The Prince Phantom 93P is a gift to us from TW - My Review/AMA

scotus

G.O.A.T.
I think that I'm going to head up to Narnia in LA tomorrow to pick up a 93P. I'm getting tired of reading all the praise. I regretted not buying it the last time I was there. My only concern is that it's off spec and I noticed the frames on the peg had varying weights. What should the good unstrung weight and balance be? Does everyone's frame specs unstrung closely match the printed specs inside the throat?

The varying weights can work to your advantage, especially if you take a scale there and know what you're looking for.
 

haqq777

Legend
I think that I'm going to head up to Narnia in LA tomorrow to pick up a 93P. I'm getting tired of reading all the praise. I regretted not buying it the last time I was there. My only concern is that it's off spec and I noticed the frames on the peg had varying weights. What should the good unstrung weight and balance be? Does everyone's frame specs unstrung closely match the printed specs inside the throat?
Mine is 3g lighter. Weighs 327g unstrung. Strung with overgrip comes to 349g and 315mm balance. I swapped a few days after purchase to synthetic (Prince ResiPro) + overgrip and weight dropped 9g and came to 340g strung. I have since reverted to original leather.
 

JOSHL

Hall of Fame
They have a scale and balance board there. Mine came in a tad under spec unstrung at like 11.4oz and I was cool with that.
 

Tommy Haas

Hall of Fame
I picked it up today and I picked the one that was closest to the printed specs. It was 330g and 11 points HL unstrung. I also verified the grip size was less than a millimeter off. I guess that's pretty good right?
 

Classic-TXP-IG MID

Hall of Fame
I picked it up today and I picked the one that was closest to the printed specs. It was 330g and 11 points HL unstrung. I also verified the grip size was less than a millimeter off. I guess that's pretty good right?

I don't know... because only you can tell me if that's good for you...

Sounds great to me.

Hope you love it
 

Zlatni

Rookie
How did 40# tension work out for you and what string was it with?

It was Yonex Poly Tour Pro 120. It was extremely comfortable. Power and control were good too.
The launch angle was a little low. It was much lower launch angle than my Rebel 95 strung with v-pro 17 at 38# and Pb10 at 40 lbs. I guess it is just a preference thing.

I think next time I’ll go with 43/40, just to see whether that helps.



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stephenclown

Professional
TW review is up

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/reviews/P93P/P93Preview.html

I expected more than an 85, but not surprised considering it is aimed at such a niche. They really don't want to sell this frame to lower level players, which is actually very important as a demanding frame can hinder progression if they don't play much. Power seems to be ample considering its a players frame in a smaller head and great control/feel scores that can also be improved with gut/hybrids. This has to be the lowest score Mark has given a frame and he has moved to it as well, but that is good because he usually understands that ease of use is so important to 95% of tennis players.

Overall, for this kind of frame it is a great score with the most important things (for myself) receiving good scores and touched a lot on in the comments. hHow well it stood up to being compared to the RF97a is really a great indication of how highly regarded this frame is among the play testers. Also at stock its a bit lower swingweight than the RF97 by 5-10pts so a few of the issues touched on by Michelle may be reduced by increasing weight.

Chris also seemed to like the frame a bit more looking at his Volkl PB10 mids scores, mainly due to the touch and feel which is what I am after.

These written reviews give so much more to go on than the videos as they provide more commentary on other racquets that are currently being used.

Thanks @TW Staff for getting this one up for us :)


EDIT* I have had to wait for paypal funds to clear to purchase :(
 
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UCSF2012

Hall of Fame
What's the purpose of the 93P?

The Diablo 93 had a power level of 625 (93P is 600). Diablo had a wider head, making it harder to shank. Weight's about the same. Diablo was 16x20 and spin friendly. ....just underpowered.

From the 93P review videos, it's also very underpowered. I've never seen Troy hit weaker shots.

Can anyone with both the Diablo 93 and 93P in-hand chime in?
 

Classic-TXP-IG MID

Hall of Fame
TW review is up

http://www.tennis-warehouse.com/reviews/P93P/P93Preview.html

I expected more than an 85, but not surprised considering it is aimed at such a niche. They really don't want to sell this frame to lower level players, which is actually very important as a demanding frame can hinder progression if they don't play much. Power seems to be ample considering its a players frame in a smaller head and great control/feel scores that can also be improved with gut/hybrids. This has to be the lowest score Mark has given a frame and he has moved to it as well, but that is good because he usually understands that ease of use is so important to 95% of tennis players.

Overall, for this kind of frame it is a great score with the most important things (for myself) receiving good scores and touched a lot on in the comments. hHow well it stood up to being compared to the RF97a is really a great indication of how highly regarded this frame is among the play testers. Also at stock its a bit lower swingweight than the RF97 by 5-10pts so a few of the issues touched on by Michelle may be reduced by increasing weight.

Chris also seemed to like the frame a bit more looking at his Volkl PB10 mids scores, mainly due to the touch and feel which is what I am after.

These written reviews give so much more to go on than the videos as they provide more commentary on other racquets that are currently being used.

Thanks @TW Staff for getting this one up for us :)


EDIT* I have had to wait for paypal funds to clear to purchase :(

Don't forget, for them to really compare one racquet to another they need to play with them side by side. Looking at someones scores from yrs ago and a racquet they tried now may not be that relevant or comparable...

Hope your funds clear soon
 

jonestim

Hall of Fame
What's the purpose of the 93P?

The Diablo 93 had a power level of 625 (93P is 600). Diablo had a wider head, making it harder to shank. Weight's about the same. Diablo was 16x20 and spin friendly. ....just underpowered.

From the 93P review videos, it's also very underpowered. I've never seen Troy hit weaker shots.

Can anyone with both the Diablo 93 and 93P in-hand chime in?

93p is wider than Diablo mid. Phantom is about 3/32" wider and 3/16" shorter. Phantom is a little wider at 10/2 as well.
 
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Zlatni

Rookie
Don't forget, for them to really compare one racquet to another they need to play with them side by side. Looking at someones scores from yrs ago and a racquet they tried now may not be that relevant or comparable...

Hope your funds clear soon

I completely agree.
And the scores have been creeping up over the years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
...I expected more than an 85

I try to keep in mind that the scores are not only subjective, but are more of a "ranking" than a "rating". I.e. the power is ranked at 74 because it's a not a high powered frame. Not the same as being *rated* only 74/100 on power. Having a 100-level power frame is not the ideal. Applies to other categories too.

Unrelated update: I just bought a 2nd 93P. Was going to string this one myself, but couldn't say "no" to a $4 string job for cyclone tour 17 (43# this time).
 

Zlatni

Rookie
Is the Babs Pure Strike's 90 score based on reality?

When looking at the reviews you need to look at the outliers. Hannah was definitely an outlier on that test - she gave it a 9.6.
Andy used to be an outlier on almost everything - he either loved or hated a frame
But you have to make sure that your give most weight to those testers whose racquet tastes are most like your own.
I usually go with Troy, as I like a hefty racquet. I also know that I just hate a feel of a tweeter, so if I know that Hannah used to play with a Pure Aero, and Jason played with Ai 100, I will probably discount their opinions somewhat.



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stee

New User
Don't forget, for them to really compare one racquet to another they need to play with them side by side. Looking at someones scores from yrs ago and a racquet they tried now may not be that relevant or comparable...
I completely agree.
And the scores have been creeping up over the years.

It would help if it was the same people testing when comparing racquets. For the Phantom Pro 100 and Pro 100P it was different testers altogether, making it a direct comparison much less useful.
 

Power Player

Bionic Poster
What's the purpose of the 93P?

The Diablo 93 had a power level of 625 (93P is 600). Diablo had a wider head, making it harder to shank. Weight's about the same. Diablo was 16x20 and spin friendly. ....just underpowered.

From the 93P review videos, it's also very underpowered. I've never seen Troy hit weaker shots.

Can anyone with both the Diablo 93 and 93P in-hand chime in?

If the 93p was that underpowered, i would not use it.
 

Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
If the 93p was that underpowered, i would not use it.

Admittedly power can be adjusted so easily with strings that I find ratings and reviews always highly variable for this particular frame attribute.

I think the reviews really sum up what I would expect from this stick. Buttery feel, precise control, solid and stable. It’s not a Pure Drive. But to me that’s a good thing.

I’m looking forward to eventually getting my hands on one of these because I think it would be a great arm friendly frame for times when I want precision. And for social matches and practice sessions. Not sure I’d move away from 100 inch frames for competition, but I’d have to play with the racket to know for sure.
 

Tommy Haas

Hall of Fame
Yes. I shipped via US. For me it is not underpowered. But i dont like the round wide head

What did you string it up with and at what tension? Maybe try it with a thinner and more powerful string. You can also trim off the grommets to make them flush with the hoop to expand the sweet spot and also use power pads on the mains.
 

morten

Hall of Fame
What did you string it up with and at what tension? Maybe try it with a thinner and more powerful string. You can also trim off the grommets to make them flush with the hoop to expand the sweet spot and also use power pads on the mains.
Tecnifibre xone 16 at 45lbs. But it is already powerful enough. PS85 is better
 
Any ideas why this 93P is not available for demo on TW yet? I just demoed the Phantom 100P and really liked it, but I think I've got to give this one a try before I make any final decisions.
 
Any ideas why this 93P is not available for demo on TW yet? I just demoed the Phantom 100P and really liked it, but I think I've got to give this one a try before I make any final decisions.

Guessing there isn't enough inventory to support demo qtys. yet. Based on order page availability it seems more stock is expected beginning of May.
 

cyanide43

Rookie
Yeah, same here. I was hoping to try out both the Phantom Pro 100P and the 93P in a 3/8 grip at the same time but the lack of stock is frustrating.
 

cyanide43

Rookie
Used it before and didn't find it quite to my liking. Felt even more muted than previous iterations with the ports...so much so that I felt disconnected from the ball.
 

tomato123

Professional
I don't think you can go wrong with any of the Phantom frames depending on what you're looking for in a racquet. I demoed the ported 100 to get a feel for the frame construction of the Phantom line and had a good idea of what to expect from the 93P. Wife ended up really liking the 100 during the demo process so we ended up getting one for her while I am still enjoying the 93P. Great quality racquets all around with amazing comfort.
 
Been following this thread and enjoying reading all the various types of feedback, and I just feel the need to throw this out there again... the 93p is a game changer. If you've just started with it and aren't sure about it yet... give it time. For those of you mentioning trying it before pulling the trigger on another racquet... try the 93p. It'll be worth the effort. I've hit with it for a few weeks now, and the honeymoon phase hasn't worn off. Not by a long shot. I've never felt so confident going for my shots, my arm/shoulder has been more pain-free than with any prior racquet, my serve accuracy/control/kick is better than ever, my touch shots and volleys have been better than I'd ever imagined I could hit, and this is all with the 93p which is the smallest head size I've ever used. I haven't "shanked" the ball once. I can't even recall hitting outside of the ginormous sweet spot. It's just crazy good. Due to how completely satisfied I've been I haven't tried a different string setup with it yet, but I imagine I will at some point. I have it strung with Solinco Hyper-G 18g at 47lbs.

For reference, my previous racquets over the last couple years were Babolat Pure Strike (old 2015ish model), Wilson Six One 95s, Babolat Pure Strike 16x19 (Project One 7), and most recently the Yonex EZONE DR 98 (it's been my racquet of choice the last 2 years). The 93p, for me, beats every one of those in every category. The 93p is more solid and stable than my old Wilson, I serve better than I did with my Yonex, and I don't miss the 16x19 string pattern of the others 'cause the 18x20 on the 93p is A) more accurate and precise overall and B) still somehow gets GREAT spin... (probably in large part to my 18g string).

Cheers.
 

Tommy Haas

Hall of Fame
For full bed users of 93P with different mains and cross tensions, are you using a two or four knot setup? I'm thinking of stringing the crosses 2 lbs. lower next time to try and increase the launch angle. It makes more sense to me stringing with two pieces when mains and crosses have different tensions, but I know there are some who still use one piece because the crosses anchor in place through the grommets.
 

Tommy Haas

Hall of Fame
I hit with the 93P today and for the most part, what people have been saying about it is true. The sound of the ball being struck, was a loud thud. It's not the audible feedback that I like or dislike though. I like loud thunder cracking sounds like when balls are hit with PSG or poly. It was strung up with a full bed of a soft multi, so maybe that played some part with the dull thud sound of the ball being struck.

I bought one grip size down as I used a cushy overgrip, but feel that the grip feels to big now, especially at the butt cap which is probably due to it being leather. I may change it from Prince Resi-Pro OG to something thinner. I think I'll be okay if I go thinner, but it has to be tacky. I want to avoid having to replace the Prince calfskin with TW 1.3mm leather because the Prince leather is so nice.

The racquet has adequate power if you do your part and requires good core strength. I could feel my torso muscles getting fatigued because you can't take any shortcut strokes. My usual racquet which TW categorizes as low-medium powered still has too much juice for me. I could never take a full cut, but the 93P allowed me to swing out. The frame flex is also very uniform, but I prefer flex at the throat, so it'll be something I'll need to get used to. Off center hits weren't a problem, no frame flutter or hoop twisting.

The 93P is a very solid stick that I don't think needs any lead tape mods. String selection is enough for me. I'll need to lower the crosses by a couple pounds for the next restring. Even at 45# with a full bed of multi (Xcel 17), it still felt board like. Everything @Power Player said is true. The optimum tension range seems to be 40-45#, especially if you use poly because it even felt a bit stiff at 45# with a multi.
 
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I got the used one that recently became available on TW. I got it strung with RS Lyon 18g at 47lb. Only hit for 30 minutes against the wall, and then played
doubles and singles for an hour each. Coming from PS97 this felt a bit smallish head size but more solid. The 18x20 patterm seems a bit tight for me but
it's probably still too early to say. It's definitely more control than a power racquet. I also think this is not good one for the beginners, your prep work needs
to be up there in order to swing and have good use of this stick. My touch shots and slices with doubles were good, my deep shots while good if you had a good hit,
again demanded proper technique, not coming in as easy I suppose. Also, not sure if this was just my doing not being used to the racquet, but I tended to move
my grip more western when I needed to rip it some more as not doing that I felt I didn't get enough cut on the ball with my normal eastern grip. I will play few more hours with it as is,
and maybe try to get it restrung a bit lower next time to see if the lower tension helps with deeper shots.
 

Tommy Haas

Hall of Fame
Would the PP100 with a leather grip and a full bed of multi be more or less powerful than a stock 93P? Believe it or not, I'm having some trouble keeping the ball in with the 93P. This thing shoots out rockets on some shots. I know it's all technique, but I hit with a SW FH and if I hit ATP style where the racquet head is dragged and then whipped through the strike zone, it's hard to keep in. I don't like the full western stroke because it's unnatural feeling to me. I can only keep the ball in using a WTA FH with a more circular stroke. I'm also using a full bed of multi, so that also aids in the power boost. The 93P is definitely a keeper, I'd need to change my technique or use lower powered strings, but still need to avoid poly. Any recommendations?
 

Dartagnan64

G.O.A.T.
Would the PP100 with a leather grip and a full bed of multi be more or less powerful than a stock 93P? Believe it or not, I'm having some trouble keeping the ball in with the 93P. This thing shoots out rockets on some shots. I know it's all technique, but I hit with a SW FH and if I hit ATP style where the racquet head is dragged and then whipped through the strike zone, it's hard to keep in. I don't like the full western stroke because it's unnatural feeling to me. I can only keep the ball in using a WTA FH with a more circular stroke. I'm also using a full bed of multi, so that also aids in the power boost. The 93P is definitely a keeper, I'd need to change my technique or use lower powered strings, but still need to avoid poly. Any recommendations?

Head Velocity is a low powered multi with good spin production. RIP control and HDX tour are also low powered non-poly strings (well maybe partial poly strings).
 
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