WILSON BURN 100S REVIEW
Summary
Built for the player looking for power and consistency from the baseline, Wilson introduce the Burn 100S. Loaded with Spin Effect Technology, the Burn 100S sports an 18x16 string pattern to increase spin potential and create control. Explosive power is what players can expect from this racket. The racket maintains a significant swingweight without carrying too much mass. Our team spent several weeks testing this new offering and appreciated the lively and spin-friendly response. It was worth noting, however, that all that free power and spin came at a cost -- our team experienced some discomfort from the stiffness of the frame. Our playtesters found stability and point-and-shoot precision at the net. While volleys were easy to hit, most of our team agreed that the Burn 100S ignited when it came to serves. Overall, we think that when strung with a softer string, the Burn 100S can be a weapon in the hands of an attacking player.
Overall - Score: 78/100
Groundstrokes – Score 78/100
The Burn 100S' power and spin potential was on full display when our playtesters were rallying and playing points from the baseline. Depth was easy to come by, and our testers were able to hit super heavy groundstrokes on both offense and defense. Everyone noticed the explosive power and the way they could get their shots diving down at the court. One downside of all that power was a stiff and at times uncomfortable feel, especially on shots hit off-centre. Our testers preferred pairing the racket with a softer string to dampen the sting of off-centre hits and make the racket more comfortable.
Volleys – Score 80/100
Our playtesters found the Burn 100S to offer a lively and stable feel up at net. It stood up well to hard hitting opponents, allowing our testers to simply “point and shoot” their volleys back across the net. Manoeuvrability was also impressive, and it was easy to get the racket into position during quick exchanges. The feel was crisp and responsive, yet at times (like at the baseline), there was some discomfort on off-centre shots. Unwanted shock radiated up into the arm if the volley wasn't struck cleanly.
Serve – Score 83/100
Perhaps our testers' favorite shot to hit with the Burn 100S was the serve, where the explosive power and huge spin potential allowed them to go for their biggest serves with confidence. Everyone agreed that power was easy to come by on big, flat serves as well as spin for harder hit slice and kick serves. Both first and second serves were being hit with aggression and fury. While precision may not have been perfect, ample power and spin made up for it and entertained our playtest team.
Returns – Score 79/100
After a brief adjustment period for some of our testers, the Burn 100S once again proved to be a viable weapon when in our hands for returning serve. Smitten by the manoeuvrability, power and spin potential, a couple of players were all too tempted to swing big and the result was lots of inconsistency. Once they settled in and allowed the racket to do most of the work, almost everyone was able to get dialed in and started to return well. Returns hit with more spin - either topspin or chip slices - proved to be the most effective. One downside again was the uncomfortable feel from shock when a return was hit off-centre.
Likes:
Chris - “Spin, power, more spin and more power!”
Brittany - “I liked the combination of spin and power. I found it easier to adjust to the Burn 100S than other extremely open spin patterned rackets.”
Mark - “I loved the aesthetics and the name. I really wanted to play better with the Burn 100S since the name lends itself to lots of great post play adages like: you got burned or third degree burn.”
Tiffani - “The response of the Burn 100S is very fast with a lot of power. I was able to hit with a lot of topspin on the forehand side.”
Dislikes:
Chris - “The Burn 100S was just too firm for me. My game needs a low-powered poly to help maximize the spin from this racket and to help control its power. However, the very stiff beam and a stiff string just felt too jarring.”
Brittany - “I found the Burn 100S to be on the stiffer side and slightly uncomfortable at times.”
Mark - “This had little to do with the Burn 100S and more to do with me, but this racket challenged me more than most. I was not too happy that I was not able to swing it more successfully. I felt like the string pattern had something to do with my challenges, but it is hard to pin it down precisely.”
Tiffani - “The stiff feel just means I can't play with it for very long.”
Comparing it to other racquets they've used, our testers said:
Chris - “I enjoyed similar power and spin but way more control with this racket compared to the Juice 100S. Another racket to consider would be the Prince Warrior 100 ESP.”
Brittany - “Of all the extremely open string patterned racket I've playtested, this is my favorite. I found more control, stability and plow through in the Burn 100S than I did with the Juice 100S, although the Juice 100S offered better manoeuvrability. They had similar power levels.”
Mark - “Due to the beam/hoop shape, I have to compare the Burn 100S to all the other modern oval beam frames -- the Head Extreme MP, the Pure Drive, the Dunlop F5.0 Tour, the Yonex EZONE Ai and VCORE Si 100, the Wilson Juice 100S and the Volkl Super G 8 (300g).”
Tiffani - “To me the Burn 100S was like a more controllable Wilson Juice 100S. The Burn 100S' string pattern isn't quite as extreme as the string pattern on the Juice 100S, so I found it to be easier to control. The Juice 100S felt slightly more powerful to me, but I could never reliably control it. The Burn 100S has an improved blend of power and spin.”
Playtester Profiles:
Brittany: Open level player with a semi-western forehand and a two-handed backhand. She currently plays with the Yonex EZONE Ai 100.
Chris: 4.5 all-court player currently using the Wilson Six.One 95S. Chris uses a full-western forehand grip, has a fast swing style and hits a one-handed backhand.
Mark: 5.0 lefty all-court player with a one-handed backhand. He currently plays with the Wilson Steam 99S.
Tiffani: 4.0 level baseliner with a semi-western grip on the forehand and hits a two-handed backhand. Currently playing with the Donnay Formula 100.
Review date: February 2015. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us: information.en@tenniswarehouse-europe.com.
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