Prince Phantom 100X 305 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 87

At the baseline, the Prince Phantom 100X 305 displayed high levels of feel and spin. Offering a glimpse of traditional feel, this version was updated with the power necessary for today's game. Kristen may have been the most excited member of the crew to test this racquet update. She said, "The Phantom Pro 100 is my racquet of choice, so I was highly anticipating this update, and I was not disappointed. This racquet seemed to check all the boxes in terms of things that I was missing with the previous version. One of those characteristics was stability, and from the first hit, I noticed that aspect had been much improved. I also noted the quicker response off the stringbed, so I was getting a boost in free power, which was greatly welcomed. Even though the slightly stiffer and thicker beam added more power and stability, this racquet maintained its comfortable, pocketing nature for a balance of great feel and control. It also kept its maneuverable, whippy feel, so I could get around the ball and hit great angles. I did get a lot of spin out of it as well, which is essential for my game style. Overall, I was quick to get dialed in with this updated version of the Phantom Pro 100, and I have no complaints from the back of the court."

Although Brittany loves it when a racquet offers some free power, this low-powered frame helped her in a couple of areas at the baseline. She said, "I have long been a big fan of Prince racquets, and I used them in juniors and in college. I am always excited to see what new offerings Prince has, since I tend to click with the feel of them. I wasn't on the playtest for the first iteration of the Phantom, but I was lucky enough to test this racquet side by side with the O3 model. It took about an hour before I really started to gel with the Phantom 100X 305 and tap into its potential. On groundstrokes, the racquet just felt so smooth in my hands and offered great control and spin. This racquet is lower in power compared to my racquet of choice, the Yonex EZONE 100, so I had to really focus on swinging through to get the depth and pace I wanted. This wasn't a bad thing, but I did have to work a little bit harder than I am used to. I also wanted to give a big shoutout to this racquet on my slices. Slicing is not my strength, and I normally try to avoid it at all costs. With the Phantom 100X 305, I hit low slices both for offense and defense. The Phantom 100X 305 definitely boosted my confidence in that area."

The plush feel and control of this racquet seemed to help Erik find his targets. He said, "I found the Phantom Pro 100X 305 to be pretty versatile, and as I play with the Prince Textreme 100 Tour (310), I'm no stranger to this kind of racquet. The Phantom Pro 100X 305 worked amazingly well for my all-court game. Its speedy nature, combined with the 16x18 string pattern, offered good power and excellent spin. I also had the ability to cut the ball through the air really well, and my slices were sitting quite low. When I found myself in a defensive position, this racquet offered enough mass and plow through for me to reach deeper targets without any fuss. I also loved bailing out of trouble with defensive sky lobs, and the Phantom 100X 305's enhanced feel helped me gauge the depth of these lobs. Compared to the previous model, this version was definitely more stable, and I felt like it didn't get pushed around much at all."

Julie is an aggressive baseliner who craves control, but spin is another essential area of her game. She explained how the Phantom 100X 305 suited her game, saying, "This is a versatile racquet with a sweet, flexible beam. The open 16x18 string pattern helped me generate a lot of spin on forehands, while the big sweetspot allowed me to hit the ball very aggressively on my backhand. I liked the mass I had behind the ball for added power on aggressive strokes. It also helped me control the ball when I wanted to run my opponent around the court or take some pace off intense rallies. I was the most delighted with my backhand slice. I like to throw some slices into the game now and then, but it isn't my best shot. Well, I never knew I had the ability to knife the ball with subtlety and precision until I playtested the Phantom 100X 305! I did note one downside, though. I have a small injury on my left wrist, and I felt like I needed more stability on my backhand. I felt the racquet twisting slightly at times, engaging my left wrist a bit more than usual. Even though the racquet is impressively stable for its specs, I wanted more stability on the baseline, and I don't think more weight in the hoop would have done the trick for me. I think I just need a stiffer frame with a thicker beam to suit my game perfectly."

Volleys - Score: 86

At net, the Prince Phantom 100X 305 felt much more stable than the previous Phantom Pro 100 thanks to its thicker beam and slightly stiffer makeup. Its feel and stability charmed our playtesters and more than met Brittany's high expectations. She said, "As I expected, the Phantom 100X 305 was a solid weapon up at net. The racquet did not get pushed around, but at the same time, it was not hard to maneuver. It had a nice, plush feel that allowed me to hit deep cutaway volleys and even throw in a little touch from time to time. I had great success with my pick-up volleys as well."

Lately, Kristen has been on the lookout for extra power and stability at net. Finding what she needed in this new update, she seemed to be leaning toward a possible switch to the Phantom 100X 305. She said, "Although I'm more of a baseliner than a net player, I've started playing more doubles recently and need a racquet that allows me to feel confident at net. The Phantom Pro 100 is not really one of those frames; it has nice touch but lacks stability and put-away power. This update was just what I needed to feel more comfortable moving forward. The great touch was still there, but the added stability gave it more put-away power and a more solid response against pace."

Erik was all smiles when rushing to the net. He said, "Volleying felt incredible with this stick. I expected to find the plush feel of the Prince Phantom line at net, and I wasn't disappointed at first strike. The ball sank slightly into the stringbed for added feel and control. This helped me feel where the ball was going, and it gave me a sense of control at all times. My volleys felt really smooth, and the sweetspot felt massive. I gained extra confidence at net with the Phantom 100X in my hands."

Julie would have liked more control when she went to the net. She described, "I honestly was expecting stability issues at net, but I didn't experience such things. Volleys felt responsive. The sweetspot was easily found, and the racquet felt quick to get into position. The racquet had enough weight in the hoop to be stable at impact and to add extra mass behind the ball. As a result, finding depth was second nature, and I had a good feel for the ball when it came to dropping it right behind the net. With my recent appreciation for tighter string patterns, I've been craving control, especially at net. Too often with this racquet I felt like the ball followed its own path, disregarding my aim. I really just wanted more control because the ball didn't always reach my targets."

Serves - Score: 85

Our testers unlocked the Phantom 100X 305's potential on serves. This racquet helped Kristen find strength in her weaknesses. She explained, "I don't often list serving as one of my favorite parts of a playtest, but this stroke was a highlight for me. Perhaps this was also because serving was the area where I struggled the most with the previous iteration. With this update, I was able to tap into much more power on my serves. I felt more connected to the ball, and I could mix up my serves. Whether I was hitting flat first serves or kickers for the second, I found a certain ease to maneuvering this racquet. I was always in control and was able to pinpoint my spots."

The Phantom 100X 305 gave Erik a boost of confidence, pushing him to go for bolder serves. He said, "I was very confident serving. I had great precision and solid power with this racquet on first serves, but placement and control stood out for me. On second serves I could get excellent control and spin. My kick serves really jumped up when I was going for a serve out wide and accelerating fast. My favorite serves were definitely the kick serve up the T on the deuce side and the kick serve out wide on the ad side."

As Brittany hit her first few serves, power didn't come easily. She described, "Even though this racquet didn't give me the power I am used to, I was still able to be effective on my serve. I found myself mixing up my serve more and being more deliberate with what I was hitting. I had to work harder to generate the pace I needed and wasn't able to maintain this throughout a hitting session or match. I was throwing in a lot of slices out wide and even some kickers on first serves to keep my opponent out of a rhythm. What I appreciated most was the solid weight behind my serves."

Julie's serves didn't quite land inside the lines at first. After emphasizing ball placement over power, she started finding some consistency. She said, "I needed a bit of an adjustment period for serving big on the T. This is my favorite serve, and I'm rarely afraid of going for it. With this racquet, I had to put some extra effort into slapping my wrist to get that first ball in. I was happy with the power and spin I generated once I found the right timing. I didn't hit my most powerful serves, but they felt quick and lively. I was happy with my second serves as well. I had enough feel to know where the ball was going. On kick serves, I found excellent spin with great net clearance for efficient second serves. With enough racquet speed I could really push the returner back with my kick serve, which is something I struggle with at times."

Returns - Score: 87

The maneuverability of the Prince Phantom 100X 305 helped our playtesters get into position quickly to hit their serve returns. The Phantom 100X 305 has less power than her EZONE 100, but Brittany appreciated the frame's ability to keep her from muscling the ball. She explained, "With most racquets I prefer returning over serving, and the Phantom 100X 305 was no exception. The solid feel combined with the maneuverability allowed me to be aggressive off both first and second serves, and with the lower power I was never worried about overhitting. I could swing through with confidence against any serve."

Kristen enjoyed the added stability on returns. She said, "This was another favorite portion of the playtest for me. I've competed a lot with this racquet over the past couple of months, and the controlled response and ball pocketing allowed me to return with confidence. I was able to counteract pace well and also bring some heat to my returns when I had the opportunity. It offered an ideal balance of power and control, with great access to spin to get my returns landing deep."

Although Julie prefers more control-oriented racquets, like her Tecnifibre TF40 305, she took full advantage of the bigger sweetspot and higher spin potential of the Phantom 100X 305. She said, "I've been working on my serve returns lately. I'm trying to be more aggressive and hit the ball earlier. The idea is to use my opponent's pace against them, and this racquet truly helped me work on that. The racquet had enough stability when I executed my return well, and the 16x18 string pattern helped generate all the power I needed. When it came to returning second serves, the racquet was maneuverable enough for me to generate the speed I needed to find ideal power and spin."

Erik was pleased to see how well this stick worked for his returning game. He added, "Even though this is a racquet I'd categorized on the low-powered side, it was still extremely whippy and stable enough to block big first serves back. The 16x18 string pattern added some whirl to the ball, but always kept me in control. I felt very confident in this area as well; I never found myself overhitting, and I was pretty consistent with my returns."

Overall - Score: 88