Comparison Ezone DR 98 - Phantom Pro 100P

[marianix]

Lately I've played Ezone DR 98 (2015) which is known as arm friendly frame. I like feeling and power level (which isn't too high) of that racquet.
But it's hard to buy, even from second hand.
I've read that Phantom Pro 100P is arm friendly and numbers (weight, vibration, swingweight etc.) between those two racquet are similar.
Has anyone played DR 98 and PP 100P and could write about differences? Especially about power and feeling

 

[Crocodile]

The Prince with its very traditional beam has a much more of an old school feel than the Yonex as well as being more comfortable.
The DR 98 definately had a more organic feel than the current E Zone which feels too tinny for my liking.
The only thing perhaps that I didn't like about the PP 100P was the very round head and 100 sq inch head, but once you get used to it it's a great feeling frame and I would take it over the Yonex.
If you prefer a more modern feeling frame I would probably lean to the Yonex which is still a great frame. Would love to see Yonex bring this and the extended version back.

 

[lima]

I played both and still play with Prince. Both racquets are great. Although Prince has RA 59 Yonex was more comfortable to me. Prince is flexy and stiff at the same time if that make any sense. I love both but my Yonex was 30.6 cm unstrung which is to HL for me. Prince is 31.3 cm unstrung.

 

[frogboy2002]

I have played both, the DR98 is an exceptional frame whatever you do keep hold of it as they are disappearing from second hand sites fast! 100p was a bit under-powered for me but now that I have changed technique to use my body more in shot-making I regret selling it! Very different rackets imo I prefer the DR98 personally but it really is more a case of what suits your style, I think the TW reviews are very informative on both sticks.

 

[snoflewis]

Ive had the ai98, but the most noticeable difference between the two was the launch angle more than anything

 

[marianix]

Thanks. If you can, how many pts/10 will you give DR and PP100P of power, and comfort ?

 

[frogboy2002]

Power:
DR 7
Phantom Pro 5

Comfort:
DR 9
Phantom Pro 10

You shouldn’t have any arm problems with these rackets two of the best out there.

 

[sma1001]

Very different frames. You need to try both to really appreciate the difference. 100P has that box beam feel which gives the impression of being more solid even at lower flex. Produces a very spinny ball but the control and pop are there if you put the right strings in it. DR98 is more modern feeling - but on the "players" side of the tweener/aero throat side of things. Again for me needs the right strings as poly above 52P kills the frame. I have gut-poly in mine and it shines with that. I imagine would be good with low poly too.

 

[marianix]

Very different frames. You need to try both to really appreciate the difference. 100P has that box beam feel which gives the impression of being more solid even at lower flex. Produces a very spinny ball but the control and pop are there if you put the right strings in it. DR98 is more modern feeling - but on the "players" side of the tweener/aero throat side of things. Again for me needs the right strings as poly above 52P kills the frame. I have gut-poly in mine and it shines with that. I imagine would be good with low poly too.

Did you test Prince Phantom Pro 100? If so, are there big differences of power?

 

[marianix]

Ive had the ai98, but the most noticeable difference between the two was the launch angle more than anything

Could you explain me what "launch angle" mean? I'm reading a lot of threads and that phrase appears often. I'm from Poland and don't know EN language very well. I know what that words mean but dont know what that mean in translation to tennis.

 

[Dartagnan64]

Could you explain me what "launch angle" mean? I'm reading a lot of threads and that phrase appears often. I'm from Poland and don't know EN language very well. I know what that words mean but dont know what that mean in translation to tennis.

Launch angle just means at what angle the ball tends to come off the stringbed measured using the same swing path and racket head speed.

High launch angle makes for easy depth and net clearance but often can lead to a lack of control and difficulty hitting flatter shots from mid court. Lower launch angle can lead to lesser net clearance and difficulty getting depth but usually control a bit better especially from the mid and fore court.

 

[marianix]

Launch angle just means at what angle the ball tends to come off the stringbed measured using the same swing path and racket head speed.

High launch angle makes for easy depth and net clearance but often can lead to a lack of control and difficulty hitting flatter shots from mid court. Lower launch angle can lead to lesser net clearance and difficulty getting depth but usually control a bit better especially from the mid and fore court.

Thank You for explanation. So for flat hitters lower launch angle racquet will be better? Is it measurable in some way?

 

[Mkiske]

I already had Dr98 and now I have the PP 100P.
The first one is very soft and has a addictive/fantastic comfort. On the other hand, the ball came out without weight, nonexistent plow through. I suffered with flat backhand, but the slice was very good.

The latter, I think, is comfortable, but to a lesser extent, but the plow through is very good! My one-hand-backhand is got much better with this Phantom.
I'll choose the PP 100P. But It depends of your game style.

 

[max]

I would go Prince. Just a more sophisticated racquet in terms of what you can do with it. The other one, the Yonex, felt, to me, stiff and boardy and lack of feel. The Prince I really connected with.

 

[marianix]

I already had Dr98 and today I own the PP 100P.
The first one is very soft and has a addictive/fantastic comfort. On the other hand, the ball came out without weight, nonexistent plow through. I suffered with flat backhand, but the slice was very good.

The latter, I think, is comfortable, but to a lesser extent, but the plow through is very good! My one-hand-backhand is got much better with this Phantom.
I'll choose the PP 100P. But It depends of your game style.

I see that you had Textreme Tour 100P - I had it too. What about TT 100P in comparison to mentioned above?

 

[marianix]

I would go Prince. Just a more sophisticated racquet in terms of what you can do with it. The other one, the Yonex, felt, to me, stiff and boardy and lack of feel. The Prince I really connected with.

I agree- I feel that yonex is comfortable in comparison to my Pure drive team, but it doesn't has the plush feeling which I like by hitting with Blade 98S (2015)
I think comfort level of DR 98 is similar to Textreme Tour 100P

 

[Mkiske]

I see that you had Textreme Tour 100P - I had it too. What about TT 100P in comparison to mentioned above?

Unfortunately I have been injured for a long time. And I could not play with the Textreme 100P whiteout, nor has it been strung yet. I hope to be healthy and able to play in 2 months.

 

[marianix]

Good luck with that !

 

[Dartagnan64]

Thank You for explanation. So for flat hitters lower launch angle racquet will be better? Is it measurable in some way?

Hard to measure since strings make a huge difference in launch angle as well.

But in general tighter string beds and thinner beams will have lower launch angles

 

[sma1001]

Did you test Prince Phantom Pro 100? If so, are there big differences of power?

I didn’t

 

[snoflewis]

Thank You for explanation. So for flat hitters lower launch angle racquet will be better? Is it measurable in some way?

the general consensus is that lower launch angle is better for flatter hitters, but there are a lot of things that it depends (most importantly your technique). for example, if you're a flat hitter because you don't know how to put topspin and a flatter shot is the only way you'll be able to bring the ball down into the court, then yeah, you probably want a lower launch angle. if you have the technique down, you should use whatever works better for you.

i think TWU has something about launch angle, but i dont know much about it.

 

[flanker2000fr]

Lately I've played Ezone DR 98 (2015) which is known as arm friendly frame. I like feeling and power level (which isn't too high) of that racquet.
But it's hard to buy, even from second hand.
I've read that Phantom Pro 100P is arm friendly and numbers (weight, vibration, swingweight etc.) between those two racquet are similar.
Has anyone played DR 98 and PP 100P and could write about differences? Especially about power and feeling

I played the DR 98 for one year, have been playing the PP100P for the past 6 weeks. In between them, I played (and still play doubles) with the Phantom 93P for about 6 months.

They are both extremely comfortable and easy on the arm, but this is achieved in very different ways:
- you really feel the DR flex at the throat of the racquet, while the hoop is stiffer
- on the PP100P, flexibility feels more distributed across the frame, which makes the racquet feel more solid than the DR 98

I guess this is what people describe when they say that the DR 98 feels more "modern" and the PP100P more "traditional"

The DR 98 is the most powerful of the two. Feel is very subjective, but as far as I am concerned, the Prince is superior in both feel and control. The Yonex is a great racquet, but for some reason I never really managed to get properly dialed in, especially on the backhand slice. This is an important shot for me, and the reason I moved to the Phantom line.

 

[John Z.]

Both are amazing frames. Phantom is comfortable but despite RA ratings DR is simply the softest feeling modern frame imo.

Phantom is, in some weird way, the closest modern frame i ever found to PS90's addictive blend of control and spin. Never would have thought this would come out of a Prince with 100'' size, it oddly feels like a larger PS90 yet still very maneuverable. Simply rock solid.

DR98 is a less spinny and much more arm friendly version of a Bab tweener. Amazing stick for all-rounders looking for comfort without sacrificing power (rare blend).