Prince EXO3 Graphite 100

 

Well here we are, another year, and yet another Prince. At least I am cutting down on my racquet addiction, at the risk of getting boring. However I am really liking my Prince Tour 100 16x19, to the extent where my other racquets now feel a bit stiff, so this is a candidate for backup #1.

If you look back at the Prince 730 and the Tour NXG the lineage is clear. With a 19mm beam this should have plenty of control. Watch this space for my opinion once I've tested it.

Prince Textreme Tour 100 (290)

 

At 290gm, this is the lightest version of this stick, there are 300gm and 310gm versions as well. 

It's slightly head heavy as stock, with a 325gm swingweight that emphasises that feeling. I liked the balance between power and control from the baseline, and found a good length very quickly. I could whip around reasonably easily due to its light weight, but the head still felt quite reluctant to accelerate into a shot.  I'm going to add 30gms under the butt cap to counterbalance the head, taking it to 11.4oz and see how it feels. 

(update )

reweighting to slightly head-light felt a lot more comfortable. still a cracker from the baseline. my accuracy on my sliced one-hand backhand is  more erratic, though. 

But its easy power and still lighter weight than my NTour and PK Destiny make it a fun stick to play with, so it will stay in my bag while I decide whether it or the NTour becomes my first choice.

Update May 2023:  still undecided;  I LOVE this stick off the ground, but I have to say my volley isn't as precise as with the Ntour, maybe the 16x18 pattern is to blame?  I still use it a lot!

Prince Tour NXG Graphite Midplus

AS I've mentioned elsewhere, I've mainly been a Wilson racquet loyalist, probably because they tend to be quite a bit stiffer than others, and more suited to the serve-and-volley style of my younger self. Still on a Prince demo day I found two racquets I rather liked;  the Prince NXG, and Prince Diablo (so you can probably guess the demo year by those models!)

They were both definitely traditional players racquets, heavier and headlight, with a bit more flex than the average Wilson (and IIRC at the time I was using the Wilson ROK, one of the flexier Wilsons they made)

So recently when a cheap NXG in decent condition came along, I grabbed it. The NXG stands for "NeXt Generation" , and as it implies, it will only do exactly what it's told, no more or less, and you have to grab it by the scruff of the neck to even get that out of it!

Joking (and the weird paintjob) aside, this is a classic thin-beam control racquet. People have criticised its dead feel (the handle is designed to minimise vibration and shock transfer) and this would not be to everyone's taste, but it's not going to launch the ball into the back fence, either.

Yonex R-1

 
My first tennis racquets were Yonex, which were very popular with club players in the late seventies and early eighties. My first was the Carbonex 8, which in the Seventies must have been one of the very early graphite racquets, followed by the R-3, an aluminium racquet which was the successor to the very popular  OPS series of alloy racquets, the R3 differing from the OPS series by its rectangular shape which became a Yonex signature theme.

Now this is where it got confusing, because the R-1, R-2 and R-3 model names existed as both an aluminium series and a graphite series, with only the rectangular shape in common.

The R-1 is a solid even-balanced racquet that plays very nicely, being stiffer and therefore a bit more powerful than similar racquets of the era like the PK Silver Ace. Id' consider it to be the forerunner of my RDX500, with a similar boxy frame that usually carries a nice blend of power and control. 

OK, I've got number 1;  now for the other twenty-odd R-series Yonex graphites!

Pro Kennex Composite Destiny

 This is the first of the three versions of the original Destiny model, all of which have different compositions and flexibility.  The Composite Destiny reportedly has a 60/40 Graphite/Fibreglass mix, and is the slightly heaviest of the three, coming in a shade under 13oz strung.

It's even balanced, which means it swings quiet a bit heavier than its bigger brother , the head-light Graphite Destiny, and has noticeably less power;  but since the Graphite is far from underpowered, that's not necessarily bad.

It's a lovely looking racquet, but I suspect it won't be replacing the Graphite Destiny  in my affections just yet. Now I just need the middle of the series, the gorgeous cherry-red Ceramic Destiny, to complete the trio of possibly the best looking racquets ever made.

Wilson BLX Blade 98

This racquet is similar to the Tour in specs; more flex and closer to even balance than the Pro Staff / 6.1.
It has a little more heft (11.4oz) than the Tour, and the narrow beam of a player's stick.

I had a different experience from the Tennis Warehouse playtesters though;  they called the racquet stiff, but at 64 it actually comes in as one of Wilson's flexier sticks, and that's how it played for me; plenty of feel on the groundies. Unlike the testers, I didn't find it as good on the serve, lacking penetrative power.

I fixed that with an ounce of lead in the handle, which put it a lot closer to the very head-light balance I prefer, and added a lot more grunt to the serve and service return. It also made a good volleyer even better, with the handle weight countering its good head mass.That put the weight up to  12.4oz, similar to my hefty PS 5.0 sticks. Like the Tour, it has less power and more control off the ground than the 5.0.  I still prefer the 5.0 for serving, but the Blade may be the better all-rounder.

** addendum

 This is a good racquet, but if you buy second-hand, make sure there are no cracks in the frame;  being thin-beamed, it is easily damaged by e.g. bouncing it on the ground, which is a dumb thing to do anyway. look for shock cracks at the yoke (where the hoop joins the handle) and just above the handle where the side-beams join the handle.

Pro Kennex Asymmetric

Q: What goes ThickThinThickThinThickThin? A train? A python after a meal of rabbits?  No, folks it's the PK Asymmetric. The decidedly odd shape, where the racquet is always thicker on one side of the hoop than that directly opposite, is apparently some form of damping strategy, as by all acounts this is a very arm-friendly racquet.

I got it because if its similarity in looks to the great PK Destiny. Unfortunately they are very different; The Asymmetric is also very head-heavy, and that didn't feel great at all, I could not get my timing right with it. I might try loading a bit of lead into the handle and see if a bit of rebalancing helps. Until then, I'll consign this to the category of Weird Ideas That Didn't Really Work.

Yonex RDX500

The RDX500 has gained an enthusiastic following, based on its touch and arm-friendly flex, although I have seen it described as "mushy". Its a narrow 18mm beam , heavyish (12.3oz) 98 sq in headlight (8 pts) stick, so its specs fall easily into the "players racquet" camp.

Mine came strung with Pro Supex 17g, which is a soft low-powered string anyway, amplifying the RDX's prime characteristics, to make it TOO soft and low-powered. I had also put this string into my Wilson Hammer 6.2, and wasn't impressed with how it went in that, either. With both , I have plenty of control, but struggle to exert any sort of pressure on my opponent.

I'll try it with something livelier some time and see if I agree with its many fans.

UPDATE - November 2015

Well it's been a while coming, but I've come back to the RDX; and am I glad I did.

I had been using my 'ol faithful ProStaff 5.0's up until now, but lets face it, they are brutally stiff and consequently so hard on the arm;  I tried flirting with the Wilson Blade 98 to avoid the punishment, but they are so different to the PS5 I never felt comfortable;

In desperation I turned to the RDX as a stick with a reputation for being a bit kinder to the arm, and replaced the awful Pro Supex poly with a hybrid Wilson Extreme 17 / Polystar 17 mix, strung 57/54, that I was using on my PS5s;

Wow, what a difference; gone was the mushiness, ping went the volleys, decent power was back,  it felt perfect. Now I know why this stick has so many fans, it is a true all-rounder.

Yonex RQ-380

This is not a traditional player's racquet. But I'd always lusted after one, from the days when I played with the metal Yonex R-3. At the time , this was the top of the line, and and I thought the matt grey finish looked mean. It said "I'm made of Boron, Kevlar, and Carbon, and I can put a hole clean thru you."  and it can.

With its macho looks, its a bit surprising that it was the stick of choice of Monica Seles and Anna Kournikova - must have been its broad shoulders that appealed. I must admit that I did feel the urge to hit two-handed shots all day, while flicking my long blonde hair out of the way.

Joking aside, its kind of fun to hit with, although I can see why Monica strung it at 90 lb (no that's not a misprint, and amazingly no stringers died in the attempts). It feels clubbier than it is, at 12.5oz but virtually even balance; it is certainly a rocket launcher on serve, and flat forehands, but not a great volleyer. it's like a good looking girlfriend that you like to have on your arm, but a little difficult to handle.

Prince Precision 730 Longbody

Prince Precision 730 Longbody

PP730 Detail

I tend to prefer Wilson racquets rather than Prince; I can't say why for sure, maybe they tend to be on the stiffer side. However I have hit with a couple of Princes on a Demo Day that I quite liked, the Diablo, and the NXG; both good control racquets.

This Precision 730 is similar, and once I have replaced the tired strings I intend to use it a bit more and see if it's a real threat to my Wilsons and the PK Destiny. I'm thinking a good nylon rather than poly, to keep it lively, because it has plenty of feel and control.  

It's longer than standard (is it 28" or 28.5"?) but I've never found the extra length handy in any stick.

It certainly is a nice looking stick in its emerald green metallic pj.

Wilson Ultra (Tapered Beam) Firebird

Wilson Ultra Firebird

Yet another Wilson racquet with the signature PWS bumps at 3 and 9 oclock - This is the first I've owned with the tapered beam, and although the strings are saggy and need replacing, its looking good - plenty of feel and enough power not to be hard work like I feel the PSC 6.1 is. I believe it is the same mould as the Wilson Ultra FPK 95, and is a European-only release.

As an aside, I have a Staff from the High Beam series, and it is a bit too powerful to be reliable, like the Graphite Aggressor I had from the same mould.

 The tapered beam feels quite different, not too stiff - I'll put some new strings in it, and if I gain a bit more control without losing too much power, this might be a keeper


<edit>   Ok, well putting some RPM Blast poly in this did it no favours;  it's now a rather sullen underpowered beast, and maybe playing with more flexy-throated racquets like the PK Destiny recently has coloured my impressions.  In the meantime it goes back to the cupboard until I can spare it some livelier nylon.

Wilson Ncode Ntour

Wilson Ncode Ntour

Ok, some think that racquets like this  are too modern to have earned their stripes as "classic", but there are a few like the Ntour that are already on their way to classic status - Babolat Pure Drive, for example (which is really a remould of my beloved PK Destiny, but I digress)

As you may already know this Wilson family started with the Hammer 5.2, dubbed "the least hammer-ish Hammer" by TWH testers - and its true, they are a lot closer to even balance than the rest of the line.

Successors were the Htour/Ktour/BLX tour, all to the same successful recipe.

Davenport and Henin were early adopters of these, and I can see why.

Mine's been given a bit of weight in the handle, as I felt the the static weight (in the low 10 oz region) was a bit light - the weight also moved it into slightly head-light mode, and that plus the extra heft made it better for service returns, as well.

Its still quite a stiff racquet, but not overly so, particularly for a Wilson - mid sixties in stiffness rating, perhaps? Anyway even as stock, its a real nice solid stick off the ground with plenty of feel. That extra weight in the handle helped make it a bit more manoeuvrable, too - its a competent volleyer as stock, but there's no doubt the more head-light a stick is, the easier it is to flick around. It gives me more spin than my PS 5.0, too, and seems to find a wider service angle than the PS.

 It's a racquet I use often, especially in singles.

Donnay WST Universe

Donnay WST Universe Supermid

I can't even remember how I came by the Donnay, must have been as part of another purchase. It's a clunky looking stick with its thick frame, and the fluoro colours are a 90's Donnay trademark. But it turned out to be a pleasant surprise, doing the control/power balance just fine, thanks. Donnay made their reputation from their wooden racquets, but their composite frames have a lot of fans too.

Be careful though - I believe Donnay got into financial strife, closed down, and the label has been revived - some quite cheap and nasty Donnays around now, as with most major brands. Some of them LOOK like players sticks, and I'd be interested to hear if they are what they appear.

Wilson Prostaff Classic 6.1

Wilson Prostaff Classic 6.1

Stefan Edberg's choice of racquet,  in the famous Prostaff line - I had big expectations of this racquet.

It is very head-light, and also quite flexy - some of the stiffness figures I've seen don't look right, this would rate in the low sixties.

I have to confess to giving up on this stick;  it gave me no power on the serve, even with a little weight at 3 and 9, which did wonders on my very similarly-weighted (and brilliant but fragile) Prostaff ROK. It also seems to get stiffer if you swing it faster - maybe thats the kevlar.

Nice off the ground, but my Ntour does that too, and everything else a lot better.  maybe the should have a label "Grasscourt Use Only".

Wilson Avenger

Wilson Avenger

The classic Prostaff profile of this caught my eye one day - and it's quite a nice racquet. Plenty of flex (60% graphite, 40% fibreglass) for control but goes thru the ball with a solid "thwap" on the groundies, terrific plough-through.

I would like a little more feel, its a very muted racquet, but with the 95sq in head its not a bad volleyer.  I like it.

Yonex Glaflex

Yonex Glaflex

I used to love my black Yonex Carbonex 8 back in my beginner days, so when I saw this from the same era, I couldn't resist it. The Glaflex was normally also black, so I was a tad surprised when I found this red version. Its actually fibreglass over aluminium, and the result weighs in at over 14oz. It's head heavy and swings like a blacksmith's hammer.

On the Classic Racquet's forum they talked about a "muted thoonk" sound this thing makes - In my case,that was the sound of the ball hitting the back fence at the far end (and leaving a dent). The swing was so clubby I could hardly hit the ball in the first place, but when i did .... Oh well, nostalgia ain't what it used to be.

Yonex OPS-102

Yonex OPS-102

Rossignol F200

Rossignol F200

Rossignol F200 detail

the Rossi is... interesting. They do not exaggerate when talking about it's legendary flexiness. Ideal for powerful baseliners,  hard work for mortals like me. It's like trying to beat your opponent to death with a wet noodle.

Pro Kennex Silver Ace

Pro Kennex Silver Ace

My one is the white version, but the black version is more common - do not ask me where the silver bit comes from.

these racquets are very fondly regarded by most; I prefer my PK Destiny. The Silver Ace is a very flexible and low-powered racquet, with a sweet spot that seems even smaller than the 90sqin head would suggest. Good plough-through on serves and baseline  stuff - so it should have, mine is just over 13oz strung, quite heavy

Pro Kennex Graphite Destiny

What a nice racquet - does everything well. I understand Kennex used to make most of the world's racquets, and probably still do - and their experience shows, they have made a lot of cheap-and-nasty stuff, but their top racquets are usually pretty damn good.

I understand that the Graphite Destiny is the stiffest in the Destiny range, the next being a gorgeous cherry-red thing called the Ceramic Destiny. A friend has the blue-green Composite Destiny, which is also a lovely looking thing, although not quite to my taste, being lot flexier than mine. There is also the off-white Pearl Destiny, and I don't know where that sits in the range! These all have a narrow (17.3mm) beam at the throat, so they're not as stiff as modern racquets, with good feel off the ground.

Its a typical player's stick, around the 12oz mark, quite head-light, and feels quite modern;  topspinners may find the slightly wide aero hoop a bit off-putting, though.