Yonex EZONE 100 (300g) Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 84

The Yonex EZONE 100 (300g) is an impressive weapon from the baseline. Tiffani has a long history with Yonex racquets, and she said, "The first thing I noticed is that the Isometric head shape on the EZONE 100 (300g) appears to be slightly more square around the shoulders. I can't pinpoint what effect that had on my game necessarily, but I did feel that the EZONE 100 (300g) had a stiffer feel just above the center of the stringbed, and it wasn't offering me the same level of feel that I'm used to getting from the EZONE line. However, when I hit lower in the stringbed I got a more familiar EZONE response. The lower I hit the more ball pocketing I got, and I enjoyed that feel. I tend to hit slightly high in the stringbed, so when the ball impact was slightly lower on the strings there was a noticeably different response and I lost some predictability to my shots. My spin levels seemed to be on par with the previous EZONE 100 racquets I've hit with, and was adequate for my rather flat hitting style. This version felt slightly heavier in my hand than previous versions, and I liked the more solid feel on my backhand slices."

Several racquets from Yonex have fit Mark's baseline playing style well. He explained, "I have begun to expect that I will like every new Yonex racquet. Within 10 minutes of warming up from the baseline I was ready for point play, and throughout this entire playtest I never once brought my 'just in case' racquet with me to the courts. Groundstroke-wise, finding either corner of the baseline was a breeze with the EZONE 100 (300g), and its evenly spaced 16x19 pattern made access to topspin very easy for me, even on off-center contact. That same pattern also complemented my backhand slice nicely, which stayed effectively low over the net."

"As the EZONE DR 100 is my current racquet of choice, I was eagerly anticipating the arrival of the update," exclaimed Brittany. "All the aspects of the racquet were there as soon as I hit the courts. I was instantly grooving groundstrokes, and my signature angled groundstrokes were present when I needed to pull my opponent off the court. The Yonex feel, which is my favorite, was there. However, I did notice that the feel was a little bit stiffer when I hit higher on the stringbed, and this resulted in more power and a slightly higher launch angle. This had me hitting deep past the baseline more than normal. I definitely had to make an adjustment, and it was almost as if I was hitting with two different racquets, depending on where the ball hit the stringbed. As I got used to the EZONE 100 (300g) it became less of an issue."

Jason has plenty of experience with the EZONE racquet line. He said, "Ahhh, it's like coming back home. This racquet swung very similarly to the previous models, the DR 100 and Ai 100. It may have felt a tad more sluggish, but it was still quite maneuverable. I was getting really good depth and spin on my shots. I felt like this latest version was giving me more power, although sporadically. The stringbed felt like it had some hot spots that the previous EZONE racquets didn't have, and this model has the potential to hit a bigger ball than the Ai or DR versions. When I hit shots more toward the tip of the racquet the response was noticeably firmer compared to the older models."

Volleys - Score: 85

The TW playtesters found stability and a firm feel when hitting volleys with the EZONE 100 (300g). Jason found the EZONE 100 (300g) maneuverable and stable at net. He explained, "I felt like I could get the racquet into position quickly to hit a volley. I liked the touch and power I was getting when I hit the ball cleanly in the sweetspot. However, when I didn't hit the sweetspot I was still getting good directional control and the drop in power wasn't too significant."

"Volleys with the EZONE 100 (300g) exceeded my expectations," added Brittany. "I had the ability to put away volleys with power and depth. I could also soften my hands and hit angled volleys or touch shots. I got to play doubles with this update and was impressed with the performance up at net. I won a couple of quick reflex volley exchanges, and this gave me the confidence to successfully hit riskier volleys."

With nothing but positives to share, Mark said, "As with most of the other shots I hit with the new Yonex EZONE 100 (300g), I noticed a firmer feel in the stringbed compared to the DR version, which made any volley, especially those hit on the stretch, pretty rewarding. On a side note, I also had an easier time than usual transitioning to the net with the EZONE 100 (300g)."

Tiffani had both positive and negative results when she was trying to finish the point at the net. She noted, "The EZONE 100 (300g) got the job done at net, where the inconsistencies I felt in the stringbed weren't an issue. As I briefly mentioned, this version felt beefier than previous iterations, and this had its ups and downs, although mostly ups. I gave up some of the quick maneuverability that I enjoy, but I liked the more stable feel at the net."

Serves - Score: 82

There were some mixed reviews from the TW playtesters when it came to hitting serves with the Yonex EZONE 100 (300g). Mark was a big fan, saying, "Besides the forehand, the serve was probably my favorite shot to hit with the EZONE 100 (300g). I feel that my serve has recently improved a little, and this particular racquet catered to some of that progress. I would prefer a little extra weight, but overall I served very consistently with this racquet."

"I liked the feel of this racquet the most when I was hitting serves with it," continued Tiffani. "I liked the power level of this racquet, and if I got it moving my serves felt more powerful than usual. I did need to be more focused on swinging this racquet quickly overhead because it did seem to lag if I wasn't committed to swinging through, and I would miss long."

Jason would have liked a little more consistency on his serve with the EZONE 100 (300g). He detailed, "I felt like I was able to get good power on my serves, and I liked the spin I was getting on my slice and kick serves. The downside for me was my consistency. When I served side by side with this model and the previous ones I found that I was able hit a higher percentage in with older model racquets because they were a bit whippier and faster swinging. But the EZONE 100 (300g) was the racquet that was giving me the most MPHs on my serves."

Brittany was left wanting more when it came to serves. She offered, "This is partly due to the fact that I was hitting the EZONE 100 (300g) side by side with the new Babolat Pure Drive, which is a great racquet to serve with, but I was left wanting a little bit more easy power, more precision and more spin. I was still hitting solid serves, but I wasn't as consistent with them as I was with the Pure Drive, and I had to work a little bit harder to get the same results."

Returns - Score: 87

The solid feel and powerful response of the EZONE 100 (300g) had the TW playtesters returning serves with ease. The return was Brittany's absolute favorite shot to hit with the EZONE 100 (300g). She said, "The EZONE 100 (300g) had a perfect blend of maneuverability and stability. I could get the racquet around my body quickly to return just about any serve, and there was enough stability for me to crush the return without fear of the racquet twisting in my hand. After my severe ankle injury last year my return was the last stroke to fully come back. With this update I had complete confidence going for my returns. I had a ton of success in doubles; I felt like I was starting off points on the offensive with my return."

"There wasn't much I didn't like about hitting returns with this racquet," Jason agreed. "There was power and there was spin, and I felt like I could go cross court or pull the ball down the line. When I had to block a serve back it didn't take much effort to get the ball back with depth. The only real downside for me was the feel on off-center shots. They felt slightly more jarring than with the DR or Ai models."

Tiffani enjoyed the solid feel of the EZONE 100 (300g) on returns. She said, "It felt more solid than other racquets at a similar weight. Although I somewhat missed the maneuverability of previous EZONE 100s, I really couldn't complain with how this version plowed through the ball. I felt like I hit a heavier ball, which put me in a better position to start off the point."

Mark was left wanting a little bit more racquet. He explained, "This was the main area where I missed the plow through of a heavier or longer frame. If the serve was coming in hot it was difficult to be effective with my chip return."

Overall - Score: 84