Head Tennis Racket Models Compared - Speed vs Prestige vs Radical vs Instinct

Tennis Demo Program
Got these Head IG YouTek rackets in just 2-3 business days after ordering.

They give you about 10 days to ship it back with the FedEx labels neatly tucked in with the 4 rackets. The best thing was they include all of this in the $14.95 price!

I took the 4 rackets to the tennis practice wall to get some rapid testing started. Racquets were all in very new condition and strung with the similar hybrid set up with a polyester string on the Mains and Crosses were Head FXP.

The tensions for all rackets were relatively similar (mid-50 lbs range). This consistency makes all the difference when picking out demo rackets, plus have some of the most competitive prices.

Update: I have found that Midwest Sports does a much better job with demo quality and offers better prices than Tennis Express and Tennis Warehouse. See reviews for the Babolat 2017-2018 Pure Strike and Pure Drive

Head Tennis Models
Control (high to low):Prestige > Speed > Radical > Instinct > Extreme

Power (high to low):Extreme > Instinct > Radical > Speed > Prestige

Too Heavy? Too Light?
Want a something Slightly Lighter? Go with the "S" model.
Slight Heavier? Get the "Pro" or "Tour" model.

Racket Impressions

Head Speed MP 18x20
Speed MP 18x20 - see "Customer Reviews"
This racket felt just slightly longer than the standard 27 inch, coming in at 27.3 but you do not really notice too much of a problem when hitting groundstrokes.

See our full Head Graphene Speed MP Review

It has good stability and similar swing speed and weight as the LM Instinct. Easy to volley, had good feel and "pockets" the volley well without too much frame tilt on contact. Serve is good all around, as was the returns.

Playing with this racket in matches, it performed the best for my hitting style. If I had to switch rackets today, I would go with this racket - same model as used by Djokovic.

11/2014 Update: I am now using the Graphene Speed MP which is the standard 27 inches in length.

Our Top Head Tennis Racket

The swing weight of 315 makes even this 11.7 oz frame feel nimble. It rewards you for using a full swing at the ball, with an "L5" swing pattern (the larger the number the longer the swing). The beam is 20 mm in thickness so it is a bit thinner which a lot of big swingers tend to like.

Tennis-Bargains Rating: 4.5/5

...see more Head racket reviews - Prestige, Radical, Instinct below ...

Topspin Cyber Flash vs CyberBlue Review

Topspin Cyber Flash - String of the Year! (See Review)

Topspin CyberFlash 17 user ratings (from 154 reviews on Stringforum.net)

Tennis-Bargains Tip:
After you try it and want more, consider getting the 726' Cyber Flash Reel to save more money


Tennis Cost Savings: why buy Tennis Strings in a Reel

Example:
One String Package = 40 ft of string, typically enough for 1 racket set ($7.49/set)
One Reel Package = 720 ft, which about 18 sets of string...so $75/reel is just ($4.16/set!)

Topspin Cyber Blue - Solid Control / Feel Tennis String

Amex / Twitter Deal - $50 OFF $100 TicketMaster Gift Card (good for US Open Tickets later...)

How this American Express + Twitter deal works.
Get $50 back when you spend $100+ at Ticketmaster.com

Update: I have just purchased this, and it simply requires an Amex card and a Twitter account (which you can register for free). Thanks to Slickdeals users for breaking this deal to us. Deal ends 3/31/12.


Instructions:
  1. Sync your AMEX card to your Twitter account
  2. Tweet this message from that same account: #AmexTix50
  3. Hit @ in Twitter at the top left and check to ensure you got the confirmation message: " _____ thx for enrolling in #AmexTix50 offer. Spend w/ synced Card & receive credit. See terms: http://t.co/daW8icVV" 
  4. Complete your $100 Gift Card purchase at TicketMaster.com (includes a $2.50 fee)
  5. Check your registered email and you should receive the following an email:
- AMEX: You Synced. You Tweeted. You Saved.Congratulations! By using your synced American Express® Card ending in _____, yousaved $xx.00 on your purchase at xxxxx. Expect a statement credit in 3-5 days.
Checking my Amex Account a couple days later shows that it worked!:
03/16/2012 Fri AMERICAN EXPRESS COMNEW YORK NY
-50.00
Amex Credit

Doing Business As: AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY
Merchant Address: 200 VESEY ST
NEW YORK
NY
10285
UNITED STATES


Use Gift Card for any Ticketmaster Events later!
Now you can use the $100 Gift Card to purchase tickets for tennis events, including the 2012 US Open!

Last year, US Open Promo Tickets were on sale for as low as $21! With this deal, you would only be spending ~$50 for 5 Tickets!

Remember to Like Us on Facebook for updates.

Check back for more US Open specials in the next few months.

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