ryushen21
Legend
Definitely flexier than the Prestige but with more power (I attribute that to low weight which makes it easier to swing).
The Rebel was soft as well but not as flexy in the hoop as the EXO3 Tour.
2011 Prince Racquet Play Test
- Thread starter TW Staff
- Start date
Definitely flexier than the Prestige but with more power (I attribute that to low weight which makes it easier to swing).
The Rebel was soft as well but not as flexy in the hoop as the EXO3 Tour.
ryushen21
Legend
Correct. My frame is smaller and heavier hence lower powered.
Saw the same comments by Chris. It's a very likeable racquet and I think it will sell well for Prince. Personally, a smaller, heavier version with string hole grommets and a thinner beam would be a big interest to me. Possibly even enough to switch.
salsainglesa
Semi-Pro
Does anyone that actually used the Ozone tour 16x19 has tested the new 18x20?
how did that go?
I break strings on that one like crazy, maybe an 18X20 would be great!
how did that go?
I break strings on that one like crazy, maybe an 18X20 would be great!
sansaephanh
Professional
Is this thread specifically for Prince Selected Playtesters? I was wondering if we could just demo rackets normally and post reviews on here. I might try most of the exo3's for fun!
TheOneHander
Professional
Too bad nobody cares.
I for one was an active member of the Ex-men here on TW with my EXO3 Rebel Teams. I'm thinking these Tours might be a good upgrade to my current Yonexes (RDS 003s that have been leaded up) for a bit more heft.
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tennisnoob3
Professional
lefty10spro
Professional
Right now there are only ports. Talked with Prince yesterday and the string holes will be available in January. I hit with the 16x18 exo3 tour yesterday. Strung it at 50 lbs with Prince Natural Gut in the mains and Prince Recoil in the crosses. Tried it first without weight and it suffers from a slight lack of stability, but not as much as the Ozone tour. The beam is now slightly boxed as Prince said this adds to less torque when hits are off-center. I put 4g of lead under the grip (right above the cap) and put on a leather grip with a tourna on top. 4g of lead at 3 & 9 o'clock. Now she weighs 12.4 ou and is 9 points headlight. It is a buttery and rock solid marvel!! And I thought the exo3 Graphite 100 could spin it - wait till you see how the ball bends with this bad girl!!
lefty10spro
Professional
That is the range on the 16x18 EXO3 Tour that I have. Not sure about the other 2.
lefty10spro
Professional
I usually string low and the exo3 tour is much lower powered than my exo3 graphite 100s. The Prince power ratings are usually right on, but 825 for this new stick? If the exo3 graphite 100 is 775, I give the the exo3 tours a 700 since it is much flexier. A whole LOT to like in both these frames!
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Can someone confirm the beam width of the new Tours? I've seen it listed as 18-20-18, similar to the ozone version, and I've seen some sites listing it as a 19mm straight beam. I've read that the mold is slightly different and that the beam is more boxed. Can any of the playtesters verify this?
BobFL
Hall of Fame
I can tell you 1 thing for sure: it is thinner than Prestige MP and a lot more flexy...
BobFL
Hall of Fame
Absolutely not. The control is outstanding! Btw, LT goes so well with both the Red and the Tour...
lefty10spro
Professional
Looks like an 18-20-18 and the beam is more boxed.
lefty10spro
Professional
You are correct. Just finished teaching and playing with it all day today. If you take a cut at the ball and want a control stick with amazing feel this one's for you. I almost always play with a dampener, but for me the exo3 tour is far better without one.
lefty10spro
Professional
My 51 year old surgically repaired shoulder can withstand NO polys of any type. Prince Natural Gut 16g in the mains and Prince Recoil (the multi that acts like a poly!) in the crosses, both at 50 lbs. I'll probably bump this up to 55 lbs on the 2nd stringing since the 50lbs is serving a bit too hot if you know what I mean!
HiroProtagonist
Professional
I agree, I would have thought a flex in the low 60's, it certainly does not feel more flexy than my prestiges, and felt discernibly stiffer than my Redondos.
Definitely should give it a demo before buying if your expecting a super flexy feel.
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SteveI
Legend
You do...
. The frame I tested was $229.00 - O3 Blue 110. http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Prince_EXO3_Blue_110/descpageRCPRINCE-PEXB10.html
It was great fun playtesting!!
TripleB
Hall of Fame
My Personal Racquet of Choice: Prince Ozone Tour Midplus, 326g (with overgrip, rubber band, head tape, hard grommets), WeissCannon TurboTwist 1.24mm mains 52 pounds, Forten Sweet Synthetic 16g crosses at 54 pounds
The color code on the racquet received: Wide Blue Tape with a 3 on it (I believe it is the Wilson EXO3 Blue 110)
How many hours did you play with the racquet: Approximately 6 hours of time on the court
Specs of Playtested Racquet (strung):
Weight: 9.9 ounces
Length: 27.25"
Balance: Approximately 3 points head heavy
String Pattern: 16 x 19
Headsize: 110 sq in
Grip: Prince Pro
String: Prince Premier LT 16g
* Let me preface this review with the fact that this is the lightest racquet I've ever playtested or attempted to play a match with. It is way out of my comfort zone considering I typically use racquets over 11.2 ounce.
Comments on racquet performance in the following categories:
Groundstrokes: Groundstrokes were somewhat of a mixed bag when playing with this Prince racquet. I loved the fact that it was light, very maneuverable, and had a pretty solid feel for a 9.9 ounce racquet. The topspin I achieved with this racquet was above average but groundstrokes didn't seem to have any power when using topspin. If I really wanted to get some power out of this racquet it seemed as though I had to hit a pretty flat ball. Due to the fact that I use all kinds of spins in order to win points, this racquet really didn't allow me to play my typical game. Dropping the tension would have helped the power issue (when using topspin) some but I'm sure with my usual poly/synthetic string set up, I would never be happy with the power level when hitting my usual topspin/slice groundstrokes. Control was below average because the ball didn't seem to have any dwell time on the racquet. Due to the lack of power on spin shots, I felt I had to really swing hard which led to very little control on groundstrokes. Although the stiffness rating of this racket is 66, the same as my old Prince Original Graphite, it felt like it was much stiffer. In fact, after about an hour of hitting, my right elbow started giving me some significant pain. Something I haven't had to deal with since I changed over to the Prince Ozone Tour racquet.
Serves: As with groundstrokes, a flat stroke was needed to get much out of this racquet on serves. First serves were somewhat effective, but I didn't feel like I was able to get as much power with this racquet as I do with my Ozone Tours even though I could get the racquet head moving faster. My opponent's eyes got huge when I had to hit a second serve with this Prince. Any time I had to go to a kick serve the ball just seemed to float across the net without any power or any kick. In singles I could get away with it but during doubles it left my partner a sitting target at the net. And my 'friends' seemed to take advantage of that fact.
Volleys: This was the one highlight of this racquet for me. I really liked the weight, balance, maneuverability, and pop this racquet had at the net. Touch was non-existent but the other characteristics seemed to make up for it. I had some good success at the net with this racquet whether the ball was hit at me hard, soft, or with a lot of spin. I could get the racquet in position early and with the head heavy balance the racquet didn't get pushed around much.
Serve Returns: Returns were not very good with this racquet to the fact that I felt like I had to try and hit a flat return in order not to give my opponent a high ball at midcourt. I couldn't go for my normal returns because I couldn't get the ball deep with topspin and my slice just floated across the net with no bite at all. The highlight was the maneuverability and I felt like I could get the racquet in position on any type of serve.
General comments on overall performance: Overall I would say that this racquet is better suited for someone who doesn't have a game like mine…a baseliner who uses a lot of spin and control to wear down his opponent. The racquet's lightness and stiffness made it an uncomfortable playtest for me.
Topspin: 78
Slice: 71
Returns: 69
Volleys: 79
Groundstrokes: 67
Serves: 72
Touch/Feel: 66
Comfort: 64
Stability: 75
Maneuverability: 86
Control: 70
Power: 82 (flat) / 68 (spin)
Overall: 71
Thank you Tennis-Warehouse for allowing me to playtest this racquet!!!
TripleB
The color code on the racquet received: Wide Blue Tape with a 3 on it (I believe it is the Wilson EXO3 Blue 110)
How many hours did you play with the racquet: Approximately 6 hours of time on the court
Specs of Playtested Racquet (strung):
Weight: 9.9 ounces
Length: 27.25"
Balance: Approximately 3 points head heavy
String Pattern: 16 x 19
Headsize: 110 sq in
Grip: Prince Pro
String: Prince Premier LT 16g
* Let me preface this review with the fact that this is the lightest racquet I've ever playtested or attempted to play a match with. It is way out of my comfort zone considering I typically use racquets over 11.2 ounce.
Comments on racquet performance in the following categories:
Groundstrokes: Groundstrokes were somewhat of a mixed bag when playing with this Prince racquet. I loved the fact that it was light, very maneuverable, and had a pretty solid feel for a 9.9 ounce racquet. The topspin I achieved with this racquet was above average but groundstrokes didn't seem to have any power when using topspin. If I really wanted to get some power out of this racquet it seemed as though I had to hit a pretty flat ball. Due to the fact that I use all kinds of spins in order to win points, this racquet really didn't allow me to play my typical game. Dropping the tension would have helped the power issue (when using topspin) some but I'm sure with my usual poly/synthetic string set up, I would never be happy with the power level when hitting my usual topspin/slice groundstrokes. Control was below average because the ball didn't seem to have any dwell time on the racquet. Due to the lack of power on spin shots, I felt I had to really swing hard which led to very little control on groundstrokes. Although the stiffness rating of this racket is 66, the same as my old Prince Original Graphite, it felt like it was much stiffer. In fact, after about an hour of hitting, my right elbow started giving me some significant pain. Something I haven't had to deal with since I changed over to the Prince Ozone Tour racquet.
Serves: As with groundstrokes, a flat stroke was needed to get much out of this racquet on serves. First serves were somewhat effective, but I didn't feel like I was able to get as much power with this racquet as I do with my Ozone Tours even though I could get the racquet head moving faster. My opponent's eyes got huge when I had to hit a second serve with this Prince. Any time I had to go to a kick serve the ball just seemed to float across the net without any power or any kick. In singles I could get away with it but during doubles it left my partner a sitting target at the net. And my 'friends' seemed to take advantage of that fact.
Volleys: This was the one highlight of this racquet for me. I really liked the weight, balance, maneuverability, and pop this racquet had at the net. Touch was non-existent but the other characteristics seemed to make up for it. I had some good success at the net with this racquet whether the ball was hit at me hard, soft, or with a lot of spin. I could get the racquet in position early and with the head heavy balance the racquet didn't get pushed around much.
Serve Returns: Returns were not very good with this racquet to the fact that I felt like I had to try and hit a flat return in order not to give my opponent a high ball at midcourt. I couldn't go for my normal returns because I couldn't get the ball deep with topspin and my slice just floated across the net with no bite at all. The highlight was the maneuverability and I felt like I could get the racquet in position on any type of serve.
General comments on overall performance: Overall I would say that this racquet is better suited for someone who doesn't have a game like mine…a baseliner who uses a lot of spin and control to wear down his opponent. The racquet's lightness and stiffness made it an uncomfortable playtest for me.
Topspin: 78
Slice: 71
Returns: 69
Volleys: 79
Groundstrokes: 67
Serves: 72
Touch/Feel: 66
Comfort: 64
Stability: 75
Maneuverability: 86
Control: 70
Power: 82 (flat) / 68 (spin)
Overall: 71
Thank you Tennis-Warehouse for allowing me to playtest this racquet!!!
TripleB
AverageJoe
Rookie
The soft flex definitely hinders the pop of this racket. I'm a "kid" trying to make it on the futures tour right now with a decent serve (120+), and thats the ONLY part of this frame I dont like so far. From the ground and at the net its absolutely stellar. I'm going to fiddle a bit with lead tmrw and see if I can't get this thing serving as well as it does everything else.
mongoose_tennispro
New User
hey how do you get into these playtests... like how do you get chosen to recieve a racquet???
ryushen21
Legend
Used to play the Rebel.
The Reb swings smoother, has more accuracy and is slightly firmer in feel than the tour. I would say that I prefer the reb over the Tour based on weight and control.
kevoT
Semi-Pro
only one thing to say: COMIC SANSSSS!!
mxmx
Hall of Fame
You are discribing the same problems i had with the Prince Speedport Black Team, except that that racket is head heavy. Before the Prince, i was used to the wilson kblade 98, which is head light. I could somehow accellerate more with the wilson and in certain instances have more control because of it.
mxmx
Hall of Fame
Lol..."ban comic sans?"
Hello
I bought a EXO3 Prince Tour Lite for my taste has a very wide sweet spot, yet I notice that the bike vibrates a lot and noticed a striking sensation in the grip
I would also like to know if the value of Stiffness: 58, deem it real because I do not think
I hope for help me, because if my bike has gone faulty
I bought a EXO3 Prince Tour Lite for my taste has a very wide sweet spot, yet I notice that the bike vibrates a lot and noticed a striking sensation in the grip
I would also like to know if the value of Stiffness: 58, deem it real because I do not think
I hope for help me, because if my bike has gone faulty
I think when you say "bike" you mean "frame." A bicycle ("bike") also has a "frame," so maybe that's why "bike" was the suggested translation.
Anyway, when I played with the Tour Lite, one of the things I commented on was my surprise that it did NOT seem to have a lot of vibration - and I am really sensitive to it. I always use a large dampener to avoid feeling it as much as possible. When I tested the racquet I just used the small dampener that came with it. I also don't remember any particular feeling of shock in the grip. So it may well be that something is wrong with your frame. Perhaps a crack somewhere?
As for the stiffness level, I think that might be about right. The flexibility is one of the things that helps maintain control with such a light frame.
