Prince Twistpower X105 (290g) Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 84

The Prince Twistpower X105 left quite an impression on our playtesters from the baseline. Being a huge fan of the Twistpower family in general, Brittany was interested to see how the X105 would play. She said, "It's safe to say that I was thoroughly amazed from the start of this playtest to the finish. Even though the specs are a little out of my range, I was impressed by how well this racquet performed on court. I put it through all scenarios — practice drills, singles and doubles — and had fun the whole time. The Twistpower 105 was easy to swing from the baseline, which translated to plenty of power and spin. I was also surprised by the level of control I was getting, which is something I didn't expect from the racquet. I could be pretty precise with my shots, which in turn made me confident to go after riskier shots, especially on my approach shots. When I was reaching from a defensive position, I could successfully hit the ball back deep with little effort and keep myself in a neutral to offensive position. One of my opponents even mentioned after a singles set that it was very hard for them to take control and hurt me during points; I was able to be the aggressor the whole time. Slices were just OK. It was just missing a little mass and plow through, but that didn't affect my game at all."

"I've really enjoyed all the Twistpower racquets I've tried, and there was a lot to like about the X105 too," continued Tiffani. "This racquet was easy to settle into from the baseline. With an easy swing, I was getting good depth, pace and spin. Often with larger head sizes and more powerful setups, my shots can be difficult to control, but for the most part, I found good targeting with the Twistpower X105. I especially enjoyed using this racquet to hit deep, loopier balls to my opponent's backhand side. I could use that shot to either buy myself some time to get back into a point from a defensive position, or I could use it more offensively to draw a short ball that I could follow up to net to end the point. Although I did find better control than most racquets with these specs, I did have some issues when I tried to step inside the lines or dictate play off a groundstroke. That's not my typical style of play anyway, so I stuck to moving my opponent from side to side. Thanks to this racquet's easy maneuverability and spin access, I could also get way out in front of the ball to hit some extreme cross-court angles."

Mark was highly impressed by how well he hit his groundstrokes with the Twistpower X105, though he did note some instability against big hitters. He said, "Prince's Twistpower X105 performed very well from the baseline, providing my swing with easy access to both topspin and slice, along with a high degree of maneuverability. Comfort was never called into question either, but stability was a bit of an issue if my opponent was launching huge groundstrokes to my side of the court. My overall directional control and quality of shots were great from the baseline, and it was not until shot pace was really excessive that the Twistpower X105 became fussy at all."

The Twistpower X105 was super fun to hit with from the baseline for Chris. He described, "The X105 packed lots of easy power and a very generous sweetspot. I enjoyed the response, as it was very comfortable with a soft feel. I found the racquet solid enough to handle incoming pace as long as I took a good cut at the ball. Heavy incoming shots could rock this racquet a little if I tried to just block them back, but I loved how much spin I could get on my shots when swinging away. I hit some nice knifing slices and was also able to get my topspin shots kicking."

Volleys - Score: 83

The playtesters described the Twistpower X105 as quick and maneuverable up at net, with plenty of put-away power. While Tiffani prefers the baseline, when she did make it up to net, she was able to end points with ease. She said, "I can't really complain about this racquet's performance at net. Of course, it's not as stable as the heavier Twistpower X100 Tour, but that's to be expected simply because it weighs less. The Twistpower X105 has a generous sweetspot and easy maneuverability. I had no confidence issues when moving forward to put away a shot."

The specs of the Twistpower X105 worked very well for Mark at net. He said, "The 7-points head-light average balance, 10.7-ounce strung weight, and sub-315 swingweight definitely complemented this racquet's maneuverability. It had just enough heft to be stable in most volley scenarios, and its 63 RA delivered a decent return of energy to the ball."

"I found easy power at net with the Twistpower X105," added Chris. "I had fun punching volleys deep with pace. The racquet was also quick to maneuver, which made it easy to carve around the ball to create angles and spin. The only downside was when I was up against heavy incoming pace, and this racquet would get pushed around a bit. As long as I punched my volleys, the Twistpower X105 felt decently stable. When I was blocking the ball back in quick reaction situations I noticed some flutter from the hoop at impact."

Brittany agreed with the rest of the team. She said, "The X105's easy swing and forgiving sweetspot were the positives up at net. I didn't have to do much when I was moving forward after an approach shot, I simply got the racquet into position and punched the volley deep in the court. The feel was responsive enough that I could soften my hand and utilize shorter angles. There were definitely times I could feel the racquet twisting in my hands, but it was expected with the weight. I honestly was able to get what I needed out of the racquet at net."

Serves - Score: 81

The Prince Twistpower X105 offered our playtesters easy power and spin on their serves. While Mark typically prefers serving with heavier racquets, he was starting points successfully with this Twistpower after making a few minor adjustments. He explained, "I did learn to work with the lighter spec by swinging faster with the Twistpower X105. The end result was that my serve was consistent and effective enough to help shorten points and take some pressure off my ground game."

Chris served well with this racquet when taking smooth, easy swings. He said, "My serves had ample pace, and getting spin was very easy. My slice serves had some good swerve to them, indicating I was getting plenty of spin. The racquet felt very fast, making it easy to snap through for a little extra pace or spin. Ideally, I'd add some weight for some additional plow-through power, but otherwise I didn't have any complaints."

"The Twistpower X105 was easy to get up and over my head consistently, and it was easy to maintain racquet head speed," added Brittany. "I could generate a decent amount of power on my first and could carve out plenty of spin for second serves. I could hit my whole arsenal of serves comfortably — slice, kick and flat. The serves were not as heavy as they are with my racquet of choice, the Yonex EZONE 100, but I attribute that to the weight. However, I think if a little length was added to the next generation, that could be a game-changer."

Tiffani was able to maneuver the Twistpower X105 with proficiency. She said, "Sometimes I find head sizes larger than 100 square inches cumbersome and awkward overhead. I had no such issues with this X105. I got good zip on my serves, and I could also hit with a good amount of spin. I hit slice serves more often than not and used placement to my advantage because although I got good pace, my serves tended to sit up. I think the serve is where the Twistpower X105 could have benefited most from a little bit of extra length to up the plow-through factor."

Returns - Score: 81

While the Prince Twistpower X105 offered many positive characteristics when returning serve, it was also where our team noticed the lighter weight the most. Chris tapped into his arsenal and was able to hit a variety of returns. He said, "Hitting big returns was a lot of fun with the Twistpower X105. I could accelerate the racquet quickly to redirect incoming serves with ample pace, or hit a rolling angle. I also hit my slice backhand returns surprisingly well. I was worried the large head might float the ball, but I found I could hit a very knifing return and get a low-skidding, driving slice."

Brittany had a consistent experience with returns, as she did with the rest of her strokes. She said, "I think everything I mentioned above applies to returns, both the positives and the negatives. I could get the racquet into position with a full stroke and go after my return. My first serve returns were a little more conservative, and I found myself aiming more toward the middle, but regardless, I could still start off on the offensive. I preferred returning with the X105 over serving with it."

Tiffani was in the same boat, adding, "This racquet's big sweetspot and quick swing were the standout features for me when returning. It could get pushed around and drop returns short if I just tried to block back a bigger serve. I found taking a full swing on returns more effective with this Twistpower X105. The comfort level was good, and I could hit with good depth."

Mark sometimes struggled with the stability on return of serves. He described, "This was maybe the one aspect of the playtest that actually tested me. If the serve pace was not too extreme, the Twistpower X105 performed flawlessly, but once serve speeds eclipsed 100 mph, the lightweight traits of the Twistpower X105 hindered its stability."

Overall - Score: 84