Prince Official - Racquets

[jmacdaununder2]

Tour series here has been like ‘The Lake House’ with Japan always a year or two ahead.
Happy that the 95 ATS eventually became available though, albeit with an inferior colour scheme.

 

[jimdontcare]

I am disappointed i arrived to the Prince scene too late to easily find a Beast

 

[tele]

I am disappointed i arrived to the Prince scene too late to easily find a Beast

the tt warrior 100, the beast's predecessor, is still available.

 

[DJ-]

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.

Exactly. In Aus we have had every innovation. The beast line lacking yes. Easily fixed if you wanna try it. People have had many prince options available. If you want a jp exclusive purchase it. People pay extra for pro stocks, special editions. Regnas. Etc. People on these forums mentioned they have paid 300 for LV and Dkny belt buckles lol. Best advice. Go and hit the ball.

 

[PBODY99]

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.

Remember that ABG Group owns the PRINCE brand. They license the right to make & market the products to different regional companies.
To ABG, Prince is an intellectual property that they own and manage, just like the images of Maryilyn Monroe Or Ali.

 

[ollinger]

I am disappointed i arrived to the Prince scene too late to easily find a Beast

The Hydrogen 300 gram frames are Beasts with funky paint

 

[TennisHound]

That sucker looks tough! Hopefully the “Tours” have something similar (95 98 100s).

 

[jimdontcare]

the tt warrior 100, the beast's predecessor, is still available.

Yeah that's tempting given the price, but not as tempting to me as the 98 Beast looks

 

[WYK]

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.

The Ripstick is the Prince Beast max 100 in Japan in the red and white colourway. Ripstick likely doesn't mean the same there as the US.
I always suspected the Ripstick was actually the Beast max 100 remarketed to the US and Europe. Again, I would have preferred the Japanese colours.
Though the Ripstick colours aren't bad at all.

BEAST MAX 100（300g） - Prince プリンステニス公式サイト

数多くの世界のトップテニスプレイヤーの勝利に貢献してきたPrince(プリンス)の公式サイトです。テニスラケットからシューズ、ウェアまで豊富な商品ラインナップをご紹介いたします。

princetennis.jp

 

[WYK]

the tt warrior 100, the beast's predecessor, is still available.

I think it's also the better racquet, and looked great in the white and black.

 

[mixtape]

I agree, I don't think Prince in the US market is as worse than the Japan market. US has a good variety of equipment as does Japan. The US market (or at least the group of individuals in this thread lol) would simply like what the Japan market is offering to be available. I get the US market wants to push these Prince collaboration/limited lifestyle collections sprinkled with an exclusive POG colorway. I'll admit they are retro chic, cool and overpriced, but when it comes down to the actual tennis hardware, the R&D and marketing team should really reach out to the few and proud Prince loyalist here and get some of our ideas and suggestions. WHERE ARE YOU PRINCE REP?

Prince should really step away from the matte finish look for a bit and go high gloss, semi-gloss or satin/silk finishes. It really makes the racquets look pop. Oh what the heck, I would rock a high gloss camo green phantom! lol

 

[SackFeral]

If the Pro Kennex big green stick is 'Shrek' then this is just the 'Ogre'. I owned the previous 100x 305 and it was stunning in person, this looks really cheap

 

[stephenclown]

The Ripstick is the Prince Beast max 100 in Japan in the red and white colourway. Ripstick likely doesn't mean the same there as the US.
I always suspected the Ripstick was actually the Beast max 100 remarketed to the US and Europe. Again, I would have preferred the Japanese colours.
Though the Ripstick colours aren't bad at all.

BEAST MAX 100（300g） - Prince プリンステニス公式サイト

数多くの世界のトップテニスプレイヤーの勝利に貢献してきたPrince(プリンス)の公式サイトです。テニスラケットからシューズ、ウェアまで豊富な商品ラインナップをご紹介いたします。

princetennis.jp

The prince beast 100 max is the Ripstick*

The website says release late April 2022 in Japan and it was released in the west in early 2021. You can even see that they reference the new larger ports for the first time on that exact webpage you linked. Same happened with the Synergy, under a different paint job and label and released in Japan later.

You can also refer to the tennis nerd podcast with the Prince R&D director if you are unconvinced:

Podcast with Tim Puttock, R&D Director from Prince

I had the good fortune to do a podcast with Tim Puttock, the R&D Director from Prince. We talk about his passion for building racquets (etc).

tennisnerd.net

I have played with Prince almost exclusively since the 93P initial release and have played with a few of the Japan only releases, including the tour 95s prior to their release in the west. They make good frames in each market regardless.

 

[dennis]

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.

I agree it's not a good look, but I can't be the only one who doesn't care. The only times I've been to a manufacturer's website were to look at stringing patterns as a beginner stringer. (And even then, the big names with the fancy websites often didn't have the information or it was incorrect).

 

[nicksti]

Prince makes good racquets and whatever financial issue they may have certainly does not manifest in the offering. Lots of racquets to choose from and they all have an emphasis on comfort.

What is there to complain about? I rather a company spend 10 million dollars on the product vs a bunch of pro endorsements.

 

[lefty10spro]

Prince makes good racquets and whatever financial issue they may have certainly does not manifest in the offering. Lots of racquets to choose from and they all have an emphasis on comfort.

What is there to complain about? I rather a company spend 10 million dollars on the product vs a bunch of pro endorsements.

Very well said! And I might add that the rackets are priced lower than the big 3!

 

[WYK]

The prince beast 100 max is the Ripstick*

The website says release late April 2022 in Japan and it was released in the west in early 2021. You can even see that they reference the new larger ports for the first time on that exact webpage you linked. Same happened with the Synergy, under a different paint job and label and released in Japan later.

You can also refer to the tennis nerd podcast with the Prince R&D director if you are unconvinced:

Podcast with Tim Puttock, R&D Director from Prince

I had the good fortune to do a podcast with Tim Puttock, the R&D Director from Prince. We talk about his passion for building racquets (etc).

tennisnerd.net

I have played with Prince almost exclusively since the 93P initial release and have played with a few of the Japan only releases, including the tour 95s prior to their release in the west. They make good frames in each market regardless.

I'm not needing any 'convincing'. I was just correcting your assertion that Prince may not have the same product in both markets - when obviously they do.
My statement was more along the lines that the same manufacturing sites(what, one in Japan and China?) supply to all the marketing regions.
They just market them differently, sometimes with just a different paint job.

 

[danbrenner]

does anyone here know when prince will update the tour line for our region in the us at tw?

 

[Crocodile]

It would be nice if Prince management would come and talk with the team at TW and give a run down of how the Japanese and US offices work, what is their plans for moving forward, and what models they are going to bring out.
Having some idea could help people like the ones that contribute here to help Prince become more successful. For example, I just wonder who gave them the idea that camo paint Phantoms wouid be a good idea. Like who did they hire to consult !

 

[jimdontcare]

does anyone here know when prince will update the tour line for our region in the us at tw?

There was a pic of a French Open-ish release of a new paintjob on page 95

 

[Yamin]

There was a pic of a French Open-ish release of a new paintjob on page 95

Still trying to find out if that will be US release.. looked pretty good

 

[jimdontcare]

Still trying to find out if that will be US release.. looked pretty good

Fair enough. It's got the 10 o'clock black styling and asymmetric paint just above the handle that the US models do so I assumed it was a US update.

 

[jmacdaununder2]

There was a pic of a French Open-ish release of a new paintjob on page 95

'Pricept' looks like the current paint job with a greenish grey wash.

 

[Guttersnipe]

Been playing with the Diablo tour MP recently, picked it up for 100aud in pristine condition already strung with confidential. The previous owner must’ve have hated it, the string bed was fresh with heaps of ‘snapback’.

To be fair with out adding a leather grip & 14g of lead in the hoop...and needing the right shockie to completely mute any discomfort/harshness. This frame had the tendency or at least feeling that it’d brake down with stability issues If you didn’t middle it, probably due the extra 0.25” & thin 19.5mm constant box beam but that’s the whole reason why I like the racquet.

The customisations tuned it into a rock solid weapon with extra reach and monumental weight behind my shots. My confidence skyrocketed and I could trust the frame to come through in the clutch.

-344g strung with overgrip & shockie, still has a head light balance if you’d believe it, I’m entering that @Shroud territory (if you know, you know with all this lead:
-8g @ 3&9
-4g @ 10&2
-2g @ 12

 

[BHold81]

Been playing with the Diablo tour MP recently, picked it up for 100aud in pristine condition already strung with confidential. The previous owner must’ve have hated it, the string bed was fresh with heaps of ‘snapback’.

To be fair with out adding a leather grip & 14g of lead in the hoop...and needing the right shockie to completely mute any discomfort/harshness. This frame had the tendency or at least feeling that it’d brake down with stability issues If you didn’t middle it, probably due the extra 0.25” & thin 19.5mm constant box beam but that’s the whole reason why I like the racquet.

The customisations tuned it into a rock solid weapon with extra reach and monumental weight behind my shots. My confidence skyrocketed and I could trust the frame to come through in the clutch.

-344g strung with overgrip & shockie, still has a head light balance if you’d believe it, I’m entering that @Shroud territory (if you know, you know with all this lead:
-8g @ 3&9
-4g @ 10&2
-2g @ 12

I'll have to give this a go. I bought one years ago, and put it in my closet after an hour. I some lead (not nearly this much), and it was completely anemic. But now I'm intrigued.

 

[Guttersnipe]

I'll have to give this a go. I bought one years ago, and put it in my closet after an hour. I some lead (not nearly this much), and it was completely anemic. But now I'm intrigued.

If you have the lead and the racquet sitting around then why not? Breathe new life into the frame & I hope that it plays well for you but more so that you can tame the now monstrous swingweight.

I copped what feels like a never ending roll of lead from Racquetdpot UK when they were half price for 50aud a while ago now & I’ve been putting to good use. Usually only add 4g @ 3&9 for more feel but this experiment has me questioning my usual modus operandi and if I should just go overboard with the lead like a mad alchemist

 

[BHold81]

If you have the lead and the racquet sitting around then why not? Breathe new life into the frame & I hope that it plays well for you but more so that you can tame the now monstrous swingweight.

I copped what feels like a never ending roll of lead from Racquetdpot UK when they were half price for 50aud a while ago now & I’ve been putting to good use. Usually only add 4g @ 3&9 for more feel but this experiment has me questioning my usual modus operandi and if I should just go overboard with the lead like a mad alchemist

I don't play whippy and like to get in front of the ball and use plow. I can definitely handle a 344 sw, especially with that thin beam. At least for a while, haha. We'll see about a whole match I guess.

 

[Guttersnipe]

I don't play whippy and like to get in front of the ball and use plow. I can definitely handle a 344 sw, especially with that thin beam. At least for a while, haha. We'll see about a whole match I guess.

It’s 344 static weight...I can’t check the SW...even my local Tennis Only (TW) doesn’t have machine to check...and I CBF shelling out for the Briffidi SW machine.

Going off feel is enough unless I start a YT channel & can claim it as tax write off. Just need to hit the weights/flex bar and focus on mobility and staying toned or it’ll become unwieldy overnight

 

[PistolPete23]

Not a fan of the new Phantoms’ camo cosmetic, but if there’s going to be a 100p, I’ll still consider buying. Missed out the first time and TW sold out earlier than expected.

 

[longtimelurker]

Not a fan of the new Phantoms’ camo cosmetic, but if there’s going to be a 100p, I’ll still consider buying. Missed out the first time and TW sold out earlier than expected.

The 100p, 97p and twist97 were sold out in various stages. Popular frames

 

[Prezzo]

I've been demoing the Blade 98 v8 16x19 and the Prince ATS textreme tour 98 for a few days. All reviews are saying Blade is the go to for control and Prince has more power. But for me it feels the other way around. Could be string related (Blade: Alu Power big banger 1.25; Prince: Yonex PTPG 1.25 no idea tension/age of each). I'm getting easy power on blade, serve is so sweet, but I'm tending to hit long more often compared to Prince. Prince I can swing hard both sides, but not really getting the same heaviness. I like the whippy feel of the prince, particularly on the run (prince also grip 2 vs blade grip 3). But the feel of the blade is really special. Not sure if I get a Blade with a more control friendly string, or a prince with a more powerful string. Also wondering if a smaller grip might help on the blade. I'm a 4.5 - 5 ntrp (self rated), counter puncher, hit pretty flat and hard. 1hbh with more top spin.

 

[nicksti]

I've been demoing the Blade 98 v8 16x19 and the Prince ATS textreme tour 98 for a few days. All reviews are saying Blade is the go to for control and Prince has more power. But for me it feels the other way around. Could be string related (Blade: Alu Power big banger 1.25; Prince: Yonex PTPG 1.25 no idea tension/age of each). I'm getting easy power on blade, serve is so sweet, but I'm tending to hit long more often compared to Prince. Prince I can swing hard both sides, but not really getting the same heaviness. I like the whippy feel of the prince, particularly on the run (prince also grip 2 vs blade grip 3). But the feel of the blade is really special. Not sure if I get a Blade with a more control friendly string, or a prince with a more powerful string. Also wondering if a smaller grip might help on the blade. I'm a 4.5 - 5 ntrp (self rated), counter puncher, hit pretty flat and hard. 1hbh with more top spin.

Not sure if there is a question in there but strings would make a significant difference. The blade is a nice stick so if you love how it feels then you just need to get used to it. Or demo the 18x20 version.

 

[Prezzo]

Not sure if there is a question in there

Fair point...
Just wondering if I can get a bit more grunt out of the Prince with a different string, or a bit more control out of the Blade with different string.
But the swing weight of the Prince felt great, really easy to swing hard both sides. Serve was pretty poor though, probably related to it being more head light than the Blade.

 

[nicksti]

Fair point...
Just wondering if I can get a bit more grunt out of the Prince with a different string, or a bit more control out of the Blade with different string.
But the swing weight of the Prince felt great, really easy to swing hard both sides. Serve was pretty poor though, probably related to it being more head light than the Blade.

Sure with strings, tension and lead on the Prince.
With the blade strings and tension or go with the 18x20 version.

 

[tele]

Fair point...
Just wondering if I can get a bit more grunt out of the Prince with a different string, or a bit more control out of the Blade with different string.
But the swing weight of the Prince felt great, really easy to swing hard both sides. Serve was pretty poor though, probably related to it being more head light than the Blade.

if possible, i would check the swingweight of both

 

[Yamin]

Just wondering if I can get a bit more grunt out of the Prince with a different string, or a bit more control out of the Blade with different string.
But the swing weight of the Prince felt great, really easy to swing hard both sides. Serve was pretty poor though, probably related to it being more head light than the Blade.

I'd measure your rackets. I think you may have a light ATS and a heavier blade. Even with TW strings the ATS was hitting massive serves for me and can't say it was great to maneuver.

 

[calmrottweiler]

Any idea when the cammos are out?

 

[mixtape]

They are camouflage, so they're out there, you just have to look carefully...

I'm guessing a mid-April release. Give it a couple more weeks.

 

[Crocodile]

If the Phantoms are in camouflage cosmetics many potential customers will not be able to spot or find them.
They should have gone that deep velvet purple silk boxer shorts with a special premium look, not something from a seconds disposal store.
These racquets are meant to represent the exquisite precise equipment for racquet connoisseurs who like to play with panache - Federer style:

 

[Crocodile]

You just got to want to know who told Prince that going camouflage was somehow a good idea for something people have been waiting for so long now.
I thought they were busy working away trying to come up with something stunning and special, because judging by the current iteration, it’s going to be around for a long time, so that’s what you will be looking at for at least 4 years.
I could be wrong and maybe in the flesh they will represent something kind of unique but at present I’m not seeing it,

 

[nicksti]

You just got to want to know who told Prince that going camouflage was somehow a good idea for something people have been waiting for so long now.
I thought they were busy working away trying to come up with something stunning and special, because judging by the current iteration, it’s going to be around for a long time, so that’s what you will be looking at for at least 4 years.
I could be wrong and maybe in the flesh they will represent something kind of unique but at present I’m not seeing it,

From the TW video the racquet certainly sticks out.
Well all we can hope is the specs are great.

 

[Prezzo]

I'd measure your rackets. I think you may have a light ATS and a heavier blade. Even with TW strings the ATS was hitting massive serves for me and can't say it was great to maneuver.

Prince 329, Balance 32.5
Blade 333, Balance 33
I used to think people got a bit too carried away by small differences in weight, but I think it made a fair bit of difference here in how easy both were to swing.

 

[tele]

Prince 329, Balance 32.5
Blade 333, Balance 33
I used to think people got a bit too carried away by small differences in weight, but I think it made a fair bit of difference here in how easy both were to swing.

you could have a major difference in swingweight between the two but cannot know unless you measure it.

 

[good_jello]

How maneuverable is the Prince 100G? I just ordered a demo of it since I've been sick of my current babolat pure strike 98 (3rd gen) because it seems to bulky to use. The prince is 3 points more headlight and the swing weight is 10 g less than the pure strike, so I'm hoping that it's a lot easier to use.

 

[soolwan]

will there be a restock of the graphite classic 107? It’s currently fully out of stock.

 

[mixtape]

Who knows? I always feel it just randomly returns when you least expect it.

 

[Trinity110]

From the TW video the racquet certainly sticks out.
Well all we can hope is the specs are great.

Where is the TW video on the new Phantoms?

 

[Trinity110]

Where is the TW video on the new Phantoms?

I guess it might have been the Chris Edwards sneak peek from BNP Paribas that is on youtube?

 

[Soundbyte]

will there be a restock of the graphite classic 107? It’s currently fully out of stock.

You want mine in L3? I bought it last month and used it once for 2 hours. I'm east coast US, strung up with Confidential 17g at 50lbs.

 

[aussie]

Where is the TW video on the new Phantoms?

Here