downdaline
Professional
360grams? We're almost playing with the exact same stick, you and I!
Glad that you're enjoying it! This stick is my grail - so I'm gonna have to stock up on them.
Prince Response 97 - do you lead yours?
- Thread starter Bona
- Start date
360grams? We're almost playing with the exact same stick, you and I!
Glad that you're enjoying it! This stick is my grail - so I'm gonna have to stock up on them.
Crismedicatrix
New User
Hi Downdaline !
I am still experimenting !
I liked the 360g stability, but again, I am much slower and can´t add the speed I would like on the ball.
Now at 344 better pace and much better spin.
Tomorrow I am going to try my last racquet which has a slightly lighter overgrip, total weight is at 341grams and now comes............30lbs co-poly strings !!!
The guy at the stringing shop gave me a "crazylook" but I can´t wait to try it tomorrow !!!!
Let´s see ! The racquet at 341 grams feels a hair faster than at 344, I like it !!!
later
I am still experimenting !
I liked the 360g stability, but again, I am much slower and can´t add the speed I would like on the ball.
Now at 344 better pace and much better spin.
Tomorrow I am going to try my last racquet which has a slightly lighter overgrip, total weight is at 341grams and now comes............30lbs co-poly strings !!!
The guy at the stringing shop gave me a "crazylook" but I can´t wait to try it tomorrow !!!!
Let´s see ! The racquet at 341 grams feels a hair faster than at 344, I like it !!!
later
Zielmann
Semi-Pro
I picked two of these up recently, but I'm still in the trial phase on strings with mine. Currently making my first foray into poly with them, and I'm certainly curious to try out those extra-low tension poly setups that seem to be all the rage.
Not sure if I will end up messing with the weight or not. It's not something I've done before. But I'm really glad I picked these up on a whim! The one Precision Response Titanium I have has been my favorite stick for quite some time. The Classic Responses have felt familiar from the moment I first picked them up, and playing with them feels barely any different to me. Aside from the fact I'd been using the PRTi with syn. gut at 63lbs, where now I'm messing with polys in the PR97...
I'm excited to see where my adventures with this stick take me.
Not sure if I will end up messing with the weight or not. It's not something I've done before. But I'm really glad I picked these up on a whim! The one Precision Response Titanium I have has been my favorite stick for quite some time. The Classic Responses have felt familiar from the moment I first picked them up, and playing with them feels barely any different to me. Aside from the fact I'd been using the PRTi with syn. gut at 63lbs, where now I'm messing with polys in the PR97...
I'm excited to see where my adventures with this stick take me.
downdaline
Professional
If there's a good stick to try low tension polys on - it's the Response.
The stick is so low-powered, you'll be able to feel the low-tension without turning the setup into a rocket launcher.
What polys are you experimenting with? I may want to string up one of my spares similarly as a wet-weather backup.
Crismedicatrix
New User
Hi Everyone !!!
Good news after playing yesterday with a 341 grams stock racket + two grams of vibrator dampener, so total weight is 343 grams. The small vibrator dampener brings the balance point up higher just a bit and this small difference already makes changes to the whole feel of the spin potential of this racket. So taking the dampener away, brings balance close to 32 cm and spin starts to be produced with a lighter head.
I would say this balance point adjustments have been the most behavior changing aspect for this racket(and for me). Power is the same, stability pretty much the same. But moving balance around really adjusts and fine tunes my shot. So I feel I have found my balance point, my stability needed and precision. I still feel under powered but I am not too fit right now, as I have been reconditioning, so the whole power generating process starting from the legs up is still under powered,I will wait some more time to make my final conclusion about power(my bet is that I will find that with strings)
Spin is all there, as long as I get that center of gravity at 32 or slightly lower(31,5).
Total weight of the racket feels as a way to measure the speed of my swing as a whole, so I would say to change the total weight, adding or removing lead with this in mind.
So..... to sum up..........
Adding lead allowed me to fine tune the shot:
Balance point = made me add or remove spin
Total weight = made me swing faster or slower adding speed to the ball
And these issues are within the frame, form, construction, materials used:
Stability = pretty much the same with or without lead at 3+9,
Comfort,
at some extent vibration and power/ at some extent related to the strings
The Prince Response 97 offers so many good things !!!
Yesterday played with a Full bed of Co-Poly (signum pro Tornado) strung at 30lbs
All I can say is WOW-- what a fantastic set up !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I could not believe myself !!!!! It is against everything I learned and tried until ...........yesterday, and WOW !!!!!!
Every good attribute we have been noticing about this racket simply got amplified with this co-poly low tension set up. Amazing !!!
No issues about control, at all !!! Actually felt better because I did not need to swing so much I could relax and concentrate on precision. Power improved a little bit, but still felt under powered. Spin is interesting, specially when comes a loaded low ball and I could swing the hell out of it......amazing spin on these shot returns(and the ball stays within the court). Volleys were no problem at all and actually better. With a softer string bed I didn´t need to add power from my wrist, simply hold and move toward the ball with my body, the racket and strings do the rest, drop shots were fantastic also. Service returns were also improved because of the same mechanics, I didn´t need to swing so much so I just blocked producing huge spin and placed the ball anywhere, long, short, parallel, diagonal.
I had to remind myself several times, relax, play loose......and the more I relaxed the better the racket would respond. No long shots at the fence at all......I am still amazed !!!
I also tried other strings:
-Prince topspin (killed the racket didn´t like, too stiff) (54lbs)
-hybrid co-poly(mains) and synthetic gut(cross)- too elastic and trampoline like (lost some control- 56-53 lbs, probably 58-55 configuration could work well)
-Full bed co-poly at 56lbs (signun pro tornado) excellent spin, pop, control, but too hard for touch volleys and situations when I was late, could not generate enough power to go over the net) ok overall but missing some more elasticity.
-And Co-poly at 30lbs !!!! liked every aspect of playing !! the best combination up until now.(not as crisp and pop sounding but only slightly less.......surprised me again here)
Well, that is it !!!
I am very very happy with the frame !!!
langdon0555
Semi-Pro
For those that use the response...
What style of play are you? I'd like to try the response, but I'm not a serve and volley player. I'm more of a baseliner. Is the response a good option for a baseliner or more of all court player?
What style of play are you? I'd like to try the response, but I'm not a serve and volley player. I'm more of a baseliner. Is the response a good option for a baseliner or more of all court player?
I think people often primarily refer to the serve and volley qualities of this racquet because of its stability. I am of the opinion that stability is useful on virtually any shot in tennis, not at least returns and defensive baseline shots, why I believe it is a great all-round racquet. I myself is an all-court player and while I do appreciate this stick at net, I'd say that my favorite two shots with the Response are actually the backhand slice and the forehand approach shot.
shamaho
Professional
I've hit my absolute best ever high bouncing swerving kick serves every time I played with the Response 97, I mean they were orders of magnitude better than anything I served with other sticks. They were wicked.
I not currently playing with them (using the lower powered and higher swingspeed Exo3 Graphite), since the 23mm beam is alien to me... and prefer the more classic style frames, but I do miss the increased rpm and kick serve...
my guess is that I'll eventually move to the Response 97 and I'll have to adjust to the 23mm beam.
I not currently playing with them (using the lower powered and higher swingspeed Exo3 Graphite), since the 23mm beam is alien to me... and prefer the more classic style frames, but I do miss the increased rpm and kick serve...
my guess is that I'll eventually move to the Response 97 and I'll have to adjust to the 23mm beam.
Crismedicatrix
New User
I am an all court player who favors going to the net.
I can easily say the response is a great racket. It has fit me perfectly.
I used to play with wilson Sting..and hit some time with the pro staff 85.... Their swing weight were higher so net game was slower, their small head made it unstable and vabrations were always present. So I switched to prince lightning 93 in.........prince racket was incredible...no vibrations...full power.. Great control......the lightning also had the double bridge. As time passed the lighning became too small, too flexible and too open pattern (14x16). The response fills all the open spots for my desires.....stiffer, good string pattern with better control......extra confort with the double bridge, heavier and a ted larger and the real plus.....the design of the head makes it super stable and confortable. Control is great....and power is all there. Even though prince has marketed as a classic racket............honestly i don't think it leaves anything behind any other "modern" raquet. For me it works great....feels like a razor cutting the air...much nicier than boxier frames..........and the 23 thick frame is easely adaptable...it adds to the razor feeling. So yes it is a great serve and volley tool, but also good for attacking on the run, excellent for redirecting fast balls......defending serves for me is not difficult since it is a stable racket...easy to block and get the ball back on court........the best configuration of string has been up until now a full copoly bed ( signum pro tornado 1.23) more confortable than (1.17) and gave me the best power ( strung at 56 lbs...and now it settled at 44lbs) i still want to try a full bed of copoly strung at around 42-40 so it settles around the 30's. I am underpowered strung at 30. Racket now is stock..no lead....with overgrip and dampener weights strung 345g.
If you choose the response you won't regret for sure !!! You need to have the technique...the racket will perform and provide for you every aspect of the game very well.
langdon0555
Semi-Pro
Does the Response come stock with foam/silicone in the handle?
shamaho
Professional
man oh man, I should quit reading up on this thread... it's making me think hard about moving over to the Response from the Exo3 Graphite sooner than expected.
I'm also an all courter, working hard on remembering how I used to attack the Net much more often than now... and thinking that the Response might give more ROI than the graphite.
I'll have to give up the familiar classic feel of the box-beams... and the so predictable response of the Graphite.
thinking seriously about it...
Thing is, I HATE the feel of full bed of Poly on any racket (though it gave a ton of rpm on it) and I have no idea of a good Syn Gut hybrid for the Response.
I'm also an all courter, working hard on remembering how I used to attack the Net much more often than now... and thinking that the Response might give more ROI than the graphite.
I'll have to give up the familiar classic feel of the box-beams... and the so predictable response of the Graphite.
thinking seriously about it...
Thing is, I HATE the feel of full bed of Poly on any racket (though it gave a ton of rpm on it) and I have no idea of a good Syn Gut hybrid for the Response.
Crismedicatrix
New User
Hi Shamaho,
I have tried copoly and poly full bed, prefer copoly because of better power. Hybrid with mains copoly and gioco syngut cross(56/53lbs) has reduced a bit power but is confortable.
I wanted to try something a bit more elastic......so I tried a full bed of copoly at 30lbs.........extreme confort but lost power. So my next step is going to be with multi. The response is a players racket, so it was designed with gut in mind most likely. I think it would play well with syn gut too.
later
shamaho
Professional
I'm not too sure about the difference between co poly and poly it's all more or less the same to me.
Regardless of which racket I'm using my type of setup is trending for the same.
I am currently using hybrid but the synth goes on the mains. That's how I prefer them, when weather permits I'll use cheap gut instead.
Crismedicatrix
New User
Well.....there are so many strings to choose from........the copoly I tried felt more elastic and provided more power than the older poly I used to play for years and brought the response 97 alive....so yeah......a more elastic string bed can work well......i will probably try something like wilson sensation as a start choice for a multi and then report in a few weeks. Using the response stock no lead.. Later
Lukhas
Legend
Poly refers to the old-school monofilament strings. Basically they were very stiff, had terrible tension maintenance but were cheap and durable and had immediate good performance (that quickly degrades). Excellent for string breakers with good technique and healthy arm. For example, you can think about Babolat Duralast, famously previously used by Nadal. Considering the complaints, manufactures blended poly with other additives to increase some performance aspects of these strings: co-polyester. It can be marginally better tension maintenance, longer lasting playability, better comfort, better power, so on, so forth.
As far as the Response is concerned and having demoed it a bit, I think it would benefit from a couple of grams of tape at noon to increase the power (SW actually) and spin friendliness as well as to raise the sweetspot. Not sure about tape at 3 and 9 o'clock: I found it to be plenty stable, and long bands at noon already help with stability anyway. 3 grams at noon would be around 15,25cm of tape or 6 inches; decently long stripes if you ask me.
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Crismedicatrix
New User
Excellent for stringbreakers with good technique and healthy arm !!!!!!!!!!
You wrote it well !!!!!!
And your idea of customization can work well, good idea.
I found it stock with a slightly lower swing weight to force me to swing the head faster to provide spin.......it is a little different concept to play like that....but it pushes me to defend well....to really work on technique and have a good arsenal of spin and flat pin point shots.........so works for me and makes me play agressivelly.......i am still slightly underpowered.....but i am getting more fit and it is getting better !!!!! Keep the head light for spin and control !!!! Chears
shamaho
Professional
Want old school mono filament? Try nylon or better yet, thick nylon fishing line on a woody... that is old school.
Ok it might be more like pre Jurassic but...
Lukhas
Legend
Well Luxilon released Original in 1984 (!) and ALU Power in 1994. The pro players have just been a bit slow to pick it up; Moya won Roland in 1998 with Luxilon for example. Now it feels like most new strings or manufacturers release co-poly in priority, so I guess it advanded pretty quickly.
Lukhas
Legend
Well I've purchased three, and I have the choice between those six.
weight swing weight balance
1 319 273 30.8
2 321 273 31.0
3 323 286 31.3
4 317 270 30.9
5 319 273 30.9
6 317 274 30.9
Well that makes for a fairly light SW! Gonna pick 1 and 5 for sure since they are near identical. Probably gonna pick 6 as well. After consulting the Racquet Customization Tool, being 2 grams lighter and one SW point heavier isn't that bad compared to being 2 grams lighter and 4 SW point off at least when the balance is just that close (0.1 cm!). You can just slap 2 grams of lead in the throat and be done with it.
weight swing weight balance
1 319 273 30.8
2 321 273 31.0
3 323 286 31.3
4 317 270 30.9
5 319 273 30.9
6 317 274 30.9
Well that makes for a fairly light SW! Gonna pick 1 and 5 for sure since they are near identical. Probably gonna pick 6 as well. After consulting the Racquet Customization Tool, being 2 grams lighter and one SW point heavier isn't that bad compared to being 2 grams lighter and 4 SW point off at least when the balance is just that close (0.1 cm!). You can just slap 2 grams of lead in the throat and be done with it.
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shamaho
Professional
So I made the switch from the graphite exo3 and while I first attempted a switch of grips between them so that the response would have a leather grip, I quickly switched back to the resipro thus making it back to stock.
It got more difficult to accelerate the execution of the shots. Now in stock form it has nice balance and it's not overly light.
I still not quite used to the wide beam which is the only thing I kind of dislike, but I did gain power and spin in all departments.
It got more difficult to accelerate the execution of the shots. Now in stock form it has nice balance and it's not overly light.
I still not quite used to the wide beam which is the only thing I kind of dislike, but I did gain power and spin in all departments.
J
joohan
Guest
Hello, folks.
Has anyone played with Dunlop Biomimetic 300 Tour and can compare it to the Response 97. Power level, precision, etc..
Thanks a lot.
Has anyone played with Dunlop Biomimetic 300 Tour and can compare it to the Response 97. Power level, precision, etc..
Thanks a lot.
Crismedicatrix
New User
Hi Lukhas ! Are those numbers unstrung ?
My rackets fell around the 345 grams after strings dampener and overgrip ! Bellow 344grams it starts feeling too light for me. So This range 345-350.... Works good
It took about six months experimenting.,....just keep trying and you will find what works for you
Crismedicatrix
New User
Hi Samaho........i felt that the response was too wide for months.......but now......don't even remember that ! You will get the hang of it !!!!! Use this acceleration of the stick to provide spin....really go for the ball....wack the hack out of it !!!!!!! Make sure to grip all the way down the butt cap for long shots and serve....and grip a little higher for volleys.....you will feel the mass and balance point are perfect for varying shots !!!! Have fun..... .
Lukhas
Legend
Yup, all unstrung. I plan just to add some protection tape on the bumper (around 2 to 4 grams depending on length) and advise from there on.
Crismedicatrix
New User
Cool !
Buford T Justice
Semi-Pro
I bought a couple of these recently as some racquets to play around with for fun (my normal frame is a Blade 98S), and have only used them for ~10 minutes....but holy h@$$ do these things hit a wicked backhand slice!
can anyone compare the response 97 to a six-one 95 18x20? been using the 2012 six one 95 18x20 just stock with a gut/syn gut hybrid...plays great but racquets are getting old and looking to maybe get something else since the six one line has been discontinued. I would guess 16x20 would give a little more spin but i really like the directional control of the 18x20. I play mostly doubles and S/V play...high 4.5/low 5.0 level kick serve both 1st and 2nd
Lukhas
Legend
Well I received my three Responses. All three string with Völkl V-Star 16 (21/19kg). What I didn't expect was each of them coming with a set of Premier Control 16 too... 
I like how it swings, so I'll hit the court with them "raw" and see there after where or if I want to tweak them and if the impressions I had with the demo frame will be comfirmed.
I like how it swings, so I'll hit the court with them "raw" and see there after where or if I want to tweak them and if the impressions I had with the demo frame will be comfirmed.Crismedicatrix
New User
Sounds great !!!! Have fun......Well I received my three Responses. All three string with Völkl V-Star 16 (21/19kg). What I didn't expect was each of them coming with a set of Premier Control 16 too...
Lukhas
Legend
Well actually I just changed my mind: I had some protection tape left over for one racquet, so I've put an extra long strip that covers the whole bumperguard (which is very long on the Response for some reason). Now I'll hit the court with that.
shamaho
Professional
Wicked backhand slice. yeah I second that
adding, wicked kick serve and volleys
shamaho
Professional
My only related experience is playing with the Pro staff 6.1 Classic (PSC) also in 18x20 - I think they were much heavier than the Six-ones...
You will get much more power, spin ability and possibly confort on most shots.
My major perceived difference is swing weight (lower on the response allowing for greater acceleration and faster reflex volleys) and the feel. with the six-one my guess is the feel is crisper possibly due to the beam being narrower whereas the feel on the response might be a bit more muted comparably.
But for doubles and S&V... I don't think you'd get a much better racket - kick serves are so easy with this one, and volleys ? the control and punch on those low awkward volleys is superb.
shamaho
Professional
Well I've been giving it a chance but it seems that's a no go for me... I just don' like its feel on contact.... just too "twangy" like Freshairyohdamn so aptly put it (in another thread)!
Yes it gives me decent spin, plow etc but... I just don't feel at home with it.
Unfortunately my Exo3 Prince Graphites have weird balance so I'm lost in the choice...
So for now I'm going back to the very basics.... POG Mid with low tensions. I know that I have to work double (triple) duty with them... but I'm so lost that I need to go way back, and slowly proceed forward.
Requesting a Demo for the New POG
Yes it gives me decent spin, plow etc but... I just don't feel at home with it.
Unfortunately my Exo3 Prince Graphites have weird balance so I'm lost in the choice...
So for now I'm going back to the very basics.... POG Mid with low tensions. I know that I have to work double (triple) duty with them... but I'm so lost that I need to go way back, and slowly proceed forward.
Requesting a Demo for the New POG
Lukhas
Legend
Now I think I know where I'm going. I'm using some 4rtengo lead tape which is supposedly around 3 grams per 10cm. The long protection tape give a fairly "vague" feeling to the frame, it and 10 cm of tape aren't enough so the next step is 20cm at noon without the tape. It definitively for me requires long stripes at noon rather than at 3 and 9 which wouldn't do much.
Lukhas
Legend
I guess I'm done tinkering with my Response. The lead at twelve fixed pretty much what I had an issue with with this racquet: the upper hoop being quite light/lacking a bit of stability, the low sweetspot and the lack of easy power. The racquet I experimented with is now around 5pts HL strung with Völkl V-Star 16 and with an overgrip. Considering they were close the target balance of 31cm (30.9cm) unstrung, it means that there's around 6 grams of lead up there. Pretty much the kind of result I had thought of when experimenting with the Reverse Engineering tool. I'll need to play a bit more with it since I feel a little bit more tired in the arm and wrist to make sure it's simply some soreness and nothing more, but so far so good.
langdon0555
Semi-Pro
You still playing with the response? What's your update and how is it playing for you?
robbo1970
Hall of Fame
Is it the Exo3 Graphite 100 or 93 you were using? I may be biased, but the Exo3 93 is a peach of a racquet.
Lukhas
Legend
Yes I am still playing with it. Well I bought three, I wasn't going to simply ditch them away after scheduling my mods even before buying them! I haven't tweaked them any further since I was satisfied with what I've achieved. My bottom word remains the same: it needs long stripes of lead at 12 o'clock, not at 3&9 o'clock or 6 or wherever (except for counterbalancing). I really don't have much to add to what I've said really.
langdon0555
Semi-Pro
Did you share your overall impressions of how it plays or did I miss that?
shamaho
Professional
It's the 100
robbo1970
Hall of Fame
I thought it might be. I believe it had a close to even balance, which a few users found unusual feeling forcan already fairly hefty racquet.
Did you ever try the 93?
Lukhas
Legend
Well more or less since I have several posts in this thread. The weight did exactly what I expected it to do even before I bought the raccquet: raise the sweetspot, add stability, easier power/plow and spin. And that's really it, that's what I didn't like when I demoed it: the upper hoop was dead, the sweetspot low and the spin potential fairly limited.
shamaho
Professional
Not the exo3, I have a pair of POG Mid. And they are wonderful. I needed just that little extra help and retainmost of that feel.
I did find it with the PCG100 but not with the Exo3.
Unfortunately the PCG was out of stock for a whole other month before I could order it... and I stumbled upon a pair of second hand PS97 which also was a great demo for me.
Thamel90
Rookie
I bought one from a TTW user on the classifieds. It came with a leather grip and 6-6.5 grams total at 3 and 9. With an OG/dampener, it's right around ~340 SW, 8pts HL, 12.8oz strung. I was skeptical, but it played awesome! Intoxicating plow off the ground, volley depth is just a soft hand and small motion away. Serving was annoying with my PCG107, but not so with this. I lasted 4 sets of doubles (~10 service games) and was still raring to go.
shamaho
Professional
It really depends on the person.I would like to add a leather grip to mine but I think it would get too heavy for me
I tried it myself and like you I found it went over my threshold so went back to the resipro.
Try it, it's not a permanent change you can always go back on this one.
Excuse my brevity, sent from mobile on puny keyboard and rocking public transport
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