Prince Boron generation playability differences?

whomad15 · 06-26-2011, 11:55 AM

Is there any differences in the playability of the prince borons? I know people with the pro-staffs seem to find the st. vincents the magical ones, is it the same for the boron?

any opinions/speculations welcome

gavna · 06-26-2011, 03:00 PM

Really? They were all made in China if I recall and it's not like it had huge multiple production runs. In our shop at the time we sold 5!!!! (and that includes the one guy who came in and bought 3) In like 3 years and I never saw more than 2 stocked in any shop. Best thing about that frame was the full leather case and key fob u got for the $600+. Among retailers at the time it was a joke. Greatest foufou frame of all-time.

mad dog1 · 06-26-2011, 04:59 PM

the prince boron was most certainly not made in china. the early prince racquets were made in the usa ie. the grommetless POG OS. i know prince production moved to taiwan after. the later versions of the POG and boron w/ the full grommet strip and headguards were made in taiwan. i'm not sure if the borons w/ the individual grommets were made in the US or taiwan.

whomad, i've only played w/ the borons w/ the grommet strips so i'm not sure if the two different versions play differently.

whomad15 · 06-26-2011, 05:10 PM

Thanks for the info, I've been trying to find one on the cheapz. Guess having a really high price-tag makes it hard for people to get multiple of (unlike pro-staffs).

mad dog, what's your opinion of the boron you've played with. I've been a POG user for quite a while.

mad dog1 · 06-27-2011, 01:55 AM

^^ due it's stiffer flex, the boron is more powerful than the POG. they're both super solid sticks, but the boron feels more head heavy so it's not as easy to maneuver around the net on reflex volleys.

racquetfreak · 06-27-2011, 09:22 AM

like the pogs, early borons were made in the u.s., later runs, china.
like prostaffs, early borons were bumperless and later borons sported bumper/grommet systems.
earliest borons had individual grommets - VERY hard to find replacements
earlier borons had numeric serial numbers, later runs had alpha-numeric SNs
there were minor labelling variations between earlier and later versions.
earlier borons came with nicer leather covers (almost coach level of quality), later lesser and some with faux-suede vis-a-vis four stripe pogs.

gavna · 06-27-2011, 09:44 AM

Just remember in 83 or 84 having to peel off the made in china (maybe it was Taiwan no difference really) stickers on the few we sold. The boron was quite a bit stiffer than the POG and in the end really didn't offer enough to keep the production going.

mad dog1 · 06-27-2011, 10:10 AM

taiwan quality was considerably better than the china quality. taiwan pogs had good durable paint jobs. later thailand & china made pogs had uneven paint finishes, paint cracking at the top of the Y at the throat, yellowing & cracking clear coat. none of my prince classics made in taiwan had these issues that i saw in some of my thailand/china made sticks.

gavna · 06-27-2011, 10:34 AM

I unloaded a bunch of new POGs that never sold about 18 mos ago all from 1980 - 83, had them mixed in with a ton of old stock and I agree the finish was outstanding they looked like new and I found them in a box that was in a shed exposed to South Florida and Texas conditions. The lacquer used was like armor.

v-verb · 11-19-2012, 02:55 PM

Getting 2nd or 3rd gen Prince Boron on Wednesday - will hit with it that night and let you guys know how it feels.

Cheers

nigel

kalic · 11-19-2012, 10:59 PM

I have Precision boron longbody OS (shortened to standard). It is a nice racquet, but nothing special about it. And it is, imo, flexier than POG OS. I prefer feel of twaron/kevlar

coachrick · 11-20-2012, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kalic

I have>> Precision boron<< longbody OS (shortened to standard). It is a nice racquet, but nothing special about it. And it is, imo, flexier than POG OS. I prefer feel of twaron/kevlar

For the youngsters in the crowd, a completely different racket from the original Prince Boron.

BlueB · 11-20-2012, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coachrick

...original Prince Boron.

Love that! So, the "real" Boron = POB, to go with graphite counterpart, POG?

Mine is a cannon, a precise one, though. It's a bumperguard version. At least 1pt less HL then the most HH POG I've encountered.

v-verb · 11-20-2012, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueB

Love that! So, the "real" Boron = POB, to go with graphite counterpart, POG?

Mine is a cannon, a precise one, though. It's a bumperguard version. At least 1pt less HL then the most HH POG I've encountered.

I think that's the version I'm getting - will have it tomorrow and play it tomorrow night.

Can't wait! So it's a cannon? NICE!!

v-verb · 11-21-2012, 07:22 PM

So had a hit. The weight is not noticeable at all for me. It swings really nicely.

It came with some super stiff tension, probably north of 70 lbs. Hit like a board but when I connected just right it was superb

Getting it restrung with RPM Team 17 ga at 40 lbs.

All in all it's a great frame. Serves? Let's say it was very nice. When I focused on form I was hitting bombs.

So now I'm awaiting my POGs. But let's say the Boron is VERY nice!!!

mad dog1 · 11-21-2012, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by v-verb

So had a hit. The weight is not noticeable at all for me. It swings really nicely.

It came with some super stiff tension, probably north of 70 lbs. Hit like a board but when I connected just right it was superb

Getting it restrung with RPM Team 17 ga at 40 lbs.

All in all it's a great frame. Serves? Let's say it was very nice. When I focused on form I was hitting bombs.

So now I'm awaiting my POGs. But let's say the Boron is VERY nice!!!

the boron is a great racquet. the POG is a little flexier than the boron. both are great sticks.

40#s in an 107 sq in head size?

that's awfully low for an OS.

BlueB · 11-21-2012, 11:08 PM

I have no means of measuring, but I think that mine came with syngut at about 65lbs or so...
I do my POGs OS with 55/50 syngut or 55 syn / 45 poly and they play fine.

mad dog1 · 11-21-2012, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueB

I have no means of measuring, but I think that mine came with syngut at about 65lbs or so...
I do my POGs OS with 55/50 syngut or 55 syn / 45 poly and they play fine.

as long as it works for you. i string my POG OS w/ syn gut at 58# and 56# w/ poly. same w/ the my Boron. i can probably afford to drop 1-2#s without sacrificing too much control, but there's no way i could go as low as 40-45. i got 44-46# in my PS85s and 50#s in my 95 sq in sticks with open patterns. in tight 18x20 patterns, i can drop my tensions down to 44# full poly.

BlueB · 11-21-2012, 11:25 PM

Yeah, I'm not suggesting full bed at 45, that's just my poly cross with much tighter syn mains.

How HL was your Boron, with original leather grip, strung? Mine is about 5 HL...

mad dog1 · 11-21-2012, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueB

Yeah, I'm not suggesting full bed at 45, that's just my poly cross with much tighter syn mains.

How HL was your Boron, with original leather grip, strung? Mine is about 5 HL...

i've never measured mine, but it's approx 1-2 pts less HL than my 4 stripe POG OS so that sounds about right.

06-26-2011, 11:55 AM	#1
whomad15 Semi-Pro Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 556	Prince Boron generation playability differences? Is there any differences in the playability of the prince borons? I know people with the pro-staffs seem to find the st. vincents the magical ones, is it the same for the boron? any opinions/speculations welcome

06-26-2011, 04:59 PM	#3
mad dog1 Hall Of Fame Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 3,136	the prince boron was most certainly not made in china. the early prince racquets were made in the usa ie. the grommetless POG OS. i know prince production moved to taiwan after. the later versions of the POG and boron w/ the full grommet strip and headguards were made in taiwan. i'm not sure if the borons w/ the individual grommets were made in the US or taiwan. whomad, i've only played w/ the borons w/ the grommet strips so i'm not sure if the two different versions play differently. Last edited by mad dog1 : 06-27-2011 at 01:53 AM.

06-27-2011, 01:55 AM	#5
mad dog1 Hall Of Fame Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 3,136	^^ due it's stiffer flex, the boron is more powerful than the POG. they're both super solid sticks, but the boron feels more head heavy so it's not as easy to maneuver around the net on reflex volleys. Last edited by mad dog1 : 06-27-2011 at 01:57 AM.

06-27-2011, 10:10 AM	#8
mad dog1 Hall Of Fame Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 3,136	taiwan quality was considerably better than the china quality. taiwan pogs had good durable paint jobs. later thailand & china made pogs had uneven paint finishes, paint cracking at the top of the Y at the throat, yellowing & cracking clear coat. none of my prince classics made in taiwan had these issues that i saw in some of my thailand/china made sticks. Last edited by mad dog1 : 06-27-2011 at 10:39 AM.

11-19-2012, 10:59 PM	#11
kalic Semi-Pro Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Clay, behind the baseline Posts: 758	I have Precision boron longbody OS (shortened to standard). It is a nice racquet, but nothing special about it. And it is, imo, flexier than POG OS. I prefer feel of twaron/kevlar __________________ PT630