Wilson Burn 100 ULS Racket Review

The Wilson Burn 100 ULS is a very lively racket to play with!

There is a lot to unpack with this racket, it is incredibly light and whippy to use thanks to its low static weight and extremely open string pattern.

This made generating oodles of spin very easy indeed, which was particularly useful when hitting a low approach shot and hitting passing shots on the run.

These characteristics also helped me to defend well, as it was easy to just flick the ball back in to play thanks to the perfect balance and responsive string bed.

For such a light racket, the Burn 100 ULS did feel reasonably crisp when hitting groundstrokes.

It was easy to whip up the back of the ball on both wings, although I did have to hit through my slice backhand a bit more than usual.

The excess spin from the 18×16 string pattern did leave the ball sitting in the middle of the court from time to time.

Whilst the lack of weight was great for maneuverability and agility, it did make the racket feel slightly ‘hollow’ from time to time.

The racket didn’t feel ‘tinny’, but it did lack the plow through which I am used to from playing with 300g plus rackets for a number of years.

All told though, the Burn 100 ULS is a great racket that would be better suited to a beginner or a transitioning junior player.

Volleying with the Wilson Burn 100 ULS was a bit of a mixed experience. The ultra light weight did make it incredibly easy to hit reaction volleys.

I felt confident getting up close to the net and poaching, since I could control exactly where the racket would be with little time needed to get the racket into position.

This would be a great racket for a doubles player that likes to stick close to the net and swat balls away with ease.

However, it did lack that nice solid feel you would get from a heavier stick.

When the ball was fired in quickly, the racket did feel like it could be pushed around in the hand.

This made it more difficult to hit approaching low volleys around the service line, since the racket was not as weighty.

It was a challenge to guide the ball exactly where I wanted to with depth.

So again, volleying with this racket was a game of two halves.

Fantastic for quickly swatting away balls close to the net with ease, but not quite as good at staying solid on those firm, deeper approaching volleys.

When it comes to serving, it is ideal to have a racket that can give you enough power to hit a big first serve without tiring too quickly, yet have enough control and spin to consistently hit your spots.

With this in mind, the Wilson Burn 100 ULS ticked the boxes I asked of it.

The lightness of this racket and aerodynamic design meant it was easy to carve up the ball on wide slice serves.

It also made it easier to hit up on the kick serve and generate a lot of topspin more easily than I am used to.

In a similar manner to hitting ground strokes, the racket did lack a certain amount of that solid feel a more weight racket gives you.

Whilst it was easy to put power into the ball and swing quickly though big first serves, it did require a bit more effort to generate pace.

Perhaps a bit of extra lead tape at twelve o’clock would have given a bit of extra oomph.

When returning serve you want to use a short, compact swing to redirect the ball and use your opponent’s pace against them.

Whilst the Burn 100 ULS was great for reacting to powerful serve and blocking returns back, when I made contact it didn’t feel as solid or stable as I would have liked.

Now, this is to be expected of such a light racket.

You simply can’t get away from the fact that a racket this light is not going to have the same plow through as a weighty Wilson Pro Staff for example.

Similarly to hitting low volleys, you want a firm strike on the ball that you can steer deep and use the weight of the racket to help.

This just didn’t come through as I would have liked in this play test.

The racket was easy to get into position early, but some didn’t feel as solid as I would have hoped. The open string pattern added to this too.

Whilst it is great for generating a lot of spin, it does give the racket a more ‘thin’ feel on contact.

This racket is ideally suited for beginners or progressing juniors who are looking to generate a lot of spin on their shots, but want a forgiving racket that will be easy to swing.

The Wilson Burn 100 ULS is a great racket for shot makers that are looking to add more spin and speed to their game, whilst retaining a good level of precision.

A junior player may find they want to transition on to a heavier racket as the ball they receive comes with more pace, but this is a great development racket that many players will find easy to use.

Overall, it is great for generating a lot of spin very easily. So if you have a hard time using your wrist to whip up the back of the ball, the Burn 100 ULS is here to help!