Honestly, I think this frame is overrated in some ways. Is it a "classic" racket? Yes, but like the RD-7 and POG and 6.0 its NOT for everyone. The Prestige has a signature feel that is both solid, refined, and comfortable yet RAW. It's like adding some graw to a Volkl, it adds just a little of that manliness and character that Volkl rackets lack to me in terms of feel, at least the C-7, 9, 10, and 10 Pro Tour, all of which I've had AMPLE experience with. They're all nice rackets, smooth, comfy, sensitive, etc. but to me they ALL lack that rock solid to its coare feel, they just always left me feeling empty for some reason.
The Prestige Classic adds a little character to that, more of that full-bodied feel.
That's what makes it unique. The POG is unique for its RAW animalistic feel. The Pro Staff for it's dry cardboard feel (personally, I've NEVER been able to warm up to this feel). The RD-7 is unique because if you're a big hitter or take a big cut at the ball and strike it just right, the racket's string bed has this surreal feel of the ball literally sinking into the strings, and holding there for what seems like an eternity, before releasing from its pocket--"cupping" is the word I've heard used to describe it.
These rackets all have a signature feel, but ALL of them are NOT for everyone. The Pro Staff can feel too bland or stiff or boring to some. The POG to stiff and jarring, not sensititive enough. The Prestige Classic having an annoyingly dense string pattern to some, costing some spin production compared to other rackets. The RD-7's aerodynamics being too sluggish and clunky to be practical for many, i.e. to get that signature cupping feel you really need to be ON more so than any other racket I've tried. The RD-7 more than any other racket, there's a NIGHT and DAY difference in how it'll "feel" to you from your good days and your bad days. On your good days, when you're nailing the sweet spot consistently, a cupping sensation unlike any other frame I've tried to date. On bad days, one of the worst feeling, playing, frames I've tried to date. There's NO in between.
So as you can see, of these revered and much hyped up and balley-hooed rackets from major manufacturers, NONE of them are for everyone.
The Prestige gets the attention it does, more so than the others, simply because so many pros used to use this racket in its hey day and the graphics, CAP grommets, and paint job made it unmistakable.
Honestly, if the graphics had stayed the silver and lime green, I HIGHLY doubt there'd be the lust over this racket that there is. The red cosmetics of it, there was just something about it that seemed so regal in the hands of pro players, "classic" as they say. No one talked about this frame when it was silver and green, but that red...then, the BRAINWASHING started setting in.
When people see the racket's cosmetics, they think I look a pro holding this.
Also, Yonex stopped pushing the RD-7 and what people did not know was that Yonex's most marketable "bad boy" player, Marcelo Rios, was actually using that racket all along through numerous paint jobs. Malivai Washington retired. BRUGUERA switched to Volkl and spent the rest of his career in the hospital closeout bin. Arantxa and Karol Kucera were never exactly the most "exciting" endorsers to really stir those male hormones into lust, etc. The Pro Staff 6.0 because of its 85 head size, that's just TOO small SOUNDING such that even the recreational player can't fool himself into thinking he's good enough for that, yet with the Prestige and its advertised 93 head (though it's actually 89.5), recreational players think hey, maybe just maybe I'm good enough for this, if not it's close enough that I can pretend, "feeling" like I'm a pro will make up the difference.
But in general, while I do love the Prestige Classic and grew up idolizing it, I do not honestly think it's like some racket that's on a completely different plain than anything else out there, and all other rackets bow down by comparison. On the contrary, I think it's a great feeling frame, but it's really NOT the be-all, end-all choice it's hyped up to be on this board. It could be to YOU, but certainly NO WAY it is to all or even 90% of this board...though with all the hype you might think otherwise.
Just try it out if you can, that's the only way. The REAL reaon for the attachment to this frame is its signature feel. Unlike the RD-7, you don't have to be having a good day to actually feel that feel. It's always there on the Prestige Classic so you know just what you're getting regardless of how well you're playing. With the RD-7, the first few times I tried I thought this racket TOTALLY BLOWS and sucks with no feel. Then, I had my first good day with it, and I remember just being speechless, absolutely speechless with my breath taken away, for days later. The cupping sensation was like nothing I had ever felt before, it was just so dynamic, and felt like I had all the time in the world to decide where to direct my shots.
See, that's the thing. No one can say for you. There is NO such thing as a so-called, "classic" racket that's for everyone. You have to try each and everyone figure it out for itself...ESPECIALLY with a "classic." Just remember, what makes a racket "classic" is often something that makes it UNIQUE. Many may LOVE this racket because of its unique qualities, yet many won't be able to touch it with a ten foot pole as a result.
LOL :mrgreen:
