Tennis Racquet Review: Wilson Two BLX

March 6th, 2013

filed in Tennis Product Reviews, Tennis Racquet Reviews

The Wilson BLX Two is the latest update to their long-time ‘hammer’ series of tennis racquets.  Generally regarded as a game-improvement design, the hammer racquets have traditionally been used by a wide-variety of players and skill levels.

APPEARANCE / STYLE
I immediately noticed that the Wilson BLX Two has a subtle design—not “loud” or “in-your-face” at all.  It is an attractive natural look and one can see through the clear-coat and observe the weave of the frame material.  It is accented with golden stripes, decals, and white paint at the throat.

TECHNOLOGY
The Wilson BLX Two features 2 of Wilson’s tech features:
1) Basalt (BLX):  Basalt fibers are woven into the frame to reduced unwanted frequencies (vibrations) and to provide better feedback and feel;
2) Hammer:  maintains the majority of racquet mass (weight) in the frame’s head (head-heavy balance) to increase power and stability.  Weight is also reduced in the handle and shaft which creates a larger and higher “sweetspot”.

SPECIFICATIONS
The BLX Two has a 110” head and weighs 8.4 oz. unstrung.  It has a string pattern of 16 mains and 20 crosses.  It is 15 pts. head-heavy (like a hammer!)  It has a variable width beam (cross-section) which measures 25mm/26.5mm/26mm wide.  It is rated by Wilson as appropriate for players with a medium to long stroke—but a slower swing speed.  It is an extended-reach racquet measuring @ 27.25” in length.  It is designed to be on the higher-end of the stiffness scale.

GROUNDSTROKES
The Wilson BLX Two added depth and some power to my shots.  I normally play with a thin-beam flexible racquet and noted that I could perform baseline rallies with a slower, easier swing.  The racquets relatively open “fan” pattern seemed to add a little more bite on the ball and produced some good spin.  It’s obvious—very obvious—head-heavy balance prevented me from using my normal full-swing “wind-up”.  I just could not get the racquet around quick enough with the wind-up.  Players with a straight take-back swing preparation should do well with this racquet.  The larger head size and high racquet stiffness really helps prevent the racquet from twisting on off-center hits (huge sweetspot!).

VOLLEYS
This racquet was very accurate at the net.  It felt very stable and solid.  Its extended length and larger head helped close-the-gap when poaching.  It was slightly less quick at the net due to head-heavy balance—but the power it delivered more than compensated for this trait.

OVERHEADS
Overheads / smashes were good.  The power this racquet delivers on a “sitting duck” is incredible!

SERVES
Serves were also excellent with the Wilson BLX Two.  I was concerned that it would deliver good power (it did) but at the expense of accuracy.  I learned that placement was not an issue—perhaps due to the larger sweetspot.

SPIN POTENTIAL
Wilson has long utilized a “fan” pattern on many of its racquets (primarily game-improvement designs).  BLX Two has such a pattern, and this is coupled with the fact there are only 16 main strings on this 110” racquet.  These strings really have the opportunity to “bite” the ball.  I was completely satisfied with the amount of spin produced.

CONCLUSION
The Wilson BLX Two is a well-designed and appropriate racquet for a variety of players:  those seeking more power from their racquet; those who have compact or medium swings at slower speed; and those who wish for a little more “margin of error” when hitting.  If you have been using head-light racquets for years, but can no longer get the depth of shots like you used to, this may be a good choice.

Greg Christopherson
Oceanside, CA