Bought this racket a two or three years ago. Have weighted it up to 12.4 oz. I am a 72 year old guy 4.0 player tipping the scales at 127 lbs. I have no problem handling this racket. My other racket of choice is the old Pro Kennex Ki5 PSE with a stock weight of 13.4 oz. I string all my rackets with various poly strings at 38 lbs. I put the Prince away for months at a time but just used it the last couple of days and was reminded just how good a racket this is. Great for serve. Very good for volley. Excellent for hitting good deep ground strokes. I bought mine on sale at TW. Should have bought 2 or 3 more. If you can find one of these new or lightly used grab it. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Michelle is the real beast in this video. She really has great ground strokes & her form is so text book. I really enjoy watching the testers play they are all so different. There should be a tester tournament.
I love this racket! I was using the Wilson Blade SW 104. The Blade demands perfection from me and I make too many errors with it. The Beast is much more tolerant of my flaws. It lets me rally crack the HELL out of the ball and hit winners galore.
Troy and Michelle, What tension and strings would guys use with this racket. I've ordered one and have played with it but I used to use both the SW autograph 104 with the cyclone 17 at 58 and 2018 Babolat Pure Drive Tour Plus at 57 lbs. It's so great that you both think this fits between those two. Any additional insights will really help!
@Senator Seth, I think you should stick with the tension that you are used to on those two racquets. Right around 57 pounds should work well for you. I know Michelle typically likes the tension right around that range, as well. I would likely go with a tension around 52 pounds on a racquet like this, but I usually string my polys relatively low. The racquets that you used to play with, are pretty similar to this one, so a similar tension should feel good. Troy, TW
Do the Racquets attribute scores on the website matter or does it still come down to technique. For example if the racquet has a 90 Control score and 85 power score but had 60 Serve score, will I still be able to hit a good Serve by executing technique right? And also do you know when the Prince 93P will come out on the Australian Tennis Now website? Cheers in advance
@Nathan Lifska, The scores can be very much based on the perspective of an individual playtester. Just because a racquet might have a lower score in a certain category, that has nothing to do with a given player's ability to hit effective shots with it. For example, I have clocked my serve with some of the lower powered racquets, as well as the more powerful type of racquets. The difference in my speed numbers is not significant, maybe a five MPH difference, if that. Technique, timing, and some physical skills, from a given player make the biggest difference in the shots being produced. Typically, if I score a racquet lower in a certain category, it is not that my shots were significantly worse, it is just that the racquet did not have the feel I was looking for, or it seemed to make a certain stroke feel a bit more difficult to execute. Troy, TW
Hi TW, I looked on your website and watched the Wilson video that Michelle describes the different rackets. Ultra, pro staff, blade, and burn. Is the pro staff considered a modern spin and control racket. That’s what I like out of a racket. I’m curious if I should get the new prostaff.
@Devan Melandro, Yes, the Wilson Pro Staff 97, or 97L are both great options for spin and control. If you don't mind a slightly heftier feel (higher swingweight), I would also consider the Wilson Blade 98 16x19 Countervail. Troy, TW
Yes, this one is heftier to swing, the swingweight is a pretty good indication of that. I would say that the power comparison comes down to racquet head speed, if you can reach the same peak racquet speeds with both racquets, then yes this one offers more power. If the high swingweight of this racquet slows down your swing speed, especially over a long session, then you will find easier power with the PDTP 2015. Troy, TW
Any idea if and when we're having this BEAST of a racket back and also in Europe, too? I'm so bummed i didn't come by it sooner... Thanks and keep up the good work!
@sacis3, Unfortunately I am not sure these will make their way to TWE at this time, but you never know! The Europe market doesn't seem to love extended racquets the same way we do in the states! Michelle, TW
@@tenniswarehouse Since my prayers have been answered and this stick is now available on TW EU and i'm now in the process of switching to an extended length racket, how would you compare this one to the ProKennex Ki Q+ 5X Pro (310g) ?
i play with the babolat pure aero 16x19 longbody but I have not enough control recently and I want to change racket. What racket do you suggest if I want to maintain my power but I want more control the wilson blade 98 16x19 or the yonex ezone DR 98?
@Eliott Flamant, If you want to keep the extended length, but gain some control, I recommend considering the Yonex EZONE 98+ (305g) Blue. Of the two you mentioned, I would go with the Yonex EZONE DR 98 as my first choice, then the Wilson Blade 98 16x19. Troy, TW
Hey Tennis Warehouse, was wondering- what string should i use? I’m starting to get intermediate, i play with the Wilson Ultra 100L and currently the luxilon adrenaline. Wanna add more power, i currently string at 24,5kg. Should i string weaker?
@mattias, You could try lowering the tension, down to about 23-23.5 Kg, with the Luxilon Adrenaline. If you want a more powerful string, you might want to consider a hybrid. You could try Luxilon Adrenaline in the mains, with a multi in the crosses, such as Tecnifibre NRG2. Some other high performance hybrids are the Wilson Duo Power, and Volkl V-Fuse. Troy, TW
Ok. I’ve got a second racket tho (an ultra, too), with the Alu Power 125 (same tension) and the Alu Power seems more like it. My strokes are better, but I’ll try lowering the tension and combining something with the Alu Power. Thanks for the advice!
I just bought this racket and love it! I am still trying to figure out the best string set up. I've tried 1.20 Proline Rough and 1.25 Proline X at 57lbs but am not satisfied with either. I was wondering if Michelle had a string recommendation to help me tame the beast!
@Solomon Daud, I always love Hyper G as a go-to. But we just playtested Tecnifibre Pro Red Code Wax and that was a nice low-powered, control-oriented option! Hope that helps! Michelle, TW
I absolutely love this racquet. Bought one! Luxilon big banger ALU at 53 lbs is a good choice too unless you have arm issues. Another very good choice is prince warrior response 16g between 53 and 55 lbs. This is a control oriented low powered co-poly that's very soft on the arm.
@@abdoulayetoure1424 Definitely agree that the prince warrior response 16g is a great string (cheap option too). I've been using Luxilon 4g soft at 57 and it's been working great for me.
Will TW Europe be selling this racket? How is the comfort? I’ve been having a few elbow problems with my K6.1 95 18x20 and I’m looking for a racket with similar weight but slightly easier to use and easier on the elbow.
@Chris Green, Unfortunately, we are not sure if or when Europe will get this racquet as their distribution is separate from ours in the states. Michelle, TW
@Chris Green, I used to play with the Six One 95 18x20, and I do recall the K Factor version playing pretty stiff. I have been using the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 (330) Racquet, and it maneuvers similarly to the Six One 95. It has a crisp feel, but fairly comfortable. The Prince Phantom Pro 93P Racquet plays with a similar stability to the Six One 95, but maneuvers a bit easier. It doesn't quite pack the punch of the Six One 95, but is much more plush and comfort oriented. The Volkl C10 Pro is another great option, with a good amount of stability, and plenty of comfort. Troy, TW
Tennis Warehouse thanks Troy for the great reply. The Vcore 330 is a racket I’m keen to try, how do you find it performs on kick serves? Could I also ask how you would compare the Srixon revo 18x20 with the k6.1? The flex of the revo is tempting but I’d need to increase swing weight to 350
@Chris Green, The VCORE Pro 97 (330), is a nice playing racquet. It is more spin friendly than the Six One 95 18x20, and it generates plenty of spin on kick serves. Initially, I had to adjust to the more open string pattern, and the fact that the ball comes off of the string bed at a slightly higher angle. Once I adjusted, I started to enjoy the added spin. It is a slight bit less stable than the Six One 95 18x20, but the added flex helps to make it feel a bit more comfortable, especially compared to the K Factor version. The Dunlop Srixon Revo CX 2.0 Tour 18x20, has a similar level of control, if not more than the Six One 95 18x20. It is a very plush, and comfortable feeling racquet, but doesn't pack the punch of the Six One 95. With some added weight, the Dunlop Srixon Revo CX 2.0 Tour 18x20 plays very well, and could potentially be a good choice for you, as comfort is top notch. Troy, TW
Tennis Warehouse thanks again Troy :) How would you compare the sweet spot sizes of the revo and Vcore? Obviously in stock form the different weights will cause some difference but if both were modded to my specs of around 360g, 350 swing weight, 8 points head light, strung with gut poly at around 48-53lbs gut mains and 46-51lbs poly crosses depending on court speed and temperature.
@Nguyen Hung, We are hoping to have it up on the site soon! It's going through the final stages of editing right now. Until then, we are happy to answer any questions we can about this racquet and our playtest. Michelle, TW
@Tennis Warehouse - So are you switching to this Michelle? I haven't seen you this excited about a racquet in a while! 😁
Bought this racket a two or three years ago. Have weighted it up to 12.4 oz. I am a 72 year old guy 4.0 player tipping the scales at 127 lbs. I have no problem handling this racket. My other racket of choice is the old Pro Kennex Ki5 PSE with a stock weight of 13.4 oz. I string all my rackets with various poly strings at 38 lbs. I put the Prince away for months at a time but just used it the last couple of days and was reminded just how good a racket this is. Great for serve. Very good for volley. Excellent for hitting good deep ground strokes. I bought mine on sale at TW. Should have bought 2 or 3 more. If you can find one of these new or lightly used grab it. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Michelle is the real beast in this video. She really has great ground strokes & her form is so text book. I really enjoy watching the testers play they are all so different. There should be a tester tournament.
I love this racket! I was using the Wilson Blade SW 104. The Blade demands perfection from me and I make too many errors with it. The Beast is much more tolerant of my flaws. It lets me rally crack the HELL out of the ball and hit winners galore.
I will give the beast a try. I normaly play the wilson sw 102. I did the switch. Premium serve result. First racket I dont addet leadtape.
Troy and Michelle, What tension and strings would guys use with this racket. I've ordered one and have played with it but I used to use both the SW autograph 104 with the cyclone 17 at 58 and 2018 Babolat Pure Drive Tour Plus at 57 lbs. It's so great that you both think this fits between those two. Any additional insights will really help!
@Senator Seth,
I think you should stick with the tension that you are used to on those two racquets. Right around 57 pounds should work well for you. I know Michelle typically likes the tension right around that range, as well. I would likely go with a tension around 52 pounds on a racquet like this, but I usually string my polys relatively low. The racquets that you used to play with, are pretty similar to this one, so a similar tension should feel good.
Troy, TW
Do the Racquets attribute scores on the website matter or does it still come down to technique.
For example if the racquet has a 90 Control score and 85 power score but had 60 Serve score, will I still be able to hit a good Serve by executing technique right?
And also do you know when the Prince 93P will come out on the Australian Tennis Now website?
Cheers in advance
@Nathan Lifska,
The scores can be very much based on the perspective of an individual playtester. Just because a racquet might have a lower score in a certain category, that has nothing to do with a given player's ability to hit effective shots with it. For example, I have clocked my serve with some of the lower powered racquets, as well as the more powerful type of racquets. The difference in my speed numbers is not significant, maybe a five MPH difference, if that. Technique, timing, and some physical skills, from a given player make the biggest difference in the shots being produced. Typically, if I score a racquet lower in a certain category, it is not that my shots were significantly worse, it is just that the racquet did not have the feel I was looking for, or it seemed to make a certain stroke feel a bit more difficult to execute.
Troy, TW
Hi TW, I looked on your website and watched the Wilson video that Michelle describes the different rackets. Ultra, pro staff, blade, and burn. Is the pro staff considered a modern spin and control racket. That’s what I like out of a racket. I’m curious if I should get the new prostaff.
@Devan Melandro,
Yes, the Wilson Pro Staff 97, or 97L are both great options for spin and control. If you don't mind a slightly heftier feel (higher swingweight), I would also consider the Wilson Blade 98 16x19 Countervail.
Troy, TW
Thanks Troy, I’ll try out the Wilson blade 98 L 16x19 and definitely consider the prostaff 97L.
How would you compare it with the pure drive tour plus 2015?does it feel heftier to swing and is it more powerful ?
Thanks
Yes, this one is heftier to swing, the swingweight is a pretty good indication of that. I would say that the power comparison comes down to racquet head speed, if you can reach the same peak racquet speeds with both racquets, then yes this one offers more power. If the high swingweight of this racquet slows down your swing speed, especially over a long session, then you will find easier power with the PDTP 2015. Troy, TW
Any idea if and when we're having this BEAST of a racket back and also in Europe, too? I'm so bummed i didn't come by it sooner...
Thanks and keep up the good work!
@sacis3,
Unfortunately I am not sure these will make their way to TWE at this time, but you never know! The Europe market doesn't seem to love extended racquets the same way we do in the states!
Michelle, TW
@@tenniswarehouse Since my prayers have been answered and this stick is now available on TW EU and i'm now in the process of switching to an extended length racket, how would you compare this one to the ProKennex Ki Q+ 5X Pro (310g) ?
i play with the babolat pure aero 16x19 longbody but I have not enough control recently and I want to change racket. What racket do you suggest if I want to maintain my power but I want more control the wilson blade 98 16x19 or the yonex ezone DR 98?
@Eliott Flamant,
If you want to keep the extended length, but gain some control, I recommend considering the Yonex EZONE 98+ (305g) Blue. Of the two you mentioned, I would go with the Yonex EZONE DR 98 as my first choice, then the Wilson Blade 98 16x19.
Troy, TW
Hey Tennis Warehouse, was wondering- what string should i use? I’m starting to get intermediate, i play with the Wilson Ultra 100L and currently the luxilon adrenaline. Wanna add more power, i currently string at 24,5kg. Should i string weaker?
@mattias,
You could try lowering the tension, down to about 23-23.5 Kg, with the Luxilon Adrenaline. If you want a more powerful string, you might want to consider a hybrid. You could try Luxilon Adrenaline in the mains, with a multi in the crosses, such as Tecnifibre NRG2. Some other high performance hybrids are the Wilson Duo Power, and Volkl V-Fuse.
Troy, TW
Ok. I’ve got a second racket tho (an ultra, too), with the Alu Power 125 (same tension) and the Alu Power seems more like it. My strokes are better, but I’ll try lowering the tension and combining something with the Alu Power. Thanks for the advice!
I really like my tour 100P. If Isner keeps doing well sales will go up and that just the way it is. A win on Sunday sells on Monday.
Hi Troy,
Do you know if the original prince beast 100 grommets will fit the long body version
@Damian Tran,
It should work just fine! We haven't tried it, but it is the same string pattern and head size, just extended in length.
Michelle, TW
Can you guys please do another Playtester Picks?
I just bought this racket and love it! I am still trying to figure out the best string set up. I've tried 1.20 Proline Rough and 1.25 Proline X at 57lbs but am not satisfied with either. I was wondering if Michelle had a string recommendation to help me tame the beast!
@Solomon Daud,
I always love Hyper G as a go-to. But we just playtested Tecnifibre Pro Red Code Wax and that was a nice low-powered, control-oriented option!
Hope that helps!
Michelle, TW
Thank you for the quick response! :)
I absolutely love this racquet. Bought one! Luxilon big banger ALU at 53 lbs is a good choice too unless you have arm issues. Another very good choice is prince warrior response 16g between 53 and 55 lbs. This is a control oriented low powered co-poly that's very soft on the arm.
@@abdoulayetoure1424 Definitely agree that the prince warrior response 16g is a great string (cheap option too). I've been using Luxilon 4g soft at 57 and it's been working great for me.
@@abdoulayetoure1424 Dude Alu power hurt my arm..... never had any arm issues before using that super stiff string! Never again
2:41 Troy’s souless “yeah” cracked me up 😭
Hey Michelle, just curious on what gauge you use for Solinco Hyper-G
@Drink The Earth,
16g for me! Unless I can't find any and then 17g. But I prefer 16g for most of my strings!
Michelle, TW
@Tennis Warehouse...do you know anything about rumors of a limited version of the beast 100?
@Njoy Ever,
Not sure about a limited version, just this Beast Pro 100 LB, which is 20 grams heavier, and extended length.
Troy, TW
come on Troy, give us a little something ;)
I have this racquet. You need to be extremely fit to use it. Its great for one set then I get tired 😫
LOL i tried not to laugh during intro xD
As usual great review!!
Will TW Europe be selling this racket? How is the comfort? I’ve been having a few elbow problems with my K6.1 95 18x20 and I’m looking for a racket with similar weight but slightly easier to use and easier on the elbow.
@Chris Green,
Unfortunately, we are not sure if or when Europe will get this racquet as their distribution is separate from ours in the states.
Michelle, TW
@Chris Green,
I used to play with the Six One 95 18x20, and I do recall the K Factor version playing pretty stiff. I have been using the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 (330) Racquet, and it maneuvers similarly to the Six One 95. It has a crisp feel, but fairly comfortable. The Prince Phantom Pro 93P Racquet plays with a similar stability to the Six One 95, but maneuvers a bit easier. It doesn't quite pack the punch of the Six One 95, but is much more plush and comfort oriented. The Volkl C10 Pro is another great option, with a good amount of stability, and plenty of comfort.
Troy, TW
Tennis Warehouse thanks Troy for the great reply. The Vcore 330 is a racket I’m keen to try, how do you find it performs on kick serves? Could I also ask how you would compare the Srixon revo 18x20 with the k6.1? The flex of the revo is tempting but I’d need to increase swing weight to 350
@Chris Green,
The VCORE Pro 97 (330), is a nice playing racquet. It is more spin friendly than the Six One 95 18x20, and it generates plenty of spin on kick serves. Initially, I had to adjust to the more open string pattern, and the fact that the ball comes off of the string bed at a slightly higher angle. Once I adjusted, I started to enjoy the added spin. It is a slight bit less stable than the Six One 95 18x20, but the added flex helps to make it feel a bit more comfortable, especially compared to the K Factor version. The Dunlop Srixon Revo CX 2.0 Tour 18x20, has a similar level of control, if not more than the Six One 95 18x20. It is a very plush, and comfortable feeling racquet, but doesn't pack the punch of the Six One 95. With some added weight, the Dunlop Srixon Revo CX 2.0 Tour 18x20 plays very well, and could potentially be a good choice for you, as comfort is top notch.
Troy, TW
Tennis Warehouse thanks again Troy :)
How would you compare the sweet spot sizes of the revo and Vcore? Obviously in stock form the different weights will cause some difference but if both were modded to my specs of around 360g, 350 swing weight, 8 points head light, strung with gut poly at around 48-53lbs gut mains and 46-51lbs poly crosses depending on court speed and temperature.
How you guys swing a 100 pound racket?
@Hans Bunyi,
Not quite a 100 pounds, but swings with some good heft!
Troy, TW
It was a joke, 100 LB.
@Chris H.,
NIce one. Didn't even realize!
Troy, TW
Please include captions for the earing impaired. Thank you.
What a rally at 3:28!
When written review?
@Nguyen Hung,
We are hoping to have it up on the site soon! It's going through the final stages of editing right now. Until then, we are happy to answer any questions we can about this racquet and our playtest.
Michelle, TW
Use the full length of the racquet, Chris. Hold it lower
I hold all racquets like that :)
Chris, TW
351 swingweight. Woww
Alfando Savant Novak,fed, Rafa are between 360-380
Jamis Dog haha not true