Prince Vortex 310g Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 81

This Vortex 310g proved to be truly unique — both in design and playability. Our playtesters, therefore, required a slight adjustment period before fully getting dialed into the racquet's performance capabilities. Once the team started clicking with the Vortex 310g they found some key standout features. Andrew noted, "This racquet is super quick and a spin machine. With its low swingweight and 14x21 pattern, I definitely noticed the power and spin potential this racquet is capable of. The Vortex 310g did have a learning curve for me; it took probably 3 to 4 hours to really get comfortable with my full swings. Let's face it, it's a super unique racquet, and it feels like one. I had numerous errant shots that just didn't feel quite right at first. After some adjustments, I was able to use the spin to my advantage. I found that the pattern was actually fairly dense in the middle and opened up around the outer edge of the sweetspot. Counterpunches were amazing since it took little effort to keep the ball back in the court. Redirecting pace was a breeze, and the racquet had plenty of plow through to keep my opponent on the baseline."

Kristen was impressed with the amount of spin and arc she could get on her shots once she got used to the string pattern. She said, "I needed a few hits to get the feel and playability of the Vortex 310g dialed in. It became a lot of fun to play with after I got a better feel for it, in particular when it came to playing around with the levels of spin I could tap into. It was definitely a racquet that catered well to hitting high-arcing topspin shots that would not only push my opponents back, but also trip them up because the balls were really jumping high off the ground. I felt like the Vortex 310g came around fast, allowing me to stay in the point when pushed wide on the stretch. I was also impressed by how well the racquet performed against pace. It was definitely well suited to a counterpunching play style."

Volleys - Score: 83

The Vortex 310g was easy to get into position at the net, but our playtesters had slightly mixed takes on its performance. "I enjoyed this racquet at net," said Kristen. "It was pretty straightforward, offered nice feel and was easy to get into position. There were hints of instability at times against trickier shots, specifically some slight twisting on contact, but I never felt like it was affecting my performance at the net."

Andrew got the results he wanted when his timing was precise, but he struggled with consistency when put under pressure or opting to be craftier. He explained, "For volleys, the Vortex 310g is fast and maneuverable, and I had no issues with stability. Volleys quickly flew off the strings when I hit the center of the sweet spot, but on my touch volleys, the ball elevated and drove farther than I hoped. Overheads were a little challenging since the pattern opens up around the edge of the sweetspot (where I hit far more often than I should). Off-center overheads launched much farther than I desired, causing balls to land behind the baseline. It was not the most forgiving racquet at net, but when I hit the ball correctly, the Vortex 310g had excellent stability and speed."

Serves - Score: 80

It was no surprise to our playtesters that utilizing the Vortex 310g's better-than-average spin potential was key on serves. Andrew took advantage of that spin to dial in his spots and keep his opponents on the defensive. He said, "The Vortex really shines on spin serves. Kick, slice and undercuts had amplified spin, which I really enjoyed. On powerful flat serves the ball was landing longer than usual and was difficult to control. Overall, the Vortex 310g did not benefit my flatter first serve, but it greatly assisted the spin on my second serve. It is a trade-off I definitely would have to consider."

While Kristen thought the Vortex 310g felt solid on the serve, she didn't find this to be a standout category for the racquet. She said, "There wasn't a 'wow' factor for me on serves, but it was definitely easy to load up serves with a lot of spin. Even when I was a bit fatigued and not coming through the ball super fast, the balls still had some nice kick off the ground."

Returns - Score: 84

The Prince Vortex 310g's ability to counteract pace effectively and tap into spin gave our playtesters a good handle on returning powerful serves, and helped keep those returns deep. Stepping in to drive a more aggressive return proved more difficult. Andrew explained, "The Vortex 310g does a great job plowing through powerful serves. Counterpunches and slice returns were simple, even with the string pattern. With the center of the sweetspot being fairly dense, alongside the racquet's quickness and stability, the Vortex provided me with a powerful return to keep my opponent back behind the baseline. On the other hand, I had trouble being aggressive on my opponent's second serves, where I'm normally able to move in and accelerate downward from inside the baseline. Many returns were errant, and I had to mainly rely on spin and less power to keep the ball from driving out."

Kristen was able to put herself in a good position off returns. She said, "As was the case on groundstrokes, I was impressed by how well the racquet handled pace when I was returning. It was easy to redirect the ball back deep into the court to keep my opponent pushed back."

Overall - Score: 79