Prince Phantom Pro and Phantom Pro100P
- Thread starter Hayward Butler
- Start date
I have just restrung my 100p with nxt 17 at 48lbs and found I lost the softer feel and extra dwell time on the strings. It feels more crisp and firm now. I initially had PSGD 16 in it which felt really nice. It has also changed seasons in OZ and is now much colder. Are the odds of this change in the temperature or the strings? I have never felt such a drastic change in stringbed feel in the past when this happens.
DanS
Semi-Pro
You're not playing tennis out in the snow are you? lol
If not, then the strings would be my guess. Syn gut and multi's usually play quite differently. I've never used NXT before, but I'm kind of intrigued that you described it as crisp and firm which are two terms not usually associated with a multi. What variation of NXT are you using?
Tommy Haas
Hall of Fame
Wilson NXT is the opposite of crisp and firm. It's very gummy when new and grabs onto the ball really well, but it wears off quickly and will fray and either break or lose so much tension that it's no longer fun to hit with anymore.
DanS
Semi-Pro
I'm not sure that could have been any more opposite! lol
I agree with you all. I expected the nxt in a 17g to be soft and hug the ball better. When it was in PSGD 16 at 50lbs it felt reminiscent of my old exo tour. It's like I am seeing 2 sides of some feedback. Some says it plays stiffer than the RA suggest which I would agree on current observation but my initial string job I would have said it felt buttery and soft.
Searah
Semi-Pro
i just demo'd a Prince phantom pro 100 and the serve is a bit iffy.. at least i don't feel confident with it but my opponents kept making errors against my serve.. so not sure what was causing them problems.
the forehand/backhand was very solid.. i felt in control and kept hitting deep. hitting so hard at the ball and it goes in the court.. they expect another solid hit then i trick them and dropshot it in.. dropshots work well with this racket.
by the end of the night.. i am sadly currently dealing with a bit of back pain.. i think it was the serves causing it or maybe i am just used to a more forgiving racket instead of completely doing all the power work.
edit - it has a flex rating of 57.. i thought the lower the flex the more comfortable it is?
the forehand/backhand was very solid.. i felt in control and kept hitting deep. hitting so hard at the ball and it goes in the court.. they expect another solid hit then i trick them and dropshot it in.. dropshots work well with this racket.
by the end of the night.. i am sadly currently dealing with a bit of back pain.. i think it was the serves causing it or maybe i am just used to a more forgiving racket instead of completely doing all the power work.
edit - it has a flex rating of 57.. i thought the lower the flex the more comfortable it is?
Searah
Semi-Pro
i see in your signature.. is the textreme warrior 100 super powerful?
(sorry don't know answer to your question tho)
Not super powerful like an OS frame.Typical tweener power level. Welcoming rather than overwhelming. But for some that like to take massive cuts and big strokes at the ball might feel it slightly harder to swing out and keep the ball in.
Tried out the PP100P today (strung w/ VS Touch at 55lbs) and thought it volleyed extremely well...more so than the TT100P I've tried before. Feels like it has extra head mass so the volleys are stable. Sliced extremely well too. Forehands were great when swinging out too. Only negatives is off-center/frame hits feel much harsher than prokennex racquets :-(
DanS
Semi-Pro
You should try lowering your tension a little bit the next time you get it strung. Mine came freshly strung with RPM Blast (never used that string before) strung in the mid 40's and the sweet spot was actually quite large. I'll probably never use it again as I refuse to pay $20 for a set of poly strings, especially with how fast people say it goes dead. I will say it does feel pretty nice, but not that much better than Cyclone.
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DanS
Semi-Pro
In the playtest video Chris said he would string it between 40-42 pounds but I haven't been brave enough to go that low yet! lol
He was using a poly string so if you apply the 10% rule then it's about mid 40 range for synthetics.
DanS
Semi-Pro
Gotcha... I wasn't sure what you were stringing it with. I may try a poly/syth hybrid when I restring it as soon as the RPM it came with dies out. I have some softer round polys I've wanted to try out that I'll mix with some head PPS at maybe 40-42/45.
I'm really suprised by how everyone here seems to do well with stringing the Phantom at very low tensions. For my Phantom Pro I tried Hyper-G 1.25 at 23/22kg (52/48.5lbs) first and didn't really like it. Did Tour Bite Soft with 24.5/23.5kg (53/50.7 lbs) next and still have the feeling it should be higher tension.
Am I missing something?
Am I missing something?
DanS
Semi-Pro
I'm really suprised by how everyone here seems to do well with stringing the Phantom at very low tensions. For my Phantom Pro I tried Hyper-G 1.25 at 23/22kg (52/48.5lbs) first and didn't really like it. Did Tour Bite Soft with 24.5/23.5kg (53/50.7 lbs) next and still have the feeling it should be higher tension.
Am I missing something?
Obviously string it how it feels good to you! That's the most important thing!
Personally I like the extra pop I get from stringing it lower as well as the expanded sweet spot and additional comfort. To me it's a noticable difference, especially with stiffer strings I normally wouldn't be able to use.
My other raquets are Wilson Ultra Tour's. I use a very thin gauge of Cyclone in those. There is no way I would get enough power with strings like that strung at 60 lbs like some people, plus the thinner gauge and lower tension sive me extra spin I wouldn't normally get on such a tight pattern.
DanS
Semi-Pro
It definitely has more power than a prestige or my UT's, that's for sure. Considering the way people were describing it, I have to admit I was kind of caught off guard when I finally got mine.
DanS
Semi-Pro
I'd say less, but it's been a while since I've hit with one. It was also strung quite a bit lower than the way my PP100P came strung so I can't really give you a proper comparison. I still think the DR98 will still be a little more powerful though as it's a stiffer racquet with a thicker beam. If you string the PP100P in the 40's it has more than enough power in my opinion.
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Less for sure...I used a DR98 285g before the PP100P. The DR98 had more spin but because of the extra power, you can get non-full-swing hits back better...also seemed a little less harsh on off-center/frame hits than the PP100P. The PP100P has much better slice and volleys. Slice/topspin serves were a bit better w/ the DR98...flats are about even because the DR98 feels like it swings slower. Hope that helps.
JackStraw225
Rookie
Am I right that the ideal tension for poly in the PP100P is 45-48lbs? I'm using Cyclone Tour at 50lbs and it feels a bit underpowered. Ball placement is good, but it's hard to crush balls when you are going for winners. Part of the problem is that I'm used to playing with more modern frames (stiffer and lighter) but I do think the ideal tension for poly in this frame is lower than 50.
DanS
Semi-Pro
In the playtest video, Chris suggested 40-42 pounds. That would work with something like Cyclone, Tour Bite, or similar strings, but I would be afraid to string Cyclone Tour that low. I strung it at 48 in a Pro Staff in the past and didn't like it at all. I absolutely love Cyclone 18L and 19 strung in the 40's. Good feel, power, and very comfortable at that tension. I haven't been brave enough to go down below 42 yet, but I may try it out sometime soon.
48
48/50 XP 17/PPC 17
JackStraw225
Rookie
What didn't you like about Cyclone Tour at 48?
DanS
Semi-Pro
It's hard to explain... It felt, um, springy? It wasn't like a ball pocketing feeling or anything like that. To be honest, I've never felt it before in any other string I've tried. Maybe I got a bad pack? It was the 18g in the red.
JackStraw225
Rookie
I'm kind of surprised to report that my shoulder and elbow are sore after playing a lot this week with the PP100P. Off-center shots are pretty harsh, and the stringbed near the top of the hoop is really stiff.
I'm going to have it restrung with a multi to see if that helps. If not, I may have to reluctantly sell this and pick up an Ultra Tour.
I'm going to have it restrung with a multi to see if that helps. If not, I may have to reluctantly sell this and pick up an Ultra Tour.
ollinger
G.O.A.T.
a LOT less
One of the customer reviews mentioned "There is a nice plush feel when you hit the small sweet spot but off center hits will jolt your arm" for the ultra tour.
For less jarring off center hits, I can only think of prokennex racquets...
DanS
Semi-Pro
What string and tension did you use?
Also, I added 2g of tungsten tape at 10 and 2 and it seemed to open up the sweet spot quite a bit. If the one you have isn't as head light you may have to put the same amount of weight under the butt cap.
DanS
Semi-Pro
I bought both the PP100P and the PP100 and the sweet spot seems larger on the PP100 in stock form. The have the same beam thickness so I don't think that's the reason. If anything I'd say it's the beam shape.
Try what I suggested in my post above. That weight placement not only widens the sweet spot, but it tends to bring it up a tad higher in the hoop as well. Gets rid of that harshness.
I have 1.5g at 12 on mine at the moment but I have also thought about going 2g total at 10 and 2 instead since the tape gets beat up after getting a restring. Good observation on the sweet spot between the pro and and pro 100p.
DanS
Semi-Pro
Yeah.. I tried it at 12 first as well but it didn't do anything to change the feeling of the racquet. It actually surprised me how much it changed the characteristics when I moved it.
Tommy Haas
Hall of Fame
I'm thinking of picking up a PP100 to accompany my 93P. I play with an L3 grip using the stock leather and VS Original, which I think is the thinnest overgrip available. Do I need to go down to an L2 with the PP100 if I'm going to replace the synthetic grip with leather and an OG? I don't know how Prince manufactures the grip's size when it's supposed to have a synthetic grip instead of a leather grip.
DanS
Semi-Pro
If memory serves, the grip thickness shouldn't be too much different between the two so I would stay true to size. Let me know how you like the Prince leather grips. I remember loving them, but I haven't used them in a long time.
PBODY99
Legend
Hayward Butler
Rookie
I just recently received some new Phantom Pro 100's. The frames were strung with Prince synthetic gut w/duraflex at around 23 kg. This is not my normal go to string, but for the sake of testing with different strings it will do just fine. The tension was a bit too hard for my taste so I had not play it soft, which didn't take too. First of all, I noticed the difference between my Tour 100's sweet spot and that of the Phantom Pro. The Pro seems to have a smaller sweet spot. The flex is not as noticeable at first due to the hard string job. As the strings softened the flex became more noticeable. I was really impressed by the phenomenal control on all strokes. I was just hitting out on everything and the shots were just staying in. I really couldn't believe my serves.I will just give you a guick rundown as I will be reporting back later with more testing after a restring with Technifibre HDX and TGV.
Serves--- I just didn't seem to be able to miss. I played points with one of my tournament playing students and hit close to 25 serves before I missed a serve. Slice serves, kick serves and flat all worked really well. Power was not an issue either. Just a great serving frame.
Groundies were also very consistent and could be well placed. The power comes from you. I really liked being able to rip groundies without fear of them flying.
Volleys: Nice. Very nice!
Touch: Super. Drop shots and angled slice as well as topspin passing shots can be executed with great feel.
I am really looking forward to dropping a set of hdx and tgv in and going for a test run.
Serves--- I just didn't seem to be able to miss. I played points with one of my tournament playing students and hit close to 25 serves before I missed a serve. Slice serves, kick serves and flat all worked really well. Power was not an issue either. Just a great serving frame.
Groundies were also very consistent and could be well placed. The power comes from you. I really liked being able to rip groundies without fear of them flying.
Volleys: Nice. Very nice!
Touch: Super. Drop shots and angled slice as well as topspin passing shots can be executed with great feel.
I am really looking forward to dropping a set of hdx and tgv in and going for a test run.
DanS
Semi-Pro
Looking forward to hearing your observations after you restring it!
DanS
Semi-Pro
I'm afraid to try a gut hybrid because I will probably love it, and I just can't justify spending that much on strings.
My sentiment initially too but have since switched to gut hybrid. It's surprisingly cheaper in the end as its playability window is 2-4 times longer than full poly I've found. Much nicer feel, touch, consistency, and comfort too.
Mostly depends if you're a string breaker. If yes, it's more expensive. If no (like me), it's well worth it because it feels better for much longer and you can restring once a year
On the plus side, it's also better for your arm if you've had issues.
On my second go around with the Phantom Pro 100, I'm finding it to be a beautifully flexy frame for baseline grinding. To me, it is a better Phantom 100 with more directional control. I've strung it up with 4G 141 and added a leather grip and it is great for the modern game.
One thing I'm looking for in the frame is a bit more ability to flatten out balls like I would get in an 18x20. Can this be resolved with different strings/tension/lead at 3 & 9?
One thing I'm looking for in the frame is a bit more ability to flatten out balls like I would get in an 18x20. Can this be resolved with different strings/tension/lead at 3 & 9?
