Prince Tennis Racket (Tennis Equipment in general)

Member Name: thespurs

Product:	Tennis Equipment in general
Date:	22/07/04 (2481 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: See Review

Disadvantages: See Review

I am a keen tennis player and I like to think that I am very good. I play for about six to eight hours per week depending on the weather. I play in competitions and have coaching sessions throughout the week. I will justify my reasons for using this tennis racket in the paragraphs that follow this one.

---Power---

This racket has a very low power rating. This means you have to generate much of your power yourself, through your technique and the natural power you posses. The benifit of have a low level of power, is that you can really strike through the ball without much fear that it will go out of the court. This makes me feel a lot more comfortable when playing as I know that I have a larger margin for error to play with. Due to the lack of power, you get more control.

---Control---

This racket is designed to give the user maximum control over the tennis ball. Players of a higher standard use rackets that offer more control in order to build up their consitency. The racket gives you a great deal of control over the ball, so those who have good touch will benifit from using it. I am good at the net with my volleys and I have good touch and this racket aid my game as I can have improved control over the tennis ball.

I think this racket will last me for another two to three years, before it begins to weaken. I will have got an awful lot of use out of it by then and it will have been worth my initail cash outlay of £70.

---Comfort---

The racket isn't the most comfortable for the playing using it, because the string tension is set very high on this type of lower power racket. A powerful or heavy shot from an opponent will fell very awkward if you misjudge the shot and don't find the middle of the racket. Those who play with this sort of racket are good enough that they will be finding the sweet on a very regualr basis. So, if you use the racket correctly it will feel fairly good but if you don't
your hand will hurt.

---Durability---

I have had this racket for around 6 months now and it is still in excellent condition. There are a few scratches on the frame, but you come to expect this on a tennis racket after a while. The strings have broken once, but this is down to the high tension that they are strung to. It is not a problem to replace them if they do break. The grip that come with the racket is very good and you probably get around 100 hours of tennis out of it. The new grips I use wear down much faster because they are special 'air grips'.

---Replacing Parts---

Prince offer a wide range of grips and strings from their website and at their various outlets within tennis clubs. You can also by replacement vibration dampeners if your one wear out. You can have your racket restrung at some tennis clubs or at some 'sole trading' sport outlets. The fee for this can vary, some will restring the racket for the price of the string or others may charge a one off fee when you provide the string.

---Value for Money---

You can pick this racket up for around £70, as it has been discontinued by the manufacturers Prince. This is still a very high quality racket and ata great price. Prince are possibly the most widely used tennis rackets by professionals, the main users include Juan Carlos Fererro and Jenifer Capriarti. If you are a club standard player then this will be the perfect racket for you. If you are a novice player, then you should consider a racket that is a little more powerful.


Thanks for reading my review and please ask me questions if you are unsure of any of the tennis terminology.

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