Prince Classic Graphite MP 93"

[graycrait]

62 yr old geezer here - I meant to title this Prince Graphite Classic 93".

I have a trio of these now and am starting to like these even more than my Textreme Warrior 100s, PCG 100s, and POG OSs - for now. Have the 3 strung up differently:
18g Tour Bite x 18g Black Magic; 18g Tier 1 Boost; 16 Ashaway Kevlar x 16 Ashaway syn gut (Crossfire). Each string job works after a few hits to get settled.

I was wondering if there were any others still using this racket and if so what strings seem to work well for you?

 

[Shroud]

62 yr old geezer here - I meant to title this Prince Graphite Classic 93".

I have a trio of these now and am starting to like these even more than my Textreme Warrior 100s, PCG 100s, and POG OSs - for now. Have the 3 strung up differently:
18g Tour Bite x 18g Black Magic; 18g Tier 1 Boost; 16 Ashaway Kevlar x 16 Ashaway syn gut (Crossfire). Each string job works after a few hits to get settled.

I was wondering if there were any others still using this racket and if so what strings seem to work well for you?

Check this out. Lol its when i was a new stringer and clueless about straightening the crosses. Also i had bad te then so the low tensions were a must

https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...i-ever-felt-kevlar-mains-poly-crosses.481217/

Also kev/ mosquito bite would be to die for in that pog. And fwiw i did kev/ poly at 86/86 in that stick and rather enjoyed it but alas it was too flexy for me

 

[dak95_00]

I played that racquet for 30 years and just sold my stash recently. I guess I kept two back just in case I change my mind.

With my slowing of foot speed and the very open 14x18 pattern, I was struggling with the launch angle and floating balls at the net. I'd strung from 30lbs up to 70lbs. I'd used full poly, full syn gut, and every hybrid imaginable except for natural gut.

Good luck with them. My next experiments are going to be with thin gauge polys. I might string up my 93s too.

I hesitate to tell you that the Prince Power Pro 90 and Graphite Powerflex have the same size and pattern but more flex. They make nearly all other racquets feel stiff by comparison.

 

[graycrait]

I hesitate to tell you that the Prince Power Pro 90 and Graphite Powerflex have the same size and pattern but more flex. They make nearly all other racquets feel stiff by comparison.

I'm off to the auction site!
(Update: I am now the "proud" owner of one of each of the aforementioned for 26 bucks, not including shipping from two different points of origin so shipping is about the same as the purchase price.)


The thin gauge poly gives me a little bit of the poly magic without killing my elbow. Except for my pair of Textreme Warrior 100s I have Ash Kev in at least one racket of the following: PGC93, PCG100, POGOS, MGRADOS. Thin poly hybrids are in my other rackets of the same models. I could easily play with Kevlar in the mains exclusively and use poly, syn gut or Zyex in the crosses. In one of my PCG100s I have Lux NG x Zyex. I like that combo less than I do Ash Kev x Zyex or any of the thin poly hybrids. Thin hybrids I have tried in the last couple of weeks: Mosquito Bite, Tour Bite, Tourna Premier Poly (need to try that one again - have a reel of it), Black Magic, T1 Firewire & T1 Neos, Cyclone, Black Code 4S and still have some PP Black Force & PP Cyber Power I need to try. So far I prefer Cyclone or Tour Bite in the mains with Black Magic in the crosses.

I'm no Jack Sock but I am learning how to kill those no pace shots you see a lot of at rec level around here. Open stance, modern forehand and thin poly seems to be the trick for me. Problem with geezer legs is to get to the ball and properly set up and balanced to kill those things. One of the reasons I lost 25lbs in the last 6 months. Otherwise I am relegated to running through the ball slicing, pushing, bunting or maybe hitting a good approach shot. But I want to kill those mid court "sitters", all of them! Trouble with those you have to practice them and finding a partner who will or can hit that mid court sitter over and over is an issue.

 

[shamaho]

62 yr old geezer here - I meant to title this Prince Graphite Classic 93".

I have a trio of these now and am starting to like these even more than my Textreme Warrior 100s, PCG 100s, and POG OSs - for now. Have the 3 strung up differently:
18g Tour Bite x 18g Black Magic; 18g Tier 1 Boost; 16 Ashaway Kevlar x 16 Ashaway syn gut (Crossfire). Each string job works after a few hits to get settled.

I was wondering if there were any others still using this racket and if so what strings seem to work well for you?

Do you mostly hit through the ball (ie. flatish), moderate spin, or more pronounced top spin your shots ? ie. can you more easily whip your POG MP than say the PCG 100 in tight situations ? former is heavier than latter... hence my question.

 

[graycrait]

Tonight they were saying, "I didn't know Mr. Bean plays tennis" rather than, "look at that Sock-like old dude." Ended up playing with PCG 100. Just one of those disconnected evenings - nothing felt right. The one good thing that came of it was when a one of the guys I was playing against, whose daugher is a D1 player, told me no one in our age range can serve like me, if only I had a killer kick serve. Then proceeded to give me some tips.

 

[robbo1970]

I never managed to get a POG93, but my bag consists of 2x Exo3 93's and 2x PCG100's.

I've tried other racquets, but these two do the job well enough. I've never really done much with strings though, POSG at 52lbs has always done me well enough.

 

[shamaho]

I never managed to get a POG93, but my bag consists of 2x Exo3 93's and 2x PCG100's.

I've tried other racquets, but these two do the job well enough. I've never really done much with strings though, POSG at 52lbs has always done me well enough.

Pose the same question to you then:
Can you more easily whip and/or flick your POG MP than say the PCG 100 in tight situations ? former is heavier than latter... hence my question.

 

[robbo1970]

Pose the same question to you then:
Can you more easily whip and/or flick your POG MP than say the PCG 100 in tight situations ? former is heavier than latter... hence my question.

It's a good question but the answer is not completely straightforward. Because the PCG100 is slightly lighter, it is slightly easier to flick it quickly if I'm stretched or if I get the ball hit fast at me when I'm at the net. However, the difference in speed is very slight, but the 93 feels slightly more solid if I have to react quickly and block a shot back, due to the slightly extra mass. So there is a very slight trade off in both situations.

But we are talking very slight differences either way and probably not enough to say that one is better than the other. I hope that kind of makes sense.

 

[graycrait]

It's a good question but the answer is not completely straightforward. Because the PCG100 is slightly lighter, it is slightly easier to flick it quickly if I'm stretched or if I get the ball hit fast at me when I'm at the net. However, the difference in speed is very slight, but the 93 feels slightly more solid if I have to react quickly and block a shot back, due to the slightly extra mass. So there is a very slight trade off in both situations.

But we are talking very slight differences either way and probably not enough to say that one is better than the other. I hope that kind of makes sense.

I have weighted upvthe PCG 100s to 11.9 and can generate more racket head spead than with 93s. Blocked serve returns easier with 93.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

 

[robbo1970]

I have weighted upvthe PCG 100s to 11.9 and can generate more racket head spead than with 93s. Blocked serve returns easier with 93.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

Yes, I find them both quite whippy really, but a slight nod to the PCG100 for RHS and the 93 gets the nod when blocking.

What do you have your 93 weighted at? I switched the leather grip for a synth grip on mine and added a heavier synth grip on my 100, so they are pretty similar in terms of weight, which makes switching easier.

It probably goes against most peoples philosophies, but the choice of which one I will use just depends upon my mood on the day. But what the heck, I'm not a pro.

 

[shamaho]

It's a good question but the answer is not completely straightforward. Because the PCG100 is slightly lighter, it is slightly easier to flick it quickly if I'm stretched or if I get the ball hit fast a
Hit me when I'm at the net. However, the difference in speed is very slight, but the 93 feels slightly more solid if I have to react quickly and block a shot back, due to the slightly extra mass. So there is a very slight trade off in both situations.

But we are talking very slight differences either way and probably not enough to say that one is better than the other. I hope that kind of makes sense.

Yes! good to see that you reflect exactly how I perceive with them - this seems to make body strength sort of mute in this regard.

And yes, it's minute differences...but can be the critical difference in couple of critical points

I also have both (and considering PCG from my current PS97), and somehow always question myself on wether POG MP 93 vs PCG...

 

[robbo1970]

Yes! good to see that you reflect exactly how I perceive with them - this seems to make body strength sort of mute in this regard.

And yes, it's minute differences...but can be the critical difference in couple of critical points

I also have both (and considering PCG from my current PS97), and somehow always question myself on wether POG MP 93 vs PCG...

I really like the PCG100. I think it's a well respected racquet, but because it doesn't feature on the pro tour, perhaps doesn't get as much positive exposure as it probably deserves.

Yes, definitely minute differences really. Whether those differences have any impact at critical moments for me, I'm not too sure. The trouble is, the thoughts/doubts in our minds are all in hindsight, after the event......would the other racquet have been better at that particular moment?..... we probably will never know......unless the exact same situation happens when we are using the other racquet of course .

 

[shamaho]

@graycrait back on topic, I don't know the types for the strings you listed.
but my best preferred setup has been the Gut (the cheap variety) x soft poly (generic brand).

I was just amazed at that setup: the grip on the ball, the touch & feel, power, spin, pocketing, comfort, and I did my best to provide the rest: control!

And such a low cost per job.

These classic rackets just shine with gut.

Can't wait to also try soon with the PCG100.

 

[graycrait]

I'm anxious to get my new to me Prince Power Pro 90 and Graphite Powerflex.

I tried Lux NG x Zyex in a POG 107 last week as well as Lux NG x poly in a PCG 100. Both rackets now sporting thin poly/poly hybrids.