TW Review: Prince EXO3 Rebel 98
- Thread starter TW Staff
- Start date
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
The Rebel 98 has O ports on the sides.
Last edited:
tennisxlsdk
Rookie
Are string grommets available for purchase to replace the port grommets for sides and top/bottom for the Rebel 98 similar to the exo3 Tour?
themitchmann
Hall of Fame
As far as I know, yes. I just got some for my Rebel 95s.
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
where did you get them from?
themitchmann
Hall of Fame
Directly from Prince (I'm a sponsored teaching pro).
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
When u get a chance, can u find out if they have the same hole grommet inserts for the 98? thanks
themitchmann
Hall of Fame
I'm 99% sure they will, but I'll send an email. Might be faster to ask in the TW Questions section.
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
Personally I don't find it similar to the Blade at all. Much lighter and whippier. The Blade is also much stiffer feeling and heavier swingweight. Also, they both have different string patterns. I find the Rebel 98 similar to the Head Speed 300 and the Pacific XForce.
dParis
Hall of Fame
Preferred the Rebel 98. I found better control, spin, volleys and comfort with the Rebel 98. I feel BBlade is more powerful. Another important difference is the balance/weight distribution between the two frames. I'm not going to say one is "better" than the other but there is a difference and you will prefer one over the other.
Between the XForce and the Rebel 98, can you say one is more powerful than the other?
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
They both have a medium amount of power....about the same. But you need to swing each stick pretty fast to get depth.
dParis
Hall of Fame
The XForce Pro is a little bit out of your spec range, I believe, but have you had a chance to ever hit with it?
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
Never said the Pro. The regular XForce.
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
More powerful than the Prestige S by a significant margin. Lighter through the air and also less stiff.
The VCore is the most stiff feeling out of these 3 by far. Little more power than the Rebel98.
stiffness: Most is Vcore, then Prestige S, then Rebel98
power: Vcore, then Rebel, then Prestige S
swingweight: most is Prestige S, then Rebel and Vcore very close
ease of playability: first VCore, then Rebel, then Prestige S
dParis
Hall of Fame
If you read my post again, you'll see I never assumed you hit with the Pro. Just asking if you had. Thanks for the input, though.
Regarding some of these comparisons, I'm a little sceptical, or surprised that among racquets with the same size head, the stiffer one with a higher static weight and higher swing weight would be significantly lower powered than the lighter, more flexible one.
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
The Prestige S is very low powered. All the TW reviewers made comments about the lack of power in their shots.. If you are skeptical, try it yourself. Of course these are all my personal opinions and what may be powerful to you, may not be to me.
dParis
Hall of Fame
The listed swingweight for the Prestige S is only 315 while the Rebel is 325. I was considering your rankings and assumed the S had a higher SW, so that will something to do with the perceived power levels . If the head of the S is measured in the same method as the other Prestige's, it is closer to 95" rather than the Rebel's 98" so that may further explain the Rebel's higher power.
From the reviews and feedback, I wouldn't expect anything spectacular from the Pres. S, but I'm still curious to try it.
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
You should know by now u cant go exactly by TW's swingweights. The Rebel is listed as 325, but FEELS much lighter...like around 310. The Prestige S is 315, but feels around 325.
dParis
Hall of Fame
If that is indeed the case, and I'm not saying it isn't, then I'd like to know which factors make the Rebel 98 so much more powerful than the PresS. I'm not trying to dispute what you said - I haven't tried the S yet - I suppose I'm speaking to the more general discussion of what makes a racquet powerful.
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
The Rebel 98 isn't THAT much more powerful than the S, but it is rather noticeable and the TW reviews confirm this. They mention the low power of the S and also mention the good power of the 98. Power is mostly due to beam width and stiffness of the frame and the mass behind the ball, but it also is effected by the materials that make up the frame. But these are just generalizations. Look at the London...thin beam, flexible...and yet very powerful. The frames materials dictate how much energy is absorbed and then transfered back into the ball. There is something about the Rebel's frame that makes it more lively. The S seems to absorb more of the incoming ball's pace.
Again, the power difference is incremental and is probably not as much as you are thinking. Jason from TW who plays the London said in one thread that the stock Rebel 98 was more powerful than the stock London. I don't quite agree with that, but he probably has a faster swingspeed than I do.
tom4ny
Professional
i have a stealth reb 98 and it is not that powerful. haven't tried the prestige s but knowing the prestige line, a prestige is not noted for it's power, in fact quite the opposite.
the o ports and unique stringbed on the rebel 98 provides for deep pocketing - you have an oval shaped head with it's longer mains AND you have the o ports which allow for greater string movement. similar to the london in that you get excellent dwell time and great ball pocketing.
if you hit very flat and dont drive over the ball to create spin the stringbed will feel hot as you have a good size sweet spot with the rebel 98 and balls may appear to fly on you. if you come across your body with your follow through you get very good control from this frame. in fact i would call it a control frame with some pop.
in my opinion the rebel 98 is a great option for an intermediate to advanced player looking for a softer frame with some pop. it very much reminds me of my old volkl tour 10 mp v-engine and it is ironic to me that both are yellow but as i said my rebel is blacked out
it takes some time to get dialed into the o port feel but they definitely do what prince claims. i am not a prince guy and prefer my kneissl's and dunlops but i really do like the prince rebel 98
the o ports and unique stringbed on the rebel 98 provides for deep pocketing - you have an oval shaped head with it's longer mains AND you have the o ports which allow for greater string movement. similar to the london in that you get excellent dwell time and great ball pocketing.
if you hit very flat and dont drive over the ball to create spin the stringbed will feel hot as you have a good size sweet spot with the rebel 98 and balls may appear to fly on you. if you come across your body with your follow through you get very good control from this frame. in fact i would call it a control frame with some pop.
in my opinion the rebel 98 is a great option for an intermediate to advanced player looking for a softer frame with some pop. it very much reminds me of my old volkl tour 10 mp v-engine and it is ironic to me that both are yellow but as i said my rebel is blacked out
it takes some time to get dialed into the o port feel but they definitely do what prince claims. i am not a prince guy and prefer my kneissl's and dunlops but i really do like the prince rebel 98
tom4ny
Professional
also want to add that i usually prefer multifilamint strings in my frames, which are stiffer frames than the prince rebel 98. in the prince, with it's lively stringbed i prefer a polyester full bed set up but drop the cross string tension by 3 lbs as i do with all my oval shaped frames. isospeed axon mono is a nice choice.
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
what tension is your full poly setup?
tom4ny
Professional
56/53 same as my red stars as the head shapes are very similar. that is my reference tension for this head size and shape and it works for me
(with full string setups not hybrid stringing)
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
why drop crosses for oval frames? Would that mean for rounder frames you don't drop them at all?
tom4ny
Professional
correct, on rounder frames no dropping of tension at all.
with oval frames the mains are longer and on very oval frames, or isometric frames like yonex, they are twice as long. i know that stringing machines account for this to a degree but it doesnt take into account that tension drops after so many hours of playing, and it does not drop equally between mains and crosses.
i feel that i get better playability over the life of the string job by dropping the crosses. it also seems to widen the sweetspot without adding lead.
with a hybrid string job you can accomplish the same thing but you need to take into account the relative stiffness of one string to the other and adjust accordingly so it is more an approximation and more trial and error adjustments may be needed in order to get to the right tension variance.
glad you asked? hehe. anyway, i know it is a debateable subject but i also know that it has worked for me for years so i ain't changin a thang!
have a great weekend and enjoy your rebel 98!
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
anyway interested in the Rebel 98, check this out:
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=413807
this is a great frame for those that want a lighter semi-players frame that is very arm friendly.
http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=413807
this is a great frame for those that want a lighter semi-players frame that is very arm friendly.
JackB1
G.O.A.T.
If u liked the DC Pro, go straight to the Rebel EXO3 Warrior 100. It's VERY similar and the specs are almost identical to the DC Pro. The Rebel 98 is much lighter feeling and less powered than the DC Pro. Also the hoops shapes are very different...the Rebel is oval/egg shaped and the SC Pro is rounder...so is the Warrior.
BC1
Professional
I agree. And the head shape and string pattern makes a difference in the overall feel and playability. Warrior for more of a spin game, 98 for more of a flat game.
tom4ny
Professional
oval shaped frames by design tend to be control frames and not top spin monsters. prince calls the rebel 98 the player's tweener and that really describes what this frame is all about. the racquet has some pop and with it's higher swing weight, it will do some work for you. still, it is geared for those who have long fast swings and developed strokes.
i have 2 more of these puppies on the way.
for me it is what i was hoping for with a boris becker melbourne light. it has that nice ball cupping and lively response but still has precise control in a lighter package. it feels soft yet is solid. a modern fame with traditional feel.
the dunlop bio 300T is still my current favorite in this class and the 2 frames compare pretty well. the dunlop is more precise and the string bed is more consistent and less lively but the sweetspot is bigger on the rebel 98 and control is still very good. interesting in that i prefer a multi or gut in the dunlop but like a co-poly in the prince rebel 98. a poly firms up the string bed but you still feel the ball cupping if you stay in the mid to low tension range. the feel of the ball is more crisp on the dunlop bio 300T and you feel a little more connected to your shots.
i will continue to play test this frame over the next couple of months and experiment with different strings. prince has done a great job here and it sounds like all of their updates are a hit. i am actually glad that they are finally offering a 98" oval frame as the choice of 95" or 100" round kept me away. but i like what i found in this prince.
the only other frame that i am excited about this year is the volkl x9.
i have 2 more of these puppies on the way.
for me it is what i was hoping for with a boris becker melbourne light. it has that nice ball cupping and lively response but still has precise control in a lighter package. it feels soft yet is solid. a modern fame with traditional feel.
the dunlop bio 300T is still my current favorite in this class and the 2 frames compare pretty well. the dunlop is more precise and the string bed is more consistent and less lively but the sweetspot is bigger on the rebel 98 and control is still very good. interesting in that i prefer a multi or gut in the dunlop but like a co-poly in the prince rebel 98. a poly firms up the string bed but you still feel the ball cupping if you stay in the mid to low tension range. the feel of the ball is more crisp on the dunlop bio 300T and you feel a little more connected to your shots.
i will continue to play test this frame over the next couple of months and experiment with different strings. prince has done a great job here and it sounds like all of their updates are a hit. i am actually glad that they are finally offering a 98" oval frame as the choice of 95" or 100" round kept me away. but i like what i found in this prince.
the only other frame that i am excited about this year is the volkl x9.
What has been your experience serving with this frame? I have been serving well on my flat serve 1st but have had some trouble dialing in the second when kicking it out wide. When I do get it dialed in, it usually is has good kick and ball action.
My London and Melbourne seem to offer more consistency on the second serve.
tom4ny
Professional
that is interesting what you say about having more consistency on your 2nd serve with your london and melbourne! i shall keep that in mind as i admittedly have not served much with the rebel 98 and that part of my game tends to be most affected by racquet switching.
i still primarily play with my kneissl's but during drills and practice will hit with other (similar) frames. while i have hit some serves with the rebel 98 i honestly cannot give you a good opinion on how it performs in this area and it would be wrong for me to extrapolate from a few practice serves.
now that i have made a bigger commitment to this frame i will definitely be serving with it more. it has a higher swingweight than my kneissl red stars and leaded dunlop bio 300t's so i am anticipating that my serve will be impacted and adjustments will be needed. with the tight string pattern that i am used to i do not get a wicked kick on 2nd serve anyway so my issues may be different than yours (just thinking out loud).
w
BC1
Professional
Update from my experience with the rebel 98... Like many racquets, the strings can make a big difference. I loved the demo, bought a new one, and didn't have the same great results, and even started having some arm problems. Turned out it was just the new poly strings at too high of a tension.
I waited a week, and even thought about selling or trading it. THANKFULLY I DIDN'T!! Played with it again twice yesterday (singles and doubles) and now that the tension has lowered, it plays like a totally different racquet (and like the demo I loved). Perfect control, very comfortable, and more power. No arm problems as all. I'm loving everything about it!!
String the rebel 98 with a soft poly at around 52, or a multi, and it really is the perfect lightweight players racquet with amazing control and a surprising amount of pop and forgiveness.
I waited a week, and even thought about selling or trading it. THANKFULLY I DIDN'T!! Played with it again twice yesterday (singles and doubles) and now that the tension has lowered, it plays like a totally different racquet (and like the demo I loved). Perfect control, very comfortable, and more power. No arm problems as all. I'm loving everything about it!!
String the rebel 98 with a soft poly at around 52, or a multi, and it really is the perfect lightweight players racquet with amazing control and a surprising amount of pop and forgiveness.
