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Racquet Help!

Published: 04 Dec 2006 - 01:21 by gregzilla

Updated: 19 Sep 2008 - 17:41

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Hi, I am looking for a new racquet.  I am currently playing with a Karakal Bti-150.  This is a good racquet, but it feels very "slow".  I used to play with a Phoenix Apex (weird Canadian knockoff ;-)) which was not too heavy and felt really quick.  Helped make up for my poor footwoork, poor preparation, etc :).  And very good for quick volleys and such.  I am biggish (6'2, 185 lbs) and with my current racquet have problems volleying, especially when the ball is hit into my body.  I played with my old racquet a week ago, my wife has the same one, and it made a big difference.
The Bti-150 is 150g unstrung and head light, but does not feel so quick.  Does anyone have an recommendations?  Dunlop Ice Elite/Tour?  Wilson NTour?  E-Squash Carbon?  I have read the reviews on this site, but I am still not sure.  Where I play there is no pro shop so I can't really try much out before buying, unless one of my fellow club members has the racquet I am interested in. 
Thanks

squash game squash extras How to add images to Members' Forum posts and replies here...

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From rippa rit - 04 Dec 2006 - 06:58   -   Updated: 04 Dec 2006 - 07:38

About the links - I have edited your post and fixed them up.
To explain it for you this is the procedure
  • Hit edit (which will take you back to the post)
  • Highlight the link (as shown above) then Ctrl C (to copy).
  • Select the little icon 5th from the left (the round thing with wheels!) - a box will appear.
  • Then hit Ctrl V (to Paste) and it will drop the link in the box.
  • Then hit OK
  • Then hit Update post
From my experience, here is my two bobs worth described in a rough sense, if it helps:
  • On the side of the racket it normally has the composition of the manufactured product, eg titanium or mixture, aluminium, etc.  This is about the feel when the ball hits the racket, eg stiff, flexible, rigid, etc..  Probably will affect the sweet spot too.
  • Strings, (natural or synthetic) eg, nylon, ashaway, gut - some strings are round, some flatter so some with bite a bit more, or strings will slip around a bit.
  • String tension - Strung too tightly it feels like a board, and can jar the arm too, though that may suit a very strong hard hitter; not quite so tight is better for touch.  And there was a previous post about strings and string tension.
  • Racket head size,eg large teardrop, medium.  Some times this is a bit of a trade off too as the head may be really good for drives, but feel a bit akward when going into the corners.
  • Racket weight - rackets have become much lighter over the years as the composition of the rackets has varied, eg ash, figreglass, mixtures of titanium (incredibly light metal used in aeroplanes), kevlar (aramid fibre made like a spider spins a web), whatever.  Why talk about this?  Well, the composition will have a bearing on the durability, as well as the feel of the hit, as weight and strings are only part of the equation.
Links from previous posts Strings.
Here is a link talking about racket weight too - use the search feature maybe too.
What now - take more notice of these things I mention so when buying a racket you build up some preferences when choosing a bat....confusing

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From gregzilla - 04 Dec 2006 - 01:33   -   Updated: 04 Dec 2006 - 06:50

A few more points.  It is quite difficult to find out racquet specs for squash racquets.  I am not sure why.  Looking at a site like http://www.tenniswarehouse.com they have all the relevant racquet specs.  The only thing I can find that is similar for squash is http://www.squashunlimited.com which is great, but only carries some brands and has done measurements on some of the racquets they have.  All this makes it much more difficult to buy a racquet without playing with it (I know this is what I should do, but my options are limited).   It is ridiculous that most sites won't even tell you where the balance point is.  The weight and head size hardly give any indication of how the racquet plays without the balance.  Very annoying :).
Also, can anyone recommend someplace to buy/try a racquet in Glasgow?  I have found about two shops that carry racquets here and frankly they are both rubbish :).
Thanks

Oh, and why can't I put proper links in :)?

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