Weekend update: April 2024 3rd week: T100, LMOS

Played over 3 sets on Sunday all with T100 except for 1st 4 games ended 2-2 in the first set.

The sets are 2-2 LMOS Mk vs Hr-Ad; 6-1 T100 Mk vs Hr-Ad,  6-2 Hr vs Dn-Bd, 6-4 Bd vs Mk-Dn.

The use of poly on T100 is good spin, less power, good control.

Racquet List

 I made this list and remark for each of them:

Size	Type	String	Plus	Minus
90	W Six One 90	16x19	n/a	n/a
95	W Six One 95	16x18	Plow	Small sweet spot
95	D CX 200 Tour	16x19	Control	Low power
95	D CX 200 Tour	18x20	Control, open pattern	Very low power
95	D Hot Melt 200G	18x20	Control	Heavy, very low power, tight pattern
95	H MG Radical MP	18x20	Control	Very low power, tight pattern
97	W PS97	16x19	Power, open pattern	Heavy, stiff
97	D 4D 300 Tour	18x20	Control, thin beam	Low power, tight pattern
97	D Bio F 3.0 Tour	18x20	Modern, wide head	Tight pattern
97	W Ultra Tour	18x20	Control	Very low power, tight pattern
97	W Ultra Pro	18x20	Control	Very low power, tight pattern
98	A TR960 CT	16x19	Control, open pattern	Square grip, unstable
98	S Revo X 2.0	16x19	Control	Heavy, low power
98	Y Ai 98	16x19	Control	Square head shape
98	D MFil 300	16x19	Power	Oval head shape, light
98	D Aerogel 300	16x19	Power	Oval head shape, head heavy
100	P Txt Tour 310	16x18	Power, spin	Very open pattern
100	P Txt Tour 100L	16x18	Maneuverable	Light
107	H YT IG OS	18x19	Power	Soft
107	H LM OS	18x19	Power	Low spin
107	P Warrior 107	16x19	Very power	Less control
Size	Type	String	Plus	Minus
Size	Type	String	Plus	Minus
Size	Type	String	Plus	Minus

test

Ramadan and Lebaran 2024: LMOS-2, T100-2

 Played last Friday of Ramadan with TLC and Saturday after lebaran with GTC.

With TLC played multiple times best of 7 game set. Started with LMOS-poly but then changed to T100-2 (poly wilson spin 17g at 40lbs). Partner with Shasha, Sam, Yade and against Kiki, Tika, Daus, Ken, Ariq. T100-poly played well.

With TLC played two times 4-6 (hm vs rm-ia) and 6-1 (op vs hr-rh) with T100. Felt the T100 had spin and plow.

Week update: April 1st week: RX20, Ai98

Played for hitting practice and tie break with Dd. Started practice with RX20 but very hard on backhand, good on forehand. Changed to Ai98 then backhand had more power and easier swing. Tie break lost 8-12. Volley also easier on Ai98. Summary: Ai98 much easier on swing, softer, spin, and power than RX20.

String comparison:

RX20: syn gut 16g at 50lbs

Ai98: multi 17g at 52lbs

Weekend update 1st week March 2024: LMOS, T100-2

 Played on Saturday and Sunday although been a pretty rainy few days.

On Saturday played a single game 1-1 with Iw; T100-2 played better for single compare to LMOS. Then played doubles got bageled lost with Bd vs Ww-Iw with LMOS.

On Sunday played 2 tight games with LMOS: 5-6 Iw vs Bd-Ww then 4-6 Du vs Bd-Iw. 

The LMOS is good for overhead and volley but pretty low net clearance. Maybe time to restring the T100-2. 

Weekend update 4th week Feb 2023: TR96, CX16, LMOS

 Played on Friday and Sunday.

Friday with TR96-2 and CX16: 6-7 CX16 (Dd vs Fh-Ch), 7-2 TR96 (Dd vs Fh-Ch), and 7-3 TR96-2 (Fh vs Dd-Ad). Played on outdoor court at night. TR96 gives out more power whereas some double faults from using CX16.

Sunday with LMOS and TR96-2: 6-2 LMOS (En vs Rm-Dv), 6-5 LMOS (Ny vs Dn-Mk) and then singles 4-1 TR96-2 vs Kn.

LMOS is so nice at net, power and forgiveness to attack with low net clearance on forehand and backhand to attack.

Pic: gt, dn, ar, me, iw, dv, rm, en, dd, mk, ed, rh

Weekend update: 2nd week February 2023: LMOS

Played on Saturday and Sunday and all with Head LM OS. 

Played twice on Saturday 6-3 (Gt vs Ww-Op) and  6-3 (Ht vs Ww-Ny). Hitting out with Pak Ade and the control was good.

Played twice on Sunday 5-5 from 4-1 (En vs Rm-Dv) an easy going game, 6-3 (De vs Ny-Ed).

The LMOS was good out flat serve and forehand, and soft volleys and overhead. The power is slightly lower than T100, need to push to generate spin and power. Below is the review from 2003 TW website.

 

Liquidmetal Radical OS

For our playtest we strung the Liquidmetal Radical OS with a 17 gauge multifilament string at 61lbs and added an overgrip. String vibration dampeners were provided and use was left up to the individual preference of the playtester.

Groundstrokes

Offering a larger hitting area and a bit more pop, the Liquidmetal Radical OS is slightly more forgiving in play than the Liquidmetal Radical MidPlus and should appeal to a larger spectrum of player levels. First to comment on groundstrokes was Chris. He said "I found plenty of power on my groundstrokes with the Liquidmetal Radical OS. I enjoyed hitting slice backhands which became effortless when I caught the ball well out in front. However, I felt the Liquidmetal Radical OS had more to offer on the forehand side, where I enjoyed some nice topspin cross court angles. If I had a two handed backhand I might have enjoyed hitting groundstrokes much more, but I just didn't feel like I was reaping the benefits of the Oversize head shape with my one handed drive. I just wasn't getting the same amount of topspin on my backhand as I was generating with the Liquidmetal Radical MP. As with most Oversize racquets, I found I had the cunning ability to launch the occasional groundstroke for no apparent reason. This was no surprise to me, as I usually find myself lacking some control when hitting with an Oversize racquet. To counter, I normally string the racquet right at the maximum recommended tension. With the test racquet strung at only 62lbs, I did not have a chance to see if an increase in tension would result in an increase in control and confidence. Although the stringbed does not have what I would call a true hot spot, it is definitely livelier than the Midplus. I also noticed a more forgiving feel on off-center shots and found the Liquidmetal Radical OS to be extremely comfortable. It is one of the better Oversize racquets I've hit with in some time."

Granville also found the Liquidmetal Radical OS to be very comfortable. He said, "I had great confidence when using this racquet and I was able to really trust my strokes. I found a slight boost in power and comfort compared to hitting with the Liquidmetal Radical MP. Whether hitting forehands or backhands, I was able to put the ball deep in either corner or hit short side to side to really 'work' my opponent."

Mark said, "the Liquidmetal Radical OS comes very close to being a great racquet. Like the Liquidmetal Radical MP, the Liquidmetal Radical OS has an excellent blend of power, control and maneuverability. The power level is a little higher with the OS, but it's still low enough to provide good control from the baseline. The extra power helped me hit wide balls with more authority, and it made my slices more effective. I was able to hit solid forehands and backhands without taking a huge swing, and I was able to place the ball with confidence. The one factor that keeps me from putting the Liquidmetal Radical OS into the "great racquet" category was my inability to generate a lot of spin." Combined Score 72

Volleys

If the Liquidmetal Radical OS impressed our playtesters from the baseline, it really started to shine at the net. "Once again the new Radical offers good comfort with a soft and lively stringbed," said Granville. "As with any Oversize racquet, if you are off center a bit you will feel that ever so slight wobble, but this can be minimized by dropping the tension a pound or two. The racquet has some added punch due to the slight increase in mass - but it is a noticeable improvement, especially on the high forehand volley where you can really punch it for the put-a-way. On the drop shot, I found a very delicate touch with little to no adjustment from my usual racquet."

Chris said he "really enjoyed volleying with Liquidmetal Radical OS. I found much more control on the volley than I had on groundstrokes. The maneuverability and weight of the Liquidmetal Radical OS seemed perfect for volleying, with a nice blend of stability, comfort, power and control. I was able to just direct the ball to my intended target when my opponent supplied the pace, but I also had good results hitting slower balls when I needed to punch the volley. When hitting low volleys and half-volleys I appreciated the larger sweetspot offered by the Oversize head shape."

Mark said, "The Liquidmetal Radical OS is very effective at the net. It was versatile enough to let me put the ball away or keep it in play, depending on the situation. I find a lot of oversize racquets have too much power at the net. This makes it tough to hit low volleys. With the Liquidmetal Radical OS I was able to keep the low balls in play and put away the high balls. Plus, the maneuverability was excellent and the sweetspot large. Combined Score 85

Serves and Overheads

Our team soon settled into a good rhythm on the serve with the Liquidmetal Radical OS. Chris said "the extra power that I struggled to control from the baseline worked in my favor on the serve. I found my first serve had a little extra zip when I flattened it out on the down the 'T' serve. Spin serves got plenty of bite from the stringbed and I hit some nice kick and slice serves to open up the court. I also found the Liquidmetal Radical OS to be very solid when hitting overheads. I managed to get enough power and accuracy to put all but the most difficult to reach overheads away, and I found the racquet really responded to a good wrist snap."

As with the Liquidmetal Radical MP, Mark found the OS a good serving racquet with the exception of generating spin. "I served very consistently with the Liquidmetal Radical OS, with an occasional exceptional serve thrown in," said Mark. "The control was excellent and the power adequate. It was also very easy on my arm. The one serve I had problems with was the kick serve. I couldn't generate enough spin to get the high bounce needed to make a kick serve effective. I was able to place the serves well, but my opponent was able to return them too easily because they would just sit up and wait to be hit."

Granville said, "the Liquidmetal Radical OS is a very sweet racquet to play with and serving with the racquet is just anther example of this. I noticed the added 1/2 ounce more in the OS version (from the i.Radical OS) when serving. That little extra mass definitely delivers a bit more pop on the serve as compared to previous Radicals. The racquet even feels more solid at impact while maintaining its flexibility. On overheads this was a racquet where the more I played with it the more confident I became. The overhead is a good example of the playability of the racquet. On a simple offensive overhead I can put the ball away with little thought. In a more defensive position I have the control and soft feel to take a little off the ball and roll a softer cross court placement, giving me a shot at turning defense into offense. At the 11-ounce mark for weight it gives you a few more options than a heavier racquet might." Combined Score 77

Serve Returns

Remembering that this is the racquet of choice for one of the greatest returners in the game, our playtesters had high expectations for the Liquidmetal Radical OS. Chris was first up, saying, "as on the groundstrokes, I would have liked to have hit returns with a Liquidmetal Radical OS strung up near the maximum recommended tension range. I felt like the ball was flying on me a bit on the return. I think the Liquidmetal Radical OS is more than capable of handling higher tensions without sacrificing comfort or feel as it really is an arm friendly racquet. Even with the test racquet strung lower than my ideal tension I was able to hit some nice chip returns and be consistent with drive returns if I took a little pace off. The racquet also felt quite maneuverable. I felt I could have added some weight to the frame and still been able to get the racquet around on the return."

Granville found he could hit out with confidence on the return, saying "when returning with the Radical I was able to swing out and play offensive tennis right from the get go. While I'm sure Agassi could return serve the way he does with a 2x4, it comes as no surprise that this is his racquet of choice. It must be perfectly suited for his game." Mark said the Liquidmetal Radical OS "was well suited for returning serves. The oversize head provides a large sweetspot and the moderate power level allows for a full swing with good control. It's also very maneuverable and stable. However, I did have some returns sail on me because they didn't have enough spin." Combined Score 73

Overall

The Liquidmetal Radical OS is a comfortable racquet that excelled at the net and turned in a solid performance everywhere else. Our playtesters found a good blend of power, stability and control on most shots, but there where times when playtesters struggled to generate the spin they were seeking. When serving with the Liquidmetal Radical OS our team found control as well as power. Again, comfort was a noticeable quality of the racquet when serving. In our opinion, this latest version of the ever evolving Radical has a lot to offer and is every bit as worthy of continuing the Radical name as previous versions. Combined Score 78

4th week Jan and 1st week Feb 2024: TR960, T100, AG300 - Polys

Played on Monday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Monday played with MT loss 2 sets 3-6 (tf), 2-6 (fj) with TR960.

Strung TR960-3 with Artengo hybrid at 40 lbs, and T100-2 with wilson spin 17g at 40 lbs.

Friday 7-1 (hn vs fh-hr) TR960-2, 3-3 (dd vs fh-hr) both TR960-3 too stiff, less power.

Saturday 3-6 (dn vs bd-nh) and 3-6 (bd vs dn-nh) both with T100-3, T100-2 too stiff, less power. 

Sunday 6-5 AG3 (dn vs hr-bd), good power from existing layup with 2 grams at 3-9 and leather grip and old tcfbr string.

Monday again with MT 0-6 (al vs fr-ad), 6-4 (ff vs ad-mn), 6-4 (fr vs rv-al), 4-3 (ad vs fr-al). T100-3 too uncontrolled, TR960-3 with hybrid for better control. Finally a racquet for high level playing.

TR96-3 added 0.5 grams to 12 position for more power.