Racket choice .
The racket that suits you best is the racket that feels best. The tricky part about giving advice on the right racket choice is that we do not have a squash court. That is why you just have to hit a ball with a racket or preferably several rackets. So do not hesitate to go to someone on the squash court (preferably after the game) and ask him or her if you can hit a few balls with his or her racket. Experience shows that no one minds.
Types of rackets
There are many different types of rackets, different prices, colours, sizes and shapes. The better rackets are no longer made of aluminium, but of carbon or graphite or a combination of these. Most A-brands have the most beautiful names here, such as Carboflex, Nano graphite or Sonic Core. The fact is that all rackets from € 50.00 / € 60.00 (recommended retail price) are good. These cheaper rackets are heavier than the more expensive ones, where savings are often made on the strings, cover and perhaps an incomprehensible technique. But a racket of € 150.00 is really not much better than a cheap racket. Perhaps you play better because of the feel of a good racket. We do not share the often given advice that a beginner should buy a beginner's racket. Why should a beginner not be allowed to play with a good quality (and more expensive) racket? After all, the racket must feel good. If you start to like squash, you can buy a more expensive racket after a while.
Balance of the racket.
The balance of a racket is very important.
You have rackets that have the weight in the front ( top heavy ) and rackets that have the balance in the middle ( even balance ). You even have rackets that have the center of gravity behind the middle. The balance determines what type of player you are. A player who likes to hit very hard and has already won his match with a nick smash (me..!!) will go for a top heavy racket.
Other rackets do not feel good by definition. Other players do not want a top-heavy racket. They choose the more technical racket (even balance). When choosing a new racket, you need to know what type of player you are. The description of each racket in the web shop states what type of racket it is. That is where you should start making your choice. The average racket is approximately 68/69 cm long.
Now when you look at the Wilson Hyper Hammer 120 Blue (fantastic racket) it says balance 38 cm. This means that the balance is 4 cm further than the middle (= 34 cm) This racket is therefore top-heavy. The Oliver Dragon 3 gives a balance on even. This is half of the racket. So an almost neutral or even racket. Usually neutral rackets give a lot of feeling to a ball.
Weight of a racket .
The weight of a racket is also very important.
The better you play, the more you notice that a lighter racket plays better and is more manageable. Here you will immediately experience that a lighter racket is more expensive than a heavier racket. But don't be tempted. A racket of 130 grams ( always weighed without grip and stringing etc.) which is top heavy, feels heavier than an "even balanced racket" of 130 grams.
If you want to compare the weight, you have to compare apples with apples. You see that the more expensive rackets all weigh around 125/130/135 grams and the cheaper ones weigh around 150 grams. The weight can be important, but it doesn't have to be. The feeling has to be good. If necessary, it is a bit heavier. Be careful with lighter rackets that you don't play yourself into tennis elbow because the racket is too light. Karakal currently has the lightest racket in its collection. Karakal SN90FF weighs only 90 grams (bare frame). Too light for many players, but for technical players or women in particular a perfect racket with many possibilities. Some people add an extra grip or crash tape to their racket. Keep in mind that the weight and therefore the balance of the original racket changes. By adding an extra grip of 17 grams you not only change the weight but also the balance of the racket. A top-heavy racket then becomes less top-heavy. So keep this in mind.
Advice
The fact is that of all sold rackets about 70% are of the brand Dunlop. The other brands that follow are: Prince, Tecnifibre, Head, Wilson, Saxon, Oliver and Karakal. The conclusion that the other brands (Kean, Harrow, Titan, Black Knight etc) are not good, is not correct. These brands may do less advertising or are just busy presenting themselves on the market or are simply unknown to squash players.
Our advice is to just try a racket from another player if your current racket is not broken yet. Otherwise we would like to advise a Dunlop. If you have no experience with top-heavy rackets, but you want a good racket, then we can certainly recommend you a Dunlop Apex Infinity (€89.95), Oliver Supralight Silver (€96.95) or the new Saxon Haka S 110 2023 (€109.95) advise. The last two are equally rackets and always feel good. The more expensive ones too Dunlop Sonic Core Ultimate 132 (top model Dunlop) you will certainly like.
Every brand changes its racket line every one or usually two years. So if you don't want an expensive racket, it's best to choose from the line of the past year. For example, Dunlop now has the Precision line. Last year this was the Biomimetic, 4D Aerogel and Aerogel series and before that the M-Fil line. In general, there is no spectacular improvement in the racket area. So why wouldn't you, if you don't want to spend a lot of money on an expensive racket, buy a Dunlop Ultimate instead of the new and therefore much more expensive Dunlop Sonic Core Ultimate. The choice for a disposable amount can therefore be a clear choice.
For example, Squashwebwinkel.nl currently has the Wilson Hyper Hammer 120 on offer. The recommended retail price was € 170.00 and is now available from € 69.95. So a top racket from 10 years ago for a very reasonable price. Even now two for € 119.95 . So also for a reasonable price the Tecnifibre Carboflex 125 X-Top the top model that former world champion Mohamed ElShorbagy played with or the Victor MP 140 or rackets from other brands. A cheap, but very good quality racket is the Dunlop Blaze Tour The racket costs € 39.95 and two for € 74.95.
But definitely check out Prince rackets, the new Heads, Karakals or a Saxon or Oliver. I play with a Victor IP 7 , fantastic racket that is very easy to hit backwards but also very hard.
Advice for beginners
To the beginning player I would like to Dunlop Starter Kit advise. These are two Dunlop rackets from Dunlop and two balls to both start with. They are a bit heavier than the advanced rackets, but this has the advantage that you can hit the ball in the back more easily with something heavier. After a few times playing cheaper than renting. Also the Wilson Starter Kit is an option. Please note that this is 1 racket. If you are a bit more advanced, I would like to introduce the 2 racket deal of the Dunlop Blackstorms. Take a look at the 2 rackets deal page . Is your 2 racket deal not listed, ask us for one for your favorite racket?
To make a long story short, try a racket with a fellow player and if you like it, order it from Squashwebwinkel.nl for a competitive price. If you can't find the racket in the webshop, send an email with the type and brand of squash racket. We buy from all A-brands.
One last note. Replace the grip of your racket. The Eye, Karakal and Dunlop grips are very good. After replacing your racket, it plays like new again. A grip is not expensive and you get a lot of fun in return.
If you have any tips or comments about our racket advice, please let us know by email. Perhaps this can be processed in the above story to make the choice for a new, different racket easier. Mail to info@squashwebwinkel.nl
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