Wilson Burn 100 Review

Groundstrokes - 80

Weighing in at 11.3 ounces strung with a swingweight of 332, the Burn 100 was a powerhouse from the baseline. Tiffani didn't look at the specs until the very last day, and she was surprised by the static weight of the Burn 100. She analyzed, "Because of its balance and rather hefty feel through the air, I thought the Burn 100 was going to be heavier than 11.3 ounces. It played more stable than a racquet at that weight, but it was also tougher to swing. Power was in full display off the ground throughout the playtest. It was bordering on too much power. While I felt more in control of where my shots were going than I did with the Burn 100S, I wasn't hitting with enough spin to get the ball to drop within the lines, and I hit quite a few long. It took some time to adjust to the power level. Like the Burn 100S, I felt this racquet played on the firm side. It wasn't quite as jarring as the Spin Effect version, but I really wanted my arm to be warm and loose before swinging full out with the Burn 100."

Brittany had a bit of an adjustment period with this racquet due to the high swingweight and more head heavy feel. She explained, "As both of those specs were a little higher than I am used to, it took a couple hitting sessions before I felt more confident hitting the ball. The biggest thing I noticed from the baseline was how powerful the Burn 100 was and how deep my shots were landing -- sometimes too deep. I was missing most of my groundstrokes deep and I was looking for a little more spin to keep the ball in the court -- like I found with the Burn 100S. I was playing more conservatively due to the lack of control and I didn't feel comfortable aiming close to the lines. Nonetheless, the racquet felt very stable and I felt confident hitting my slice backhand both offensively and defensively, which is not always the case."

Karly added, "I knew the Burn 100 was going to be powerful just by looking at the specs, but I wasn't expecting the racquet to be so easy to use. It felt lively and generated a ton of pop on contact, but that powerful feel wasn't overwhelming, either. I still felt like I had good control over my shot placement. In addition, the Burn 100 was maneuverable and very spin friendly, so I was able to rely on the spin to help keep the ball from going long. As much I like playing with control-oriented racquets, I loved that the powerful feel of the Burn 100 was very manageable. My only concern was the stiff feel. It didn't bother me too much during play, but my wrist was usually pretty sore after I played."

Chris said, "It really felt like the ball was getting in and out of the stringbed very quickly. I also liked how quickly I could get the Burn 100 through the contact zone, which made both power and spin easy to generate. My topspin shots had lots of spin, and that allowed me to control the power of the racquet. I was also pretty happy with my slice backhand. Again, the level of spin I was getting was good, and I found I could drive through the ball nicely. The denser string pattern gave me better control on flat shots compared to the Burn 100S we previously tested. With that said, when I missed I tended to miss long, just as I did with the Burn 100S. I much preferred the feel of the the Burn 100 with a softer co-poly string and a low tension. The response from the frame was just too stiff to use a high tension or a stiffer string. Even with a softer string I could feel some racquet shock in my wrist if I made contact off center."

Volleys - 81

When our playtesters headed toward the net the Wilson Burn 100 offered stability and the power to end the points. Impressed with the racquet's stability up at net, Brittany said, "Even when I was playing against heavier hitters, the Burn 100 felt solid in my hand, without any twisting. The feel was on the stiffer side, which I enjoyed when punching the ball deep to end the point, but it was also uncomfortable when I hit outside the sweetspot. This wasn't the quickest racquet to get around so I always made sure my hands were out in front, and I made a conscious effort to get the racquet into place quickly."

Chris was really surprised at the performance of this racquet at net. He raved, "I liked the level of power. I could punch volleys away with ease. The more compact stroke mechanics of a volley gave me better control over the powerful response of the Burn 100 so I didn't have any overhitting issues. The power was very useful when I was digging out a tough first volley. I could punch back a ball at my feet well and hit an aggressive volley. Any passing attempts left hanging up high were easily dispatched with pace, an angle or a combination of both. I really enjoyed this racquet at net."

Tiffani continued, "Surprisingly I didn't find this racquet unwieldy at net, considering its balance. I often struggle with maneuverability and control at net with head heavy racquets. There was plenty of zing off the stringbed and a good amount of stability. Blocking balls deep and away was the way to go for me. I felt had to move the racquet around with authority and not be wishy washy with shot selection. When I was in command of what I wanted to do the racquet would do it."

"The Burn 100 did most of the work for me at net," Karly offered. "The ball flew off the stringbed on contact and the good maneuverability made it easy to move into position. However, it felt more unstable at the net than it did from the baseline, and when I hit outside the sweetspot the racquet fluttered in my hand quite a bit. However, as long as I hit the ball cleanly, putting away volleys deep in the court came naturally."

Serves - 83

Serving with the Wilson Burn 100 was a hit among the playtesters. "Another shot I loved hitting with this racquet was the serve," Chris said. "I was getting solid pace and spin. I also found that I didn't have to put in much effort to hit with my usual pace, which worked out great in long matches since I could still bring the heat even when I was tired. The effortless response also allowed me to focus on my targets, and that resulted in impressive consistency. "

Karly felt like a stronger server with the Burn 100 in her hands. She said, "Power was a standout feature, and it was multiplied on serves. Thankfully, spin was just as easy to hit as power. I wasn't as precise with flat serves, and I didn't feel as confident aiming close to the corners, but I could hit an aggressive kick serve with no problem. I was hitting my serves with more spin than I normally do."

Tiffani struggled to find her rhythm on serve. She offered, "If I got things moving I found plenty of free power on my serves, but I wasn't always able to find the box. Lots of serves were going long. I wasn't imparting much spin on my serves, so that might be part of the issue."

Brittany added, "The first thing I noticed was that my first serves were landing all over the place (long and in net), and it took a while for me to get into a rhythm. Once I made an adjustment I was able to get good pace on my first serves, and loved serving down the T on the deuce side. I could get some spin on my second serve but I was left wanting more, especially when I compared this racquet to the Burn 100S."

Returns - 80

The Burn 100 brought the heat on service returns. Karly described her positive experience, saying, "I really enjoyed how fast this racquet swung and the lively response on contact, especially when I was hitting against big servers. This racquet allowed me to use their pace for a hard return back as long as my return wasn't too flat. There was no hope of keeping the ball in if I hit a return with an open-faced racquet, but other than that it was easy to start the point off with a hard-hit return."

This racquet really packs a punch for Tiffani. She said, "I could really take the offensive when I attacked my returns, but I had to be careful not to go for too much. A more conservative target was the key for me, and I found myself going back at the server more often than trying for the sidelines."

"I found it best to be even more compact than usual on returns," offered Chris. "With a compact swing I was controlling the power of the racquet well while still getting all the pace and spin I wanted. I was finding my targets and returning consistently as long as I remained disciplined with my compact stroke. If I went big and opened up my swing, I found I had to be spot on or I risked overhitting. My slice backhand return was also working well. I could knife the ball with good spin and pace or cut it short and angled to force my opponent out of position."

Brittany needed to make sure she added extra spin to keep her returns in the court. She explained, "This racquet was very stable when blocking back returns. When I returned second serves I could create my own power and really step into the court. I also needed to remind myself to add extra spin to the ball because it was flying long without it. Lastly, I had to aim for bigger targets because my confidence hitting toward the lines was a little low, and I was left wanting more control."

Overall - 78

Technical Specifications Length 27 inches 69 centimeters Head Size 100 square inches 645 square centimeters Weight 11.3 ounces 320 grams Balance Point 13.4 inches 34 centimeters 1pt Head Light Construction 23.5mm / 25mm / 24.5mm / Composition Carbon Fiber Graphite String Pattern 16 mains / 19 crosses

Babolat RDC Ratings Score Grade Flex Rating 73 Range: 0-100 Swing Weight 332 Range: 200-400

Wilson Burn 100 Scores

(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)

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.

Tiffani: 4.0 level baseliner with a semi-western grip on the forehand and hits a two-handed backhand. Currently playing with the Babolat Pure Drive.

Karly: 4.0 baseline player currently playing with the Prince Textreme Tour 95. She hits with a semi-western forehand grip and uses a two handed backhand.

Review date: February 2015. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

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