Prince EXO3 Ignite Team 95 / White power ratings

[curious1]

Prince gives the EXO3 Ignite Team 95 a lower power rating (800) than the EXO3 White (1100). But TW rates the Ignite slightly higher than the White in terms of power. Who is right?

 

[julian]

TW numbers

Prince gives the EXO3 Ignite Team 95 a lower power rating (800) than the EXO3 White (1100). But TW rates the Ignite slightly higher than the White in terms of power. Who is right?

Please let me know how did you find TW numbers

 

[curious1]

TWU hitting zone power rankings

The link to the power hitting zone power rankings can be found at:
http://twu.tennis-warehouse.com/cgi-bin/area.cgi?PEXOBK|100|Prince|EXO3:White|. Similar info can also be found by comparing plowthroughs.

 

[Bud]

Playtesting them... the White feels more powerful then the Ignite

 

[curious1]

I found the same, but the Ignite was strung with a much stiffer string than the White, confounding my own playtest comparison.

 

[corners]

TW University's Power Potential (or ACOR) measures the bounce of a ball in a test where the ball is launched at the same speed for all racquets tested. This simulates a situation where every racquet would be swung at the same speed.

So if you can swing racquet Ignite Team, with a higher power potential, as fast as White, with a lower power potential, then racquet Ignite Team will be more powerful - for you. But if Ignite Team has a higher swingweight (which is probably why it has a high power potential) you may not be able to swing it as fast as White, in which case White would likely be more powerful - for you.

So Prince is guessing how fast their customers can swing these racquets and using that guess in defining how powerful they think their frames will be in use.

 

[curious1]

Thanks for this answer, which helps allot. Do you know if the TW power potential measured for all racquets with the same type of strings? Perhaps Prince determined the power based on their recommended string set, which is stiffer for the Ignite Team than the White?

 

[corners]

Thanks for this answer, which helps allot. Do you know if the TW power potential measured for all racquets with the same type of strings? Perhaps Prince determined the power based on their recommended string set, which is stiffer for the Ignite Team than the White?

No problem. I can't remember exactly how they do the string setups, but I do know that TW Professor says their testing removes the influence of strings from the equation, so you can assume that all racquets tested had the same string power.

I don't think Prince considers string power in coming up with their power levels. Remember that the difference between teh most powerful string (gut) and the least powerful string (kevlar) is only about 1%. Different trings play differently and they definitely feel different, but all strings are very close in terms of power.

 

[curious1]

Thanks for that clarification about the differences in power potential (or lack thereof) between the various strings. You might enjoy an article by Crawford Lindsey on this topic, which can be found at the following link: http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/34315964/New-Technologies-and-Racquet-Power. To quote from his concluding paragraph: "... the extra ball speed comes from greater swing speed, not from a more powerful racquet. It comes from a different use of the racquet. And it is the same with strings. Ironically, players get faster shots from strings with less power (e.g., polyester) because it allows them to swing even faster, creating a vicious circle of ever more spin and ever more speed."