Second session with the PPro... all my previous ratings stand, especially the "feel" one. I was timing much better this time as well. I think the small sweetspot is a result of the sheer lateral strength of the frame - it won't deform inwards at all, leaving a very compact and powerful center-zone.
Here's a duffer's first impression of the Precision Pro: Skill: low-intermediate ; Racket specs: 286mm /85g ; String: BG-85 at 23lb; Circumstance: 2.5h singles/doubles Other racket preferences: PP Trinity 1, Victor BS 10, Yonex NS 8000. (all even-balanced / stiff) The string tension, the racket specs and my skill are all "lower" than the average. So the following is completely subjective. I agree with MarkA on the strength of the frame. It didn't deform at all on stringing and felt solid with every shot. This seems to result in very good control. Drops and clears were easy and accurate right off the bat. The sweet spot does seem smaller than on the Victor BS 10. Defense was very good. Not sure that it is any faster than BS 10 or NS 8000, but just more "solid". If you got the racket onto the bird in defence, it just seemed to repel over the net more reliably. Power is not my strong suit. Smash timing and net play, I find, take more than one session to adjust with a new racket. So far power is adequate but not spectacular. But no final opinion is possible yet. Overall this feels and behaves like a "significant" racket. It feels solid. It performs reliably. Control is the best feature so far. Honestly, I am quite keen to lend it to friends with better technique. One suspects that, like a fine instrument, the talented can make more use of it than can the rank amateur. Nevertheless I'm gonna keep trying. Good Job Panda!!
After numerous... numerous... mishits in today's session, I can confirm that the PPro frame can withstand a LOT of punishment... A smash that would have ended up in China, had I caught it right, pings off 3 o'clock. I look at my frame with a squinting rictus... I swear I saw it shrug.
I graduate tomorrow and have a PhD interview in Edinburgh on Friday, is it bad that one of these beasties making it my way next week may top all that?
Panda was going to surprise everyone with a new racket, the Panda Power "ELITE TRAINER", a 170-180g weighted training racket that could be still used for playing. Panda was just about to put in an order to produce a batch when the PT broke on a smash... ...so back to the drawing board. And yes, that's a piece of solid aluminum inside the shaft.
What can I say, my new Precision Pro is very very good I consider myself an average player but my goodness it was very easy to use compared to the NS300. Thank you very much Panda
That's what happens when you have those big Panda wrists. Think Dan would be in the Guinness Book of Records for the month rackets snapped off at the shaft if there was a category. Saw a few lying around his pad but then who better to test as I have never seen anyone torque a racket the way the Panda does when he hits.
Hi everybody, Sorry i didn't read the 350 pages of that thread so maybe my question has been asked few times . Im currently playing with APACS tantrum 300 and im very happy with that racket but it's becoming more and more difficult to find some since they released the new model which i think wouldn't fits me because i don't like medium stiff rackets. Im quite interested by Panda's brand because i like "exotic" brands (i was playing with Sotx and now apacs). Which racket of the line up would you guys advice me to choose? I like stiff rackets even balanced or slightly head heavy. Im not a great attackers, im much more a defender in single play but during double game i attacks much more. I need a rackets which allows me to switch between single and double game without any problem. In the line up i saw on panda's website, i think trinity pro or ultra 2 could fit me. what do you think? any review of these rackets available? Thank you
I would go for Tpro and yes, you can find the review here Tpro is stiff and slightly head heavy mine is 84. something gram, and 295mm I used it for singles and doubles, fast enough for doubles, and enough power for singles or you can try the precision pro (the new racket) I think it is also fit your description I don't know how stiff it is though.. (anyone knows? as far as I remember Panda never told us about the stiff rating for PPro) they don't have ultra 2 anymore what they have now is Trinity pro, ultra pro and precision pro you can find the review here in this thread, you can try to use search button to find the review
the tpro has a wider range of stiffness, but it is all 'stiff' I think. The ppro's stiffness the stiffer half of the tpro range: TPro: 7.8 ~ 8.2 PPro: 7.8 ~ 8.0
Had a tantrum 300 before and a very good racket but for doubles found too demanding after a few games. Tpro I agree would be closest have similiar characteristics but be a bit less demanding. Precision would be a bit less stiff but much more manueverable. If you bought one I would order one at least 3g heavier. Loving the new Precision since it swings fast having to add weights to it to slow it down. Think my reaction is just like Kwun's we like say 85g unstrung rackets but the new Precision swings like an 82g. So have to tweak it to 88g to be back in our normal swing zone. Once I get it dialed in will get off my butt and give a good review.
Comparing to the T300, I think there is such a thing is too well built. I loved the T300's brutal stability and stiffness, but I found it too heavy and not aerodynamic enough in actual play; the PPro is just more "useable" (if that makes any sense). The PPro has one of the best strength/aerodynamics balance I've seen in any racket so far, comparable to the Victor Octablade.
I like stiff rackets so i think i'll go for a PP instead of a TP. How much does a PP cost? (it isn't available on panda's website yet )
I think you need to buy it from Mark (from UK) add the price with stringing and the delivery Mark is a very good stringer, so you should not worry about bad string job
Some final thoughts after long-term use... Power: the upper limit is just - just - within my abilities, which I like. Moreover, it's a "generous" racket, extremely tolerant of less-than-stellar technique and tiredness. Power ceiling - within 5% of MX80 (taking my racket's weight and balance into account); power/effort ratio doesn't really match up to anything except, possibly, the upper mid-range Nanospeeds. Defence: somewhat a function of weight and balance, but the frame plays a part. There are fast frames (Bravesword, AT900T) and strong frames (APACS T300, Forza 550), but few that can do both. Speed - the Octablade is a good benchmark, but I feel the PPro is slightly the faster. I find myself going into masochistic, smash-tempting rallies a lot more these days because my wide forehand defence has improved dramatically (and it was decent to begin with). Feel: displaced the previous champion, my red TPro. No other production racket I've tried gets close, not even the woven ones. It's just... alive. Stability/control: I've commented on the small sweetspot before, but the problem diminshed somewhat as I got used to it. Slightly more frame torque than the TPro, but then the TPro frame is a LOT thicker. The sliced line drive is a good way to tell the head is getting knocked off line; the PPro doesn't. Is the PPro the best racket I've tried so far? Well, it would have to displace the TPro... and it does. At my weight and balance it's more powerful, has more accessible power, defends better, has better feel, LOOKS better... and costs the same. The only thing I can mark it down for is that slight "out of plane" softness, but after dozens of frame hits at 30 lb of tension, if it was going to go, it would have gone a long time ago. I'd also like to hide those exposed grommets, but then the extraordinary lateral frame strength would disappear.
MarkA, I agree with the power and the defence. However, I don't have any issue with head torsion, at all. This is probably a function of my Ppro having a lower balance point than yours. But the stability of the frame on my model is absolutely one of it's finest points. I also don't mind the sticky-out grommets. They've grown on me. They give the Ppro a riveted metal, tough-guy chic.
