Wilson Vs. Yonex Tennis Rackets: Which To Choose?

When talking about tennis rackets and even equipment as a whole, two brands are often found above the rest. These brands are Wilson and Yonex. Heck, these brands aren’t only tennis brands but also badminton, squash, and other racket sports.

I have always admired both companies, but now the time has come once and for all to determine which one you should choose. Of course, the answer to that question is preference-based, but that’s not a great answer to the question; we have to go deeper than that!

Yonex tennis rackets have better build quality as they are constructed in Japan at the Yonex factory, whereas Wilson rackets are made in China by a third-party company. This makes similar Yonex rackets superior to Wilson rackets in control, power, spin, and durability.

Of course, there are differences between rackets, meaning a $50 Yonex racket won’t be as good quality as a $150 Wilson racket. However, when comparing similar rackets such as Wilson Pro Staff 97 and Yonex Vcore Pro 100, Yonex often prevails in construction quality and playability. See an example comparison here.

Anyways, before moving on in the subject in a more in-depth way, let’s learn more about these brands and their history and what they are today.

Wilson And Yonex As Companies

Both Wilson and Yonex have been around for a while now, and they both have reached the top of the tennis world so let’s take a look at why. Wilson first!

Wilson

Wilson Sporting Goods Company is a sports equipment manufacturer, and its head operation is in Chicago, Illinois. Wilson was founded in 1913, but from 1989 it has been a daughter company of a Finnish company, Amer Sports. Amer Sports, on the other hand, is a daughter company of a Chinese sports company, Anta Sports, which is the world’s third-largest sports company based on 2019 revenue data.

As Wilson leads to Anta Sports, it makes sense that nearly everything Wilson has to offer is made in China, and there are many middle stops, too, so the quality can’t be as great as a private company such as Yonex.

However, Wilson has a wider range of products, at least when counting different sports, and the foothold it has reached from tennis is massive. As you might know, Wilson is by far the most known brand in tennis. Take a look at the different sports where you can get Wilson equipment from.

You can get Wilson equipment for the following sports:

• Tennis
• Badminton
• Baseball
• American Football
• Basketball
• Softball
• Golf
• Racquetball
• Soccer
• Squash
• Pickleball
• Volleyball

When it comes to sponsoring, Wilson has sponsored or currently sponsors some of the world’s top athletes such as Roger Federer from tennis, Sam Sneed from Golf, Michael Jordan from Basketball, and Clayton Kershaw from baseball.

See the Official Wilson Website here.

Yonex

Yonex Corporation is a Japanese sports equipment manufacturing company, and they operate privately without any middlemen or other owners, unlike Wilson, a daughter company. This often results in better quality equipment.

Yonex was founded in 1946, shortly after the second world war by Minoru Yoneyama. Its headquarters is found in Tokyo, Japan, and they provide products worldwide. Generally, products made in Japan are of higher quality, especially when comparing Yonex, a private company, to Wilson, which provides equipment made by a third party.

Yonex too has multiple sports covered; however, not nearly as many as its competitor Wilson offers. Take a look at what sports you can find Yonex products from.

You can get Yonex equipment for the following sports:

• Tennis
• Badminton
• Golf
• Running

Both Yonex and Wilson offer tennis and badminton equipment, and it’s publicly accepted that Wilson is the choice for tennis equipment and Yonex is for badminton. You can make a conclusion of your own about that, but generally, it is true.

Now Yonex also sponsors many well-known athletes, such as Naomi Osaka from tennis, Lee Chong Wei, and Lin Dan from badminton.

See the Official Yonex Website here.

General Differences Between Wilson and Yonex Tennis Rackets

Now that the general information is covered from both Wilson and Yonex, it’s time to compare their rackets selection, design, and price and see which one is generally better.

1. Quality

As stated before, most of Wilson’s products are manufactured in China and come from a third party. Yonex products on the other hand are manufactured in their own high technology facilities in Japan. This makes the overall quality of Yonex better.

In what way you ask? First off, Yonex rackets have isometric head shapes, meaning that the racket’s sweet spot is larger thanks to its more squarish construction. A larger sweet spot makes it easier to hit powerful and accurate strikes.

Second, the racket build quality is better with Yonex, and the products often last longer. This is because the quality control, materials, and technology used by Yonex are superior when compared to Wilson.

However, the playability is up for debate as there are dozens of different models and rackets.

Quality winner: Yonex

2. Selection

When talking about the racket selection, Wilson is a clear winner here. Wilson offers many more models and designs than Yonex, making Wilson the go-to choice for many because of this. In fact, Wilson offers 7 racket models, and Yonex offers 4.

Wilson racket models:

1. Clash
2. Pro Staff
3. Blade
4. Ultra
5. Burn
6. Triad
7. Junior

In every model type, there are different ones with different characterizing, so don’t think that Wilson only offers 7 rackets and Yonex 4.

Anyways, out of the 7 Wilson models, the Pro Staff model is arguably the most used and famous. However, Blade, Burn, and Clash are also very popular amongst tennis players.

Yonex racket models:

1. Astrel
2. E-Zone
3. VCORE
4. Junior

Out of the Yonex racket models, the VCORE Racket model is the most popular one. I have to agree that the Yonex VCORE Pro 97 racket is incredible, especially because it is so heavy, making it generate unbelievable power.

There are other ways to add more power to your tennis racket than the weight itself, but it certainly helps!

Anyways, in conclusion, Wilson has a better selection of tennis rackets.

Selection winner: Wilson

3. Desing

When comparing Wilson and Yonex on the racket design side of things, Wilson is a winner as they provide far more different and unique designs than Yonex. For example, the Clash 100 Chicago Limited Edition Tennis Racket is a very beautiful and unique racket, and similar ones aren’t often found in Yonex.

However, Yonex tennis rackets look very sophisticated and full of quality which is great, of course.

Still, Wilson has more designs tailored specifically for men, women, children, special occasions and with more colors than Yonex. Which brand has better-looking rackets is a matter of preference, but the selection is better with Wilson.

Design winner: Wilson

4. Price

Last but not least, the price is always a big variable whether you will purchase a certain racket or not.

Previously I revealed the average price of a tennis racket in my article and found that the average price is $125. When looking scanning through Wilson and Yonex rackets, you can almost instantly see that Wilson offers far more beginner and recreational rackets than Yonex, making Wilson the more affordable choice.

Yonex generally offers more expensive rackets. However, they are packed with amazing quality, as are similar Wilson rackets. Still, you can’t find as many total beginners or recreational rackets from Yonex as you can from Wilson.

This makes the average price of a Wilson tennis racket far lower than Yonex. Therefore, if you are after an entry-level racket, Wilson could be the better choice for you.

If you are looking for an advanced racket, you can find top-quality rackets from both brands that are quite similar in price.

Price winner: Wilson

Which Tennis Racket to Choose: Wilson or Yonex?

Generally, if you want the best quality and don’t mind a larger price, Yonex is a good choice as they have better build construction, and most rackets have a large sweet spot. If you want a racket with a more affordable price and a wider racket and design selection, then Wilson is a good choice.

Keep in mind that these rules apply in general, and there are differences between rackets, so before selecting one for you, be sure to compare similar ones so you can select the best one for you.

Which Tennis Brand Do I Prefer, Wilson or Yonex?

If you ask me, both brands are great, but I have grown with Wilson, and I have always used Wilson tennis gear. There is no particular reason for that, and when I have tried Yonex rackets, they are at least as good when comparing similar products. Still, Wilson is in my heart, so that’s why I use a Wilson racket to this day.

When I started to play badminton, I began using Yonex rackets as they have a better selection for badminton. Still, Wilson is my tennis choice!

What about you, which one do you prefer after reading this article?