10 minute playtest: Prince Speedport Black Longbody (HOLY CRAP)

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Nanshiki

Hall of Fame
I just got a Speedport Black LB to demo while I'm waiting for my racquet to be strung, and I just hit with it a bit for 15 minutes or so (cut short by a thunderstorm)...

HOLY CRAP, my serve just went from a 2.5 with the T-2000 to about a 6.5... LOL (ok, at the very least a 4.0). I tried the normal Black out and didn't like it, but I was about a month rusty at that point so I think I didn't give it a fair chance. Also, this racquet just came out so the strings are fresh (a rarity for demo racquets I think...).

All of the sudden all the serves I did reasonably well with a modern racquet (the PDR+ I was demoing) and couldn't do worth a damn with the T-2000 seems to have improved massively, and only after a few minutes of hitting with it.

OTOH, when I first swung it, I thought I was playing with a huge super-light game improvement racquet. IMO it's a little bit light and has a bit too much power for a player's racquet. I realize I've been playing with a racquet that weighs 13+ ounces and has very little power for over a month, but I had to hit with a very closed face to get them low and fast how I like them.

Top spin at maximum racquet head speed was good, obviously much better than 63" head with an 18X18 pattern... so I guess my opinion is kind moot. Hah.

Anyway, I'll practice a bit more with it and get a better opinion of the ground strokes, volleys, overheads, etc.

I also have a Pure Storm to test out, but it's strung with what sounds like slightly dead Pro Hurricane (maybe that's normal? lol)...

Summary: SERVE IS AWESOME. Groundstrokes are just OK (a wee bit too much power), although spin is good.

I hope my new ProStaff can serve as well as the O3 SP Black LB...
 
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There's a number of pro's using the Black and White racquets, so I'd say yeah...

Adding half an inch doesn't necessarily mean it's now a tweener instead of a player oriented racquet. The specs are pretty similar to the Pure Storm on paper.
 
Swingweight is very HIGH from TW specs. which means it will be very hard to swing and your volleys will be late all the time.
 
Swingweight: 345

I measured the SW of a factory strung SPBlkLB at my local shop. It was right around 334.
 
jayserinos99 said:
^ i'm assuming that's unstrung sw?
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yeah. its much higher than that strung, but 345 is pretty high. i dont think the one i demoed was that high, but it was at least 335. i couldnt believe it.

i'll say this, though. if you were on time..you knocked the cover off the ball. my hitting partner told me to stop using it, because he couldnt handle the heavy ball.
 
Nanshiki said:
There's a number of pro's using the Black and White racquets, so I'd say yeah...

Adding half an inch doesn't necessarily mean it's now a tweener instead of a player oriented racquet. The specs are pretty similar to the Pure Storm on paper.
Click to expand...

Just because a pro is playing with a racquet doesn't make it a "player's racquet." It's more to do with specs--size, weight, balance, etc. That's the info I was looking for. For example, if I saw a pro playing with a Prince 03 Speedport Gold racquet (check out the specs here on TW), that definitely could not be considered a player's racquet even if a pro was playing with it.
 
Well anything that big obviously isn't a players racquet.

OTOH, I think if you bumped the tension up to max on this thing it would probably be a bit more controllable.

I agree it's not a "true" players racquet, but it would be suitable for any advanced player who lacks the strength to use a smaller, heavier racquet.
 
I tried out the Pure Storm and it didn't serve nearly as well as the LB, but to be honest the strings probably weren't nearly as fresh (serve = string).

OTOH, they both seemed pretty similar on ground strokes, with the tendency to hit balls way too high, although depth was good for both (meaning a lot of the shots were right before the baseline)... it took a lot of work to keep them low (on a closed semi-western will keep them low, and only when shot carefully).

I'm going to go try them on the wall next in a bit, and then go pick up my racquet...
 
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2nd_Serve said:
Can't believe you like that thing...

Isn't a tad too powerful?
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Power can be controlled if you string it tighter. but High SW, you can't do anything about. If unstrung SW is like 305-310, it is impossible for strung SW to go up to 345. it will raise it but maybe 10-15 at most. TW spec on SW must be Wrong....??:confused:
 
I can't imagine why Prince would measure the swingweight of an unstrung racquet... how often do you play with an unstrung racquet?

Plus, stringing only adds like .5 ounces to it (and there's probably very little difference between 15 and 17 gauge).

I hope my new racquet has groundstrikes how I like them (pounding them into submission low and deep), but serves like the LB...lol

I'm starting to see why Roddick likes his PDR+ (...or whatever it really is) at 66 pounds...
 
Nanshiki said:
I can't imagine why Prince would measure the swingweight of an unstrung racquet... how often do you play with an unstrung racquet?

Plus, stringing only adds like .5 ounces to it (and there's probably very little difference between 15 and 17 gauge).

I hope my new racquet has groundstrikes how I like them (pounding them into submission low and deep), but serves like the LB...lol

I'm starting to see why Roddick likes his PDR+ (...or whatever it really is) at 66 pounds...
Click to expand...

So do you think adding just 0.5 oz with string would change the Swing weight that much like TW said ???:confused:
 
I've decided I really don't like either the Pure Storm or the Black LB... they both serve well (the Black LB serves very well), but ground strokes are just all over the place (usually too high and way too long)...

I wonder what will hit low and fast like my T2000s, but with excellent spin potential and excellent serving like a modern racquet... and of course, excellent control so I can wail on it and get power delivered in the direction I actually want it to go.

Well, I hope my Pro Staff will do that once I pick it up..lol

I really liked the PDR+ when I tested it a while back, but I think my swinging style has changed...over the course of a month or so (lol). Either that or the worn out strings gave me the feel I was looking for. Either that or I need a tighter string pattern (like the T2000, which is ridiculously tight, hence the lack of spin potential), or higher tension (or stiffer strings).
 
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Also, what exactly is it that makes a racquet tend to hit moonballs even when you're using an even or even slightly closed face? String? String tension? Low weight?

I remember even my walmart special hit decent ground strokes for the most part, as did the PDR+ and the T2000.

For the record, the raquets perform decently at the wall, they're just uncontrollable when you hit balls that you toss...
 
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Play test

I demoed the LB for two weeks. I really liked it. It does swing heavy and was hard to handle when returning serves into the body. The power is similar the the Babolat Pure Drive sticks which a number of pros use. What keeps this from being a players stick is the inconsistent response off the stringbed off the ground strokes and the heavy swing weight.

With that said, I bought two frames. I serve and volley and chip and charge most of the time. With early prep time groundstrokes were powerful and consistent enough for a multi-stroke rally and to get me to net. I have strung with Pro Red at 62 and control is fine.

I don't understand the commenter who said the size of the racquet keeps it from being a players stick. Most of the Babolat Pure Drive and the Nadal stick are the same length, head size and frame thickness.
 
I spoke with someone at Prince and he said you really shouldn't be using this stick unless you're at least a 5.0. Sharapova is now using it, as well as the Brian brothers, but in the standard size.
 
im thinkin about gettin the 03 speedport black LB because i need some power in my game, but ive heard that they break easily...just wondering if this is true
 
Nanshiki said:
Also, what exactly is it that makes a racquet tend to hit moonballs even when you're using an even or even slightly closed face? String? String tension? Low weight?
Click to expand...

The answer is you. You may not think so, but you're not hitting it with a closed face if the resulting shot is a "moonball". Either that, or you're swinging at such an upward angle that the direction the racquet is travelling at impact is causing that type of shot. I understand what you're saying, because there have been certain racquets that I hit higher groundstrokes with, but it's from me and not the racquet. Play with it long enough, and you'll quit doing it.

Also, the "low and fast" shots you seek are not going to be possible if you want to hit with more spin. More spin immediately means having to hit the ball higher.
 
Why do people on this forum insist upon reviving such old threads, anyway? The post bumping this thread isn't even worthwhile. This forum has really gone downhill...
 
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jasonmiller said:
Why do people on this forum insist upon reviving such old threads, anyway? The post bumping this thread isn't even worthwhile. This forum has really gone downhill...
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Because obviously some people are interested in this racquet. I for one, am interested in what a company has to say if their racquet is breaking often. Add to that the racquet has gone on sale and you have plenty of reasons why this thread is now important. Perhaps take a second to think before throwing out insults.
 
Dundee said:
so does anyone know if the 03 speedport black LB breaks easily???
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It's highly unlikely that you'll break it unless you're a big enough hitter to break any racquet regularly anyway. For that matter, any rumors you're hearing about ANY racquet breaking a lot during play are probably either false or irrelevant, unless you tend to bang them on the ground, net post or similar. Modern racquets simply don't break much, and if they do break during play (as opposed to your smashing it) due to any weakness, the company will replace it. So fear not, and buy whatever you play best with. (Once really investigated, it usually turns out that about 95% of racquet breakages just coincidentally happen to recreational players who have a habit of throwing or smacking them, as opposed to people who happen to hit the ball hard. What a coincidence.)
 
i was doubting this racquet after i heard some story's of people's cracking but this is just what i wanted to hear
 
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