The Beast is back! But now in the shape of Prince Chrome racquets. Chrome is the cosmetic update of the Beast series.
The Beast series was Prince most popular line and the Prince Chrome racquets are pretty much the same thing. The Prince Chrome is another collaboration with Italian fashion brand Hydrogen (they previously launched the Tattoo racquets). At Tennis Warehouse Europe they offer three versions of the Prince Chrome racquets: 300, 290 and 280g (seems like a tight spectrum to have 10g increments to me), but on Tennis Warehouse they offer the Chrome 100 and the Warrior 100.
I have only tried the Beast 98, which I am sad not to see back in the line because that was a very good racquet. But from what I’ve heard it wasn’t selling the way I thought the racquet performed. On the other hand, you can still buy the old Beast line from Tennis Warehouse Europe at discounted prices, so this is definitely more of a cosmetic push.
The Beast 100 is an update to the Warrior 100, which was the Pure Drive of Prince racquets. The specs are pretty typical for a racquet focused on power and spin.
Prince Chrome 100 specs
There is nothing out of the ordinary with the Prince Chrome 100 specs. A little more head-light than most power racquets and not quite as stiff, but should pack plenty of power. Enough power for most players.
| Head Size:100 in / 645.16 cm | ||||
| Length:27in / 68.58cm | ||||
| Strung Weight:11.2oz / 318g | ||||
| Balance:12.79in / 32.49cm / 6 pts HL | ||||
| Swingweight:322 | ||||
| Stiffness:67 | ||||
| Beam Width:24mm / 25.5mm / 22mm | ||||
| Composition:Textreme/Twaron/Graphite | ||||
| Power Level:Low-Medium | ||||
| Stroke Style:Medium-Full | ||||
| Swing Speed:Medium-Fast | ||||
| Racquet Colors:Chrome! | ||||
| Grip Type:Prince Synthetic | ||||
String Pattern:
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| String Tension:50-60 pounds |
If you like the Prince Chrome racquet cosmetic, you’ll probably want a matching racquet bag.
Final thoughts
I am in two minds about this trend to release new paint jobs of older racquets. In one way, I know there are plenty of players who base their decision on the cosmetics of a racquet, and in that case, good racquets can get a second chance with new consumers. On the other hand, it feels a bit like a marketing ploy. But these types of collaborations (check the Wilson Britto racquets are Minions racquets as recent examples) are common in all industries, so it’s nothing to think too long about. I personally prefer the Prince Chrome paint job to the Prince Tattoo paint job. What about you?
4 comments
I have seen this Beast 100 in chrome at my local tennis shop and, honestly, this paint job looks rather cheap (especially when compared to sth like the Donnay’s X series from back in the day that also had a chrome pj) and the whole racquet feels kinda plasticky. Not the best vibe, in my opinion :).
do you know if there will be the 100 300g O3 version, too? i inly see the 290g O3…
I think this is a great racquet. I know some may not like a chrome cosmetic, but it is cool and unique, kind of like me. Not many will have the same racquet. It plays great, especially <50lbs.
I have two of these and the racquet gets lots of comments. I disagree that the paint job looks cheap, but we all have our opinions. It is a great hitting racquet and the cosmetic is unique and cool.