Let me preface this Prince Phantom Pro 100P review by saying: This is my racquet of choice, and it’s not close.
The Prince Phantom Pro 100P is an incredibly interesting racquet and very unique in the current market. It’s an intro to player racquet and throwback to classic racquet. To start, the Pro 100P plays nothing like modern racquets. If you’re used to a Babolat or Yonex racquet, this is going to be a HUGE transition. This racquet has very limited “free” power. It is incredibly string dependent, and from the setups I have tried, shouldn’t be strung higher than 48 pounds. The Prince Phantom Pro 100P will shine for players who attack the ball, like to move forward, and want spin fueled control.
Prince Phantom Pro 100P Review: Playtest
Starting with the pros of the Pro 100P, it’s a super whippy racquet because it carries a manageable, but solid, 11.5 ounces in the handle and throat of the racquet. It gives the racquet a very solid feel, especially at net. On serves, the thin, tapered beam, easily cuts through the air giving kick and slice serves a ton a movement. The tapered beam moves the sweet spot up a bit in the racquet to where most players hit the ball more. The 330 swingweight was an adjustment for me, coming from a racquet in the high 3-teens, but it was massively rewarding once I got used to it. This racquet plays much more like classic player frames than most 100 square inch racquets. I haven’t played much with the BLX 6.1 95, but the little bit I have, they played fairly similarly.
The open 16-18 string pattern was a great fit for my game. It gives the ball a much higher launch angle but really dips the ball at the baseline. The high launch angle also makes for easy depth on groundstrokes. Solid technique is rewarded with a heavy ball. Despite the open string pattern, targeting is still good because of the ridiculous spin. The sweet spot is big and deep. Specifically, the sweet spot is super wide. I pretty much have to frame the ball to not find the sweet spot.
The entire Phantom line offers an incredibly soft feel, and the Pro 100P is no exception. The flex in the frame allows for great touch, especially at the net. Touch shots and sharp angles are an absolute dream with this racquet. The plush feel also makes any string playable. I’ve had lots of arm problems over the years, and no matter what I put in this racquet haven’t had any issues with pain.
To the cons: while I haven’t had any pain from any of the strings I’ve had in the Phantom Pro 100P, stiff polys and other low powered strings struggle in this racquet. It is a very low powered frame and gets almost no action when strung above 50 pounds.
If you’re used to modern player frames or the crisp response from the current tweeners, this racquet is a tough switch.
The racquet demands a full stroke on every shot, and I mean every shot. Even when blocking the ball, you have to put something into the ball. The biggest adjustment for me was taking a full stroke at balls I usually would have just blocked back. Slice shots really require good technique, or everything ends up being a half-hearted drop shot.
Prince Phantom Pro 100P Review: Final thoughts & Conclusion
Overall, I loved the Prince Phantom Pro 100P. It plays with the control of a 95, but the forgiveness of a 100. The tapered thin beam moves the sweet spot higher on the string bed, allowing for better use of the sweet spot by most players. If you’re looking for a control-oriented frame that still has great forgiveness, this is a great place to start looking. The 11.5 ounces is a great introduction to heavier frames, and this is one of the only current sticks that hits in that weight range in stock form. If you’ve had arm problems or wish you could find a racquet like the one you used to play with, again, this is a good place to look. If you want easy power off both wings or like the crisp response of modern playing racquets, this probably isn’t the racquet for you, but still may be worth a shot if you’ve never hit something like it.
Buy or Demo a Prince Phantom Pro 100P from Tennis-Warehouse
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