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Wilson Clash 100
Once in a while words “fit”! Clash fits this new Wilson racquet because it disrupts the trend of “everything stiff”. Luckily this trend is dying and Wilson has, in my view, done a masterful job of expediting that demise with this concept.
Not only does this racquet look good it just feels good in the hand. It is light, maybe too light, but the brain detects something different about this racquet. We all know racquets are all about “the brain”!
In this review you may notice the addition of a couple of specifications. One is “Racquet – In Plane Stiffness”. This is the racquets resistance to”squeezing the sides together. The higher the number the more resistant (stiffer) the racquet is. Another addition to the review is the three (3) weights taken at the sides of the head and at the very bottom (butt cap) of the racquet. This very helpful when matching or customizing a racquet. so I thought we would include it.
Before this racquet is strung it has a noticeable “softness” which is expected given the 52 stiffness (Wilson is not using the defacto device, RDC, for their stiffness rating). However, after stringing, the racquet takes on a different “feel”. It is like the string is pulling all the material components together! I intend to hit with this racquet tomorrow so as right now I have no idea how it will feel.
To get the maximum from this racquet our demo is strung with Luxilon Natural Gut, 125 and the new Wilson Sensation Plus multi-filament with a “wear” wrap. This should be a great setup, so if you want to hit with the latest technology this is it!
For each racquet we do an “Accuracy Index”. This tells us how accurately the ball will come off the string bed when hit at different locations on the string bed. This racquet has an index of 97, which is very good, in the areas of the string bed that show the most failure (breakage). The overall string bed index of 94 is quite good and tells us that the string bed should produce as much accuracy as the players skill allows!
Take look at the following specifications to see if you agree with the player evaluations you may have read.
| Manufacturer | Wilson |
|---|---|
| Racquet Model | Clash 100 |
| Reference Tension | 58 lbs - 26.3 kg |
| String | Luxilon 125 Gut =M Wilson Sensation Plus =X |
| Machine Used | True Tension Professional |
| ASPS, RDC | 56 |
| ASPS, FlexFour | 61.5 |
| Racquet Flex, RDC | 51 - After stringing |
| Racquet Flex, FlexFour | 27 |
| Racquet - In Plane Stiffness | 317 lbs/Inch |
| Weight, Grams | 309 |
| Weight, Ounces | 10.90 |
| Balance, mm | 322 |
| Balance, Inch | 12.68 |
| Length, Cm | 68.5 |
| Length, Inch | 27.0 |
| Head Width | 9.92 |
| Head Length | 12.85 |
| Head Area, cm2 | 646.0 |
| Head Area, Sq. Inch | 100.1 |
| Number of Main Strings | 16 |
| Number of Cross Strings | 19 |
| Ratio Cross/Mains | .650 |
| Main String Grid | 7.50 |
| Cross String Grid | 10.37 |
| Density (% of head filled with string) | .779 |
| Average Cross String Space | .547 |
| Average Main String Space | .469 |
| Dynamic Tension, Kp, ERT | 37 |
| Dynamic Tension, Lbs/in | 206.94 |
| First Moment, Nm | .764 |
| Polar Moment | 321 |
| Torsional Stability | 15 |
| Swing Weight, Kg/cm2 | 306 |
| Swing Weight, Ounces | 10.79 |
| Swing Weight Calculated | 320.4 |
| Power, RDC | 34 |
| Control, RDC | 70 |
| Manueverability, RDC | 83 |
| Power, Calculated | 1562.7 |
| Head Points | 6.46 |
| Head Weight, % | 47.0% |
| Center of Percussion | 21.5 |
| Dwell Time, ms | 8.50 |
| Efective Stiffness - lbs | 26.7 |
| K, Lb/In | 179.49 |
| Recoil Weight | 155.9 |
| Twist Weight | 227.1 |
| End Weight | 126.8 |
| Tip Weight | 181.9 |
| 9 O'Clock | 94.0 |
| 3 O'Clock | 93.9 |
| Butt Cap | 119.9 |
Carbon Mapping…GPS for Your Ball!
Wilson has introduced a new generation of tennis racquets that do not include GPS but maybe something just as good!
The new Clash tennis racquet is what I am talking about! This new racquet will be in the shop on February 15 and wants to say “hello”!
What makes this such a different racquet is the ability to “adjust” stiffness to the players swing. I have not done a complete evaluation of the racquets so it is premature to go into detail, however, I have felt, and measured the stiffness in the lab. There is a considerable softness!
But where does the GPS thing come in? So, the material layup has been designed to combat the lack of control of very soft racquets, therefore, when you smack the ball the racquet will become stiffer, ergo, control is enhanced and the ball should land at your desired destination! Just like GPS, right?
From the beginning, It has been the mission of Racquet Quest to minimize the “injury” potential of stiff racquets combined with stiff string. We believe this racquet is a step in the right direction!
The Clash racquet comes in two (2) models:
Clash 100 & Clash 100 Tour
The only difference is the weight. The string pattern is 16×19 and slightly “open” for better ball capture.
These racquets are available for pre-order now. We have a limited number arriving on or about February 15 so place your order soon.
I will post more specification details when the racquets arrive so the data is lab “tested” so check back in
Racquet Quest, LLC
