The masses have put out the call and Prince has been the first company to respond. Prince Recoil is the first synthetic string that promises to stay in alignment throughout the life of the string. In other words, “it snaps back into place giving the impression that it hasn’t moved.” There are literally hundreds of thousands of players who abhor string movement. Prince believes Recoil is the answer to this particular problem.
Prince asks a premium price for this string that features new “space-age chemicals” which allow the strings to slide neatly back into place after the shot. The cost per set is nearly as much as natural gut and the Guts and Glory installed price is $43.90. (One of our local competitor’s, Your Serve Tennis, charges $44.95 so you can see the cost is high at virtually all resellers.)
We installed our first set today. We honestly did not believe tennis customers would pay this price for the string. We were wrong. Our first customer literally jumped at the opportunity to finally get strings that would stay in place. “String movement drives me batty,” she exclaimed. When we told her the price, she didn’t blink. “I’ll pay anything to have strings that are playable and don’t move.” She went on to explain that she viewed it as a treat to herself. “I’d much rather treat myself to these strings than a manicure” was the rationalization we heard.
When stringing I noticed the Recoil strings possess a strong chemical odor. I found myself hoping that the chemicals used to treat the strings were not a carcinogen and wondering if a mask was in order? The strings are very odiferous. They are also slippery. If you are a stringer, make sure your clamps are properly adjusted (on the tight side) because otherwise you will run the risk of the little buggers slipping and getting damaged from the clamps. I had to tighten down much harder than normal and was hoping that the pressure was not bruising the strings. (Note: clamps were cleaned prior to stringing).
Another bit of fun was in regard to the residue left on my hands. My fingertips became slick and I found myself being extra careful not to drop any tools and made darn sure I did not munch on anything during stringing. God only knows if the chemicals are dangerous. I avoided picking my nose, as it would have only been a futile exercise with the Gortex-like substance on my hands. I did wash immediately afterward and seriously wondered if rubber gloves should be worn when installing.
We will see if the strings live up to their promise. At the price, they better.
