The Prince Phantom 93P is a gift to us from TW - My Review/AMA

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stephenclown

Professional
Tommy Haas said:
With the colder weather, small margin for error, and the leather grip, I forget that the 93P can feel quite harsh on mishits. It's something that isn't noticeable during the summer, but I can definitely feel the frame's 61RA now. I know some will say otherwise, to each his own. We all react differently to a frame's specs. Prince, please hurry up and release the 97P. I also hope the pre-prod specimen that guy from this thread had was on the stiffer side and the normal RA will be around 56-57.
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I string this frame with Poly Tour Pro ranging from 32-38 lbs and it helps a lot in the cooler weather. 32 is really very nice on the arm. I also hit with a pretty extreme stroke in terms of forgiveness/racquet head speed where I have a very small window for pure striking.

I purchased matched racquets from Singapore and both frames were 62RA unstrung


wevin said:
As much as I loved this 93P racket, I had to sell it because my wrist couldn’t take the strain on forehand. Something about the weight distribution was just too much for me when I would start the upward motion thru impact on forehand. Yonex VCP330 no problem at all. So very similar overall weight, but different distribution not causing pain. Phantom 100P no problem but it is much lighter.
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Interesting to see the differences in peoples strokes, I purchased a Vcore SV95 to try and combat a low trajectory and increase room for error but it has really done damage to my wrist. Back to the prince and it is much better and slowly healing back up. I would guess the SV95 is more like the VCP and has more weight in the throat. Felt vague and unconnected to the ball compared to the prince which is very nice.

I might end up with both the new 97P and 14x18 93P to experiment with. Hoping the 97 comes out very soon.

 
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Tommy Haas

Tommy Haas

Hall of Fame
You remind me of Nadal. Not just being lefty, but the stroke or maybe all leftys hit that way now. Shapavolov too. Today's lefty stroke is so much better looking than the McEnroe and even uglier Connors stroke.
 
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stephenclown

Professional
Tommy Haas said:
You remind me of Nadal. Not just being lefty, but the stroke or maybe all leftys hit that way now. Shapavolov too. Today's lefty stroke is so much better looking than the McEnroe and even uglier Connors stroke.
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Not quite sure about the aesthetics but I am jealous of how much room for error Nadal has in his stroke. I found that stringing low with poly increased the forgiveness of the frame as well as the comfort a lot. The only issue is the entire string bed feels like the sweet spot so have to pay attention to hitting the centre more. Currently use 1.25 but 1.20 is meant to feel a little softer and more controlled so might try that next. PTP in this frame is just so soft, I had good results with RPM Blast Rough as well.
 
Boubi

Boubi

Professional
Tommy Haas said:
You remind me of Nadal. Not just being lefty, but the stroke or maybe all leftys hit that way now. Shapavolov too. Today's lefty stroke is so much better looking than the McEnroe and even uglier Connors stroke.
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Better looking is completely subjective
At the contrary it's sure Nadal could not hit as he hits now with a 65 sq inches racquet weighing more than 400 grams
 
flanker2000fr

flanker2000fr

Hall of Fame
Boubi said:
Better looking is completely subjective
At the contrary it's sure Nadal could not hit as he hits now with a 65 sq inches racquet weighing more than 400 grams
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Watch a video of Vilas in his prime to have an idea of how Nadal would hit with a 65 sq in / 400+ grams racquet strung with natural gut.

I am occasionally hitting with a Head Vilas coming at 385 grams, and it's mind boggling that Vilas managed to impart as much spin on the ball with this racquet. This guy was an absolute beast.
 
Classic-TXP-IG MID

Classic-TXP-IG MID

Hall of Fame
I'm getting close to this racquet feeling right. I have added 1.25g of TW Tungsten Tape at 3 & 9 o'clock respectively, 6g at 7" above butt cap, and a Tourna Overgrip. I plan to add another 1g at 12 o'clock (split evenly either side of 12 o'clock to not hinder the stringing clamp).

Currently at 361g strung weight. It's strung with Solinco Hyper-G 18g (1.15mm) @ 48M/45C (DT of 39), which is a bit tight for me. Not sure how I feel about this string. The feel when hitting the ball is firmer than the RA would suggest.

I feel like I have three options: a softer 18g poly at a lower tension (maybe 46M/43C), Hyper-G 18g at 46M/43C (or maybe even a bit lower) in order to test whether it's the string making the racquet feel firmer or not, or a gut/ syn gut in the Mains @ around 50 and a soft round poly (maybe Tourna Black Zone 1.20mm or similar) in the Crosses @ 44-46 lbs.

Since we're entering the Summer Season soon (Australia), and where I live gets quite humid, for this round it may need to be a Syn Gut Mains for the third option. I have some Gosen AK Control 17 that I have been wanting to try.

Thoughts...?
 
mhkeuns

mhkeuns

Hall of Fame
It
Classic-TXP-IG MID said:
I'm getting close to this racquet feeling right. I have added 1.25g of TW Tungsten Tape at 3 & 9 o'clock respectively, 6g at 7" above butt cap, and a Tourna Overgrip. I plan to add another 1g at 12 o'clock (split evenly either side of 12 o'clock to not hinder the stringing clamp).

Currently at 361g strung weight. It's strung with Solinco Hyper-G 18g (1.15mm) @ 48M/45C (DT of 39), which is a bit tight for me. Not sure how I feel about this string. The feel when hitting the ball is firmer than the RA would suggest.

I feel like I have three options: a softer 18g poly at a lower tension (maybe 46M/43C), Hyper-G 18g at 46M/43C (or maybe even a bit lower) in order to test whether it's the string making the racquet feel firmer or not, or a gut/ syn gut in the Mains @ around 50 and a soft round poly (maybe Tourna Black Zone 1.20mm or similar) in the Crosses @ 44-46 lbs.

Since we're entering the Summer Season soon (Australia), and where I live gets quite humid, for this round it may need to be a Syn Gut Mains for the third option. I have some Gosen AK Control 17 that I have been wanting to try.

Thoughts...?
Click to expand...

To me, the 93P played its best with the 18G RPM Blast at 48lbs. Some strung it lower around low 40’s with 17G, but I liked it better with the 18G poly near 50 lbs.
 
flanker2000fr

flanker2000fr

Hall of Fame
Classic-TXP-IG MID said:
I'm getting close to this racquet feeling right. I have added 1.25g of TW Tungsten Tape at 3 & 9 o'clock respectively, 6g at 7" above butt cap, and a Tourna Overgrip. I plan to add another 1g at 12 o'clock (split evenly either side of 12 o'clock to not hinder the stringing clamp).

Currently at 361g strung weight. It's strung with Solinco Hyper-G 18g (1.15mm) @ 48M/45C (DT of 39), which is a bit tight for me. Not sure how I feel about this string. The feel when hitting the ball is firmer than the RA would suggest.

I feel like I have three options: a softer 18g poly at a lower tension (maybe 46M/43C), Hyper-G 18g at 46M/43C (or maybe even a bit lower) in order to test whether it's the string making the racquet feel firmer or not, or a gut/ syn gut in the Mains @ around 50 and a soft round poly (maybe Tourna Black Zone 1.20mm or similar) in the Crosses @ 44-46 lbs.

Since we're entering the Summer Season soon (Australia), and where I live gets quite humid, for this round it may need to be a Syn Gut Mains for the third option. I have some Gosen AK Control 17 that I have been wanting to try.

Thoughts...?
Click to expand...

Personally I like the Hyper G quite a lot as it has really good spin and control, but is not overly hard on the arm. If I were you, I would experiment dropping the tension by 2-3lbs and see how that feels. If it still feels too tight / dead, maybe migrate to a softer option, like a Volkl Cyclone, though you probably want to go with a 17 gauge in that particular string, if you want to keep a decent playability / durability.
 
Classic-TXP-IG MID

Classic-TXP-IG MID

Hall of Fame
flanker2000fr said:
Personally I like the Hyper G quite a lot as it has really good spin and control, but is not overly hard on the arm. If I were you, I would experiment dropping the tension by 2-3lbs and see how that feels. If it still feels too tight / dead, maybe migrate to a softer option, like a Volkl Cyclone, though you probably want to go with a 17 gauge in that particular string, if you want to keep a decent playability / durability.
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Thanks for your thoughts. I used Volkl Cyclone 18L (1.15mm) in my Fischer VT Pro 95 (16x20 - 330g unstrung), and it was amazing and lasted about 1-1.5 months before it started launching the ball. Awesome string that I will be using again. Huge spin, excellent control, and I liked the feel on impact.
 
S

stephenclown

Professional
@Rock-solid

Could be due to the vastly different weights, if one is head heavy to your feel it could be higher swingweight. That would make sense as to why you have issues with serve on the new one but it is better at blocking returns. Likely it will be very similar but more plush and potentially a higher twistweight which could also account for the better returns.

That paintjob however is dope. I love it.

How long for the 97 to release and I want a 14x18 in that new paintjob. Can't wait.... !! Seriously the best paint job of any frame in recent memory. Dark purple, clean brand name in white and subdued twaron peek is a nice change from flashy babolats or recycling wilsons.
 
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Classic-TXP-IG MID

Classic-TXP-IG MID

Hall of Fame
I'm loving the paint job... Sounds like @Rock-solid the difference in weight and perhaps the distribution of it within the racquet was playing with your normal game... Maybe even try to find one that is closer to your specs before changing to the old one... Just a thought.

I can't wait for the Phantom 97P... sounds like just what the doctor ordered... provided it's not too firm or stiff.
 
S

stephenclown

Professional
Classic-TXP-IG MID said:
I'm loving the paint job... Sounds like @Rock-solid the difference in weight and perhaps the distribution of it within the racquet was playing with your normal game... Maybe even try to find one that is closer to your specs before changing to the old one... Just a thought.

I can't wait for the Phantom 97P... sounds like just what the doctor ordered... provided it's not too firm or stiff.
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60RA 16x18 seems like it will be very soft, probably a fair chunk softer than the 93P and softer than the 14x18 93 as well
 
S

stephenclown

Professional
Hmm the phantom 100 pre-order for November in japan has parallel drilling as well. I wonder if this will be out into the rest of the revamps?

princetennis.jp

パラレルホール - Prince プリンステニス公式サイト

数多くの世界のトップテニスプレイヤーの勝利に貢献してきたPrince(プリンス)の公式サイトです。テニスラケットからシューズ、ウェアまで豊富な商品ラインナップをご紹介いたします。
princetennis.jp princetennis.jp

Also split throat grommet like the yonex ezone series.

Grommets larger and contact frame on outside? Unsure of the translation but it looks to increase sweet spot.

I hope they make these across their entire line

Looks like single piece grommet on the new 93P so not holding too much hope
 
S

stephenclown

Professional
Rock-solid said:
Apparently the store got copies to use as demos, including the 97, and then sold them instead.
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Did they have a firm release date?

Watching the fukky review, the 100 phantom with the strings on the frame is really interesting, like a hybrid port grommet system? 100 and 97 seem super interesting, will need to try them
 
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dgoran

dgoran

Hall of Fame
Tommy Haas said:
With the colder weather, small margin for error, and the leather grip, I forget that the 93P can feel quite harsh on mishits. It's something that isn't noticeable during the summer, but I can definitely feel the frame's 61RA now. I know some will say otherwise, to each his own. We all react differently to a frame's specs. Prince, please hurry up and release the 97P. I also hope the pre-prod specimen that guy from this thread had was on the stiffer side and the normal RA will be around 56-57.
Click to expand...
I switch to head velocity during winter and it’s great
 
Tommy Haas

Tommy Haas

Hall of Fame
dgoran said:
I switch to head velocity during winter and it’s great
Click to expand...

I've tried Velocity and it's a nice multi for spin generation. My elbow didn't like it though. I have to use Xcel because it's softer, but spins less and more "trampoliny" when loose. I'm hoping the 97P is the answer. I love the 93P's control, but spin and power requires perfect strokes. 97P might be the answer. The 100Ps are too big of a jump from the 93P. Glad they made it 97" instead of 98" because that's almost 100". I hope the 97P's RA is low. I really don't like the 93P's 61RA. I wish it was a little more flexible.
 
dgoran

dgoran

Hall of Fame
Tommy Haas said:
I've tried Velocity and it's a nice multi for spin generation. My elbow didn't like it though. I have to use Xcel because it's softer, but spins less and more "trampoliny" when loose. I'm hoping the 97P is the answer. I love the 93P's control, but spin and power requires perfect strokes. 97P might be the answer. The 100Ps are too big of a jump from the 93P. Glad they made it 97" instead of 98" because that's almost 100". I hope the 97P's RA is low. I really don't like the 93P's 61RA. I wish it was a little more flexible.
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I hear you regarding having to have perfect timing on your strokes that’s why I started looking at blade v7 and others.
Did you try prince phantom 100
 
Grieeegoorr

Grieeegoorr

Semi-Pro
Will the 97P be the publicly available PT57A that we all so desperately want?

Will Prince trump Head and give the tennis public the equipment they deserve?

Will Head trump Head? Again.

Stay tuned, more developments to come, although I'm sure the 97P will have its own thread so maybe keep an eye out for that.
 
Tommy Haas

Tommy Haas

Hall of Fame
Grieeegoorr said:
Will the 97P be the publicly available PT57A that we all so desperately want?

Will Prince trump Head and give the tennis public the equipment they deserve?

Will Head trump Head? Again.

Stay tuned, more developments to come, although I'm sure the 97P will have its own thread so maybe keep an eye out for that.
Click to expand...

I really hope so. My guess is that it will be a modernized PT57A geared for rec players, so it won't be as flexible or heavy. PT57A is for pros with mid 50s RA and +12oz.
 
S

stephenclown

Professional
Tao69 said:
No stiffness rating in the spec?
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Looks like it was added in the last day or two and has the minimum specs on there. I can't find it with the search function.

How did you find the 14x18 compared to the 18m? I saw urs for sale as well so I guess you liked the control more on the original?
 
T

Tao69

Rookie
stephenclown said:
Looks like it was added in the last day or two and has the minimum specs on there. I can't find it with the search function.

How did you find the 14x18 compared to the 18m? I saw urs for sale as well so I guess you liked the control more on the original?
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Yeah, I’m rarely inclined to play the 14x18, figure there’s no point it sitting in my bag. The 18x20 never disappoints, I can’t fault it for how I like to play and I’m happy to own the shortcomings it highlights in my technique. I still haven’t strung up the 100 18x20, I’m worried the forgiveness will be too hard to give up but figure it’ll be perfect for when I can’t manage the 93P anymore.
 
chazz

chazz

Rookie
Nextman916 said:
8 main grommet piece - spaced denser than my textreme 95 inch 16 x 19.

Got it on an RDC today, strung with poly tour strike 16g and head reflex multi 16g - no overgrip or dampener

332g
60 RA
311 SW
317 mm
Power 48B
Control 50B
Maneuverability 79A

it's played pretty well so far but the low sw and hl balance explains the tt95 having better stability, obv its thicker beam helps as well.
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I'm looking for something a tad bit easier to swing than my current POG oversize but the sw on this is disappointing if it truly will be 311. I was hoping for a sw in the mid 320's. The flex seems perfect though.
 
S

stephenclown

Professional
chazz said:
I'm looking for something a tad bit easier to swing than my current POG oversize but the sw on this is disappointing if it truly will be 311. I was hoping for a sw in the mid 320's. The flex seems perfect though.
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I linked above for the tennis warehouse specs but no RA and it claimed 320 swing which isn't that bad. You should be able to get one in the mid 320s if you need
 
Tommy Haas

Tommy Haas

Hall of Fame
Wonder if Nextman's was a preprod frame and specs aren't what the regular unit specs are. What does 8 main grommet piece mean? That's is pretty dense for a 16x19? That the edges of the hoop have wide spacing? I'd like to see someone compare the actual density of the 97P against the 93P.
 
Tommy Haas

Tommy Haas

Hall of Fame
If the new 97P 16x18 string pattern is dense towards the center, would that not make the outer part of the hoop unusable and negate the larger head size? The 93P although being small, has a more open and evenly spaced string pattern across the entire hoop's surface making it play like a 95".

It looks like the 97P will play more like a 95". Which leads me to ask, what makes it better than TT95? A larger hoop playing smaller than it really is won't cut through the air as fast as a true 95". That's what made the 93P special because it cut through the air like a 93", but hit like a 95".
 
S

stephenclown

Professional
Tommy Haas said:
If the new 97P 16x18 string pattern is dense towards the center, would that not make the outer part of the hoop unusable and negate the larger head size? The 93P although being small, has a more open and evenly spaced string pattern across the entire hoop's surface making it play like a 95".

It looks like the 97P will play more like a 95". Which leads me to ask, what makes it better than TT95? A larger hoop playing smaller than it really is won't cut through the air as fast as a true 95". That's what made the 93P special because it cut through the air like a 93", but hit like a 95".
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Not sure that I agree with your reasoning at all, I feel the 93 plays larger because it is as wide as most 97-98" frames. The 97 should be more open than the 93P and probably nearly as wide as a more traditional 100" frame.

The 97 is supposed to be more dense than the TT95 and the Twaron should add stability and dampening. The box beam will also help with feel and response. With weight added it should hopefully be soft, controlled and forgiving. The TT95 is the classic head shape and therefore the 97 should be more forgiving.

The 16-20mm beam is very nimble through the air. I doubt it plays any slower than the TT95 which is 22.5-22-19. I would expect it to play faster due to the beam and 1 less cross. My 93P cuts through the air as well as my TC90 but with a huge advantage in stability due to its box beam.
 
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PSC85

PSC85

Semi-Pro
Wondering if it’d be stable enough without much twisting considering the low static weight, flex, thin beam, and larger head size

Paint scheme is very classy though
 
Tommy Haas

Tommy Haas

Hall of Fame
Addxyz said:
So this is more of a replacement for the 100P instead of the 93P?

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
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It's just bridges the gap between the 93P and 100P. I have mixed feelings about Prince making the 97P a dense patterned 16x18 for control over an open patterned 18x20 which I would have preferred. By making it a dense patterned 16x18 on a 97" hoop, the outer edge of the hoop is pretty much unusable without any strings there making it hit more like a 95". They might as well made it a 95P with 16x18. No one will know how it hits until we get some reviews unless @nextman can post some feedback on how it handles on shanks near the hoop.
 
grhcan99

grhcan99

Semi-Pro
If the density is like their 100 16x18 offerings then it can only be better. I don’t care about hitting the hoop edge. Percentage of getting some good out of that is very low anyway. But with smaller size equalling faster swing speed this means being able to be better ready with racquet position to reduce chances of mishits.
 
Automatix

Automatix

Legend
Tommy Haas said:
It's just bridges the gap between the 93P and 100P. I have mixed feelings about Prince making the 97P a dense patterned 16x18 for control over an open patterned 18x20 which I would have preferred. By making it a dense patterned 16x18 on a 97" hoop, the outer edge of the hoop is pretty much unusable without any strings there making it hit more like a 95". They might as well made it a 95P with 16x18. No one will know how it hits until we get some reviews unless @nextman can post some feedback on how it handles on shanks near the hoop.
Click to expand...
If you think strings well outside the sweetspot allow you to hit effectively just because there are strings there than you are kidding yourself.
 
flanker2000fr

flanker2000fr

Hall of Fame
Tommy Haas said:
It's just bridges the gap between the 93P and 100P. I have mixed feelings about Prince making the 97P a dense patterned 16x18 for control over an open patterned 18x20 which I would have preferred. By making it a dense patterned 16x18 on a 97" hoop, the outer edge of the hoop is pretty much unusable without any strings there making it hit more like a 95". They might as well made it a 95P with 16x18. No one will know how it hits until we get some reviews unless @nextman can post some feedback on how it handles on shanks near the hoop.
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Yup, I hear you. I think it's the very open pattern on the outer edge of the 16x18 PP100P that causes the ball to fly if not hitting the sweet spot.

My ideal configuration of a Phantom would be a 95 sq. in. with either a 16x18 or 16x19 pattern, 320g static weight, 8 pt headlight, 62 RA.

For now, I am quite happy with the 93P 14x18, but would be happier with the above.
 
P

PistolPete23

Hall of Fame
The Textreme at 10 and 2 reminds me of the old Triple Threat racquets. Does anyone know why there’s a light-colored ply in the weave pattern? It’s also there in the Textreme Beast. Carbon fiber is black; makes me think there might be Twaron or fiberglass in there.
 
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