Prince 80s, 90s
- Thread starter graycrait
- Start date
onehandbh
G.O.A.T.
Sweet collection.17 of these 80's 90's Prince rackets. OK the 2 Graphite Tour (POG 90) are from this century. How many more models of 80's Prince 90s are there?
L-R
2x1 Stripe POG 90
4x4 Stripe POG 90
2xTour Graphite POG 90
1xGraphite Pro 90
2xSpectrum Comp 90
1xGraphite Powerflex 90
2xPower Pro 90
1xCTS Approach 90
1xCTS Lightning 90
1xCTS Thunderstick 90
I recently acquired a Spectrum 90 and strung it with Solinco Tour bite at 37/35 lbs.
I'm liking the high launch angle but haven't hit with it enough to see if I can control it yet.
graycrait
Legend
I feel sort of bad and gluttonous. 8 of my 22 Prince 90s from the 80s are POG 90s. Right now I have an infatuation with the CTS Approach 90, but I am fickle and it is likely next week or month it will be back to the POG 90, Spectrum or Tricomp. I just can't warm up to the Power Pro PowerFlex, Graphite Comp or the Graphite Pro.
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tennislabor
New User
Watch tennislabor on instagram - we have some vintage Prince customers!
Modern hybrid string setup make these oldtimers playable again....
Modern hybrid string setup make these oldtimers playable again....
Magnesium Pro 90 is a great racquet, not easy to find.
graycrait
Legend
I am back with the POG 90s, prefer grip 5 (4&5/8). It is a good thing I have 8 POG 90s. Still looking at Magnesium Pro 90s just to round out the Prince 90's group on one wall. I need to replace a yellow O-port 16x16 98" abomination that is holding a spot for a 14x18 "90."
recsoares
Rookie
Hi,friends!
I’ve reading all your thoughts and photos from the best “oldies” frames ever,in my opinion!
Prince has been absolutely essential on 80/90 developing tennis racquets technology.
So,I’ll start with some photos of my recent business, the famous Graphite Pro 90.
It’s a little heavy for my standards but I’m very very curious to feel the touch of such low flex frame!
I got this on local advertising site for ...40€ only!
As you can see,is almost mint condition.
I don’t believe that this can be my racquet of choice to a tournament or even to practice 3/4 days a week.
But,surely to hit some balls on warm up or even on Sunday pratices
!
Specs:
-351 strung,dampener and overgrip
-10pts headlight
-Flex:???49???
-String:I guess it’s a SG,but can’t really see wich brand...probably is already “dead” and if so,I will restring with Solinco TB 1.15(tension??)
Give me your thoughts on this frame!
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
I’ve reading all your thoughts and photos from the best “oldies” frames ever,in my opinion!
Prince has been absolutely essential on 80/90 developing tennis racquets technology.
So,I’ll start with some photos of my recent business, the famous Graphite Pro 90.
It’s a little heavy for my standards but I’m very very curious to feel the touch of such low flex frame!
I got this on local advertising site for ...40€ only!
As you can see,is almost mint condition.
I don’t believe that this can be my racquet of choice to a tournament or even to practice 3/4 days a week.
But,surely to hit some balls on warm up or even on Sunday pratices
!Specs:
-351 strung,dampener and overgrip
-10pts headlight
-Flex:???49???
-String:I guess it’s a SG,but can’t really see wich brand...probably is already “dead” and if so,I will restring with Solinco TB 1.15(tension??)
Give me your thoughts on this frame!
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
graycrait
Legend
update: @Ultra 2 and I swapped some stuff so now I have a Prince Graphtech DB 90 and another friend sent me a Magnesium Pro 90. I gave away the Thunderstick 90 and sent a Power Pro 90 and a PowerFlex 90 off to @teachingprotx for RDC measurements, a playtest and new home.
9 x POG 90 4 types
1 x Tricomp 90
1 x Graphtech DB 90
2 x Power Pro 90
1 x Graphite Comp 90
2 x Approach 90
3 x Spectrum Comp 90
1 x Magnesium Pro 90
2 x Advance Response 90
1 x Lightening 90
3 x Graphite Pro 90
3 x Mono 96 (yeah, I know, this is my nod to modernity)
9 x POG 90 4 types
1 x Tricomp 90
1 x Graphtech DB 90
2 x Power Pro 90
1 x Graphite Comp 90
2 x Approach 90
3 x Spectrum Comp 90
1 x Magnesium Pro 90
2 x Advance Response 90
1 x Lightening 90
3 x Graphite Pro 90
3 x Mono 96 (yeah, I know, this is my nod to modernity)
JordanWinning
Rookie
My wife can't stand that I hate all wall decorations... until now! I'll see if I can get away with the most beautiful wallpaper I've ever seenupdate: @Ultra 2 and I swapped some stuff so now I have a Prince Graphtech DB 90 and another friend sent me a Magnesium Pro 90. I gave away the Thunderstick 90 and sent a Power Pro 90 and a PowerFlex 90 off to @teachingprotx for RDC measurements, a playtest and new home.
9 x POG 90 4 types
1 x Tricomp 90
1 x Graphtech DB 90
2 x Power Pro 90
1 x Graphite Comp 90
2 x Approach 90
3 x Spectrum Comp 90
1 x Magnesium Pro 90
2 x Advance Response 90
1 x Lightening 90
3 x Graphite Pro 90
3 x Mono 96 (yeah, I know, this is my nod to modernity)
teachingprotx
Legend
Hi,friends!
I’ve reading all your thoughts and photos from the best “oldies” frames ever,in my opinion!
Prince has been absolutely essential on 80/90 developing tennis racquets technology.
So,I’ll start with some photos of my recent business, the famous Graphite Pro 90.
It’s a little heavy for my standards but I’m very very curious to feel the touch of such low flex frame!
I got this on local advertising site for ...40€ only!
As you can see,is almost mint condition.
I don’t believe that this can be my racquet of choice to a tournament or even to practice 3/4 days a week.
But,surely to hit some balls on warm up or even on Sunday pratices
Specs:
-351 strung,dampener and overgrip
-10pts headlight
-Flex:???49???
-String:I guess it’s a SG,but can’t really see wich brand...probably is already “dead” and if so,I will restring with Solinco TB 1.15(tension??)
Give me your thoughts on this frame!
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
teachingprotx
Legend
Never seen the version with” graphite pro” at 12 o clock on the hoop . What year is this ? Looks incredible and 2019 current PJ ! Wow awesome stickHi,friends!
I’ve reading all your thoughts and photos from the best “oldies” frames ever,in my opinion!
Prince has been absolutely essential on 80/90 developing tennis racquets technology.
So,I’ll start with some photos of my recent business, the famous Graphite Pro 90.
It’s a little heavy for my standards but I’m very very curious to feel the touch of such low flex frame!
I got this on local advertising site for ...40€ only!
As you can see,is almost mint condition.
I don’t believe that this can be my racquet of choice to a tournament or even to practice 3/4 days a week.
But,surely to hit some balls on warm up or even on Sunday pratices
Specs:
-351 strung,dampener and overgrip
-10pts headlight
-Flex:???49???
-String:I guess it’s a SG,but can’t really see wich brand...probably is already “dead” and if so,I will restring with Solinco TB 1.15(tension??)
Give me your thoughts on this frame!
Enviado do meu iPhone usando o Tapatalk
graycrait
Legend
I have 3 Graphite Pro 90s and mine say 90 at the top and have a gold & white trim line around the entire hoop like this one:
https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/fs-prince-graphite-pro-90-4-3-8-8-5-10.560970/
However, there other other examples of Prince producing models of rackets with various trims and wording at the top of the hoop. POG 90s come in a variety of trims.
I like the looks of that Graphite Pro and want to get one to compare to my others.
graycrait
Legend
I did a scan of the auction site and the only place I see a Graphite Pro 90 like the OP's is one for sale in Australia. Could this racket have been marketing variation for a regional release? @Ultra 2 , @Sanglier , @retrowagen ??
D
Deleted member 293577
Guest
Prince 80's
Prince 90's
Prince 90's
I can’t say since this appears to be of a different mold than the us based GP90. The frame geometry Looks different.. flatter and possibly lower side beam than the us GP90.
We would probably never know.. not sure how we do a side by side..
recsoares
Rookie
graycrait
Legend
I thought the same thing although I passed it off as an optical illusion due to the difference between the plain black hoop of this "new found" version vs the twin gold/white stripe version I have. Does this "newly discovered" version look very similar to the Phantom 93?
At second glance it could be an optical illusion due to the fact that the one above doesn't have the pin striping going around the entire hoop.. making it look wider. Conventional wisdom would say that Prince didn't create another mold/layup for the international market.. just different cosmetics.
Sanglier
Professional
Indeed they wouldn't. By late 1984, Kunnan was making everything for them (though Kunnan did sub-contract some of the work out to other Taiwanese factories), so it wouldn't have made sense for them to make multiple regionally-specific models with different specs all sharing the same name, at least not simultaneously. It is certainly possible that they could have incorporated incremental changes to a model from year to year, beyond just the cosmetics.
What intrigues me is the very early 1984 copyright date on this unit. It is the year Prince released the POG 90, their (belated) first entry into the midsize market. The copyright dates on these patent decals usually reflect the year of production, so this particular Graphite Pro would have been shipped alongside the very first POG 90s, yet I've never come across any mention of the POG 90 being presented together with a fraternal twin that year, at least not in the US. The Comp 90, for instance, wasn't launched in the US until the following year (1985). The one and only Graphite Pro 90 I have (with the more common paint job) was born in 1986 according to its decal, weighing 344 g, and is 6 pts head light (quite different from this one).
I'm not sure what to make of it. Could Prince have launched the Graphite Pro outside the US first, done some tinkering with it, then introduced it to the US market in its better known form a few years later? Maybe. Or is this another instance of a relatively generic name being used for multiple (SMU?) models marketed over the years, whether or not they were directly related? The Graphite Pro 90 is a conspicuous no-show in major magazine reviews from that period; which causes me to lean towards the second possibility.
Don't Let It Bounce
Hall of Fame
The Graphite Pro 90 with alternate paint pictured above was out on the courts in 1985 in Canada, where I was teaching that summer and where my doubles partner used, and loved, that very frame. That would fit with the 1984 copyright; it was presumably patented in 1984 and then introduced at the 1984 Supershow. I never saw the U.S. version until the fall of 1985, when I returned to college.
In subsequent years I have learned on these boards that this cosmetic (single white pinstripe that ends with 'hyphens' at 3 & 9, matte black paint, "Graphite Pro" at 12) appeared in (parts of?) Europe and Australia as well as Canada. There could have been any number of reasons for the U.S. version to be rolled out a few months after the international version.
The optical illusion that makes the beam shape appear different from the U.S. version might be more a matter of the matte black paint — versus (what I remember as) a satin finish on the U.S. model.
In subsequent years I have learned on these boards that this cosmetic (single white pinstripe that ends with 'hyphens' at 3 & 9, matte black paint, "Graphite Pro" at 12) appeared in (parts of?) Europe and Australia as well as Canada. There could have been any number of reasons for the U.S. version to be rolled out a few months after the international version.
The optical illusion that makes the beam shape appear different from the U.S. version might be more a matter of the matte black paint — versus (what I remember as) a satin finish on the U.S. model.
graycrait
Legend
Each time I hit with a new to me Prince 90 from the 1980s I do so with the trepidation I will find a new "king of the hill." Today I hit with a Prince Magnesium Pro 90 strung with some Prince Diablo 17 (poly) at 55lbs. After 5 minutes or so I said to myself, "I can play for points with this." So I pulled out the Graphtech DB 90 that @Ultra 2 provided me, with a recommendation I would like it. The DB 90 was also strung with Diablo 17 at 55lbs. I had two other Prince 90s from the 80s strung with 17g poly at 55lbs just so I could compare and contrast 4 different 90 14x18s strung the same. I never pulled out the other 2. I played 1 and 3/4 hrs with the Graphtech DB 90 against a bigger stronger faster hitting partner of mine 24 yrs my junior. I came away from that hit, including point play, astonished I may have a found yet another 80's 90 Prince 14x18 that I truly loved to hit with.
This isn't my first rodeo with Prince double bridge (DB) rackets. I had a pair of Prince Response 97s double bridge rackets and ended up giving those away. I have a double bridge Prince Lightening 90 that is a bit wider beam than the Graphtech DB 90. Neither the Lightening or the Response 97s play as comfortable with controllable power as the Graphtech 90. I do have to test the Graphtech 1 on 1 against the CTS Approach 90 but I don't think the Approach has the same comfort, but has about the same power.
Another shout out to @Ultra 2 and @dak95_00 for further rounding out my Prince 90s from the 1980s experience.
Lastly, if you haven't tried the Graphtech DB 90 you need to. And if you have one you no longer need or want well, I am just sayin'......
This isn't my first rodeo with Prince double bridge (DB) rackets. I had a pair of Prince Response 97s double bridge rackets and ended up giving those away. I have a double bridge Prince Lightening 90 that is a bit wider beam than the Graphtech DB 90. Neither the Lightening or the Response 97s play as comfortable with controllable power as the Graphtech 90. I do have to test the Graphtech 1 on 1 against the CTS Approach 90 but I don't think the Approach has the same comfort, but has about the same power.
Another shout out to @Ultra 2 and @dak95_00 for further rounding out my Prince 90s from the 1980s experience.
Lastly, if you haven't tried the Graphtech DB 90 you need to. And if you have one you no longer need or want well, I am just sayin'......
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Gray and myself may have been separated at birth. I’ve hit with just about every prince Mid and MP frames and the GT90 is my favorite. The lightning was suppose to merge the Approach and GT90, but I feel missed the mark. I tried playing with it, but could not get around wide beam at the top.
I tried the DB Response 97 in the late 90’s but it was much different frame than the GT90. So for the handful of times I played then, I played with the one GT90 I had left.
Which brings me to the 93P 14x18. The taper starts at a skinny 16mm and increases to a maximum of 20mm. I think they got CTS concept correct with this width, moving away from an almost unplayable 26mm when first introduced the Approach.
I have a feeling that the 93p will be more playable than the GT90, with less power and stability. That would put the frame somewhere in between the Response 90 and the GT90. Will demo one as soon as it becomes available.
Also hope that they kept string pattern the same.. that means we will finally have more grommets for our frames again.
I tried the DB Response 97 in the late 90’s but it was much different frame than the GT90. So for the handful of times I played then, I played with the one GT90 I had left.
Which brings me to the 93P 14x18. The taper starts at a skinny 16mm and increases to a maximum of 20mm. I think they got CTS concept correct with this width, moving away from an almost unplayable 26mm when first introduced the Approach.
I have a feeling that the 93p will be more playable than the GT90, with less power and stability. That would put the frame somewhere in between the Response 90 and the GT90. Will demo one as soon as it becomes available.
Also hope that they kept string pattern the same.. that means we will finally have more grommets for our frames again.
Don't Let It Bounce
Hall of Fame
The Prince CTS design is an unsung multi-decade success. At the time I thought it was just a way to sell widebodies while skirting around Wilson's (dual taper) patent, like Head was doing with its fat-thin-fat widebodies, and maybe it was, but there were some fine frames in those lines. Fischer made some great frames with the same design — and still do under the Pacific moniker. Tecnifibre borrowed the Fischer mold for a different-feeling but nonetheless sweet frame. And 30 years later, the Phantom is a classic in the making.
A couple years ago I picked up a Prince CTS Response 110 for next to nothing, intending to harvest its cushion grip for another frame. Out of curiosity I hit some with it before mutilating it, and I loved it. I thought, and think, it is in the same league as the great Prince frames of the mid-80s.
A couple years ago I picked up a Prince CTS Response 110 for next to nothing, intending to harvest its cushion grip for another frame. Out of curiosity I hit some with it before mutilating it, and I loved it. I thought, and think, it is in the same league as the great Prince frames of the mid-80s.
graycrait
Legend
I brought a couple of Approach 90s to court a few weeks ago triggering misty eyed high school stories from a guy who played for Hawaii Pacific back a couple of decades ago.
ChaelAZ
G.O.A.T.
I still have one a pro sold me circa 1991/2 for $10. Need to dig it out and string it.
Came accross this old thread!
No one mention the Graphite 2 MP?
The racquet that turned me from Wilson to Prince.
An absolute beast in the right hands. Played top level tennis in Scotland back in the 90’s and almost all the players used it.
I took a long break from the game and started again a few years ago. Got my hands on a few frames in decent condition. Far too heavy for me now but still miles better than any of the modern frames I tried.
CTS Approach was also great.
No one mention the Graphite 2 MP?
The racquet that turned me from Wilson to Prince.
An absolute beast in the right hands. Played top level tennis in Scotland back in the 90’s and almost all the players used it.
I took a long break from the game and started again a few years ago. Got my hands on a few frames in decent condition. Far too heavy for me now but still miles better than any of the modern frames I tried.
CTS Approach was also great.
dak95_00
Hall of Fame
I also used the Graphite 2 MP. It was a 97 with a 14x18.
You should try the Head Gravity S. The 104 isn’t that much larger. The 16x20 will feel familiar in that larger head and it’s lighter too.
interesting though the 295g weight puts me off. Too light. Not confident enough to customise.
dak95_00
Hall of Fame
It was never a racquet I thought I would like based upon the specs. Demo it. It’s well worth a try. A very underrated racquet. I only tried it because I received one for free. Those heavy yet headlight frames all went into the closet afterward.
Plays so much better than the Head Microgel Radical OS and MP. I’d compare it to the Wilson Blade 104 but the 16x20 is so much better than the 18x20 for those of us who grew up playing open Prince patterns.
