Asics BZ 100 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 80

Offering a modern and explosive feel, the BZ 100 made it easy for our players to hit heavy, spin-loaded groundstrokes. Chris noted a blend of easy power and nice control, saying, "I liked the power level of the BZ 100 very much. The racquet felt consistent, and I was playing confidently with it. On defensive shots I was able to use the power for depth and pace, and that allowed me to focus on placement and tactics. When I was on the offensive I found I could swing aggressively without fear of launching my shots long. I preferred this racquet with a hybrid string setup of a poly main string and a multi or natural gut cross string. It softened the crisp response and opened up more feel in the racquet. With a full bed of stiff poly this racquet feels very firm, and I was losing even more touch. Either way, I was getting lots of spin and I was knifing my backhand slice very well. When hitting with topspin I felt like I could control the amount of spin I was getting and the spin further enhanced the control I found when placing my shots."

It took Michelle a few hitting sessions before she unlocked the secret of the BZ 100 for her game. She realized she had to utilize the spin and then added some arc to the ball during rallies. She explained, "It's the kind of racquet that aggressive players like myself will enjoy because it provides plenty of power and all the spin you could want. At times I wished it packed just a slightly bigger punch because I could dictate the points well but I wasn't putting points away as fast as I can with my Babolat Pure Drive Roddick. I had to work the point just a little longer to get a short ball to attack with the BZ 100. I found the Bending Zone helped with comfort, and despite the stiffer RA rating I didn't have any comfort issues. I did, however, find this racquet to be pretty string sensitive, and I struggled to find a string I really loved in it. I finally settled on Volkl Cyclone, but I would still like to try some other setups. I noticed the stringbed played a little erratically when I was hitting only flat shots, but I had no issues once I accessed a bit more topspin on my groundies. I was using the length of the court and adding arc to the ball to dictate the points, and it worked. I did have to slightly adapt my flatter game, but if I worked the point with extra spin I could step up and attack the ball."

"This racquet swung fast. I was able to put lots of spin on my shots, especially on the forehand side," said Jason. "I didn't find this to be as powerful as other racquets of similar specs, and I did notice that there was a 'hot spot' on the stringbed, where the balls would launch and sail on me. On the other hand, I felt like I was slicing better with this racquet than I have with racquets with similar specs. I liked how I was able to hit sharper angles on my forehand side."

With specs coming in right in her wheelhouse, Brittany was extremely interested in taking this racquet to the court. The first thing she noticed was how easy the racquet was to swing. She offered, "I had a good feel for the ball after about five minutes of hitting. It had a balanced blend of power and control, although I was expecting more power. I did find some 'hot spots' on the stringbed that would really launch the ball. I could really whip the racquet around to create some extra spin for my angled groundstrokes. It felt a tad stiff at times, and I would definitely use a hybrid in this racquet to make it softer. I was impressed when slicing with the BZ 100. I was able to keep my slices low to the ground (which isn't always the case!)."

Volleys - Score: 77

With a crisp, lively response paired with loads of maneuverability, the BZ 100 performed best at net when our team was volleying offensively. "When it came to putting away volleys and being aggressive, this racquet worked well," stated Michelle, "but I didn't have as much success hitting touch volleys and blocking balls back. In all honesty, it felt a bit 'tinny' in my hands."

Jason had no complaints when he went to the net to finish off points. He said, "Considering the extreme stiffness, I felt like I had good touch around the net and good control. The lower powered response wasn't as big a deal here, and it actually helped keep some of my volleys from floating long. I did notice that there was some torsional stability issues on off-center shots, but it was really nothing out of the ordinary."

The maneuverability of this racquet helped Brittany have quick hands up at net, especially when playing doubles. She had no issues with the stability of the racquet, and added, "I was able to volley any ball hit at me without the racquet twisting in my hands. Punching the volley deep in the court was a breeze, and I found myself predominantly using that option when I came to the net. I would have liked more feel up at net for not only touch drop volleys, but for shorter, angled volleys as well."

Chris felt like the ball was getting in and out of the stringbed very quickly. He enjoyed the crisp feel of the frame when paired with a hybrid stringbed. He explained, "The crisp response gave the racquet a very 'point and shoot' feel. I was able to point the stringbed at my target and watch volleys zip away with good pace. It was also very easy to add spin to volleys to cut them away from my opponents. Again, I much preferred the hybrid string set up as it gave the racquet a little more feel. Still, this is not a touch racquet. It simply doesn't have that inherent silkiness to it for caressing drop volleys and angles. I was still able to hit those shots, it just took some adjustment with this racquet. I had to learn to trust in the control rather than relying on the feel of the response."

Serves - Score: 81

Our playtesters found some solid power from the BZ 100 when they began points with big first serves. For the most part, our testers were impressed with the speed and spin they found when trying to start the point out aggressively. Jason actually got more pop off his serves than he expected. He offered, "The power was a nice surprise considering the racquet felt under powered on groundstrokes. It was easy to get the racquet moving quickly into and through the contact zone, so even some off tosses that I shouldn't have hit ended up being OK. I got lots of spin on my serves, and I thought the control was above par as well."

Finding the serve to be her favorite stroke to hit with this Asics racquet was Brittany. She raved, "I really enjoyed serving with the BZ 100! There was power when I needed it on my first serves and plenty of spin when hitting second serves. It was fast and maneuverable, and I was really able to generate racquet head speed. I enjoyed hitting a variety of serves. I was successful with the down the T serves on the deuce side, and I found myself earning a lot of free points."

Chris was able to look at raw stats to determine that he was, in fact, serving faster with the BZ 100. He explained, "I not only felt I was serving faster with it, I know I was serving faster with it. How do I know? Well, with our new PlaySight smart court I can track the speed of my serves. I average in the mid-80 mph range for both first and second serves, but with this racquet I was in the high 80s to low 90s. Not only was I getting some added pace, but my consistency did not suffer. According to the PlaySight data I was getting, 75 percent of my first serves were in, which is decently solid considering I was getting some extra zip. Again, I found it easy to add spin to the ball. I was having success adding slice to my first serves to either pull it wide of the returner or into his/her body. On second serves I was able to mix in a variety of slice and topspin serves with good effect."

The only playtester who was still looking for a bit more plow through on her serve was Michelle. She didn't feel like she could hit her biggest, hardest serves with this racquet but she did feel like she could place the ball well, and she had no problems adding spin to her serves. She said, "I felt pretty precise serving with the BZ 100, and I had no serving issues. I just felt like I needed to be smarter and craftier with my first serves. My big flat first serves just didn't hurt my opponent enough."

Serve Returns - Score: 81

Our big hitting playtesters used the spin and power of the BZ 100 to attack returns and begin the point on their terms. Brittany could be really aggressive with this racquet when returning a variety of serves. She commented, "The combination of maneuverability and stability allowed me to take aggressive cuts at the ball and start the points off on the offensive whether I was returning a first or second serve. There was enough control for me to take full swings and hit the ball wherever I wanted on the court."

Although this racquet felt light and fast, it also felt pretty solid to Chris on returns. He offered, "The response is crisp, and that crisp feel is backed up by a stiff RA reading on the RDC machine. On court it means the racquet is very stable for its weight, but it can be a tad jarring off center. Again, I liked the blend of power and control, and I was feeling confident returning with this racquet. When taking a good cut at the ball I could generate a lot of spin and find controllable pace. On block returns the racquet felt solid enough for me to find depth easily, and that allowed me to focus on where I wanted to put the ball. I really liked knifing my slice backhand return, and with this racquet's fast feel at net it made chipping and charging a great option."

Michelle loved stepping up and taking big cuts on her return with this racquet, but she did note a lack of forgiveness when she had to key into her defensive game. She said, "The BZ 100 worked well when I was attacking and moving forward. Slice returns were also easy to hit. I struggled against bigger first serves when I tried to take a cut at the ball or just block the ball back. The racquet lacked feel, precision and forgiveness."

Jason also found it best to hit offensive returns with the BZ 100. He said, "I felt like I could take aggressive cuts on my returns and get the ball deep and in play, and the great access to spin helped with that. Just trying to block returns back resulted in balls landing around the service line, which immediately put me on the defensive."

Overall - Score: 80

Technical Specifications Length 27 inches 69 centimeters Head Size 100 square inches 645 square centimeters Weight 11.5 ounces 326 grams Balance Point 13 inches 33 centimeters 4pts Head Light Construction 24mm / 26mm / 17mm / Composition Graphite String Pattern 16 Mains / 19 Crosses

Babolat RDC Ratings Score Grade Flex Rating 74 Range: 0-100 Swing Weight 313 Range: 200-400

Scores

(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)

Playtester Profiles

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.

Jason: 4.0 baseliner with a semi-western forehand and two handed backhand. Currently using a Yonex EZONE Ai 100.

Michelle: Open level baseline player with a semi-western forehand and a two handed backhand. She currently plays with the Babolat Pure Drive Roddick.

Brittany: Open level player with a semi-western forehand and a two-handed backhand. She currently plays with the Yonex EZONE Ai 100.

Review date: December 2014. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.

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