Head Graphene 360+ Speed S - one-month feedback

Consumer feedback after playing with the Head Graphene 360+ Speed S tennis racket 

My beautiful 2020 Head Graphene 360+ Speed S is already for sale

Since the very first game with the Head Graphene 360+ Speed S I wanted to like it, I really did. Unfortunately that is almost impossible and in the following lines I will do my best to explain why.

Head Graphene 360+ Speed S - feedback after the first month

I am writing this review after I gave the 360+ Speed S some time, to figure out its nature and behavior. I actually play-tested this Head racket in couple amateur tournaments and also playing with friends.

To begin with, I had really high expectations for the Graphene 360+ Speed S. This is one of the most expensive tennis rackets in Head's lineup and I hoped it will be good. At the time I chose this racket for me there was only one real competitor - the Head Graphene 360+ Gravity S. And believe me I am now really sorry for my choice.

Graphene 360+ Speed S - sweet spot and control fail

And to make it a bit different from the other online reviews where they "keep the suspense" till the very end I will tell you about the biggest problem I had with the Graphene 360+ Speed S - the sweet spot.

I have played with many rackets in my "career" and some of them were true fails and it was not always because the racket was bad. It is that just sometimes I trusted the wrong opinions and tried with something that wasn't for me. To be honest, the Head rackets that I used were always quite comfortable and offered adequate performance.

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The main thing that I really struggle with this racket is its really small sweet spot. With this racket my game was so inconsistent that every second shot was an error (usually that ratio for me is quite different). Almost all of my off-center shots ended up in the net or a huge out. Trying to play safe with the Graphene 360+ Speed S is a real nightmare with this racket. I had to either counter-attack or my defensive shots just failed.

And to be honest I am not sure if that is the problem only with this racket or with many of Head's rackets. I also own Head Graphene 360 Instinct S which is a bit "softer" shall I say and I also find the sweet spot quite small and not forgiving for off-center shots. The Instinct though is way better at defensive shots.

On the other hand the new Head Graphene 360+ Gravity S is promoted as a racket with very good sweet spot which would be a good upgrade and a follow up compared to my previous racket - the Wilson Ultra 100L, which had an amazing sweet spot and so much control. I really miss the consistency and the accuracy of the Ultra 100L and to be honest I might go back to that racket again. The reason why I changed it was that it was not the most comfortable rackets and some shoulder problems occurred after some intense games with it.

Will I stick with the Head Graphene 360+ Speed S?

The answer to that question is NO. Head Graphene 360+ Speed S is a super-comfortable racket and one of its great advantages is that you can play aggressive with it and not be sorry after that (due to elbow or shoulder problems.  But the lack of control that I feel when playing with the Speed S really puts me off from it.

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I have already put my Head Graphene 360+ Speed S for sale and hopefully I will return a good part of my investment (quite an expensive racket in 2020).
I am not giving up on Head though. I will probably test the Graphene 360+ Gravity S, with some hope for a bigger sweet spot and control. I truly believe it will be a better fit for me.

Our initial review of the Head Graphene 360+ Speed S - video

What are your thoughts about the Head Graphene 360+ Speed S, have you played with it or would you consider buying one?

Head Graphene 360+ Speed S tennis racket review

PS: Before purchasing my Graphene 360+ Speed S I watched almost all of the available online reviews from the mainstream channels. I found none of them helpful though and honestly a see a huge discrepancy in the way most testers described the racket and how it really performed on court.