head tour xt decathlon

• Members Login
• accessories
• head tour tennis ball review

Head Tour Tennis Ball Review

The Head Tour ball is one of the most popular tennis balls in the amateur and professional game, alike – and for good reason too!

There’s nothing worse in tennis than your equipment letting you down.

This could be from being too lazy to get your racket strung regularly and watching your ball constantly sail out the back of the court, to playing with a racket far too heavy for your game and catching the ball constantly late, and it flying to the right.

Custom Fittings

Discover your perfect racket and string combo!

Another contributing factor to “frustrating tennis” is the ball.

Often the choice of ball is overlooked by club level players and organisations, but failure to recognise the benefits of a certain ball could be hurting you both in terms of performance and your finances.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the Head Tour (taking over from the Head ATP) ball and look into why we believe it should be the primary choice for your game.

10 out of 10

There are certainly a lot of tennis balls out there. But rest assured, over the years, we have literally tried them all!

A tennis ball’s ability to penetrate the court effectively and truly “pop” on serve is something we really appreciate at TheTennisBros.com.

There’s nothing more frustrating than making clean contact with a shot, only to find the ball dribbles off your string bed.

The Head Tour ball contains power in spades.

We feel it’s probably the most powerful ball out there, both before and after being smashed around for a couple of sets.

Tennis balls always lose some of their pop within a number of minutes on the tennis court, but the Head Tour balls remained reasonably steadfast in this aspect all the way up to to the end of the two-hour playtest.

Control is an aspect that we hear a lot of players talking about, whether that be in terms of their tennis racket or string.

The control aspect of a ball is something that isn’t discussed a lot, however.

How much control a tennis ball has will have a direct correlation with how easily it is able to take spin.

Additionally, a balls ability to receive spin potential is linked to the quality of the felt material, but also how well intact it is after a set of tennis or two.

You’re probably thinking I should be putting this information in the durability section, but a lot of these aspects, whether it be power, control or spin, do interconnect.

Due to the premium, professional level felt of the Head Tour Ball (and also, its great durability, which we’ll look at in a moment), its control was very good indeed.

We’ve heard some complaints from some of the more elderly female, lower level club players about these balls being “too bouncy”.

Personally, we didn’t find this to be anything near an issue and with good footwork and technique, no tennis ball out there will be “too bouncy”.

The Head Tour balls take spin extremely readily. When I use them, myself, I can literally hear the topspin fizzing off the ball!

It’s easy to press back your opponents with them, and when the stars align, you can deliver a fatal, heavy ball or flat winners without parallel.

Of course, your opponent can also hit the same type of shot at you, so be ready!

9 out of 10

Durability is one of the most important factors for club level players who do not want to be paying for brand new tennis balls every single session.

No tennis ball out there is perfectly durable. If it were, the manufacturers would be out of business as everyone could play with the same balls forever and not have to buy any again!

The Head Tour are the best it gets in terms of durability, though. They really do withstand a pounding.

Often, you’ll find you’ll get a good number of hits out of them until they become unplayable.

This is of stark contrast to the Dunlop Fort Balls, which fluff up virtually instantly!

Personally, I find a ball fluffing up during a match to be incredibly infuriating.

The moment this happens, they lose their ability to spin effectively, suddenly sending my topspin serves a foot long, instead of a foot inside the line, where they were landing previously.

When this happens, I feel much more vulnerable out there on the court as I’m fighting with a factor which is beyond my control and sometimes have to make small adjustments in my game to help deal with this.

The game of tennis requires so many small adjustments already, so don’t add in more complication by choosing an inferior tennis ball!

Another Reason Why Choosing The Right Ball Is Important

Failure to choose the right, or even a good quality tennis ball will, quite simply, hurt your bank account.

No tennis balls out there are “really cheap”, and if you choose a lower grade ball, you’ll have to replace them in practice far more often, costing you more money in the long run.

For a club level player, the Head Tour ball will last you many hits and help you cut down on some of those painfully high expenses tennis can bring!

Buy In Bulk

Do you buy your tennis balls can by can? Match by match? Training session by training session?

If you do, you’re missing a trick. I (Tom) never do this as I know I’m basically throwing away money.

The more tennis balls you buy at once from good tennis retailers, the cheaper each ball costs, and the more money you will save.

In England, where we are based, the Head Tour balls tend to average about £1.25 a tennis ball/ £5 for a can of 4.

These numbers don’t sound like they will break the bank, but when you’re buying one, two or even three cans a week for this price, the numbers soon add up.

Instead, it’s far better to bulk buy your balls from reputable online retailers, as you can get the cost per ball MUCH cheaper.

In England, providing I buy enough balls, I can get mine for about £0.80 a ball, which is insanely cheap in comparison! I tend to buy a year’s supply of balls at once to get them for the cheapest price I can.

Of course, the downside lies in the fact that you need a suitable place to store them if you do go for a larger bulk buy.

You’ll also need to make sure that you store the balls in a room with medium temperature and where conditions don’t increase and decrease too dramatically.

In our opinion, here, at TheTennisBros.com the Head Tour tennis ball is THE BEST ball on the market today.

It’s durable, powerful, easy to spin and all of these attributes contribute to maintaining a fair tennis match between opponents.

There’s a reason the pros use this ball, so be sure to give it a try!

Discover The Perfect Racket and String For Your Game With Our Famous Custom Fitting Service!

Get the Head ATP Ball for the Best Price from RacquetGuys!

41 Lessons · $49.00

Doubles Tactics

Supercharge Your Doubles With TheTennisBros.com

10 Lessons · $35.00

The Art of Volleying

Become clinical at the net with our in depth volleying walkthroughs!

35 Lessons · $49.00

Singles Tactics

Outsmart your opponent with superior tactics! Our strategies can be quickly implemented for instant results!

We save you time and money by doing the painful research process for you!

No more frustration in your game, due to your equipment failing you!

Start playing the best tennis of your life and win more matches!

Get Our Free Guide to Supercharging Your Tennis Equipment!

Sign up to receive your Free Guide to Supercharging Your Tennis Equipment , straight to your inbox!

Explore more

Feb 20, 2023 • Balls Penn Balls Wilson Balls

Penn vs Wilson Tennis Balls: What’s Best for Your Game?

Trying to compare Penn and Wilson tennis balls? Choosing the right tennis balls can make a big difference to your game, so we’ve researched all of Penn’s and Wilson’s tennis balls to give you the complete guide of which will suit you best, based on your needs. Here’s our in-depth…

Oct 14, 2021 • Balls Wilson Balls

Wilson US Open Ball Review

The Wilson US Open ball is the one of the most premium level balls on the tennis market today. Although they are such a high class ball, I must admit – I don’t see them as frequently as I expect to at tennis clubs across the country. This isn’t any…

Quantity Deals!

Save 2.5% when purchasing 18 to 36 cans

Save 5% when purchasing 36 cans or more

Your discount will be applied automatically in the basket

Head Tour XT Tennis Balls (4 Ball Can)

Built to perform even in high temperatures, the Tour XT ball has a unique touch and brings more control to the court.

The TOUR XT is HEAD's brand new PREMIUM ball. It provides unique touch and easy controllability thanks to the Impact (EN)Core technology. This ball will make your precise game even more accurate.

The TOUR XT is HEAD's brand new PREMIUM ball. The HEAD TOUR XT was developed and tested rigorously for more than two years – in the lab and on the court with professional tennis players. The result is a ball that provides unique touch and easy controllability thanks to its Impact (EN)Core technology. Choose the iconic golden HEAD TOUR XT tube, if you are a tournament or club player – or anyone else looking for the perfect ball to hit your best and most accurate shots.

Specification

We ship worldwide and offer a range of delivery options. Delivery charges depend on your delivery country. View our Delivery Information page for full details.

Tennisnuts.com makes every effort to ensure each customer experiences a flawless shopping experience. Sometimes you may wish to return your order for which you may need to refer to our simple returns policy.

Customers Also Like

JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser.

Choose your location

• Austria Deutsch
• Belgium Français
• Bulgaria English
• Croatia English
• Cyprus English
• Czech Republic Čeština
• Denmark English
• Estonia English
• Finland English
• France Français
• Germany Deutsch
• Greece English
• Hungary English
• Ireland English
• Italy Italiano
• Latvia English
• Liechtenstein Deutsch
• Lithuania English
• Luxembourg Français
• Malta English
• Monaco Français
• Netherlands Nederlands
• Norway English
• Poland Polski
• Portugal English
• Romania English
• Slovakia English
• Slovenia English
• Spain Spanish
• Sweden English
• Switzerland Deutsch | Français | Italiano
• United Kingdom English

North America

• Canada English | Français

Rest of the world

• Australia English
• International English
• Japan Japanese

HEAD Extreme TOUR Tennis Racquet

Description.

The ultimate spin-machine for tournament players, the EXTREME TOUR has been upgraded with state-of-the-art Auxetic technology, helping you to spin big and create chaos.

• Free Delivery on orders over $100.
• Delivery time 3 to 5 business days.

Product Information

Stringing instructions.

Technologies

Auxetic Auxetic constructions show a unique deformation compared to non-Auxetic constructions. Due to their internal properties, Auxetic constructions widen when a “pull” force is applied and contract when squeezed. The bigger the applied force, the bigger the Auxetic reaction.

Spin Shaft The spin shaft provides optimized lateral stability, creating higher spin potential

Spin Pattern The open 16/19 string pattern maximizes string snap-back for greater spin generation

Sound Grommets Sound grommets provide enhanced power via greater string movement and optimize sound and vibrations

Spin Gromments Spin grommets allow for greater main string movement in all directions for maximizing power and spin.

Graphene Inside Strategically positioned in most of our racquets, Graphene strengthens the frame, provides greater stability and optimises energy transfer from racquet to ball. When you buy your next racquet, be sure it has GRAPHENE INSIDE.

Delivery & Returns

Shipping Fees:

Fedex calculated rates for any order under $100 or for any expedited order. Free shipping on any order over $100.

Shipping Time:

Any order, excluding customized items, placed by 12:00 PM EST Monday - Friday (excluding public holidays) will ship within 24 - 48 hours. If you’ve placed an order after 12:00 PM EST or on a weekend, your order will process on the next business day. 

Orders placed with expedited shipping will ship out the same day if the orders are placed by 12:00 PM EST Monday – Friday (excluding public holidays)

30 DAY RETURN

We want to be sure you are 100% satisfied with your purchase on HEAD.com. Therefore, if for any reason you are unhappy with your purchase, you may return it to us in its original condition within 30 days of the date of receipt for a full refund of the product. If you want to return a product, please click  here.

Return Policy:

Please ensure that any product you wish to return is unused, in its original packaging and has all tags still attached. You agree that it is at the sole and absolute discretion of HEAD to determine if the product has been used.

• New racquets or paddles must show no signs of use and must be returned in the original poly bag (e.g. plastic on the handle, all tags still attached, no scrapes on the bumper guards, etc.).
• New racquets that were originally shipped unstrung cannot be strung and header cards must be included.
• Shoes must be returned in the box the shoes came in with no tape or shipping labels directly on the shoe box. The shoes must show no signs of wear and should be free of all lint, hair or other foreign substances.
• Bags must be returned in the original polybag and have all tags still on and show no signs of use.
• Gloves and eyewear must be returned in original packaging with no signs of wear.
• Balls must be in the original containers and unopened.
• String and other accessories must arrive back in the original packaging, unopened

• Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Best of Moscow by high speed train

By shuguley , February 15, 2014 in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Recommended Posts

Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.

Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?

My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

Link to comment

Share on other sites.

If you are considering this on the 2015 June Baltic cruise on Voyager; my suggestion is don't. There is so much to do in St. Petersburg and although a train is one of my favorite ways to travel the time would be far better spent in St. P.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, this would be on the Voyager during the 2015 season but not yet sure exactly which cruise.

We did the Moscow excursion "on a different luxury line", but from your brief description it sounds very much like the same trip, so I will operate on that assumption. It is a VERY long day! We left the ship at 5:30 AM and returned at 12:30 AM. The highspeed train trip is comfortable, and while they call it "Business Class" it does not compare well to the equivalent class on say Rail Europe. When we did it in 2011, we did have highspeed both ways, and the trip back seemed much longer as the adrenaline and excitement had worn off!:D

Moscow itself is not that terribly different from any other big city in the world, but this Cold War kid never thought he would ever stand in Red Square, never mind walk the grounds of The Kremlin, or tour The Kremlin Palace, or see (but not visit) Lenin's Tomb, or visit The Armoury. But he did, and he loved every minute of it! Yes, it is a long day, and you barely scratch a scratch on the surface, but it is worth it. There is a tremendous amount to see in St. Petersburg, but every Baltic cruise goes to St. Petersburg, so you can go back if you choose to. Not every cruiseline offers you the chance to see Moscow.

I have not personally done this tour, but our last time in St Petersburg, the private guide that we hired for a day was leading the regent tour to Moscow on the high speed train the next day. He said it was way better than the previous alternative, which was flying to Moscow and back. He said that you actually got to Moscow faster because you didn't have to deal with airline checkin etc. it did seem like a very long day to me, and there is so much to see and do in st. Petersburg that I didn't consider doing it.

countflorida

We toured to Moscow from St. Petersburg via the hi-speed SAPSAN train last September, from a Baltic cruise on the Oceania Marina. You need to have a two-night, three day port call in St. Petersburg to take this tour because the tour typically leaves the ship around 5:00 - 5:30 AM and doesn't return until after midnight the next day. We didn't take the ship's tour; we made private arrangements with TravelAllRussia for three days of touring, the first and third days in St. Petersburg and the second day the tour to Moscow by train. Our cost for the private tour for three days was about the same as what the ship charged for the excursion to Moscow alone. There are a number of private tour agencies that operate in St. Petersburg and offer the Moscow train tours; we would strongly recommend them over the ship's tours.

All three days had private guides with car and driver. The second day, the driver picked us up at the ship and took us to the train, but we were alone on the train, and met in Moscow by the guide on the station platform. After our tour and dinner, we were brought back to the train and after the return train trip met by the driver and taken back to the ship. Because you are alone on the train you must have your own Russian visas.

If this is your first visit to St. Petersburg, I would agree there is much more to see there. We found Moscow somewhat a disappointment, particularly Red Square. The Kremlin and the cathedral in Red Square were also worth seeing. But the best thing we saw was the Moscow subway! I worked for the Washington Metro system back in the 1980s as it grew from 40 to 80 miles and although I was in the computer area, I learned a lot about the challenges of running a subway system. We used the Moscow system to get across the city from where we had dinner to the train station, and I was amazed at the cleanliness', speed of operation, the short headways maintained, and the courtesy of everyone involved. A very impressive experience!

We had been to St. Petersburg before, and so had the time to take a day and go to Moscow. Also, I really like trains, and the SAPSAN is a German train set running on Russian rails. Seats are like first class domestic air, spacious but not too plush or comfortable, but with enough room. Not too much recline, and almost 8 hours on the train in two shots is a lot for an old man. They come through and sell drinks, candy, etc. but the sellers don't speak English and no one around us helped, so we had just poor coffee once coming, and brought stuff with us for the trip back. Not too much to see from the train either, particularly on the return when it is night the whole way.

If you decide to go, take a private tour and avoid the overly expensive ship's tour. I'm glad we did it, but wouldn't bother to repeat the tour; we've seen Moscow.

Thanks so much to all of you for the thorough and thought insight. Yhe information you have provided is most helpful.

countflorida: Your detailed post is very helpful. We are not quite ready for a Baltic cruise but should do so within a year. Time enough to do our pre travel research, bookings and visa gathering.:) Thank you!

Emperor Norton

Sure would appreciate someone who has taken "Best of Moscow by high speed train" from St. Petersburg could please share their impressions of this shore excursion. From the description this sounds like a very long day.   Wondering how the 4 hour train trip was in terms of accommodations, etc. Also what time did you leave the ship and what time at night did you return? Were both legs of the trip on the high speed rail (I read that slower trains also travel the same tracks)?   My wife and I are considering this excursion. We thought that if we are making all the effort to go to Russia then how could we pass up going to Moscow, walking in Red Square, seeing St. Basil, etc.

I did this on Seabourn. IMO DONT. Take Aeroflop (er Aeroflot). The train has non folding seats where you are literally knee to knee with your fellow passenger (facing each other). Further they don't believe in air conditioning. It's also the worlds slowed bullet train. I think I would have found more enjoyment wandering around the St. Petersburg and Moscow airports.

Countflorida,

This is a little off topic,, however we had planned a river cruise in Russia but decided we would rather stay on land and have booked about two weeks with Travel-All-Russia using the private guide and driver. I'm curious as to how you found them as a tour company.

The guides they provided were fine. We had a different guide each of the days in St. Petersburg, but both were flexible, pleasant, knowledgeable and spoke English very well, as did the guide in Moscow, incidentally. She was a bit aloof, distant, not too friendly, but otherwise fine. In fact, she was the one who suggested taking the Metro, which unexpectedly became one of the highlights of the Moscow excursion. If I have a complaint with AllTravelRussia, it is with their plan and its execution (more later).

I had requested emphasis on World War II (in Russia, the Great Patriotic War) sites and info. In scheduling us, they weren't careful about dates and a couple of the sites we wanted to see were scheduled on the third day, after we'd been to Moscow. But both sites were closed that day of the week, and that info was readily available, right on web sites describing them. Also, the included meals (lunches in St. Pete, dinner in Moscow) were not what we asked for: light meals with some choices, so we could avoid things we didn't like and choose things we did like. My request was ignored; we were given full Russian meals with a fixed menu, no choice. On the first day, a fish dish was the entre, but I am allergic to fish. Fortunately, I had the e-mail I'd sent with me and showed it to the guide, and she was able to change my entre to chicken, which was very good actually. But we didn't want a 3-4 course lunches or dinner (in Moscow). We had the guide drop the lunch the third day, although we never got any credit or refund. But, particularly in contrast to the ship's tours, the prices were so reasonable we didn't worry too much about it.

The people who were on the ship's tour to Moscow saw us boarding the same train for which they were forced to queue up and wait on the way back, and asked us what we had done. I was candid and open so they were not happy when I explained what we had arranged and particularly what it had cost. Also, when we returned to the ship, we found they had laid on a late supper for those who had gone to Moscow, so up we went and had something. Well, it turns out the late supper was supposed to be just for those on the ship's tour, but we and others on 'independent' tours, there were a dozen or more of us, crashed the party, actually got there first, and they didn't realize it until the larger group arrived and there weren't enough tables/places set. By that time, the 'independents' had all gotten served and were eating; what could they do?

A couple from the larger group sat down with us and asked us about our tour, and they were the ones I told about our arrangement and its cost. They turned to others who’d been with them and announced the details, loudly enough so the whole room heard, which started a lot of bitching and complaining. I gathered they weren't very happy with the ship's tour to begin with, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back. We finished up and beat it out of there, but overheard later that one of the excursion staff came to check on something and ran into a real mess. I caught a cold on the trip, which forced me to bed the second day following in Tallinn, so by the time we reappeared we heard about the contretemps' but apparently no one recalled who started it, thankfully.

Because of what happened to us, I would probably not use AllTravelRussia if I were to go again, or if I did, I would be sure to get confirmation of every detail of the tour. They do have good reviews generally, and we were certainly helped by their visa department and liked the guides and drivers. Their weakness, I say now with full 20:20 hindsight, is that once the sales person who plans the tour, sells it to you and collects your money, he (or she) transfers the plan to their Russia office for implementation; there is no follow-up to make sure it gets done right. And that is where our problems arose; we paid for a custom tour but got a standard package with a few destinations switched, and no one checked them out, even to see when they were open the day we were scheduled to go. If you check every detail that’s important to you, it should be OK, but that’s a hell of a way to have to do business, in my opinion.

Thank you for the 20/20 hindsight observation on your Russian tour operator, and better priced than the ship's excursion cost.

Thanks very much for the feedback.

We had the same experience as you so far as price. We originally booked a Viking Cruise but, hearing some things about the river cruises that made us unhappy, looked into other options. T-A-R cost the same or less than a cruise and had us in hotels for 11 days. We opted for the private tour. They have three tour levels, based on hotels. We originally opted for the four star as it did not cost much more than the three star hotels. Finally we decided to throw it all in and upgraded to five star. In Moscow we will be at the newly opened Kempinsky which is two blocks from Red Square. In St. Petersburg it is the Grand Hotel Europe, one of the most vaunted luxury hotels in Russia. Location is important for us as the tours use up only part of the day so being in the center of everything for our independent touring is important. As with many other cities, the less you pay, the farther out of the center of town you are.

We have been working with our salesman in D.C. and he seems to get back to us with the changes we want. He recently returned from Russia so is up on everything. When I asked they said they paid the full TA commission if I wanted so I got my usual TA on board so he is watching our back and giving us that extra level of comfort. He also set up our air, which I know pays him little or nothing, and got us business class for much less than T-A-R wanted for economy, though it took working for a while with a consolidator. He's happy to get his 10 percent on this trip without having booked it. He also took care of the trip insurance. We've been doing a lot of research on the CC sister site Trip Advisor and will write a report there. We will, I guess, become a source of info for CC members after having spent 5 days in Moscow and 6 in SP.

• 4 months later...

scubacruiserx2

Anybody considering a day trip to Moscow from St. Petersburg on the Sapsan may want to look at our travelogue filled with pictures.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1927687

Very informative. Thanks dor sharing. Jeff

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in

• Welcome to Cruise Critic
• ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail Beyond the Ordinary with Oceania Cruises
• ANNOUNCEMENT: The Widest View in the Whole Wide World
• New Cruisers
• Cruise Lines “A – O”
• Cruise Lines “P – Z”
• River Cruising
• Cruise Critic News & Features
• Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
• Special Interest Cruising
• Cruise Discussion Topics
• UK Cruising
• Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
• Canadian Cruisers
• North American Homeports
• Ports of Call
• Cruise Conversations

Announcements

• New to Cruise Critic? Join our Community!

Write Your Own Amazing Review !

Click this gorgeous photo by member SUPERstar777 to share your review!

Features & News

LauraS · Started Friday at 07:21 PM

LauraS · Started Friday at 03:17 PM

LauraS · Started Thursday at 04:15 PM

LauraS · Started Thursday at 03:00 PM

LauraS · Started Thursday at 10:41 AM

• Existing user? Sign in OR Create an Account
• Find Your Roll Call
• Meet & Mingle
• Community Help Center
• All Activity
• Member Photo Albums
• Meet & Mingle Photos
• Favorite Cruise Memories
• Cruise Food Photos
• Cruise Ship Photos
• Ports of Call Photos
• Towel Animal Photos
• Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos
• Write a Review
• Live Cruise Reports
• Member Cruise Reviews
• Create New...

SSH-KLIN - FSSH-VOSTOK-ELEKTROSTAL head to head game preview and prediction

Oops! We detected that you use AdBlocker...

Please disable adblocker to support this website. Thank you!

I disabled all my adblockers for this website. Reload...

Open Modalf