PRINCE EXO3 Hybrid Red 102 Tennis Racquet Review
June 15th, 2011
The folks at "DO IT Tennis" recently allowed me to play with the new PRINCE EXO3 Hybrid Red 102 inch racquet. I observed that this very light racquet (9.0 oz unstrung) was a little head-heavy (spec's said 4 pts.). I liked that feature on this racquet---it helps give the power that such a light racquet requires. It is an attractive racquet (mainly black/white/red) and has Prince's "energy bridge / sweet spot expansion" features. I also noted that Prince engineered it with a varied beam-width (29mm/28mm/22mm) to give more power around the sweet spot, but also allow comfort and feel.
For a head-heavy racquet, this one gets around FAST! Baseline ground-strokes, serves, and reflex-volleys really demonstrated it's built-in quickness. It's ability to swing fast increased the depth and power of my shots--but, for me, threw my timing off a little (I'm accustomed to a heavier racquet). It's 16 x 19 string pattern also helped bite the ball better than some of my other racquets.
I think this would be a great racquet for a players who may have shorter swings, are newer/intermediate players, or just really enjoy a racquet that is highly maneuverable. It really gets-around to the ball quickly and is forgiving on off-center hits. It would also make a good choice for Doubles players (fast at the net).