Question about Prince triple threat RIP

In my trip to Malaysia, I bought 3 new rackets, Yonex MP99 Sp 2U, Gosen Aermet Graven Roots 3400, and the Prince triple threat Rip. I was buying shoes in the sports shop and told the owner I just bought the other 2 rackets and found the Gosen a bit light as I was used to 2U and liked the Carb 8 (original). The owner suggested that I try out the Prince triple threat Rip as it was similar in feel to the Carb 8, and since is was reasonably priced at MYR 146 (US$ 39), I said what the heck and bought the racket. The prince plays quite nicely but is not special in any way. The Gosen 3400 and MP 99 do not require much arm strength but instead are more wristy rackets.

Anyway, my question is this. The Prince racket I bought has a regular iso shape which is slightly different from the classic Yonex iso shape; the Prince racket does not have the unusual Y joint common in many Prince rackets. I would not have bought the racket otherwise. Looking at the Prince catalog, I find that the Prince Triple Threat Rip displayed has the weird shape instead on the standard Iso shape. My racket looks different from the racket in the catalog. I assume that the racket is not a fake as Prince is not a big seller and there is no reason to make a fake Prince racket. I have attached a picture of the weird shaped Prince triple threat from the Prince catalog. My racket looks like any other regular badminton racket. Has anyone bought the racket I described and can explain the difference in shape? What gives?

Ron

 

Yup, triple threat Rip. Prince is creative in naming rackets. I believe they use equally creative names for the tennis rackets.

 

So the newer Prince rackets have the regular shape instead of the Y joint shape. Then the racket may be from the newer stock. Anyway the racket plays well and it has the bulge for the weight loading for the triple threat. It is well made and does not look fake. Why bother faking a Prince as it is not a big seller. The model listed in the picture is from 2001 and so the Y shaped triple threat in the picture is of an old model. The racket was on sale and may not have sold well, hence the discounted price. It does play well but the MP 99 is much better (also costs several arms and legs more).

Ron

 

I have taken some pictures with the digital still from my camcorder and the resolution is awful. Anyway, how do I upload an image if it is not already on a server somewhere? I am not sure where to get a server for the image.

Anyway the racket is well made and it does not look like a fake. It could be an older model as it is on sale and is the only racket of that model. I bought the racket in Malaysia and Malaysia may carry a different line from Europe. It does play well but the Yionex MP 99 and the Gosen Roots Gravun Aermet 3400 are better. It has a good feel but does not get the extra power from a special shaft or from the frame unlike the MP 99 and the Gosen 3400.

Ron

 

Thanks Gengar. It is good to know that the Asian version is different from the European version. The lettering is perfect and the racket is well made. It is too well made to be a fake but it could be from a cheaper factory in China. It has a slight bulge at the 2 and 10 O' clock position for the triple threat weights. I also believe I saw another Prince (different model) with the regular iso shape. It would not make sense to fake a racket with such an obvious difference as a t-joint versus a Y-joint. Even a blind person can feel the difference. While there are fakes in the Asian market, it does not make sense to make a high quality but obvious fake of a non-hot seller and sell the racket at a low price. It does make sense to discount the price of an older model racket. The bag with the racket is a big but low quality Prince bag.

I bought the racket from the owner of Ekotah at Pertama Complex, who is very knowledgeable and also plays badminton. In fact, he was going to take off to play badminton after stringing my racket. He was also correct in describing the feel of the racket as being similar to the traditional carb 8 designs. He is a nice guy and I would definitely trust his recommendations after trying out the Prince TT RIP. It is a good racket for the price. As such, I find it unlikely that the racket was fake. I would have bought a better racket like an Iso 10, but after spending almost MYR 900 on the MP 99 and Roots Gravun Aermet 3400, I just cannot justify spending too much on another badminton racket. The price is right for the Prince TT RIP and I can use it when I play with partners I might crash with.

Ron

 

Yupper, that is it!

It is the Prince Triple Threat Tungsten Rip and as far as I can tell with the poor resolution picture is exactly like the racket I got. So it is a real racket and is available on a web site in the Philippines. I assume that it is not fake or Prince will sue the stuffings out of Tobys.

It is nice to know that the weight is in the 90 to 93 gms range as I told the owner of Ekatoh that I preferred a Yonex 2U over a 3U and there was a 3U marking on the racket, but the owner assured me that the weight is similar to a Yonex 2U. It also has a 3 1/4 weight marking on the end and 3.25 oz corresponds to 91 gms. So the weight is roughly comparable to a Yonex 2U.

Thanks Jigsaw.

Here is the web page of the racket at Tobys.


http://www.tobys.com/prodspec.asp?Prod_ID=506

LB, maybe a 2U is kind of heavy for a mid flex racket, but I prefer 2Us over 3Us and have never had a 4U racket. Anyway, the flex is fine and it is not too stiff or too flexible. The racket plays decent and has a feel of the MP 55.

 

The price in the Philippines at Tobys is PhP 3,899.00, and this converts to MYR276 or US$ 73. I paid MYR146 (including strings and grip) and the frame alone was MYR130. MYR 146 equals US$38. I got a good deal, and rackets are expensive in the Philippines.

Ron

 

Thanks Mag,

I was using the Prince last night and it had a different feel from the Gosen and the MP 99. It is a good racket and definitely work the money I paid (especially since I did not pay much for it).

Ron