Head Extreme Tour Pickleball Paddle First Look

Head Extreme Tour Pickleball Paddle First Look

Head Extreme Tour Pickleball Paddle has released its new line of paddles for 2024 for the Gravity and Tour line. The Head Radical Tour Co generated excitement last year. I was eager to explore the other lines. They now share similar technology from the Radical Tour Co. Unluckily; it didn’t come out how I wanted.

Specs:

  1. Price: $149.95
  2. Width: 11mm
  3. Mass range: 7.2-8.1oz (3 methods of the paddle Lite, Regular, Max (brightest to heaviest))
  4. Shape: Standard
  5. Handle length: 5.0” octagon
  6. Grip perimeter: 4 1/8th” or 3 7/8th”
  7. Face: Graphite
  8. Core: Polymer with foam in the edges
  9. Swing weight: 97

Please fix your selling, Head

Already we joined into the rest of the article, I need to exchange about Head’s selling. It’s bad and needs to be restored.

Chief, the Head Extreme Tour Pickleball Paddle is sold as taking last control and bit. But, the paddle is 11mm thick. This is the complete opposite of every other company marketing in Pickleball. The Head Radical Tour Co sells a 15mm paddle marketed as a power paddle. I don’t know why Head is choosing to do all regressive. 

Not only could that but the naming scheme year to year be more helpful and clearer to the consumer. They use a similar name each year and don’t add a year sign to the paddle to mean which one you’re ordering. Some of you told me you accepted the incorrect Head Radical Tour Co last year. You weren’t aware they had several models with a similar name.

If you go to an online store like JustPaddles, you’ll see a Head Extreme Tour for $89.95. You can also discover the newest pickleball paddle for $149.95. But, there’s nothing to tell you why one is more expensive or why one is newer than the other. You’re left to make an assumption based on price.

All identifying systems and selling need to be revised on these paddles. I follow the Paddle Bazaar daily, but their lineup is unclear.

Spin:

head extreme tour pickleball paddle

I wasn’t certain I would exchange this paddle, but when I ran a spin paddle test, the effect came spinal as 2070 RPM. This was so high that I went back and redid it a second day and got the 2018 RPM. Not a fluke. This fixed my care, and I felt I wanted to play with the paddle more to see if it was value your cash. The spin potential was most noticeable on serves and smashes, and it seemed to be dipping sharply.

Recently, a few paddles were achieving more advanced numbers than I was accustomed to seeing. So, I retested a few old paddles to see how they would link to today.

Head Radical Tour Co achieved 2104 RPM vs. 1568 when tested Selkirk Labs Project 003 achieved 2126 vs. 1800.

And the Selkirk Vanguard 2.0 was completely unchanged. 1146 vs. 1148 RPM.

So, roughly became far well in my process of making top spin new. I may need to test a few old paddles to level results crosswise and link. Regardless, all you need to know is that the Extreme Tour Max gets a great spin, like the Radical Tour Co.

Control:

Since they market this as a control paddle, let’s discuss that first. As I previously thought, I am now confused about why they sell this as a control paddle when it’s 11mm thick. After playing with it for three sessions, I’m even more confused. When handling the control paddle of the Selkirk Vanguard 2.0, Electrum Model E, Ronbus R1.16, or Joola Radius, the Head  Extreme Tour’s best Pickleball Paddle is nothing like those paddles. It has a stiff face which isn’t usually a characteristic of a control paddle.

head extreme tour pickleball paddle

I wouldn’t claim to have had an easy time controlling the paddle, but it wasn’t as comfortable as any of the paddles I mentioned. The key area where I saw falls was returned place on the court. It has more pop than I likely, making it more solid to get the ball unhappy. 

I had no issues with drinking, but the feel from the paddle wasn’t very satisfying. Control paddles regularly feel softer and less active off the look. The Extreme Tour Max feels more lively and responsive.

Power:

Despite not feeling like a control paddle, I wouldn’t classify it as a power paddle either. It has certain passable final power, but nobody’s opinions out. With the paddle being so thin and having a stiffer face, I expect there to be more power than there is. 

head extreme tour pickleball paddle

It was most clear in hand fights and singles when heavy the ball for passing shots. It didn’t enter the way I required it to. This puts the paddle in an unclear position for me. It’s thin and rigid but can have good power. Market it as a control paddle, but it lacks exceptional control. At its finest, this is an all-court paddle. 

When I compared it against the Radical Tour Co, I first noticed that the swing weight was lower. There’s less mass in the head, making it firmer to tool done the ball. The head is referring to this paddle as a control paddle because it is so headlight. 

Having an 11mm thick paddle, a somewhat stiff face and a low swing weight is a weird combo. 

I suppose the one bright side is that the swing weight is so low. You do have a paddle that textures very wild in the hand at the net. I see if you chose the lite version at 7.2oz, the swing mass would be even lower.

Sweet spot:

The last pin in the box is the sweet spot. It’s under regular and only feels countless if you nail it right in the middle of the paddle. You don’t do power or control particularly well. On top of that, you have a mediocre sweet spot. This makes doing any of those shots even more difficult. 

Don’t hit a drive in the sweet spot? Severe lack of power. Don’t hit a reset in the center. The ball is dead. Don’t misunderstand, hitting way off-center on a paddle won’t result in a great shot. But, there are so many paddles with better sweet spots that give you more leeway on your shots, and this isn’t one of them. 

head extreme tour pickleball paddle

Closing thoughts:

Seeing the Extreme Tour Max play so average bums me out.

The major phrase I kept chronic to while tiresome the paddle was that it felt economy. Not because of the building of it, but each time I hit the ball, it reminded me of inexpensive sense paddles. There was no filling feel to it.

Given my enjoyment of the Radical Tour Co last year, I anticipated that this paddle might also be exciting, but it isn’t. When I analyze a paddle, even if I don’t like it, I can clarify who the paddle is for. But by the Extreme Tour Max, I don’t see who I would tell to purchase this paddle. 

The only lively eye it has is solid spin and a low swipe mass. After that, it doesn’t have much going for it. For the same price, you could buy a Head Radical Tour Co, a Vatic Pro, a Legacy Pro, and even a cheaper Ronbus R1.16. Plus, a slew of other raw carbon fiber paddles is available. So, unfortunately, I’m going to say the Head Extreme Tour Max is a pass.

FAQS

  1. What is the difference between Head Extreme Tour and Max?

    The Extreme Tour Max is the heaviest of the Extreme Tour paddles for extra power and optimal touch. The Extreme Tour Lite is the lightest of the Head Extreme Tour Pickleball Paddles. It has a unique diamond shape that maximizes control of each shot.

  2. Is Head Extreme Tour arm friendly?

    It’s, powerful, and not too harsh on the arm, with a denser string pattern for better control. I had a lot of great with this. It’s for you if you’re a baseline and want some power and spin for free, and you play a lot on clay.

  3. Who plays with the head extreme tour?

    Make risky spin, and create confusion for enemies, with the EXTREME TOUR. Matteo Berrettini endorses this racquet. They have elevated it with advanced Auxetic technology. This gives it an outstanding, crisp impact feel. The racquet is ideal for tournament players seeking optimal spin and power.

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