Head MicroGEL Radical Mid Plus (Demo)

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Other

Again, I borrowed this racquet from Dr.Racket.com, Head distributor in Thailand. They are nice enough to restring the racquet for my demo. In general, MG Radical MP has the same dampened and muted feel like my MG Prestige. It's pretty comfortable racquet to hit. The racquet is too light to my taste. It's no surprise that MG Radical MP has a stability issue, but not as bad as Dunlop AG300. Even worse than that, I can't hit backhand (both one-handed and two-handed) effectively with this stick. There is no power behind my backhands. On a positive side, MG Radical MP is a very good stick for aggressive shots. I can hit hard with confidence, and it feels so good if you hit the sweet spot. That's the only strength I saw from this racquet. If you are an aggressive basliner, get this one. Otherwise, look for something else.

Review at Tennis Warehouse: http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Reviews/HMGRAD/HMGRADReview.html

Head MicroGEL Extreme (Demo)

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Other

I just borrowed this demo racquet from Head distributor and already hit for a few times. In overall, it swings pretty easy due to low swing weight. A lot of people say it plays similar to Babolat PureDrive (PD). It could be right, but there are significant differences to place 2 sticks in different segments. First of all, the head shape of MG Extreme is rounder while PD's is oval. Secondly, MG Extreme has lower power than PD, but a lot more spin potential on both sides. Touch and feel, PD is much softer due to Woofer grommet. Unlike other MigcroGEL racquet lines, the MG Extreme creates so much pinging sound. I recommend using a vibration dampener for more comfort. After hitting for a while, I found that I can use compact swing to hit forehand with good depth and control. To be honest, it swings pretty much more like Head Radical OS than PD. On backhand, I can generate a good spin on my one-handed backhand while PD is good for two-handed backhand. If you are flat hitters, go for PD. But if you spin a lot, get MG Extreme.

Review at Tennis Warehouse: http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Reviews/HMGXP/HMGXPReview.html

Dunlop AeroGel 300 (Demo)

Rating:	★★
Category:	Other

I demoed this racquet just one time, so I don't really have much feedback about it. Unfortunately, I captured more negative feedbacks than good ones. The demo unit I played was the lighter version, and was strung with Wilson Hyperlast (hybrid). AG300 looks really good and equally balanced. It swings easily on both sides. However, I don't like it because it's too light (295g unstrung), a little stiff, and hollow for me. This results in instability on hard hitting or playing new balls. That's all I can comment.

Head MicroGEL Prestige Mid (Marat Safin) -- sold

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Other

I never thought about buying MicroGEL stick because the cosmetic looks like candy. MicroGEL Prestige is an exception. When taking a close look on the frame, WOW! this is a gem. The classic box-beamed frame is painted with dark metallic-red on glossy pearl white. It reminds me of a famous Formula-1 Ferrari. I can't resist to get one at first sight. I wrapped the 4-1/2" grip with 2 layers of Tournagrip and strung it with Babolat XCel Power at 52 lbs. It feels great in hand. Even though it's heavy (330g unstrung), it's surprisingly maneuverable (probably matched to Wilson PS85). I can easily generate racquet head speed as fast as I want. MicroGEL Prestige feels totally different from LM Prestige, FXP Prestige, and even PC600 that I have ever used. It has more pop, quite a bit springy. The racquet has enough mass to generate plow through the ball smoothly, but not as good as PC600. I can generate powerful flat forehand consistently, but I still need an adjustment on my one-handed backhand. In overall, it's a pretty good mid-sized racquet.

Review at Tennis Warehouse: http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Reviews/MGPMID/MGPMIDReview.html

Tecnifibre TFight 335 (18x20) -- sold

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Other

After studying the spec of T-Fight 335 for a month, I set an expectation that TF335 will be a replacement of my FlexPoint Prestige MP. The cosmetic looks really beautiful, and the racquet comes with a spare grommet. The racquet cover quality is also the best I have ever seen. I think Technifibre pays attention to every detail of their products. Two thumbs up! On the playtest, TF335 does deliver everything that FXP Prestige does. It has the same soft buttery feel on groundstroke that FXP Prestige has. TFight plows thru the ball better than FXP Prestige. However, the ball does not dwell on string bed as long as it does on FXP Prestige, but no dampener is required. In other words, TF335 is a little stiffer than FXP Prestige. Combined with 18x20 string pattern, the box-shaped frame offer great stability on hard hitting and produces good spins/slices. On the downside, extra weight seems to kill my arm on my one-handed backhand. I think this racquet will satisfy those who have two-handed backhand. In overall, TFight 335 is a favorite of baseliners and hard hitters. So what would you choose - TF335 or FXP Prestige? Here is simple answer. Aggressive baseline game --> TF335. All-court game --> FXP Prestige.

Wilson nBlade 98 (Demo)

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

Actually, I don't own this racquet. I borrowed nBlades from my friend, who is Wilson professional. I had a chance to hit both versions - mid+ and oversized. For oversized, I think the racquet plays very similar to Head LM Radical in every aspects. I'd skip this nBlade OS review. For mid+ version, I found nBlade 98 a fun racquet to play with. It feels totally different from other typical Wilson frames. The strung (hybrid) weight is about 300g (too light for me) and equally balanced. Because of even balance, the racquet has extra power on your stroke. Take a closer look throughout the frame, the craftmanship looks just ok. The matt black and glossy gold make nBlade looks really classy. The cross section of nBlad frame looks kind of odd. It has semi-circular shape with foam-filled core called nFoam. This is a real highlight of the frame. The benefit of foam insider the core is to minimize the vibration. Let me talk a little bit about vibration. There is a different between "impaction" and "vibration." Impaction is the feel transferred from stringbed to frame right upon the ball impact, while vibration is a frame shake after impaction. Vibration normally last longer than impaction. The longer the vibration time, the more painful your arm is. Vibration can also cause of tennis elbow if you don't warm up long enough. Ideally, we want a frame with good ball impact feel and a short vibration time or zero vibration. Unfortunately, most vibration reduction technologies today get rid of both impaction and vibration. This is an exception for nBlade. With this nFoam, nBlad remains classic Wilson feel without too much vibration. I think nFoam is the only anti-vibration technology that works as advertised. Combined with a generous sweet spot, nFoam will add a huge "FUN" factor to your game. I enjoy groundstroke both FH and 1HBH without tiring my arm. It's highly recommended for your game as well as your health. Give it a try.

Yonex Super RD Tour 95 -- Sold

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

One word I can say right now about this racquet.....AWESOME! I searched SRD 95 everywhere, but didn't seem available today even in a used market. Couple weeks ago, I got SRD95 from a guy who sold Head PC600 to me for 1900 Baht. It's in very good condition and I just couldn't wait to try it. I cut old string right away and strung it with my favorite one - Babolat Exel Premium 16 @ 55 lbs. Wow!, the racquet is rock solid and by far better than any other Yonex racquet today. The feeling on ball impact is so very unique that you cannot find from other racquet. It has more pop and feel than my RDS 001. There is no muted feeling that most racquets today have.The power level is perfect for my groundstroke. My 2-handed backhand is very powerful. I really enjoy playing this racquet. It deserved 5 stars.