Prince badminton rackets have been around for quite a while now,
offering slightly quirky designs along the way. The early racquets had
the x-axis design that looked something like a diamond head shape. The
latest models are the 03 rackets, and have proved to be very popular.
Prince are more well known for their tennis and squash rackets, as they are one of the biggest manufacturers in the world, sponsoring many of the world's top players. They have a good reputation for producing quality products in these fields, but have struggled to gain a foothold in the badminton market.
I have used the older Prince models with the x-axis design, and they were prone to string breakage due to the string bed design, which caused the strings to be spaced out more than conventional designs. Another problem with this extra string spacing was a lack of control when the shuttle hit the strings.
Prince still use this head shape in some of their lower priced rackets, but the more expensive rackets now use an isometric head shape, or as Prince call it, the quadraform head shape. The benefit of the quadraform shape is that it creates an enlargened sweet spot, helping you to hit more consistent shots, more of the time.
The new 03 range has a new technology which is different from any other manufacturer. Prince have created open ports at the 12, 3, and 9 o'clock positions on the racket head. This basically means they have made the grommet holes much larger at these points. The effect is to improve the speed and aerodynamics of the racket.
There are two choices in the 03 range, the 03 Red, and the 03 Silver. The Red has a flexible rating, and is designed for more power. The 03 Silver has a slightly stiffer rating, and is designed for more control.
This new technology appears to be in total contrast to the Prince M+ badminton rackets, which focused on creating tiny grommet holes to give extra control. This u-turn from Prince is pretty drastic to say the least. Perhaps they have seen the error in their ways.
The new 03 range has proved to be a hit amongst badminton players, with many retailers out of stock, however the prices do vary quite a lot, so it would be wise to shop around for the best deal.
Prince are putting more of their resources into badminton these days, and hopefully more new badminton rackets will be available soon, offering something a little bit different to the others.
Prince are more well known for their tennis and squash rackets, as they are one of the biggest manufacturers in the world, sponsoring many of the world's top players. They have a good reputation for producing quality products in these fields, but have struggled to gain a foothold in the badminton market.
I have used the older Prince models with the x-axis design, and they were prone to string breakage due to the string bed design, which caused the strings to be spaced out more than conventional designs. Another problem with this extra string spacing was a lack of control when the shuttle hit the strings.
Prince still use this head shape in some of their lower priced rackets, but the more expensive rackets now use an isometric head shape, or as Prince call it, the quadraform head shape. The benefit of the quadraform shape is that it creates an enlargened sweet spot, helping you to hit more consistent shots, more of the time.
The new 03 range has a new technology which is different from any other manufacturer. Prince have created open ports at the 12, 3, and 9 o'clock positions on the racket head. This basically means they have made the grommet holes much larger at these points. The effect is to improve the speed and aerodynamics of the racket.
There are two choices in the 03 range, the 03 Red, and the 03 Silver. The Red has a flexible rating, and is designed for more power. The 03 Silver has a slightly stiffer rating, and is designed for more control.
This new technology appears to be in total contrast to the Prince M+ badminton rackets, which focused on creating tiny grommet holes to give extra control. This u-turn from Prince is pretty drastic to say the least. Perhaps they have seen the error in their ways.
The new 03 range has proved to be a hit amongst badminton players, with many retailers out of stock, however the prices do vary quite a lot, so it would be wise to shop around for the best deal.
Prince are putting more of their resources into badminton these days, and hopefully more new badminton rackets will be available soon, offering something a little bit different to the others.
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