I had my Phantom Pro 100s out the other day. I love the see through carbon fibers in the black frame. I think I prefer all black, but I don't mind the bright green accents. So disappointed in the new Phantom camo green. In person, it looks too flat and lifeless, compared to the mesmerizing iridescent black of the previous version. I guess if I wanted a new 100p, I could always sand the paint off (won't be buying the new one, though).
Prince Official - Racquets
- Thread starter Prince Tennis Official
- Start date
mixtape
Professional
Yup, I need hold it and see it with my own eyes.
Yes, I felt that way when I saw the sneak peek photos. I've accepted their strange color choice and design. I was more surprised it had a matching olive colored grip. At least I can change grip colors.
Yes! Textreme carbon pattern is mesmerizing. To me, the all-black Phantom Pro is still the best colorway.
It was one drunken night, and the designers were brainstorming a new color and design when they looked at the Hydrogen collaboration collection and fused the "Spark" with the "Random" and wound up passed out in the bushes and then later woke up and said; "HEY! Let's go with Camo Green!"
jbdbackfan
Semi-Pro
@TW Staff as this thread has reached 100 pages for a brand most deem obsolete or no longer relevant - I don't want to speak on behalf of others but I think many fans of this racquet brand are looking for some clarity on Prince's current direction. Many brands have ambassadors that are on these threads for talking with fans of the particular brand's racuquets. Prince has zero connection with its fans or users of racquets. Their website is outdated and rarely updated, yet alone their focus on branding seems more in collaborations with seltzer drinks on clothing than on talking with the tennis community. Any time you reach out to Prince through their website they never respond to emails or inquiries. It would just be nice to have someone from the brand talking and listening to long time or even new Prince users.
Given Tennis Warehouse is the largest distributor of Prince and undoubtedly their largest advocate, could someone provide insight on whats going on with management, or even product development and how the brand plans to evolve in years ahead?
Given Tennis Warehouse is the largest distributor of Prince and undoubtedly their largest advocate, could someone provide insight on whats going on with management, or even product development and how the brand plans to evolve in years ahead?
workerONE
New User
I agree, I looked at Prince's offerings on TW and they have 10 different rackets? For product descriptions you can only combine the words comfort, power, and spin so many ways.
bigbadboaz
Semi-Pro
This has been the situation for at least two years.. safe to conclude that they are content with the niche numbers and focus they see through TW, and get most of their promotion through the TW reviews that might be of questionable objectivity.
jimdontcare
Rookie
Camo green --> camouflage --> invisible
Phantom --> ghost --> invisible
I kinda hate it but I understood immediately what they were going for
marquette100
Semi-Pro
Do we know which phantoms TW will stock?
mixtape
Professional
Only ones mentioned, Phantom 100X; 290 and 305 for sure. Hoping for the 100P.
It would be nice to have a Prince rep update us at least once a month on what's going on or future releases.
jbdbackfan
Semi-Pro
See my post above - that is exactly what we need. All the other major brands have presence here.
jmacdaununder2
Legend
I believe TW are effectively both wholesaler and distributor, and largely responsible for keeping the brand alive outside of Japan.
mixtape
Professional
Were you referring to a crossbar? I only know of a Phantom 97P. I believe the Japan market has a Phantom Graphite 97.
stephenclown
Professional
The Japanese 315gram 97G was like a club in my experience, thicker beam and very much played like the red and black RF.
Addxyz
Hall of Fame
There was also a 300g version of the Phantom Graphite 97.
stephenclown
Professional
Yes, I can't see it being that much different though, it was still the same mould. I think if it was 20mm straight it would have been better. The paint job though was the best, glossy is unbeatable.
I just saw one of the camo line Phantoms, and wow they're ugly!
I love Prince rackets, especially the Tours, but whoever does the graphic 'design work' for Prince must be an agent sent by a rival company to destroy Prince.ATS 98 was impressive today. Triple digit serves, good stability, great spin. Maneuverability is a bit lacking given the weight distribution but it somehow makes up for it in those other areas.
Only knock from me is the weight distribution isn't pleasant. That's where I prefer the 95 ats. You can play more wristy with that but it doesn't have the penetration this does.
This is a better racket than most on the market of the shelf.
Only knock from me is the weight distribution isn't pleasant. That's where I prefer the 95 ats. You can play more wristy with that but it doesn't have the penetration this does.
This is a better racket than most on the market of the shelf.
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I have never been a fan of Prince racquets but the Phantom 93p in both string patterns won me over immediately. Been waiting for the new Phantoms to release and push all the old ones into clearance so i can grab a couple on discount.
I'm going to be in Japan early summer, looking forward to checking out the Prince scene there.
I'm going to be in Japan early summer, looking forward to checking out the Prince scene there.
jbdbackfan
Semi-Pro
You may have a small business taking orders
10S-Junkie
Semi-Pro
I'll take 2 of the Tour 95's please
I'm a avid 100G user and also own x2 100P's!
What is Prince doing... I have recently trialled the Blades (16x19) and I'm almost going to pull the trigger on a couple of them because they play so good but, I still love my 100G's so much so I want to know if they are going to drop soon.
If so, I'll wait for them. I don't understand what Prince is doing... they are such a half-assed brand it seems. More info would be great for the customers who have stood by and advocated for the brand!
tele
Hall of Fame
limited edition color updates, apparently
Okay. I missed the sale on them at the end of the year and last month. The other place in Canada has limited grip sizes on the 98.
Anyone can compare the difference in comfort between the Phantom and the Txtreme Tour?
tele
Hall of Fame
the one phantom i had (100 xr) was the most comfortable racquet I have played with, but the ats 95(i just got a 98 but have not yet had a chance to hit with it) I had was not far off. the feel is different, though, and the ball feels like it is in and out of the stringbed faster on the tours. I personally prefer the narrower head shape on the tours. If you want an imperfect metaphor, I guess you could say the phantom feels like a pillow, but the tour feels more like it has air shocks in the throat. I think the two series are different enough that you should demo the models you are interested in if possible.
DJ-
Hall of Fame
Had a twistpower 100 vs tt290 2019 iga 27.25 showdown today, and they both play awesome, got two of these iga's modded and matched, might sell one soon. The iga has a lower launch angle but surprisingly the twist is easier for control. Backhands with the twist are great, that tech which they talk about actually works. Iga feels nice with the thinner beam, and extended length adds stability. Twist serves bombs, the tw scores nailed it. Twaron in both you can't complain about. Very connected shots and not muted ! Don't care what prince marketing do they could do a cross campaign with prince x costco and I would still use their great products.
Junioradae
New User
How about a 97G , 310/315g unstrung , similar balance as the 107G , I'll leave the swing weight to the experts but similar to the 100 18x20 wont be bad .....this is coming from someone who owns the 100 18x20 as well as the 107G ... something lighter than 320 but heavier the 305g
tele
Hall of Fame
exists in japan
Junioradae
New User
Not same thickness and feel as 107G
bobeeto
Hall of Fame
I was told at the Prince booth at TW IW, that USA and JP Prince are two separate companies and operate completely independent with design, materials and production
DJ-
Hall of Fame
I wish my friend ! I did a spacer extension via buttcap. Last time I was in the hunt for a Prince XL I managed to get two tt100t (orange black) from an atp pro who was living in Melbourne but moved and changed racquet contracts. Funny enough sold his frames dirt cheap via classifieds lol. They were great frames at 27.4
tele
Hall of Fame
Played with my new ATS 98 today (about 12 grams added, mostly in the handle) and just wanted to say that if you are concerned about an unusually high launch angle, I wouldn't worry about it. I hit a pretty flat forehand and found the racquet suited my style just fine. For reference, I did not like the high launch angle of the prince TT Warrior 100 or the Prince phantom 100XR (16x18). I also found the pro staff 97 v12 to be a little launchy. I liked the launch angle of the yonex dr 98 and dunlop cx200 tour 16x19 (the cx 200 tour is probably a little lower than the ats 98). Although the beam is 23mm, I only noticed it feeling a little thick on my one-handed backhand, though I am confident I can adjust. A nice racquet.
danbrenner
Legend
Yes. Which is absolutely unacceptable. That is a joke. Two different companies. Within one name that’s insane. But the brunt of it is that we in the USA get the worst of the two companies, meeting the short end of the stick. So.
konstantinos kalfountzos
Hall of Fame
That's exactly right! Too bad for Prince. Maybe, Westworld Prince thinks the median consumer doesn't know what's going on or won't get into research about Japan Princes.
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Jasper Ruud
New User
How different are the rackets, really? They seem to mostly use the same technology (Twaron, for example), have the same names (Tour, Phantom, etc.) and general shapes, and the specs look very similar. Both use PL ratings on the same scale. Clearly the two Prince operations must be sharing some stuff... even if production is "different," it's probably done at the same factories, wouldn't you think? Is there a base model in each line that then gets tweaked by the engineers working for the Japanese and international markets?
Has anyone tried playing the international and Japanese versions side by side to see if they actually play differently?
konstantinos kalfountzos
Hall of Fame
Not serious differences in the molds themselves, but for example, parallel drilling on the Beast and Phantoms for 2-3 years already in Japan.
Just check the previous all glossy-red Beast. On of the most beautiful paintjobs ever on a tweener frame.
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WYK
Hall of Fame
The difference isn't huge. Mostly smaller grips and lighter racquets, really. The market IS very different in itself.
However, the Japanese frames look much, much better. I suspect due to the profit margins, they can justify investing more into the finishing.
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Crocodile
G.O.A.T.
Well I must say that the activity and contribution in this thread is quite high and is an indication that many people on this forum at least, are interested in Prince racquets and want to know more about them.
Is there anybody at Prince reading the posts and when are we likely to read or watch some communication from Prince to the world on an update of the companies situation and what will happen moving forward, after all it is prople from Prince that started this thread.
Is there anybody at Prince reading the posts and when are we likely to read or watch some communication from Prince to the world on an update of the companies situation and what will happen moving forward, after all it is prople from Prince that started this thread.
jimdontcare
Rookie
Earlier this week I steered a skilled beginner buying their first "real" racquet away from the ATS Tour (pointed them toward the Warrior instead, among other more beginner-friendly racquets). They wanted the Tour because they thought it looked cool. So, I guess the designers doing right with some crowd.
jbdbackfan
Semi-Pro
They abandoned this post about 3 years ago
danbrenner
Legend
It’s sad to see Prince in tatters like this
longtimelurker
Professional
Prince aint in tatters. They still sell frames in USA and around the world. As long as they keep making these quality frames they will be around. Talk tennis posters complain about anything. Get out there and hit some balls.
I think they missed the chance with Iga. They assigned her as their top junior in 2015 and kept her till 2018 when they run out of money. But she still used their rackets till 2020 and just after RG title they could have somehow snatch her. Back then she was not as known and I don’t think she was really happy about changing the racket so I guess she wouldn’t require lots of money. But well it’s gone now.
jimdontcare
Rookie
I am really curious about the Iga situation. She seems somewhat picky about gear, given that she didn't switch to On shoes after signing with them until they could design her a shoe that worked perfectly. Whatever Tecnifibre did, they must have given her a good racquet in addition to the money.
She said in the interview she wanted to go with long contract not really with biggest money to avoid any future change of the rackets. I think she also tested Yonex and Babolat (not sure about second one). She could really fit Pure Strike while Thiem declined and Anett is out.
danbrenner
Legend
They are a fragmented company. with all of their innovations going to Asia.. Not here. log into the chinese jap.. website. then into the USA site. lol. its a joke. if you aint laughin. then you aint seeing what were seeing.
stephenclown
Professional
Innovations only in Asia? They don't even have the same phantom range in Japan and they are sold at premiums on their auction sites when imported. Their phantom range is severely limited and they have also brought the Synergy across from the US. The Ripstick and Vortex are US only as well, and while these may not be as successful as other frames, they are still another option that Japan doesn't have.
Overall, the range of frames in the US is more robust imo and the only things really missing are the beast line, which if you actually remember them when they were on TW they were sold at a 70% discount most of the time as no one bought them. The twist line is their only true innovation and they seem to play well but have their own flaws as well, which is why I sold mine.
You could put the same allegations against Yonex with the Regna frames which similarly are sold at a premium due to differences in the market demands and have been JDM only for years. The Japanese market is very different to the Western market and premiums are paid for irregular frames and premium options.
How often do you actually go onto the websites of Head, Wilson, Babolat and Yonex to buy and look at frames? I don't even bother looking at them because there is never anything of note and looking at TW usually has much more information including flex and swingweight.
You have been complaining endlessly and it's getting old. Of course Prince could do more in terms of marketing etc. but if that comes at the cost of increased frame prices then I am happy with the way they operate now.
