T
tenken44
Guest
Well, after all the advice that everyone's given me, I purchased two Prince TT Hornet MP's over the Turbo Shark MP. Here's what I think (I've been hitting with the Hornets for 3 weeks now):
-Groundstrokes-
Wow, I couldn't ask for anything better on groundstrokes. I can't say much more than winner after winner after winner. As long as you get your timing down correct and swing at the right speed and moment, your shots go very deep and very fast. The racquet isn't a heavy topspin type, but the way it's designed, it allows moderate topspin, but more power, so as long as you can aim at the corners, or even if you just aim safely for the left or the right lines, you can easily go for changing your game from being a defensive one to an aggresive one that eats points off of winners. Once you get used to it, the extra 0.5" helps a lot in covering little more court. The swing weight seems pretty solid, but due to this heavy power, if you make lazy shots (off balance, off position, not getting to the ball, etc.) your shots are likely to go wide or long, so form and technique is very important in keeping in mind when using this racquet.
*In Comparison to the Shark: The Shark was an excellent racquet at the baseline as well, but after trying the Hornet, the Shark just feels too soft and flimsy. The Hornet is very firm so it'll give you the feel of the ball very well. Although Prince says that Hornet and Shark both have power level of 925, I think the Hornet has just a bit more in it, or maybe it's just the feel. Whatever it is, when it comes down to groundstrokes, the Hornet is much better.
-Serves-
The 0.5" helps a lot more than I expected. Also, the balance of the Hornet is perfect, so you can get that nice wrist snap or that racquet head fling over the ball and go for that flat serve, but nonetheless, the Hornet also excels at slice serves (good for a dependable 2nd serve).
*Vs. Shark: The Shark offered a good feel on the serve, but the only problem was due to its head being light, I had the feeling that I could come over the ball very quickly, so I ended up hitting 80% slice serves all the time. Doubtlessly, the Shark could easily generate some fast-paced slice serves that could be as lethal as flat serves, but that ended up tiring me out a lot faster. The Hornet would win in this category.
-Volleys-
Wonderful for generating those slice-volleys, or just flat-out smacking the ball. Overheads are great (again, that 0.5" helps out a lot) so protection at the net is pretty solid.
*Vs. Shark: The Shark was lighter to manuever at the net, from side to side. Although the Hornet is slightly slower than the Shark at the net, it offers a much better feel if you can get the racquet to the ball in time. Once again, the firm flex offers that nice pop and full feeling. The only problem with the Shark is that the dampened feel can sometimes overgo the standards and feel like there is something wrong with the stick. But what can I say? I'd think the volleys are up to whoever uses the racquets in deciding which one is better.
-Overall-
Thanks to all of you guys who recommended the Hornet to me. I'm really glad that I decided to purchase 2 Hornets at the price of less than 1 Shark... It was not only cheaper, but in my opinion, a better deal than the Shark. I know most of you who read this post (that is... for some reason you even decided to read, and if you did, thank you) might find it a waste of time since the Hornet racquets are no longer in-line, but hopefully this will help those few people who are looking for a good racquet-switch at a better price.
-Groundstrokes-
Wow, I couldn't ask for anything better on groundstrokes. I can't say much more than winner after winner after winner. As long as you get your timing down correct and swing at the right speed and moment, your shots go very deep and very fast. The racquet isn't a heavy topspin type, but the way it's designed, it allows moderate topspin, but more power, so as long as you can aim at the corners, or even if you just aim safely for the left or the right lines, you can easily go for changing your game from being a defensive one to an aggresive one that eats points off of winners. Once you get used to it, the extra 0.5" helps a lot in covering little more court. The swing weight seems pretty solid, but due to this heavy power, if you make lazy shots (off balance, off position, not getting to the ball, etc.) your shots are likely to go wide or long, so form and technique is very important in keeping in mind when using this racquet.
*In Comparison to the Shark: The Shark was an excellent racquet at the baseline as well, but after trying the Hornet, the Shark just feels too soft and flimsy. The Hornet is very firm so it'll give you the feel of the ball very well. Although Prince says that Hornet and Shark both have power level of 925, I think the Hornet has just a bit more in it, or maybe it's just the feel. Whatever it is, when it comes down to groundstrokes, the Hornet is much better.
-Serves-
The 0.5" helps a lot more than I expected. Also, the balance of the Hornet is perfect, so you can get that nice wrist snap or that racquet head fling over the ball and go for that flat serve, but nonetheless, the Hornet also excels at slice serves (good for a dependable 2nd serve).
*Vs. Shark: The Shark offered a good feel on the serve, but the only problem was due to its head being light, I had the feeling that I could come over the ball very quickly, so I ended up hitting 80% slice serves all the time. Doubtlessly, the Shark could easily generate some fast-paced slice serves that could be as lethal as flat serves, but that ended up tiring me out a lot faster. The Hornet would win in this category.
-Volleys-
Wonderful for generating those slice-volleys, or just flat-out smacking the ball. Overheads are great (again, that 0.5" helps out a lot) so protection at the net is pretty solid.
*Vs. Shark: The Shark was lighter to manuever at the net, from side to side. Although the Hornet is slightly slower than the Shark at the net, it offers a much better feel if you can get the racquet to the ball in time. Once again, the firm flex offers that nice pop and full feeling. The only problem with the Shark is that the dampened feel can sometimes overgo the standards and feel like there is something wrong with the stick. But what can I say? I'd think the volleys are up to whoever uses the racquets in deciding which one is better.
-Overall-
Thanks to all of you guys who recommended the Hornet to me. I'm really glad that I decided to purchase 2 Hornets at the price of less than 1 Shark... It was not only cheaper, but in my opinion, a better deal than the Shark. I know most of you who read this post (that is... for some reason you even decided to read, and if you did, thank you) might find it a waste of time since the Hornet racquets are no longer in-line, but hopefully this will help those few people who are looking for a good racquet-switch at a better price.
