I want to invest in a nice tennis racket, I have it narrowed down to these two...?

Question

The two rackets are "Tweener Rackets" via Tennis Warehouse and they are- Head Mettalix 4 & Wilson K Factor KFive 98 Mid+ - I'm also debating to keep the KFour 105 mid+ in the running for which to choose. Also, I'm set on getting Wilson 15L Natural Gut string. I hear the thicker the most durable.....

Answer 1

keep the K Four.

if possible you could add some info whether you play baseline or attack the net.

try to demo both candidates.

if possible try the Metallix 4 with Head Synthetic Gut 18 (yes 18) at 55 lbs, while the K Five 98 with Wilson K Gut 17 at 52 lbs. ask the shop keeper if it is possible (you need to pay for the strings and stringing service though).

during the demo, hit some strokes with your current K Four first. then with K Five 98, then with the Metallix. you will find which racquet suits your style. if you're a baseliner, maybe you'll love K Five more. btw, K Five (98 and 108) is the most comfortable racquet from Wilson K Factor lines - ever. attacker might find the lighter Metallix is very maneuverable at the net. you will love the stability of Metallix when countering heavy strokes at the net with your volley, even if you hit it off-center,

about the strings: who wants to live forever? assuming you played tennis for some times, now is the time to really feel. 17 and 18 gauge strings are the most lively ones. who knows, maybe you don't spin that heavy - so you won't break strings too often. but if you do break them, restring with same gauge. why bargain feel to durability? spend more on your favorite sports :) oh, boy. Head Synthetic Guts are not that expensive, right? you can even put Head string on K Five if you want to.

hope it helps and good luck finding your racquets :)

Answer 2

It seems you've done your research before asking, which is a refreshing change from the usual.  

By the time you've narrowed it down to two or three racquets, I'd say it's time to demo.  Tenniswarehouse's demo program is great.  You can demo all three at once, and only pay for shipping.  And you can use them for up to a week.  If you do this, selection is simple:  buy whatever you liked the best.

Now, I will give you some input about your choices.  

Just about the only thing that keeps the Head Metallix 4 categorized as a "tweener", is that it's oversize head is on the very low end of the oversize spectrum.  It is very light weight, and very head heavy (both of which are characteristic of a beginners racquet).  Personally, this would be the first one of the three that I would axe.

The Kfive 98 has the smallest head, and the largest weight of the three, which would usually lead me to urge you to go with this one over the other two.  But it's a very head heavy racquet still.  Head heavy racquets are fine, but you can hurt your arm very easily if you don't use them right.  If you start swinging with too much wrist, your wrist will start to hurt very quickly.  Actually, it will feel like a very heavy racquet when you use it.  There are racquets out there that are 2 full oz. heavier, but will feel lighter because they are very head light.

The Four would actually be my choice here.  Even though it barely qualifies as midplus (in my book, midplus should stop at 100 sq. in).  It still has some heft to it, but it isn't extremely head heavy.  This will give you the best maneuverability of the three, which is necessary for learning net play.

Now, I don't want to add more mess to the pot here, but I would suggest trying one more racquet.  Either the Dunlop m-fil 400, Head microgel radical team, or Prince O3 hybrid comp.  You current choices are on the more powerful end of the tweener spectrum, where these are on the more controlled end.  They are a bit heavier, but are even balanced or head light.  Just try one in this category.  If you like it better than your current three, try the other two I mentioned and pick one of those.

One last thing:  I know that 15L string is more durable, but don't get it if you don't need it.  You should restring your racquet once a year for every time per week that you play.  So if you get a string that will last you 6 months but you string every 2 or 3, you're overcompensating.  Now, if you break the 15L every 2 or 3 months, then it's a good choice.  Just know that you are sacrificing feel and spin potential by getting a thicker string.

Answer 3

Kinda depends on what you're looking for.  The two are totally different, so it's difficult to compare apples to apples.  The Wilson has more pop since it's quite a bit heavier, and its balance is head heavy as opposed to head light, plus it has a smaller headsize, hence a smaller sweet spot.  This is a good racquet for a baseline player who doesn't care as much about control.  The Head is really light, 9.3 oz. strung, and is head light and has a larger headsize at 107 in. and is a better racquet for all courters and serve and vollyers since it offers high maneuverability and better control.  If you're concerned about durability of the strings, I'd stay away from the natural gut - you'd be better off with one of the synthetics, and quite frankly, unless you are a top pro player, you won't notice the difference.  15 gauge is pretty thick string too, you should be getting your racquet restrung at least once a year anyway because your strings lose their resiliancy over time, so using a thinner string won't really make a difference, a 16 or even 17 probably won't break on you with a synthetic.