18x20 Wilson Shift prototype

CPuck

New User
SECOND HIT REVIEW
I had the day off and spent almost three hours on court with the Wilson Shift 315 strung at 52lbs with Volkyl Cyclone 17g. I hit for a few with a ball machine, played a set of doubles, then finished with close to an hour of point play against my regular hitting partner. The following are my takeaways from this second hit. Read my previous post for a more straightforward review.
  • Easy Power - I have been playing with RF97 for the last two years and periodically goofing off with a Pure Aero from time to time. That puts the Shift seemingly in a sweet spot for me. It was noticable to my regular hitting partner that I was getting more pop. I was a bully on ground strokes and very much dictated the singles play on my racquet. It will be an adjustment to simply let the racquet do its thing and avoid over-hitting. No need. I was getting a heavy ball with very little effort.
  • Comfortable Ride - Over the last year, I have had some off and on issues with Tennis Elbow and Golfers Elbow. The Shift 315 has been a breeze on my arm. I know it is only two times out with this stick, but I have left both times with no fatigue, no soreness, and only a desire to get back out there with this racquet.
  • Super Fun - Reviews like this are almost entirely subjective, but the Shift 315 is a blast to swing. This is hard to explain, but I simply felt like I had every shot known to man on this racquet. The guy I play regularly even noticed. My patterns were different. My ball was heavier. The way I was playing was surprising him which says something.
  • Showstopper - This doesn’t really matter, but it was a surprise. There were a lot more people at the Tennis Facility today and a surprising amount of people wanted to get their hands on the Shift. People came up to me again and again to get a look or a hit.
Overall, I left only wanting more. There were some heavy hitters out there today and the Shift never felt pushed around in any way. I have loved my RF97 and every time I have messed around with another racquet I’ve found my way back to the comfort of the RF, but this Shift 315 has been a dream so far.
 

Fighting phoenix

Professional
A friend of mine played with shift 315. He is a solid 5.0. He told me that it plays great but even for him the SW and 315 of weight is more than enough and he makes him go slow at contact. I don’t know why Wilson offered this stick and pro staff X at 315. It should be a 295 / 310 combo like with clash. They are giving an option of pro staff feel to a wider audience with X and instead of 305 they went for 315….
Agree re the shift, but relative to the X - the swing weight is lower than the shift. 329 shift, 320 x from what I read, which is definitely average / manageable. They also have the pro staff 6.1 which is lighter as an easier 100 option.
 

Yamin

Hall of Fame
A friend of mine played with shift 315. He is a solid 5.0. He told me that it plays great but even for him the SW and 315 of weight is more than enough and he makes him go slow at contact. I don’t know why Wilson offered this stick and pro staff X at 315. It should be a 295 / 310 combo like with clash. They are giving an option of pro staff feel to a wider audience with X and instead of 305 they went for 315….

It's likely because more head light rackets will naturally be heavier, and they will need even more weight if you want it to be stable.
 

Fighting phoenix

Professional
SECOND HIT REVIEW
I had the day off and spent almost three hours on court with the Wilson Shift 315 strung at 52lbs with Volkyl Cyclone 17g. I hit for a few with a ball machine, played a set of doubles, then finished with close to an hour of point play against my regular hitting partner. The following are my takeaways from this second hit. Read my previous post for a more straightforward review.
  • Easy Power - I have been playing with RF97 for the last two years and periodically goofing off with a Pure Aero from time to time. That puts the Shift seemingly in a sweet spot for me. It was noticable to my regular hitting partner that I was getting more pop. I was a bully on ground strokes and very much dictated the singles play on my racquet. It will be an adjustment to simply let the racquet do its thing and avoid over-hitting. No need. I was getting a heavy ball with very little effort.
  • Comfortable Ride - Over the last year, I have had some off and on issues with Tennis Elbow and Golfers Elbow. The Shift 315 has been a breeze on my arm. I know it is only two times out with this stick, but I have left both times with no fatigue, no soreness, and only a desire to get back out there with this racquet.
  • Super Fun - Reviews like this are almost entirely subjective, but the Shift 315 is a blast to swing. This is hard to explain, but I simply felt like I had every shot known to man on this racquet. The guy I play regularly even noticed. My patterns were different. My ball was heavier. The way I was playing was surprising him which says something.
  • Showstopper - This doesn’t really matter, but it was a surprise. There were a lot more people at the Tennis Facility today and a surprising amount of people wanted to get their hands on the Shift. People came up to me again and again to get a look or a hit.
Overall, I left only wanting more. There were some heavy hitters out there today and the Shift never felt pushed around in any way. I have loved my RF97 and every time I have messed around with another racquet I’ve found my way back to the comfort of the RF, but this Shift 315 has been a dream so far.
Interesting - I just played a singles match with it and an intense doubles drill, and will agree with everything you're saying - easy, heavy balls, fun to swing, solid volleys and overheads. My one knock on it is that the serves don't have as much kick/action like I get with my extreme mp.

Question for you - I'm 50, strong singles player, and I'm worried that the swingweight of ~330 might be a little rough in a long match. Plus I have arm issues as well, but this felt just fine. Wondering if you think this swingweight might be a bit much for those of us getting a little long in the tooth.
 

CPuck

New User
Interesting - I just played a singles match with it and an intense doubles drill, and will agree with everything you're saying - easy, heavy balls, fun to swing, solid volleys and overheads. My one knock on it is that the serves don't have as much kick/action like I get with my extreme mp.

Question for you - I'm 50, strong singles player, and I'm worried that the swingweight of ~330 might be a little rough in a long match. Plus I have arm issues as well, but this felt just fine. Wondering if you think this swingweight might be a bit much for those of us getting a little long in the tooth.
Two things come to mind immediately:
  1. I am 48 years old, so not far from you. I am athletic and in good shape, but the Shift 315 has been a breeze. I grew up playing tennis, but then stepped away for nearly 25 years (playing basketball competitively). After some injuries I picked up tennis again about 2.5 years ago and didn’t like any of the modern racquets I was trying. This leads me to my second thought…
  2. I gravitated to the weight and stiffness of the RF97 and took to it immediately. So, the Shift 315 feels lightweight to me.
Swingweight is such a personal thing, so I might be something of an outlier. The 300’s I have picked up felt like toys to me. All I can really say is I went pretty hard for nearly three hours this morning and didn’t have any problems. My arm and shoulder would have needed some attention if I had gone that long with my RF.
 

Fighting phoenix

Professional
Two things come to mind immediately:
  1. I am 48 years old, so not far from you. I am athletic and in good shape, but the Shift 315 has been a breeze. I grew up playing tennis, but then stepped away for nearly 25 years (playing basketball competitively). After some injuries I picked up tennis again about 2.5 years ago and didn’t like any of the modern racquets I was trying. This leads me to my second thought…
  2. I gravitated to the weight and stiffness of the RF97 and took to it immediately. So, the Shift 315 feels lightweight to me.
Swingweight is such a personal thing, so I might be something of an outlier. The 300’s I have picked up felt like toys to me. All I can really say is I went pretty hard for nearly three hours this morning and didn’t have any problems. My arm and shoulder would have needed some attention if I had gone that long with my RF.
You and I have much in common it seems...same thing, former junior and college player, started playing more regularly the last few years and this last year in particular. When I started playing more, I picked up the pure strike 98 - great stick, but this last year playing ~4 times per week gave me arm problems, and thought I needed something easier due to my age. In college, I played with one of the old wilson pro staff 4.5s, and this shift feels really comfortable/familiar to me, and feels easy to swing and on my arm. Gonna demo the new pro staff X and see how that feels as well, as I miss some of that old school feel.
 

CPuck

New User
Gonna demo the new pro staff X and see how that feels as well, as I miss some of that old school feel.
Agree wholeheartedly with this statement, but… i am having so much fun with this Shift. My doubles was against a guy testing out the PSX and he seemed to enjoy it. Solid ball coming at me. It will definitely be something I look at, but the free power I am getting from this Shift 315 is intoxicating.
 

Fighting phoenix

Professional
Agree wholeheartedly with this statement, but… i am having so much fun with this Shift. My doubles was against a guy testing out the PSX and he seemed to enjoy it. Solid ball coming at me. It will definitely be something I look at, but the free power I am getting from this Shift 315 is intoxicating.
Cool! My strings from the demo were probably in the low 40s, I think it would play better at around 50 like you had it
 
Agree wholeheartedly with this statement, but… i am having so much fun with this Shift. My doubles was against a guy testing out the PSX and he seemed to enjoy it. Solid ball coming at me. It will definitely be something I look at, but the free power I am getting from this Shift 315 is intoxicating.
But. What. About. The. 300. Why is everyone only focusing on the 315
 

kkm

Hall of Fame
To those asking why this is a thread for the 315/18x20, it isn’t. It‘s just that when I started this thread I didn’t know that there was also a 300/16x20.
 

Fighting phoenix

Professional
Haha okay! Well once I get my hands on the 300 and hit with it, I’ll post my thoughts here. Really liked the 315 but thinking the 300’s lower swing weight might help with serves and maneuverability
 

Soundbyte

Hall of Fame
Haha okay! Well once I get my hands on the 300 and hit with it, I’ll post my thoughts here. Really liked the 315 but thinking the 300’s lower swing weight might help with serves and maneuverability
I'm more interested in the 300g version myself. Willing to trade for one.

I find it harder to prefer the 315g+ static weight frames when they're plenty of quality frames with good feel at the 300-305g mark.
 

Vicious49

Legend
Wilson Shift Playtest announced. USA members only :)sneaky:). Good luck to everyone that submits participation.
Tennis Warehouse: Wilson Labs Shift Prototype Playtest | Talk Tennis (tennis-warehouse.com)

Nothing sneaky about it. Im not even sure if they ship regular sales internationally but they certainly arent shipping free test frames international.

You really need to get over this griping about not being able to get things from the US. You have access to TWE and they usually have better prices on things. Yet you dont hear 99% of this forum whining about that.
 
Nothing sneaky about it. Im not even sure if they ship regular sales internationally but they certainly arent shipping free test frames international.

You really need to get over this griping about not being able to get things from the US. You have access to TWE and they usually have better prices on things. Yet you dont hear 99% of this forum whining about that.
I actually didn't want to write "sneaky". I only put an emoji and now I see 2 emojis and the word "sneaky" between them!!! Unintentional.
My purpose was to let know this threads viewers asap, so they get to submit fast.
 

McGradey

Hall of Fame
Tennis Euphoria also rated the Shift 300 highly, likening it to what the Clash 98 could’ve/should’ve been.

Interesting that the specs on paper didn’t seem to get people hyped for this racquet but in the hand it seems to be a top performer.
 

ACT

Rookie
They've mass released these frames to about every outlet I know, including the smaller shops, making these even demoable through normal channels - highly doubt they're making any changes and taking any feedback for current generation, quite clealy looks like their first paintjob instead disguised as a prototype and Wilson's desperation move lol, I'd be super surprised if not, but I guess we'll find out sooner or later - aside from that plays decent
 
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Mischko

Professional
Yeah, methinks the same. "Labs" has been appearing as a new marketing method across many products these last couple of years. Just a new way to sell things, and get away with higher margin. The obvious plus is that the manufacturer gets to trickle the product into retail to artificially maintain higher price, but without the backlash from buyers, because it's supposed to be "limited" somehow.

Nike running out of plastics for 90% of items they sell is my personal fave in that whole bs..

Shift 315 is really nice. Reminds me of the first 6.1 95 in the 90s, wider beam, more power. Edberg was its marketing face if I remember correctly, he was a bit of an idol when I was a kid.

It's a bit chunky, but it's totally OK. I feel it mostly when I hold the throat with my left hand, on the one hander, initially it was weird. But it's fine, and the paint texture and feel is great.

I've almost always preferred 16x19 so sometimes I can hit the net tape with it, but otherwise a really good racquet. My type of frame, power oriented, punching through the court. Attacking oriented, but versatile. Fabulous on volleys, "I was shocked" :sneaky:

Looks great too, I really like the minimalism of it all. Thick bumper guard looks a bit weird, maybe because it's transparent-ish
 
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AVSH

Banned
Typical Wilson QC. Play the lotto or order 6-12, measure them all and send back the duds.
Or order from TW or local shop and get them matched. Sucks that you have to spend $20 to get what was printed but its the world we live in
 

Fighting phoenix

Professional
So I hit with the 300 today during a 1.5 hour drill, impressions:

Somewhat better racquet head velocity vs. the 315 - could definitely feel that on serves as it felt faster through the air and was able to generate slightly more kick and speed.

Overall still had that great feel and topspin as the 315, but honestly I think I like the plow through and stability better on the 315, as well as the overall balance of the frame. For example, both volleyed really well, but the 315 felt slightly more forgiving at the net and more powerful with still excellent control.

I think I need to spend more time with each, but leaning towards the 315. I'm excited to have finally found a racquet that suits my game and feels very arm friendly, even with a full bed of poly. I love the power, maneuverability, and spin I get with the Head Extreme MP, but this has way better control and I won't have to hybrid it like I do with the head to not hurt my arm.
 

Crocodile

G.O.A.T.
Yes I have hit with the 315 with Alu Power and it is very comfortable for a frame with a 68 RA. Will need to cut one up and examine what they have done to dampen this frame.
 

tim-ay

Legend
Shift 315 received today. Felt wrong right out of the box. SW310. WTF, that’s going back. I like higher swing weights, but why do it on a new frame that supposed to be 300 +/-. The gods are telling me to stay with the Blade Pro’s and I’m listening.
 

Fighting phoenix

Professional
Shift 315 received today. Felt wrong right out of the box. SW310. WTF, that’s going back. I like higher swing weights, but why do it on a new frame that supposed to be 300 +/-. The gods are telling me to stay with the Blade Pro’s and I’m listening.
Swing weight unstrung? Did you demo it first at least? You can’t really judge it till you’ve tried it.
 

tim-ay

Legend
Wouldn’t it be 330? Most strings add about 20, and TW’s average strung swingweight is 329.
lol. nope. I don’t think there is a string made that added 20 kg-cm^2 of swingweight. In an 18x20 no less! Maybe an air string.

Hey, if you don’t know yours, that’s cool. this is a warning for those who might get a beast like this and wonder why the racket is a log.
 

Fighting phoenix

Professional
lol. nope. I don’t think there is a string made that added 20 kg-cm^2 of swingweight. In an 18x20 no less! Maybe an air string.

Hey, if you don’t know yours, that’s cool. this is a warning for those who might get a beast like this and wonder why the racket is a log.
I stand corrected, my bad! You're right, that's a beast.
 

tim-ay

Legend
I stand corrected, my bad! You're right, that's a beast.
I actually like pretty high SW as I play with 4xBlade Pro’s. high 330’s doesn’t bother me. But for this racket it’s just way too much. I wanted to be 295-300 unstrung…. even 301 or 302 and I would have strung it up. Just not worth it at this spec.
 

dekxter

Rookie
Agree wholeheartedly with this statement, but… i am having so much fun with this Shift. My doubles was against a guy testing out the PSX and he seemed to enjoy it. Solid ball coming at me. It will definitely be something I look at, but the free power I am getting from this Shift 315 is intoxicating.

This alone has me curious to replace my blade v7 18x20!
 

lidoazndiabloboi

Hall of Fame
I actually like pretty high SW as I play with 4xBlade Pro’s. high 330’s doesn’t bother me. But for this racket it’s just way too much. I wanted to be 295-300 unstrung…. even 301 or 302 and I would have strung it up. Just not worth it at this spec.
I mentioned in my above post, I had one at 299SW and another at 308SW. definitely not ideal. 310 is pretty crazy
 

Fighting phoenix

Professional
Agree wholeheartedly with this statement, but… i am having so much fun with this Shift. My doubles was against a guy testing out the PSX and he seemed to enjoy it. Solid ball coming at me. It will definitely be something I look at, but the free power I am getting from this Shift 315 is intoxicating.
What’s crazy to me too is that it’s controllable power
 

Vicious49

Legend
Shift 315 received today. Felt wrong right out of the box. SW310. WTF, that’s going back. I like higher swing weights, but why do it on a new frame that supposed to be 300 +/-. The gods are telling me to stay with the Blade Pro’s and I’m listening.

Sounds like the one I sent back. Shift 315 had a SW of around 310 and the Shift 300 had a SW of 272. Wilson QC has always been bad but it's reaaaally bad on the Shifts.

PSXs arrive today. I'll be interested to see how far off spec they are.
 

Soundbyte

Hall of Fame
Sounds like the one I sent back. Shift 315 had a SW of around 310 and the Shift 300 had a SW of 272. Wilson QC has always been bad but it's reaaaally bad on the Shifts.

PSXs arrive today. I'll be interested to see how far off spec they are.
Is everyone basing "on spec" by comparing to the TW publishes?

I know in general most companies don't generally advertise a target swing weight, but there are exceptions
 

tim-ay

Legend
Is everyone basing "on spec" by comparing to the TW publishes?

I know in general most companies don't generally advertise a target swing weight, but there are exceptions
Not really. But 310 has to be an outlier. Their new racket line to capture younger people to Wilson is over 340 SW strung?? Nah.
 

Vicious49

Legend
Is everyone basing "on spec" by comparing to the TW publishes?

I know in general most companies don't generally advertise a target swing weight, but there are exceptions

Sort of but with a grain of salt. I don't expect TWs numbers to be exact but it should be somewhere in the ball park. I know with certain frames like the Black Ace Pro they will say 330 SW but mine are both 325 SW but I also always use 17g. But in the case of my 2 Shifts, the 315 would have been 340 SW and the 300 would have been 302 SW strung. Those are some extremes.
 

Soundbyte

Hall of Fame
Sort of but with a grain of salt. I don't expect TWs numbers to be exact but it should be somewhere in the ball park. I know with certain frames like the Black Ace Pro they will say 330 SW but mine are both 325 SW but I also always use 17g. But in the case of my 2 Shifts, the 315 would have been 340 SW and the 300 would have been 302 SW strung. Those are some extremes.
I don't disagree with you.

But you are comparing two different frames there. So we don't know which one (or maybe both) is "off spec"
 

Vicious49

Legend
I don't disagree with you.

But you are comparing two different frames there. So we don't know which one (or maybe both) is "off spec"

The SW for both should have been in the 320s (329 for 315 and 320 for 300) according to TW so they are both off. One is significantly higher and the other is significantly lower. And it appears that my experience wasn't unique so I can understand people having varying opinions on the Shifts depending on the specs they received.
 

Fighting phoenix

Professional
I have two Wilson Shifts on hand right now and measured the swingweights with poly strings (17G) - the 315 at 350 swingweight, the 300 at 320 swingweight. What the heck do I do about the 315? That's really high and am hoping I can return it. Thankfully the 300 seems to be on spec, but I'm leaning towards the 315 since I demo'ed it and it I loved it. Any advice for how I can order a 315 to get it at a lower spec? Order 2-3 and return the ones over spec?!
 
D

Deleted member 775108

Guest
Any advice for how I can order a 315 to get it at a lower spec? Order 2-3 and return the ones over spec?!

Or pay a little extra for MRT and have tennis warehouse find your racquet (or pair or triple) for you. Will have to call them to do that though.

I have an SW1 but I prefer this method (i think MRT only costs $25) since it saves me a lot of time and hassle.
 

Fintft

G.O.A.T.
first impressions after a hour and half hitting session strung with Solinco Confidential 16L @ 53lbs.

It reminds me of the Speed Pro, but more balance towards the head. Initial feel was firm like the Solinco White out, but kind of softens up on groundstrokes. It’s like an M&M stiff candy coating but if you swing hard the outer shell breaks and it’s a plush experience. (Yeah it took me a good 5 mins to come up with that analogy). I don’t really vibe well with Wilson stringbeds when it comes to spin. I don’t feel as if I can manipulate the ball in the moment because i cant feel it dwell. That could be a me issue though. Didn’t really notice any difference in sweet spot size… and coming from testing the Aero 98 and Vcores the racket wants to swing through more then up. It doesn’t cut through the air forward as well as the Ezone or babolats, but I felt as if it does swing fast.
And similar power to Ezone and Babs?
 
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