Is Auxetic Technology Radically Different? | 2023 Head Radical Pro Review

Radical changes can pull down a rackets Prestige like Gravity if done in an Extreme manner. Even a company with a good Head and Instinct can Speed towards change all too soon and...BOOM! Masses of their once loyal audience feels abandoned.
Nailed it ;)
However, this is not the case with this 2023 edition of the Radical Pro. Subtle but meaningful changes maintain the integrity of the Radical name while bringing about some very welcome updates.
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[@bronxcartel6193]

Hey, are you HAPA? 좋은 하루 보내세요 사촌동생

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Yes but I'd be about 2.5 hours flight from your happa place.

[@SS-qf2po]

In other words standard drilling is perpendicular to the frame

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Exactly, perpendicular to wherever it is on the elliptical shape. Even though the strings end up being parallel when strung. I think parallel is a better design.

[@antoineaftimos2891]

how does RF97 string density compare to ezone 98? (considering you were a past user of the prostaff)

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Around the sweetspot area, it is visibly more open on the Pro Staffs. So a pretty significant difference. If I recall, it was more obvious in the crosses than the mains.

[@anthonymacaluso2671]

Does Restring plan to offer an 18 gauge(1.18ish) for the zero? I use a heavy dense racquet.

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

I can't say for sure but I do believe it's on the table. I think offering a thinner gauge would be a brilliant idea for zero. If you want to let them know, you should! They take note of requests but also keep an eye on the general consumer opinion. I would love to try 18g in the crosses. Perhaps even a fully bed would still be really nice. Or 16 mains and 18 crosses. You could mix up the options all kinds of ways lol.

[@thehiddenfamily]

I couldn’t use the last gen probecause the swingweight was too high but this one seems more manageable for me. I hear a lot of review talk about inconsistent feel? Not sure what exactly that means but I’m not sure if it’s worth the extra for me to upgrade from last years customized mp

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

That's interesting. I'm not sure I felt that way about it.

[@SS-qf2po]

Are you liking this racket better than the Bab pure arrow 98?

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Nah much prefer the pa98. I feel like it has a lot of the same strengths but a lot more to offer beyond that.

[@Nopanop]

Bro can you review technifibre iso 305 , i am tempted to buy it solely for its looks

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

What turned me off so quickly was the asymmetrical throat design. I don't like that. And at the time it was also a lack of parallel drilling. I'll have to see if the grommets lead to crooked crosses.

[@lewis8247]

​@@ZeroLoveTennis what do you mean by asymmetrical throat design?

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Oh, if you look at the throat where it meets at the handle, they angle one side lower. I'll get that in a picture sometime and make a short soon!

[@lewis8247]

@@ZeroLoveTennis thanks man, can't wait to see it soon cuz that just sounds crazy. I mean, how's anyone supposed to play with a racket that's asymmetric in any way? is it a quality issue? 😦

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Nah it's a design choice. I guess almost nobody noticed but it's the kind of thing I notice right away and most people never do. It's a me thing. It likely doesn't matter and is basically superficial but it still bothers me. I'll make the short this week.

[@glademaster]

What tension do you use for Restring Zero?

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Mid to high 40's or very low 50's. That applies to just about any racket, in my opinion. And whatever you might normally do on a racket with poly, probably try this at a few lbs lower.

[@MrStudGuy]

I have to go with the Ezone 98. Yonex are the only rackets made in Japan and the quality control standards are superior to anything coming out of the 3 factories in China that make all the other brand of rackets. In terms of aesthetics, if you haven’t checked out the LE Osaka Ezone, the paint job is absolutely sick.

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

It's lovely! I actually plan to do my own custom job but that one is wonderful. I feel you on the quality control. That always draws me to them. Accuracy is always appreciated.

[@hybrid11theory75]

U ever heard of matching service? You can choose a perfectly spec'd racquet. Yonex isn't as good as most ppl claim it to be. They may have a narrow margin on weight and balance, but their Swingweights and stiffness can be all over the place, too.

[@TennisASMR]

Head radical paint jobs are foul, what is this Gokuto looking ass. IMO they have a weird sound but play well and have outstanding finesse abilities

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Loooll now I see it. Goku vibes really sealed together by that midnight color with the orange. Dang, now I can't unsee it.

[@TennisASMR]

@@ZeroLoveTennis can’t forget naruto too, Head went full shonen protag on us

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Maybe it's a good nostalgia move. A lot of people growing up on that probably have more racket money than when they watched these shows!

[@thehiddenfamily]

@@ZeroLoveTennis it’s true I’m people I was broke haha

[@tomk5238]

How does this compare to the pro staff v14? I really like the pro staff. Only knock is my serve feels average on it. I tired the ezone and my serve became a weapon but i dont like the unstable hollow feel on it for ground strokes. That and the power is a bit much compared to the pro staff.

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Honestly try the PA98 it might be your jam if you considered the EZONE and are coming from pro staff.

[@tomk5238]

@@ZeroLoveTennis thanks for the response. I would prefer something heavier. Also don't like the paint job haha.

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

I see. Yeah EZONE is a little lighter so I figured it's an appropriate suggestion. I have weight on mine. I really like it. It's heavier than pro staff now. Like 350 grams.

[@tomk5238]

@@ZeroLoveTennis yeah I have tired that too. I basically weighed the ezone up to my pro staff balance and weight. Added weight to 3and 9 but it still doesn't give the same solid feeling. I like the serve on it on alot tho. Ground strokes on neutral rallies feel good but it doesn't give me the same confidence as a prostaff. I like to crush the ball pretty often and the pro staff hits all the spots I want. The only thing I wanted more is a little more pop on the serve. I have tired other modern racquets like pure strike and it's made my serve into a weapon but I could not replicate the same mph on the pro staff. Wanted to see if there is an all round racquet that is mostly control based with a little bit more pop on the serve, after some reading and vids radical seems to be closest to that. But I guess no racquet is prefect and I will have to test to see. Thanks for the feedback.

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

I see...I guess I still lean on the PA98 for such things in the way you describe but it does want the weight for that. But there's a touch of something old school and buttery about the pro staff. Hmmm...dang maybe the REGNA haha. But that's a crazy suggestion. Pure strikes are a little flexy to get that MPH when you're absolutely crushing.

[@johncharles2357]

Is there a list of rackets with parallel drilling?

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

There isn't but I could make one haha.

[@WaltKurtz68]

One takeaway from this video is that string color is a thing with this racquet. The (Hyper G?) green strings make this racquet look ridiculous, I'm sorry! This racquet needs black strings. My string of choice is Velocity MLT and luckily that one comes in black! Maybe I'll pick up one of these sticks once the price drops a bit. I'm loving the looks! 👌👍

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

I'd prefer neon blue to neon green in this one for sure! So I'd use Zero or Ether and Wasabi X in the crosses.

[@arthurgiusi1901]

Standard drilling = Radial drilling I know you are a bit obsessed with it haha. Did you know some pro player hate it and preferer radial? Sometimes they ask recent racquets with radial drilling.

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

I'm sure some pros prefer one to the other. I think the super open grommets with parallel drilling is not great. But small with parallel is ideal for feel but also the consistency. But I guess small grommets are generally the first priority for me but I want both and only parallel if the grommets are small or else it is hideous

[@simmstennis]

Do you play your EZONE stock? Or do you add weight?

[@simmstennis]

It sounds like you’re currently playing it stock. I have been doing the same for about 3-4 weeks. The tour versions I had were 333-335 SW which was too much for what I would consider to be a powerful frame. I was hoping to make those work so I didn’t have to tinker…

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Stock but I have my own grip on there so it's a bit heavier and more head light. Plays more whippy and has a tiny bit more plow than stock form would. I actually still have the idea in my head to try the + version of this racket more, add weight to mine OR use the tour model and skip adding the weight. At the end of the day, I think a little more weight in the head would be very nice.

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

The tour is cool because it's so stable on balls you want to absolutely destroy. I was still able to generate monsterous levels of topspin as well. I use the Shift 315 and the SW isn't far off at all. They're in the same ballpark.

[@simmstennis]

Yeah, the tour is a great stick for sure. If I could find a batch of Tours with a swingweight of closer to 325 that’d be perfect! Almost all the ones I measured were about 332-335. Right now I’m gonna try and play the stock EZONE or maybe add a little weight at 12 eventually

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Nice, we're thinking the same thing. I feel like with time, I could get the regular EZ to play more how I want with just the right customization but it might take me forever to get that down and figure out where I want the weight officially before putting under grommets because I don't want it exposed.

[@lewis8247]

@time410s this vs the tfight315 isoflex. do you happen to know how they compare?

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Not sure, never was that interested in technifibre actually.

[@glademaster]

Thanks for explaining parallel drilling

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

My pleasure. I'll make a more in depth video on the topic sometime getting into why it actually matters.

[@benedictops4216]

is this racquet comfortable?

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Decently enough. I consider the last generation and so on of Pure Drives and Pure Aeros to represent that stiff boardy feel a bit too much. This definitely isn't there but rackets like the Gravity Pro are a bit more plush and the VCORE Pro even more. In my opinion, these start to feel a little too mushy and I like the spot this Radical sits in. It's just right!

[@vladivital4356]

Hey @time410s Seems like we have similar racket spec preferences haha :) I also like 64-66 stiffness, preferably 98 sq inch head size, i LOVE the 16x20 pattern and the blend of control and spin it provides, 325 swingweight feels just right and I like around 328-330 static weight with about 6-7 pts HL balance strung. I have my Shift 99 at 330g static, with overgrip and a half (half due to one handed bh and also cuz i want a bit larger handle size) I added a bit of lead at 10 and 2 and can't wait to try it out in thia spec. I haven't been able to hit the courts for a week now and I can't wait. I can't measure the SW but I feel like with the added weight to the head it is right about 323-325. The stiffness is indicated as 68 but feels a bit less. I know the radicals are exactly in this spec range too and once I saw you have a review on them I had to watch it :) Btw on your shift 300 / 315 video, you mentioned quite a few times that shift 300 is really similar to the PA98 and that you consider making a comparison video on them. We have discussed their similarietiea in another thread too. I would be super happy to see such a video and I believe it will be interesting for the community overall as these are two recent and very popular frames. If you ever get you hands on the shift 300 again, make sure to try it with 1-2 g of lead at each 10 and 2 (go with 1g each side if 2g would throw it over the 325 sw). This adds just another nuance of plow and stability to the racket, the ball comes out even heavier off the strings and I feel like it also increases the pocketing. Thats also why i like the 300 more than the 315,as you mention in thia video too, lighter racketa are just a better platform for customization + 300 has more spin. Great content as always! Cheers!

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Thank you! I'd much prefer the way the shift plays to the radical, by the way. They aren't all that similar tbh. Yeah I should consider that video sometime. A bit backed up right now but that will probably come to mind again sometime. They are perhaps the most similar rackets from two completely different companies

[@vladivital4356]

@@ZeroLoveTennis I see. I haven't been conaidering the radicals, forgot to mention that :) Just came back from hitting with the Shift with its new specs. I really liked it overall. However i kinda miss the touch of my pro staff , i tried few short balls and they ended up being absolute aitters for my opponent which he put away. The net game though, i love the shift at the net :) As we all know, there is no perfect racket.

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

I feel you! I miss the VCORE Pro for it's masterful touch at net. I never overhit the ball and the directional control and easy short balls are something I miss but I'm rarely at net and I can always work on being more sensitive to the power at lower velocities but I figured I can never overcome the massive lack of power of the VCP. So, that is the tradeoff I will take. You can totally hit a short ball well but it is more difficult as it is more touchy, right?

[@vladivital4356]

@@ZeroLoveTennis I absolutely agree with you and I miss the same aspects of my pro staff. I am trying to finish at the net as much as I can and I throw in serve and volley here and there (i am 6'5 - 6'6 and it would be a waste if I didn't charge the net). About the short balls - yes, I feel like I can hit a decent short ball, especially with the pro staff, they were very good. With the shift, I will have to be extra careful to tame the power of the racket + i hadn't played with it for about a month and I was used to the low powered pro staff and maybe went for a bit too much action on the short balls now. Although, watching back at the footage of the match, I did have a few decent short balls. As you said - the tradeoffs we are willing to make :)

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Nice! You got a little height on me. Indeed, it is worth capitalizing on the advantages of such height! Heavy rackets also go through a ball so easily and up at net, a little flick can sometimes mean the ball goes a lot further. So I have to adjust to the effects weight has on the ball too. It's ultimately about adapting and I can swallow that pill easier than I can the one where I permanently have less power than I am capable of generating with the rackets I mentioned earlier. Although I haven't felt that way about the Pro Staff but I haven't used one seriously since the blacked out RF Autograph.

[@mteca5093]

Can you compare new gravity pro to the mp?

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

I'd def pick the MP. Both are versatile but the Pro is much more demanding on spinny shots. Might be a little easier on flatter shots but that struggle to get heavy spin like I want is annoying for me. Not quite my style of racket. The MP is a bit less like that but still maybe too much like that for my taste.

[@mteca5093]

@@ZeroLoveTennis which racket gives the silky smooth feel of the gravity pro but easy spin n some control on flat shots

[@mteca5093]

@time410s I sanded down the head of gravity pro . It removed 8 grams... I also removed the 7 gram butt cap...then I placed some tungsten on places I want to get my 7 points HL

[@nevinliauw]

Thanks for the review and knowledge! I like the yonex ezone 98 but sold them cuz of the feel. Have u tried the radical MP 2023? Would love for you to try it. Currently am using the aero 98/vs, and also the blade night session. The night session blade pair i got is somehow underspec 301, but is heavy in the head so i feel its around 330 sw, while the aero 98s and vs are underspec in sw at around 321 ish. Still dont know if I should give radical mp a try, abit more power than the rad pro

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

When you say yonex 98 you mean the EZONE? I haven't tried the MP but I think the pattern was more open looking. More head heavy rackets feel so weird to me. I don't get along with them.

[@nevinliauw]

@@ZeroLoveTennis yess ezone 98 my bad. Ahhh that’s why you chose the radical pro over the mp cuz the drill pattern for mp is abit more open. I was just wondering cuz alot of people say the radical mp is between ezone and blade, so wondering if you will do demo to compare to both the rad pro, and ezone 98

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

I might but I don't know how significant of a difference it would be, plus I would definitely choose the Pro over the MP for that denser pattern but it's closer to the SW I like and I could still add weight to the Pro. So anything different about it I might not prefer. Spin is great for me, I don't need more power from it. But I very well might try it, I might try a broad spectrum of head rackets to get more acquainted with the lineups so I can help people make decisions. You know what? The MP is only showing 2 units lower on SW. That's so little of a difference. I wouldn't necessarily get it if you just want the "lighter" version of the pro. More meaningful differences would be the more open pattern and thicker beam. It's a touch more stiff too which I don't need/want. Kind of silly, I think they should have made the MP have an SW more around 316-318 not 323 and have the pro be 325.

[@nevinliauw]

@@ZeroLoveTennis got it, i do like the ezone 98 too but its just the feel, i’m used to the aero vs and the aero 98 is what i chose in the end, but am curious with regards to the shift 316 18x20 and the radical pro, cuz i do add lead and counter to bring up the aero vs/98 to around 335g and around 325-330 sw. what about the radical pro of the 360+ and this auxetic, would love to get a review from you too so we can see if there are actually differences or improvement, and also maybe blade 18x20? Since i think they go quite low in swingweight in my experience compared to the 16x19. I also notice for the blade night session, they typically have higher sw compared to the normal green ones, head heavier in balance too. Love your channel and the detail and length you go into. Shoutout from Indonesia. Mom’s over there in the states visiting her siblings and my sister, gonna try to get the restring zero ordered to be sent to her for me 🔥🙏 will be using your link for sure

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Oh wow that's an awesome way to get zero! I'll try the speed pro again perhaps. It's pattern is more open so I didn't give it a big chance since I'm so fixated on string spacing. The Shift is decently hefty if you get the 315. I don't need weight on mine. You might feel the same way.

[@BeastOfTheMidEast]

Nice, first positive review for the radical pro 😂. How does it compare to the Shift 315?

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Really? That surprises me. What do most nay-sayers of it say? It feels pretty similar to the shift actually. The way it swings and feels on contact isn't too different but I'd need to test side by side with same strings to know better. The Hyper G I had didn't pocket quite as well, maybe due to tension, maybe due to gauge. Probably both. But besides that it felt pretty great all in all.

[@BeastOfTheMidEast]

@@ZeroLoveTennis Average to less than average in all aspects is what people are reporting. Not necessarily they it's bad. The specs looked good to me, but haven't tried given the lackluster reviews so far.

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

I see. Interesting. I wonder what they were expecting. Big changes? I feel like big changes often upset people. If it's a winning formula with a small improvement then that should be a good thing but maybe people thought the last gen was better or didn't like it enough initially anyway. Gravity gets glowing reveiws despite also having very minor changes applied, minus the Auxetic. So I genuinely struggle to understand unless they didn't like the last gen and still don't like this one.

[@manunandela5156]

@@ZeroLoveTennis i think people really like the mp and weight it up.

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

Very possible. Although a quick comparison on TW shows only a 2 point difference in SW. So I'm sure it's actually lighter but with the balance difference, it's not necessarily easier to swing. But if you like it for the thicker beam and more open drill pattern, that makes sense to me.

[@purescum9002]

I assume you’ve tried the blade 98s? They have a pretty dense 16x19, would be curious about your thoughts on those.

[@Dimone11]

He did

[@ZeroLoveTennis]

I did but the EZONE 98 is quite a bit more dense, even. At least in the sweetspot which is where I care most about that density.