Prince Synergy 98

[TBM]

Just played a set with the Synergy.

I have mixed feelings. It has a good mixture of power and control, and there are no issues creating spin. It serves well and it's easy to manoeuvre.

However, the sweet spot felt very small and I'd describe it as crisp rather than plush. I expected the sweet spot to be larger based on the more rounded head.

I played the second set with the Clash 98 v1 and it was noticeably easier to use, and the sweet spot feels massive in comparison.

 

[Lord of the Crags]

I've had a Synergy 98 since April. Didn't much care for it at first. Sweet spot seemed small. The standard weight, but with higher end swing weight felt a bit off, especially on serves....However, about midsummer I pulled it out again and began to realize its charms. If you allow your strokes to flow, the swing weight just comes along for the ride and adds some nice umph to your shots. Trying to "arm" your shots the racquet will just work against you. Same with the serves; I couldn't muscle through the motion, but allowing the added swing weight to ensure a good pro drop on my arm action, and then that weight coming through the ball gave me some very nice serves with rather good spin as well. On ground strokes, the perceived small sweet spot made me KEEP MY EYE ON THE BALL all the way through contact, and now the racquet feels quite forgiving and the sweet spot feels rather large actually.
It certainly is a unique racquet in string pattern, swing weight and flex. What I have found is that the more I play with this racquet alone, not switching around to others in my bag, the better it plays for me. That's likely true for most racquets, but I feel that this stick doesn't get the recognition it deserves because perhaps many don't bother to give it a long enough tryout.

At one point I tried to even out the swing weight by adding weight to the handle. Racquet just ended up feeling sluggish. I removed the handle weight, played it stock, and that's when I began to get a groove on with the stick. The design concept of a 305 racquet, so it is physically light in your hand, but with enhanced swing weight for good plow through really caught on with me. I'm not a heavy topspin player, and tend to hit through the ball. But the shots with the racquet aren't what I would deem "flat shots". The 18x18 strikes a nice balance between control and spin. The 18x18 may be a gimmick of sorts, as it looks as if they could easily have put in another couple of crosses. But perhaps leaving the borders vacant of strings is what helps give this racquet such a nice pocketing feel. Nobody is hitting useful shots off of the crosses at the very tip or throat anyhow, so just leave them out I guess. Oh, and stabilty- yes this racquet feels very stable. Comes right through the ball smooth as can be. Sure, any racquet returning a blistering serve will get blown off axis from time to time, but it is a rare event with this racquet in my experience.

Last time they had a sale on it I grabbed a second one, and am now using them to test strings and tensions to level up even more. So far, for me, the Volkl Cyclone 17g at 50lbs is the winner. Tried RPM Blast 17g , V-Square 18g , and Black Widow 18g.

Other racquets I've had over the past year or so: Textreme Tour 100P (2019), Phantom 100P, Clash 100, Aero 100 (2016), Head Gravity S, RipStick, Dunlop SX 300 tour.

I love that Prince has been bold in their design concepts. I hope they continue in that direction.

 

[konstantinos kalfountzos]

I've had a Synergy 98 since April. Didn't much care for it at first. Sweet spot seemed small. The standard weight, but with higher end swing weight felt a bit off, especially on serves....However, about midsummer I pulled it out again and began to realize its charms. If you allow your strokes to flow, the swing weight just comes along for the ride and adds some nice umph to your shots. Trying to "arm" your shots the racquet will just work against you. Same with the serves; I couldn't muscle through the motion, but allowing the added swing weight to ensure a good pro drop on my arm action, and then that weight coming through the ball gave me some very nice serves with rather good spin as well. On ground strokes, the perceived small sweet spot made me KEEP MY EYE ON THE BALL all the way through contact, and now the racquet feels quite forgiving and the sweet spot feels rather large actually.
It certainly is a unique racquet in string pattern, swing weight and flex. What I have found is that the more I play with this racquet alone, not switching around to others in my bag, the better it plays for me. That's likely true for most racquets, but I feel that this stick doesn't get the recognition it deserves because perhaps many don't bother to give it a long enough tryout.

At one point I tried to even out the swing weight by adding weight to the handle. Racquet just ended up feeling sluggish. I removed the handle weight, played it stock, and that's when I began to get a groove on with the stick. The design concept of a 305 racquet, so it is physically light in your hand, but with enhanced swing weight for good plow through really caught on with me. I'm not a heavy topspin player, and tend to hit through the ball. But the shots with the racquet aren't what I would deem "flat shots". The 18x18 strikes a nice balance between control and spin. The 18x18 may be a gimmick of sorts, as it looks as if they could easily have put in another couple of crosses. But perhaps leaving the borders vacant of strings is what helps give this racquet such a nice pocketing feel. Nobody is hitting useful shots off of the crosses at the very tip or throat anyhow, so just leave them out I guess. Oh, and stabilty- yes this racquet feels very stable. Comes right through the ball smooth as can be. Sure, any racquet returning a blistering serve will get blown off axis from time to time, but it is a rare event with this racquet in my experience.

Last time they had a sale on it I grabbed a second one, and am now using them to test strings and tensions to level up even more. So far, for me, the Volkl Cyclone 17g at 50lbs is the winner. Tried RPM Blast 17g , V-Square 18g , and Black Widow 18g.

Other racquets I've had over the past year or so: Textreme Tour 100P (2019), Phantom 100P, Clash 100, Aero 100 (2016), Head Gravity S, RipStick, Dunlop SX 300 tour.

I love that Prince has been bold in their design concepts. I hope they continue in that direction.

+1 Prince user. I'll get on-board with something from Prince and share feedback on the Prince thread.
At least, Prince releases some interesting molds, not the same stuff over and over again.

 

[TBM]

I've had a Synergy 98 since April. Didn't much care for it at first. Sweet spot seemed small. The standard weight, but with higher end swing weight felt a bit off, especially on serves....However, about midsummer I pulled it out again and began to realize its charms. If you allow your strokes to flow, the swing weight just comes along for the ride and adds some nice umph to your shots. Trying to "arm" your shots the racquet will just work against you. Same with the serves; I couldn't muscle through the motion, but allowing the added swing weight to ensure a good pro drop on my arm action, and then that weight coming through the ball gave me some very nice serves with rather good spin as well. On ground strokes, the perceived small sweet spot made me KEEP MY EYE ON THE BALL all the way through contact, and now the racquet feels quite forgiving and the sweet spot feels rather large actually.
It certainly is a unique racquet in string pattern, swing weight and flex. What I have found is that the more I play with this racquet alone, not switching around to others in my bag, the better it plays for me. That's likely true for most racquets, but I feel that this stick doesn't get the recognition it deserves because perhaps many don't bother to give it a long enough tryout.

At one point I tried to even out the swing weight by adding weight to the handle. Racquet just ended up feeling sluggish. I removed the handle weight, played it stock, and that's when I began to get a groove on with the stick. The design concept of a 305 racquet, so it is physically light in your hand, but with enhanced swing weight for good plow through really caught on with me. I'm not a heavy topspin player, and tend to hit through the ball. But the shots with the racquet aren't what I would deem "flat shots". The 18x18 strikes a nice balance between control and spin. The 18x18 may be a gimmick of sorts, as it looks as if they could easily have put in another couple of crosses. But perhaps leaving the borders vacant of strings is what helps give this racquet such a nice pocketing feel. Nobody is hitting useful shots off of the crosses at the very tip or throat anyhow, so just leave them out I guess. Oh, and stabilty- yes this racquet feels very stable. Comes right through the ball smooth as can be. Sure, any racquet returning a blistering serve will get blown off axis from time to time, but it is a rare event with this racquet in my experience.

Last time they had a sale on it I grabbed a second one, and am now using them to test strings and tensions to level up even more. So far, for me, the Volkl Cyclone 17g at 50lbs is the winner. Tried RPM Blast 17g , V-Square 18g , and Black Widow 18g.

Other racquets I've had over the past year or so: Textreme Tour 100P (2019), Phantom 100P, Clash 100, Aero 100 (2016), Head Gravity S, RipStick, Dunlop SX 300 tour.

I love that Prince has been bold in their design concepts. I hope they continue in that direction.

I've still only played with mine once. I woke up after playing with a slightly sore shoulder.

I did play outdoors on a very cold night though, which may have resulted in the balls feeling a bit harder and my muscles being colder.

I've recently played with the 2023 Vcore 95, and the Synergy feels very similar on contact. The balance / SW is totally different though.

Some reviews noted that this racket lacked spin, but I experienced the opposite. I don't think I've hit better kick serves with any racket and that's with a multi in it. The SW doesn't feel high to me at all.

 

[Lord of the Crags]

I've still only played with mine once. I woke up after playing with a slightly sore shoulder.

I did play outdoors on a very cold night though, which may have resulted in the balls feeling a bit harder and my muscles being colder.

I've recently played with the 2023 Vcore 95, and the Synergy feels very similar on contact. The balance / SW is totally different though.

Some reviews noted that this racket lacked spin, but I experienced the opposite. I don't think I've hit better kick serves with any racket and that's with a multi in it. The SW doesn't feel high to me at all.

The V-square in the Synergy seemed to bother my shoulder. I got that strung directly from TW, but it sure felt like it was strung tighter than the requested 50lbs. The Cyclone feels plush, powerful, with nice spin. According to reviews, the V-square "should" be even softer feeling, but it felt very stiff to me. Gave great spin, but lacked power and comfort. Really had to ramp up my swings. Not what I was looking for. The other strings felt fine in the Synergy. I hope you find success with your Synergy, but we all end up with our own particular favorite.

 

[McGradey]

I've had a Synergy 98 since April. Didn't much care for it at first. Sweet spot seemed small. The standard weight, but with higher end swing weight felt a bit off, especially on serves....However, about midsummer I pulled it out again and began to realize its charms. If you allow your strokes to flow, the swing weight just comes along for the ride and adds some nice umph to your shots. Trying to "arm" your shots the racquet will just work against you. Same with the serves; I couldn't muscle through the motion, but allowing the added swing weight to ensure a good pro drop on my arm action, and then that weight coming through the ball gave me some very nice serves with rather good spin as well. On ground strokes, the perceived small sweet spot made me KEEP MY EYE ON THE BALL all the way through contact, and now the racquet feels quite forgiving and the sweet spot feels rather large actually.
It certainly is a unique racquet in string pattern, swing weight and flex. What I have found is that the more I play with this racquet alone, not switching around to others in my bag, the better it plays for me. That's likely true for most racquets, but I feel that this stick doesn't get the recognition it deserves because perhaps many don't bother to give it a long enough tryout.

At one point I tried to even out the swing weight by adding weight to the handle. Racquet just ended up feeling sluggish. I removed the handle weight, played it stock, and that's when I began to get a groove on with the stick. The design concept of a 305 racquet, so it is physically light in your hand, but with enhanced swing weight for good plow through really caught on with me. I'm not a heavy topspin player, and tend to hit through the ball. But the shots with the racquet aren't what I would deem "flat shots". The 18x18 strikes a nice balance between control and spin. The 18x18 may be a gimmick of sorts, as it looks as if they could easily have put in another couple of crosses. But perhaps leaving the borders vacant of strings is what helps give this racquet such a nice pocketing feel. Nobody is hitting useful shots off of the crosses at the very tip or throat anyhow, so just leave them out I guess. Oh, and stabilty- yes this racquet feels very stable. Comes right through the ball smooth as can be. Sure, any racquet returning a blistering serve will get blown off axis from time to time, but it is a rare event with this racquet in my experience.

Last time they had a sale on it I grabbed a second one, and am now using them to test strings and tensions to level up even more. So far, for me, the Volkl Cyclone 17g at 50lbs is the winner. Tried RPM Blast 17g , V-Square 18g , and Black Widow 18g.

Other racquets I've had over the past year or so: Textreme Tour 100P (2019), Phantom 100P, Clash 100, Aero 100 (2016), Head Gravity S, RipStick, Dunlop SX 300 tour.

I love that Prince has been bold in their design concepts. I hope they continue in that direction.

It sounds like Prince’s 18x20 Blade counterpart. What you’ve described is exactly how you get the most out of that racquet. Let the swingweight do the work. Is the Synergy quite a muted feel?

 

[Lord of the Crags]

Not sure what "muted" describes? It is certainly not "pingy", "harsh", nor "hollow" feeling. Even with the V-square strings that felt too stiff, I could feel the racquet underneath doing its best to smooth out the ride.

It feels plush, smooth, stable, with just the right amount of power & control.

I feel the ball sink into the strings and power out with a medium trajectory and a good bit of spin. As I said, my style is more of a hit through the ball yet finish high type swing. When I try and make my swing more of a top spinny style swing, my shots become much less reliable. I don't know what a player with a good topspin swing would think of the racquet. It is likely my own failing, not the racket. All I can say is that for me, hitting through the ball is the key to my success with the Synergy. Love it.

 

[McGradey]

Not sure what "muted" describes? It is certainly not "pingy", "harsh", nor "hollow" feeling. Even with the V-square strings that felt too stiff, I could feel the racquet underneath doing its best to smooth out the ride.

It feels plush, smooth, stable, with just the right amount of power & control.

I feel the ball sink into the strings and power out with a medium trajectory and a good bit of spin. As I said, my style is more of a hit through the ball yet finish high type swing. When I try and make my swing more of a top spinny style swing, my shots become much less reliable. I don't know hat a player with a good topspin swing would think of the racquet. It is likely my own failing, not the racket. All I can say is that for me, hitting through the ball is the key to my success with the Synergy. Love it.

Muted, as in minimal vibrations on ball impact. Smooth could be another word for it.

 

[Lord of the Crags]

Then, yes, muted. I also prefer to play with a dampener as well. For me, eliminating all of the ping & zing allows me to better actually feel the ball on the strings without having to filter through all of the buzz.

 

[Crocodile]

It’s kind of interesting examining the Synergy 98 with its unique 18 by 18 string pattern and 330 SW and discuss what the objective was for this frame.
I think it’s a specialist type frame that needs the right type of string and correct tension to get the best result for it:
Personally I Would tail weight the thing, however I like to test things both in stock form as well as modified.
What does the forum believe the objective of this racquet was ?

 

[TBM]

It’s kind of interesting examining the Synergy 98 with its unique 18 by 18 string pattern and 330 SW and discuss what the objective was for this frame.
I think it’s a specialist type frame that needs the right type of string and correct tension to get the best result for it:
Personally I Would tail weight the thing, however I like to test things both in stock form as well as modified.
What does the forum believe the objective of this racquet was ?

To be a competitor to the Speed Pro, Tecnifibre 305 18x19 and the Wilson blade 98. Its got the same formula of low static weight and high swingweight.

 

[konstantinos kalfountzos]

Synergy 98 loading... Not available on TW Europe, but found it on another retailer for a good price.

 

[Lord of the Crags]

To be a competitor to the Speed Pro, Tecnifibre 305 18x19 and the Wilson blade 98. Its got the same formula of low static weight and high swingweight.

Maybe I'll have to give those a try and see how I like them as well....

 

[JustTennis76]

I tried the demo of the synergy. The SW is too high for my liking regardless of whether I make it more head light or not. It was on sale recently for $59 on TW. If somebody like the specs and picked up a few, that’s a great deal.

 

[TBM]

When I serve I usually hit the ball towards the upper hoop. The synergy feels quite firm there so serving bothered my shoulder a little. I don't know if it's worth trying a different string setup.

 

[Trip]

@TBM - Synergy has the more dense 18x18 pattern (so, slightly lower launch angle) and is more Blade-like in its mass distribution, explaining the strung balance of 4pts HL, versus the 8pt HL of the Clash. Overall, the Synergy is best used in the role of comfort-oriented precision baselining for those with a 2HBH, whereas the C98v2 is the better all-court weapon and more naturally suited for a OHBH. Hope that helps!

 

[Lord of the Crags]

@TBM - Synergy has the more dense 18x18 pattern (so, slightly lower launch angle) and is more Blade-like in its mass distribution, explaining the strung balance of 4pts HL, versus the 8pt HL of the Clash. Overall, the Synergy is best used in the role of comfort-oriented precision baselining for those with a 2HBH, whereas the C98v2 is the better all-court weapon and more naturally suited for a OHBH. Hope that helps!

Hey, that's me!

 

[Lord of the Crags]

When I serve I usually hit the ball towards the upper hoop. The synergy feels quite firm there so serving bothered my shoulder a little. I don't know if it's worth trying a different string setup.

That's one of the things I discovered earlier this summer--I was hitting too high in the hoop on the Synergy during serves. Felt bad, served bad. I had to re-train myself to allow the ball to enter a slightly lower zone before striking it. It seemed too low, but the results said that is where it needed to be. As I said previously, my best results have been when I practice & play exclusively with the Synergy to acclimatize to certain quirks of this racquet. The hoop does seem rounder, less oblong than many others, and thus less accommodating of vertical error on the serve in my experience. But when well struck, it can produce some very nice pace and spin with minimal effort.

 

[TBM]

That's one of the things I discovered earlier this summer--I was hitting too high in the hoop on the Synergy during serves. Felt bad, served bad. I had to re-train myself to allow the ball to enter a slightly lower zone before striking it. It seemed too low, but the results said that is where it needed to be. As I said previously, my best results have been when I practice & play exclusively with the Synergy to acclimatize to certain quirks of this racquet. The hoop does seem rounder, less oblong than many others, and thus less accommodating of vertical error on the serve in my experience. But when well struck, it can produce some very nice pace and spin with minimal effort.

I have a massive collection of rackets, so I'm not wedded to making the synergy work. It just would have been ideal as they are so cheap to buy.

I'm not entirely writing it off though, as I really enjoyed how it played. I've had prior shoulder injuries, so I don't want to take any risks with rackets that make it sore. It's really nothing to do with the balance, its just me hitting my serve above the sweetspot all the time. The sweetspot on the synergy is more central.

I'm currently testing the Vcore 95 and the Dunlop CX 200 OS, so if I don't end up keeping one of those I'll probably go back to the Synergy.

I don't play any league matches over the winter, so I'm using this time to test out some new rackets.

 

[konstantinos kalfountzos]

Played 1+ hours with the Prince Synergy 98 x Isospeed Grey Fire 1.25.

The Synergy 98 was very comfortable. I could feel the top of the hoop wanting to "go".

- Not very connected feel at the net. I think a stiffer string, like Kirschbaum Evolution 1.25 will suit it better. We'll see.

String spacing is much smaller than the Elevate's V2, still, today I felt I played better hitting top-spin shots from both sides, rather than flat.

Quick thoughts: It's a soft frame. Not very immediate feedback. Could be the used stringbed (my friend hits with lots of topspin).

It's highlight today was for sure its ability to lift the low balls from the mid-court, hitting them down the line with my forehand. I think I didn't miss any of those, while with the more powerful Diadem Nova, these shots just sail long.

Very forgiving on defence, I must say. I could get some good depth returning balls hitting them flat far behind the baseline or hit cross court top-spin forehands on the run.

This frame seems to have some potential. I'm not sure what's its orientation yet: flat hitters or top-spin baseliners. I think a stiff string should be tried next.

The head of the racket doesn't feel as heavy as a Prestige MP 2021 18*19, but heavier than the Elevate V2 FS98.

Feel free to ask anything. I will for sure upload some clips once I play again.

 

[konstantinos kalfountzos]

 

[Lukhas]

I've been demoing it for a week alongside the Phantom 93P (odd combination, I know). It came with a black somewhat worn-out co-poly, and the specs were as follows (with overgrip): 338.4g, 32.2cm, 329SW, 13.67TW. It's heavier than the TWE average even when factoring in the SuperGrap on it (323g vs. ~333g), but also lighter in SW. To keep it simple, it felt like your average "modern player's racket". It plays nothing particularly special, it doesn't have obvious distracting weaknesses. For a 60RA frame, it didn't bend much but it didn't feel too muted either. It's just not a particularly memorable racket and the feel is nothing special (the strings didn't help), but at the same time I'd be happy to play with it if I were in the market for these kind of specs. The market in that spec range is stacked with a lot of options including from Prince, so it's hard to find a niche for this racket.

It kinda performs like a more predictable and precise tweener as the beam is a bit thick. I thought about the first gen Pure Drive VS that I tried before, and the Babolat wishes it were a Synergy. It would've actually been a good racket.

Actually what it made me notice is that Prince Japan has in its catalog a very similar racket named the Phantom F1.

PHANTOM F1 - Prince プリンステニス公式サイト

princetennis.jp

 

[konstantinos kalfountzos]

I've been demoing it for a week alongside the Phantom 93P (odd combination, I know). It came with a black somewhat worn-out co-poly, and the specs were as follows (with overgrip): 338.4g, 32.2cm, 329SW, 13.67TW. It's heavier than the TWE average even when factoring in the SuperGrap on it (323g vs. ~333g), but also lighter in SW. To keep it simple, it felt like your average "modern player's racket". It plays nothing particularly special, it doesn't have obvious distracting weaknesses. For a 60RA frame, it didn't bend much but it didn't feel too muted either. It's just not a particularly memorable racket and the feel is nothing special (the strings didn't help), but at the same time I'd be happy to play with it if I were in the market for these kind of specs. The market in that spec range is stacked with a lot of options including from Prince, so it's hard to find a niche for this racket.

It kinda performs like a more predictable and precise tweener as the beam is a bit thick. I thought about the first gen Pure Drive VS that I tried before, and the Babolat wishes it were a Synergy. It would've actually been a good racket.

Actually what it made me notice is that Prince Japan has in its catalog a very similar racket named the Phantom F1.

PHANTOM F1 - Prince プリンステニス公式サイト

princetennis.jp

Yes, I've seen this "Phantom F1" while checking the Jap-Princes we don't have here in the Westworld. To me, it's the Synergy 98 renamed and with new cosmetics. I'm not sure about the "PVS"-tech, maybe that's something new, but everything else spec-wise are the same (0.5mm thinner hoop?).

If I have to compare the Synergy 98 to something else I've tried this past year, the closest frame would be the Prestige MP 2021 18*19, mostly because of the balance point.

With both I feel the weight being concentrated towards to hoop. The Prestige felt stiffer, with much less dwell-time, more responsive, more "connected" feel from everywhere, BUT the Synergy is definitely faster, much lighter which takes much less toll in fatigue, equally stable (with less static weight), deals with low balls much easier. much easier access to topspin, slicing is also easier. I'll put a stiffer string on the Synergy to see what would be the result, as sometimes I got a vague response from the stringbed.

Both rackets suit a 2-handed backhand style.

 

[konstantinos kalfountzos]

Kirschbaum Evolution 1.25. A stiffer option for the Synergy to see if I can get more direct feel out of the stringbed.

 

[konstantinos kalfountzos]

Heavy conditions today, again. It had just stopped raining. The Synergy 98 feels great hitting the 2-handed backhand. I keep lacking pace (my hitting partner also). Maybe it needs to be strung at lower tension, since control is there. Maybe, a softer polyester at 20-21kg next time.

 

[yonexRx32]

You're late getting into position and you swing late to the ball, which makes you hit the balls behind the proper contact point. It's not the strings..

 

[konstantinos kalfountzos]

You're late getting into position and you swing late to the ball, which makes you hit the balls behind the proper contact point. It's not the racquet..

That's from some short clips I recorded during the last half an hour today. I played 2 hours total and split my time with the Elevate and the Synergy. We were both quite tired towards the end, mostly because of the heavy court and balls. More next time.

 

[Lord of the Crags]

Heavy conditions today, again. It had just stopped raining. The Synergy 98 feels great hitting the 2-handed backhand. I keep lacking pace (my hitting partner also). Maybe it needs to be strung at lower tension, since control is there. Maybe, a softer polyester at 20-21kg next time.

First of all: thank you for posting videos! It is a brave move to put yourself out there for others to see.

As a Synergy user and big time fan myself, I will give this critique in the hopes of helping you unlock the charms of this great racquet (I'm still working on it myself...I didn't much care for the racquet for quite a while at first. Now I love it and have two of them). In my opinion the chief strength, as well as detriment of this racquet is the swing weight. This can either work against you or greatly help your game.

You say you feel as if you are lacking pace. If you try and use a short take back and muscle through the ball the swing weight will definitely hold you back and result in low power. This is not an inherently powerful frame in comparison to many others. However, it is no powder puff either! Momentum will turn this stick from a pussycat into a tiger.

So, what is the key? The key (lets talk forehand here) is to start you body coil with the racquet held vertically, the head of the racquet at roughly your head height (from your video it looks like it starts mostly angled and at shoulder level or below). From there you can allow the higher swing weight of the racquet to access the help of gravity as you begin your backswing. Try to let your arm extend on the backswing and allow the Synergy to pendulum down and around and then back up to your contact point. like as if the racquet was swinging around on the end of a rope, but in this case the rope is your arm. Again, try and visualize the fluid motion: with your Synergy held high, the body coil and take back begins the rearward inertia of the racquet head, the weight of the racquet then pulls the arm out straight behind you as gravity also begins the downward trajectory. As it reaches the horizontal, you begin the forward body rotation, the swing weight naturally creating a nice wrist lag, but the kinetic energy of the 334g of swing weight comes down through the bottom of the swing and the momentum now continues up through the ball, blasting through that measly 58g yellow fuzzball at contact and upwards through a nice follow through.....

Such a nice feel when you connect with this racquet! Very smooth.

 

[konstantinos kalfountzos]

First of all: thank you for posting videos! It is a brave move to put yourself out there for others to see.

As a Synergy user and big time fan myself, I will give this critique in the hopes of helping you unlock the charms of this great racquet (I'm still working on it myself...I didn't much care for the racquet for quite a while at first. Now I love it and have two of them). In my opinion the chief strength, as well as detriment of this racquet is the swing weight. This can either work against you or greatly help your game.

You say you feel as if you are lacking pace. If you try and use a short take back and muscle through the ball the swing weight will definitely hold you back and result in low power. This is not an inherently powerful frame in comparison to many others. However, it is no powder puff either! Momentum will turn this stick from a pussycat into a tiger.

So, what is the key? The key (lets talk forehand here) is to start you body coil with the racquet held vertically, the head of the racquet at roughly your head height (from your video it looks like it starts mostly angled and at shoulder level or below). From there you can allow the higher swing weight of the racquet to access the help of gravity as you begin your backswing. Try to let your arm extend on the backswing and allow the Synergy to pendulum down and around and then back up to your contact point. like as if the racquet was swinging around on the end of a rope, but in this case the rope is your arm. Again, try and visualize the fluid motion: with your Synergy held high, the body coil and take back begins the rearward inertia of the racquet head, the weight of the racquet then pulls the arm out straight behind you as gravity also begins the downward trajectory. As it reaches the horizontal, you begin the forward body rotation, the swing weight naturally creating a nice wrist lag, but the kinetic energy of the 334g of swing weight comes down through the bottom of the swing and the momentum now continues up through the ball, blasting through that measly 58g yellow fuzzball at contact and upwards through a nice follow through.....

Such a nice feel when you connect with this racquet! Very smooth.

Having hit with it 4 times now, I see that the tip of the racket wants to take over, so whoever uses the Synergy has to hit the ball flat and early or like a whip. It's very stable, I've noticed it on slight misshits.

To put it into visual percpective, what I think is the Synergy 98 requires a Stan/Medvedev take-back and swing. The problem is that this takes more time (better footwork, early preparation etc), something I'm not able to be doing for 1 hour straight with it. If I hit late, the ball will find the net.

To stick with the Synergy would require big adjustments to my style and I believe a racket should complement my strengths first. Now, I'm trying to improve on my top-spin, cross-court forehands and my 5-month-old 2-handed backhands, with medium-to-high net clearence and depth. I can do that much easier with the Elevate. The Synergy has a much lower launch angle.

If I was to stick to one racket, that would probably be my current V2 Elevate that I've been using for the last 2 years and would get a second one, but that's not what I want to do. I just want to have fun with exciting rackets I can get my hands on.

I'll keep hitting with the Synergy 98 along with 2 more Princes I'm expecting delivery from 2 friends, a Tour 95 2015 and an O3 Tour (Ferrer, I think).

 

[yonexRx32]

They ran out of Synergy on TW and I don't think the racquet is coming back. At least not in the same form.

 

[konstantinos kalfountzos]

They ran out of Synergy on TW and I don't think the racquet is coming back. At least not in the same form.

We need updates for what's next with Prince from TW. For example, in Japan the Synergy 98 is now called Phantom F1:
https://www.princeshop.jp/shop/g/gH0073542/

 

[yonexRx32]

Having hit with it 4 times now, I see that the tip of the racket wants to take over, so whoever uses the Synergy has to hit the ball flat and early or like a whip. It's very stable, I've noticed it on slight misshits.

To put it into visual percpective, what I think is the Synergy 98 requires a Stan/Medvedev take-back and swing. The problem is that this takes more time (better footwork, early preparation etc), something I'm not able to be doing for 1 hour straight with it. If I hit late, the ball will find the net.

To stick with the Synergy would require big adjustments to my style and I believe a racket should complement my strengths first. Now, I'm trying to improve on my top-spin, cross-court forehands and my 5-month-old 2-handed backhands, with medium-to-high net clearence and depth. I can do that much easier with the Elevate. The Synergy has a much lower launch angle.

If I was to stick to one racket, that would probably be my current V2 Elevate that I've been using for the last 2 years and would get a second one, but that's not what I want to do. I just want to have fun with exciting rackets I can get my hands on.

I'll keep hitting with the Synergy 98 along with 2 more Princes I'm expecting delivery from 2 friends, a Tour 95 2015 and an O3 Tour (Ferrer, I think).

That's one honest, down-to-earth, realistic assessment, if a little lacking ambition. Contrast that to the delusional crowd that bought the RF97.. but only until Fed retired.

 

[yonexRx32]

We need updates for what's next with Prince from TW. For example, in Japan the Synergy 98 is now called Phantom F1:
https://www.princeshop.jp/shop/g/gH0073542/

It has twaron, basically an aramid fiber like kevlar, which means the buttery feel will be gone. The frame thickness is also slightly different.

 

[TBM]

We need updates for what's next with Prince from TW. For example, in Japan the Synergy 98 is now called Phantom F1:
https://www.princeshop.jp/shop/g/gH0073542/

I don't think we'll see a racket in the Synergy spec. It must have been really unpopular to be on sale so many times.

I've still got mine but haven't hit with it for a while. I just have so many similar rackets that play slightly better.

It's a good blade alternative for someone on a budget though. I think it would also play better with a low tension poly.

 

[SlowTiger]

I don't think we'll see a racket in the Synergy spec. It must have been really unpopular to be on sale so many times.

I've still got mine but haven't hit with it for a while. I just have so many similar rackets that play slightly better.

It's a good blade alternate for someone on a budget though. I think it would also play better with a low tension poly.

I was considering getting one but I had the same thought, it would just end up collecting dust after a few hits

 

[Lord of the Crags]

Having hit with it 4 times now, I see that the tip of the racket wants to take over, so whoever uses the Synergy has to hit the ball flat and early or like a whip. It's very stable, I've noticed it on slight misshits.

To put it into visual percpective, what I think is the Synergy 98 requires a Stan/Medvedev take-back and swing. The problem is that this takes more time (better footwork, early preparation etc), something I'm not able to be doing for 1 hour straight with it. If I hit late, the ball will find the net.

To stick with the Synergy would require big adjustments to my style and I believe a racket should complement my strengths first. Now, I'm trying to improve on my top-spin, cross-court forehands and my 5-month-old 2-handed backhands, with medium-to-high net clearence and depth. I can do that much easier with the Elevate. The Synergy has a much lower launch angle.

If I was to stick to one racket, that would probably be my current V2 Elevate that I've been using for the last 2 years and would get a second one, but that's not what I want to do. I just want to have fun with exciting rackets I can get my hands on.

I'll keep hitting with the Synergy 98 along with 2 more Princes I'm expecting delivery from 2 friends, a Tour 95 2015 and an O3 Tour (Ferrer, I think).

Yes, its important to find that racquet that best suits your style. The Synergy certainly is not a racquet for everyone.

That being said, I have played with my Ripstick the last 2-3 matches. Seems to suit the colder New England weather here better than the Synergy (we are still playing outdoors 5-10 Celsius), as my muscles stay cold and tense, limiting the nice smooth takeback and follow through that the Synergy seems to like, and what made it my #1 stick through the late Summer and early Fall. The Ripstick has enough power to only need a quick flick to send the ball back over the net.

 

[konstantinos kalfountzos]

I will fix some stuff. like Text placing and colourways on next reviews, when I'll make one again.

 

[TwinCinema]

kk - everything Lord said re: takeback is great; allow me to also point out your weight distribution. A lot of your forehands go into the net when you’re lifting your front foot (left leg) off the ground on contact. This means your weight is on the back foot.

When you keep the left foot planted and drive forward, weight moving in front of you, then the ball goes over the net easier and drives heavier into the court.

 

[konstantinos kalfountzos]

kk - everything Lord said re: takeback is great; allow me to also point out your weight distribution. A lot of your forehands go into the net when you’re lifting your front foot (left leg) off the ground on contact. This means your weight is on the back foot.

When you keep the left foot planted and drive forward, weight moving in front of you, then the ball goes over the net easier and drives heavier into the court.

Yes, I've been working on forward bodyweight transfer these past 2 months or so.

When chasing a ball to my right, because of lazy footwork, I tend to open-stance, while I could be in place earlier. That also happens when I'm chasing a ball to my left hitting a 2-handed backhand planting my left foot open stance.

A hefty swingweight with a racket's balance of 1 p hl doesn't help. A whipped frame can get me out of trouble easier in these situations. Aggressively shaped mains like Mayami Machete also help get some safe net clearance also.

Most of the clips I record are from the last 20-25 minutes of playing, when I'm either a bit tired or lazy (or both).

Footwork seems more important than ever these past month, especially when playing sets.

Tennis is becoming more and more interesting. Demanding solving problems constantly.

 

[Lord of the Crags]

Strung one up with Volkl V-Square 18g @ 48lbs. Did some light hitting with it the past couple of days. I'm really liking the controlled feeling this setup seems to make. Playing a match this week, we'll see how it holds up.

My other Synergy has Tourna BH Silver 17g @ 48, and I'm not feeling as confident in that setup. Not feeling as in control as with the V-square or previously with Cyclone 17g

 

[2ndServe]

One of the top d2 players plays with this. He's hitting with an atp top 50 player in some of his videos so that racket can be used at the highest levels. I really liked it but wasn't sure what to string it at. At that price point it was a great racket.

 

[HTTP404]

I've had about >10hrs playing time with my Prince Synergy 98.
It's been strung it up with a Pros Pro poly and standard syn gut in a hybrid string job at 42lbs mains / 44lbs crosses.
Which I'm guessing is on the lowish side of tension these days.

Covering the main points.
Here are my thoughts ...
Swing weight - it is actually flickable and comes around fast. The on-paper swing weight is not an issue at all.
Spin - I'm getting a very decent amount of spin on both forehand and backhand. Slice feels really nice.
Control - is superb with an excellent sense of placement.
Power - a slight loss of power on serve. Slice and kick serve both work well with this racket though.
Ground strokes - feel very solid with a good combination of power and control. No issues with the size of the sweetspot and off-centre hits are managed well.
Volleys - racket feels quick to move and never feels sluggish. Provides a very stable contact and a confident feel when punching through the ball or deflecting.

It definitely feels soft and flexible. But has a this "club" like feel when you swing through the ball. It might be something to do with the profile which widens from the shaft to tip.
I have an inkling to compare it to a the old Prince CTS Synergy DB26 now to which I have on the shelf.
Feels like a significant improvement over my previous Blade 104.

 

[BHold81]

I've had about >10hrs playing time with my Prince Synergy 98.
It's been strung it up with a Pros Pro poly and standard syn gut in a hybrid string job at 42lbs mains / 44lbs crosses.
Which I'm guessing is on the lowish side of tension these days.

Covering the main points.
Here are my thoughts ...
Swing weight - it is actually flickable and comes around fast. The on-paper swing weight is not an issue at all.
Spin - I'm getting a very decent amount of spin on both forehand and backhand. Slice feels really nice.
Control - is superb with an excellent sense of placement.
Power - a slight loss of power on serve. Slice and kick serve both work well with this racket though.
Ground strokes - feel very solid with a good combination of power and control. No issues with the size of the sweetspot and off-centre hits are managed well.
Volleys - racket feels quick to move and never feels sluggish. Provides a very stable contact and a confident feel when punching through the ball or deflecting.

It definitely feels soft and flexible. But has a this "club" like feel when you swing through the ball. It might be something to do with the profile which widens from the shaft to tip.
I have an inkling to compare it to a the old Prince CTS Synergy DB26 now to which I have on the shelf.
Feels like a significant improvement over my previous Blade 104.

I love the club like sensation. Big fan of the Db26 too. I just had lack of feel with the 98. Does that improve with a lower tension? I currently string at 54# with a control based multi.

 

[Lord of the Crags]

I love the club like sensation. Big fan of the Db26 too. I just had lack of feel with the 98. Does that improve with a lower tension? I currently string at 54# with a control based multi.

Personally, I recently just switched from around 48# or so up to 55# shaped poly, and found the overall performance quite improved. It is such a comfy stick (I suppose some may take that as "lacking feel"?) that I found the higher tension gave me better precision without any jarring sensation.
Yes, a unique feeling racquet. That club like ability to swing through the ball, yet it is in no way a ponderous racquet.

 

[konstantinos kalfountzos]

By my experience, it felt like a head-heavy frame, faster through the air than the similarly balanced Prestige MP 18x19 2021, VERY flexible in the throat, leading to a feel that there was serious lag upon ball contact. Not exactly serious ball pocketing, but lack of easy launch out of the stringbed. Like I said before, one has to take flat swings a la Madvedev to play trully good with this one. What stood out for my game, was the easiness of the 2-handed backhand and the ease to slice with minimal bodyweight transfer (high swingweight).
At the very least, it is another of those Prince interesting molds who deserve a try.

 

[Guttersnipe]

Not having any Pros on Tour using Prince is CRIMINAL!
So many great under appreciated frames that Rec players won’t even consider...real shame.

The Gunmetal grey, golf ball slinger is a beauty with a responsive (yet plush) rock solid string bed.
It feels like like you’re swinging a pillow around that firms up at contact.

The throat feels really nice in the off hand but I feel that a box beam throat would have given it even more consistency and me confidence when aiming for small/fine margins...extremely good clay court racquet too (suits my game better than any Aero would)

 

[HTTP404]

I love the club like sensation. Big fan of the Db26 too. I just had lack of feel with the 98. Does that improve with a lower tension? I currently string at 54# with a control based multi.

It's really a personal preference for a softer feeling string bed. A bit more ball pocketing, a bit more spin and a lot more trampolining effect.
I've never liked stiff rackets and strings. And I detest a boardy feeling racket.
I think the Synergy 98 could be described akin to a Phantom but with more heft and power. I do wonder if a Phantom could be weighted accordingly - would it play similar. And being a Prince fan - I do have a couple of Phantom Pro 100 on the shelf.

 

[Lord of the Crags]

It's really a personal preference for a softer feeling string bed. A bit more ball pocketing, a bit more spin and a lot more trampolining effect.
I've never liked stiff rackets and strings. And I detest a boardy feeling racket.
I think the Synergy 98 could be described akin to a Phantom but with more heft and power. I do wonder if a Phantom could be weighted accordingly - would it play similar. And being a Prince fan - I do have a couple of Phantom Pro 100 on the shelf.

I hear what you're saying, but part of the magic of the Synergy is the tapered beam, isn't it? The thicker hoop gives it significantly more oomph through localized stiffness, as opposed to added weight. Again, this leads to the always interesting pros and cons of static weight vs swing weight, stiff vs flex, etc etc... All fascinating stuff that keeps us buying more and more racquets!

 

[Lord of the Crags]

OK, I'll open another subject here: the string pattern.

the 18x18 sounds pretty unique, and I suppose it is. However it seems that there is a fair bit of open real estate at the top and bottom of the string pattern that they could have easily made it an 18x19 if they had wanted to.

But I think what may add to the unique feel of this racquet and it's plush feel is that extra "open" space that allows the stringbed more flexibility. 18x18 sounds dense, but it doesn't play dense in my experience. Good pop, good spin.

 

[HTTP404]

OK, I'll open another subject here: the string pattern.

the 18x18 sounds pretty unique, and I suppose it is. However it seems that there is a fair bit of open real estate at the top and bottom of the string pattern that they could have easily made it an 18x19 if they had wanted to.

But I think what may add to the unique feel of this racquet and it's plush feel is that extra "open" space that allows the stringbed more flexibility. 18x18 sounds dense, but it doesn't play dense in my experience. Good pop, good spin.

Overlaying a 2018 Prince Beast 98 - which is a 16 x 20 string pattern - the head shapes are almost identical when placed one over the other.
Interestingly, the density of the main strings of the Synergy 98 are pretty much the same as the Beast 98 across the sweet spot. So the 2 extra strings of the Synergy 98 sneak in towards the edge of the frame.
On the crosses - the Beast 98 has one extra cross at the very top of the string bed (because it's so high it might be doing nothing and could it really be called a 16 x 19 pattern?) - the Synergy 98 misses having that cross entirely - so it's only slightly more open than 20 crosses of the Beast 98.
The only other 98 I have is the Blade 98 BLX - and the mains fall in pretty much the same spacing.
.
So maybe this does play like an 18 x 18 should ...