EZONE 100 2025 Review

My hot take of the year is that the EZONE 100 is the 100 square inch racquet to beat. I don’t think I’ve ever tested such a well rounded 100 in my life with the EZONE nailing two of the most important ratios on the market: stability to maneuverability AND power to control. So in today’s article, I’m going to review the 2025 Yonex EZONE 100, compare it to the key competitors on the market and tell you about my favourite string and weight setups to help you decide the new EZONE 100 is right for your game.

Market Analysis

So even though you would think that on paper, the EZONE 100 plays like a Pure Drive, I actually think that the playability sits in between the Pure Aero 100 and the VCORE 100. You get this torsional stability and control off the stringbed from the Aero 100 combined with the ball-pocketing and spin modulation from the VCORE 100. Even though the Aero 100 and VCORE 100 seem to be competitors from a marketing perspective, I experienced inverse strengths and weaknesses with them.

My two issues with the Aero 100 are the two main strengths of the VCORE 100. With the Aero, maneuverability wasn’t great so I couldn’t easily modulate my spin and the feel was so muted so I couldn’t feel what was happening with the ball on the strings. With the VCORE 100, the stringbed was too open, creating poor control on flat shots and the torsional stability was below average for the 100 square inch class. But on the Aero, I loved how torsionally stable it was and thought the control from the new tight pattern was one of the best things to happen to the Aero’s since they gave it up in 2016. And with the VCORE I loved how the ball pocketing informed my contact point and the whippy feel made it easy to control one’s spin application.

The EZONE 100 steps in and combines the best of these two racquets without succumbing to their weaknesses. You get a nearly perfectly balanced string pattern that facilities spin without sacrificing predictability, assuming you use the right string setup, which we will of course discuss later. The weight distribution and beam design also keeps the racquet rock-solid on off-centre shots against even the biggest hitters while ensuring the frame is maneuverable enough for sufficient spin modulation.

So what’s new and how has Yonex improved this frame from last year?

What’s New

As per usual, Yonex’s update includes a few minor tweaks to the racquet that are more than the lazy addition of tech but less than a complete overhaul. They’ve thickened the tip of the racquet’s beam by almost a full millimetre and thickened the throat section by half a mil. This leads to more stability and energy return towards the top of the stringbed and reduces torsional flexing in the shaft of the frame.

Interestingly, the frame has also theoretically been softened in the throat with the addition of minolon, which is moth larvae silk developed by a Japanese pharmaceutical company called Kowa in conjunction with the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization. It was designed to be used in the layup of carbon fiber from sports applications but also for the auto industry as an eco option since the enslavement of several million bagworms apparently doesn’t produce any CO2. In my opinion this DOES yield an overall softer and more comfortable feel compared to the 2022 version, which was kind of stiff and pretty crisp.

Despite the 1 point stiffer flex rating, I feel pretty confident recommending this racquet as a comfort option going forward, which is a nice change from the 2022 version which has a mixed reputation. I think overall we have a little more power, little more stability and a little more spin than the previous version, though control and feel won’t be quite as dialed-in from a “player’s racquet” perspective for those who like a more responsive and boardy feel.

Power and Stability

Power and stability are about as good as it gets in the 100 square inch segment. You get this edge-to-edge sweet spot that we’ve become used to from the line of racquets, matching the kind of off-centre performance we get from the competition, like the Pure Drive and FX500 while certainly exceeding the Boom MP and VCORE 100. In typical Yonex fashion, I experienced the most power and stability in the upper hoop of the racquet, which I personally prefer because that’s where I make contact with the ball.

I think I got most benefit from the power and stability at net, on punching volleys and in defensive blocking situations like service returns on when redirecting pace against big hitters. It’s nice on aggressive shots too, like my flatter forehand cross court was absolute money with a customized setup, as there were definitely times that I felt plow through to be lacking in stock form.

Thankfully, this is easily fixed with weight in the hoop, but I’ll share more in the customization section of the video. With a stock setup, I was able to find pretty solid court penetration off my forehand side, but struggled to find consistent depth and power off my two hander which has a lower swing speed in general. On serves there’s plenty of power on the first serve which I also appreciated.

Control and Feel

Control and feel is the area where I always felt the EZONE 100 excelled compared to the competition. The 2022 model was both relatively raw while also being quite solid, in contrast to the Boom and Extreme MP’s being raw and hollow while Babolat’s felt quite muted despite their solidity.

While I've become pretty accustomed to adapting my game to different feeling frames, I do appreciate when manufacturers can find the right balance between ball pocketing and consistency. Many soft frames with outstanding ball pocketing, like the Wilson Clash, the Prestige MP or Gravity MP and the Prince Phantoms offer the massive dwell-time, but the hoop-flex require to achieve that level of ball-pocketing leads to either poor stability off-centre or an inconsistent response due to excessive bending. The EZONE lets you feel the ball come into the stringbed, holds in there, giving you all those nice ball-cupping sensations before launching it out with epic power and spin and most importantly, is does that consistently, making sure you know exactly what to expect from the launch of your EZONE so you can stay on the gas all day long. I never felt like I had to reduce my racquet head speed to keep the ball in, which is exactly what I look from a control frame, and is not something I can say is true for the Pure Drive, the FX500 or the Boom MP.

Overall the feel is more muted than last year, I suspect due to the minolon, but the ball-pocketing is long enough to help you locate the ball on the stringbed. While I can’t say this muted, bouncy feel is my favourite on the market, I can appreciate how solid the racquet feels and I do prefer it to most other options. It does fall behind my Aero Rafa because I like that raw, undampened feel, but I suspect most people will enjoy the comfort and dwell-time with this new EZONE.

Spin

Spin is the area that this racquet most surprised me, especially after hitting the EZONE 98, a racquet which I really struggle with due to a lack of spin potential. I rewatched my review of the last EZONE 100, which is funny because now TennCom is kind of old so I’ve got reviews on multiple generations of racquet, and I noted that I had issues finding spin on my forehand side. In the last year, I have hit the 2022 EZONE 100 and as of recently, I don’t still have those issues.

I believe this to be due to technical improvements on my forehand side and thankfully that means I’m also getting great access to spin with the EZONE. I’m getting more spin here than Pure Drive and the FX500 and around the same amount I got with the Boom MP. The racquet isn’t a complete spin monster like my Rafa or the VCORE 100, but I suspect it will certainly be sufficient for most players.

The spin here is strong in the two ways that I look for, both in pure spin potential and spin modulation. When going for a normal topspin forehand, I was rewarded with all the spin I needed, I didn’t have to work hard to find the spin like I did Strike 98, Percept 100D or TFX1 line and I was also easily able to modulate my spin.This means on flat shots, I could flatten out my technique to hit a flat ball, something I struggle with a little bit when using my Rafa or the VCORE 98, but I could also apply a lot of topspin for passing shots or to buy myself time, something I struggled with on the Pure Drive and EZONE 98.

Customization and Stringing

When it comes to strings, I personally prefer stiffer and crisper setups for this frame.

We first tried ReString Vivo, which is a pretty “medium” string by almost all accounts and I instantly craved something firmer and more controlled. So next I threw in Tennis Warehouse’s P6, which is essentially like a silver Hyper-G with solid tension maintenance and that was excellent. To really put the comfort of this frame to the test, I next tried Tecnifibre Razor Code, which is in the same stiffness realm as RPM, and I must say this was my favourite overall setup. Despite the round shape, I still got tons of spin and the firmer, crisper feel of Razor Code kept me completely dialed in from a control perspective.

I think going to a soft string will work for many players who like that cushioned, muted feel, but I felt that the power levels were a bit overwhelming with something even as soft as Vivo. Right now, I’ve got Pure Rush/Sync in the EZONE and I think for my game personally, it’s a little too powerful still, so I’ll look to try stuff like Tour Sniper in the EZONE in the near future.

When it comes to customization, the EZONE does play incredibly well stock. Stability was absolutely not an issue for me, but I find I play better with a higher swingweight.  Thankfully, the EZONE takes weight very nicely, retaining great maneuverability even with 330ish swingweight. I really liked the playability with a leather grip to lower the balance point, which lead to my favourite setup so far being 342g, 32.2cm and 333sw.

Honestly, the EZONE played really well with specs anywhere in between stock and my customized spec, and I’m sure it would continue to play well in even heavier setups if that’s your jam.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I think this might be a 10/10 racquet.

There are some things I don’t like. For example, the paint on the new EZONEs seems thin and prone to damage. The actual cosmetic has NOT grown on me either. I’m looking forward to an alternate colour, whether it be Osaka or something like the Aqua Night. I also DO NOT like the minimal flare on the buttcap, but that’s easily fixed with tape.

As a package though, I don’t think this racquet has any weakness. Spin is good, power is good, stability is excellent, control is sufficient and the comfort is there regardless of string setup. If you like a really soft string, I can see how you’d have control issues with this racquet but I don’t think you need to string for comfort with this frame given how well executed the dampening tech is.

Going forward this will likely be one of my most recommended racquets on the market and I think it sits on top of the heap with other industry leaders like the Babolat Pure Aero 98 and Tecnifibre TFIGHT 305S.