The past couple of weeks, I have been testing the completely new addition to the Wilson lineup, which is the Wilson Shift 315. To be exact, its full name is the Wilson W-Labs Project Shift 315. However, I would like to mention that I am not being paid to write about this racket, nor have Wilson sent me this racket for free to let them know what I think about it. The Shift has a great balance between power and control, offering a great sense of stability in all of your strokes.
And, as a result, the Shift has literally made me shift, for it has now become my personal racket of choice. Therefore, we will be diving deeper into the racket itself and why I have decided to switch to this newly released frame.
Racket Design & Cosmetic
To kick things off, let’s talk about the Wilson Shift’s minimalistic and modern design. Wilson wanted to create a racket that would really be eye-catching and capture loads of attention. The Shift has a color shifting Arctic Prism, changing from a pearlescent white into somewhat of an arctic blue. This is part of Wilson’s color shifting designs that are now displayed on all of their newest rackets.
What’s more, above the neutral and matching gray grip, is the Wilson script on the side of the racket. You will notice that it is just a bunch of dots. However, once you step farther from it, all of the dots will reveal the traditional Wilson script.
Specifications
As mentioned earlier, I found it interesting that the Shift was a mix between a power oriented racket and a control oriented racket, but after looking at the specs, I think I know why. The Wilson Shift 315, which is the specific one I chose, comes in a 99 inch head size and has an 18 by 20 string pattern. Therefore, it is somewhat of a big head size, but still gives you that ball security with its tighter string pattern. To add, its unstrung weight is 315 grams or 11.1 ounces. Once you put a fresh bed of strings on it, the stick comes in at 332 grams or 11.7 ounces.
This time, Wilson decided to go with a thicker beam, for it measures all around at 23.5mm and has a flex rating of 68. Lastly, the frame is 6 points headlight and has a swing weight of 329, which again is settling right around the middle for today’s rackets.
Flex Technology
Wilson has actually designed the frame of this racket very differently to any others on the market. When looking at a tennis racket its flex point tends to be horizontally. With the Shift, Wilson added lateral flex, meaning that the racket actually flexes up and down. When you're hitting with topspin, the new technology increases the amount of spin you can put on your shots.
Play Test Thoughts
Once I had the opportunity to hit with it on court, it played exactly as I imagined it to do so. I realized that it has a great access to topspin and dampened feel when hitting any stroke. It felt well connected with the dense string pattern and 315 gram weight, for it has some great mass behind the ball and the string bed felt firmer. I would also like to mention that I play-tested the Shift with Babolat RPM Blast at 53 pounds, which is my preferred setup.
Forehand
On my forehands, the racket feels stable and really controlled. You have the capability to go for some quick swings and not worry that much about missing the ball as long as you make sure to add a little bit of spin. Being honest, I felt very confident with the Shift during the longer and “spinnier” baseline cross court exchanges.
Additionally, it also felt easy to switch up the direction, as it gave me the security and control to go down the line for a winner. With the new flex technology that is inside this racket, I didn’t have a hard time spinning the ball considering the 18 by 20 string pattern that it carries.
Backhands
Thanks to the amount of stability that the Shift provides, my backhands were coming along really great. I felt like there was some great power coming off of the balls, while not having to hold back so they would land in. Just loads and loads of control! Thus, if you have a flatter backhand like others or you prefer to put in with some spin and rush to get that inside-out forehand like me, the Shift will take care of you.
Volleys
Personally, I will admit that my volleys have some room for improvement. However, my volleys were definitely crisper with the Shift, for I just had to put the racket in front of the ball while at the net. What’s more, thanks to its control and stability, I just had to guide the ball slightly and I didn’t feel the racket falling behind like on more head light frames. This eventually made me more confident up there and I started hitting more winners that my opponent had no chance of reaching.
Serves
On the serve, the Shift gives me that ease and advantage needed on the most important shot in the entire game. For the flat, as long as I accelerated through my motion, the ball would come off with some power and I would be able to direct it where I wised to. Slice serves also worked great, getting my opponent out of position, but I struggled sometimes to get some quality spin on my second serves. However, this could help me make sure to keep my first serve percentage high.
Return of Serves
Finally, the racket offered great stability when returning serves. I felt balanced when blocking back first serves and the Shift absorbed all of the incoming pace. For second serves, I felt confident enough to pounce on several, knowing I had enough control to swing freely. Best way to bring up a break point!
Final Thoughts
The Wilson W-Labs Project Shift 315 is an incredible racket for those who want quite frankly the exact middle between a powerful and control oriented racket. It is a very versatile frame and easy to play with for players that simply want the best of both worlds. Personally, I really enjoyed it, as it truly suits my counter-punching game style by providing me great control from the back of the court. Hence, as stated earlier, the Wilson Shift has become my new racket of choice. If you are also interested, I wonder if you will make the shift.