K95 vs O3 hybrid tour

[Roms]

Hello everybody,

I would like to know wich racquet is the best for you between the K95 16x18 and the prince O3 hybrid tour 16x18.
I am using a rqis 1 tour and I would like more stability, I don't like flexy feeling.
I would like to know wich is the best on flat shot and on flat serve, in terme of ball's weight.
In groundstroke, wich is more easy to use, has the more spin potential, wich is the best on hard flat groudstroke, has more power, and wich has more controle, the more consistant...?

My most important points are stability and feel (I guess that maneuvrability is equal, I know well the K95 18x20 and it s not a pb, I know that the prince is more confortable).
I have a one handed backhand.
I use a mix of heavy spin and flat.

Sorry for all this question and for my poor english
I hope you could help me I have to decide me quickly.
Thanks a lot

 

[In D Zone]

its a tough call. Are you comfortable playing heavier racquet?

K95 weights almost 1 gram heavier compared to the Hybrid tour.

Is there a way for you demo these two before you spend the $$ expecially the K95 (price is much more expensive).

Hybrid Tour is much lighter and easier to swing. You just need to find the right tension on the string- due to the stiff frame. It can feel boardy and hard on your arm if you strung it too tight. I found the HT to be very manuverable - great for all around play (baseline and in the net). Funnthing - Hybrid Tour frame comes in 95 but this racquet plays and feels like mid sized frame.

K95 is not a bad racquet - you'll feel the weight of the racquet especially when start swinging. It is heavier, you must learn to relax your arm and wrist; let the mass of the racquet do the work. then you'll be ok. The K95 definitely delivers heavy ball but again with lots of power you'll be sacrificing your control. I played with the K 95 sparingly due to the weight - ironically I prefer the K90 over the k95

My son prefers the K95 over the N95 - he said the K95 offers better control .

 

[Dark_Angel85]

I opted for the K95 over the HT and the O3 Tour for the heft of the frame and also the weight distribution of the frame (i also personally kinda like the feel the K95 gives but i don't think that sort of subjective explanation helps you).

The HT has a different weight distribution compared to the HL version of the K95. Plus, I feel that the K95 offers more room for modifying the specs than the HT.

So, if you're a good player (subjective again, but since you're opting for heavier player racquets... i assume you are) then getting a heavier racquet with room for adding weight in different areas of your racquet should be good. I think so because I had to add weight to my racquets after buying them... these things are very personal and different people like to modify them differently... so...

... it's best to get one that is good for that eh?

 

[Roms]

thanks a lot
I am confortable with the K95, but I just know the 18x20.
A lot of people seems to prefer k95 vs HT. I would like to know, for this people, is the ht very bad compared to the ke 95 because in France, ht cost 100 less than k95 (80 euro vs 180) ?
Has HT a good feel ? is it firm (because i like stiff and crisp frame) ? is it possible with it to hit heavy hard flat ball like the K95 ?
maybe the prince is more easy to use. Is the O3 technology a gimmick ?
To help you to help me )), I have a rqis 1 tour, i like it but hate flex feeling, lack of pop, it is not stable, and an aerogel 500 tour, I like spin potential, but it is to light and i would like more control and less power.
thanks

 

[pfchang]

thanks a lot
I am confortable with the K95, but I just know the 18x20.
A lot of people seems to prefer k95 vs HT. I would like to know, for this people, is the ht very bad compared to the ke 95 because in France, ht cost 100 less than k95 (80 euro vs 180) ?
Has HT a good feel ? is it firm (because i like stiff and crisp frame) ? is it possible with it to hit heavy hard flat ball like the K95 ?
maybe the prince is more easy to use. Is the O3 technology a gimmick ?
To help you to help me )), I have a rqis 1 tour, i like it but hate flex feeling, lack of pop, it is not stable, and an aerogel 500 tour, I like spin potential, but it is to light and i would like more control and less power.
thanks

i've never played with the HT before, but the general consensus of the O3 tech is that it takes away a lot of feel. so it has a muted feel. the HT, i would imagine would still sustain some as it's only got two sides with O3 as compared to the mainstream sticks which have 4.

aside from that, if you like the dunlops somewhat, try going down in numbers.

so try the AG 100 or 200 perhaps. or wait for the new AG 4D sticks to come out with tour versions of the 300 and etc.

 

[Roms]

I don't understand muted well, does it mean average feel ?
If the feel is not good it is a bad thing beacause it is my most important point with stability.
But the price of this prince is cool I don't know what to do.
I know ag 200, it s cool but too flexy for me, I want a frame more than 66 ra.

 

[Raiha]

i know i'm pretty much alone on this, but i love the HTs and i've stuck with them for over two years. i usually play with hard, flat strokes but the more open string pattern helps me get more spin when i need it. string is everything with this racquet, any soft string will make it hit out of control. the best setup i've found is a full poly job strung at around 57, any higher and it just sucks to play with.
i don't totally get what everyone means when they talk about muted feel, i guess they mean it can be unpredictable at times. i'd like to say it volleys well, but i hate volleys, so its more up to you like it is with any other player's frame.
anyway, it's a great racquet for the price, i say give it a shot. just make sure you know the right tension range, the last one i bought said it was 55-65, its really 51-61.

 

[In D Zone]

thanks a lot
I am confortable with the K95, but I just know the 18x20.
A lot of people seems to prefer k95 vs HT. I would like to know, for this people, is the ht very bad compared to the ke 95 because in France, ht cost 100 less than k95 (80 euro vs 180) ?
Has HT a good feel ? is it firm (because i like stiff and crisp frame) ? is it possible with it to hit heavy hard flat ball like the K95 ?
maybe the prince is more easy to use. Is the O3 technology a gimmick ?
To help you to help me )), I have a rqis 1 tour, i like it but hate flex feeling, lack of pop, it is not stable, and an aerogel 500 tour, I like spin potential, but it is to light and i would like more control and less power.
thanks

If you like more control and less power ........ 18x20 is the way to go.

can you demo the racquets? Playing 16x18 pattern is totally different - more power and lower control.
If u are not bothered by weight of the frame - I suggest looking into the K90 or the KBlade Tour. Just a thought to ponder....

Hybrid tour is not muted at all. I think its one of the underrated racquet out there.

 

[Roms]

If you like more control and less power ........ 18x20 is the way to go.

can you demo the racquets? Playing 16x18 pattern is totally different - more power and lower control.
If u are not bothered by weight of the frame - I suggest looking into the K90 or the KBlade Tour. Just a thought to ponder....

Hybrid tour is not muted at all. I think its one of the underrated racquet out there.

thanks a lot,
Yes I want more control and less power, but same spin potential, and I have rqis 1 tour and ag 500 tour, both 16x18.
I just want a sort of rqis, more stiff, stable and with a little extra pop.
I have thinkig about the K95 18x20, i like ite but I loose spin potential, and it is 100 euro more expansive (because ht is sold in France).

I am thinking that the hybrid tour is like the aerogel, with more mass (more heavy ball), head light and little head (so less power but more control), and the same string pattern.

I know kblade tour and K90, love both, but a little small for me, I don't think to buy .

 

[In D Zone]

Now I understand - mid sized head, medium frame stiffness, spin pontential and good control.

If you like Yonex, ie RQIS Tour but wanted a stiffer frame - try checking out RDS001 MP and RDS002 Tour. 001 MP is a tad lighter compared to the 002 tour - both have great control.

I have read other players complained about the AG500 being too stiff and hard on the arm. Have not played with the AG500 - it think it has to do with the string tension and type.

 

[Irvin]

i've never played with the HT before, but the general consensus of the O3 tech is that it takes away a lot of feel. so it has a muted feel.

The Hybrid Tour does not have a muted feel and it it 98 sq in. Most of the O3 rackets have rubber grommets in the throat that go about 1/2 inch up the string but the hybrid tour does not. Therefore there is a very crisp feel to the Hybrid. Most of the O3 rackets is like playing with a vibration dampener in your strings (muted) because of the rubber grommet in the throat. With the larger head and more open pattern you are going to get more power and spin from the Hybrid tour depending on your stroke.

I have played with both and like the Hybrid Tour and lot more. The price on the Hybrid Tour is dropping and it is on sale in most places so you can actually get two for the price of the Wilson.

Irvin

 

[Roms]

thanks guys,

Maybe the rds 002 is good, but still expensive and I would like to change of brand.
I think the aerogel 500 tour is not a problem for arm (it depends people of course), I love stiff frame.

I am reading many thread about O3 HT, but I feel huge fear about control and feel of this stick. LOt of guys say that it is a nightmare on flat shot, is right or is as they play with a 18 main (I can hit flat well with rqis or ag 500 tour, can I with the HT ?) and that it is like a pure drive (huge power, poor control) ?
Is the controle similar to the rqis ? If not I hope it has better control than ag 500 tour, or all with bigger head.

And many people are for the k95 in the poll so maybe the ht is really bad. I don't know what to do

 

[fuzz nation]

Both racquets are terrific and either one would probably give you more stability and pop than the RQiS 1 Tour. I wasn't impressed with the O3 gear from Prince, but the Hybrid Tour is one frame that they got right - I think it's an excellent all court frame with good feel, power, and spin potential. The k95 is a nice update to the Wilson 6.1 line and felt familiar to me when I tried it because I still use the 6.1 Classics a lot.

Even though the k95 is more like the racquets I use now, I've enjoyed the Hybrid Tour more in the three or four times that I've tried one. They gave me a lot of control and confidence on each outing and I'll admit that I'm hoping to get a pair for myself while they're still around since they're so inexpensive. The power issue with either racquet is pretty much the same in that they get a bit wild if the strings get too loose. String either one on the snug side and they'll behave a lot better.

 

[Roms]

Both racquets are terrific and either one would probably give you more stability and pop than the RQiS 1 Tour. I wasn't impressed with the O3 gear from Prince, but the Hybrid Tour is one frame that they got right - I think it's an excellent all court frame with good feel, power, and spin potential. The k95 is a nice update to the Wilson 6.1 line and felt familiar to me when I tried it because I still use the 6.1 Classics a lot.

Even though the k95 is more like the racquets I use now, I've enjoyed the Hybrid Tour more in the three or four times that I've tried one. They gave me a lot of control and confidence on each outing and I'll admit that I'm hoping to get a pair for myself while they're still around since they're so inexpensive. The power issue with either racquet is pretty much the same in that they get a bit wild if the strings get too loose. String either one on the snug side and they'll behave a lot better.

Thanks Fuzz nation,
So the control seems to be ok. but can you hit flat well ? because i love spin but before I was a pure basiliner and know a little more allcourt and I mix spin and flat.

 

[pfchang]

The Hybrid Tour does not have a muted feel and it it 98 sq in. Most of the O3 rackets have rubber grommets in the throat that go about 1/2 inch up the string but the hybrid tour does not. Therefore there is a very crisp feel to the Hybrid. Most of the O3 rackets is like playing with a vibration dampener in your strings (muted) because of the rubber grommet in the throat. With the larger head and more open pattern you are going to get more power and spin from the Hybrid tour depending on your stroke.

I have played with both and like the Hybrid Tour and lot more. The price on the Hybrid Tour is dropping and it is on sale in most places so you can actually get two for the price of the Wilson.

Irvin

nice way to knock off my other half of the paragraph.

anyways, i used to be a prince speedport tour user. it doesn't have the rubber 6 o'clocks but there's still a big lack of feel comparing that to the KBT which i use. but like i said, the hybrids may have more, i think my old hybrid hornet had more too as well.

 

[pfchang]

Thanks Fuzz nation,
So the control seems to be ok. but can you hit flat well ? because i love spin but before I was a pure basiliner and know a little more allcourt and I mix spin and flat.

well, there are a couple of rare 18x20 versions of the HT out there. it will probably be a little more crisp and also controled as well.

 

[Roms]

thanks PFchang,

but there is no reason that the ht has a worst control than ag 500 tour no ? and that it is worst on flat shot than rqis ?

 

[Roms]

I would likte ti know what is important for control , string pattern or head size ? for exemple, for the same spec, is it better in control a 645 18x20, or a 613 16x18 ?
do you think the O3 ht with a msv focus hex 1.23 can have a good control on flat shot and not too much power ?

 

[fuzz nation]

I'd expect the msv hex to run fine in there. The last time I hit with one of the Hybrid Tours, it was strung with a kevlar hybrid and it was nicely composed without losing much feel from the less resilient string.

Considering that my strokes are a little more classic than modern, I'd figure on the HT doing fine with flat shots. Despite the O3 design of the Prince, I really think that these two frames have similar potential. I like to describe the Hybrid Tour as playing like a slightly more lean version of the 6.1 Classics because they just have a lot of that personality. Definitely more "substance" with either the HT or the k95 over the Yonex (I have one of those, too).

In case it's a significant issue for you, there is a difference in grip shape between the Prince and the Wilson. The k95 has more of the rectangular shape of the Yonex while the Prince profile is more of a square. I know that this is a big deal for some players.

 

[Roms]

I'd expect the msv hex to run fine in there. The last time I hit with one of the Hybrid Tours, it was strung with a kevlar hybrid and it was nicely composed without losing much feel from the less resilient string.

Considering that my strokes are a little more classic than modern, I'd figure on the HT doing fine with flat shots. Despite the O3 design of the Prince, I really think that these two frames have similar potential. I like to describe the Hybrid Tour as playing like a slightly more lean version of the 6.1 Classics because they just have a lot of that personality. Definitely more "substance" with either the HT or the k95 over the Yonex (I have one of those, too).

In case it's a significant issue for you, there is a difference in grip shape between the Prince and the Wilson. The k95 has more of the rectangular shape of the Yonex while the Prince profile is more of a square. I know that this is a big deal for some players.

Thanks Fuzz nation

For the the grip shape, is not an issue for me, I can play with wilson, dunlop, head, ... and adapt myself, I am not really sensitive to the grip shape.
I would like to know what do you means by "substance", I don't really understand (I am not really good in english).
With your description, I guess that the HT is really nice, I hope it's firm and enough stiff. Is it right for you that the sweetspot is bigger, and that HT is easy to use for a 95 sq ? is it easy to put lot of headspeed with it, as prince said (no problem with K95) ?
And I would like to know if it is possible, at same stroke, to hit heavy like with the k95 ?

 

[fuzz nation]

By substance, I pretty much mean that the Prince and the Wilson both have more weight and stability than the Yonex. I've always used a heavier racquet and whenever I try one that's too light for me, it's quite a distraction and I feel like the ball is going to knock the frame out of my hand or something.

I found the Prince to have good stiffness without being harsh and I like that a lot up at net for good pop on my volleys. If a racquet is too soft (or too light) for me, it seems much more difficult to volley aggressively and the feel seems to suffer.

I get the feeling that you and I have a rather similar impression of these two racquets in that they are quite similar in their size, weight, and string pattern, but the Prince is much less expensive and that makes it very attractive. I don't think of it as any weaker than the Wilson in its performance and if I had a choice between the two at the same price, I'd go for the Prince HT.

 

[Roms]

thanks again Fuzz nation,

My lasts question are about the solidity and the finish (paintjob) of prince because I don't know this brand well, and many people seems to have broken their speedport series, do you think the HT (because of the O3) is solid ?
and last question do you think that O3 work or it just a gimmick, for exemple you said that both frame are very similar, but is it right that ht have a bigger sweetspot and is easier to use or is it just in mind ?

 

[Kal-El 34]

you should be comparing the 03 hybrid Pro tour... that would be more similar

 

[fuzz nation]

Hi Roms - I don't really know of any issues with the O3 series frames being fragile, but I've also heard about a couple of the Speedport racquets breaking, probably on these boards. If I owned one or two of the Hybrid Tours, I'd offer more of an opinion, but I've only had a few long test drives with them and they seemed solid enough for me. I think that if the HT's were prone to breaking, we would see an occasional highlight of Sam Querrey snapping one in half with his big nasty serve or something.

I had a conversation with someone in the tennis industry concerning the idea of the O-ports and his explanation made sense to me. Basically, instead of the strings meeting the racquet hoop at the inside edge of the frame where the grommets come through it, the O-ports let the strings extend closer to the outside edge before they meet the frame. If you take two racquets with the same size hoop, the one with the O-ports provides a larger area of working stringbed than the one with traditional grommets. In the case of the Hybrid Tour with the O-ports down the sides, I think that its sweetspot is probably slightly wider than it would be with regular grommets.

The HT was easy for me to use every time I tried it, but I wish I had an experience where I directly compared it with a k95. Unfortunately I don't. I'm talking up the Prince more than the Wilson because I'm rather interested in that frame myself, but it occurred to me that you already said that you could play with the k95 with no problem. As I see it, if you're worried about taking a chance with an unfamiliar racquet, be safe and stick with the k95. I've enjoyed both and I still have a couple of older ProStaff 6.1 Classics, so I'm probably not as curious about the k95 as the Hybrid Tour which is a little more "new and unusual" for me. Since the Prince is so affordable and I've tried it more than once with great results, it's easy for me to want to get one. I'm convinced that it's one of the better racquets around these days.

 

[Roms]

Thanks Fuzz nation you are very helpfull for me,

despite the poll, andeven if the K95 is better, the difference seems to be not big, and as the HT (89 euros) cost less 100 euros than the k95, I think to go with the prince
thanks again

 

[Raiha]

you should be comparing the 03 hybrid Pro tour... that would be more similar

true, but they're next to impossible to find