The Prince Phantom 93P is a gift to us from TW - My Review/AMA
- Thread starter Power Player
- Start date
TheOtherBecker
Rookie
Yeah, I pulled out my POG mid too, but it’s got a 30 year-old high tension syngut, so I’m curious to try a more modern string setup, kind of a Pre-Demo before getting to demo the new 93 14 x 18.
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Doaner
New User
I think I might do the same. I’m pretty sure I haven’t had it strung in twenty years
I'm not overly interested in the 14x18 pattern as I have really meshed with the 18x20. That said, I hope someone near me gets one just so I can see what the difference is like. I can see advantages to such an open pattern for some shots but overall I like the 18x20 and plan to stock up on it over time.
Doaner
New User
My main racquet for the last nine years was an exo3 graphite 93 but I'm also used to a 18x20 after using a speed pro, radical, and finally the current 93p but the nostalgia of using a 14x18 will definitely have me try it. I hope it comes with an old school suede/leather carry case like the old graphites. I know it won't but I can dream.
mhkeuns
Hall of Fame
That is about how I feel in regards to the 93P and PB10. They both are great frames. The 93P is just easier to play with, even with the 18x20 pattern.
mhkeuns
Hall of Fame
I feared any player carrying the Prince Graphite Suede case back in the 80’s. They were mostly great players who were at the top of their high school rankings.
wassamara
New User
93p serves much better due to the head shape. Bh and fh are about the same but the 93p has a heavier ball in stock form. I found difficult to serve with the pb10 after serving with the 93p
markwillplay
Hall of Fame
I used to have a 90 series POG. It was 14 18 and I loved it. It broke and I did not hunt others down. The 14 18 patternnin that stick and my graphite pro 90s is awesome to hit with. Spin the ever living poop out of the ball.
markwillplay
Hall of Fame
Yea, the graphite pro 90 with that pattern and that flexibility hits with more spin for me than any other frame I have ever played.
graycrait
Hall of Fame
I have so many Prince 90 14x18s it is hard to justify the upcoming "new and improved" 93 14x18. It is probably in my head but since playing with the Graphite Pro 90 I have had several people comment on well I have been playing. I can dial up or down the stiffness ladder in 90 14x18s with varying degrees of muting as well. One of my old pals is sending me a Magnesium Pro 90 which I am looking forward to. I can go modern with a "bighead" racket by bringing out the Mono's
haqq777
Legend
I have not played Rexis but if you haven't tried already, I would recommend HEAD FXP 17 around 50 lbs to throw in the mix. I am a full bed poly player mostly but loved the FXP feedback in 93P.
Doaner
New User
It's been awhile since i've purchased a racquet that i've done minimal to and really get excited to keep using it.
Dartagnan64
Legend
Yeah really all it needs is getting the string set up right. Once that's dialled in it plays like a dream in stock form.
bluebonsai
New User
So who's gonna bite first?
https://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Prince_Phantom_Pro_93P_14x18/descpageRCTWABG-P93P14.html
https://www.tennis-warehouse.com/Prince_Phantom_Pro_93P_14x18/descpageRCTWABG-P93P14.html
Dartagnan64
Legend
TBH more interested in the Phantom Pro 100 18 x 20. I just love tighter stringbeds for doubles play which is 90% of my tennis life.
Hopefully TW will have these available for Demo at Indian Wells Parabas so I can try them out. Bit disappointed they went stiffer with the RA on the 14x18 93P. Will need to try it out to see if its as plush as the 18x20.
TheOtherBecker
Rookie
Ditto.
I’m going to restring my whole POG made with a low tension poly to try to get a sense of what this new frame might feel like first.
I got to hit for a short time with the Wilson class today, which made me miss my phantom pro 100. Phantom pro 18 x 20 seems really intriguing to me right now.
Decisions, decisions.
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graycrait
Hall of Fame
My knees just got weak.... so soon?...I have to wait a few months. I already owe my wife a pile of chick flick dates for the last toy I purchased for myself.
BAAllen
New User
I will be purchasing mine this weekend.
ej28405
New User
What would everyone say the biggest differences are going to be in the new 100 18x20 versus the 93p 18x20? I have three 93p 18x20’s but I’m wondering if it’s really worth it out of temptation and curiosity. Also, what would be some recommendations on string and tension since the head size is larger? I currently do the klip lightning hybrid in my 93p’s @ around 51/48 or so...
Doaner
New User
I’m already producing a great amount of spin with the current 93p. Don’t need the new model for any additional spin. But would love to hit with it just to see how it compares to my old pog mid. Haven’t had the chance to string my old one with current string setups but hopefully within the next week. Has anyone played with the old pog mids with new poly setups?
Power Player
Talk Tennis Guru
Im almost a year in with it now. It never gets old. Enjoy!
Compared to the pp100p, I thought the 93p was more manueverable because the 93p is more headlight. The pp100p also had more twist on off center hits.
You'll probably feel something similar with the new pp100.
Try it... Only way to know for sure
You'll probably feel something similar with the new pp100.
Try it... Only way to know for sure
markwillplay
Hall of Fame
I liked the 93p MUCH more than any of the other Phantoms. I did sell them,again, but only because it was easier for me to play with a larger face on clay. The 93 with that open pattern will be a killer stick for serves and spin no doubt. I am also selling my 2015 Tt100ps. Love them too but I think I am addicted to my tour 100s with the ports. I will probably demo the Phantom with the 18 20 (I have begged for it) but all those phantom 100s felt clumsy to me compared to my tours. The tours have a really high twist weight, which I like, but go through the air we’ll. I think it is possible that I am Blount to the ports.
mhkeuns
Hall of Fame
I regretted not getting them sooner than I did. I tried to resist from buying, but it quickly became pretty evident that I was having more fun and played best tennis I've played in a long, long time using the 93P. It's just so awesome in so many ways.
Hey Mark - your racquets just arrived and I'm quite excited to use them with your specs. Haven't played 93p with gut mains yet.
Was playing last night with Prince Tour XP 18g (TW member Shawn James included in a 93p I bought from him) at 42lbs mains and crosses. Oh. My. God. Not incredibly comfortable, but man, sure can crush balls with it.
And just to echo Power Player and mhkeuns, this racquet is awesome. Feels better and more exhilarating every time you play with it.
I'd probably demo the 14x18 but not even excited about it. This racquet is perfection.
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I have received pp100p (53 hyper g) and 93p (unknown green strings) demo. It seems like pp100p has smaller sweetspot than 93p but more plush. The 93p demo felt like a club and not as maneuvrable as the p100pp. The 93p however felt like it had the potential of more “point and shoot” and definitely was less fussy when hit off center. It’s just I have no way to tell what tension it is strung at and at the moment it’s feeling like a heavy board. ... When both of these are strung at their optimal tensions (mid or low 40s I assume),
1) does the pp100p gain similar good off center character as the 93p
2) which is more plush 93p or pp100p
The head size of the 93p surprisingly is not that much different than other 100sqin racquets
1) does the pp100p gain similar good off center character as the 93p
2) which is more plush 93p or pp100p
The head size of the 93p surprisingly is not that much different than other 100sqin racquets
See if you can find hyper g on the strings anywhere. It may be unlikely since TW strings it with a green poly too. But if you find that it's hyper g string, it's probably one I strung at 46 lbs, 17g.
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No because of the bigger head...the pp100p has more off center twist...
Surprised you thought the pp100p had a smaller sweet spot. When I demo's them, the pp100p seemed to have a 20% larger sweet spot.
It's because the 100 feels like garbage in comparison to the 93.
I am def a beginner beginner so take with a grain of salt
. With that said the hitting it all over frame I felt more often when I hit 100p off centerI feel like the racquet has potential and I have it in my hand but it’s feeling boardy with this current setup. I don’t have time to string it before it goes back to tw. A bit frustrating
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Tommy Haas
Hall of Fame
I'm surprised Prince made the new 93P (14x18) stiffer. No thanks for me. I would have wanted one if it was sub 60RA. Now the new PP100 (18x20) with 55RA interests me. Waiting for the reviews.
The slight bump in stiffness for 14x18 is probably an attempt to make it feel the same as the 18x20 version. Isn't open string pattern supposed to play softer than dense string pattern? So the increase in RA offsets the softness brought about by more open string pattern.
Power Player
Talk Tennis Guru
Why would you want a wide open pattern with a low ra? Its very tough to feel the ball at all. I doubt youd like it.
Power Player
Talk Tennis Guru
Exactly
markwillplay
Hall of Fame
Atelic, if you add about 2 inches of lead at 3 and 9 and a tad of weight under the butt cap (all on the one that weighs slightly less) those sticks will be matched as close as I could match them.
flanker2000fr
Professional
I actually find they feel quite similar. Both are very good frames, then it's a question of style of play and individual preference. For my game, the PP100P is a bit easier to play, but I hit a bigger ball with the 93P.
Dartagnan64
Legend
Good answer. But we'll also be looking at a bump in power since the racket is stiffer and the string bed will be more lively and the launch angle will be higher. With a softer racket some power would be absorbed. Otherwise you are going to need higher tension poly to tame it a bit. Unless its spins the ball so well that you can use topspin to maintain control like an APD.
I'm certainly interested in demoing it, but if it doesn't feel as plush as the 18x20, I'm not terrible interested. I'd probably rather look at the 18x20 Pro 100P.
The 14x18 93P might still be flexier than the POG Mid. The flexier Prince Mids in the past were 30-40 grams heavier than the POG and Phantom Mids, so this might be good news to some people.
Tommy Haas
Hall of Fame
I agree that an open string pattern would result in less ball feel, but we're still talking about a 14x18 pattern on a 93" head. I still think Prince should have either kept the flex the same or go a little softer. Maybe if they made the new 93P a 10x10 then yeah, it would benefit from a higher RA.
Now the new PP100 with 18x20 and 55RA sounds ideal for me as a bigger 93P. It has the same dense string pattern, but much more flexible allowing the ball to stay on the strings longer to impart spin to. That was my main complaint with the 2015 TT100P. It was just too stiff and powerful for me. The 2019 TT100P is even worse as the RA went up. The 2019 PP100 has promising specs.
Now the new PP100 with 18x20 and 55RA sounds ideal for me as a bigger 93P. It has the same dense string pattern, but much more flexible allowing the ball to stay on the strings longer to impart spin to. That was my main complaint with the 2015 TT100P. It was just too stiff and powerful for me. The 2019 TT100P is even worse as the RA went up. The 2019 PP100 has promising specs.
flanker2000fr
Professional
I understand that the higher stiffness is there to offset the looser string pattern, to achieve a similar feel. And also the fact that this combination should result in more power than the 18x20 version. I would be really interested to see the side of the 14x18 to see how Prince themselves rate the power level. On the 18x20, they grade it at 600 on their scale (vs. 800 on the PP100P).
What I am scratching my head about, though, is why they tampered with the balance, going from 9 pt. HL to 7 pt. HL, while decreasing the swing weight. A less HL balance would normally result in a higher swing weight, all other parameters being equal. I get that the strung weight would be slightly less on the 14x18 vs. 18x20, by virtue of having less string, but can't get my head around the balance / swing weight combination. I would also be worried that the very open pattern induces a lack of predictability, taking away one of the strongest suits of the original version.
As for the 100 sq.in. frame with the 18x20 pattern, it appears to the the PP100 (rounded beam), and not the PP100P (box beam). What is interesting on this frame, though, is that they seem to have bumped up the static weight quite significantly, going from 305g to 320g, and conversely made it more HL, going from 6pt to 9pt. This brings the specs much closer to the 18x20 93P, except for the increased headsize and lower stiffness. Interesting indeed.
Like @Dartagnan64 I'm interested in the PP100 (18x20) too. Yeah I noted the static weight increase as @flanker2000fr pointed out. As mentioned before I feel the 93P (18x20) is at my limit of how heavy a racquet I can swing comfortable with (RF97A is a no go - tried it, can't wield it). 10g lighter in static weight may open up more RHS for me while keeping low launch angle shots, which I like.