Not long ago I reviewed the old-school Prince CTS Synergy DB 26 and here is something quite different – The Prince Synergy 98.
The Prince Ripstick took a heritage name and brought something new and different. The Prince Synergy 98 does the same thing. Prince again throw something different into the mix with a 98 sq inch racquet with 60 RA stiffness and an 18×18 string pattern!
I have played the Prince Synergy 98 for a while and it’s a racquet I really enjoy. It reminds me a bit of the Tecnifibre Tfight RS 305 in the way it is pretty maneuverable despite the high swing weight. Still, players who like a whippy response from their racquets, might feel like the Synergy 98 is a bit too demanding to swing.
If you want to buy the Prince Synergy 98 (or something else), check it out at one of our affiliates and a small commission goes to Tennisnerd.
Tennis Warehouse (US), Tennis Warehouse Europe, Tennis Only The racquet is currently available on pre-order only at Tennis Warehouse US, but should be available in a couple of weeks at both TWE and Tennis Only.
Spec check
Unstrung specs
Head size: 98 sq inches
Length: 27 in (standard)
Beam: 21/23/25 mm (CTS)
Weight: 305g / 10.75 oz
Balance: 32 cm / 12.6 in
Swing weight: 299
String pattern: 18×18
Stiffness: 63 RA
I strung my Prince Synergy 98 with Solinco Hyper-G Soft 1.20 at 51 lbs and got the following:
Strung specs including overgrip
Weight: 324.7g / 11.45 oz Balance: 32.3 cm / 6 pts HL, 330 SW
How does it play?
This racquet really plows through the ball well thanks to the heavy swing weight. The 18×18 pattern offers a good mix of control and spin and it’s pretty reminiscent of what you normally get from 16×20 pattern with perhaps a bit more spin potential/higher launch angle.
It’s a solid and control-oriented racquet with a plush yet spin-friendly feel. I find it hard to fault, but, as I mentioned above, the high swing weight might be an issue for some players. It shines from the baseline and feels a little bit slower at the net.
On serves you get nice power and weight on your shots as long as you can get the racquet in motion fast enough.
More to come in my video review (coming soon).
When are you doing a review on new K7 Lime Angell frames for 2021
Coming in a couple of days.
Hi, I am wondering about the suggested string tension for this racket. I’m usually stringing my rackets in the lower 20 kgs and so what does it say about the racket if they don’t suggest going lower than 23kgs?
Hey TN! How would you compare this stick to the new head radical pro? Which feels like the more “complete” stick or all court frame? Different string patterns but otherwise look pretty similar! Thank you in advance!
Hi, yes they are quite similar. The Prince is a bit plusher, but both feel good on contact. The Synergy is a bit “beefier”, while the Radical feels a bit faster, not an easy choice for me which one I would go for. Right now, the Prince.
Hey TN,
I’m playing with the Beast 98. Is the Synergy worth upgrading to? Or are they pretty similar?
Cheers
I am also playing with the Beast 98 and was surprised to see Prince release a racquet with such similar specs. I really like the Beast 98 and won’t switch for a while, but am curious as to how this new Synergy 98 compares to the Beast 98.
Japan already released a Beast 98 update (2020) and I suspect Prince will release an updated Beast series worldwide sometime this spring (2021).
The Synergy is softer and has a higher swing weight than the Beast 98. The Beast 98 will give you a bit more free power and will be slightly easier to swing, but the Synergy feels better and offers better comfort in my opinion.
How does this compare to a pro staff, since that is the racquet with the highest swing weight I’ve played with. I liked the feel of the pro staff but ordered the synergy because I wanted something with more flex and I have a shoulder injury.