JOSHL
Hall of Fame
Only one beer??? I’ve had several. Lol
Prince RipStick 300 - coming soon!
- Thread starter Harry_Wild
- Start date
tennispro492
Rookie
Those of you in the US should start receiving these racquets in the next few days. Keep us posted on how they play!
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Looking forward to it!
TW Staff
Administrator
This might be of interest to some of you!
www.tennis-warehouse.com
Michelle, TW
Talk Tennis Podcast | Tennis Warehouse
www.tennis-warehouse.com
Michelle, TW
ericykchan
Rookie
Thank you for picking my question (on 107G)!This might be of interest to some of you!
Talk Tennis Podcast | Tennis Warehouse
Michelle, TW
Dartagnan64
G.O.A.T.
Nice work.
Love my Phantom 107G for it's forgiveness so I don't think I'd bother with a Ripstick. Don't need more power.
Holdfast44ID
Semi-Pro
Stringing up one of the 300's tomorrow. Normally, this is not the type of frame I'd normally use. I'm using heavier frames around 12+ oz strung at 48 lbs. with full poly. However, I'm just getting back into shape and am older am not as strong as I used to be (does not compute in my brain on the court though). What has my curiosity is if the Ripstick can help me add some MPH back to my serve via the increased racquet head speed. I'm only hitting the low 100's right now. I used to hit the 120's with the ProStaff 85 back in the day. I've never tried an "O port" frame either. The last Prince I played with competitively was the CTS Lightning 90 back in the 90's (whenever it came out -got them free from the USPTA). I think I'll string the Ripstick 300 with full poly at 52 lbs. minimum (maybe 55 lbs.?). I might modify the weight too. If all fails, the racquet might end up going to my daughter (will have remove the stock grip in that case and put on a couple of overgrips or a very thin replacement grip). I'll post my experience with the frame over the weekend if I get to hit.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Hit with mine and put first impressions in the Racquetholic thread. Short story is that IMO, this is an incredible offering from prince. They have managed to provide huge amounts of power and spin, plus some really nice feel in a tweener. It’s a more versatile frame than I expected from the few review online. It will accommodate some flatter hitting as well.
I think this is a frame a lot of people are going to really love playing with.
I think this is a frame a lot of people are going to really love playing with.
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topspn
Legend
This might be of interest to some of you!
Talk Tennis Podcast | Tennis Warehouse
Michelle, TW
By the way TW, when you check on the ripstick 300 on sweet spot comparison in TW university, the numbers are way off on weight and SW. can someone look at numbers showing for this stick and make sure all is updated accurately? Thanks so much!
I say this as someone who identifies more closely with the synergy 98... I'd be shocked if that racquet is more successful than the ripstick. The ripstick seems like it has a much better defined (and broader) target audience. With the synergy, I kind of understand why I would choose it over a phantom. I sort of understand why it might be preferable to a prince tour...but then there's all the other 98" frames. The string pattern is interesting, but I'm not sold that splitting the difference is better than sticking with either 18x20 or 16x19. The ripstick just has a clearer purpose, to me.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Yeah the ripstick to me is a clear alternative to the PA/PD and also the Clash. Which are probably 3 of the top selling frames going.
I think it’s really great for anyone who wanted to like the Clash but hated the vague feel and unpredictable string bed.
Dartagnan64
G.O.A.T.
Raises Hand. Those were my Clash issues.
Although I wonder if the generous O ports on the Ripstick will give that same Clash like vagueness? I'm sure you'll let us know.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Raises Hand. Those were my Clash issues.
Although I wonder if the generous O ports on the Ripstick will give that same Clash like vagueness? I'm sure you'll let us know.
No they don’t. Plenty of good ball feel with the Ripstick so far. I’ll log more hours and update over the weekend.
tennispro492
Rookie
Man I can't wait to try this stick.... Do you think it is the most powerful 100 sq inch frame on the market?
Ronaldo
Bionic Poster
Maybe at 300 grams
Dartagnan64
G.O.A.T.
With a 64 RA and O-ports I suspect it will absorb too much ball energy to be the most powerful 100 Sq inch frame on the market. I think it will be really similar to a Head Extreme MP from the appearance and specs. But we'll see what Power Player thinks.
Ronaldo
Bionic Poster
The Head Extreme series and PD must be the target. Know a player who came back from the 80s to play dubs and could only play with a Head Genesis 720 strung w/Champions Choice. Power and spin, 3.5 players never saw that coming.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Its darn close to the Pure Drive 21 but a touch more controlling. I’m talking decimal points here. Very very similar in power to the PA.
It’s right up there but a little easier to hit flatter with and a little easier to transition from a control frame to the Ripstick. That said, I’d be stunned if anyone did not find this frame to be a canon.
tennispro492
Rookie
I'm gonna string it with a thin gauge multi at 44 lbs to get the most powerful shots possible. Sure I will launch a few balls at the back fence, but the sensational winners will make up for that right?
Ronaldo
Bionic Poster
30 ft fence?
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Well you may rip through strings at a rapid pace as well, but go for it, see what happens! lol
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Not an issue so far. Plays the same as the EZ100/Pd and PA when it comes to that.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
You should get 5-6 hours out of poly I am guessing, which is fine for me as I string once a week. I get the same out of all the forementioned frames.
Holdfast44ID
Semi-Pro
I hit with the Ripstick 300 for about four hours today (fh, bh, volleys off a machine, buckets of serves, and w/someone for about 30 min at the end). I strung it up the night before with Confidential 17 at 52 lbs. As I'm used to the Pure Strike Tour at 12.2 oz, the Ripstick feels so light at 11.3. While it felt solid on forehands and backhand drives (with a little extra spin & launch, but was able to flatten it out), the light frame feels a little whippy to me at times. To counter this, and for maybe more controlled power, I might add lead tape at 3 & 6 and behind the butt cap. While my serve is slow compared to the past (only in the low 100's right now) & I'm working on getting it back, I was surprised I seemed to have less power on my serves compared to the Pure Strike Tour. I was hitting up to 107 last week with the Tour but just 101 max with the Ripstick. However, the Ripstick seems to help with spin/kick serves as I did get some good action on the ball. Maybe, that's why it was slower (or it could be my radar gun. lol) I did feel I could rip some pretty solid fhs and drive some nice topspin backhands. You can definitely hit some good slice backhands with this stick. I did feel it lacked a little stability when dealing with high backhands at times. It could be me not used to such a light weight. Adding weight might be better for serves (for me). With the O ports, this frame might actually be better with added weight and the O ports could still make it a speedy at the higher weights. I'll try to bump it up to around 11.7 oz. I'm also wondering how poly at lower tensions, like 48 lbs., might play. It might be good for returning
sotongball21
New User
Made an account just to post here! Been playing with the ripstick 300 for a couple of weeks in Singapore. For the first week, strung it at 46/48 hybrid setup with poly mains and multi cross. Too much springboard effect - felt like my old wilson n3, so I restrung it at 52 with BPM Blast, and it played fantastic. Great comfort without sacrificing feel. Spin potential is excellent as well!
topspn
Legend
If what you’re looking for is control, aren’t you going the opposite direction. Heavier comes with more power unless you’re trying to slow down your tip speed. Going down in tension will liven up your stringbed. So your thoughts on adding control don’t add up for me. Just sayin but try and see what happens
tennispro492
Rookie
Nice! How would you rate the power?
D-Lite
Hall of Fame
Was the N3 that massive silver one Serena played with? I had the N4 as a kid, which V won Wimbledon with!
tim-ay
Legend
Ripstick has plenty of control if you hit with good form. the problem with any power frame is if your footwork is off, the ball is out ahead of you a bit, or you’re off balance and slap at it, the ball will launch. That’s true for the PD, PA, and yeah, the ripstick. but that’s something to work on anyway.... if you’re out of position roll the ball back or slice or move your feet more depending on how out you are. I kind of like that type of feedback from a frame. It takes a couple of launched balls in warm up to remind you to play smart and move.
But where the ripstick seems to separate from some power frames is the ability to really drive the ball. You can blast it when you need to. And you can hit heavy, heavy topspin when you want to also.
the frame is really comfortable, so I think you want to use it with full poly. If you have a sensitive arm, cross a shaped poly with a soft poly (like cream or ghost wire). If the ripstick isn’t comfortable enough, you might not be suited for a tweener or maybe try the clash 100 with some weight/lead. I hit the ripstick with FireWire Boost today and was surprised how much I liked it. Grapplesnake Tour Sniper is also great in the frame. I thought the boost would be too much power, but nah, it was super.
But where the ripstick seems to separate from some power frames is the ability to really drive the ball. You can blast it when you need to. And you can hit heavy, heavy topspin when you want to also.
the frame is really comfortable, so I think you want to use it with full poly. If you have a sensitive arm, cross a shaped poly with a soft poly (like cream or ghost wire). If the ripstick isn’t comfortable enough, you might not be suited for a tweener or maybe try the clash 100 with some weight/lead. I hit the ripstick with FireWire Boost today and was surprised how much I liked it. Grapplesnake Tour Sniper is also great in the frame. I thought the boost would be too much power, but nah, it was super.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Yeah I used to like heavier frames - 345-350. But tweeners play better at a lighter weight. It just takes a little time to get used to the timing, you can‘t just go from a heavier racquet to a lighter one and not expect to spend some time to get used to the change.
The control is there for me as well with the Ripstick. No issues there at all. I had some epic rallies with it yesterday with a guy who‘s game is all about consistently hitting to tight corners on the court. He had me scrambling to shots and then having to send something back that took him out of his pattern and allowed me to counter. It was a lot of fun with the Ripper.
The control is there for me as well with the Ripstick. No issues there at all. I had some epic rallies with it yesterday with a guy who‘s game is all about consistently hitting to tight corners on the court. He had me scrambling to shots and then having to send something back that took him out of his pattern and allowed me to counter. It was a lot of fun with the Ripper.
Man. This paragraph.. dropping some knowledge... Truth!!
so true. I play with underspec BP.. ~330sw..32.2cm balance and about 335gr with OG... It's absolutely crushes the ball. Massive serve. Easy return and defense.. love the feel.. but gotta be careful when you are attacking for exact reasons you explained so well brotha!
tim-ay
Legend
I love that BP too, awesome frame. I just noticed how much more i felt like puking as the temperature/humidity went up while playing with it. I lost to a person i should have beaten (certainly not the frame - hey that happens and is tennis!) on a hot spring Florida day and it made me realize when summer comes, i better have some easier options.
topspn
Legend
Out of curiosity, what tension with boost?
tim-ay
Legend
Not that high really, 53. You get so much spin with the FireWire mains that it’s very controlled.
topspn
Legend
Yeah, not high and should be a soft setup with that hybrid.
tim-ay
Legend
I played in crazy wind this morning and had no trouble keeping everything where I wanted with topspin and slice. I went for some bigger targets just to not let the wind get to my head and it was great. One time out can’t judge it but it was comfortable and was a super set up for the ripstick. I seemed to get more spin than with tour sniper, but I’ll know more the next time out.
Holdfast44ID
Semi-Pro
I added weight to increase stability. Greater stability = greater control for me. Plus,, it tames my swing as the racquet feels too whippy in stock form. Oh, and about lowering tension, that is not to get more control. That is just to play around with different tensions. Poly plays very well at lower tensions (e.g., in the 40's). I want to test full poly at 52 and 48 lbs. I've been stringing the Pure Strike Tours at 48 with full poly.
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sotongball21
New User
It's really powerful, it's the most powerful racket in the prince line. That being said, it is also a comfortable racket which is great!
A problem is I am having is that I am not forced to do a full swing to hit a good shot, which is a problem because I want to improve my strokes. My background is from badminton having trained for 10 years in my teens (I'm 28 now and still play badminton regularly), which uses more wrist action for power, as compared to a full body/unit turn for tennis. When using the Ripstick, I can compromise my unit turn to hit a shot with good depth, which sort of helps my play now but doesn't help me improve my fundamentals.
tim-ay
Legend
You’ll find that if you make the right unit turn, you will get way more control as it will keep your swing path correct. A power frame can let you cheat but at the price of control. The advantage however is that you can focus on smoothness of the unit turn and not have to go for with more than you should. And if you do really go for it and the technique is there, it just works.
This stuff is so important that whatever frame gets your fundamentals solid is what you should play with ... wait to explore frames too much until you have this down.
sotongball21
New User
That's so true! Yeah I really need to get the fundamentals down.
Need to also figure out how to not get lured by trying different racquets hahaha
tim-ay
Legend
If you figure that out, let me know. Haha. There is a frame made that emphasizes every little part of tennis so depending on what you are working on, it’s easy to chase a new one. Lol. I’ve had ‘the one’ happen at least a few dozen times (edit - this year. Ha. Not quite that bad but maybe 5 times. 2020 was nuts)
ccmtennis
Semi-Pro
Thanks for the feedback, are you able to compare it with the beast line ? particularly the 03 beast either 98 or 100?
tim-ay
Legend
Sorry man. I wasn’t a fan of ports for a while. I played with the Black for about a year, but then went into the six one world for awhile. My game is very different now with some years to develop it, so I wonder how I would feel these days? Hard to say..... but I definitely like the ripstick. It does a lot of the things i look for in a frame with a way more modern style.
ccmtennis
Semi-Pro
I did own the PD 21 for a while so your comparisons are very useful, thanks. I gave it up due to comfort which I expect to be better with the Ripstick but can you comment on the launch angle and between the 2 of them and plow through. I was surprised how much I loved the PD 21 for the lower launch angle compared to previous generations and slice on this was sick as well.
Power Player
Bionic Poster
Launch angle is a bit lower with the ripstick, but not a huge difference. Plow I’d give to the ripstick.
PBODY99
Legend
The O3 Legacy line has higher Prince power levels listed than the RipStick.
Perhaps if you concentrate on your unit turn, while controlling your swing speed, you can find your strokes.
Track down some Sr tennis videos, such as the one in the link as both players use oversize power frames.
I have used O3 power frame since their release & loved the speed.
Good luck
your best friend
Rookie
I'm demoing the Rip Stick right now and I hit flat a lot, but not exclusively. I'm experiencing no problems and I think the frame is incredibly versatile.
For me, right now, the racket is a big winner. It does everything well. At net, at baseline and in between.
