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Playtest: Tourna Mega Tac Overgrip

By Greg Raven

According to Tourna, Mega Tac is the tackiest overgrip ever made, period. An exclusive polyurethane coating creates an ultra tacky surface that literally clings to your hand. Tourna also promises a very long tack time, with Tourna reporting tackiness for up to 14 hours.

Tourna designed Mega Tac for players who prefer a durable, tacky grip, that works even in cold weather.

Mega Tac is available in Tourna’s trademarked light blue color, white, and black. The length is listed as XL (100 cm × 2.9 cm). The grips come in packs that include finishing tape. The 3-pack retails for $6.25, and the 10-pack retails for $17.95. For more information or to order, contact Tourna at 800-554-3707, or visit uniquesports.com.

The Testers

Tested by 30 USRSA playtesters (28 men, two women), with NTRP ratings from 3.5 to 6.0. Average number of hours playtested was 22.3. Prior to testing, we asked about grip preferences: 28 said they preferred a tacky grip; two said they preferred a dry grip. Testers were sent unmarked grips, so they were not aware of the brand or model of the overgrip.

Installation

Installing Mega Tac is straightforward. Neither end is tapered, so if you go for that look, you need to trim it yourself. There is also no adhesive starter tab, but if you start with a square end, it’s easy to hold the grip in place for the first wrap.

Mega Tac stretches nicely to avoid puckering in the transition from the butt cap to the grip, and we didn’t notice any narrowing as we pulled it into place. The length was sufficient for a normal-length grip in 4-5/8 inches, although five playtesters reported that they needed more. The finishing tape adhered well and we had no problems with overgrips unraveling at the top.

Five playtesters reported problems wrapping Mega Tac.

Finally, even as tacky as it is, Mega Tac separated from itself and the replacement grip with no drama or residue during removal after the test.

On the Court

Compared against some of the iconic overgrips on the market, Mega Tac really impressed our playtest team. They rated Mega Tac first overall in the Durability, Proper Tackiness, Retains Tackiness, and Tacky and Absorbent categories. Mega Tac also gained a second-place rating in the Absorption category, and third-place ratings in both the Initial Feel and Feel Over Time categories. As a result, Tourna Mega Tac is the highest-rated overgrip we’ve tested, by a large margin.

When you first start playing with Mega Tac, you may have to focus more on changing your grip position; it’s that tacky. After a few hours, though, Mega Tac seems to settle in to an easily manageable (but still high) level of tackiness, and remains that way for hours. Compared to a conventional white grip, Mega Tac seemed cleaner, less worn, and much tackier after many hours of play. Despite its tackiness, you don’t feel as if any of the grip has transferred to your hand during play.

Not surprisingly, nine playtesters told us Mega Tac was too tacky. Eighteen reported that overall they prefer the overgrip they currently use. Otherwise, a clear majority reported satisfaction with Mega Tac’s length, width, compression, stretch, absorbency, and thickness.

Conclusion

When we say Tourna Mega Tac is a really tacky grip, we mean that as a compliment. Tourna acknowledges that a product this extreme can be polarizing to players, and we saw some of that in the playtest results, but the amazing characteristics of Mega Tac obviously impressed the members of our playtest team.

Tourna says Mega Tac grips you back, but really, you have to try it to believe it.

Specifications

Length – 40 inches (102 cm)

Width - 1.125 inches (2.85 cm)

Weight - 6 grams

Thickness - Added 3/32 inches (.09375 inches) to a 4¼-inch grip

Playtester comments

“This was an excellent grip overall. It remained tacky throughout the test period and even though it became dirty and worn, it still remained tacky. The grip’s strengths are its durability, resistance to movement, and tackiness. My only recommendation would be to taper the ends for ease of wrapping. I would most likely switch to this grip, particularly if it were manufactured in different colors.” 4.5 male all court player using Prince O3 Blue (Tecnifibre Player’s Wrap)

“I really liked this overgrip! Great overgrip for players who sweat a lot (which I do). The feel was wonderful and it gave me that extra pop on my groundstrokes! I’m switching to this overgrip!!” 4.0 male all court player using Babolat Aero Pro Drive (Gamma Supreme)

“I believe the grip (size, comfort, and feel) is 40% of the playability of the racquet. A major part of my business as a racquet technician involves grip work — enlarging, replacement for installing overgrips. Many players at all levels pay little attention to their grips. I frequently provide complimentary overgrips with new string jobs because the existing grips are so bad they will distract from the quality of the new strings. The test sample overgrip was a very pleasant surprise. It was obviously a Tourna product, but was thicker and very tacky. I prefer a tacky, soft overgrip. Absorbency is not a concern of mine because I wear sweatbands and change them often. I like this sample grip and will add it to my inventory in the future. Great overgrip! Super tacky, long lasting and easy to install. Great new overgrip that is thick enough to also be used as a replacement grip.” 3.5 male baseliner with moderate spin using Prince Thunder Rip (Prince Microzorb and Prince Duratac +)

“I really liked the test overgrip because of its tackiness. My hands don’t sweat a lot and I felt like I had a good hold of the racquet handle — no slipping or twisting in my hand.” 4.0 female all court player using Head Youtek Graphene Speed Pro (Wilson Pro Overgrip)

“Felt great immediately and never lost that feel. If you want a tacky grip, this is the one. Superb!” 4.5 male all court player using Prince Tour 100T ESP (Prince Resi Pro)

“The grip of the future. This grip grips you back. I love this grip! When can I get more? It’s hard to go back to my regular grip.” 4.5 male all court player using Babolat Pure Storm Tour (Babolat Feel Pro Tour)

“This is a wonderful overgrip. I don’t know what the price is and would love to test it on a lot of my players.” 3.5 female all court player using Prince Scream (Wilson Pro Tour Overgrip)

“It is a very nice overgrip.” 5.5 male baseliner with heavy spin using Bosworth Tour (Dunlop Gecko-Tac)

“The temperatures where I live over the past six weeks were rarely over 45. So, I did not sweat much to test the absorbency of this grip. I usually play with a tacky grip, plus the Tacky Towel. But I didn’t need to use the tacky towel with this grip. I liked the fact that the grip didn’t lose its tackiness, nor did it show signs of wear during the playtest. I hope it’s available in other colors than the signature blue.” 4.0 male all court player using Volkl Organix 4 (Yonex Super Grap)

“I definitely prefer a more tacky grip. I think this will be a good summer product.” 5.0 male all court player using Wilson Juice 100 (Wilson Pro Overgrip)

“For people who sweat a lot, I would highly recommend it. Very tacky, lasts a lot longer than other grips and absorbs well.” 5.0 male all court player using Head Youtek Prestige (Head Contour)

“The overgrip is a sticky grip, which I like during the winter especially. In the summer, I prefer absorbent overgrips. I’ve used sticky overgrips in the past, but they tend to lose their stickiness fairly quickly. This overgrip has stayed sticky the entire time, and I’ve used it two times per week for at least 16 hours of play. I’m really impressed with this overgrip! How does it compare to my usual overgrip? Seems a bit cushier and stays sticky much longer.” 4.0 male all court player using Babolat Aeropro Drive Cortex (Wilson H2Overgrip)

“I never thought I would find a tacky grip better than the one I used for years — but, I did! Longer life, better feel. I am sold!” 5.0 male serve-and-volley player using Babolat AeroPro Drive (Yonex Super Grap)

“I was really surprised at how much I liked the way the grip felt when I first put it on my racquet. It was easy to wrap, was the right length, width, and thickness. I thought it lost its tackiness, or didn’t stay as tacky as long as the overgrip I normally use.” 5.0 male all court player using Wilson Steam Spin (Gamma Supreme)

“This grip is too tacky. It feels like there is glue on the grip when handled with a dry hand. The absorbency for a grip this tacky is very good. Players who love tacky grips will love this grip. At first glance, it looks like a Tourna product due to the colors.” 5.0 male baseliner with heavy spin using Wilson Pro Open BLX (Wilson Pro Overgrip)

“I have never had a grip or overgrip with this extreme degree of tackiness. I normally like tacky, but this is too much of a good thing.” 4.0 male baseliner with moderate spin using Wilson BLX Steam (Prince Pro +)

“Super tackiness that lasts. Really grips your hand without being sticky. Would like a tapered/adhesive starting end. White would also be nice. Definitely would stock and use. A winner!” 4.5 male all court player using Prince Premier ESP (Babolat Pro Tour Traction)

“I was very impressed by both the tackiness and durability. At first, I was concerned about amount of tackiness being too much, but it worked out very well. I would have like to test it during our 100 degree days of summer.” 3.5 male all court player using Babolat Pure Storm (none)

“Overall, the grip was excellent in terms of durability and feel. The only issue I had was it was a little too tacky. I felt that my hand had a hard time changing grips due to it being too sticky. As the grip wore in, it seems to really hold its tackiness well, but if a little sweat got on the grip, it didn’t disrupt the tackiness. But it didn’t absorb right away either. I think if the grip was just a little less tacky, it would be a home run.” 4.0 male all court player using Mantis 300 (Wilson Pro Overgrip)

“I could see some chronic grip slippers from sweaty palms really like this grip. A bit too much on the tacky side for my liking. Over time the grip became the level of tackiness I would like. It probably took a week or so. I think this would work well for those heavy sweaters in the summer time needing the extra gripping.” 5.0 male serve-and-volley player using Wilson BLX Five (Wilson Pro Overgrip)

“This overgrip was so tacky after first installed that my volley experienced dramatic improvement. However, it was very difficult changing my grip (forehand to backhand) because the grip was intensely tacky. It remained very tacky for about 10 to 13 hours. After the 13-hour mark, it became ordinary. Nice grip. I’d like to use it again. Is it a new and improved version of Tourna Tac?” 5.0 male serve-and-volley player using Steam 105S (Pacific X-Tack)

“If this overgrip was a little thicker, I would prefer it as much as my current overgrip. The grip lost some of its tackiness but still felt absorbent and was not slippery. I like this grip. Need it to be a little more cushy/thick.” 4.5 male all court player using Dunlop Biomimetic 600 (Wilson Pro Overgrip)

“Felt great and looked good. I would definitely stock for sale and possibly switch for personal use depending on price point.” 4.5 male touch player using Head MicroGel Extreme S 2.0 (Genesis Supra 50)

“I have been playing with the original Tourna Grip since the 80s. That grip is more of an absorbent grip than a tacky grip so it’s hard to change old habits. This one would be a great winter grip (aside from the first few times, when it seemed almost too tacky — difficult to change grips). I think this grip provides value assuming price is comparable to others, because the tack lasts so long that players wouldn’t have to change it very often.” 4.0 male all court player using Boris Becker Delta Core London (Tourna Grip Original)

“Simply a superior overgrip for those wanting a thick and tacky grip. I would prefer to see a thin and tacky option for players who want less comfort and more precision.” 5.0 male all court player using Wilson Blade 98 (None)

“Very tacky for the first few hours. Almost to the point of feeling like you will need too wash your hands. However, nothing is sticking to your hands. Retained a tacky feel even after 8-10 hours of play. I did have trouble installing it as it was moving a lot over my leather grip.” 4.0 male all court player using Wilson BLX Six One (Tourna Grip Blue)

“Grip had a spongy feel. Not as solid as I am used to. It’s overly tacky to begin, but felt better after a few hours. It had good durability. I would not switch to it from my current overgrip.” 6.0 male all court player using Wilson Blade (Wilson Pro Overgrip)

“Didn’t retain tackiness long enough. After 4-5 hours, I wanted to replace it. It does appear to be an improvement over the original Tourna Grip. It should be lengthened to accommodate the racquets with longer grips.” 4.5 male all court player using Babolat AeroPro Drive (Gamma Supreme)

“I’m not fond of fibrous overgrips. This overgrip doesn’t last as long as some other overgrips.” 4.5 male serve-and-volley player using Babolat Pure Drive (Gamma Supreme)

“Should have a starter area on both the grip and the adhesive. I prefer an adhesive strip that is stretchy as well.” 4.0 male all court player using Prince EXO3 Blue (Wilson Advantage)

(Grips normally used by testers are indicated in parentheses.)

Playtester Ratings

Tackiness (compared to other grips)
Too Tacky	9
About Right	20
Not Tacky Enough	1
Length
Too Long	0
About Right	25
Not Long Enough	5
Width
Too Wide	0
About Right	30
Too Narrow	0
Compression
Too Much Compression	0
About Right	29
Not Enough Compression	1
Stretch
Too Stretchy	0
About Right	24
Not Stretchy Enough	6
Absorbency
Too Absorbent	0
About Right	26
Not Absorbent Enough	4
Thickness
Too Thick	5
About Right	23
Not Thick Enough	2

Rating Averages

Durability (1st overall)	4.0
Initial Feel (3rd — tie)	3.8
Feel Over Time (3rd overall)	3.6
Proper Tackiness (1st overall)	4.0
Absorption (2nd overall)	3.5
Retains Tackiness (1st overall)	3.7
Tacky and Absorbent (1st overall)	3.9

KEY: Respondents ranked overgrip from a possible low of 1 to a high of 5. Values represent rating averages.

See all articles by Greg Raven

About the Author

Greg Raven  is an associate editor for Tennis Industry magazine and technical writer. He is certified as a Master Racquet Technician by the U.S. Racquet Stringers Association. He can be reached via e-mail at greg@usrsa.com, or through Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. He plays tennis three to five days a week, and is turning into an avid cyclist.

From the April 2014 issue
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