Let’s be honest. I usually procrastinate on oversized racquet reviews. There are always more interesting sticks in the queue – something for match play, something for the serious club player. But Solinco sent over the 115 Prizm and the 110 Blackout, and I gave them a proper hitting session. Here’s the verdict.
Solinco 115 Prizm
The Specs
Head size: 115 sq in
Weight: 260g (unstrung)
Length: 27.5 inches
String pattern: 16×19
Beam: Very thick
The Prizm is Solinco’s attempt to bring some colour and personality to the oversized category, and they’ve done it. I strung mine with MAC 10 mains and Confidential Soft crosses, partly to match the frame aesthetically, and partly because the combination isn’t bad for this kind of racquet. Not exactly a performance-driven string choice, but it looked great.
That’s the first thing that comes to mind when you pick this up. At 260g and 27.5 inches long, it’s light and extended, which means the balance needs to be fairly head-heavy to give you any meaningful mass in the hoop. That’s exactly what it is. And it works. At the net, on short swings and on volleys it’s effortless.
The 115 square inch head size with a 16×19 pattern is not subtle. This is maximum forgiveness territory. If you have a compact swing, or you’re not generating a huge amount of racquet head speed, this frame does a lot of the heavy lifting for you. Spin, in particular, is accessible even without a full aggressive swing.
The thick beam tells you everything you need to know about the power profile. This is not a sensitive, feedback-rich racquet – it’s a comfortable, easy-access power machine. And for its intended audience, that’s exactly what it should be.
Where you need to be careful: if you’re swinging big, the ball can sail. You need to either shorten your swing or commit to heavy topspin to keep the ball in. The Solinco Prizm rewards a disciplined, abbreviated stroke more than a full baseline swing.
Who Is This For?
Doubles players or veteran circuit players mostly. Or anyone coming back from an injury or looking for maximum comfort without sacrificing fun. If you want to play with multifilament in this, go for it – even more plush, even more comfortable. I’d probably go with something like a soft poly at low tension if you’re hitting with any spin at all, just to avoid constant string movement.
Bottom line on the Prizm: genuinely fun to play with. More fun than I expected. It’s a specific frame for a specific player, but within that context it does what it sets out to do, and the visual design is a welcome change from the usual understated oversized offerings.
Solinco 110 Blackout
The Specs
Head size: 110 sq in
Weight: 268g (unstrung)
Length: 27.5 inches
Beam: Thick (slightly less so than Prizm)
The 110 Blackout is the Prizm’s quieter, more restrained sibling. Eight grams heavier, 5 square inches smaller in the head, and in terms of feel and character, noticeably different despite looking like it belongs to the same family.
I put a multifilament in this one, which made sense on paper. In practice, it created some issues. With any kind of topspin, the strings moved around constantly and I was resetting them between points. If you’re hitting flat, multifilament works fine here. If you’re a spin player, you’re either looking at soft poly or a hybrid setup.
“It feels a lot more like a normal racquet than the Prizm. The Prizm feels quite extreme. This one just… works.”
And that’s maybe the best summary of the 110 Blackout. It’s not exciting. It’s not going to produce the ‘wow’ reaction the Prizm does on first pickup. But it’s genuinely usable across a wider range of games. Singles players in the right demographic could pick this up and not feel out of place.
The control difference between the two is real but not massive. The Blackout gives you slightly more precision – you don’t feel like you’re piloting something quite as unwieldy. Serving is easy, the swing path feels more natural, and the shorter (relative) head size gives you a bit more confidence on directional hitting.
Where I landed: I reach for the Prizm more. The Blackout is the more sensible racquet, but the Prizm is more fun. And when you’re testing oversized frames, fun counts for a lot.
Prizm vs Blackout: Which One?
Both frames are clearly built for the same user. Veteran doubles players, recreational players who want comfort and ease, anyone dealing with arm problems who still wants access to power and spin without working hard for it.
The differences come down to what you prioritise. If you want the more striking visual design and the more extreme, playful feel: Prizm. If you want something slightly more refined that sits closer to the conventional racquet experience: Blackout.
One customisation note: with a beam this thick on both frames, you don’t want to go heavy on lead tape. Both are already longer than standard, so adding significant weight will make them hard to manoeuvre, and the whole point of these frames is effortlessness. Keep the setup light.
Final Thoughts
I’ve historically ignored this category. Oversized frames don’t usually interest me. But Solinco has made a case for them here, and I think there’s a broader point worth making.
Tennis needs to be easier to play and not everyone is going to fight through the learning curve of a 95 square inch players frame. Frames like these (forgiving, comfortable, easy to generate power and spin with) make the game more accessible.
If you’re in the market for this kind of frame – maybe you’re moving towards doubles, dealing with a recurring shoulder issue, or you just want to play tennis without the equipment fighting you – both the Prizm and the Blackout are worth serious consideration. It’s nice that Solinco have entered this space properly.
As always, string them right. Soft poly at low tension if you’re a spin player. Multifilament if you’re mostly a flat hitter or a serve-and-volley doubles specialist. And if you’ve played with either of these, let me know in the comments — I’m curious whether anyone’s actually gaming these in singles.
Check availability of Solinco racquets at Tennis Warehouse Europe (code TNERD10 for 10% off) or over at Tennis Warehouse here (US, Canada).
