Wilson Clash 100 v2 Racquet Review

Groundstrokes - Score: 87

Without a doubt, the Wilson Clash 100 v2 has a unique feel from the baseline. Our playtesters found easy spin and power, like the previous version, along with a slight stability boost; however, some playtesters found the stringbed to be unpredictable. Brittany began by stating, "Being a fan of the first generation Clash, it came as no surprise that I found the Clash 100 v2 to be extremely easy to use, and I had absolutely no adjustment period. The three qualities that stood out the most to me were power, maneuverability and a forgiving response from the baseline. I tested this racquet in singles, doubles and intense drilling, and I found it performed really well in all situations. The stringbed offered a comfortable response no matter where the ball hit it; however, I had a lot of shots landing in that I felt were going out, and I don't know why. There was no difference in feel when I hit the ball in versus out, so I wasn't able to make any corrections. I found it to be really spin-friendly as well. I could whip the racquet around and hit some dipping shots, and I definitely used them to my advantage. The Clash 100 v2 is also a little lighter than I am used to, but I thought the stability was slightly improved from the last one. However, every now and again, when I was in a defensive position and reaching for the ball, I could feel that I was missing a little bit of mass."

Tiffani immediately noted the signature Clash feel. She said, "Although I technically wasn't on the playtest of the original Clash 100, I've hit with that racquet plenty of times. When I picked up the Clash 100 v2, it felt really familiar. I couldn't sense any major changes, and the signature Clash feel was present right away. Like the previous version, this racquet combines a unique, flexible feel with easy power and depth. The launch angle is a bit higher than other comparable racquets but not uncontrollable for my flat hitting style. I enjoyed the easy depth when I got pushed back because I could hit a deeper reply to get myself back into a point. The stringbed feels really even and comfortable, even on mis-hits. The comfort was great, but there were times I thought balls were going out, and they would land in. That's a great feeling, but I was caught off guard to see those fall inside the lines. I could also really get the topspin going for angles, but I did struggle with slice shots. Those would fly on me when I didn't get the technique just right because this racquet is a little on the light side, and I prefer much tighter string patterns for that shot in particular. Overall, though, this Clash 100 v2 is fun to hit with because of its feel and easy depth."

Jason also found a higher launch angle versus other similar racquets, but he had no issues with control. He described, "This update felt like a Clash and performed like a Clash. And that's a good thing. It has the uniquely flexible feel that still offers great response and feedback, but this version does feel slightly stiffer than before. It's very easy to swing and to generate racquet head speed for quick pace. The slightly higher launch angle was great for achieving depth on my groundstrokes. And like with the original Clash, I was hitting some shots that had me saying, 'no way that goes in,' only to see the ball drop in."

Finding increased stability, Mark added, "I enjoyed the speedy, comfortable and spin-friendly traits of the Clash 100 v2 from the baseline, and that goes for the prior example as well. The difference was that the Clash 100 v2 felt more stable, resulting in me being able to end points earlier and on my own terms. The concern for me was whether I could easily change the direction of the ball (my main weapon), and in most situations, the stability of the new Clash 100 v2 was sufficient to do so."

Volleys - Score: 82

At net, the Wilson Clash 100 v2 offers easy maneuverability and depth, making it great for quick reactions and for players who may struggle to hit deep volleys. Jason found that even with the added stability, the racquet's lower mass was still a bit shaky against big hitters, though that could easily be remedied by adding some weighted tape. He explained, "The Clash was lightning quick up at net. It's great for reflex volleys, and the responsive feel is excellent when trying to hit touch volleys. However, it did get pushed around against bigger hitters. This is an area where I'd definitely want to add some weight in the hoop to help with stability."

Tiffani found the sweetspot to be large and forgiving. She said, "As someone who isn't really confident at net, I most appreciated the comfortable feel on volleys. The Clash 100 v2 was really forgiving when I caught the ball off center. It didn't feel too jarring and managed to help me get a decent reply back. I also thought it offered easy power, which made volleying deep into the court relatively easy."

This racquet struck a great balance for Mark on volleys. He noted, "At net, the Clash 100 v2 felt nimble, obedient, predictable and just heavy enough to easily change the direction of my volleys."

Brittany favored the feel at net from the new Clash 100 v2. She said, "The feel could really be talked about on any stroke listed, but I thought volleys would be the most appropriate place. Like the first version, the Clash 100 v2 offers one of the most unique feels on the market. I feel like I don't do it justice, but if I had to put it into words, I would describe it as plush, yet still modern. I typically am not the biggest fan of Wilson feel, but I really enjoyed this racquet. Volleys were extremely easy to hit. I had no problem getting the racquet into position and was able to mix up my depth and spin. Just like with groundstrokes, every now and again when I was reaching for a volley or returning a hard passing shot, I could feel the racquet flutter."

Serves - Score: 84

Offering great power and easy depth, the Wilson Clash 100 v2 brings smooth serving and comfort to a variety of skill levels. The quickness and open pattern offer accessible spin for first and second serves alike. Mark also noted the simplicity of power generation. He said, "I typically prefer heavier racquets on serve, but I am delighted to say I loved serving with this 11-ounce racquet. I was able to generate enough pace and spin on my serve to keep my opponent guessing and take some pressure off my ground game."

Brittany thought the racquet was a jack-of-all-trades for serving, but she did struggle to maintain power on second serves unless she took a full swing. She described, "The Clash 100 v2 was easy to get up and over my head to hit both first and second serves throughout an entire match without any arm fatigue. I could hit a variety of serves with ease and was overall impressed with the racquet when starting off the point. I wouldn't say anything stood out, but I was hitting everything consistently. The only thing I noticed was that as soon as I started to decelerate, even just a little when I would get tight during a match, the serves were instantly dropping into the net or were lacking a bit of mass behind them. I just needed to make sure to fully swing out to fix that issue."

"I struggled to fine-tune my depth on flat serves," Tiffani added. "A lot of them went long, so I tended to shy away from that serve. I instead tried to slice most of my serves, which seemed to be a good tactic for me with this Clash 100 v2."

Jason also tapped into the spin potential on his serves. He said, "This racquet came up and through contact very quickly. This allowed me to generate lots of head speed for maximum spin on my serves. Because I rarely hit a flat serve, this was ideal for me. I thought I was getting pretty good pace on my serves, too."

Returns - Score: 83

Our playtesters found the Wilson Clash 100 v2 to hold up well for returns of serve, especially with the stability improvement from the previous generation. With its 11-ounce weight, this Clash 100 v2 has enough plow through to return most serves, and it only noticeably suffered fluttering against hard serves; however, the trade-off is a racquet that's easy to maneuver and provides quick transitions to offense off the return. Brittany often builds points off a strong return, and she favors racquets that work well from this area of the court. She said, "I felt very comfortable returning serves, and that is extremely important because it is a big part of my game. I loved hitting return of serves in both singles and doubles for a variety of reasons. I was able to hit shots deep in singles and have them dip in front of the baseline (sometimes even surprising myself). In doubles, I could jam servers as they served-and-volleyed to keep them pushed back to start the point. I was very comfortably starting off the points on the offensive."

Mark's favorite shot with the Clash 100 v2 was the serve return. He said, "My return of serve looks a lot like my volley (a chip or blocked shot), and basically the Clash 100 v2 performed the same for my return of serve, allowing me to sponge up the energy of my opponent's serve and slow the point down a little. Although this racquet was versatile in any scenario, returning serve was my favorite shot to hit with the second generation of the Clash 100."

Tiffani discovered that full swings were the key to returning serves with the Clash 100 v2. She explained, "For success while returning, I found it best to use a fuller swing. I found the stability to be better than its predecessor when I was swinging at returns, and I could generate enough topspin to get shots to land in. Blocking back serves or using a short backswing resulted in some instability, and I often would see those returns float more than I like, resulting in a sitter or just sailing long."

Jason noted the difficulty of returning big serves, but overall he found the Clash 100 v2 to be versatile from on returns. He said, "The combination of maneuverability, power and spin really allowed me to play both offensively and defensively very well. It does get pushed around slightly against the bigger servers, but for the most part, it's very solid on returns."

Overall - Score: 84