Prince Phantom 100 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 85

Our playtesters found the Prince Phantom 100 to cut through the air and redirect pace with ease. A thin beam and plush feel allowed the testers to tap into their strengths on groundstrokes. Chris harnessed the immense spin and acceleration potential, which granted him a positive and nostalgic experience. He said, "The Phantom 100 proved to be a very fast and spin-friendly racquet from the baseline. I was not sure if it was the thin beam, the weight and balance or a combination of all three, but I just found it very easy to accelerate through contact. On faster swings the racquet made a nice whistling sound that reminded me of when I used the Prestige Classic 600 back in the day. As well as getting good spin, I found pace and depth pretty easy to generate. The stringbed responded better in the upper hoop than the old Prince Tour 100. I was getting a little more pop from the racquet, although I was still a ways away from my Pure Drive Plus (this playtest occurred before Chris' switch to the Yonex EZONE DR 98+). I felt pretty dialed in when it came to control. As with previous Port style racquets, the Phantom offered a very soft and dampened feel. Once I got used to the very soft response of the racquet I found my confidence to be solid, and I started to go for more aggressive targets."

Hannah went through a similar adjustment period, but once she was acclimated she maximized the power and speed the racquet offered from the baseline. She offered, "I like the power I gained on my shots from this racquet, in addition to being able to flatten out my shots a little bit more than average. Once I adjusted to the dampened and muted feel I started to trust this racquet more, and I found that when I swung out and played freely my success from the baseline was maximized. I ran into some trouble at the baseline and lost some control when I was searching for more feel and trying to force extra spin and height on my shots. The flex of the frame is extremely different and fun to hit with, especially from the baseline, and the Phantom 100 becomes an aggressive weapon when it is whipping through the air and utilizing the Port hole technology. Slicing with this racquet was a major highlight. I could really drive through the ball as much as I wanted with a consistent result, and I could experiment with this shot much more than I am used to."

Mark didn't hold back praise when it came to taking aggressive swings with this racquet on groundstrokes. He said, "My first encounter with the Prince Phantom 100 was around a year ago at the Indian Wells tournament, and after just 30 minutes of play I had already determined that I liked this thin-beamed masterpiece quite a bit. My feelings for the Phantom 100 haven't changed in 2017, either. It is an incredible back court racquet. I prefer it with a full bed of a polyester string, which let me bang away from the baseline with absolute confidence and impunity from any threat of arm pain. The thin beam of the Phantom 100 allows for a very aggressive cut on the ball, making it easy for me to alternate between creating both short angles and effective depth on the ball."

Troy's high expectations for this playtest were exceeded during baseline play. He said, "The Port system in the hoop of the frame provided a super plush feel at contact. This racquet felt silky smooth on my groundstrokes no matter how much pace my opponents hit at me. I loved hitting cross-court dipping shots with the 16x18 string pattern because I could generate plenty of topspin to create sharp angles. On slice backhands I enjoyed the soft and plush feel when driving the racquet through the ball. because of the extremely flexible feel and overall low powered response of this Prince Phantom 100, I felt that it could use a bit more mass to help with put-away power. Against big hitters I found this racquet getting pushed around a bit. On my backhand slice a bit more weight in the head of the racquet would have given me a little more easy depth that I typically get with my racquet of choice. With the very dampened feel of this racquet there were times when I took big swings at the ball and I was hoping for a bit more predictability. The lack of feedback forced me to hit to big targets and create more margin for error than I would have liked at times."

Volleys - Score: 85

On volleys, the Prince Phantom 100 performed to the playtesters' satisfaction, demonstrating the ability to block back pace and administer touch. Mark was quick to point out this racquet's versatile and overall stellar performance at net. He admitted, "I favored this racquet anywhere inside the service court. I knew it would be a useful tool around the net for me because of its mid-11 oz strung weight, but after I got used to its somewhat unique feel, the Phantom 100 began to feel more like a weapon. Volleys off either wing (high, low, fast, or slow) were effectively dealt with, making this one of my favorite racquets to volley with."

"Volleys were easily my favorite shot with this racquet" Hannah echoed. "The control I felt at the net was awesome! It felt like the flex held the ball on my strings longer, and the whippy maneuverability made it easy to get my hands out in front of my body. These elements had me volleying past the service line and hitting targets with complete confidence and ease. The feeling is completely different from volleying with more stable frames with a high stiffness rating. I just had more time, and I was rewarded for my fast reactions with more control instead of an overdose of power."

For Chris, pairing the Prince Phantom 100 with the right string made for an effective and enjoyable tool inside the service line. "I had fun at net with the Phantom 100," he said. "It held up well even when the pace picked up, and I found plenty of stability on my low volleys and half volleys. It was also solid enough to allow me to hold the handle softly for some added feel on drop volleys without having to worry about it twisting in my hands. I liked the response of the stringbed with a co-poly installed because it offered a great blend of control and spin when I knifed my volleys."

Troy praised the plush response and emphasized the advantages of this arm-friendly frame. He noted, "The maneuverability and the plush feel made this a fun racquet to volley with. Once again, this racquet provided a pillow-like response that made me feel confident attacking my volleys. I was never worried about this racquet giving me a jarring response even on off-center contact. Although this racquet has a muted response due to the Port system, the soft-flex allowed me to execute deft touch and drop volleys. Due to the muted feedback from the Port system, I felt more comfortable hitting my volleys to big targets rather than trying to paint the lines. This Prince Phantom 100 lacked the scalpel-like precision that I get from my old Wilson Six.One 95."

Serves - Score: 80

Posting big MPHs on serve wasn't easy for our testers with the Prince Phantom 100, but they were able to serve successfully by tapping into the racquet's other strengths. Troy's comments on serves revolved around the deadly spin he could produce on various serves, and according to his fellow playtesters, he wasn't alone. Troy said, "The racquet head speed I could generate, along with this racquet's spin-friendly frame shape and string pattern, allowed me to get my serves to jump off the court. Both slice and kick serves were coming off this racquet with a lot of rotation, and that allowed me to create sharp angles. My second serves were landing in with a lot of consistency, but I was looking for some more sting on my first serves. On my flatter first serves I was able to find my targets on a consistent basis, but I was craving a bit more power. No matter how much leg drive I put into my first serves I just wasn't quite getting the power I was hoping for. Compared to hitting first serves with the Wilson Burn 95 Countervail, which is much stiffer and slightly longer in length, I could definitely feel a drop in power with the Prince Phantom 100."

Even though she started off timidly, Hannah also uncovered the Phantom 100's potential to generate spin on her serves. "Serves were an interesting aspect of this playtest," she explained. "The lack of feel on the serve was something that I needed to adjust to, and I never had much success hitting flat serves because of this. However, after realizing that I couldn't rely on feeling the ball off the strings so much, I committed to swinging out more on my kick serve and had really good results. I found consistency, power and force off of my serves and got a lot of free points with this racquet. I just never got the feel that I really wanted."

Chris also took well to the different spins he could generate, but he was left craving more power on his serve. "I served decently with this racquet. However, this was the one shot where I really missed the power of my Pure Drive Plus," he admitted. "I wasn't winning as many easy points when serving, but I was happy with my consistency and targeting. I thought my slice serve out wide had some nice action on it. I also had success hitting slice serves into the body of the returner. I was able to be aggressive on my second serves without losing control, which enabled me to get some good spin."

The specs of the Prince Phantom 100 favored Mark's serve, but he, like Chris, also lost some power on his serves. "After working here for almost ten years, I have realized that I have a range of weight and balance for racquets that seems to fit me best, and this racket is spot on in that regard," he beamed. "Its mid-eleven ounce weight definitely complements my serve in terms of consistency, but the thinner, flexible beam made it harder for me to get my serve speeds above 95 miles per hour."

Returns - Score: 84

Guided by the swift Prince Phantom 100, our playtesters' service returns packed plenty of depth, and the potential to nail targets. "Returns met with a shorter swing and a target in mind were really effective with this racquet," Hannah raved. "I could redirect power and get the racquet in place easily, swinging around the ball without any trouble. The only time I hit a weaker return was when I tried to hit higher over the net with more spin. I was definitely forced to lower my trajectory and really go after the return to get a good result."

Chris felt he had great control, so he was hitting his returns with confidence. He said, "I really enjoyed returning with this racquet. I felt like I could swing aggressively whenever I was given even the slightest opportunity to tee off. The Phantom 100 offered enough control for me to aim for the corners with confidence. I liked the amount of spin I could add to the ball off a compact backswing. My slice backhand worked well, and I was able to knife the ball or float it, depending on what I wanted to do."

To Mark's surprise, the Phantom 100 gave him an extra edge on returns. He said, "My return was the one shot where I felt more confident than usual, especially when I was playing doubles. I usually cut under the ball on my return and sneak in toward the net from there, but with Prince's new Phantom 100 I was able to hit through the ball more often. For me, this was the biggest surprise of the playtest and my favorite part of it."

The very soft and plush feel of this racquet allowed Troy to step in and take serves on the rise. He exclaimed, "I loved how I could redirect the server's pace with ease, and the feel on contact was very comfortable. My slice backhand return felt nice and smooth, and I would often follow it into the net. Because I was really trying to take the returns early and use the server's pace to redirect the ball, I would have liked a bit more plow through from this racquet. A bit more weight in the head of this racquet would have really helped me keep my returns deep in my opponent's court. The Prince Phantom 100 did enhanced my two-handed backhand return because of the plush feel on impact. I often will hit my two-handed backhand returns slightly off center, causing a jarring impact on my wrists and arms, but with the Prince Phantom 100 I could attack my backhand returns without worrying about an uncomfortable response."

Overall - Score: 83