Comments: While this racquet is not my main frame (I use it as my back up), I took it out for a spin last week and I must say that the way this thing volleys is sublime. The experience was probably magnified by the use of lead tape at 3 and 9 to add stability, but the control, comfort and generous sweetspot makes it the sweetest volleying stick. Unlike your traditional player frames with really solid and stiff response, the ball sinks into the strings, absorbs the pace, then comes off with great control. I had it strung with Gosen OGSM 17 at mid tension and 6 grams total at 3 and 9.
From: Anon, 3/13

Comments: I am 34 and I recently descovered tennis. I was expecting a tennis elbow problem on the way to becoming like Federer in 1 year with intensive training, so I bought a ProKennex Ki15 for the shock absorbing technology. After a while I started hitting harder and harder but not the right way so my elbow almost took me out of tennis! After days of research I found that no gizmo will protect your elbow, but there is one important thing: the flexibility of the frame. The EXO3 frame is one of the most flexible with a rating of 52 from a scale that goes from 50-70 (Ki15 was 69). I am not sure yet but I believe my elbow is healing and I never stopped playing, as I just changed the racquet! The racquet is probably the most arm friendly racquet and offers good spin. The down side is that you need time to get used to it and the power is very low. I use Wilson Shock Shield string and it feels muted but I like it.
From: Alex, 2/13
String type: Wilson Shock Shield

Comments: I've been playing with this racquet for about 5 months now and I have to say I'm very pleased with the racquet for the most part. I switched to this stick because my Head Youtek Prestige Pro gave me awful tennis elbow and the soft flex on this racquet really helped my elbow. This racquet has a relatively long break-in period. It gave me quite a bit more power and spin than my Prestige, but it wasn't nearly as accurate. I would say it took me about 3 or 4 months to really get the control I felt with my Prestige. I did add some lead tape at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock which really helped with the stability of the racquet. I would highly recommend adding lead tape to this racquet, because in stock form it tends to get pushed around a bit my bigger hitters. I feel the flex on this racquet is slightly detrimental when serving, but you will get used to it in time. Like I said, this racquet has a long break in period because it's a very unique racquet in flex, head shape, and feel. If you're willing to put up with the break in period of this racquet, it's absolutely phenomenal. I feel I get great power and spin on groundies, but this is the best racquet I've ever used for volleys, and serves are decent once you get used to it. If you're struggling with tennis elbow and are looking to switch racquets, this is a must demo.
From: Tanner, 1/13

Comments: I've been playing with this stick ever since it came out. While I liked the soft flex, I did not enjoy the lack of powerful serve, stability and plow through. I tried Babolat lead tape at 3 and 9 but that only helped a little. I was ready to switch to a new racquet but a call to TW solved the riddle. I put twice the amount of lead at 3 and 9 and then added one at 12. The racquet is now plain awesome, stable like a rock, serving machine, fast feeling (still) and light enough for ample maneuverability. At around 11.9 ounces, it is in my wheel house!
From: Stephan, 7/12
Dunlop Black Widow 16 @ 58 lbs

Comments: I used to hit with a Wilson KPro Tour but I developed tennis elbow. After reading reviews I decided to try this racket since it has a low stiffness. It is a great stick that has eliminated my tennis elbow problems entirely, even though I use a hybrid setup with stiff polys. Some jarring with off center hits occurs, but if you get the stick moving the plow through and drive are excellent. The other reviewers are correct that spin potential is very high even with the 18x20 string pattern. For me, both touch and drive volleys are great if you use the correct form. The racquet has increased the drive on my serves appreciably as well. I am a flat hitter and I have to work hard to keep my shots under control. I was surprised by the amount of power the racquet has, as off balance shots and miss hits can sail. I am still experimenting with different string combinations that give me more control. I would love any advice on that score. The racquet is a good choice for anyone with arm issues who takes full swings.
From: TT, 6/12

Comments: I had this for over a year now. Absolutely love it. The only thing I would like is more plow through and stability which can be fixed with lead tape. Very uniform and response with the tight string pattern yet giving enough spring off the strings for power. Topspin is very easy to generate and slices stay low and deep. It is like a scalpel at net and very quick. Serving takes time to adjust before getting the desired result.
From: Anon, 6/12

Comments: After coming down with golfers elbow I decided after resting the arm out that I would switch to one of the most flexible rackets on the market. I went ahead and demoed the 16x18 and 18x20 thinking that for sure I would like the open pattern but I was amazed that the 18x20 tour just felt better. Still with plenty of spin potential this racket was very comfortable and like many on the TW message board have described as a unique feel. It takes a little time to get use to but is very much worth it. I actually am enjoying this tour with full poly strung very low...32lbs. Thumbs up for this stick!!
From: M, 4/12

Comments: On the initial hit after purchasing ( no demo) I found the racket to feel a little stiffer or perhaps crisper than I had anticipated. After adding a Wilson sorbothane grip, adding lead at 3 and 9 and changing the dampener for a full rubber circle type, this thing just came alive. I thought it may have been a little tightly strung but funnily enough, the right dampener made all the difference. Medium power and a good foil for all courters looking for a bit of help with arm issues. Does everything well although the serve may take a little adjustment. Solid 8/10 and I will be getting a couple more.
From: Greg, 4/12

Comments: Coming off playing with the 6.1 PSC, I just could not get any plow through with this racquet. Anything not hit in the sweet spot fell short into the net, especially if hit in the upper part of the head. Lead tape in the hoop would probably be a help, both for plow through and stability. I'll continue looking myself.
From: Dave, 3/12
String type and tension: Gamma Live Wire XP17, 60 lbs
Headsize: 95
NTRP Rating: 3.5

Comments: I am pleased Prince makes this racquet. I am a power top-spin player. I love hitting shots with a lot of top spin and power. When I hit with that racquet, I am sure that my shots aren't going to go out because of the tight 18x20 string pattern. I remembered when I demoed this racquet, I had only hit two shots and I knew straight away that this is the racquet I have been looking for. I like hitting forehands, but am still getting use to serving with this.
From: Jack, 1/12
String type and tension: RPM Blast 16, 55lbs
Headsize:100 sq inch

Comments: My first impression of the Prince EXO3 Tour 100 18X20 is awesome! I strung it with Babolat RPM at 54 lbs with cross string of synthetic gut. I have had tennis elbow for a year and couldn't hit a topspin forehand because of the pain. Hit topspin forehands as soon as I touched this racquet. There is an unusual spin imparted to the ball as well. I'm between a 3.5 and a 4.0 and was playing with the 27.5 inch Wilson NCode Pro. I still need time to adjust to this racquet. Serves and groundstrokes are good. Volleys need to be aggressive with this racquet. The main downside for me is throwing the lob. This racquet with the strings I have on it are grabbing the ball and putting it right at the returner's "kill zone" and that is not good! I will make the adjustment because it is an awesome racquet that will immediately improve a tennis game.
From: Deano, 11/11
String type and tension: Babolat RPM on mains/Dunlop Max on crosses at 54 lbs
NTRP Rating: 3.5-4.0

Comments: Its been a month since I upgraded to this from a Babolat Pure Drive Cortex. While the Pure Drive was a really good stick and actually helped me improve my game, after three years of swinging the Pure Drive, I needed something better. The specs of the EXO3 Tour (18x20) seemed promising so I got it without testing. Here is my mini review.
It's supposed to be low powered, but when strung with Big Banger ALU Power at 52 lbs, the power was "just right". All hits seem to land inside, absolutely no balls sailing long. A good swing helps in hitting that "heavy ball". Spin is superb. Both top spin as well as slice. Better that the Pure Drive. Even with its 18x20 string pattern, spin is ridiculously easy to generate. Serves take some getting used to. No problems with slice serves, it is the flat serve that does not come naturally to me at least. I thought my flat serve was better with the Pure Drive. Volleys were pretty good, I'd say. Groundstrokes were excellent. It works wonders with the forehand top spin and actually helped me improve my one handed backhand top spin drive. The control was excellent. Overall, it's a wonderful stick. Definitely moved my game up a few notches, after I shifted to this from the Babolat Pure Drive. Great for those with long swinging strokes.
From: Nikhil, 10/11
String type and tension: Luxilon BB ALU Power, 52 lbs.
NTRP Rating: 4 - 4.5.

Comments: I have been using it for more than 6 months now and I am loving it more than ever. Extremely comfortable racket, hitting groundstrokes with ease, ample sweet spot and topspin. The 16X18 actually has more topspin but there is definitely loads of it for a 18x20. This frame needs you to bring your own power so I strung it full poly at the lower end of the scale as I hit more top spin. The buttery feels very good and probably because I had accustomed to it after half a year. At the start, volleys and overheads weren't crisp, I will be honest, it takes quite a while to get used to, but once you find the feel and touch, it still works as any other racquet. I needed a dampener to help reduce the vibration caused by the flexible frame. No custom job needed for me as I find it unnecessary.I have started using hybrid (poly/synthetic gut), and I find that the best setup for me is still full poly. Great pocketing and comfort, enough power and spin to help me improve my game. The switch to this racquet is my best decision yet. Give it a try if you prefer a soft frame, take your time to play around with strings and tension. You will not regret it.
From: Bryan, 10/11
String type and tension:Signum Pro Tornado at 53 lbs

Comments: I tried a demo and was disappointed with the sweet-spot. It had very low power on off center shots but very good power on center strikes. I changed the string to the thinnest gauge, added 18 grammes of weight at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock. The racquet feels way better, much larger sweet spot and power level has gone off the charts. The thin string has added spin to control added power.
From: Peter, 9/11
NTRP Rating: 3.5

Comments: I bought this racquet after seeing the reviews about it being spin and control friendly. I switched from Babolat AeroPro Drive since it started to hurt my arm. After these few months, I have to accept the fact that I will never be able to generate as much spin as I used to when I used Babolat AeroPro Drive. Without the spin, my consistence is not the same as before: I am not able to hit with confidence and I am almost always holding back in the swing. This racquet is absolutely not for people with full swing who rely on spin for the control. Judging from previous reviews and my own experience, I would say everything (like control) is relative. This stick has a lot of power and is not a bad racquet in general. The sweet spot is large. However, at times I feel that the sweet spot is too large such that the racquet feels hollow when playing against a heavy top spinner.
From: Sean, 9/11
NTRP Rating: 4.0

Comments: I bought a pair of these having seem many good reviews. I used to play with the Prince Ozone tour so I knew what to expect. This model is a huge improvement. The 18x20 pattern gives tons of control - it's an absolute scalpel at the net. Elsewhere, it does everything very well and is very comfortable. Be warned however, the racquet is very string sensitive. I've found that a poly in the mains (Babolat RPM Blast) and multi in the crosses (Babolat Xcel) makes it sugar sweet.
From: Bill, 9/11
NTRP Rating: 4.5

Comments: Great job Prince. Really improved on the Ozone Pro Tour. Subtle changes were made to improve the feel, even with the port-hole inserts. I have mine customized and it is solid! The low flex accepts full polyester strings and balances the frame out. The mid-range static weight gives the player the opportunity to customize the weight and balance. Superb job. I've switched after nearly 4years of using the Prestige Mid.
From: Klementine79, 8/11
String type and tension: Luxilon M2 Pro at 50lbs

Comments: I don't often play with 18x20 sticks and now I remember why. They have a very "boardy" feel and reminded me of the 18x20 T-Flash 310 I hit with some time ago. Beyond that, however, it performs pretty well. Lots of spin, to my pleasant surprise, and better power than I expected, great control at net that made hitting deep offensive volleys as easy as any racquet I've used for some time. The rap against both versions of this stick seems to be serving power, and I too could not get a lot of pop on serves, though spin was easy to come by. Comfortable, easy enough to swing, really quite a nice racquet but that board feel might push me to the 16x18 version.
From: Mike, 8/11
NTRP Rating: 4.0

Comments: Hated it first time I hit with it - felt really insubstantial, unstable, muted and buzzy. Then I added lead on the hoop, 2x0.25mm spanning from 3 all the way to 9 as a final setup - WOW what a day and night difference. I've never hit better forehands, incredibly consistent and I can do exactly what I want with the ball - drive it hard, go for reverse- style-loop and angles, slow play down, put the ball in the corner - it just makes it happen for me like no other frame I've played with and I did play with most of them. I think the combination of flexibility and relatively low static weight lets me get big racket-head speeds while keeping the ball in the lines. On serves, volleys and on-the-run blocks this racquet wasn't quite as good due to a bit of muted feel and not quite the same sharp response as my leaded up AeroPro Drive GT, but the advantages on strokes outweigh these shortcomings.
From: Anton. 7/11
String type and tension: 17g Poly @ 58 lbs
NTRP Rating: 4.5

Comments: I'm switching from a Babalot Pure Drive GT. I like to take a pretty solid swing on strokes and have been working hard to improve my game and technique. I demoed almost everything from Head, Prince, Dunblop and Wilson in the 11.0 to 11.6 oz strung weight range. There were a number of racquets that fit the specs I was looking for: the Prince EX03 Black, Prince EX03 Tour, Head Radical MP and the Head Speed 300. On demo, I loved the plush feel of the Prince EXO3 Tour and bought it. I was amazed at the accuracy I was getting with shots and the weight (at 11.6) seemed to slow my game down enough to compensate for my typical over excitement. But, after a couple of different outings I found myself getting fatigued by the weight after the first set and noticed a significant drop off in my ability to get the ball over the net. It was frustrating enough that I've given up on the racquet. I think now that 11.0 to 11.3 strung weight is probably my ideal range. I'm a very active 44 old, 6'2" and in good shape so I'm surprised that the little extra weight made a difference. I did try two different strings on this racquet - MSV Focus Hex 17L (1.18) which I thought played awful on this racquet - everything was rocketing out past the baseline. I switched to Tecnifibre X-One Biphase 16 and it was a completely different racquet - soft with lots of control and spin. Good luck with this one. I think it would be a great racquet in the right hands.
From: Brian. 7/11
String type and tension: Technifibre X-One Biphase

Comments: The racquet is fantastic. It's headlight but has just enough mass to defend yourself against heavy hitters. It gives you a lot of control and precision. It is very consistent on all groundstrokes, has a large sweetspot and is very comfortable. The surprise was that even with the 18x20 string pattern you still have plenty of power and spin when you need it. I just swing a little faster, hit the ball lower in the stringbed and I can hit very fast heavy balls. It reminds me of the Wilson Pro Staff 6.0 95 but it is even better. Serving was very easy and precise with plenty of speed. Compared to the Wilson BLX Tour and BLX 6.1 it is a little bit less powerful but easier to swing. However, it is more powerful than a Dunlop 200 Biometic or a Head Youtek Prestige.
From: Jef. 6/11
String type and tension: Babolat RPM Blast 18 @ 55 lbs
NTRP Rating: 4.5

Comments: Not a bad frame but the lack of feel/feedback was a deal breaker. Tried different string combinations and natural gut gave a slight improvement in feel but still not great. Poly felt and sounded like hitting with a board. I swung and the ball went for the most part where I wanted, but without hearing or feeling it like some other racquets it diminished the experience for me.
From: John. 6/11
String type and tension: Hybrid at 54lbs
NTRP Rating: 4.5

Comments: I play adult age group tournaments, and have used the Prince Rebel, and the old Prince EX03 Tour Mid. I love the feel and maneuverability of this frame. The tight string pattern and soft flex allow me to string at high tension and not feel it in my elbow. Taking big cuts makes optimal use of polyester strings. My only complaint is Prince quality control. I play 3 frames, and the weight difference between them is 8 grams. Nothing lead tape won't fix, but why can't they deliver like Pacific/Fischer?
(Pacific/Fischer only has/had a guaranteed static weight in their 'Zero Tolerance' racquets. Most all other racquets regardless of manufacturer are going to vary some with static weight from racquet to racquet. -TW Staff)
From: Nelson, New York, NY, USA. 5/11
String type and tension: Babolat RPM Blast 18 @ 65lbs
NTRP Rating: 4.5

Comments: I play DII tennis, hit a semi-western forehand and a two- handed backhand, and I currently use a Wilson BLX 6.1 95 16x18. I like the Wilson but it just wasn't quite 'fast' enough for me, so I demo'd this racquet in the 18x20 and 16x18. Not much difference from the baseline or net between the two Princes, but on the serve I definitely preferred the 18x20. Much more control and no noticeable difference in spin from the 16x18. I got unbelievable amounts of spin from every shot compared to my Wilson (same strings and tension).  Much more maneuverable than the Wilson, which helps considerably for volleys, but still able to swing away and get great control from the baseline because of the spin and low power level of the racquet. I'm making this switch to this racquet.
From: Geoff, Arkansas. 4/11
String type and tension: Tecnifibre Black Code @ 58lbs.
NTRP Rating: 4.5

Comments: With a very headlight feel and a beam not much thicker than a badminton racket, my first assumption with the 18x20 was this is going to be unstable and lack plow. I was only sort of right. The weight in general is pretty good and its stability and plow are fine as long as you keep the ball in the sweetspot. Shots outside the sweetspot flopped the racket head causing a weak shot and terrible feel. Speaking of feel and feedback, even though I felt confident to swing away, I struggled with the funny (dampened, muted?) feel and lack of true ball-on-strings feedback players racquets are supposed to have. It's hard to explain, but although the racquet feels good in your hands, once you hit the ball you're left with a feeling that something is missing. It would take some time to adapt to. Handle shape is more square/boxy than Wilson and Babolat, so that also takes some adapting. Spin potential was huge, and I far preferred the predictability of the 18x20 to the obnoxiously open pattern of the 16x18. The 16x18 was too unpredictable and jumpy, and any perceived increase in spin was negligible. Contrary to prevailing myths and popular opinion, you don't need 16 mains and an 18 gauge poly to attain spin. If fewer mains were the answer to free spin, we'd be seeing rackets with 12 and 14 mains, and that's not going to happen. 16 mains on a 100 sq in head is really pushing the limits of sense.
From: Anon, St. Pete, FL, USA, 03/11

Comments: Regarding Jimmy's comment about strings breaking soon. I would double check the string job. The final knot is pretty hard to get done and if the stringer is not experienced they could damage the string resulting in a lesser string life.
From: Bharat, Burlingame, CA, USA, 03/11
NTRP Rating: 4.0

Comments: I don't know whether or not this is just the string I use but it seems that the string breaks a lot sooner on this racket than it did with my old Wilson kfactor.
From: Jimmy, 03/11

Comments: The sleeper, I used a Tour 18x16 for a couple of weeks before trying this! Racket is a bit more control oriented and strung with Prince's New Poly 17 "Beast" on the mains at 54 and 17 MSV Co-Focus hex at 54 on Xs, is great to control. No huge tension loss and almost no flyers playing against hard hitters I could return power easily and hit spin easily. Much more predictable than the 18x16 on slices and touch shots. Very easy to generate spin on serves and tension is perfect for older arm when hitting flat. I instruct indoor on carpet and this is a huge departure from my Wilson frames. First Prince since the graphite I have liked.
Easy at the net, I use it as my teaching racket, and it's easy to control and volley with even little touch shots
Power is on tap, Easy to generate racket head speed,
Dislikes Handle is small; I built the grip up and changed the grip after a couple days
From: Brendan, Munich, Germany/Boston, MA. 01/11
String type and tension: New 361/Prince Beast mains at 54 Msv Focus Hex crosses at 54
Headsize: 100
NTRP Rating: 5.0 now that I am old

Comments:
Groundstrokes- From the baseline, there was power on reserve and it responded well both when loading up and going for the winner as well as the easy swing that's more of a 'block-back' to absorb the opponent's pace. I really expected a lot more balls to fly long but they rarely did. Light enough to where you can really just slap away at the ball -- especially on those softer short balls -- for easy put-aways. When I played an opponent who hit with a lot of pace and flat, that's when I had trouble controlling depth and it became a bit more like a trampoline. When I faced a hard hitter who put more spin on the ball, I could easily spin it back with a ton of pace, as it's very easy to come up over the top of the ball. But the really flat ball is a little tough to control. That was the only flaw. Oh, and the feel left just a little something to be desired.

Volleys- I never felt pushed around even though this is lighter than what I normally hit with, and the large headsize and the huge sweet spot made those lunge volleys much easier; I'd often get just enough of the stringbed on the ball to stab it back over the net.

Serves- Frame seemed to have a little bit more flex than I'm used to and was a tad too light, so whether it was the frame or simply my timing, I struggled a bit to find consistency here. Hard flat serves seemed to find the net a little too often for my liking, and the hard slice serves were solid and the kicker was good but didn't explode off the ground like I'd remembered with the 03 Tour Midplus. For me, this is the one area where I'd have liked more beef in the frame.

Serve Returns- Huge sweet spot, great maneuverability when you need it for that reaching flick-back, and getting it back deep on a consistent basis was absolutely effortless. Noticed that I could even snap the racket well enough on balls skidding away from me to put it deep, which really made my opponents work extra hard to hold serve. Always felt like I was on the attack here, not the other way around, and I never had any stability issues whatsoever against very heavy servers, which I would have expected.

General comments- Sweet spot is just absolutely gigantic, allowing you to stay aggressive on all shots, even while chasing balls, and the closed pattern is a great complement to the large headsize, giving you both power and control -- a lot more control than I was expecting. Loved turning defense into offense with this one, and for the baseliner, this is a really great option. Perhaps a great alternative to Babolat Aeroprodrive users looking for a frame with more control and less stiffness. As for comparing this frame to its open-patterned siblings of the past, I remember loving the 03 Tour Midplus and then being disappointed with the Ozone Tour MP update and this one to me felt somewhere between those two feel-wise, and build-wise it felt like a well- constructed, quality frame. Most importantly, the control here was superior to both the 03 Tour or the Ozone Tour, which I guess is to be expected with the closed pattern.
From: TT Username: jgads
Racquet of Choice: Youtek Prestige Mid

Comments:
Groundstrokes - Forehand shots were consistent, offered good spin and good depth. Pace was decent with the racquet. I did have some issues hitting a two handed backhand with the racquet. The balls was constantly short and I had to adjust by putting more weight into the shots in order to keep the near the baseline. Slices were easy to hit and control with this racquet.

Volleys - This racquet did not work for me at the net. Ball return did not feel crisp and solid compared to my Pure Storm Tour GT and did not spend further time at the net.

Serves - Flat serves were nice and solid with quite a bit of pop. I had issues hitting kick serves as I couldn't get as much spin on the ball.

Return of serves - I had no problems returning kick and slice serves but had some issues handling hard flat serves. The racquet felt like a trampoline and the ball would just sail most of the time
From: TT Username: parasailing