Which Prince?

adso1973

adso1973

Semi-Pro
Hi All,

In the last 3 years I've moved from Yonex to the prince side of the force from my beloved RDIS100 98 to the Classic Graphite, then the 100 tour 16x18 and then the TT100P... After that experience I would classify them as follow:
Feel: PCG, TT100P, 100T
Control: PCG, TT100P, 100T
Power: 100T, TT100P, PCG
Comfort: PCG, 100T, TT100P

My favourite was the PCG, got more wins with the 100T and really wanted to like the TT100P as was like an in between but my TE returned with it and I sold them.

During the last 2 months, I've returned to Yonex, I don't know why I always find yonex as the brand I would like to play and wear, some kind of fetiche... playing with the Ezone 98 with some weight on it to match the PCG. According to my hitting partner, I'm getting more plow, the racquet feel is ok but I am not winning matches anymore.. so as always.. blame the racquet.. but I can't deny that I played better with the princes, not sure if it is the grip shape, flex or what, but will all the prince frames I felt more confy and

So, now.. tempted to return to prince and I am looking at 3 possible frames
- Phantom 100 (as is similar to the 100T)
- Phantom 100P (as it looks similar to the PCG)
- Warrior 100 (as It had many good reviews indicating that is a comfortable, spin friendly racquet and maybe with some weight on it can get more plow)

What do you think?

or try another Yonex frame as the Vcore 98, the SV98 (price wise) or the Pro97 (probably more prince style)

Regards
 
If PCG tops all categories but power, you should go for it and use a powerful string if you lack power.
Going from racquet to racquet will never improve your tennis. I settled with PCG 2 years ago, and has not looked over my shoulder since.

Personally, I had good results with Tour 100s, but I never liked the disconnected feel. Fun is more important. PCG lends itself to fun.
 
I’ve switched between Prince and Yonex for two years now. I’ve played with the Ai98, Warrior 100, DR98, Textreme Tour 95 and the new VCORE 95. I always come back to my TT95. Every racquet review has the same 5 categories:

1. Power
2. Spin
3. Control
4. Comfort
5. Feel

And what I have determined over the couple years of racquetholism is that there is a 6th category for me and it’s Trust. Can I trust this racquet to do what I expect it to do in difficult situations? The answer is yes for the TT95. None of the other 5 categories matter if you don’t trust your stick. My racquet addiction is over.
 
Phantom 93P is my favourite of the Phantoms.

Plays like a 95. Exceptional control and feel. Good power especially on the FH. Not as spinny as what you are used to but with a gut/poly hybrid you can get more spin than you might expect in an 18x20 mid.
 
As a long time Prince user, I would try the Phantom Pro 100P or Pro 100 based on what you've said. The 100P being stiffer and more solid/stable feeling, the 100 being flexier, faster, and more maneuverable. I play with the latter, but understand why many prefer the former.
 
I'd still like to try the 93P, but all the other Phantom racquets I've tried were too flexy for my taste. I actually bought a PP100P, and I never thought I would say this but the beam is too thin. It makes my TT95 look chunky (which it isn't). If the 93p had a beam more like 20mm I'd probably pull the trigger on it, just as a "for fun" stick to keep in the bag. At 16mm it's just way too thin.
 
Another vote for the 93P.

However, I feel 93P suits players with all-court games more, in the sense that an all-court play style appreciates its maneuverability and touch/feel. If you actively camp behind baseline and only come to the net if you have to, then the 100 sq inch offerings may help your game more.
 
adso1973 said:
Hi All,

In the last 3 years I've moved from Yonex to the prince side of the force from my beloved RDIS100 98 to the Classic Graphite, then the 100 tour 16x18 and then the TT100P... After that experience I would classify them as follow:
Feel: PCG, TT100P, 100T
Control: PCG, TT100P, 100T
Power: 100T, TT100P, PCG
Comfort: PCG, 100T, TT100P

My favourite was the PCG, got more wins with the 100T and really wanted to like the TT100P as was like an in between but my TE returned with it and I sold them.

During the last 2 months, I've returned to Yonex, I don't know why I always find yonex as the brand I would like to play and wear, some kind of fetiche... playing with the Ezone 98 with some weight on it to match the PCG. According to my hitting partner, I'm getting more plow, the racquet feel is ok but I am not winning matches anymore.. so as always.. blame the racquet.. but I can't deny that I played better with the princes, not sure if it is the grip shape, flex or what, but will all the prince frames I felt more confy and

So, now.. tempted to return to prince and I am looking at 3 possible frames
- Phantom 100 (as is similar to the 100T)
- Phantom 100P (as it looks similar to the PCG)
- Warrior 100 (as It had many good reviews indicating that is a comfortable, spin friendly racquet and maybe with some weight on it can get more plow)

What do you think?

or try another Yonex frame as the Vcore 98, the SV98 (price wise) or the Pro97 (probably more prince style)

Regards
Click to expand...
Just curious...why are you switching rackets so often in such a short space of time? To try them all and see what works best or something else?
 
hurworld said:
Another vote for the 93P.

However, I feel 93P suits players with all-court games more, in the sense that an all-court play style appreciates its maneuverability and touch/feel. If you actively camp behind baseline and only come to the net if you have to, then the 100 sq inch offerings may help your game more.
Click to expand...

I'd put it that 93P will bring out the all court game that lurks in everyone of us. Or at least those of us that are 40 years of age and over lol.

You probably can play a decent baseline game with it especially if you favor the 1HBH. But the racket has such good feel and control and slices so well, it really begs you to chip and charge. If that is totally not your cup of tea then I'm not sure any of the phantoms are the stick of choice. POG 107 is probably a better baseliners stick.

Its funny how so many rec players just want to hang back. The pros hang back because they have to. Most rec players hang back because they want to.
 
Grey Wolf 87 said:
Just curious...why are you switching rackets so often in such a short space of time? To try them all and see what works best or something else?
Click to expand...

A 3 years ago, I went for a training to Virginia, found a couple of PCG used on sale and was curious about how it felt, liked the feel and started playing with them, sold my RDIS (old and chipped). After reading many people talking about the 100T as a baseliners dream, as Im a clay baseliner, on another trip to US bought a couple (also on sale).. kept them for a while and didn't want to switch.... but on a 12 hs connection delay at houston airport, found tennis shop with a brand new TT100P at $90.. was too tempting, so bought one, liked it, sold my 100T.. and after a while started with TE again.. sold the TT.. back to my PCG but missing the free power of the 100T and TT.. finally a friend of my was selling an ezone 98 in good condition and price.... you may imagine how it ends..

This story is probably very similar to many of the raquetholics in this forum... as I said Yonex is Yonex.. and there is something cosmetics, shape, feel (better on the RDIS, RDS, RDTI80 and older frames) that always make me want to buy them.. something similar with Volkl but I never found a volkl frame I really like.. but with Prince, I feel confident when playing..

hurworld said:
Another vote for the 93P.
Click to expand...
mmm... In my opinion the 93P will be too demanding, I am more an aggressive player but on clay I found myself on the defensive side many times, I've played with the 6.1 95 (more than 10 years ago), RQis 95, RDIS93 and over 40 I found 98 or 100 easier to play in both situations.

Thanks for your answers
 
adso1973 said:
mmm... In my opinion the 93P will be too demanding, I am more an aggressive player but on clay I found myself on the defensive side many times, I've played with the 6.1 95 (more than 10 years ago), RQis 95, RDIS93 and over 40 I found 98 or 100 easier to play in both situations.
Click to expand...

I thought it might be too, but I really play better with it than my Phantom 100. When a racquet feels like an extension of your arm, it can be very confidence boosting.

I played a guy in league this week that hits out and puts you on the defensive all the time. I got crushed by him last year with my Phantom 100. This year I took him on with the 93P. Much closer match, basically one break of serve per set on no-ad points. The control on the 93P allowed me to locate serves into his backhand and body, giving me short balls which I find easy to put away with the 93P. That was the big difference. With the 100 I hit too many wheelhouse serves to his forehand that put me on the defensive from the get go.

Every racket is a compromise somewhere and I'm convinced that people worry too much about misshits when choosing frame size. As long as there is a generous sweetspot, frame size is of little consequence for most play. 93P has a generous sweetspot.

And it feels nothing like a 6.1 95 in a good way.
 
Dartagnan64 said:
Its funny how so many rec players just want to hang back. The pros hang back because they have to. Most rec players hang back because they want to.
Click to expand...

I agree. But, it's also true that player skill scales down evenly. In other words, even though I'm not facing Djokovic-like passing shots when I serve and volley, I'm also not exactly sticking volleys and moving to the net like Federer. So, it's not really that much different. I think the biggest advantage we have as rec players in coming to the net is that most of these young'ns haven't seen that style of play very much, and they get pressured by it.
 
Warrior 100 will have even more power than 100t. A bit more stable too but you also might miss long with that extra power depending on string and tension and how much spin you impart. Serves the biggest out of the 3.

I think phantom 100p is the closest one to pcg100 though I do think you'll need to invest time in working out your preferred tension with strings as it likes to be low.
 
I think 93P wins compared to TT95. Not sure the new TT95 with Twaron( maybe released this month or December ) would bring it back to competition to 93p. We will see
 
I would take a look at the 93P. It does not feel 93. In comparison to 100" frames, it really doesn't look all that smaller, either, but it definitely plays more potent. I can't recommend the frame enough, especially strung with thin poly around 48 to 50 lbs.
 
Thanks all for your replies.
Cup8489 said:
To be clear, are you talking about the PCG Oversize, Midplus, or Midsize? all quite different frames.
Click to expand...
I am talking about the midplus 100 sqr 27''.

Many of you suggested the 93, I've played with mids in the past and always felt great.. back from my old puma BB 90, kblade 93, rdis100 mid... always tempted to demo the PB10mid.. those are all great frames, incredible feel, scalpel serves, great for 1HBH, comfortable (flex and weight help) and when your in a good mood you feel you can hit winners all day long with them (at least that is what I felt).. but if I could hit winners all day long with a mid size I would be playing in london masters series these days.

I really understand what you mean, I know the feel... and you are tempting me.. but I've passed my 40s, I play on clay, I like S&V but surface made me a baseliner, most of the people I play with are younger counter punchers and usually have to go to a 3rd set, I know that to win a match I need to avoid unforced errors, keep the ball in play deep to keep my opponent on the baseline until I find the moment to attack, play smart on defense... sure, I can do that with a mid, but a mp is more forgiving, usually more spin friendly (to keep the ball deep and inside the court) and helps to save energy for winners and 3rd sets.. but that is my opinion.. maybe I will have to demo it or try the VC95 as well (yo- yo- yonex!!;)).

But, after putting some ice on my racquetholic head.. cooling down.. and wallet wise.. I believe a 98 or a 100sq.. around 310/320gr, 7pts HL, soft (<64RA) is what works better for me.. and I've also thought on the speed pro, radical pro, PS97, PDT also fill the gap.. but I've played with prince and helped me to cure my TE.. so why look somewhere else... also Head, Wilson and Bab quality is not that good..

Thanks!!
 
adso1973 said:
Thanks all for your replies.

I am talking about the midplus 100 sqr 27''.

Many of you suggested the 93, I've played with mids in the past and always felt great.. back from my old puma BB 90, kblade 93, rdis100 mid... always tempted to demo the PB10mid.. those are all great frames, incredible feel, scalpel serves, great for 1HBH, comfortable (flex and weight help) and when your in a good mood you feel you can hit winners all day long with them (at least that is what I felt).. but if I could hit winners all day long with a mid size I would be playing in london masters series these days.

I really understand what you mean, I know the feel... and you are tempting me.. but I've passed my 40s, I play on clay, I like S&V but surface made me a baseliner, most of the people I play with are younger counter punchers and usually have to go to a 3rd set, I know that to win a match I need to avoid unforced errors, keep the ball in play deep to keep my opponent on the baseline until I find the moment to attack, play smart on defense... sure, I can do that with a mid, but a mp is more forgiving, usually more spin friendly (to keep the ball deep and inside the court) and helps to save energy for winners and 3rd sets.. but that is my opinion.. maybe I will have to demo it or try the VC95 as well (yo- yo- yonex!!;)).

But, after putting some ice on my racquetholic head.. cooling down.. and wallet wise.. I believe a 98 or a 100sq.. around 310/320gr, 7pts HL, soft (<64RA) is what works better for me.. and I've also thought on the speed pro, radical pro, PS97, PDT also fill the gap.. but I've played with prince and helped me to cure my TE.. so why look somewhere else... also Head, Wilson and Bab quality is not that good..

Thanks!!
Click to expand...

TBH. my favourite Prince racket for playing the baseline game on clay is the POG 107. Sometimes you can't beat the classics. It might be a bit more demanding that what you are looking for but it is forgiving, gets great pace, depth and spin for the clay game.
 
adso1973 said:
Anotherone that I've wanted to try, but I have the mp... how different might they be?
Click to expand...

I've never played the POG MP. But it is definitely a different beast from the POG from what I've heard. @graycrait might know better since he has quite the Prince collection.

All I know is if I was preparing for a singles match on clay I'd be prepping with my POG OS over my Phantoms. It's a bit sluggish for fast hardcourt so my fast swinging 93P does much better there.
 
adso1973 said:
Anotherone that I've wanted to try, but I have the mp... how different might they be?
Click to expand...
@Dartagnan64 is right I have a fair pile of Princes right now. 30 or so. I have around 19 or 20 93" and 5 POG 107. I really think the POG 107 and the POG "93" are like night and day. When I go out to play around with friends I use some sort of 93" Prince now. If I get hornswoggled into subbing in league play where I might have a doubles partner who is concerned about status and winning I will use the POG 107. The 107 allows me a bit more carelessness at the net. However, both provide a degree of comfort that I haven't found in other rackets. I've had PKs, Yonex, etc.
 
I’m still trying to answer this question for myself. Coming back to the game at 50, after a 15 year hiatus that followed a 20 year hiatus, I have been rabidly absorbing information on racquets, strings, and strokes, trying to totally revamp my game into a more modern version of tennis.

I have gone through the entire list of Princes here, starting with the Warrior 100T, (bought 2 on sale) then saw my local shop (Racket Doctor in LA) was selling their Tour 100P Demo for cheap, so I said, “Why not?” Fell in love, sold the Warriors - which now felt too whippy and powerful - to a friend. Then tried the Tour 95 (from the auction house who shall not be named) “yes, this is the one!” Until someone asked, “have you seen the Phantoms?” Oh, no! When will this end?

PPP100 and 100P are REALLY similar, but a world diiferent than the Tours. Much more vintage feel. (And I personally respond to the resonance of the vibration.) I have trouble with overhitting, so this journey has been one of trying to find a low enough power racquet that I can keep the ball in the court.

Ultimately I feel like I will end up with the 93P, but when I demoed it earlier this year, it was still too much racquet for me. Great serves and great groundies, until I got stretched to the corners, then I didn’t have enough punch to get much on the return. My volleys were dismal, but I’m going to blame myself for that. I’m still improving, so I can address those weak points and hope to try the 93 again soon.

In the meantime, I now have way too many racquets, and am probably going to start posting them in the classified section.
 
Funny how the PCG keeps hanging around. It's such a great racquet. I won't sell mine. Why don't any companies make a version of it?
 
beltsman said:
Funny how the PCG keeps hanging around. It's such a great racquet. I won't sell mine. Why don't any companies make a version of it?
Click to expand...

Certainly you’d think Prince would try to modernize it with some Textreme/Twaron materials. They did such a good job with the 93p, I’m sure they’ve got the know-how on board.
 
Dartagnan64 said:
Certainly you’d think Prince would try to modernize it with some Textreme/Twaron materials. They did such a good job with the 93p, I’m sure they’ve got the know-how on board.
Click to expand...

I think textreme would ruin it, but generally, yeah, you'd think they would keep it alive.
 
adso1973 said:
Hi All,

In the last 3 years I've moved from Yonex to the prince side of the force from my beloved RDIS100 98 to the Classic Graphite, then the 100 tour 16x18 and then the TT100P... After that experience I would classify them as follow:
Feel: PCG, TT100P, 100T
Control: PCG, TT100P, 100T
Power: 100T, TT100P, PCG
Comfort: PCG, 100T, TT100P

My favourite was the PCG, got more wins with the 100T and really wanted to like the TT100P as was like an in between but my TE returned with it and I sold them.

During the last 2 months, I've returned to Yonex, I don't know why I always find yonex as the brand I would like to play and wear, some kind of fetiche... playing with the Ezone 98 with some weight on it to match the PCG. According to my hitting partner, I'm getting more plow, the racquet feel is ok but I am not winning matches anymore.. so as always.. blame the racquet.. but I can't deny that I played better with the princes, not sure if it is the grip shape, flex or what, but will all the prince frames I felt more confy and

So, now.. tempted to return to prince and I am looking at 3 possible frames
- Phantom 100 (as is similar to the 100T)
- Phantom 100P (as it looks similar to the PCG)
- Warrior 100 (as It had many good reviews indicating that is a comfortable, spin friendly racquet and maybe with some weight on it can get more plow)

What do you think?

or try another Yonex frame as the Vcore 98, the SV98 (price wise) or the Pro97 (probably more prince style)

Regards
Click to expand...

Take a look on this:

https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...hantom-pro-and-phantom-pro100p.605428/page-38
 
jmacdaununder2 said:
New Tour 100 models with more conventional beam width and twaron coming soonish :love:
Click to expand...

Oh, ok. More conventional compared to the Phantoms. Same beam width as current Tour models, just with Twaron/aramid. Got it.

Will be interesting to see how aramid affects a softer racquet. Isn’t it usually present in stiffer models to help mellow them out? (Pro Staff & Beast in the 65+ RA range) and looks like it will be only in the throat, in a Textreme weave.

Oh, and Michelle from TW references the existence of these models (coming soon...ish?)

And this page was found in another forum thread here, so I think it’s ok.

https://princetennis.jp/product/7tj075


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
beltsman said:
I think textreme would ruin it, but generally, yeah, you'd think they would keep it alive.
Click to expand...


You think so? I mean the 93P is a really sweet frame with Textreme. If you could get anywhere close to that racket's fine mix of balance and crisp feel with the POG 107's stability and forgiveness, you'd have a really sweet frame.
 
Dartagnan64 said:
You think so? I mean the 93P is a really sweet frame with Textreme. If you could get anywhere close to that racket's fine mix of balance and crisp feel with the POG 107's stability and forgiveness, you'd have a really sweet frame.
Click to expand...

I haven't hit with the 93P, but I have hit with a number of other Textremes and I'm not a big fan. Just didn't like the feel. I do still have my Phantom though, in case I ever get arm trouble.
 
fortunecookiesjc said:
I loved the phantom pro but nothing trumps my prince graphite 100
Click to expand...
Looks like this is a common feeling... Same with some other brands and frames as classic 6.1, old Prestiges & Radicals, RDX 500 & RDTI 80... Those frames had everything you need low power, nice flex, comfort, control... Maybe not the power or spin you can get with newer frames but strings development during the last years may improve that...
But I don't want to change the subject, this thread is abot which prince... Right now I'm between the phantom with ports and the phantom pro 100p.

thanks for your replies!
 
beltsman said:
I haven't hit with the 93P, but I have hit with a number of other Textremes and I'm not a big fan. Just didn't like the feel. I do still have my Phantom though, in case I ever get arm trouble.
Click to expand...

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. I think Textreme was one of the few innovations of late that has improved racquets compared to graphene, countervail and cortex technologies from those "other" companies.

Really like the feel on my Prince Phantoms and Tour 100T over a lot of other modern frames.
 
I played all the fantoms exept the 93p,the tour 100 and exo3, the TT100P and warrior, also yonex and head frames, nothing can beat my old synergy db 24 midplus
 
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