Is the 93p the right choice for me?

[nintendoplayer]

Hello fellow Tennisnerds,

after not playing actively for more than 22 years, I now continued my Tennis-journey at the age of 42, because my teenage daughter wanted to get into Tennis. Not long after I came back to the good old red clay, the local players were inviting me to their 1st men's team training sessions, asking me to join their team next season. Actually they signed me up without me having a say, because they need more players
But I'm still asking myself if the 93p is the right choice for me, especially when getting back to competitive Tennis and competing with hard-hitting guys in their 30s.

Back in the 90s I was playing very competitively but then had a bad shoulder injury with surgery and shortly after that I stopped playing and haven't come back until 1,5 months ago.
Others say I have a very old-school and sophisticated technique, if you wanted to compare my groundstrokes to a former pro-player I think Michael Stich would be a good comparison. Only that I'm a lot shorter, so physically I'm much closer to Agassi

Before hitting with the boys, I tried out these sticks:

- Pro Kennex Q+ Tour
- Wilson Pro Staff 97 V13.0
- Wilson Clash 100
- Dunlop CX 200 Tour 18x20
- Babolat Pure Strike 18x20
- Babolat Pure Drive Lite
- Dunlop SX 300 Lite
- Prince Phantom 100X (18x20)
- Phantom 100X (290g)
- Prince Phantom 93p

and the 93p was the only racquet that felt really good. The Pro Kennex felt "meh", the Pro Staff was a bit too stiff and gave me irritating feelings in the upper arm.
The Clash was missing control and feel, also was too light. The Dunlop actually was my first choice before I tried the 93p, but still gave me some irritations in my arm ---> my daughter is now using the Dunlop.
The Babolats gave me painful feelings in my arm right from the first hit. The 100x Phantoms did not feel as comfortable as the 93p. The Lite racquets were missing mass which lead to unclean and too fast swings, especially on my forehand. The 93p and its weight "forces me to have clean technique" which is very positive for my sensitive shoulder. So my conclusion was that my shoulder prefers head-light sticks for now.

But I also think the problem with testing racquets is that you are not allowed to re-string them. And all of these were strung with Polys at around 55lbs. I think that it would've made a big difference if I would've been able to restring them with a softer string / tension. But still, the 93p felt better than any other racquet, even when strung with a poly at 54lbs.

I'm now stringing my 93p with Head Velocity MLT 16 at 44 to 48 lbs. 44lbs was very comfortable but lead to a lot of uncontrolled "moon balls". 48lbs seems to be a good compromise for now, like the middle-ground between control and power. The MLT strings also feel a lot better to my sensitive shoulder than the previous poly-setup in the test-stick.

So I mainly chose the 93p because it was "the only stick that felt good and didn't hurt my arm / shoulder". But now that I have to play long baseline-rallies on clay I'm not sure the 93p is the best choice. It feels as if my racquet choice makes life harder than it has to be. The "boys" are all hitting very aggressive with lots of depth and Top Spin. They're also not swinging as big as I do, actually their technique reminds me more of hitting with a flyswatter and they also make a lot of unforced errors, but when their strokes land close to the baseline I'm having a very hard time returning their shots with enough power, often putting me into a very defensive position. If you watch us playing you can instantly see that I (have to) put much more body mass / body movement into every stroke and I have to work a lot harder to get the same power as they do.

If you combine that with the unforgiving nature and the smaller head size of the 93p you can probably understand my "do I make my life harder than necessary?" thoughts.

But they also have a different style of playing Tennis. I'm more of a tactical player, aiming for precision and variation, only hitting hard if the opportunity for a winner or attacking the net is realistic. My goal is to hit as effortlessly and relaxed as possible. They on the other hand are "always hit as hard as you can with as much Top-Spin as you can" club-players, accepting lots of unforced errors in the process.

From my point of view there are 2 roads I can take now:

1. Perfect my "old-school" technique and style of playing with the 93p, combating their heavy Top-Spins. Accept that I have to work a lot harder than they do to generate power, doing more of a "full body workout" with every stroke. Hoping that in the end this will pay off, especially from a health perspective.
2. Try out some more racquets, trying to find something to make life a bit easier in spin-intensive clay-rallies. Looking for the arm-friendly, controlled feeling of the 93p with more forgiveness, spin and power.


What would you guys propose in my situation?

 

[Boubi]

Prestige mid 2020 version is better

 

[TripleFault88]

Prince phantom 97p should have the arm friendly controlled feeling with improved forgiveness , spin, and power

 

[gvsbdisco]

I played the 93p 18x20 for a while. I have now settled in with the 2015 Textreme Tour 100p. Its 18x20 in a 100 sq inch size. Very easy to maneuver, easy to defend with, more spin and power than the 93p but still gives good levels of precision. Apparently the new ATS version is close to the 2015 version while the 2019 version is stiffer. I have only hit the 2015s. If it sounds reasonably attractive you also could try the Gravity Tour.

 

[Chairman3]

Prince Phantom Pro 100 18x20
Yonex Vcore Pro 97D
Head Gravity Pro
Auxetic Prestige Pro
Prince ATS Textreme Tour 95 (a 16x19, but plays very controlled)

I'd also revisit the CX200 Tour (maybe even the 16x19) as this racquet has great feel but your experience was likely due to tightly strung poly. Even with synthetic gut I never strung this racquet at 55lbs, it is too low-powered.

 

[denoted]

I would stay with #1. Playing the game the way you want to will pay off over the long run. This is a process-over-immediate-results situation.

 

[Deleted member 775108]

Stick with the 93P

 

[nintendoplayer]

Thanks a lot for your help and racquet proposals so far I will check them out.

I would stay with #1. Playing the game the way you want to will pay off over the long run. This is a process-over-immediate-results situation.

The question actually is if the 93p fits "my game". Because from what I've heard so far, the 93p fits very well in the serve and volley category. But I'm neither a big server nor a guy that permanently seeks the net. I mainly chose the 93p because of the good feeling in my arm.

 

[denoted]

A 93p with poly in the low 40s has plenty of power. As for the head size, if you hold one up against a 97 or 98 you won't see much difference. But, yes, if you want to play a defensive baseline game and want a racquet optimized for that, there are better choices.

 

[jonestim]

I used the 93p for quite a while, even though I always felt I wasn't good enough to play with a 93. The fact is that my wins/losses columns were not all that different with it. I did leave things short more often - but I also could hit closer to the lines without overhitting. I had to play a different game with it than a more powerful 100 square inch racquet, but it wasn't bad.

I found the best balance of power with gut/poly strung at 46/42. If you haven't tried gut/poly yet - give it a shot. You may find it's exactly what you are looking for - more power and feels even nicer.

 

[tomato123]

Hello fellow Tennisnerds,

after not playing actively for more than 22 years, I now continued my Tennis-journey at the age of 42, because my teenage daughter wanted to get into Tennis. Not long after I came back to the good old red clay, the local players were inviting me to their 1st men's team training sessions, asking me to join their team next season. Actually they signed me up without me having a say, because they need more players
But I'm still asking myself if the 93p is the right choice for me, especially when getting back to competitive Tennis and competing with hard-hitting guys in their 30s.

Back in the 90s I was playing very competitively but then had a bad shoulder injury with surgery and shortly after that I stopped playing and haven't come back until 1,5 months ago.
Others say I have a very old-school and sophisticated technique, if you wanted to compare my groundstrokes to a former pro-player I think Michael Stich would be a good comparison. Only that I'm a lot shorter, so physically I'm much closer to Agassi

Before hitting with the boys, I tried out these sticks:

- Pro Kennex Q+ Tour
- Wilson Pro Staff 97 V13.0
- Wilson Clash 100
- Dunlop CX 200 Tour 18x20
- Babolat Pure Strike 18x20
- Babolat Pure Drive Lite
- Dunlop SX 300 Lite
- Prince Phantom 100X (18x20)
- Phantom 100X (290g)
- Prince Phantom 93p

and the 93p was the only racquet that felt really good. The Pro Kennex felt "meh", the Pro Staff was a bit too stiff and gave me irritating feelings in the upper arm.
The Clash was missing control and feel, also was too light. The Dunlop actually was my first choice before I tried the 93p, but still gave me some irritations in my arm ---> my daughter is now using the Dunlop.
The Babolats gave me painful feelings in my arm right from the first hit. The 100x Phantoms did not feel as comfortable as the 93p. The Lite racquets were missing mass which lead to unclean and too fast swings, especially on my forehand. The 93p and its weight "forces me to have clean technique" which is very positive for my sensitive shoulder. So my conclusion was that my shoulder prefers head-light sticks for now.

But I also think the problem with testing racquets is that you are not allowed to re-string them. And all of these were strung with Polys at around 55lbs. I think that it would've made a big difference if I would've been able to restring them with a softer string / tension. But still, the 93p felt better than any other racquet, even when strung with a poly at 54lbs.

I'm now stringing my 93p with Head Velocity MLT 16 at 44 to 48 lbs. 44lbs was very comfortable but lead to a lot of uncontrolled "moon balls". 48lbs seems to be a good compromise for now, like the middle-ground between control and power. The MLT strings also feel a lot better to my sensitive shoulder than the previous poly-setup in the test-stick.

So I mainly chose the 93p because it was "the only stick that felt good and didn't hurt my arm / shoulder". But now that I have to play long baseline-rallies on clay I'm not sure the 93p is the best choice. It feels as if my racquet choice makes life harder than it has to be. The "boys" are all hitting very aggressive with lots of depth and Top Spin. They're also not swinging as big as I do, actually their technique reminds me more of hitting with a flyswatter and they also make a lot of unforced errors, but when their strokes land close to the baseline I'm having a very hard time returning their shots with enough power, often putting me into a very defensive position. If you watch us playing you can instantly see that I (have to) put much more body mass / body movement into every stroke and I have to work a lot harder to get the same power as they do.

If you combine that with the unforgiving nature and the smaller head size of the 93p you can probably understand my "do I make my life harder than necessary?" thoughts.

But they also have a different style of playing Tennis. I'm more of a tactical player, aiming for precision and variation, only hitting hard if the opportunity for a winner or attacking the net is realistic. My goal is to hit as effortlessly and relaxed as possible. They on the other hand are "always hit as hard as you can with as much Top-Spin as you can" club-players, accepting lots of unforced errors in the process.

From my point of view there are 2 roads I can take now:

1. Perfect my "old-school" technique and style of playing with the 93p, combating their heavy Top-Spins. Accept that I have to work a lot harder than they do to generate power, doing more of a "full body workout" with every stroke. Hoping that in the end this will pay off, especially from a health perspective.
2. Try out some more racquets, trying to find something to make life a bit easier in spin-intensive clay-rallies. Looking for the arm-friendly, controlled feeling of the 93p with more forgiveness, spin and power.


What would you guys propose in my situation?

I'm most likely not as good a player as you are but I was in the exact same boat - took a 20 year break, came back to the game and loved the Prince 93P. Except, after watching enough youtube videos and forum threads on so many racquets, I had to have them all and now I'm a full on racquet-holic... lol. When I played with the 93P I felt like it had enough swingweight and stability to absorb and redirect/counterpunch the ground and pound game, and especially if you play the tactical game it certainly fits the narrative of the crafty older guy with the midsized racquet showing these young guns a thing or two!

Overall it seems like you've tried a good spectrum of racquets to know what you need and what the current market looks like. Do you think your body/arm will eventually develop enough strength over time to use the other racquets you mention that are not as arm friendly as the 93P? One thought might be to stay with the 93P to hold you over since it is "good enough" for now, while you re-introduce your body to tennis while experimenting with other racquets on the side until you find the one that checks all the boxes for you?

edit: it’s too bad the ultra tour is no longer available for demo, it might have been something worth trying that fits in the same category as the 93p, maybe if you can find one on the internet or friends that could let you try it!

 

[nintendoplayer]

I'm most likely not as good a player as you are but I was in the exact same boat - took a 20 year break, came back to the game and loved the Prince 93P. Except, after watching enough youtube videos and forum threads on so many racquets, I had to have them all and now I'm a full on racquet-holic... lol. When I played with the 93P I felt like it had enough swingweight and stability to absorb and redirect/counterpunch the ground and pound game, and especially if you play the tactical game it certainly fits the narrative of the crafty older guy with the midsized racquet showing these young guns a thing or two!

Overall it seems like you've tried a good spectrum of racquets to know what you need and what the current market looks like. Do you think your body/arm will eventually develop enough strength over time to use the other racquets you mention that are not as arm friendly as the 93P? One thought might be to stay with the 93P to hold you over since it is "good enough" for now, while you re-introduce your body to tennis while experimenting with other racquets on the side until you find the one that checks all the boxes for you?

edit: it’s too bad the ultra tour is no longer available for demo, it might have been something worth trying that fits in the same category as the 93p, maybe if you can find one on the internet or friends that could let you try it!

Thanks for your extensive response, let me explain the situation in more detail

Back in the 90s I played with ligher rackets, so the 93p is the heaviest frame I ever owned.
The 93p foremost was intended to be my „practice frame“ when hitting the ball wall. I then regularly record myself in slowmo and optimize my technique.
And in this scenario, the 93p has been the most comfortable out of the frames I tested. Its weight also „forces me to have clean form“ in my swings.

But(!) after playing with the 93p for 20 to 30 minutes, my arm becomes weaker and weaker.
I then don‘t feel any hard pain, but I can feel the loss in strength and shortly after the soreness sets in, which can then last for a few days.

And with the other rackets I tested, I felt some kind if pain even when only hitting 10-20 minutes on the ball wall.

That‘s the main reason I chose the 93p, because it „only leads to soreness“ and no hard pain.

Now I have a new situation - playing hot headed guys in their 30s. And the strength issue comes up faster than when I hit the ball wall with very controlled shots.

So I like the 93p, i love Prince and had lots of Prince rackets in my youth, but I just don‘t have the strength to handle it efficiently for a whole match, yet.

And this is also part of „do I make my life harder than necessary?“ question - using the most demanding and heaviest frame ever to get back into the game after more than 20 years.

That‘s why I‘m definitely continuing to look out for alternatives, maybe even switching between different rackets. Using the 93p for technical practice and another one for matches maybe, as long as I don‘t have the strength in my shoulder to handle the 93p full-time.
I want(!) to be a full-time 93p player and I love this frame - but I‘m not sure if I‘ll be able to handle it 100% of the time, especially in long matches.

Next time I play the boys I will definitely bring a few lighter rackets to see if I can counter their heavy top-spins better - and maybe even getting less sore in my shoulder afterwards.

So yeah, I will try out more rackets, and keep my beloved 93ps for now. And I also have a high risk of becoming a racket junkie, searching for the holy grail that will solve all my issues

 

[tomato123]

Thanks for your extensive response, let me explain the situation in more detail

Back in the 90s I played with ligher rackets, so the 93p is the heaviest frame I ever owned.
The 93p foremost was intended to be my „practice frame“ when hitting the ball wall. I then regularly record myself in slowmo and optimize my technique.
And in this scenario, the 93p has been the most comfortable out of the frames I tested. Its weight also „forces me to have clean form“ in my swings.

But(!) after playing with the 93p for 20 to 30 minutes, my arm becomes weaker and weaker.
I then don‘t feel any hard pain, but I can feel the loss in strength and shortly after the soreness sets in, which can then last for a few days.

And with the other rackets I tested, I felt some kind if pain even when only hitting 10-20 minutes on the ball wall.

That‘s the main reason I chose the 93p, because it „only leads to soreness“ and no hard pain.

Now I have a new situation - playing hot headed guys in their 30s. And the strength issue comes up faster than when I hit the ball wall with very controlled shots.

So I like the 93p, i love Prince and had lots of Prince rackets in my youth, but I just don‘t have the strength to handle it efficiently for a whole match, yet.

And this is also part of „do I make my life harder than necessary?“ question - using the most demanding and heaviest frame ever to get back into the game after more than 20 years.

That‘s why I‘m definitely continuing to look out for alternatives, maybe even switching between different rackets. Using the 93p for technical practice and another one for matches maybe, as long as I don‘t have the strength in my shoulder to handle the 93p full-time.
I want(!) to be a full-time 93p player and I love this frame - but I‘m not sure if I‘ll be able to handle it 100% of the time, especially in long matches.

Next time I play the boys I will definitely bring a few lighter rackets to see if I can counter their heavy top-spins better - and maybe even getting less sore in my shoulder afterwards.

So yeah, I will try out more rackets, and keep my beloved 93ps for now. And I also have a high risk of becoming a racket junkie, searching for the holy grail that will solve all my issues

I grew up with the POG in high school as well, so the 93p definitely has a special place in my heart!

Best of luck in your journey back to the game and welcome to the forums!

 

[Steve Huff]

If you like the 93P, a better Pro Kennex model to try would have been the Black Ace, probably the 315, possibly the Pro.

 

[AmericanTwist]

what level do you play at? Can you return serves adequately with the 93p? Try some solid core syn gut if your arm starts hurting with poly. Also, try nat gut/syn gut hyrbid. That's my go-to set-up. If you string mains syn gut lower the tension by 5% or so (for more durability).

 

[nintendoplayer]

what level do you play at? Can you return serves adequately with the 93p? Try some solid core syn gut if your arm starts hurting with poly. Also, try nat gut/syn gut hyrbid. That's my go-to set-up. If you string mains syn gut lower the tension by 5% or so (for more durability).

I think the better question, after only being back in the game for 1.5 months and still taking it slow to save my shoulder, would be: "what level did I play at?"

Back in the 90s I assume I was a 6.0 if I interpret those NTRP ratings correctly, because I was highly positioned in the regional rankings, had a national ranking as well as in bordering countries, played tournaments almost every week during season, had a sponsor who payed for my coach, racquets, clothes, tournament entry fees. I wasn't able to live from the sport, but had a team that invested lots of time and money in anticipation that I could make it into the professional domain.
And then the almighty decided to put my shoulder out of business for more than half a year and shortly after that my tennis journey and the support from my sponsor ended very abruptly. After that experience I didn't play Tennis anymore just until my daughter said she wanted to try it out a few weeks ago.

Today I'm still looking for my rhythm. So right now I cannot hit returns with the 93p as good as back then, yet.
Currently I'm using Head Velocity multifilament strings, also because I have to keep the costs in check But they feel much nicer and easier on the arm than any poly I've tried lately.

 

[PrinceMoron]

Try the PS 16x19

It softens up when you hit big
The zip off the strings is addictive
Volleys are amazing, and I had thought the 93p was the best you can get.

once I got used to the balance I hit cleanly and all pain disappeared

93ps are gathering dust

 

[nintendoplayer]

Try the PS 16x19

It softens up when you hit big
The zip off the strings is addictive
Volleys are amazing, and I had thought the 93p was the best you can get.

once I got used to the balance I hit cleanly and all pain disappeared

93ps are gathering dust

PS = Pure Strike?
Doesn't that racket feel way stiffer than the 93p?
Any did you also compare it to the 18x20 ?

 

[bigbadboaz]

I played the 93p seriously for about a year. Loved it but also struggled a bit with the weight.

I happened to try the original Phantom 100 by chance and was pleasantly surprised. It (for obvious reasons) keeps the same great feel but despite supposedly fitting a very different type of game than the 93p, worked just as well overall for me. It's lighter enough to help but still solid, and has a much more forgiving headsize. I switched over and have been very happy.

Since you emphasize the feel as the main factor in your choice, be aware there ARE other great-feeling frames out there, others in the Phantom line being the ones to check out immediately. The closest in the current lineup to the original 100 is the O3 100X, which I understand is slightly stiffer. The 100X 305 got raves but to me did not feel as good nor as forgiving as the OG 100.

 

[PrinceMoron]

PS = Pure Strike?
Doesn't that racket feel way stiffer than the 93p?
Any did you also compare it to the 18x20 ?

Hated all the Phantoms compared to the 18x20, which really suited old style flatter strokes.
if you step into the ball and attack it is just great. Head size plays bigger than 93.
Suits OHBH, great for volleys. Lots of power on serve once you get the racquet moving.

I love the PS 16x19 as it melts into your hand once you really rip the ball, it is like it isn’t there
you can volley literally by looking at the ball.
it has most of what the RF97A offers without the clunkiness

it returns pace and depth with interest

just need to slice the ball to club players who stand too close to the net or you will kill them

 

[Trip]

@nintendoplayer - Welcome back to the game. As a 39 year old who's recently returned to the game, I can sympathize. IMHO, your choice comes down to intent.

If all you simply care about is the sheer sensation of hitting the ball, with no specific aims or expectations around competition or skill development, then by all means, there's nothing wrong in sticking with the 93P, or any smaller-head, narrower-beam, heavy, dense-pattern control frame (per the several already mentioned). As much as they may be less relevant as the game has moved more towards power, spin and endurance physicality, they're a familiar tool that will serve you predictably, albeit with limitations. Presuming you've come to terms with that, then absolutely, stick with it and enjoy the most out of it!

If, however, you do have competitive aims, then yes, I think you're making things unnecessarily hard on yourself, and could probably, at least in the long run, raise your performance ceiling with a larger, lighter, thicker, more open-pattern frame. I'm not talking Pure Aero necessarily, but perhaps a more moderate hybrid player/tweener frame, something with a 97-100" head, 295-310g static weight, 22-24mm beam, 60-64 RA stiffness, low-mid 320's swing weight and 14+ twist weight -- the likes of the following:
- Angell TC97, TC101 or K7 Red
- Babolat Pure Strike VS 2022 (with 5+g hoop lead)
- Head G360+ Gravity Tour
- Head Speed Pro (G360+ or Auxetic)
- Prince ATS Textreme Tour 98 or 100P
- Tecnifibre TF40 305 18x20 (2022)
- Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 100 v13
- Yonex VCore Pro 100

Give at least a few of the above a try, and I'm fairly certain you'll find at least one that brings enough 93P qualities forward into a more forgiving package, with ultimately a higher performance ceiling for your game.

Hope that helps. Any questions, feel free.

 

[nintendoplayer]

Thanks for your kindness and support guys, really appreciated!

I don't have access to all the rackets you mentioned, but I've now ordered

- Prince Phantom 100x (305g)
- Pure Strike 16x19
- Head Prestige MP 2021 (watched the Tennisnerd review and he said it's quite similar to the Gravity Pro, only the Gravity being a bit more sluggish)

for testing and the shop also confirmed I can re-string them with my Head Velocity MLT string.

The Tecnifibre's definitely on my wish-list but they only allow to test 3 rackets at once
I think in the next test-round I will get the Tecnifibre, one of the Yonex models and possibly the Head Gravity.

 

[Trip]

@nintendoplayer - Very welcome. At least for the sake of variety, you've ordered three very different feeling demos, that's for sure. I've tried all of them myself, and still own the Phantom 100X and play actively with the G360+ Prestige Tour (now the '21 Auxetic Prestige MP) -- 99" with a genius 18x19 pattern; a very underrated, brilliant frame that splits the difference between older-school player frame and player/tweener hybrid. I would have suggested it, save for the fact that the G360+ Tour is hard to find now and the Auxetic swing weights have all been bumped pretty high. Hopefully you get an under-spec demo, and/or lighter strings.

As for the demo package, if I may be so bold as to predict your experience, I think you're going to find the Pure Strike too stiff, hollow, dampened and club-like, the Phantom 100X too anemic, too many vibrations and flutter in the upper tip, and the 2021 Prestige MP will feel the best of the three but may be a bit too heavy to swing over time. That said, stick with your demo order, and see if those predictions bear out. Next time, I would definitely demo an ATS Textreme Tour 98 or 100P, Tecnifibre TF40 305 18x20 and either Yonex VCP 100 or Gravity Tour. You're also likely right on the fringe of a Gravity Pro or VCore Pro 97D, but both are probably too close to where you're looking to get away from, even if you got under-spec samples through a racquet matching service, so I'd probably stick with the lighter-spec alternatives mentioned previously.

Best of luck and do let us know how the demo's turn out!

 

[naturalexponent]

My chief complaint with the 93P when I first played with it was lack of power, specifically putaway power, but that issue was solved with a low tension poly string job (mine is at 42/40). As others have said, I think if pure enjoyment/feel is what you're after, by all means stick with the 93P. If you want an easier time winning points, then there are certainly alternatives that are much easier to win with. That said, there is also a lot of gray in the middle -- while the 93P makes me work harder, it gives me the most confidence of all the racquets I have when I need to make a clutch shot in a point (assuming I'm not winded and can get to the ball). If you're out of shape and need to start winning right away, then start with something else, but if and when your conditioning catches up, then give the 93P another try at that point I'm not quite there yet but I always keep the 93P with me in case I need to regain confidence in my shots. I know i have something I can depend on if things are not grooving with another racquet.

 

[Power Player]

I love the 93P but I slowly moved up to 98 than 100 sized frames. Had a similar story to you but returned to tennis in my late 20s. At 42, you want to think about fitness and stamina on the court more than anything.

I doubt you will love the Pure Strike, it is insanely muted compared to the 93P and not as comfortable. I think the Prestige is nice, but ideally want something more forgiving. The Gravity Pro would honestly be my suggestion to you. It feels similar to the 93p (Have both can bounce a ball off them as I type this) and is not sluggish if you pay for the TW matching service and ask for a model with a lower SW(I'd suggest as close to 295 unstrung as possible ) and weight close to 310 unstrung you will have no issues with sluggishness. The first GPs that came out seemed to all have really high SWs but I think Head adjusted on the newer Paintjob models and you can find lighter ones now.

Honestly the more I think about it, thats the answer since I have been down this path. The GP is still not a power frame but it captures that 93P vibe in a much easier to use package. The sweet spot is huge and the control is great.

I wouldn't listen to Tennis Nerd too much on racquet reviews since he is all about cranking out content more then spending time with a frame it seems.

 

[time_fly]

I love Prince racquets and I always at least give new models a demo. The 97p is actually less powerful than the 93p in my opinion. The decreased weight and increased flex more than outweigh the larger head size. So it will be more forgiving but still require a lot of effort.

If you want to stick with Prince but want to take a small step up the free power scale, what about the ATS Tour 95, or even the 98 that is getting rave reviews? The 93 14x18 also offers easier access to power and depth than the regular 93p, but it really requires you to play with significant spin for control.

If you are willing to go outside of Prince, then I would also look at the Dunlop CX 200 Tour and, if you are willing to try a 100" head, the Head G360+ Gravity Pro. The Gravity has great feel and control for a 100, while adding the benefit of a generous sweet spot. The Gravity Tour is also an option. It has a slightly more open string pattern and thicker beam for a little easier power, but still retains a lot of feel. I usually tend towards more spin-friendly setups, but I have played a Gravity Tour with a leather grip that I could almost see myself switching to.

 

[mhkeuns]

Thanks a lot for your help and racquet proposals so far I will check them out.


The question actually is if the 93p fits "my game". Because from what I've heard so far, the 93p fits very well in the serve and volley category. But I'm neither a big server nor a guy that permanently seeks the net. I mainly chose the 93p because of the good feeling in my arm.

Just string it with 18g poly around 45 lbs. It becomes a good stick, even from the baseline. If you’re a high level player who plays often to maintain the skills, it is one of the most best attacking sticks. Obviously, the small headsize isn’t too great on defense, but perhaps your footwork can make up for it.

 

[nintendoplayer]

Today I had another session (test-rackets haven’t arrived, yet) and learned a lot about my 93p.

1. my tension was too low before. Maybe Tennisnerd is right about this, claiming that you shouldn‘t play with mutlifilaments below 53lbs. I had one racket strung with 48 and one with 53, but only with 53lbs i was able to achieve confident and controlled shots.
I will try poly at low tension next, compared to higher tension mutlifilament.

2. I cannot use (heavy) top-spin, I have to hit every shot as straight as possible, otherwise I hit the fence way too often. Maybe this is also related to the string? I’m using the Head Velocity MLT, 16 gauge.

3. I have to imagine swinging and playing more like Boris Becker (or Stefan Edberg). I always thought he looked like a guy swinging a sledgehammer. And that‘s exactly how I feel this racket must be handled.

I still struggle with aggressive, deep top-spin shots from the opponent. The only way I can handle them currently is taking the ball extremely early, like a half-volley from the baseline, but with full hammer-swing.

but when I think about how Boris handled such situations…he would‘ve already made his way to the net while I‘m still trying to get into these deep, aggressive top-spin rallies.

 

[veelium]

Today I had another session (test-rackets haven’t arrived, yet) and learned a lot about my 93p.

1. my tension was too low before. Maybe Tennisnerd is right about this, claiming that you shouldn‘t play with mutlifilaments below 53lbs. I had one racket strung with 48 and one with 53, but only with 53lbs i was able to achieve confident and controlled shots.
I will try poly at low tension next, compared to higher tension mutlifilament.

2. I cannot use (heavy) top-spin, I have to hit every shot as straight as possible, otherwise I hit the fence way too often. Maybe this is also related to the string? I’m using the Head Velocity MLT, 16 gauge.

3. I have to imagine swinging and playing more like Boris Becker (or Stefan Edberg). I always thought he looked like a guy swinging a sledgehammer. And that‘s exactly how I feel this racket must be handled.

I still struggle with aggressive, deep top-spin shots from the opponent. The only way I can handle them currently is taking the ball extremely early, like a half-volley from the baseline, but with full hammer-swing.

but when I think about how Boris handled such situations…he would‘ve already made his way to the net while I‘m still trying to get into these deep, aggressive top-spin rallies.

Judging from your first post, stay away from poly or at least use the velocity in the mains and a soft poly in the crosses.
That will keep the feel similar but give you easier access to spin.

 

[TennisHound]

Hello fellow Tennisnerds,

after not playing actively for more than 22 years, I now continued my Tennis-journey at the age of 42, because my teenage daughter wanted to get into Tennis. Not long after I came back to the good old red clay, the local players were inviting me to their 1st men's team training sessions, asking me to join their team next season. Actually they signed me up without me having a say, because they need more players
But I'm still asking myself if the 93p is the right choice for me, especially when getting back to competitive Tennis and competing with hard-hitting guys in their 30s.

Back in the 90s I was playing very competitively but then had a bad shoulder injury with surgery and shortly after that I stopped playing and haven't come back until 1,5 months ago.
Others say I have a very old-school and sophisticated technique, if you wanted to compare my groundstrokes to a former pro-player I think Michael Stich would be a good comparison. Only that I'm a lot shorter, so physically I'm much closer to Agassi

Before hitting with the boys, I tried out these sticks:

- Pro Kennex Q+ Tour
- Wilson Pro Staff 97 V13.0
- Wilson Clash 100
- Dunlop CX 200 Tour 18x20
- Babolat Pure Strike 18x20
- Babolat Pure Drive Lite
- Dunlop SX 300 Lite
- Prince Phantom 100X (18x20)
- Phantom 100X (290g)
- Prince Phantom 93p

and the 93p was the only racquet that felt really good. The Pro Kennex felt "meh", the Pro Staff was a bit too stiff and gave me irritating feelings in the upper arm.
The Clash was missing control and feel, also was too light. The Dunlop actually was my first choice before I tried the 93p, but still gave me some irritations in my arm ---> my daughter is now using the Dunlop.
The Babolats gave me painful feelings in my arm right from the first hit. The 100x Phantoms did not feel as comfortable as the 93p. The Lite racquets were missing mass which lead to unclean and too fast swings, especially on my forehand. The 93p and its weight "forces me to have clean technique" which is very positive for my sensitive shoulder. So my conclusion was that my shoulder prefers head-light sticks for now.

But I also think the problem with testing racquets is that you are not allowed to re-string them. And all of these were strung with Polys at around 55lbs. I think that it would've made a big difference if I would've been able to restring them with a softer string / tension. But still, the 93p felt better than any other racquet, even when strung with a poly at 54lbs.

I'm now stringing my 93p with Head Velocity MLT 16 at 44 to 48 lbs. 44lbs was very comfortable but lead to a lot of uncontrolled "moon balls". 48lbs seems to be a good compromise for now, like the middle-ground between control and power. The MLT strings also feel a lot better to my sensitive shoulder than the previous poly-setup in the test-stick.

So I mainly chose the 93p because it was "the only stick that felt good and didn't hurt my arm / shoulder". But now that I have to play long baseline-rallies on clay I'm not sure the 93p is the best choice. It feels as if my racquet choice makes life harder than it has to be. The "boys" are all hitting very aggressive with lots of depth and Top Spin. They're also not swinging as big as I do, actually their technique reminds me more of hitting with a flyswatter and they also make a lot of unforced errors, but when their strokes land close to the baseline I'm having a very hard time returning their shots with enough power, often putting me into a very defensive position. If you watch us playing you can instantly see that I (have to) put much more body mass / body movement into every stroke and I have to work a lot harder to get the same power as they do.

If you combine that with the unforgiving nature and the smaller head size of the 93p you can probably understand my "do I make my life harder than necessary?" thoughts.

But they also have a different style of playing Tennis. I'm more of a tactical player, aiming for precision and variation, only hitting hard if the opportunity for a winner or attacking the net is realistic. My goal is to hit as effortlessly and relaxed as possible. They on the other hand are "always hit as hard as you can with as much Top-Spin as you can" club-players, accepting lots of unforced errors in the process.

From my point of view there are 2 roads I can take now:

1. Perfect my "old-school" technique and style of playing with the 93p, combating their heavy Top-Spins. Accept that I have to work a lot harder than they do to generate power, doing more of a "full body workout" with every stroke. Hoping that in the end this will pay off, especially from a health perspective.
2. Try out some more racquets, trying to find something to make life a bit easier in spin-intensive clay-rallies. Looking for the arm-friendly, controlled feeling of the 93p with more forgiveness, spin and power.


What would you guys propose in my situation?

You might also consider the Prince Twistpower 97

 

[graycrait]

You might also consider the Prince Twistpower 97

I have 3 of these Twistpower X97s and they play really well for me with 17g round poly at 57lbs. I also have 4 APDs I use quite a bit and others. But I dumped all my 93" rackets except for a trio of 18x20 12.2oz Volkl Quantum Tour 10 Mids, 19mm straight beam. I have them strung with 19g Cyclone at 45-48lbs.

 

[nintendoplayer]

Today was the big test. 4 different rackets, 2 different opponents.

After having my 93p strung at 53lbs last time, today I strung it at 55lbs with my Head Velocity MLT 16g (1.30mm).
AND I modified the 93p by removing the original leather band and replacing that with a cheap, light standard band.
This reduced the weight of the 93p significantly by 23g which felt much nicer to swing.

I then strung the Pure Strike 16x19, Prince Phantom 100X(305g) and Head Prestige MP exactly the same - 55lbs with Head Velocity MLT 16g.
So I can have a objective comparison, having them all strung the same way.

First came my "modified" 93p - and it felt better than ever before. The reduced weight helped a lot and also the higher tension raised my consistency by 50% I assume.
So it felt definitely good, but I still thought "probably one of the other racquets will feel better", so I started the rotation.

Now it was the 100X's turn and it felt nearly the way I anticipated it. I could play more "Nadal like" spins, I felt the raised forgiveness when I didn't hit the ball perfectly and I felt the higher power rating of the frame. The frame "did more" with the ball by itself then the 93p. So I had to reduce the power of my swings a bit, play safer, don't go for the lines as much.
It actually reminded me a lot of the Prince racquets I played as a Junior back in the 90s. It felt a bit easier to put the ball between the lines but it didn't feel as direct, connected and controlled as the 93p.
It definitely felt good. Like a good alternative for days when for some reason the 93p won't work. It feels like a perfect choice for days when you just want to keep the ball in play.

Head Prestige MP - a nice frame. Reminded me of the 93p, but with higher swingweight and even more plowthrough. It actually felt quite good and interesting. I can imagine how someone could become addicted to the pop and feel this frame gives you everytime you hit a nice forehand or backhand. It was a unique feeling that I liked. But I could also feel that my shoulder didn't 100% love this frame. No big issues but a bit of a pinching feeling in the shoulder.
If I would not have known the 93p already, I would probably now spend more time with the Prestige and evaluate how my shoulder reacts to it after a few sessions. But it also felt so close to the 93p (apart from this special "Prestige Pop" feeling when hitting the ball) that it wasn't necessary to dive much deeper into Prestige-waters. It is a nice racquet, I can totally understand how one could fall in love with this frame, but shoulder is king

Pure Strike 16x19 - an interesting frame. I instantly felt the higher stiffness and higher power this frame brought to the table. The few shots I made with it were quite powerful, many times even too powerful. But in comparison to the other racquets this simply didn't feel right. Quite disconnected from the ball and a bit of a weird "how hard do I swing, how much energy comes out of the racquet?" ratio.
So I can imagine having very powerful groundstrokes after getting used to the Pure Strike, but to me it was missing control and the feeling of being truly connected to the ball. And it instantly raised my stiffness-alarm in the shoulder.

Then, of course, rotation went back to the 93p - and after experiencing the other frames, the 93p felt better than ever. Also my game-partners all came to the conclusion that the 93p works best for me right now.
And the "how powerful do I swing, how much power does the racquet generate?"-ratio felt the best. I started to have real control of my game and the court, again. Like back in the days. I started to win points and hit winners, again. Using the whole court, playing varied in my strokes, throwing in a lot of slices on my backhand, playing strategically and mature.

Weakness in my arm also didn't kick in as soon as before, I attribute that at least a bit to the reduced weight after removing the Prince leather band. Before my 93p weighed more than 350 grams, now it weighs 330 grams strung. Maybe there is a loss in stability but again: shoulder is king


Next I will experiment with a new string, the Head Reflex MLT, this time with 17 gauge. Hope this will make the shoulder even happier, a thinner and even softer string with a lower stiffness rating than the Velocity.
The Head Gravity Pro is not available right now, so I will wait if I can test that anytime soon. On the other hand my shoulder seems to like Prince racquets the most so far.

The warrior needs to sleep, cure his shoulder and think about it

 

[Trip]

@nintendoplayer - Very nice writeup on your update. The demo went just about how I predicted, baring a bit more favorable 100X outcome than anticipated. Just FYI, there's currently a 50% off Phantom sale going on at TW USA for 1 more day. If you had a hankering to load up on any more Phantoms, including the 93P, now would be the time!

 

[Chairman3]

At $99...it is the right choice for everyone

I ordered one of each string pattern

 

[time_fly]

At $99...it is the right choice for everyone

I ordered one of each string pattern

Ha ha, I also took advantage of the sale to buy 1 frame I didn't really need. It was hard to resist grabbing 2 or 3 different models to play around with.

To the OP, I'm not sure who you were playing when you tested the frames but it sounds like you might have been hitting with your familiar hitting partners. You probably should see how you fare with the 93P when playing under more pressure, maybe against a better player or on an unfamiliar court. The shank and short ball count might go up much faster than with some of the other, more forgiving options.

 

[nintendoplayer]

@nintendoplayer - Very nice writeup on your update. The demo went just about how I predicted, baring a bit more favorable 100X outcome than anticipated. Just FYI, there's currently a 50% off Phantom sale going on at TW USA for 1 more day. If you had a hankering to load up on any more Phantoms, including the 93P, now would be the time!

Thank you, I checked out TW but then got this error message:

I live in Germany, so the current sale doesn‘t seem to apply to me.


The only Prince racquet that is available for a good price in Germany right now is the 100P for 120$. The 100x costs around 170$.
Would it make sense to purchase the 100P instead of the 100X? But I'm a bit worried about the higher (swing)weight of the 100P.....

OR what it possibly make sense to try the 100x 290g? Even lower weight, making the shoulder even happier when getting tired from the 93p?

Phantom 100X (290g) — Prince Tennis

www.princetennis.com

And do you think I should still try out some more racquets? Like the Gravity Pro / Tour, Tecnifibre and Yonex models?




@time_fly the 2 guys I hit with yesterday were both new to me but you are right to assume that they weren‘t as high level as the guys from last time. They hit the balls flatter and we had more of an easy practice session, with a few serious attacks in between. But this was good practice to get into the rhythm, again. And the main difference to me was the raised string tension. Before when I hit with the 93p I had way less control over the ball due to reduced tension. With those multifilament strings, everything below 53lbs feels sluggish to me and yesterday has proven that going for the highest possible tension gives most control and best feeling with multifilaments in the 93p.

 

[hurworld]

My suggestion after reading through your experience:
- Gravity Pro as suggested by @Power Player - good amount of sweet spot and forgiving
- Speed Pro as suggested by @Trip - great stability baseline stick
- 93p 14x18 - lower swing weight, higher launch angle and spin potential

 

[Rosstour]

@nintendoplayer - Welcome back to the game. As a 39 year old who's recently returned to the game, I can sympathize. IMHO, your choice comes down to intent.

If all you simply care about is the sheer sensation of hitting the ball, with no specific aims or expectations around competition or skill development, then by all means, there's nothing wrong in sticking with the 93P, or any smaller-head, narrower-beam, heavy, dense-pattern control frame (per the several already mentioned). As much as they may be less relevant as the game has moved more towards power, spin and endurance physicality, they're a familiar tool that will serve you predictably, albeit with limitations. Presuming you've come to terms with that, then absolutely, stick with it and enjoy the most out of it!

If, however, you do have competitive aims, then yes, I think you're making things unnecessarily hard on yourself, and could probably, at least in the long run, raise your performance ceiling with a larger, lighter, thicker, more open-pattern frame. I'm not talking Pure Aero necessarily, but perhaps a more moderate hybrid player/tweener frame, something with a 97-100" head, 295-310g static weight, 22-24mm beam, 60-64 RA stiffness, low-mid 320's swing weight and 14+ twist weight -- the likes of the following:
- Angell TC97, TC101 or K7 Red
- Babolat Pure Strike VS 2022 (with 5+g hoop lead)
- Head G360+ Gravity Tour
- Head Speed Pro (G360+ or Auxetic)
- Prince ATS Textreme Tour 98 or 100P
- Tecnifibre TF40 305 18x20 (2022)
- Wilson Pro Staff 6.1 100 v13
- Yonex VCore Pro 100

Give at least a few of the above a try, and I'm fairly certain you'll find at least one that brings enough 93P qualities forward into a more forgiving package, with ultimately a higher performance ceiling for your game.

Hope that helps. Any questions, feel free.

TF40 18/20 isn't the best choice for a guy with a sensitive shoulder. I used one for about a year and then tore my rotator cuff. I have zero history of soft-tissue injuries. I don't think I can go back to it

 

[nintendoplayer]

Thanks guys, I will probably try the Prince Phantom 100x 290g and Gravity Pro, next.

To make this a bit more scientific, I thought it would make sense to write down some numbers and possibly see a pattern:


Racquets with good feeling:

Prince 93p 18x20: Flex 60, Vibration Freq 135Hz

Prince 100X 305: Flex 58, Vibration 133Hz


"Pinching" racquets:

Dunlop CX200 Tour 18x20 Flex: 62, Vibration 139Hz

Head Prestige MP 2021: Flex 63, Vibration 135Hz


"Ouch" racquets:

Pure Strike 16x18: Flex 68, Vibration 136Hz

Wilson Pro Staff 97 V13.0: Flex 66, Vibration 143Hz

Babolat Pure Strike 18x20: Flex 66, Vibration 147Hz

Babolat Pure Drive Lite: Flex 69, Vibration 164Hz


Weird racquets:

Wilson Clash 100: Flex 55, Vibration 121Hz




Potential candidates for the next test:

Head Gravity Pro: Flex 62, Vibration 138

Prince Phantom 100x 290: Flex 58, Vibration 133

Yonex VCore Pro 100: Flex 63, Vibration 139


--> looking at the numbers, the Head Gravity and Yonex VCore Pro look like potential "pinching" candidates, so it could either be interesting to see if the theory is correct or be a waste of money, because the pattern is already clear

 

[Trip]

@nintendoplayer - Pretty well-ordered list, however I find it just as helpful to take into account just how vibratory the racquet is overall, meaning not just what the flex and Hz are as standalone values, but how often the frame is generating perceptible vibrations. This was one thing I've noticed quite often with the Phantom 100X -- it's so light in the hoop, especially towards the top, that the thing is just flexing and vibrating on almost every contact, and even with a low RA stiffness and 133Hz transmission, it seemed to have much more sustained, frequent perception of vibration, so much so that it ended up aggravating my arm to a higher degree than most of my other frames, most of which had a higher RA stiffness, but also had more solid hoops and "meatier" layups which don't get as rattled/buzzed by ball impact. A very curious phenomenon, indeed, but that was my experience. Still a nice frame, and I may give it another chance at some point soon. For now, I've moved on to beefier layups that plow through the ball with less disturbance of the frame -- Textreme Tour, Prestige, VCore Pro, Elevate, etc. I'll be interested to get your take on the VCP 100 and Gravity Pro (or Gravity Tour).

 

[jonestim]

I do have a history of elbow problems with almost all racquets over 66 stiffness or vibration over 150. 100x 305 has had no issues, even strung with full poly at 48 lbs. I do have 2 grams of lead at 12, but didn't have problems when I didn't.

 

[nintendoplayer]

@nintendoplayer - Pretty well-ordered list, however I find it just as helpful to take into account just how vibratory the racquet is overall, meaning not just what the flex and Hz are as standalone values, but how often the frame is generating perceptible vibrations. This was one thing I've noticed quite often with the Phantom 100X -- it's so light in the hoop, especially towards the top, that the thing is just flexing and vibrating on almost every contact, and even with a low RA stiffness and 133Hz transmission, it seemed to have much more sustained, frequent perception of vibration, so much so that it ended up aggravating my arm to a higher degree than most of my other frames, most of which had a higher RA stiffness, but also had more solid hoops and "meatier" layups which don't get as rattled/buzzed by ball impact. A very curious phenomenon, indeed, but that was my experience. Still a nice frame, and I may give it another chance at some point soon. For now, I've moved on to beefier layups that plow through the ball with less disturbance of the frame -- Textreme Tour, Prestige, VCore Pro, Elevate, etc. I'll be interested to get your take on the VCP 100 and Gravity Pro (or Gravity Tour).

I've been regularly looking on all german websites offering test-racquets the past few weeks, but the Gravity Pro / Tour and Yonex Vcore Pro 100 seem to be very popular among tennis-players. They are never(!) available for testing, always being tested by someone
Only racquets like the Head Gravity S / Head Gravity Light, Yonex Ezone 100 or Yonex Vcore Pro 100 (280) are regularly available. But after thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that ordering more "light" racquets wouldn't make much sense, as the Prince 100x (305) is already quite light and there won't be much of a difference between these light-racquets while they're all missing mass for plow-through and stability.
Do you agree?

The only scenario that came to my mind would be customizing a racquet like the Head Gravity S by adding more weight....which would possibly justify ordering it for a test.....but that somehow didn't feel like the right path to take.

It seems there aren't many other sensible options to test for me than the "real" Head Gravity Pro / Tour and Yonex VCore Pro 100?
Manufacturers like Angell or Auxetic aren't even available in Germany (for testing).

 

[Trip]

I'd mostly agree with your weight/model assessment, yes.

Also, FYI, Auxetic isn't a manufacturer, it simply Head's latest racquet refresh moniker, replacing Graphene 360+ across all silos (already done: Boom, Prestige, Speed; about to be released: Extreme; still remaining: Gravity, Instinct, Radical).

 

[nintendoplayer]

Yesterday had another session with my daughter and then recognized a new problem after removing the leather grip from my 93p: more vibrations crawling up my arm than before.

So the 100x 305 won the price for being the most comfortable racquet yesterday. (between the 93p without leather grip, PS 16x19m Prestige MP and 100X 305)

So now I'm looking for the best way to dampen the vibrations in the handle....currently the best options seem to be

- putting (thick) rubber bands into the handle --> sounds like the best solution, but not sure how to do it? ---> read about it here https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...s-silicone-or-foam-or-other-in-handle.525661/
- purchasing shock absorbing overgrip like the Babolat Xcel Gel or Tourna Pro Gel (Wilson shock shield not available in germany anymore) --> would have to change the overgrip quite often, not very sustainable?
- possibly even playing around with cotton and silicone ---> least preferred, least reversible

or even a combination of gel overgrip and silicone?

Wilson Shock Shield vs Babolat Xcel Gel

What is the best grip for vibrations absorption?

tt.tennis-warehouse.com

what would you guys propose?

 

[socallefty]

Your entire demo experience was probably a waste of time if they were all strung with poly especially around 55 lbs. This is because all polys are ‘dead’ within 8-15 hours and so, the chance that you were playing with dead poly on almost all of them is pretty high unless they were freshly strung. Every racquet with dead poly feels much more harsh/unfeeling than they normally do and the control is erratic too. Also, most players who play with poly these days string well below 50lbs as poly is much more insensitive in terms of power/control to tension compared to soft strings while delivering more comfort only at low tensions. Unfortunately, too many shops string their demos with poly so that they don’t break often, but don’t seem to care about the fact that they are thrusting a ‘dead poly’ demo experience on unsuspecting players.

When you demo racquets with poly, your experience is a random crapshoot based on how old the strings are. Better to demo with soft strings to find 2-3 racquets you like. Then, buy them and try them out with identical stringjobs the way you intend to string them for play and see which one comes out best. Buy that and sell the rest.

For good players, some recommendations I have are the Pure Strike Tour (my choice), VCore Pro97 and the Blade. All these are very precise with a bigger sweet spot than the 93P and there is no compelling reason to use such a small head anymore. I would also suggest soft polys like HyperG Soft, HyperG, Cyclone Tour etc. for play strung between 40-44 lbs. Remember to cut them out at 12-15 hours when you feel discomfort or erratic control if you don’t break them sooner.

 

[nintendoplayer]

Your entire demo experience was probably a waste of time if they were all strung with poly especially around 55 lbs. This is because all polys are ‘dead’ within 8-15 hours and so, the chance that you were playing with dead poly on almost all of them is pretty high unless they were freshly strung. Every racquet with dead poly feels much more harsh/unfeeling than they normally do and the control is erratic too. Also, most players who play with poly these days string well below 50lbs as poly is much more insensitive in terms of power/control to tension compared to soft strings while delivering more comfort only at low tensions. Unfortunately, too many shops string their demos with poly so that they don’t break often, but don’t seem to care about the fact that they are thrusting a ‘dead poly’ demo experience on unsuspecting players.

When you demo racquets with poly, your experience is a random crapshoot based on how old the strings are. Better to demo with soft strings to find 2-3 racquets you like. Then, buy them and try them out with identical stringjobs the way you intend to string them for play and see which one comes out best. Buy that and sell the rest.

For good players, some recommendations I have are the Pure Strike Tour (my choice), VCore Pro97 and the Blade. All these are very precise with a bigger sweet spot than the 93P and there is no compelling reason to use such a small head anymore. I would also suggest soft polys like HyperG Soft, HyperG, Cyclone Tour etc. for play strung between 40-44 lbs. Remember to cut them out at 12-15 hours when you feel discomfort or erratic control if you don’t break them sooner.

Thanks for your response. I did not test all racquets with polys, though. And I also know from my retailer that they restring their racquets for every tester, so I don't think these polys were already dead. I also tested them with a Gamma String Tension tester and they seemed fine.

I restrung the Pure Strike 16x19, Prince 100x 305, Head Prestige MP, Dunlop CX 200 Tour 18x20, Dunlop SX 300 Lite and Prince 93p with Head Velocity Multifilament.
The ones I didn't restring and thereby played with Poly were the Pro Kennex Q+ Tour, Wilson Pro Staff 97 V13.0, Wilson Clash 100, Babolat Pure Drive Lite, Phantom 100X (290g), Pure Strike 18x20.

 

[socallefty]

Thanks for your response. I did not test all racquets with polys, though. And I also know from my retailer that they restring their racquets for every tester, so I don't think these polys were already dead. I also tested them with a Gamma String Tension tester and they seemed fine.

I restrung the Pure Strike 16x19, Prince 100x 305, Head Prestige MP, Dunlop CX 200 Tour 18x20, Dunlop SX 300 Lite and Prince 93p with Head Velocity Multifilament.
The ones I didn't restring and thereby played with Poly were the Pro Kennex Q+ Tour, Wilson Pro Staff 97 V13.0, Wilson Clash 100, Babolat Pure Drive Lite, Phantom 100X (290g), Pure Strike 18x20.

Ok, that is a good retailer if they string demos fresh for every new player - wish I could find one like that. I got the impression in your original post that you couldn’t restring them.

 

[hadoken]

I use a Yonex Ezone 98. I used Prince 93 in frames for 20 years, laid off tennis to raise kids...when i came back I also had arm issues and all the frames you wrote down as 'ouch' are exactly the same experience I got....I also thought the clash was weird

I really like the Ezone because it has a narrow throat for the flex you are looking for, but it also has some pop. Also string it low...say mid 40s and it should feel pretty good. I find demos to be challenging because the strings often are not what I need. To some degree I usually have to buy the frame and string it a few times before I can make a final decision.

 

[socallefty]

I find demos to be challenging because the strings often are not what I need. To some degree I usually have to buy the frame and string it a few times before I can make a final decision.

I am like you and depend less on one-time demos. I’ve realized that apart from never knowing the age of a stringjob, the other problem with one-time demos is that you see just a glimpse of a racquet’s performance in the power/control/spin/feel continuum with one stringjob. A racquet can be tuned over a wide range of performance by changing strings/tensions/gauges and if I am very interested in switching to a racquet based on specs/looks, it is better to buy it and try with a few iterative string jobs. A demo is good to know the basic stability and maneuverability of a racquet, but I can usually tell that from the specs (weight, SW, TW etc.) also.

 

[nintendoplayer]

I've now decided to buy some used racquets. The 100x 305, possibly even the 100x 18x20 as comparison and a Head Gravity Pro - if I get them for a good price.
Because renting the Gravity Pro won't happen in the foreseeable future and I need more time to try these frames out, anyway.
And the 100x line so far feels the most comfortable and from what I've read they should be quite comparable to the Gravity Pro.
Played mainly with the 100x 305 the last time and have the feeling this one reduces my recovery time due to the very plush feeling. I also put a leather grip on the 100x 305, making it more head light and even plusher.
Feels like the perfect "recovery racquet" so far.

My idea is to have at least 2 different types of racquets in my bag for the next season. On one hand the ultra-controlled 93p-type (already own 2 of them, the older model), on the other hand something plush like the 100x 305. Then select one or the other depending on my opponent or state of my shoulder. At least that's the plan. Let's see how the journey continues