coachrick
Hall of Fame
Interesting...to me, the Spectrum Comp felt like hitting with plaster...lifeless. The Tri-Comp felt like a pie-tin filled with broken glass.
Prince Original Graphite ( POG ) Mid and OS versions
- Thread starter scottatuofm
- Start date
BlueB
Legend
I kind of agree with description of the Spectrum - muted and calm.
I'm surprised at your description of the Tri-Comp. Felt silky for me... Maybe difference in strings? I don't have it any more to refresh my memory.
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Lol on the pie tin comment. I actually like the Tri-Comp and use it as a softer option from my Graptech DB. The Tri Comp was the high beam reincarnation of the Spectrum but imho felt entirely different.
Both of these shared the brittle paint that were like shrapnel.. finding one of these without any paint chips would be considered pristine. The finish would also crack under the throat giving the illusion that the frame was cracking when in reality it was only the finish.
jacob ferguson
New User
Nice thread. Thank you 
Sanglier
Professional
A fleabay seller from SoCal listed some Mini-POGs recently (along with several interesting oldies that they found in an abandoned storage unit), and I just couldn't resist getting one. I was aware that these things existed but have never seen one in person until now. Just imagine drilling tiny holes into these skinny beams and stringing them by hand! Or did they use crochet needles? As these have raised-P buttcaps, I would date them to 1983, when Grafalloy and Kunnan produced slightly different versions of the POG in parallel. And since Grafalloy was based in San Diego, and Kunnan's main US office was also located in San Diego, it's not too surprising that these long-forgotten Mini-POGs would turn up decades later in that general area, assuming that one of them (most likely Grafalloy) was actually responsible for making these, and not some random toy-maker contracted by Prince.
Just for (nerdy) fun, I spec'd the little guy to see how it would measure relative to a full-sized Grafalloy POG. Its flex value is a conservative estimate.
Just for (nerdy) fun, I spec'd the little guy to see how it would measure relative to a full-sized Grafalloy POG. Its flex value is a conservative estimate.
Michael Huff
New User
WOW! Indeed it's too bad they're not 90's. I have my POG 3 from 1982 that I'm taking to get restrung today. Been having arm issue with my Wilson Ultra Tour. Have a buddy who hits with POG 3 w/ Wilson Revolve Spin @ 49 lbs and the stick is still amazing. I'd love to get my hands on some new old stock. Where'd you find these?So I just picked these up.. brand spanking new. are these the very first POGs ever made? Doesn’t have the usual sticker i’m used to seeing. Just says made in USA.
Too bad they’re not 90.
Sanglier
Professional
It looks like they sold out already. I wonder what kind of people bought these. POG collectors? Boast fans? People who enjoy making others guess what kind of leaf is on their shirt and racquet?
They even tried to reproduce the winged corner reinforcements on the head cover like on the earlier models. Pretty interesting touch.
But why did they spell it "Graphit" instead of "Graphite"? Is there some sort of hidden meaning here, too?
They even tried to reproduce the winged corner reinforcements on the head cover like on the earlier models. Pretty interesting touch.
But why did they spell it "Graphit" instead of "Graphite"? Is there some sort of hidden meaning here, too?
graycrait
Legend
I saw that a couple of days ago and shrugged my shoulders. I have what some consider more Prince rackets than I need but had no tugs at the heartstrings for this one. I am curious about the alleged 2019 releases coming in the Phantom series.
coachrick
Hall of Fame
I was a rep for Boast in '79 and '84. If I cared more for Prince, I would have considered one of these. In fact, since Prince and Paddletek have joined forces, I said I would buy a BOAST Pickleball paddle if they made one
coachrick
Hall of Fame
The Japanese Maple is a beautiful tree and the leaf is quite distinctive out here in the land of Live Oaks
I'd be wearing more of their current clothing line IF A) Shirts weren't $95 per and 2) They knew what size XXL was(pretty skimpy but it's a company of skinny jeans now...I'm a dinosaur )
Maybe Graphit is a portmanteau of Grap(like the overgrip) and hit(like hit) !
Don't Let It Bounce
Hall of Fame
I was sponsored by Boast for teaching for most of the 90s. Of the few who noticed the logo at all, no one ever guessed right.
I'm a sucker for white rackets, the Prince Graphit(e), and nostalgia, and I miss individual head covers a little — but not to the tune of $197.
So after reading this, I came across a Wilson Sting Mid that has a Chicago buttcap code on it (a "G") and no PWS. Is this one of the very few that was made in Chicago? Will post pics later tonight when I get home.
Sanglier
Professional
"G" denotes the year of manufacture - 1984. The letter that indicates the frame's Chicago origin is the third one, "I", for Illinois (before 1984, the code had only 2 letters, the third one was added in late '83 when Wilson began shipping composite frames from Taiwan and St Vincent). Your Sting Mid is likely stamped "G_S", where the "S" indicates its Taiwanese origin (SanHoSun).
Wilson had at least two Taiwan contractors making racquets for them in 1984, SanHoSun and Long-Y (most likely), the latter made individually grommeted Sting Largehead frames stamped "LG_" (note the rearranged letter order; which happened from time to time over the years with various contractors, requiring a large sample size to decipher - I am up to 334 now, from 1978 thru 2014).
Wilson had at least two Taiwan contractors making racquets for them in 1984, SanHoSun and Long-Y (most likely), the latter made individually grommeted Sting Largehead frames stamped "LG_" (note the rearranged letter order; which happened from time to time over the years with various contractors, requiring a large sample size to decipher - I am up to 334 now, from 1978 thru 2014).
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Sanglier
Professional
That would be a very rare and unusual code on a Sting Mid! The "G" would still indicate the year of manufacture in this instance - 1984, and "Y" would indicate a relatively early lot. "A" would identify the contractor, which I have never come across before.
Yes, please post photos of the whole racquet when you have a chance.
Yes, please post photos of the whole racquet when you have a chance.
shamaho
Professional
thay are not that different... buy the best condition you can find
recsoares
Rookie
Is there any thread here with all Prince classic frames specs?
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shamaho
Professional
Can you give some info about this one?
It’s the one that says MIDPLUS at 12 o’clock,right?
Can anyone tell me what is the size head?Not a 100”,right?
Sorry about the questions,but this my first POG and don’t know yet his history
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It's the 93" inch head - however on the width side (crosses) it's as large as a regular 95" (so it's only a tiny bit shorter than a 95")
recsoares
Rookie
graycrait
Legend
I have 9 of those 93" POG 90s. They play nice. However I think the non-bridge straight beamed 93" Graphite Pro 90 plays with more "refinement." The Prince Advance Response 90 plays right between the Graphite Pro 90 and the POG 90 IMHO.
shamaho
Professional
My main stick is the PCG, but the other day I tried playing with the 93" MidPlus - and both myself and my opponent felt the ball hit with the 93 was much heavier and had a lot more action.
BUT I did have to work a bit harder....
so I'm not sure how that would play out in a official competitive match where I would be inevitably more tense... or on a cold day.... I must try it on a club ladder matches...
OTOH I'm so settled with the PCG that I'm not sure that I should add more noise by bringing back the 93"...
Anyone seen these Sally Ann specials. .. Might be a Pro Kennex mold rather than prince . Beam is a bit less than my 4 stripe and weighs +10 grams at 354.
Opps don't have a photo account . FWIW . It's a 100% Graphite "Besta Sportings goods" racquet. SGT 9000 Has the straight across the choke like some PK"s I've seen. Has the cross bar in the in the choke like a POG.
Opps don't have a photo account . FWIW . It's a 100% Graphite "Besta Sportings goods" racquet. SGT 9000 Has the straight across the choke like some PK"s I've seen. Has the cross bar in the in the choke like a POG.
pastashop42
Rookie
Ok, so I got these two POG 110 here and they’re slightly different. The one with a single fat stripe has no bumper guard at all, and is slightly lighter than the one with four skinny stripes which does have a bumper guard (or what’s left of it).
Can anyone tell me the vintage and specs on these? Can I still get replacement grommets for them?
Also, how does the POG 107 that TW sells right now play compared to these?
Thanks!
krisdrum
Semi-Pro
Single stripe looks to be a 3rd generation stick as it has grommet strips down near the throat, instead of individual grommets. But those could have been added after, so could be 2nd generation as well.
Four stripe appears to be next generation up from whatever the single stripe stick is as I believe newer generations changed names from Graphite 110 and the gold Prince logo at throat changed as well.
Probably mid-late 1980s vintage.
First post in this thread has detailed descriptions of each version.
Four stripe appears to be next generation up from whatever the single stripe stick is as I believe newer generations changed names from Graphite 110 and the gold Prince logo at throat changed as well.
Probably mid-late 1980s vintage.
First post in this thread has detailed descriptions of each version.
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shamaho
Professional
Since I'm looking for a more compact head than the PCG but also looking for a slightly lighter frame... trying several other stick.... I'm evaluating these ones again, replaced the leather grip with a synth one and lost 5 grams in all... seems a lot more manageable....
strung this one with loose thing poly (MSV Focus Hex 1.20 plus 25) and eager to see is this is THE setup for me...
shamaho
Professional
OMG OMG OMG OMG! is this it ? is this it ? OMG OMG.... I may have found my holy grail for 2019.... couple more practices and one or two competitive matches and I'll know for sure...
shamaho
Professional
Well, one competitive match has come and gone. Able to pull a 7/6 7/6 win coming from behind on both sets (1/4 and 3/5 respectively) - on a very windy day.
Did not feel any issues with head size - which was my main concern. Also, racket felt more maneuverable than the PCG.
Power was good (I used very low tensions) but slightly below the PCG (expected), and control really nice.
I'm kinda convinced this stick will serve me well this year.
The only thing I think was not totally there was ball weight... was hoping for a heavier ball coming out, but will have to wait for more matches and feedback to pass judgement on that...
shamaho
Professional
Can someone idenntify the model for the racket in this link ?
https://www.olx.pt/anuncio/raquetes-prince-IDDcIxq.html
thanks in advance
https://www.olx.pt/anuncio/raquetes-prince-IDDcIxq.html
thanks in advance
shamaho
Professional
Apparently it's the POG5.... or maybe not... as it has 16 mains....
dak95_00
Hall of Fame
Most likely a POG100 because of the Longbody and 16 mains. I didn’t bother counting. Were there 18 crosses too? If so, definitely a POG100
graycrait
Legend
@Sanglier needs to see this. I am intrigued by the 16Mx18C cross with a Straight Shaft decal and Midplus at the tip. @dak95_00 , when did they come out with a POG 100? I have had quite a few PCG100/LBs but have never seen POG 100. I would sure like to put my calipers on that frame. However, I am currently going through a Prince Michael Chang reprisal period and have little time for any more Prince "oddities."
Incidentally I am learning that not all throat crossbar Princes are created equal. Right now the PCG 100LB feels like a noodle compared to the Michael Changs of either graphite or Ti variety. I have relegated a now shortened PCG 100LB as a "feeder" racket. The wider beam Precision 730 (97") is the stiffest of my crossbar Princes. I cut the 730 to 27.5 and it plays better for me. The apple of my eye is the Chang Ti LB 95" - a notch crisper than the Chang Graphite LB 95 but for some reason I am really enjoying the 28" Changs, both graphite and Ti in both 95" and OS.
Incidentally I am learning that not all throat crossbar Princes are created equal. Right now the PCG 100LB feels like a noodle compared to the Michael Changs of either graphite or Ti variety. I have relegated a now shortened PCG 100LB as a "feeder" racket. The wider beam Precision 730 (97") is the stiffest of my crossbar Princes. I cut the 730 to 27.5 and it plays better for me. The apple of my eye is the Chang Ti LB 95" - a notch crisper than the Chang Graphite LB 95 but for some reason I am really enjoying the 28" Changs, both graphite and Ti in both 95" and OS.
shamaho
Professional
WYK
Hall of Fame
I mostly used the 90 in my day(1980's and 90's). I always found the oversized POGs a bit too clubby. A lot of others felt the same way. And there's a very good reason why - the pog mid was actually fairly large for the day. Don't let the 93 sq in size fool you, it has a lot of width. And the string pattern made the strigbed more responsive than any other racquet of similar size. Here is one compared to my 97s:
The stringbed on the POG mid is slightly wider than the 97s, but certainly shorter in the mains. With poly at lower tensions, the sweetspot is just as forgiving, and the spin is enormous(I string Wilson revolve at 38X36 lbs in this frame).
WYK
Hall of Fame
Seth
Legend
@Sanglier and other POG experts: I have a 4-stripe POG OS that weighs 11.1oz stock (no strings, overgrip, etc.- just basic frame with leather grip). Any idea why it would be so light? I get QC issues, but that’s WAY off. One thing I know for a fact was that this frame came straight from Prince and I took it from a box that contained other POGs meant for pro players.
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Seth
Legend
My fault - I was unclear. There is a leather grip but no overgrip or strings.
Sanglier
Professional
My interest is in the era that ended at around the time the 4-stripe was introduced, so I have limited data on the later POGs. My own 4-stripe weighs 11.5 Oz without strings, about 0.5 Oz lighter than the average Kunnan-made 1-stripe that immediately preceded it. An example of the later "Straight Shaft" I have is lighter still, at just 11.2 Oz.
Yours is certainly very light, but I suspect it may still be within the acceptable weight range for the model.
There was a fair amount of weight variation among the earlier 1-stripe examples too. The observed difference between the lightest and heaviest grommetless POGs was 0.7 Oz for both Fansteel-made units (11.8 - 12.5, without strings) and those produced by Grafalloy (11.7 - 12.4, without strings). The grommeted 1-stripe POGs made by Kunnan had an identical weight range (11.7 - 12.4), strongly suggesting that this was the QC tolerance range specified by Prince, a range that was presumably revised downward upon transition to the 4-stripe model.
Yours is certainly very light, but I suspect it may still be within the acceptable weight range for the model.
There was a fair amount of weight variation among the earlier 1-stripe examples too. The observed difference between the lightest and heaviest grommetless POGs was 0.7 Oz for both Fansteel-made units (11.8 - 12.5, without strings) and those produced by Grafalloy (11.7 - 12.4, without strings). The grommeted 1-stripe POGs made by Kunnan had an identical weight range (11.7 - 12.4), strongly suggesting that this was the QC tolerance range specified by Prince, a range that was presumably revised downward upon transition to the 4-stripe model.
shamaho
Professional
I mostly used the 90 in my day(1980's and 90's). I always found the oversized POGs a bit too clubby. A lot of others felt the same way. And there's a very good reason why - the pog mid was actually fairly large for the day. Don't let the 93 sq in size fool you, it has a lot of width. And the string pattern made the strigbed more responsive than any other racquet of similar size. Here is one compared to my 97s:
The stringbed on the POG mid is slightly wider than the 97s, but certainly shorter in the mains. With poly at lower tensions, the sweetspot is just as forgiving, and the spin is enormous(I string Wilson revolve at 38X36 lbs in this frame).
Having used both rackets pictured above (though currently using the POG Mid), I subscribe to every word you state, which echoes past posts of mine somewhere around in these forums!
shamaho
Professional
but the picture shows the racket WITH strings... nevertheless, it does seem to be in the very near ballmark to both my POG Mids...
PSC85
Semi-Pro
I mostly used the 90 in my day(1980's and 90's). I always found the oversized POGs a bit too clubby. A lot of others felt the same way. And there's a very good reason why - the pog mid was actually fairly large for the day. Don't let the 93 sq in size fool you, it has a lot of width. And the string pattern made the strigbed more responsive than any other racquet of similar size. Here is one compared to my 97s:
The stringbed on the POG mid is slightly wider than the 97s, but certainly shorter in the mains. With poly at lower tensions, the sweetspot is just as forgiving, and the spin is enormous(I string Wilson revolve at 38X36 lbs in this frame).
Great overlay photo and I have discovered the same. POG MS is surprisingly forgiving and less string sensitive in my experience due to the open pattern. Definitely a very versatile frame even at this day.
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graycrait
Legend
@PSC85 , @Sanglier , @shamaho , @WYK ,
I was hitting with a Clash 98 a friend was demoing the other day and it was strung with Lux Element at 53lbs. I absolutely loved emulating the young guns whipping that thing Rafa like and creating more spin than usual. My hitting buddy who was demoing the 4 different Clashes told me to knock it off because he couldn't hit my shots although they were right back at him and miraculously landing in. I hit three other Clashes that day but none gave me that satisfaction that way. My buddy mentioned that the Clashes cost 249.00 ea. I said "Yeah, I know." All 4 of those Clashes are spec'd at 55RA
We are going hitting again today with the Clash demos but I want to string my lightest 4-stripe POG 90 with the only poly I have, Wilson Revolve, and take it along with me. I wonder if 53 is the right tension? I never had much luck with my choice of tension or types of poly in the POG 90s, always reverting back to Ashaway Kevlar x Zyex.
My lightest out of 9 POG 90s, is a 4-Stripe with Midsize on the hoop, not 90 on the hoop. With synthetic grip, one OG, poly string - it weighs 11.89.
I was hitting with a Clash 98 a friend was demoing the other day and it was strung with Lux Element at 53lbs. I absolutely loved emulating the young guns whipping that thing Rafa like and creating more spin than usual. My hitting buddy who was demoing the 4 different Clashes told me to knock it off because he couldn't hit my shots although they were right back at him and miraculously landing in. I hit three other Clashes that day but none gave me that satisfaction that way. My buddy mentioned that the Clashes cost 249.00 ea. I said "Yeah, I know." All 4 of those Clashes are spec'd at 55RA
We are going hitting again today with the Clash demos but I want to string my lightest 4-stripe POG 90 with the only poly I have, Wilson Revolve, and take it along with me. I wonder if 53 is the right tension? I never had much luck with my choice of tension or types of poly in the POG 90s, always reverting back to Ashaway Kevlar x Zyex.
My lightest out of 9 POG 90s, is a 4-Stripe with Midsize on the hoop, not 90 on the hoop. With synthetic grip, one OG, poly string - it weighs 11.89.
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