The new Yonex EZONE 2017 series is out! Mike tested the Yonex EZONE 100 , a frame with a huge punch, generous sweet spot, stable playing feel and good comfort.
Tested racket:
Brand: Yonex Model: EZONE 100 Head size: 100 sq/inch Weight: 300 gr Balance: 32.0 cm Stringing pattern: 16/19 Length: 27 inch RA: 68 Stringing: Diadem Elite XT 17 at 23/22 kg
Test scores Yonex EZONE 100:
Power: 9 Control: 7.5 Spin: 8.5 Arm friendliness: 8 Agility: 7.5 Touch: 7.5
The Yonex EZONE 100 is now available in our webshop!
Tester:
Name: Mike Playing strength: 4/4 Type of player: more classic player, flat groundstrokes, generates little spin. Had shoulder problems until recently. Player's racket history: Head Ti Fire, Babolat Pure Drive, Prince EXO3 Rebel Team, Wilson Steam 100 BLX2, Head Graphene Radical MP and the Prince Textreme Warrior 107 . The Babolat Pure Strike 16/19 2017 has recently also been used.Technology Yonex EZONE 100:
- Enhanced Isometric sweet spot: Yonex's well-known Isometric blade shape normally provides an enlarged sweet spot. This Enhanced Isometric sweet spot opens the sweet spot even more, especially at the top of the blade
- HYPER-MG: By using the ultra-stiff Hyper Modulus Graphite, the snapback of the racket head after ball impact is lightning fast. This provides more power and comfort, even with off-center hits
- Micro Offset Layout: special tubing ensures a straighter alignment of the length and width strings for more power. This also ensures less shock load and therefore more comfort
- Quake Shut Gel Air in the grip provides extra vibration damping
Baseline:
Previously I also had the opportunity to test the Yonex EZONE DR 100 , the predecessor of this EZONE 100. What I immediately noticed is that the well-known Isometric blade shape of this new EZONE 100 seems even more angular. This gives the racket a fairly large sweet spot, especially a little higher in the head. This was quickly noticeable from the baseline. It was relatively easy to put a good dose of power and spin into my groundstrokes. In that respect, the Diadem Elite XT 17 stringing was a nice match with this racket. This string is fractionally stiffer than average, which provides a direct playing feeling and extra control. I found the Yonex EZONE 100 to provide a very stable playing feel from the baseline. In addition to strong power, the racket also performs well under pressure with little or no twisting of the frame. The EZONE 100 does not immediately punish you for off-center hits. I did like the ball feeling/connection with the ball a bit better with the DR 100.
Service:
In terms of ease of service and power, in my opinion a good improvement compared to the DR 100. This EZONE 100 serves a bit more powerfully and therefore provides more free service power. Very nice for me to be able to spare the shoulder a little more. I also thought the grip on the ball for kick and slice serves was strong.
Just:
The Yonex EZONE 100 is a monster from the baseline. At the net the racket is not as agile as my Prince Textreme Warrior 107 with its lower 31.0 balance (unstrung). In the beginning I had some difficulty with the fast work on the net. At the end of this playtest, the volleys also went satisfactorily. The racket has a lot of 'body' and feels very solid for hitting hard balls.Power/control:
This racket offers a truckload of power, see above! I also thought the control was fine. The racket feels very stable upon ball impact. It is also very easy to play with rotation (spin/slice) with this racket: this also improved the margin in my shots. This EZONE 100 is a real power frame, yet the racket also feels very steady and much less hollow at ball impact than comparable frames from other brands in this genre.
Comfort/arm-friendliness:
Comfort is always important to me given my shoulder complaints from the (recent) past. The extra service power compared to the DR 100 already worked to my advantage in that respect. The generous, forgiving sweet spot is also very nice: you are not immediately punished for balls that you do not hit exactly in the middle of the blade. The racket also has Quake Shut Gel Air in the grip. You don't really mind this when playing, but it still contributes to an extra bit of vibration dampening. All in all, I was certainly satisfied with the comfort of the Yonex EZONE 100.