TW Review: Prince EXO3 Rebel 95 & 98

Lendl said:
For whatever reason he was not a fan of the 95.
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Probably the tighter string pattern. Glad he's liking the 98. I understand why he likes it now.

I primarily teach strong juniors, and I have a couple of girls that hit FLAT! So, when you said that, I though you meant zero spin. I can see how the 98 would work with some top, but in terms of recommending for other players, the 95 is the way to go for flatter strokes.
 
Yes, I think the 18 x 20 does play a mental part for him. I think he sees that and thinks he has to stay away from it to get a little more spin in his game. He's pretty certain he is switching to a 16 x 20 type open pattern.

themitchmann said:
Probably the tighter string pattern. Glad he's liking the 98. I understand why he likes it now.

I primarily teach strong juniors, and I have a couple of girls that hit FLAT! So, when you said that, I though you meant zero spin. I can see how the 98 would work with some top, but in terms of recommending for other players, the 95 is the way to go for flatter strokes.
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Lendl said:
He does hit topspin, I think everyone does to at least some extent. He hits far flatter than anyone I hit with and we have 20 or so 4.5-5.5 guys in our group. He was in a pickle as far as needing more pop than his Prestige provided without having the ball sail on him. I think his mostly flat strokes didn't jive the best with the closed string pattern of the Prestige and the way he kills the ball it would barely clear the net and would go long:)

for a comparison I'd think he plays similar to like a Berdych. He kills the ball with a penetrating flatter stroke but does have topspin but less than a lot of other guys.

So with this Rebel 98 he has the same stroke but the amount of topspin on the same stroke creates more topspin so it drops in for him better.

I've strung it for him in both a full synthetic gut 17g at 60 and a hybrid of Cyberflash (M) and synthetic gut (C) at 56.

For whatever reason he was not a fan of the 95.
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This is great to hear and I thank you for your post! It sounds like your friend has similar taste in frames and play level/style as myself. My coach is getting me a blacked out Rebel 98 and I will get the chance to hit with it on thursday night and will report back. fwiw: I think that an oval head shape benefits flat hitters with long fast swings that is why i am looking forward to trying the Rebel 98. Plus I like the weight/sw which should lend itself to that kind of stroke mechanic I would imagine.
 
I was pleased with the weight of the racket. After reading the swingweight and watching the TW review I was thinking it'd be too light for him but it feels similar to a Head Radical Pro type balance so it is more head heavy than some others so it feels heavier than it is.

I lead up almost every frame I've used and likely wouldn't with this one, it felt just right.

tom4ny said:
This is great to hear and I thank you for your post! It sounds like your friend has similar taste in frames and play level/style as myself. My coach is getting me a blacked out Rebel 98 and I will get the chance to hit with it on thursday night and will report back. fwiw: I think that an oval head shape benefits flat hitters with long fast swings that is why i am looking forward to trying the Rebel 98. Plus I like the weight/sw which should lend itself to that kind of stroke mechanic I would imagine.
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themitchmann said:
Probably the tighter string pattern. Glad he's liking the 98. I understand why he likes it now.

I primarily teach strong juniors, and I have a couple of girls that hit FLAT! So, when you said that, I though you meant zero spin. I can see how the 98 would work with some top, but in terms of recommending for other players, the 95 is the way to go for flatter strokes.
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I just hit the Reb 98 and did not have a problem hitting flattish, in the semi-western sense. It definitely responds to exaggerated topspin like other 16x20's but I felt I could drive the ball off both wings with the same type of stroke as with my 18X20 Radicals (and with a lot more pop). I had no trouble keeping the ball in with an aggressive swing and a full bed of multi.
 
keithfival said:
I just hit the Reb 98 and did not have a problem hitting flattish, in the semi-western sense. It definitely responds to exaggerated topspin like other 16x20's but I felt I could drive the ball off both wings with the same type of stroke as with my 18X20 Radicals (and with a lot more pop). I had no trouble keeping the ball in with an aggressive swing and a full bed of multi.
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Glad to hear you like it.
 
I had a nice hit tonight with the Reb98. Assuming I could get used to the "Prince feel" and didn't already use a similar racquet that I like a little better (Volkl X10-295), I could easily make it my main racquet.

I appreciate the rectangular profile of the frame; it looks like a racquet that goes through the air well and indeed it does swing easily - even though it may be a little less headlight than some people typically prefer. It has an oval to gently egg-shaped head and it probably has the largest sweetspot in its class. As the ported Prince frames go, their sweetspots, while large, aren't as sweet feeling as other racquets, but I've got to say it felt a lot better than I expected. I preferred playing without the exo3 dampener (though it is a nifty little widget).

One thing I noticed right away was the low flex of the racquet, particularly compared to the X10 and that flexibility explained my mild surprise at the power level of the Rebel 98. From what I've been reading and even bouncing the ball around the house, I thought the Rebel was going to be more powerful. Instead, I had to adjust and swing out more aggressively as I began by leaving groundstrokes rather short. I think the long main strings and mass in the head brings back some of the power that the frame's flexibility mutes, but only partially. I was disappointed and pleased at the same time - but mostly pleased as I didn't have to worry about balls launching on me. Put me in the camp that says flattish hitters should have no problem using the racquet.

Spin seemed easy to generate, as expected with its spread out 16x19 string pattern.

During drills this evening, I had to hit an approach and then come in for three quick volleys. I was easily moving the racquet into position and sticking volleys with power and precision. I thought to myself, I haven't hit volleys this well in a while, but then I was a little disappointed heading back to the line when I remembered that I was using the Rebel and not my X10. The flex and sweetspot of the Rebel made me very comfortable at the net. I didn't feel that the Rebel was getting pushed around despite its static weight, though it was somewhat less torsionally stable than my X10.

I'll add that the Rebel 98 is a very comfortable stick. Prince could have - and probably should have upped the stiffness a couple of points. I think many users will find some player's stick performance with plenty of tweener forgiveness.

Recommended.
 
DParis....I found the Rebel required a pretty fast and whippy swing to perform properly. Do you agree? It forced me to swing faster that I like to and that was a negative. I also found the ball feel VERY muted...almost like it was tough to use the incoming feedback for the next shot. Other than those things, I liked the 98. It just didn't come close to my DC Pro in regards to on court results. But even with that said...I would still choose it over the X10-295. But they are pretty similar!
 
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JackB1 said:
DParis....I found the Rebel required a pretty fast and whippy swing to perform properly. Do you agree? It forced me to swing faster that I like to and that was a negative. I also found the ball feel VERY muted...almost like it was tough to use the incoming feedback for the next shot. Other than those things, I liked the 98. It just didn't come close to my DC Pro in regards to on court results. But even with that said...I would still choose it over the X10-295. But they are pretty similar!
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I agree, the Reb98 and X10-295 are pretty similar. Even goes as far as the cosmetics. And I agree that a faster swing is required with the Rebel, but I'm sort of used to that with the X10. This seems to be consistent with many of the lighter "player" offerings whether it's the Rebel98, X295, Radical, PSGT... In its class, I find the X295 to have a wider swing speed window than the others, though. I had to swing the flexy Rebel fast, or leave the ball well inside the service box.

As far as feel goes, after removing the dampener, it wasn't too bad. If I recall correctly, you were a Ozone Tour user a while back and I think the feel of the Rebel is much better than the OT.

I think you may have had mushy strings in your demo. That will affect the feel and cause the trampolining you mention. I had a fairly fresh string job in my demo and I didn't notice any trampolining. Balls that sailed on me were probably due to me having too open a racquet face on impact - no fault of the racquet itself. I was more prone to have the ball take off on me when using the Becker Pro, actually. Sounds like you have found a nice string set up with the DCP and it's not a problem for you.
 
dParis said:
I agree, the Reb98 and X10-295 are pretty similar. Even goes as far as the cosmetics. And I agree that a faster swing is required with the Rebel, but I'm sort of used to that with the X10. This seems to be consistent with many of the lighter "player" offerings whether it's the Rebel98, X295, Radical, PSGT... In its class, I find the X295 to have a wider swing speed window than the others, though. I had to swing the flexy Rebel fast, or leave the ball well inside the service box.

As far as feel goes, after removing the dampener, it wasn't too bad. If I recall correctly, you were a Ozone Tour user a while back and I think the feel of the Rebel is much better than the OT.

I think you may have had mushy strings in your demo. That will affect the feel and cause the trampolining you mention. I had a fairly fresh string job in my demo and I didn't notice any trampolining. Balls that sailed on me were probably due to me having too open a racquet face on impact - no fault of the racquet itself. I was more prone to have the ball take off on me when using the Becker Pro, actually. Sounds like you have found a nice string set up with the DCP and it's not a problem for you.
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I have found that I don't do well with racquets that "force" me to swing too fast. I have medium speed swing and let the mass of the racquet do some work. Yes, I am sure the loose multi I had in my demo didn't help matters. If I were to make the Reb98 work for me, I would string it it with a crisp hybrid and replace the port holes with the string holes and then maybe add a little weight. I would adjust tension to allow for a deep ball without overswingjng.
 
JackB1 said:
I have found that I don't do well with racquets that "force" me to swing too fast. I have medium speed swing and let the mass of the racquet do some work. Yes, I am sure the loose multi I had in my demo didn't help matters. If I were to make the Reb98 work for me, I would string it it with a crisp hybrid and replace the port holes with the string holes and then maybe add a little weight. I would adjust tension to allow for a deep ball without overswingjng.
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Makes sense. Sounds like a recipe for success.
 
Hi, JackB1, been reading up on your different posts. Would like to ask if you would recommend any sting set up for the Rebel 98......poly....low/high tension. Thanks!

/chris
 
JackB1 said:
its a pretty powerful frame so I would use a multi or gut mains at 56-58 and copoly crosses at 53-54
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Thank you JackB1! Off topic but close to 6000 post I am reckoning you are one good source for information or knowledge! Also guessing you have tested a nice amount of different racquets...

Best regards,
Chris
 
vinnieSE said:
Thank you JackB1! Off topic but close to 6000 post I am reckoning you are one good source for information or knowledge! Also guessing you have tested a nice amount of different racquets...

Best regards,
Chris
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I have tested many racquets. I am just waiting for the call from the TW crew :). Glad to help!
 
Playing with the Rebel 98, still getting used to it.
I'm using TCS 17 at 53 on mains and Xcel at 57. Only set up I've used so far, i'll definitely tinker around with some set ups, but the ploy/gut or multi feels pretty nice so far.
 
JackB1 said:
its a pretty powerful frame so I would use a multi or gut mains at 56-58 and copoly crosses at 53-54
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Jack,

You found the 98 to be powerful? How do you compare it to the London? I found it not as powerful as the London and it allows me to swing out without the fear of shots flying. I don't find it as good on volleys as the Melbourne though. I strung it up similar to my London with VS Gut and NXT. Even with the lower flex rating, I don't find it as comfortable as the volkl or becker lines.
 
goherd27 said:
Jack,

You found the 98 to be powerful? How do you compare it to the London? I found it not as powerful as the London and it allows me to swing out without the fear of shots flying. I don't find it as good on volleys as the Melbourne though. I strung it up similar to my London with VS Gut and NXT. Even with the lower flex rating, I don't find it as comfortable as the volkl or becker lines.
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The Rebel 98 is just too flexy for me. I have found that I play and in particular serve much better with racquets that are around mid 60s stiffness. Comparing it to the London...I find the 98 requires faster snappier swing to be effective. The London works with a nice even swing and is better for flatter hitting. The Rebel is great for loopy topspin and baseline hitting. They are both powerful but are different types of racquets. The London may be slightly more powerful.
 
Can anyone give me their opinion on the swingweight and headlight balance of the Rebel 95 and 98 (non-Team) vs the current POG Mid 93?
Are the Rebels (current and previous) easier or harder to swing than the POGs?
 
TW Staff said:
I may have take a look at the DC Pro again then. :-)

Thanks for feedback! Yea, I really enjoy that racquet, its part of a group of racquets I'm considering switching to. On the list of potential racquets: Prince EXO3 Rebel 98, Slazenger Pro Braided, Head Youtek IG Prestige S, Head Youtek IG Radical MP, Dunlop Biomimetic 400 Tour.

And I just hit with a new Donnay that tickled my fancy too. Oh, decisions, decisions!

Jason, TW
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So Jason, what did u decide to go with? Is the Rebel 98 still in the running?
 
How do the old 95 compare to the new? I'm playing with a 6.1 95 18x20 now. Will the old 95 be less forgiving than the wilson? They are selling the old 95 for bargain prices and I'm a bit sceptical towards the o-ports on the new 95.

Anybody care to give me their 2 cents?
 
Supermange said:
How do the old 95 compare to the new? I'm playing with a 6.1 95 18x20 now. Will the old 95 be less forgiving than the wilson? They are selling the old 95 for bargain prices and I'm a bit sceptical towards the o-ports on the new 95.

Anybody care to give me their 2 cents?
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speed port rackets are super forgiving compared to many sticks on the market in my opinion, its the muted feel that comes with the tech that no one seems to enjoy. So, my answer will be yes the Rebel will be more forgiving than the wilson 95.

I've played with both the old 95 and demoed the new. The old model is still my main stick. The new 95 does feel lighter and just a bit livelier, but I can't give up the near perfect balance and weight the old 95 has. It's an absolute beast. The new rebel is by no means a wimp, but i it felt sluggish without those two points headlight.

I'm a big fan of classic feeling sticks, have been before i knew anything about rackets. I had two wilson Stings, mained a friends PoG, played the k95 team, and the pro staff classics. These all are in the same category of classic feel. Hefty, headlight rackets, with great feel.

I'd say the new rebel is definitely aimed at the modern game. Lighter for more head speed, customization, and versatility. Still a soft frame for possible compensation towards stiffer strings like polys.

This is all me talking out my booty though. Go demo em. Both are great sticks.
 
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