RF97 vs Prince Response 97

[Soul_Evisceration]

As I demoed the RF97, I thought this racquet IMO performed fantastically well.

Everything from the volleys to the serves to backhands, forehands, dropshots, etc... it was a great experience.

I figured maybe my arm would of felt something after 2+ hours but nope my legs and timing let me down. I still was able to swing freely as long as I kept a compact stroke instead of a full stroke.

I didn't had the best strings (Wilson Sensation 16 gauge) nor the best tension (56 lbs) and it wasn't head light enough (nothing like a little customization can fix that).


I also liked the crispiness of the RF97 and it wasn't too stiff IMO.

However I'm curious with the comparaison of the Prince Response 97 since there's a big difference in terms of prices (99$ vs 219$) and if it does everything more or less like the RF97, I will buy it.

Unfortunately I cannot demo the Prince Response 97.

Any feedback is welcomed.

 

[RalphJ]

Is it possible for a 45+ NTRP 4.0 person to swing a 12 oz. racquet effectively? We hear it all the time - "You have to have a lighter racquet to play effectively."

I'm 46 and grew up playing with heavy racquets (wood racquets, Wilson Ultra II, Pro Staff 85, etc. and played a little college tennis). I used the Pro Staff and BLX 90 for about 6-7 months (since the Graphene Prestiges was such a let down) and it was great, but gravitated back to my old Prestiges, since all the older guys kept saying how great lighter racquets were. A racquet lighter than 11 oz feels too light to me. So I've gravitated back to IG and Youtek Prestiges.

I've demoed the RF97 for about an hour and like the way it hit, but have let others around me convince me that its too heavy for me at my age, even though i think I could play with it.

I didn't like the Response 97. It was bland and had no feel, in fact, I don't think its in the same league as the RF97. It feels plastic, if thats possible.

 

[Joonas]

C'mon, 46 years is nothing man! I hear the same stuff all the time and also regarding juniors. "This player is not strong enough yet for that heavy racket (for eaxample 320g Prestige .

I found my youth racket ProKennex Bronze Ace which I played with no problems. And I was very skinny already then. The racket weigh with OG 365g and has SW of 350.

But sorry, I can't answer your question as I have not tried neither Response or RF97.

 

[RalphJ]

Ha, I'm gonna go for it, man!

I will have to get past the honeymoon stage, which will probably take about a month, then I'll know how i will do with it. I will report back on it, hopefully do a long term test.

Thanks Joonas

 

[BestTennisPlayerEver]

The response is going to be way easier to swing, and is going to be extremely muted compared to the RF97.

 

[Top Jimmy]

I will say, I demo'd the Response this past summer and it was a nice racket. It had that crappy synthetic leather grip which was slippery so i couldn't really dig in with it. I'd say the RF97 is a more powerful version of this racket in a sense.

 

[o0lunatik]

Soul_Evisceration, have you made a decision on the two racquets yet? Maybe I can help, b/c I own and play with both.

 

[kaiser]

Is it possible for a 45+ NTRP 4.0 person to swing a 12 oz. racquet effectively? We hear it all the time - "You have to have a lighter racquet to play effectively."

I'm 46 and grew up playing with heavy racquets (wood racquets, Wilson Ultra II, Pro Staff 85, etc. and played a little college tennis). I used the Pro Staff and BLX 90 for about 6-7 months (since the Graphene Prestiges was such a let down) and it was great, but gravitated back to my old Prestiges, since all the older guys kept saying how great lighter racquets were. A racquet lighter than 11 oz feels too light to me. So I've gravitated back to IG and Youtek Prestiges.

I've demoed the RF97 for about an hour and like the way it hit, but have let others around me convince me that its too heavy for me at my age, even though i think I could play with it.

I didn't like the Response 97. It was bland and had no feel, in fact, I don't think its in the same league as the RF97. It feels plastic, if thats possible.

I'm 59 and I just switched to the RF97 from my Dunlop 4D200 Tours. I've worked wit several pros these past few years and none of them thought my racquets being too heavy for me, although I asked several times. My RF97 is a little lighter than my Dunlops, so in a way you could say I've adapted the weight of my racquet to my age too...

 

[RetroSpin]

I think it's all in what you're used to. Years ago it was common for women to play with 12+ ounce POGs.

I demoed an RF97 and was warned by the pro that it was "very" heavy, etc. It was lighter than my Dunlop 200D Tours for sure, so I didn't notice the weight at all.

It's a good feeling stick. I use PDR+'s as my main sticks, but if I had to go with an RF97 I wouldn't be worried at all.

 

[o0lunatik]

I'm 59 and I just switched to the RF97 from my Dunlop 4D200 Tours. I've worked wit several pros these past few years and none of them thought my racquets being too heavy for me, although I asked several times. My RF97 is a little lighter than my Dunlops, so in a way you could say I've adapted the weight of my racquet to my age too...

Ha! "I'm 59" - hence your user name. Nice RetroSpin. That's awesome to hear! I've played with many frames throughout the years, and especially within the past 2 years. I've settled on the RF97 as my preferred racquet for my baseline, singles game and the Response 97 for my doubles game. But during the test 2 years test phase, I enjoyed many of the racquets that I've owned from pure drive, aero drive, various steams, exo3 tour, pacific x-fast, and ect. I found that I could play with all of them, but my strong points are forehands (flat and topspin) and service returns resulting in me settling with the RF97s (this thing is rock solid against heavy balls).

I've also currently have a 4d200 Tour, and I can hit heavier balls with this racquet that any other. It's a bit of heft to wield around, but there are aspects of this racquet that are useful in part of your game and needless to say, patience.

But going back to what I was trying to say, it is possible for anyone to adapt to just about any racquet except for those causing arm discomfort. It must have been easier for you to move from the 4d200 Tour to the RF97, b/c you're conditioned for the heavier frames. Let's say if someone were to go from a tweener or lighter racquet to a RF97, this would require a little more physical conditioning.

 

[Nicr1991]

If you have good technique then you can adapt and adjust to the weight of any racquet. My advice is to use the heaviest racquet you can maneuver and swing comfortably. If your swing mechanics ever break down because of the weight of the racquet then it is too heavy. Good mechanics can allow you to utilize the advantages of racquets that are heavier and have higher swing weight. Enjoy!

 

[SteveI]

If you have good technique then you can adapt and adjust to the weight of any racquet. My advice is to use the heaviest racquet you can maneuver and swing comfortably. If your swing mechanics ever break down because of the weight of the racquet then it is too heavy. Good mechanics can allow you to utilize the advantages of racquets that are heavier and have higher swing weight. Enjoy!

Your 1st statement is in conflict with the last 2. You can't adapt to any frame when your hand speed and skills are not up to the static weight and swing weight. I agree with the last two thing you have posted.

 

[Nicr1991]

I wasn't trying to say that you can go from a 9oz racquet to 12oz racquet with perfect technique. There would obviously be an adjustment period, but good technique would make switching from lighter racquets to heavier racquets easier. Especially say over a period of 6 months. I know lots of juniors that start playing with about a 10oz racquet, and within 6 months of making the decision to switch they can play at high levels (respectively) with 12+ oz racquets. I hope that clears up my first statement.

 

[smalahove]

I haven't tried the rf97, but I have tried the ps97 and own a 6.1 95 and 95s, and several IG and graphene prestiges - and also used to own the response 97. I sold the response 97 pretty quickly as I didn't gel with it - it didn't really have any impressive features.

When it comes to racket that have a heavy weight and sw, and are head light, my experience is that that a flat, old school style gels well with such rackets. However, a modern top spin oriented game style is much more demanding when it comes to racket head speed.

 

[pfrischmann]

I play with the RF currently and demoed the Response 97 quite a bit. I feel the response 97 is the best racquet for volleys I've ever used. It was almost laughable what I could do with that racquet at the net. The RF would be 2nd.
I did not like the Response on anything else and truly disliked it on ground strokes. It felt muted and rubbery. Obviously, I liked the RF more.

I think a fairer comparison would be between the PS97 and the Response 97 as they are closer in weight etc..

 

[coloskier]

Is it possible for a 45+ NTRP 4.0 person to swing a 12 oz. racquet effectively? We hear it all the time - "You have to have a lighter racquet to play effectively."

I'm 46 and grew up playing with heavy racquets (wood racquets, Wilson Ultra II, Pro Staff 85, etc. and played a little college tennis). I used the Pro Staff and BLX 90 for about 6-7 months (since the Graphene Prestiges was such a let down) and it was great, but gravitated back to my old Prestiges, since all the older guys kept saying how great lighter racquets were. A racquet lighter than 11 oz feels too light to me. So I've gravitated back to IG and Youtek Prestiges.

I've demoed the RF97 for about an hour and like the way it hit, but have let others around me convince me that its too heavy for me at my age, even though i think I could play with it.

I didn't like the Response 97. It was bland and had no feel, in fact, I don't think its in the same league as the RF97. It feels plastic, if thats possible.

I'm 59, and have had no problems with the weight. In fact, it actually reduced tennis elbow because of the increased plowthrough. But, considering that the OP was using the worst strings made (Wilson Sensation, which was obviously named for the sensation of pain in the elbow you get when you play with it) at 56# which was way too high, I'm amazed that his arm didn't fall off. A gut main poly cross hybrid at 52# or lower is definitely the way to go. If Fed is doing it, you can't go wrong.

 

[Candide]

I will echo what a number of people have said above. I used the Prince Response 97 for a few weeks but went back to my (weighted up - 12.2) Prince Exo3 Tour 100 because the feel and depth and action on ground strokes I was getting was just far superiour. It is nice to volley with the Response and I found it a good serving racquet but outside of this it wasn't enjoyable for me to play with.

At the moment I'm bouncing back and forth between the Tour 100 and the RF97 and to be honest the Wilson looks like it's going to be my main stick in the long run. It is way better on serves and volleys and delightful on ground strokes. It's not quite as forgiving as the Prince or as easy to defend with but I think the positives outweigh the minuses for me.

With regard to the Prince Response I would say there is no comparison. The RF97 wins hands down in just about every category except perhaps volleys. The difference in feel alone makes it much more fun to play with however. As others have said the Response is just too muted to give you any sense of what the ball's doing. The weight of the Wilson looked like it would be an issue for me in the first week or two but now I can't remembered what I was worried about. I've adjusted. In many ways it's quite a, dare I say, whippy racquet. So all in all I would strongly advise you to go for the Wilson over the Response. I'm 43 and 4.0 - 4.5 level player. I hope this helps.

 

[Soul_Evisceration]

Soul_Evisceration, have you made a decision on the two racquets yet? Maybe I can help, b/c I own and play with both.

Hey o0lunatik,

I have yet made up my mind but I have a suspicious feeling that the plow through of the RF97 is too addictive to let go.

However, most people agree the overall racket of the Response 97 and volleys is the best racket for my game with the right customization (lead type, type of string tension, etc...)

I love the RF97 except the maneuverability on 1HBH and stretching forehands.

I wonder if I should get the RF97 and replace the Wilson Leather Grip with the thick Tennis-Warehouse leather grip or just get the Prince Response 97 and just heavily customize it.

What's your take on both rackets?

Your feedback is appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Lukhas]

Now that I've played both, I can bump this up. For the reminder, my RF97 is strung with a seemingly unkillable and still furiously snapping back 4G 16 around 25kg, and the Response with a half, if not three quarters dead Tour XP 17 also at 25kg that struggles to snap back and even pretend to be playable.

Basically? Remove the plow and power of the RF97, kill all vibrations and you're close to the Response 97. The feel of the racquet reminded me of my retired Pure Drive Cortex: it's stiff, not too uncomfortable and it doesn't vibrate. But up to eleven: the Response has no vibrations whatsoever. And none of the power either. Unfortunately, due to the fairly dead strings, the launch angle was very low and the ride not really comfortable. I do feel however that the generous spin window is there and there's potential for good spin; I just can't bring it with these strings. Due to the characteristics of the racquet and stringjob, balls were prone to drop short, but you also could hit out on anything without the ball going out. Obviously, the frame was enjoyable at net and on serves: very stable even on off-center shots.

I think you could fix the launch angle and spin potential (as well as the dead feel) with the right strings and tension, but I doubt you could get more plow with strings alone. If you consider this racquet, I'd use the matching service and make sure that the SW is over 320, even if it makes the racquet more headlight: even at 12oz strung, it was very manoeuvrable. A fine racquet if you never need extra power. Depending of the SW of your incoming frame, you may have luck or not with a bit of lead tape.

 

[Lukhas]

Second session. The weather was warmer (around 12°C instead of... 3°C), it went a bit better and as a result, the stringbed was softer. I was able to find a bit more plow, but it still stays not very high powered. The performance was better but I think my initial comments still are fairly valid: it needs a livelier string, and maybe a few grams at noon under the bumperguard would be a nice mod to it.

 

[joohan]

so in a way you could say I've adapted the weight of my racquet to my age too...

Only logical

 

[ultradr]

Is it possible for a 45+ NTRP 4.0 person to swing a 12 oz. racquet effectively? We hear it all the time - "You have to have a lighter racquet to play effectively."

I'm 46 and grew up playing with heavy racquets (wood racquets, Wilson Ultra II, Pro Staff 85, etc. and played a little college tennis). I used the Pro Staff and BLX 90 for about 6-7 months (since the Graphene Prestiges was such a let down) and it was great, but gravitated back to my old Prestiges, since all the older guys kept saying how great lighter racquets were. A racquet lighter than 11 oz feels too light to me. So I've gravitated back to IG and Youtek Prestiges.

I've demoed the RF97 for about an hour and like the way it hit, but have let others around me convince me that its too heavy for me at my age, even though i think I could play with it.

I didn't like the Response 97. It was bland and had no feel, in fact, I don't think its in the same league as the RF97. It feels plastic, if thats possible.

Similar impression with Response 97. Less stable than RF97 or other 12+ oz frames.

By the way, among people around me, 45+ older players are the ones with RF97. Younger ones prefer lighter ones so that they can whip their modern forehand around.

In my case, I did not choose RF97 because I prefer 18 mains and its swing-weight is out of my range. Swing weights of some of light frames with 10-11oz total weight can be out of my range which is 320-330.