Wilson n5 Racquets Review
It is obvious at first sight that the Wilson n5 racquets do not follow conventional beam design. With a triangular shaped throat area, a sculpted upper hoop and a rounded out shaft design, the n5s (like the n1 and n3) look very futuristic.
We contacted Bill Severa, Global Director of the Technology Innovations & Design Group for Wilson Racquet Sports, to get some insight into the development of the n5 and nCode series of racquets. "Developing the nCode series of racquets was a labor intensive project," said Severa. "The nCode technology development cycle was a long process in order to get the performance benefits we were looking for from nCode. Also, moving the Triad section upwards into the hoop of the racket was key in getting better shock dampening results while still being able to give the player great feedback. Countless iterations of frame geometries and lay-ups were tried in order to get the utmost performance from this line of racquets."
Regarding the unique look of the n5, n1 and n3 racquet frames, Severa said, "The geometric design of the frame is something we're quite proud of from a development perspective. I think this is the first frame that has been 'styled' instead of just engineered. After applying the traditional engineering means to making a great playing frame, we then spent considerable time styling the frames' geometry. Consumer purchases are trending towards products with which they produce an emotional connection. The Volcanic cross-section, the large sweeping surfaces and high Triad intersection all work together to make the nCode series of racquets the most unique racquets on the market."
As with Wilson's previous Triad and T racquets, the n5 features Triad technology. Severa said, "The Triad Technology in the new nCode racquets reflects the ongoing development to the Triad Technology. In order to provide the player with better dampening and increased feel the Triad intersection has been moved upward. This move allows for a better de-coupled effect, which provides the frame superior shock and vibration dampening. The new location of the Triad intersection also allows for more feel to come through to the player, giving them more feedback."
According to Wilson, the n5 racquets are fitting replacements to the former Hammer H5 and Triad T5 lines. With two headsizes to choose from, these racquets should also be a good fit for players in the 3.5 - 5.0 NTRP playing level.
We strung both the n5 Midplus and Oversize with Wilson NXT 17 string at mid tension plus 2lbs and hit the courts for a three-week playtest. Read on for the results.
Wilson n5 Midplus:
Groundstrokes
According to Wilson, nCode Technology provides more strength, stability and power when compared with a non-nCoded racquet. Severa states that "nCode technology provides a racquet that feels solid and strong at impact." From the baseline, our team agreed. They found lots of feel and control when trading groundstrokes with the n5 Midplus. Josh was surprised at the level of control he found. "What stands out most about this racquet was my ability to swing away without hitting long. I expected to have a hard time keeping the ball in play, but the open string pattern allowed for ample topspin and offered good control. The light weight of the racquet gave me more time to react to deeper returns from my opponents and allowed me to hit sharper angles on short balls." Chris also found plenty of control. "The n5 Midplus offers a firm, controlled feel off the ground. I found plenty of spin when hitting both slice and topspin, finding it easy to hit short angles and find my targets. I expected this racquet to provide more power considering its target market. I would probably drop the string tension slightly for a bit more pop off the ground. I would especially drop the tension of the cross strings to open up the sweetspot a bit as it felt small for a racquet with a 98 sq. inch headsize."
Like Chris, Casey also noted a firm feel to the n5 Midplus. "For a racquet having the Triad technology, this one felt very stiff and boardy off the ground. The stiff feel made it very crisp and offered a lot of feel, but it was not forgiving on the arm. It had a lot of control for a powerful hitter. The sweetspot is a bit low in the head, so to generate some pop you need to contact the ball in the mid to lower hoop. This was a bit frustrating for me since I use the upper hoop, and the n5 really felt like a board up there."
Granville found a good mix of power and control from the n5 Midplus. "After the first few groundies it was apparent I needed to install a vibration dampener (I usually play with one), due to string noise. Once it wasin place I was VERY surprised with the positive racquet response. The frame is stiff enough to offer all the power I would expect from my current racquet, and the Triad technology muted the stiffness to create a very similar feel to my softer player's stick. I could feel the ball compressing on the stringbed, which is a tremendous benefit when it comes to control potential. I was hitting out on both sides with good depth and complete confidence. I can safely say this is the single best 'tweener racquet I have ever played with. Furthermore, after spending some time getting accustomed to the feel of a racquet like this - lighter weight, slight head heavy balance and increased cross section - I could play with it and never look back. I was really impressed."
Volleys
Again, control proved to be one of the strong points of the n5 Midplus at net. Our team also found this racquet to offer a nice blend of maneuverability and stability. Chris said, "I found plenty of control at net. I was able to volley aggressively without fear of over-hitting. The n5 felt maneuverable and I could get the racquet out quickly to cut-off passing shots. Stability was decent, and there was relatively little torque for such a light racquet (9.7 ounces)." Casey agreed, but continued to find a firm feel from the stringbed. "It was decent at the net, and responsive enough to have good touch and feel. The racquet felt stiff, though, and aggravated my old wrist injury. You may have heard the saying, "this racquet feels like butter at the net," well the n5 felt more like ice. With that said, it has the control and enough pop to hit good volleys. I could see it being much more comfortable at a lower tension."
Having good results at net with the n5 Midplus was Granville. "Again, very solid with good 'punch' and a soft touch on the drop volleys. The hitting area felt slightly bigger than 98 square inches, especially on tough to reach shots." Josh said, "I picked up everything hit my way at net with the exception of balls hit at shoulder level. I had a difficult time bringing the ball down inside the baseline from the forehand and backhand side. Overheads were easy and volleys from mid-level down were great, but the racquet may have had a bit too much spring for higher volleys."
Serves and Overheads
Our team found plenty of control and consistency when serving with the n5 Midplus. Granville found comparable pace and accuracy serving with the n5 Midplus as with his regular racquet. "As compared to my heavier and more flexible racquet, the n5 Midplus held up nicely. The lighter overall weight allowed me to get some extra speed on the upswing. The reduced mass (again, as compared to my regular racquet) reduced the overall ball speed resulting in about the same power and placement. This is a plus when comparing a significantly lighter racquet to a heavier one." Chris enjoyed serving with the n5 Midplus. "I really liked serving with this racquet. I could get it through the contact zone with plenty of speed, finding good spin and pace in the process. I managed to hit my targets most of the time and I found enough control to hit aggressive second serves. In many ways the n5 Midplus reminded me of the H5 Midplus on serve - good power and spin, and easy to swing fast."
Casey found plenty of control when serving with the n5 Midplus. "I didn't find anything special about this racquet on serve. It didn't have a ton of pop, and unfortunately, to get some added power you need to contact the ball low enough in the head that it makes it a bit more challenging to get the leverage required to hit a flat serve. The string pattern was open enough to generate good spin, and it definitely had good control." Also finding good control and consistency was Josh. "Nice and consistent is what comes to mind with this racquet. I didn't have any problems hitting slice or flat first serves, and my second serves had a fair amount of kick. Location was great and I was confident moving the ball around the service box. As with most racquets within the 10-ounce range, first serves were fast but not heavy. If you are addicted to the body serve, check out the nCode n5 Midplus."
Return of Serve
At only 9.7 ounces strung and with a dynamic swingweight of 311, the n5 Midplus offers plenty of maneuverability on the return. Finding the racquet easy to get around was Josh. "The same light weight that gave me more time on groundstrokes came in handy against the serve. I was able to 'wrist' more returns back than usual, and I could jump on second serves earlier. The one drawback would be stability on off-center returns. At times the racquet twisted too much against first serves. Overall, though, the racquet enhanced my return game." Casey had pretty much the opposite experience to Josh. Casey said, "the racquet felt like it had a lot of dead areas, and the sweetspot seemed too small. I had some trouble finding the sweetspot on the return, and I typically play with a 93 square inch head. I found this a little disappointing, considering the n5 Midplus has a 98 square inch head."
Having better results were Chris and Granville. Chris said, "the n5 Midplus was the better of the two headsizes for me on the return. I found much more control and I was able to push forward and stay aggressive even on faster first serves. It was light enough for me to keep most of my shots out in front, even when taking a good swing. I was finding just enough power to be dangerous when I had time to set up. I enjoyed going for a bit more pace on crosscourt returns and I was returning very aggressively with this racquet during doubles play." Granville offered, "as is usually the case, preparation is key no matter what racquet is in your hand. The n5 Midplus gave me the touch to absorb some ball speed and place the return where I wanted to. Conversely, when taking the offensive I was able to 'get over' the ball and fire with accuracy at will. Once again, solid."
Overall
The n5 Midplus surprised us with the amount of control it offered from all areas of the court. While there was plenty of power to be had, our team never felt like they were sacrificing any control. At net the racquet offered lightning fast maneuverability and enough punch to get the job done. All court players will enjoy the solid feel, maneuverability and controlled response of this one. Due to the firm feeling upper hoop, we suggest stringing the n5 Midplus in the lower tension range, and/or dropping the tension of the upper cross strings for optimum comfort.
Wilson nCode n5 Midplus
(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)
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Wilson n5 Oversize:
Groundstrokes
Our team found the comfortable feel of the Triad technology combined with good ball feel and touch off the ground with the n5 Oversize. Granville said, "this racquet provided a good response with a solid feel. The large headsize offers a comfortable and soft feel on groundies with some added power. Like with the Midplus, I was hitting with good depth, and with only minor adjustments to my stroke." Casey was finding better comfort from the n5 Oversize compared to the Midplus. "The oversize was much more comfortable off the ground. It was more forgiving on my arm as well. I liked the added power I got on my backhand, and the sweetspot was stretched a bit higher, which helped with comfort off my forehand side. I sliced well with this racquet, and generated great spin overall."
Finding good control and spin with the n5 Oversize was Josh. "Groundstrokes and serves were very similar with the Midplus and Oversize. I could still take a full swing with the Oversize and not worry about hitting long. My backhand felt good with both, and spin potential was basically the same on slices." Also enjoying the n5 Oversize from the baseline was Chris. "I found the n5 Oversize to be a joy from the baseline. I was finding a ton of topspin and I was able to move the ball around the court and get plenty of action on the ball. There's plenty of power, but that never got me in any real trouble. On shorter balls I could still swing fast and keep the ball in and on target with spin. I really found the n5 Oversize to be very maneuverable. It felt pretty stable, too, especially considering it only weighs 9.8 ounces."
Volleys
Like the Triad T5, the n5 Oversize is a great racquet to volley with. Light and maneuverable, but with enough mass to provide a solid and stable feel, our team enjoyed pushing forward with this racquet. Chris said, "this racquet was an absolute gem at net. It was light and quick, and I found a really nice crisp feel at contact. There was plenty of pop to help me keep low volleys and half volleys deep and effective. Even when faced with a heavy passing shot, the n5 Oversize felt solid and stable. I found myself attacking the net at every opportunity with this racquet, even playing mostly serve and volley tennis. I just had a blast at net with this one." Finding plenty of power at net was Casey. "The n5 Oversize had great pop on the volley, and also had good touch and control. It was a fun racquet to serve and volley with. I liked the added power. The weight in the head really made it feel stable at the net."
Josh was surprised at the touch and feel he found from the n5 Oversize at net. "The Oversize had more touch and feel than I expected from the 110 square inch head size. The maneuverability was great approaching the net, but a bit cumbersome in quick doubles exchanges. I actually enjoyed playing at net with this racquet more than the Midplus." Granville offered, "I found good power and a trampoline-like feel at net. I thought it was an ideal racquet for the game improvement player and those who want to step up to a more competitive level. It also felt light enough to get around on both sides."
Serves and Overheads
Like drag racing, when it comes to serving, you just can't have too much power. With the n5 Oversize, our team found plenty of power, pace and spin. Granville said, "as with many oversize racquets, there was ample room for spin potential and good power from the 110 square inch headsize. Of no small consequence is the Triad technology, which offers an additional layer of comfort." Casey found the n5 Oversize better suited to his serve compared to the Midplus. "I liked the way the sweetspot extended higher in the stringbed compared to the n5 Midplus, so I had a much easier time hitting a flat serve. This racquet also had more power, making it a much more comfortable racquet to serve with. I had no problem generating spin on either the slice or the kick serve. This was a versatile serving racquet."
Josh found the Oversize comparable to the Midplus on serve. "This racquet felt just as good on serve as the Midplus. Same quality in control and spin potential as the Midplus with a bit more pop." Finding the n5 Oversize a great racquet for serving was Chris. "I really liked the n5 Oversize on serve, too. I was serving very consistently with this racquet. I found good pace and lots of spin. I wouldn't say my serves were especially heavy, but I was really able to zone in on my targets. I found some nice action on kickers and slice serves, and I managed to get some swerve and jump on the ball. Flat first serves had good pace, and I was able to get good pace when going down the T on both the deuce and ad sides."
Return of Serve
The power our team found hitting with the n5 Oversize was perfect for medium paced swings, but got a couple of our faster swinging playtesters in trouble on the return. Josh said, "I had the worst time returning first serves with this racquet. My usual strokes were taking off towards the back fence. If I tried to shorten my stroke, the returns fell short or were sitters for my opponents. I fared better against the second serve, being better able to hit angles similar to those with the Midplus." Chris agreed. "The serve return was the one trouble shot for me with this racquet. When up against a medium paced server I was fine. However, playing against someone with a big serve was tough. There was just too much power in this racquet to be able to return a fast first serve with control. I found I had to concentrate on being very delicate with my returns when the pace picked up and never found a way to be aggressive in that situation. Against slower serving opponents, I could take a decent cut at the ball or hit deep block returns."
Both Granville and Casey had better results. Granville found the n5 Oversize to be "a solid platform to place the ball with confidence." Casey said, "I enjoyed returning with this racquet. The larger head stretched out the sweetspot and added some pop. I was returning with ease, and I had no problems chipping slices as well. It had a great combination of feel, power, and control."
Overall
The n5 Oversize offers a comfortable and solid response at contact. The sleeker Triad system works well in this racquet - providing good comfort and better ball feel compared to early Triad designs. There's a good level of power from all areas of the court. The racquet has a maneuverable feel, promoting faster swing speeds which increased both pace and spin development for our team. Our team really enjoyed volleying with this racquet, and it seems the n5 Oversize would make a great doubles racquet. Players who like to move the ball around with spin and take a moderate swing should definitely give this racquet some demo time.
Wilson nCode n5 Oversize
(Scores are determined by averaging individual play test scores)
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Playtester Profiles
Chris: 5.0 baseline player currently using a Yonex RDX 500 Mid. Chris uses a full-western forehand grip, has a fast swing style and hits a one-handed backhand.
Josh: 4.5 all court player currently using the Wilson ProStaff Original 85. Josh has a long, loopy swingstyle, hits with a one-handed backhand and a semi-western forehand.
Casey: 5.0 all-court player currently using a Volkl V-Engine Tour 10 Mid. Casey uses a full-western forehand grip with a fast swing speed, and hits with a two-handed backhand.
Granville: 5.5 all-court player currently using a HEAD Liquidmetal Prestige Midplus. Granville is an aggressive player who uses an eastern forehand grip and goes continental on everything else, hits with a flat swing and a one-handed backhand.
Review date: November 2004. If you found this review interesting or have further questions or comments please contact us.
All content copyright 2004 Tennis Warehouse.
