Head Vilas

Head | Prince

Head Vilas (1978)

Condition
8
10: New
9: Mint
8: Excellent
7: Good
6: Fair
5: Average
4: Below Average
3: Poor
| Rarity
7
10: Impossibly rare
9: Extremely rare
8: Hard to find
7: Fairly rare
6: Uncommon
5: Common
<4: Big Seller
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About The Head Vilas Racket

No player had as many iconic rackets as Guillermo Vilas. This Argentine former no 1 tennis player won 62 singles titles and 16 doubles titles during his career. In 1969 he started with the Dunlop Maxply (1969) changing to Wilson Jack Kramer in 1974 and quickly the Spalding Pancho González in 1975). But he was most successful with this racket the Head Vilas (1977-79) although he tried the Head XRC (1980). In 1981 he switched to the Slazenger Tour and then the Slazenger V24 (1982). Finally in 1984 he went to Puma with the Puma G Vilas and Puma Azul Puma (1985) and Puma G Vilas Power (1986). Later Head would make the Head Vector. Looking at adverts from 1985 the Head Vector Mid was £60, in 1979 the Head Vilas was £70.90 over twice the price of the Maxply Fort

This is how it was described by HEAD: Take a close look at Guillermo Vilas’ Head racket. It’s not wood like other rackets are wood. This one has two layers of graphite completely encompassing the head. It also has a black, thick wedge of fiberglass up at the top, as well as fiberglass face sheets top and bottom. The two layers of graphite make this racket more powerful than a racket made of wood alone. The fiberglass wedge puts weight and strength behind the stroke. The face sheets add incredible strength and durability. If you’re a confirmed wood player, pay particular attention to Guillermo Vilas’ opinion of this unusual wood racket. To quote Guillermo: “My first impression of the racket was that the ball was going much faster than with any other racket I had before.” Now, the Head Vilas racket is not customized for Guillermo’s use only. It is a racket you can buy: Exactly as Guillermo Vilas plays it. With the two layers of graphite. With the fiberglass wedge. Because, while the racket was made specifically to Guillermo Vilas’ tastes, it was not made exclusively for his use. It is a model that you can own. Like Guillermo, we predict that when you play it, your first impression will be that the ball is going faster than ever before. Your second impression will be of hitting the ball on the sweet spot more often. That’s because the extra weight is in the right place—at the top, where it expands the sweet spot into a large oval, rather than circular shape. Like all Head rackets, the Vilas features the now-famous open throat design to keep the racket from twisting. (Many players view the Head open throat as still another way to expand the sweet spot.) So the Head Vilas has all the advantages of wood, the added power of graphite, and finally the extra strength and durability of fiberglass face sheets. Play a demonstrator model. See for yourself. And when you’re done, remember one more thing: WE PLANNED IT THAT WAY. Head

Specifications
MeasurementsValuePerformanceScore
Weight360gPower19/100
Head Size & Length65sq in | 27inchControl41/100
Balance5pt head heavySpin40/100
GripPerforated leatherHandling78/100
Strings18 x 20 | syntheticComfort89/100
FlexibilityRA 43Consistency59/100
About Head

For a brief period everone went open throat crazy and Donnay was late to shift its traditional process to make the midwood series. It was a clear improvement but Borg had already given notice to leave and never used it. The writing was on the wall for the World’s most successful brand. A steep decline would follow. The Mid-wood would be horribly expensive and misunderstood. Sales were low and it remains a big rarity!

Gallery
Head Vilas 2
HEAD by Time
YearEvent
1947Howard Head takes his first ski trip and is inspired to create better skis
1950Head Sport GmbH founded in Baltimore, Maryland by Howard Head
1950First durable prototype of the Head Standard ski is developed
1960sHead captures over 50% of the US ski market
1967Howard Head hires Harold Seigle as company president
1969Howard Head sells the company to AMF
1969Head introduces the first aluminum frame tennis racket at the US Open
1975Arthur Ashe wins Wimbledon using a Head racket
1985Minstar Inc. acquires Head through hostile takeover of AMF
1987Head starts making athletic footwear
1989Management buyout forms HTM (Head, Tyrolia, and Mares)
1993HTM sold to Austria Tabak
1995Johan Eliasch takes over the company
1997Head creates the first titanium and graphite tennis racket
2009Head shuts down the Penn ball manufacturing factory in Phoenix, Arizona
2019Head reportedly purchases ASE assets, but later backs out of the deal