Prince Textreme Beast 100 Racket Review
| Groundstrokes | 85 |
| Volleys | 81 |
| Serves | 84 |
| Returns | 83 |
| Power | 88 |
| Control | 80 |
| Maneuverability | 84 |
| Stability | 81 |
| Comfort | 81 |
| Touch/Feel | 81 |
| Topspin | 84 |
| Slice | 81 |
What is more powerful than a warrior? A beast! Prince replace the user-friendly Warrior rackets with the Beast line. The Prince Textreme Beast 100 features a 16x19 string pattern as well as updated technologies. Twaron has been added to the Textreme material to improve the feel and improve the sound of ball impact. Endorsed by ATP player John Isner, the Beast 100 is loaded with a blend of easy power and spin from all areas of the court. Whether the TW playtesters were hitting groundstrokes, serves or returns they were able to hit with plenty of pace, although they did have to dial it back to keep from overhitting and were looking for a little more control. At net, the playtesters for the most part agreed the Beast 100 was easy to maneuver and punch put-away volleys deep in the court. However, they did find some instability at times, and the racket would flutter. The TW playtesters were most excited for serves, where the Beast offered the most power and control. All in all, players looking for an easy to use racket with plenty of power and spin in a comfortable package should definitely give this racket a demo!
Upsides
- Plenty of power
- Easy access to spin
- Maneuverable
Downsides
- Almost too much power
Bottom Line
This easy-to-use racket offers plenty of power and the spin potential to control it.
Ability
Intermediate to advanced
Groundstrokes - Score: 85 / 100
The Prince Textreme Beast 100 lives up to its name from the baseline. The playtesters found plenty of power, easy access to depth and spin potential. The racket is a very user-friendly option, and the playtesters were all able to pick up play with it without any major adjustments. Additionally, they found it very easy to transition from an offensive position to a defensive position as it didn’t take a lot effort to get the ball back to their opponents with pace and depth. With all that power, it was also easy to overhit especially on put away balls. "As a big fan of Prince rackets who absolutely loved the playtest of the Warrior 100, I was exciting to see what this next generation was going to offer," started Brittany. "The specs are right in my range and picking up the racket, and I had no adjustment period. I could easily generate racket head speed and get the racket moving through the air. There was easy access to power and depth on both wings. I would have just a little more precision when I was putting balls away. I found myself missing deep by a couple inches, and I think it would take a little bit more time to adjust to."
Volleys - Score: 81 / 100
The Beast 100 had mixed reviews from the TW playtesters when it came to volleys. Some found it offered a manoeuvrable feel while others were looking for a little more stability. They all agreed that it was most effective at punching volleys away rather than trying to feather the ball short. On volleys that were hit outside of the sweetspot, the racket fluttered at times in the hands of the playtesters, especially when they were stretched out reaching for a ball. Jason noted, "There’s plenty of power to put away volleys and overheads with ease. I would’ve liked a bit more stability for those times I didn’t hit it cleanly in the centre, so I’d try adding a little tungsten (weight) to the hoop."
Serves - Score: 84 / 100
The TW playtesters thought the Prince Textreme Beast 100 was a weapon when it came to serving with its raw power and spin potential. It provided effortless power that was more controllable than on groundstrokes. They really enjoyed the spin potential on their kick and slice serves and found their serves landing deep in the service box translating to a couple extra free points during a match. Tiffani praised, "The serve is rarely my favourite shot to hit with any racket, but this Beast 100 delivered the free power I like on serves. Although I found the power harder to contain on groundstrokes, on serve I loved that this racket helped me bring some heat to my serves, which are usually more lukewarm! Spin was also enough for me."
Serve Returns - Score: 83 / 100
The Beast 100 again offered easy access to power when returning serves. This turned out to be both a positive and a negative in the eyes of the TW playtesters. On one hand, they were able to hit a variety of returns with plenty of pace and depth to start the point off on the offensive. It also was easy to swing and felt fairly stable on returns against big first serves. However, there was sometimes too much power and the playtesters had a hard time controlling their returns. They had to dial back their swings to avoid overhitting. Kristen explained, "Although it was super fun to hit returns with this racket, I definitely had to dial back my return motion a tad, so as to not overhit. This racket is definitely packed with a lot of power and plough through, making it fun to hit an aggressive return."
Overall - Score: 85 / 100
Dislikes:
Brittany - "Just like the O3 version, I would have liked just a little more precision/control at times."
Jason - "A little too torsionally unstable up at net. Without enough spin, it can launch the ball."
Kristen - "This racket was not quite controlled enough for my tastes and was a bit sluggish through the air at net."
Tiffani - "I found it more difficult to control than the Beast O3 100."
Comparing it to other rackets they've used, our testers said:
Brittany - "The Beast 100 has very similar characteristics to the Beast O3 100. The feel would be the biggest difference with the standard beam offering a more modern feel. I wouldn't say one feel is better than the other, but because I used the Ports in the past, I find myself leaning toward the O3 model. It also plays very similarly to the previous Warrior 100 version. A couple other rackets that play similarly include Yonex EZONE 100 300g, the Volkl V-Sense 8 300 and the Wilson Ultra 100."
Jason - "Playability wise, I put it right up there, next to the Babolat Pure Strike 98 16x19 and the Yonex EZONE DR 100."
Kristen - "With the power and pop you get on the ball with this racket, it was somewhat reminiscent of rackets from the Babolat Pure Drive family."
Tiffani - "This racket plays a lot like the Prince Textreme Warrior 100. There's plenty of power and spin to be found from both rackets. Compared to the Prince Textreme Beast O3 100, the Beast 100 with traditional beam is more powerful with a crisper feel. I found the O3 version to be more spin friendly, more controllable from the baseline and more dampened. Another comparable racket would be the Yonex EZONE DR 100."
Playtester Profiles:
Brittany: Open level player with a semi-western forehand and a two-handed backhand. She currently plays with the Prince Textreme Beast 100.
Jason: 4.0 baseliner with a semi-western forehand and two-handed backhand. Currently using a Babolat Pure Strike 98 16x19.
Kristen: 5.0 level player with a semi-western forehand and a two-handed backhand. She currently plays with a Prince Phantom Pro 100.
Tiffani: 4.0 level baseliner with a semi-western grip on the forehand and hits a two-handed backhand. Currently playing with the Prince Textreme Tour 100P.
Likes:
Brittany - "I liked the easy power and depth. The racket was very easy to use, and the manoeuvrability was great."
Jason - "Great blend of power, control, spin and depth. Nice solid feel and good ball pocketing."
Kristen - "I liked the easy access to power and pop I got on my serve."
Tiffani - "I thought the racket felt comfortable for its stiffness rating, and it was easy to hit with depth and good pace from the baseline. I really enjoyed the free power on serves."