Wilson Burn 100 v3 Racket Review

Wilson introduced the Burn to rival the Babolat Pure Aero in the spin and control department, whilst also offering enough pop when players needed it. This is a racket that really rewards a lot of racket head speed and if you are a player that likes to swing fast, the Burn 100 could well be the racket for you.

Wilson introduced their now famous Countervail technology into the Burn range and it does soften it off slightly and make it a little more compliant. However, in general the Burn 100 is a pretty stiff racket with a 69 RA rating, and it does feel like it.

There is not too much in the way of dampening with this racket so you definitely feel exactly what is going on when you strike the ball. This is not the most arm friendly racket by any means, so for players that want a bit more of a cushioned ride, perhaps an Ultra or a Clash would be better suited.

However, if you are looking for a lot of feel, spin and control, the Burn could be right up your street. The stiffness does mean it has a good amount of pop, which makes it ideal for a counter puncher that likes to turn defence into attack (think Kei Nishikori). However, it doesn’t offer much in the way of free power, like you may get from a Babolat Pure Drive for example.

The Burn sits between the Pro Staff and the Ultra in terms of power and control levels, whilst offering more spin than both.

It has a uniquely round shape to the frame, which actually increases the forgiveness and sweet spot slightly compared to some of the more control focussed Pro Staffs in Wilson’s line up.

However, the Burn remains a pretty stiff racket that is aimed at intermediate to advanced players despite its attractive looking specs.

From the baseline, the Burn 100 feels stiff and communicative. You can feel exactly when you have hit the ball off centre, despite the sweet spot being relatively generous for a performance focussed racket. At times the racket did lack some stability, but this was only really when I dropped my racket head speed and the Burn did not reward me for it.

It is difficult to give this racket a rating for groundstrokes overall. On the one hand it is very rewarding when you play with a high level of intensity and are able to get the best out of it.

The spin, control and pop you get when going for your shots, particularly when being aggressive and changing direction is second to none. It feels great to hit slice backhands with when you commit to the shot and you can rip the ball with a lot of spin on both the forehand and backhand wings.

On the other hand, if you are a player that wants a midplus racket that will be forgiving, offer you a bit of extra power and comfort whilst helping your ground strokes, the Burn may come up short. It is not a racket that gives you any favours and for the type of player looking for extra oomph from their racket, it would feel a bit unforgiving.

Overall then, the Burn can actually be described as a bit of a Marmite racket. If you play with a lot of intensity and like to hit with a lot of racket head speed, the Burn 100 will reward you with plenty of spin, control and heavy shots. However, if you want to play a more relaxed style and want a racket that will do some of the heavy lifting for you, the Burn may well feel a little too stiff, underpowered and harsh on the arm.

The Wilson Burn 100 feels crisp and responsive to volley with. Its stiffness and control are great for punching through volleys and you get a satisfying response on contact.

There is sometimes a lack of stability in the racket however, especially when on the stretch or when the volley is miss hit slightly. This makes it slightly less forgiving than other rackets in its class, but all the more rewarding when you get it right.

If you carve out a nice volley with plenty of slice, the feeling in the middle of the Burn 100 is crisp and you get a nice bit of pop out of the string bed.

However, if you hit it out of the centre the feeling can be a little bit ‘dead’, as the stiffness does take away from some of the feel. This can make the Burn 100 feel a little numb at the net on these particular shots. However, if you are on your game, it is a rewarding racket to volley with and you probably won’t notice the instability or harshness too much.

The Burn 100 from Wilson is a spin friendly racket to serve with. It encourages you to go for your serves and rewards you for it. The high level of stiffness gives you a bit of extra pop but is also helps with accuracy.

There is no mushiness at all with the Burn 100, so you know exactly where the ball is going at all times. The racket feels pretty light to swing too, which makes it easy to go after your second serves as well as your first.

As with the ground strokes, the Burn is best suited to players that like to hit their serves aggressively. You won’t get much reward from pushing your serve in or trying to play it safe, as the racket will likely feel a bit too stiff and unforgiving.

However, if you like to hit big on both your first and second serves and are confident enough to go for them regularly, the Burn 100 will reward you for it. The open string pattern also makes it great for adding spin to your serves. I found that the racket was very willing to spin the ball when I needed an acute angle to draw my opponent out of the court, on both kick and slice serves.

It didn’t offer much in the way of easy power on first serves and my arm did start to ache a little towards the end of the session. But this is something that I’m sure players that use this racket regularly would get used to.

Whilst the Burn 100 was not the most forgiving racket in the world due to its stiffness, it is well equipped to neutralise big first serves.

One of the major plus points of the racket is its ability to control the ball and help you place it exactly where you want it.

There were no stability issues when returning serve. The stiffness of the racket really helped me get a clean contact on the ball time after time, especially when I just wanted to chip back a short slice. At times the ball did drop a bit shorter than I was expecting, but this wasn’t a major issue and it actually helped my game in the end.

The fact that the racket is so spin friendly really helps with blocking the ball back and still being able to hit a heavy, deep return. You can use your opponent’s pace against them and easily loop the ball over the net with a lot of margin, pushing them back into a defensive position. There wasn’t much wrong with the Burn when returning on my end.

Overall, the Wilson Burn 100 v3 is a control focussed, spin friendly all rounder that offers a crisp response everywhere in the court and is well suited to a counterpunching game style.

The Burn doesn’t give you much in the way of easy power, but if you commit to your shot and are able to hit with a high level of intensity, the Burn 100 will definitely reward you.

The stiffness won’t be to everyone’s taste, but when you strike one nicely out the middle with this racket it is incredibly satisfying!