HEAD Graphene 360+ Speed MP Lite Racket Review

HEAD Graphene 360+ Speed MP Lite Racket Review

The Head Speed range is one of HEAD's most popular racket offerings and is used by both Male and Female world number ones! In both Novak Djokovic and Ashleigh Barty.

The Speed range has received a considerable technology update for 2020 introducing HEAD's new Graphene 360+ Technology! All Things Tennis is also the only retailer to offer a free string upgrade on the whole Graphene 360+ Speed range.

 The background of the HEAD Graphene 360+ Speed MP Lite Racket 

The Head Speed range is created for the all court player’s racket. It’s no surprise that the recommended style of play for this racket also perfectly matches that of Novak Djokovic and Ashleigh Barty 

The Technology in the HEAD Graphene 360+ Speed MP Lite Racket 

HEAD's new Graphene 360+ technology has now been introduced to the Head Prestige whereby the frame incorporates Graphene at all the major impact points including the shaft and the head. Graphene aids the “mass distribution” (hitting the ball) therefore allowing “greater manoeuvrability and more power”.

The introduction of the Graphene 360+ technology has introduced Spiralfiber technology into these new Speeds meaning there are “twisted fibers placed on the shoulder area of the racket which accompany the frame in it’s deformation and provide greater flex and a clean impact feeling”.

The Head Speed MP Lite version of the range that we decided to test is their lightest model coming in at 275g. Most pro players will use a much heavier racket at around 310g to 325g so this lighter frame is perfect for teenagers and for adults needing a more manoeuvrable racket !

HEAD Graphene 360+ Speed MP Lite Racket Review  - Video Review in partnership with TennisHead below  

HEAD Graphene 360+ Speed MP Lite Racket review

The play test feedback

tennishead gathered four of our most experienced all court play testers for this session as we really wanted to put the Head Speed through it’s paces with hitters whose games closely match the specification provided by the manufacturer. Finley, Austin, Helena and Liam are all confident grinding it out from the baseline or looking to finish the point quickly in the forecourt so they were excited to try this new frame before anyone else had the chance.

Initial feedback on the new design was positive with Liam pointing out that the style was reminiscent of the original Speed design from 10 years ago. Finley found the black and white “very smart and really cool”.

As the testers got stuck into their groundstrokes the immediate response was around the very lightweight feel coming from this 275g frame but the stability on impact didn’t seem to be compromised. Finley “loved it” especially enjoying the ability to “really rip the ball and generate spin and power at the same time”. Liam especially noticed how much lighter it felt than his usual Yonex EZONE 98 but he was still able to put the ball where he wanted even though he felt there was less power than he was used to generating.

The only area where this frame didn’t perform quite as strongly for our testers was up at the net hitting volleys. Both our male testers found the light weight frame slightly compromised their ability to hit a really solid feeling volley however all three players noted that the control on the volley was excellent.

Overhead hitting smashes and serves the lightness of the 275g racket really came into it’s own with Liam in particular pointing out how easy it was to hit and how this would help with injury prevention. Helena enjoyed the ability to “get a lot of power and rip” with her serve which was reiterated by Finley.

We then asked the pay testers specifically about how the new spiralfiber technology in the frame worked for them in enhancing the feel and comfort when striking the ball. Helena found that this racket gave her the ability to “hit big shots from the back but still keep the flexibility on impact”. Finley pointed out that he “didn’t really feel any shock” up his arm and that the racket has “quite a nice sweet spot so when you do make contact you feel like you are hitting a really solid clean ball”. Positive feedback indeed. 

In conclusion

Testing a very light racket such as the Head Speed MP Lite can often lead to negative comments from play testers who are used to a heavier racket, but that certainly wasn’t the case this time.

The new technology in the frame really seems to have served it’s purpose in helping the player feel like they are producing a clean and solid strike. Another aspect that really shone through from our testing was the all court control that this racket delivers with all our testers commenting how easy it felt to direct the ball where they intended no matter what shot they were hitting or where they were positioned on the court.

So that’s an overall thumbs up from the review of the Head speed MP Lite with the small caveat of making sure you pick the right weight of racket from the Speed range to suit your body shape and playing style.