When MB first handed me the rackets, I immediately noticed how warped the hoops were. (Link)
The Head Prestige series have very soft hoops. That contributes their signature feel and flex. However, this soft hoop also makes it very challenging to tension properly while maintaining the hoop shape.
When strung wrongly, the hoop narrows and racket length lengthens. This greatly reduces the sweet spot size and also "shifts" the sweet spot downwards nearer the handle.
What one feels with a wrongly strung Prestige is what I would deem "hoop wobble" - a combination of vibrations and frame twisting mixed together during ball impact.
The racket also becomes very difficult to play with, and almost impossible to volley with.
When tensioned and strung well, the entire frame is very smooth and quiet. The hoop is incredibly stable and the true flex of the racket at the throat area surfaces. An incredibly sweet and addictive frame to play with!
I'll let the pics below do the talking. Note there is some parallax error in the pics. The correct readings are written in blue...
Below pics from racket #1, with snapped old strings, cut out old strings and newly strung, respectively from left to right.
Below pics from racket #2, with old strings intact, cut out old strings and newly strung, respectively from left to right.
Below pics shows a side by side comparison of the hoop shape and width of racket #1 freshly strung (left) and #2 with old strings (right). Even with the naked eye, the discrepancy is visible.
Sometimes when choosing rackets, the challenge is not just whether one can handle the frame. You need to take into consideration if your stringer can string the frame properly too.
