Wilson Burn 95 CV Racket Review

The Wilson Burn 95 CV brings the countervail technology that we liked so much in the Blade Series to the Burn series.

This pro-style frame boasts a large swing weight of 341 and a small, 95 sq. inch head size.

For a racket that weighs in at 309g this stick packs some serious swing weight and is a good option for anyone who wants a pro-style racket that weighs in under 310g.

With these specs, you would expect a racket that is going to give you big racket head speed and good plow through.

With a solid feel and medium balance, it is a racket that is aimed at the intermediate to advanced level player and would suit an aggressive baseliner.

The Wilson Burn 95 CV is well represented in the top 10 of the rankings with Japan’s Kei Nishikori as the pin up boy for this racket.

The Burn 95 keeps Wilson’s simple style, with a black and orange paint job, and a classic, sleek design. It certainly looks pretty tasty!

We really enjoyed the old Burn 95 and having experienced Wilson’s new Countervail technology in the Ultra 100, we were very excited to give this racket a try.

Like most racket companies, Wilson has made steps to reduce injuries through repetitive strain and high impact tennis by adding new technology to dampen the vibrations that run through your arm on contact.

Wilson’s answer to this industry question is called Countervail. In the Wilson Ultra 100 it was certainly a great addition.

Countervail places an extremely flexible material into the stiff graphite frame, and this absorbs some of the impact at contact point, meaning less wear and tear on your elbows, wrists, and shoulders.

The Blade 95 CV also includes Parallel Drilling Technology which allows the strings to absorb more vibrations, increasing comfort, and adding power to your shot due to more energy being retained during ball contact.

As we said, we all liked the previous version of the 95 Burn, so we were one of the first in line to get our hands on the newest version.

The Wilson Burn 95 CV didn’t disappoint us as we warmed up, as it had that classic Wilson feel. It felt well balanced, with a great sweet spot (when you hit it).

You’ve got to work hard to find the middle of the racket when you’re playing with a 95sq. inch head, but when you do find the sweet spot it is a truly wonderful feeling.

While it often takes me (Will) a bit of time to adjust to a different racket, I was dialed into the Wilson Burn 95 CV in no time at all, and we soon moved on to some drills.

Groundstrokes

8.5out of 10

The Wilson Burn 95 CV is heavily targeted at aggressive baseliners, and you can soon see why. With a weight of 309g it’s easy to swing and the 341 swing weight rewards absolute commitment to full cuts at the ball.

I loved the feeling of the Burn 95 on the backhand side. As I focused on getting my none dominant hand driving all the way through the ball with pace, I started to push Lawrence back in the court, and control the rallies.

For people who play with big, aggressive swings, this is going to be a powerful weapon, and it was one that suited my backhand perfectly.

It is another one of those rackets where it will punish you if you drop the racket head speed.

Therefore, you mustn’t over-complicate your strokes. Just keep powering through the ball, and you’re going to get some great results with this racket.

Some people have complained that the Countervail technology has dampened the feel of the Wilson rackets, but in both the Ultra and the Burn, I have enjoyed the feel.

Yes, the feeling is slightly dampened on contact, but I only see this as a plus point. The more pressure you can take off your joints the better, and you still get a decent enough feel with this racket.

I loved playing with the Wilson Burn 95 CV on the backhand side as it encouraged uncomplicated, full shots.

I felt confident going after every ball. If you commit to every shot, you’ll get a good blend of power and control with this racket, and you’ll get along very well with it.

On the forehand side, I found the Wilson Burn 95 CV a little bit more temperamental.

My forehand is a much more complicated swing than my backhand, so finding the middle of such a small frame wasn’t easy. I just felt that if my timing wasn’t 100% perfect then I was in trouble.

I like to get a lot of spin off my forehand. The Burn 95 CV isn’t the best at generating top spin, so I felt like this took something away from my game.

There were quite a few balls flying long, and I had to adjust my game quite a bit to get the most out of the Burn 95 CV.

I think the Wilson Burn 95 CV would suit someone with uncomplicated strokes who loves to hit through the ball.

If you’ve got a forehand like Nadal then it’s certainly not the racket for you but I could see it really suiting someone who likes to flatten the ball out and hit some big drives off the ground.

Think Del Potro!

This is a typical Wilson racket; its very well designed and its got a unique style that some people are going to absolutely adore.

The Wilson Burn 95 CV and I got along great on the backhand side, but on the forehand, we were mismatched personalities, unfortunately!

I had great fun hitting with the Burn 95 CV from the back of the court, and if my forehand technique was just a little less whippy I think this racket could be the one for me.

Overall, I gave it an 8.5 out of 10 from the baseline.

Volleys

8out of 10

The Wilson Burn 95 CV has a good set up for volleys, with a stable feel and a big swing weight that gets you punching through the ball just like my coach always told me when I was young!

I was not on form at the net by any means when I trialed this racket out, but my personal woes were certainly not down to the Burn 95 CV, which felt very good.

I find that the Countervail technology works really well when you’re at the net volleying, as it helps absorbs the big shots coming at you and pings them back in the opposite direction with power and precision.

The stability of the racket gives you sublime control, and I felt very confident picking difficult volleys off my feet and guiding them back deep – putting my opponent under pressure.

I always go on about how I love a stable racket at the net, but it’s truly something that can’t be underestimated.

The worst thing in the world is to take on a difficult volley and know your racket is just going to launch the ball back without you having much say in the matter.

That’s why I appreciate a good solid racket like the Wilson Burn 95 CV.

Another good volleying racket from Wilson, I gave it an 8 out of 10 at the net.

I recently reviewed the Wilson Pro Staff RF 97 Autograph, which is simply a dream at the net, so I was probably expecting a bit too much from the Wilson Burn 95 CV, but it did a good job nevertheless!

Serve

8.5out of 10

I was reminded of the Babolat Pure Aero Plus when I first served with this racket.

It’s a little bit longer than your average racket at 27.25 inches long, and just like with the Pure Aero Range, the result is an unbelievably powerful serving weapon.

I’m 6ft 2inch tall, so the extra length is a bit wasted on me, (if I was less lazy and got off the ground on my serve, I could more or less hit straight down) but for anyone who is slightly shorter, it can be a big advantage.

Lawrence, who at 5ft 11 inches is a bit shorter than me absolutely loved this racket on the serve.

He normally hits a pretty big serve, but everything came together for him with this racket, and his serve became a nightmare to return.

If you like hitting aces, then I suggest giving this racket a try.

Again, you need to be confident in your strokes and fully commit to hitting through the ball to get results with this racket, but if you do that, you will be rewarded.

For me, the power boost was quite welcome, but I wasn’t a fan of the feel of the racket on the serve.

I prefer a very connected feel on the serve and lean towards rackets like the Babolat Pure Strike.

That didn’t stop me from giving the Wilson Burn 95 CV a very respectable 8.5 out of 10 on the serve though!

Overall

8.5out of 10

The Wilson Burn 95 CV confirmed to us that we are big fans of the Countervail technology.

We liked the last Burn 95 a lot and we found that they have further improved the racket with the Burn 95 CV.

This racket is perfect for an aggressive baseliner (like Nishikori) who likes to step into the court and attack with flat shots.

If you over complicate things with this racket you are going to find it hard to consistently time the ball well, but if you just keep hitting through then you’re going to enjoy your time with the Burn 95 CV.

As someone who likes to use a lot of spin as part of my game plan, the Burn 95 CV’s only negative for me was the way it played when trying to get a lot of revolutions on the ball.

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Groundstrokes

8.5

out of 10

Volleys

8

out of 10

Serve

8.5

out of 10

Overall

8.5

out of 10

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