laughed (at least not to my face!). One thing I was initially disapointed about was that it's currently only available in a 16ga. I always play with a 17ga string as I feel it provides more "bite" However, this playtest dispelled any issues I had with it only being a 16ga.

Ok, let's sum this up. Prince claims 5 things - trajectory control, spin, tension maintenance, power and feel. Does the Beast xp deliver on any of these claims? My answer is yes on all 5 counts. Unlike most of the other string demos I get, this string actually delivered on their ad campaign. Refreshing! I think this string will be a great addition to the better player who wants to add better feel, power and control to their game vs the ordinary poly they currently use. Personally, I may have found a new string to go in my racquet!

Thanks,
Dan

Keep hittin'!!