Prince - o3 tour

Published: 28 Mar 2006 - 19:04 by markinjapan

Updated: 08 Aug 2013 - 00:31

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Ok, i've put a bit of time in on the o3 tour and i feel confident making a review :)
Keep in mind that the racket i've been using for the last while has been a BK c2c white, so although i'll try and keep in general, i can't help but be influenced by this.

anyway, o3 tour....

I must say I really felt right off the bat this was a "players" racket. You don't get the forgivness in many other rackets and this keeps you honest. Make a bad stroke, get ready for less than spectacular results. That being said, I think the balance and weight are spot on (to my taste) It is rated slightly head heavy, but feels less so than the c2c. I a few less than scientific tests, it seems the balance point is a cm or so shorter than the c2c. I come from a badminton background and this racket has given me an edge in vollying. The c2c was just too cumbersome. I'm not one to buy into the techo hype, and i'm more likely to believe the quickness of the o3 somes from balance and weight, but who knows, the 0 holes might make it swing a touch faster. Even though the c2c is very beefy, the o2 tour feels stiffer but some what less stable (again, a players racket) That being said, get your racket up in time, and hit it nice and pure, and the o3 is a joy to play with. A bit like the difference between cavity back golf clubs and muscle back forged ones.
After all is said and done, i do need to get it restrung at the same tension and with the same string as my c2c to really see the differences, but that will come later.

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From Original Sports - 08 Aug 2013 - 00:31

Great to have some more views on this Racquet! Its one of our most popular products and reading all these makes us understand why and who we can recommend it to!

We have loads of tennis gear at great prices, and whether you want to review, buy or test a product we'd be happy to help: www.originalsports.co.uk

From missing_record1 - 15 May 2007 - 23:29

Mine are currently at 28, and that seems about right to me. Ashaway Supernick 17 (I prefer Tecnifibre but didn't have any last time I strung my rackets). Also, I have been using a rubber band as a vibration damper, which works fine.

From Bluehinder - 15 May 2007 - 00:22

So, what is the consensus for string tension for the 03 tour?

From nickhitter - 15 Nov 2006 - 01:55

Update with my o3 experience.......So I get the racket re-strung with tecnifibre at 28lbs, manage to get hold of the prince 'silencer' vibration dampener, (which is the only one available designed for the power ring) and the racket is AWESOME......but then I colide rackets in a match last night, and a HUGE chunk of paint/graphite flies off the top of the racket. DOH! It does seem that while this racket has the perfect weight, balance and quickness for me, it also has annoyed me in that I've had to mess about with dampeners to get the muted feel like what I got with my dunlops and even much cheaper rackets in the past and now it seems that it is not so durable as other rackets seem to be aswell. I can see it breaking soon as I worry the frame has now been weakend, and I'm not in a position to be able to buy another one every 2 months! So I LOVE this racket, but at the same time I HATE it!

If anyone comes across a racket that has similar 'feel' to the o3, but less vibration and a more solid construction, please let me know!

From nickhitter - 15 Nov 2006 - 01:52

If anyone comes across a racket that has similar 'feel' to the o3, but less vibration and a more solid construction, please let me know!

From nickhitter - 16 Oct 2006 - 09:03

Yeah the shockbuster looks cool. I've read bad reviews about it saying that if it ever bursts then loads of sticky ink like stuff leaks out over the racket and if it gets on your clothes then it doesnt come out very easily. So I was a bit hesitent with that one. but as far as I can see there is only that one and the prince silencer that would fit on, and neither are very readily available here in the UK. the rubber bands doing the job ok for me at the moment. I'm going to experiment with other materials cut into strips and then glued to each other to find the best shock absorber on the cheap!

From missing_record1 - 13 Oct 2006 - 00:58

iamsparticus, here are pictures of the Shockbuster and Rubber Band:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/91086021@N00/267808122/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/91086021@N00/267808121/

From squash36 - 10 Oct 2006 - 17:13

does anyone have the information of the prince distributor in australia, if so could you please pass it on, it would be very helpful to me

From missing_record1 - 07 Oct 2006 - 04:56

I just tie mine on Agassi style, but your way sounds like it would stop more vibration. I strung my last O3 at 29, but 29 on my machine may be somebody elses 26 or 32, so I wouldn't read too much into it. My knots aren't very good so I bet I lose a little tension there...

From nickhitter - 07 Oct 2006 - 03:31

I managed to solve the dampener issue with a rubber band. I don't know how you do it -whether or not you tie it on like agassi, but what I did was to cut a quarter inch width rubber band into three 2 inch long pieces, and then stuck them one on top of each other with superglue to create a rubber "worm" .Because of the design of the power ring you can slide it in at the bottom and then push it up and it stays in place great as the strings get closer together, just like you said....worked great too! worth doing with any prince power ring racket and cheaper than a dampener.

When I break a string I'll buy some of the technifibre as per your recommendation, but I'm too tight to splash out unless the strings are broke already! btw...what tension would you string the 225 at?

From missing_record1 - 07 Oct 2006 - 01:33

If you have elbow problems changing your string could help. Try Tecnifibre 225. It is really soft and easy on the arm. With the Shockbuster it feels like I am hitting the ball with a pillow.

From nickhitter - 05 Oct 2006 - 23:59 - Updated: 05 Oct 2006 - 23:59

thanks evil_flounder I'll try and get hold of one of those. it's been driving me mad trying to find one cause I suffer from tennis elbow terribly without a dampener. I just never thought of it when I ordered the racket. any other suggestions would be helpful or if anyone knows any other product that would fit on. I was looking at the prince 'the silencer' but doesn't seem to be available in the UK....

From missing_record1 - 05 Oct 2006 - 22:43

I use either a rubber band, or the Gamma Shockbuster, which you can manage to get on if you put it in right at the "power ring" and slide it up toward the first cross (the Shockbuster won't be weaved like it should be but due to the way the power ring works it will stay in place nicely). I'll try to take a picture of it, but it ends up looking a bit like a smiley face. Works well.

From nickhitter - 04 Oct 2006 - 19:26

The o3 silver is much more forgiving than the tour, and is a little 'easier' to play with if you're not a consistent player, but isnt as rewarding when you hit it just right. I bought a tour and on the whole I love it but find that it has a bit more vibration to it than what I was used to (dunlop custom pro with vibration dampener). unfortunately because of the power ring design I can't get the vibration dampener on the o3 tour! Does anyone know of a dampener than would fit on an o3 tour?

From shib - 25 Sep 2006 - 21:05

im deciding between the prince 03 silver and tour too. any comparisons or reviews would be helpful. thanks

From Girgis - 18 Sep 2006 - 23:06

Does anyone know how the o3 silver compares with the o3 tour

cheers

From missing_record1 - 19 Jun 2006 - 22:24

I personally don't think you need to use tape, since the bumper guard is very thick and gives the racket great protection.

From missing_record11 - 16 Jun 2006 - 20:33

Well, forgive me for the wording that I use, cause I am not so much into racquet maintenance :)!!.. I am new at Squash, but addicted to it and playing for 6 months nearly everyday. With a few investigation on Internet, I have upgraded to O3 Tour and very happy with it.

As rit says, what I am searching for is a head protector. I have applied it to my racquet, now another annoying thing for me occured. As I applied the protector, the O holes were covered with it. Although there is no difference in playing ( that's what I guess, there may be differences, agh hate being so amateur), an annoying whistle sound comes from the racquet when I swing. Is it weird, or is it going to effect to my shots?

Thanks for the help! :)

From rippa rit - 13 Jun 2006 - 08:01

Sounds like it might be an eye guard protector head strap (the elastic bit that goes around your head)..

What you are looking for to protect the top of the racket is called a "bumper strip" or racket head protector as far as I know.

Some cheap options for the do-it-yourself person, cloth tape, elastoplast, cloth based towelling with double-sided tape, and I have used araldite (a 2 part eposy mix) to put a skin on the top of the racket.
Be careful of the colour of what you used so that it does not mark the walls.

From missing_record1 - 12 Jun 2006 - 22:04

What is an "e protector head strap"? Is it tape or something similar you use to protect the racket? The bumper guard on the O3 is pretty good, and I am not getting any chipping or paint loss on the top of my rackets.

From missing_record11 - 09 Jun 2006 - 18:10

I am now using O3 nearly for a month and original string broke off. I am now going to replace it with new strings, but I have some doubts. Stringing needs some proficiency. I usually hit the head of the racquet to the wall or to the floor, the paint has alrady removed from the top side. I will use e protector head strap but I am not sure if it is going to effect to O3 tehcnology and balance. Any suggestions?

From missing_record1 - 07 May 2006 - 07:23

Prince ended up replacing the racket, no questions asked.

From missing_record1 - 19 Apr 2006 - 04:12

It broke between the top two O-holes below the bumper guard, so on the side of the racket. There is almost no chance that is where my racket hit the wall, since my knuckles would have hit the wall before that part of the racket could have, given the shape of the racket head. I suspect I hit the wall around the top tie off spot, and that put pressure on the first point of weakness, which is between the top two O-holes. I am going to call Prince to see if they will do anything for me. I also have problems with paint chipping, but that isn't such a big deal to me. That has been a complaint on the O3 tennis rackets, too. I love the O3 tour so I HOPE it was just a defective racket...

From markinjapan - 19 Apr 2006 - 00:04 - Updated: 19 Apr 2006 - 02:06

I talked with a prince rep about my racket. It seems that around the 0 holes, at first paint, but then graphite/ti whatever, has been chipping off. And not in places where it strikes the wall, in fact in places where it is impossible to be hit by anything. On my racket it was just a cosmetic thing except on one hole where I though the chipping might result in strings breaking. Anyway, the rep told me that because the racket is so stiff, this sometimes occurs. Because of this, I can imagine it breaking easily; it is alot thinner than other rackets also.
But who knows why your racket broke, there are bad runs and not every racket that leaves the plant can be perfect. I've had a couple of games over the last week where my racket has seen alot of abuse, and after reading your post i gave my racket a more than through looking over. But i'm with you, as long as it doesn't break once a month............
Also, update, I switched over to supernick xl @ 26.7lbs and wow! The racket just came to life. Of course I knew the stock strings were terrible, but I just hadn't had the time to restring it. Now I am in squash heaven.......opponents are in hell of course :)

Evil_Flounder, at what postition did the 03 break?

From missing_record1 - 18 Apr 2006 - 22:28

Update: I have found a possibly fatal flaw with the O3 concept: the racket breaks very easily! I have already broken one scraping a ball off the wall. I didn't hit the wall any harder than I have 1000 times in the past with my Dunlops, but the O3 broke right at the O-port. I can see this happening again, regardless of how careful I am. It is just too fragile. But I am still sticking with the O3. It is that good, in my opinion. Unless I start breaking one every month...

From missing_record1 - 13 Apr 2006 - 07:01

I just got my O3 tour, and it is amazing. Easily the best racket I have ever used. It is perfectly balanced, swings extremely fast through the ball but with weight and power, and is incredibly precise. I love the muted feel -- no vibration at all and very easy on my arm. It is certainly a players' racket. It rewards high swing speeds with power and precision, but if your strokes are not honed, you will get nothing out of it. I can say this because I tried playing lefty (my opposite hand) with it and I actually preferred my old racket (Dunlop Hot Melt Pro) for that hand. In the American rating system I am around 5-5.5 righty and around 4 lefty, so not terrible as a lefty but not good enough for the racket's strengths to be of benefit. At $200 it is twice as expensive as any racket I have ever bought, but it is worth every penny and I just ordered another one. Great job, Prince!!!

From missing_record1 - 03 Apr 2006 - 22:05

I just ordered an O3, and will post a review in a week or so. That makes sense to me about needing the brake. I don't think my machine has one, but I looked at the Prince website for info on the boomerang tool and that looks like it should do the trick.

From markinjapan - 03 Apr 2006 - 00:18

evil_flounder,

When you string this racket, you do need to use either the brake on your machine or a little tool that comes with the racket. Because the holes are so big, the racket will "swing out" towards the previous string on the upper section of the racket if you don't do either of the above. Also because the holes are bigger and there are no shared holes, besides the tie offs, it is faster to string. As for the money, I like the playability, feel, and balance, so i'll be out to buy a few more. Try it out.

Aprice1985,

I havn't played with the more range, sorry.

From missing_record1 - 01 Apr 2006 - 11:15

I owned a More Game for a while but it wasn't my main racket and I gave it away during a match when my opponent broke his only remaining racket. I thought the More Game was pretty good, but the factory strings were terrible and I never had a chance to restring it before I gave it away so I'm not sure how good it could have been with better string.

From aprice1985 - 31 Mar 2006 - 08:46

I wrote a rerview of a predecessor of this raquet and feel that they sound like they have similar features, great play but unforgiving in mistakes, which is fine unless you make loads of mistakes like me. Out of interest have you played at all with any of the prince "more" range?

From missing_record1 - 31 Mar 2006 - 04:55

Has anybody tried to string this racket? I'm just wondering how the bigger holes complicate/simplify the process. Do strings break more frequently than normal? I have heard that complaint with the O3 tennis rackets.

Also, is this racket worth the money? I am currently using the black Dunlop Hot Melt Pro, and have been looking at the new white Dunlop Hot Melt Pro, the ICE Tour, and the Wilson ntour -- all three of which are half the price of the Prince O3. I'm just wondering if the benefits are worth the extra money. Thanks for your help!

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