How do you react when your tennis racquet falls off your hand during a tennis match? Frustrations, right? It gets worse when instead of flying a return ball over the net, you rather see your racquet flying all over the court. In this case, the game of tennis would have to recommend a helmet for players before someone loses his head in a match. Do not take your imagination too far – that’s why we have tennis racket overgrips to prevent all these. However, there are several tennis racket overgrips in the market that makes it sometimes difficult to choose from. They come in different designs and colouring which makes it attractive or better still gives your racquet a new look every time.
Most coaches recommend their players to try as many as possible to find a perfect match for their playstyle. So, if you’re here chances are that you want a perfect overgrip to increase your grip size or you just need an overgrip that can provide you with the feeling for your tennis match. To cut down your experimentation time in finding your right overgrip, I’ve carefully and thoroughly put together the best tennis racket overgrip to start off with.
But before we delve into that, it would be easier for you to know the factors to consider when trying to find your optimal overgrip for a tennis match. This guide will be helpful in making your choice.
How To Choose Tennis Racquet Overgrip
These tips will make it easier on which one to place more preference to depending on your need.
Tip #1: The Tackiness of The Overgrip
This is the cohesive or sticky property of the overgrip when you hold the racquet your hand. An overgrip which doesn’t have this kind of gumminess feel when you grab your racquet would give you a loose grip as you hit the ball. This feature is to prevent your racquet from slipping off your hand upon every shot you hit. So it’s a number one option you would have to look out for before choosing.
In short, if you hear a tacky overgrip, it implies that the surface is resistive to slipping even when it comes into contact with a liquid. You can then hold your racquet firmly even when it’s raining with this feature. So knowing how long the overgrip can stay tacky would be relevant in your overgrip selection.
Tip #2: Sweat or Moisture Absorption Property
This factor becomes a major area of concern if you’re a player that sweats much or you’re in an area where the humidity is very high. This is because all racquet overgrips come different levels of water absorption. So if you find yourself in this situation, you might want to get an overgrip which can handle more moisture to avoid slipping.
Overgrips with good absorption property will soak the water and keep it dry for you to play even for long hours. However, you would have to regularly change your overgrip because water can really destroy it quickly if exposed for long.
Tip #3: Overgrip Thickness
The overgrips come in a range of thickness. You can either go for ultra thin, thin or thicker racquet overgrip depending on your need. If you already have a bigger grip size racquet, going for a thicker one would be a bad choice as you can’t comfortably play with it. However, a thinner overgrip would leave you with much feedback from shots to your arm. You will feel the vibrations upon ball impact to your arm.
Thicker overgrip gives you a muted feel as most of the vibrations returned on shots are absorbed. Therefore, this should be your major area of concern if you are suffering from tennis elbow. Also, if you want to increase your grip size then the thicker one would be the ideal choice. The downside of thicker overgrip is that you might not feel the bevels on the racquet.
Tip #4: How Comfortable The Overgrip Is
Using an overgrip that is less comfortable can shift your focus since you become occupied with adjustment. A comfortable overgrip should allow you to play long hours on the court without suffering from blisters and tennis elbow injuries.
This would require a number of trials to come up with a comfortable overgrip that provides you the kind of feel you will be fine with.
Tip #5: Durability and Texture
You wouldn’t want to end up with an overgrip that easily wears out on one or two trials. That will be a waste of money and uncomfortable to use if you experience the wears and tears in the middle of your game. This implies that overgrip should not be peeling off as scales when you move your palm over it.
The durability is also enhanced by the texture of the overgrip material. Textured overgrip provides better feeling of racquet as it improves on the tackiness than others which are completely flat.
Now that you have these tips at hand, we can now delve into the best tennis racket overgrips worthy to be considered for your selection.
Best Tennis Racquet Overgrips
#1 Gamma Supreme Power Overgrip
This is one of the favourite overgrips most users can’t afford to take out from their list. The overgrip has a proprietary Tac PU material which is well designed to wick away any moisture that gets into contact with it thereby offering you a firm grip on every shot. To speak of consistency in performance, it will be your go-to overgrip since it keeps it tackiness intact for quite a long time.
Some users who have used it in a hotter environment, vote it as a good overgrip since it does not lose its properties in that temperatures. Overall, it’s comfortable to use and with it vibration dampening effect, you experience a good feel on every ball impact.
Pros
- Its soft and cushioned feel will provide you a good user experience with muted vibration effect.
- It’s thin, durable and very tacky but not sticky which implies that it will not slide from your hand on every shot.
- The overgrip stays consistent even for long duration of play. This means the texture of the grip doesn’t lose its unique property and that you can play with it for a long time. So, if you’re on a budget and still want to play for long hours then you don’t have to ignore this.
- It last long compared to others which makes it suitable for players who don’t want to be replacing their grips regularly.
- The quality and durability of this overgrip give you a value of your money.
Cons
- In a hot humid environment, most users complained about having to wipe their sweaty hands all the time because it becomes slippery.
#2 Wilson Pro Tennis Overgrip
If you’re looking for an overgrip preferred by Pros like Roger Federer and Justine Henin, then this would be the first to consider as it takes you to that professional level. It’s super thin with a high stretch surface which is manufactured from polyurethane. It has a tapered starting end which makes it easier to apply on your racquet handle and comes in a pack of 3, 12 and more.
Fans of this grip recommend it because of the quality, durability and tackiness feature as well as its ability to withstand hot humid environment. Even in hot humid environment, your grips stay firm and sweat is absorbed minimizing the chances of slip on ball impact. To most users, it’s the best overgrip that every tennis player have to use.
Pros
- It’s cheaper compared to other overgrips because it provides you with a good number of overgrips at a fair price. This will save you money rather than buying it in singles.
- It maintains tackiness even in a hot humid environment which means it wouldn’t slip off if your sweat gets into contact with the surface. This is ideal for players who sweat a lot during play and wouldn’t want to play for short durations.
- The grip length is long enough to give you a complete wrap over your tennis handle.
- It works so well in absorbing heat to give you a good feel of racquet and fairly easy to change.
- It’s consistent in performance and the texture makes it a bit sticky to give you a firmer grip.
Cons
- It easily get dirty after first two uses because of its white colour. So, if you’re someone especially the ladies who want their racquets to look new always might not like the appearance.
#3 Head Xtreme Soft Overgrip
As it comes with its name, the soft nature is attributed to the super tacky elastomer material used in constructing it. Head Xtreme soft overgrip comes with perforations giving it a better absorption property. It has a range of colours providing you options to choose from. It’s 105cm long, 0.5mm thick and 2.9cm wide.
The price is cheaper which makes it a good option for players who are on a budget to consider. Some customers love this overgrip for the overall experience it gives in terms of tackiness, feel, look and even the way it wraps. For players who sweat a lot around the arm or wrist, it becomes a bit slippery which I think it’s normal for most overgrips but you wouldn’t end up throwing your racquet away.
Pros
- It’s cheap compared to most overgrips and makes it a good option for budget-minded players
- You have a wide range of colours to choose from so if you feel uncomfortable seeing stains on your white overgrip, then you might want to consider this.
- It’s easy to wrap on the racquet and provides fairly good tackiness for your play.
Cons
- Most users complained about its slippiness when used in humid areas or when you sweat a lot around your arm or wrist.
#4 Tourna Mega Tac Tennis Racquet Overgrips
It’s one of the famous overgrips noted for its special features designed certain weather conditions and comes with a number of options to choose from. Due to its weather condition optimisations, it’s categorized into tourna grip, tourna tac and mega tac and are designed for hot and humid, cool to warm and cold to warm (non-humid) respectively. The company believes that you need different working condition grips for different weather so specializing it is important to give you the best user experience.
With tourna mega tac overgrip, you don’t only get options in terms of weather conditions but also colour choice to make you look stylish on the tennis court. Check the full comparison below.
Pros
- Most customers testify to tourna overgrip as the tackiest grip they’ve ever used as it serves the intended purposes of categorization.
- It last longer more than most overgrips on the market without losing its consistency over a short time.
Cons
- Most customers complained about the difficulty in wrapping the overgrip as it’s not sticky enough.
#5 Yonex Super Grap Overgrip
One of the most popular overgrips hyped by customers for its slightly tacky feel and long-lasting, consistent delivery of performance. For most customers who have the experience with tourna overgrips vote this overgrip as the best one suitable for hot humid conditions. So, this might be your go-to overgrip if you’re someone who sweats a lot during play like me.
The package contains one roll of 3 strips of overgrips and a grip tape which means it can be used for three racquets. Also, you get a range of different colours where you can select one that matches with your racquet if you want to be stylish on the court.
Pros
- If you’re someone that sweats so much, this would be your go-to overgrip as it’s able to withstand high heat humid environment.
- It doesn’t slip even in contact with sweat.
- It’s easy to put on and take off which makes it comfortable in replacing it anytime you want.
Cons
- Most customers complain that the red colour is actually pink so you should take note.
#6 Head Super Comp Overgrip
It’s an overgrip designed to provide a more comfortable feel for players with a balance between sweat absorption and tackiness. It’s a perfect overgrip for players on a budget because the price is lower compared to most overgrips and it does fine in a hot environment.
The pack can be used for three racquets which makes it a cool choice considering the amount it cost.
Pros
- It’s cheaper compared to others and makes a perfect choice for budget-minded players
- It comes in three different colours so you have fairly enough options to choose from.
- It gives you a comfortable feel while playing.
Cons
- Some customers complain that it’s very thin.
How To Wrap Tennis Overgrip On Your Racquet?
The first thing you would do is to remove the old overgrip and keep the grip clean and wipe dry. You hold the racquet straight up at the neck-throat area with the handle facing up at your left hand while you use the right hand to do the wrapping. You start wrapping from the butt cap of the handle at the narrow part of the overgrip and proceed to the throat of the racquet.
The wrapping is done by overlapping the overgrip at about 1/6 inch as you move along. Once you reach the throat, any excess overgrip is cut and then secured at the ending part of the overgrip with a grip tape to keep it in place.
Check out this video to get the full picture of how to do it.
Conclusion
In summary, having a perfect overgrip on your racquet is the best feel a player would want to enjoy in his or her game. It’s therefore expedient to try a number of the above to find a perfect choice for your style of play and conditions. If a choice doesn’t suits you, try a different one until you get the right one.
I hope the information here has been helpful and I would love your response by leaving me a comment to share your experience with any of these if you’ve tried it before.
More than frustration, I would be so embarrassed when my tennis racket slip off my hands and into the crowd.
But I think even the racket with the sticky grip fades off overtime, do they?
Please I’d like to know, how long should an overgrip last, I have a friend who is into Tennis and will show this advice to him.Thanks
Hello there,
Thanks for stopping by. Sure, it fades overtime because nothing under the sun lasts forever. However, it serves the purpose it was made for a duration long enough to be worth the amount you buy it.
How long an overgrip can take you will depend on a number of factors: Your consistency of play, your rate of sweating and sometimes the environment in which you play affect your rate of changing. Some might change every two weeks, a month or even more than that.
Hi Derrick,
Thank you for sharing this. I feel a little bit more knowledgeable regarding tennis racket overgrips . I’m not a tennis player myself, but I’m a lover of the game and married to someone who truly loves and plays tennis. I’ll be passing this on to him to read. I know he’ll be pleased to go through this review . I enjoyed reading it myself.
I’m glad to have you here and thanks for dropping a comment. I wish you wouldn’t just be a lover but try a game with your loved one.
Hi there, well written post 🙂 You mention that having a perfect overgrip on your racquet is the best thing a player would want to enjoy his or her game. At what level do you think this comes of importance? would this be for professionals only, or do you feel it’s of benefit for a casual player or youths playing once or twice a week for a sport?
I like your passion in the way you write – well done!
cheers
Karina
Hello Karina,
Thanks for the visit and your comment. You will need an overgrip when you either want to increase your grip size or improve the tackiness of your grip so that it doesn’t slip off your hand when it is wetty. Some do it so that they look stylish.
Having an overgrip is relevant to your performance and enables you to have a firm grip on your racquet. It’s not only needed for professionals but all players of tennis irrespective of the level.
What a very informative site. I don’t play tennis myself, but this site caught my attention, as I have a friend who’s son will be playing in high school. I will be sharing this website with them.
Thanks for providing the pictures and video on how to properly wrap and change the overgrip. That’s very useful.
I find it interesting that some of the overgrips become slippery during use. That kind of seems like the opposite effect a player would want! Good to know for people who live in more humid areas, or get sweaty hands while playing. They’ll want to take a closer look at some of the better options you’ve reviewed here.
Your comment is much appreciated and you’re welcome. It’s good to be informed before making a decision.
I’ve tried the yonex before and I loved it! Your review is so accurate, it’s amazing. My friend uses some cheap overgrip that lasts like three days and gets slippery so easy so I’m definitely passing this on to her. Absorbency is such a big deal to me. Do you think comfort can be sacrificed if the sweat absorbency is perfect?
Hello Sydney,
Thanks for stopping by. It will depend on the person’s preference. In your case you can sacrifice comfort since absorbency is your number one priority.