At Herne Hill Sports, we understand that choosing a new tennis racket can be tricky. Whether you are a seasoned pro or just a beginner, choosing a new racket is a very personal decision and not one to take lightly! There are loads of rackets to choose from with many different characteristics to consider, which many people understandably find daunting! But don’t fear, because we offer a racket demo service!
TRY BEFORE YOU BUY
This works exactly like it sounds and allows you to try out any of our Tour frames from Wilson, Head, Babolat, and Yonex for up to a week, making the service a great option for tennis players based all over London. What makes this service so uniquely useful is that it allows you to truly see and feel the difference that exists across the different racket families.
HUGE rANGE
Our range of demo rackets is beyond extensive. 4 major brands, 12 weight classes, 15 racket families, and over 50 frames in total. Rest assured, there will always be a racket for you to try. We also have multiple demos available for some of the most popular models, meaning more rackets for you to take away.
DEMO RACKET SERVICE
REQUEST A DEMO
You’re first demo charge is £30. For this price you may take up to three frames (for a one week period).
Each additional frame you take after this is £10.
Once you decide which racket you like, any money spent on demos will be deducted from the final sale price (your credit is valid for up to a year from the initial £30 payment).
**Demo charges are non-refundable if the customer choses not to purchase a racket. The credit is only valid on tour frames i.e., rackets on the demo list. Recreational rackets cannot be used.
HOW IT WORKS
AVAILABLE RACKETS TO DEMO
FAQ
DO YOU HAVE DEMO ‘x’?
All the demos we stock are listed above. We make every effort to keep all the major racket brands and their key lines in stock; however, it is impossible to stock everything simply due to the sheer volume of rackets on the market. We apologise if the frame you are looking for isn’t available!
WHAT GRIP SIZE ARE THE DEMOS?
The demos range in grip size. Typically, lighter frames (<280g) will have smaller grip sizes (G1-G2) and heavier frames (>300g) will have larger grip sizes (G2-G3). Our most popular models will have multiple demos available in differing grip sizes (although please note we don’t offer demos in L4 or larger). When you come to purchase, you may select any grip size you like!
WHAT ARE THE DEMOS STRUNG WITH?
The demos are all strung with a polyester string. The majority of frames are strung at 55lbs with either RPM BLAST, ALU POWER, or YONEX POLYPRO TOUR. Feel free to ask a member of the team when you pop in about the string and tension of any specific frame you may be interested in.
CAN I GET THE DEMOS RESTRUNG?
We restring the demos as and when needed. If you think a demo needs a restring, let us know and we can check. As a general rule, we don’t offer restrings for demos on an ad hoc basis. We keep a very close eye on the demos and restring when we deem it needed. We ask customers not to restring the rackets themselves – any customer who does will be charged for a full restring.
Can I get the demos posted?
Unfortunately, we aren’t able to offer a postal service at this time, but never say never!
CAN I RENT THE DEMOS FOR MORE THAN A WEEK?
If no-one else has asked for them, then sure! An additional fee will need to be paid but you are more than welcome to extend the demos if needed. All we ask is you call us beforehand to check that no-one else has booked them out already.
WHY DON’T YOU OFFER MORE PADEL DEMOS?
Our Padel demo service is very much in its infancy and will continue to grow as we see an increase in popularity. To start with, we have selected some of the most popular models currently on the market. Padel has exploded in popularity over the last few years and we fully expect to see that trend continue – and the number of demos will increase at a commensurate rate.
I’m Overdue with my demo, What should i DO?
We ask all customers to bring the demos back on or before the agreed-upon rental period expires. However, we are realists. Sometimes things happen outside of your control. If you are delayed in returning a racket for any reason, please just let us know. Usually this won’t result in any penalty charges, although we do reserve this right in some instances.